Kristen Recommends

webereading recommended this 2 years, 1 month ago

I just got the fourth and final book in this series today and am so excited about it. You should start with The Gentle Axe, the first in the series featuring Porfiry Petrovich, the detective/magistrate created by Dostoevsky in Crime and Punishment. These books bring nineteenth century St. Petersburg to life in all of its glory and decrepitude.

webereading recommended this 2 years, 1 month ago

Now in paperback, this is a moving novel about a Soviet-era ballerina, the decisions she is forced to make and the regrets she has later in life. I read this almost 500 page book in just over two days. Though there is a bit of tense-switching to get used to, this is a very good novel.

webereading recommended this 2 years, 1 month ago

I just finished a re-read of this young adult book and enjoyed it even more the second time. Neil Gaiman is writing an introduction for an upcoming version (which he announced in his memorial post for DWJ).

webereading recommended this 2 years, 1 month ago

Koko is a pretty unique fitness facility. It works like a professional version of WiiFit. You get personalized workout programs and lots of neat stats on your own webpage. It's much more affordable than personal training too!

webereading recommended this 2 years, 2 months ago

Good Omens will also be a film or miniseries soon, with help from Monty Python's Terry Jones. This is a hilarious novel about the antichrist, written by two incredibly talented authors. I regularly pass copies of this one on to other readers.

webereading recommended this 2 years, 2 months ago

One of my favorite books is becoming a film. Scott Cooper will direct this intense story about a young Edgar Allan Poe's days as a cadet at West Point who, of course, gets caught up investigating a murder.

webereading recommended this 2 years, 2 months ago

This is China Mieville's only young adult novel, set in a fantastical world under London. A young girl might be the savior of this land of strange gadgets and even more peculiar rules. If you're a fan of Miyazaki films with their strong female protagonists and quirky worlds, you will like this book.

webereading recommended this 2 years, 2 months ago

This is my favorite burger in the Seattle suburbs. It's the only mainland location of a growing Hawaiian chain. If you get to Hawaii or Seattle, try the Kailua Burger (teriyaki sauce, swiss, mushrooms, grilled onions) and chili fries.

webereading recommended this 2 years, 2 months ago

If you're missing Oasis after their break-up, you won't go wrong with new band Beady Eye. It's Liam Gallagher and 3 other Oasis members with a very Oasis/Beatles sound but a little mellower. My favorite track from the first album is The Roller.

webereading recommended this 2 years, 2 months ago

This novella is actually a collection of fictional letters written by Dennys and submitted to a magazine during WWII. She takes on the persona of Henrietta, a British woman writing to a childhood friend fighting in France. Filled with all the details of country life and deprivation in Devon, this is a humorous and sweet look at life on the home front -- a view you don't normally get in war novels

webereading recommended this 2 years, 2 months ago

Heard this acoustic cover of the Psychedelic Furs' Ghost in You on Being Human (U.S. version). Love it!

webereading recommended this 2 years, 2 months ago

New in paperback, Jasper Fforde's newest series takes place in a world where color is everything -- social status, career, even life itself. Can two young people buck the system and expose the corruption before it is too late? If you enjoy dystopias, low fantasy, steampunk or science fiction, this is a fun novel. It takes a little while to build the world but then you will be hooked!