tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post4266604041376653145..comments2024-03-14T08:18:20.779-04:00Comments on Sarah Laurence: before i fall by Lauren Oliver (mother-daughter review)Sarah Laurencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-74078727380365914822012-06-13T19:29:48.224-04:002012-06-13T19:29:48.224-04:00Loraine, I enjoyed your review too but I couldn...Loraine, I enjoyed your review too but I couldn't leave a comment. Your embedded comment form cuts off the word verification. Nice to connect with you!Sarah Laurencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-65294866487456568882012-05-31T07:34:16.433-04:002012-05-31T07:34:16.433-04:00http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/05/befo...http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/05/before-i-fall-by-lauren-oliver.html just finished reading this book, i love your review :)Lorainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05417839801930729678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-83800190977826923612010-11-09T21:19:34.533-05:002010-11-09T21:19:34.533-05:00Cynthia, that’s so cool that we love the same book...Cynthia, that’s so cool that we love the same bookstore. Nothing like literary sparing with a daughter!<br /><br />Elenka, it’s just as sweet inside.Sarah Laurencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-84619946003466152112010-10-12T12:53:01.539-04:002010-10-12T12:53:01.539-04:00What a sweet little shop!What a sweet little shop!Elenkahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11377371859667172825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-66409890052289194652010-10-10T18:06:56.443-04:002010-10-10T18:06:56.443-04:00I have to admit my favorite thing about this post ...I have to admit my favorite thing about this post is the lovely photo of Nantucket Bookworks at the top--I have very fond memories of being in that bookstore. My second favorite thing is your daughter's statement that you "didn’t seem very convinced, but that was just part of why I picked it, to see what it was really like." Great!cynthia newberry martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04088261237123157140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-42009537848442705832010-10-10T08:23:06.214-04:002010-10-10T08:23:06.214-04:00Rose and Sapphire, I’m sorry to hear that your ind...Rose and Sapphire, I’m sorry to hear that your independent bookstores shut; especially that this is pervasive in Japan. Independents are struggling across America, as are the giant chains that pushed many independents out of business. <br /><br />On Nantucket Island there are 2 independent bookstores and no chains. It’s worth a visit just for that! I used to prefer the other one, Mitchell’s Book Corner, which carried more new titles and more novels by female authors, but it changed ownership and now has less fiction. Nantucket Bookworks has a big YA section and has gotten better at stocking new releases. <br /><br />My town is Maine also has an independent bookstore, Gulf of Maine Books, which has been there since the 70s with the same owners. It’s delightfully bent towards literary fiction, Maine author and liberal. My only complaint is they don’t stock much YA, but you can order titles from them. There are also independent bookstores in Bath, Falmouth and Portland within a half an hour drive from us.Sarah Laurencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-78007078013673824882010-10-10T00:21:21.414-04:002010-10-10T00:21:21.414-04:00Thanks for the pair of reviews! It sounds like a f...Thanks for the pair of reviews! It sounds like a funny book! I love to read funny books! And I was interested to see the DVD, Droundhog Day. The trailer was very intriguing! <br />The bookstore in the first photo is lovely! I envy you because many individual small bookstores have been closed in Japan due to financial difficulties.☆sapphirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13444996989089740303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-86992487821107327612010-10-08T08:33:01.104-04:002010-10-08T08:33:01.104-04:00How many of us have wished we could go back and do...How many of us have wished we could go back and do over a bad day in our lives? An interesting premise for the novel that surely will appeal to teenagers.<br /><br />So glad you included the photo of your bookstore. I love independent bookstores like this; sadly, the really good one we had closed a year ago.Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01384059342847120951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-91710696035982695332010-10-07T15:05:09.705-04:002010-10-07T15:05:09.705-04:00Alyssa, thanks! I enjoyed your review too.
Amanda...Alyssa, thanks! I enjoyed your review too.<br /><br />Amanda, “before i fall” did remind me a bit of The Lovely Bones but nowhere near as dark. Also the MC is not really a ghost but reliving her last day as if it were real.<br /><br />Mama Shujaa, I loved her “somewhat addicting” too! It’s so nice to have you back.Sarah Laurencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-37864563178104012742010-10-07T14:48:20.419-04:002010-10-07T14:48:20.419-04:00It is really wonderful that you and your daughter ...It is really wonderful that you and your daughter work together. I like that she picked up the book "on a rainy day" and that it was "somewhat addicting." <br /><br />Both reviews are really good!Hana Njau-Okolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15978662559579409259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-32939489335899711342010-10-07T13:15:11.558-04:002010-10-07T13:15:11.558-04:00yet another great pair of mother/daughter reviews....yet another great pair of mother/daughter reviews. i guess it would be endemic to ya novels, but the whole cult of mean girls seems to be such a hot topic. and how interesting that the author decided to meld this with a vantage point from death - as with the lovely bones, this can be a gripping literary device. <br /><br />i also might have been inclined to stop reading if i didn't like a book, so good for you for persisting~<br /><br />nice job sarah and daughter!Amanda Summerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00942636545948440422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-13148556415806979612010-10-07T11:15:42.635-04:002010-10-07T11:15:42.635-04:00How wonderful that you had second thoughts about f...How wonderful that you had second thoughts about finishing and then in the end really enjoyed it! I love the Groundhog's Day homage (great movie!).<br /><br />Great reviews, as usual. I think I could fall in love with that bookstore...Alyssa Goodnighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12563271888054706202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-47294656723834373492010-10-07T10:46:20.020-04:002010-10-07T10:46:20.020-04:00Petra, how fun to hear that Groundhog Day as cross...Petra, how fun to hear that Groundhog Day as crossed the ocean to you and that we share that in common.<br /><br />Elizabeth, I’m sorry you had a miserable time in high school, many creative people do. My experience was much better, but I was lucky to have a big group of bookish friends. We are still close now.<br /><br />Alyson and Carol, thanks!<br /><br />Barrie, thanks for hosting the book review from the road!<br /><br />Edith, Laura Resau’s Notebook series (<a href="http://blog.sarahlaurence.com/2010/09/indigo-notebook-and-ruby-notebook-by.html" rel="nofollow">reviewed last month</a>) would crossover better to an adult audience as would The Hunger Games trilogy, which I’ll be reviewing next month for the book review club. YA literature is booming thanks in part to a big crossover adult audience in the past decade. This is the cutting edge of new fiction. It’s not for every adult, but I love it. <br /><br />Anyone in Maine, NPR is playing a Yo-Yo Ma fest today in celebration of his 55th birthday. My eyes keep watering up his cello playing is so beautiful.Sarah Laurencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-63049677359507566272010-10-07T10:13:00.919-04:002010-10-07T10:13:00.919-04:00Dear Sarah and Daughter, What a winning partnershi...Dear Sarah and Daughter, What a winning partnership this is for reviewing teen fiction, a genre I have yet to be seduced into. I love your contrasting viewpoints and the way in which they are interspersed with comment from the author. I am tempted...but shall resist awhile yet I think.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-59494812156944127872010-10-07T07:21:14.905-04:002010-10-07T07:21:14.905-04:00I find it interesting that the same mistakes are m...I find it interesting that the same mistakes are made over and again . . . when given a new chance but glad to hear change does finally blossom. Lovely to read a mother/daughter review. Like you Sarah, I find it hard to keep going with a book I do not like . . . helpful to be reading the same book with a family member. I enjoyed both reviews. Great idea!Carolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01067132532095325169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-70599730354776094742010-10-06T22:55:11.770-04:002010-10-06T22:55:11.770-04:00I loved the philosophical quotations! And it's...I loved the philosophical quotations! And it's always wonderful when the two of you review a book. Thanks!Barriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04678698296265168217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-35841234194158274772010-10-06T20:40:32.260-04:002010-10-06T20:40:32.260-04:00Oh, I love the mother-daughter book review! I hav...Oh, I love the mother-daughter book review! I have a really hard time reading through a book if the main characters are totally unlikable. I probably would have given up too. Glad you ended up liking it after your daughter convinced you to finish!Alyson | New England Livinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16209837924378793507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-69747999530889752602010-10-06T17:39:31.506-04:002010-10-06T17:39:31.506-04:00What torment high school is/was to so many people ...What torment high school is/was to so many people ( me included way back when!)Definitely not 'the happiest days of one's life'.<br />You both make the book sound fascinating.Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03964291132366262298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-82763101686766644652010-10-06T16:30:03.412-04:002010-10-06T16:30:03.412-04:00I love the Groundhog Day movie, it's realy fun...I love the Groundhog Day movie, it's realy funny. It was a nice surprise to come across it here.<br /><br />I like to read books to the end even if I don't like them (well, if it's not extreme dislike). Sometimes the story just needs time to evolve. Both of your reviews were very interesting to read.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-56029981410169632852010-10-06T14:38:25.046-04:002010-10-06T14:38:25.046-04:00Donna and Bee, yes Nantucket Bookworks is fabulous...Donna and Bee, yes Nantucket Bookworks is fabulous for adult, teens and kids. We visit every time.Sarah Laurencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-27838886620849716812010-10-06T14:33:41.219-04:002010-10-06T14:33:41.219-04:00That sounds like an interesting book. I have a har...That sounds like an interesting book. I have a hard time reading a book if I don't like the main characters very much, but it's good when sticking it out proves worth it!<br />I like the name and appearance of that bookstore on Nantucket. When I finally get there I will have to go!Donnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10352909161587824227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-63943368459155890462010-10-06T14:07:59.617-04:002010-10-06T14:07:59.617-04:00All, thanks for your positive feedback on our moth...All, thanks for your positive feedback on our mother-daughter partnership. It definitely encourages my daughter to participate, although now she’s getting really busy with schoolwork.<br /><br />Bee and Patti, thanks for noting the advantage of having an interesting unlikable character. I actively disliked that selfish protagonist of Prep but at least she was a well-developed, interesting character. The protagonist of “before i fall” was boring. All she cared about was popularity. She goes from selfish to selfless, but she still felt flat. Her popular friends were even flatter. I kept mixing them up. <br /><br />Nonetheless, the do-over concept, the contemporary realism and the writing made it worth reading. I don’t think this book would cross over that well to adults, but I can see it appealing to most teenaged girls. It teaches a good lesson without being didactic.Sarah Laurencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-33240909515234466612010-10-06T13:04:14.279-04:002010-10-06T13:04:14.279-04:00It sounds like an interesting book, despite the un...It sounds like an interesting book, despite the unlikable characters. So glad you both stuck with it and found it worth reading. I loved Groundhog Day, and the idea of a do-over is very enticing.Linda McLaughlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15291670592316021851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-72195241181641586382010-10-06T12:07:27.012-04:002010-10-06T12:07:27.012-04:00My favorite movies and I don't mind unlikable ...My favorite movies and I don't mind unlikable characters as long as they are interesting.pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259325291907281485.post-16403168518269679432010-10-06T12:03:41.959-04:002010-10-06T12:03:41.959-04:00Love the two reviews on this book! But I have to a...Love the two reviews on this book! But I have to admit I don't think I would have made it through to the end... Ok, I might have skimmed until it got interesting.TBMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05587580447766102705noreply@blogger.com