Book Nook Cafe discussion

Povijest grada Zagreba: od prethistorije do 1918. by Ivo Goldstein
Povijest grada Zagreba: 20. i 21. stoljeće by Ivo Goldstein
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling - FINISHED 04.03.2020.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling - FINISHED 20.04.2020.
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
Zagreb through a thousand years by Ivan Kampuš
My Inventions by Nikola Tesla
Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon
A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
Biskupski i kaptolski Zagreb by Lelja Dobronić
Los croatas y Croacia en el tiempo y espacio by Anđelko Mijatović

CLEANING OUT MY BOOKSHELVES LIST:

Tajne i zamke drugog svjetskog rata by Vladimir Velebit
Bringing Up Girls in Bohemia by Michal Viewegh - FINISHED 4. 1. 2025.
Vybíjená by Michal Viewegh
As God Commands by Niccolò Ammaniti
The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney
Vršenje dužnosti by Emir Imamović Pirke
Mima i kvadratura duga by Želimir Periš
In Pursuit of Change: The Postpartum Mom by Maya Berger
The Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson
The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo
Budućnost je ovdje: svijet distopijskog filma by Srećko Horvat
The Salt Road by Jane Johnson
Secret of the Sands by Sara Sheridan
The Gaudi Key by Esteban Martín
Pillars of Light by Jane Johnson
Iskra by Neven Orhel
Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit by Daniel Quinn
Childhood, Boyhood, Youth by Leo Tolstoy
The Stonehenge Legacy by Sam Christer
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Košulja sretnog čovjeka: filozofske i srodne priče by Vesna Krmpotić
Amberville by Tim Davys

What a full list, Samanta. Some will flow easily because they are part of a series, which helps, i think. Good luck with your endeavor.

As an aside, Anne Rice (O’Brian then) graduated from my high school the year before i did. Oddly (or is it?) i’ve to meet anyone who knew her back then, nor her husband Stan Rice. Big school, though.

Samanta wrote: "Povijest grada Zagreba: od prethistorije do 1918. by Ivo Goldstein

Povijest grada Zagreba: 20. i 21. stoljeće by Ivo Goldstein

[b..."
Good luck on your 2020 Challenge!

madrano wrote: "What a full list, Samanta. Some will flow easily because they are part of a series, which helps, i think. Good luck with your endeavor.

As an aside, Anne Rice (O’Brian then) graduated from my high..."

Cool fun fact! :)

I'm just keeping on copy-pasting my original list until I finish it :D

Julie wrote: "Samanta wrote: "Povijest grada Zagreba: od prethistorije do 1918. by Ivo Goldstein

Povijest grada Zagreba: 20. i 21. stoljeće by [author:Ivo Goldst..."

Thank you! :)

That's quite a challenge you've set for yourself. Good luck !

Good plan on the copy-pasting, it helps.

by J.K. Rowling
Finish Date: 04.03.2020.
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating: A
Review: You all know I'm a big fan of Harry Potter so there is no point writing again how much I loved the book. :D Things are getting increasingly darker with each book since Lord Voldemort is finally out and about wreaking havoc upon both magical and Muggle worlds and it's seems like he is winning the war. One book left to go.

It’s exciting to see that your enthusiasm continues, Samanta. For me this is the sign of an author living up to her fans. Savor!

Samanta wrote: " by J.K. Rowling
Finish Date: 04.03.2020.
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating: A
Review: You all know I..."
I loved that series.

by J.K. Rowling
Finish Date: 20.04.2020.
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: A
Review: I really liked this last installment of one of my favourite book series. As usual, good manages to beat evil even if things look terrible on the way to the final battle. The story was complex and Rowling tied some loose ends, which weren't totally comprehensible to me (might be just me), but it doesn't matter overall. Given that the good part of the book is pretty dark, the humour in it was wonderful and made me laugh out loud.

When a book can evoke out-loud laughter when re-read, you know you have a keeper! Continued success on your Determination List, Samanta.

madrano wrote: "When a book can evoke out-loud laughter when re-read, you know you have a keeper! Continued success on your Determination List, Samanta."

Definitely! The scene that made me laugh the most was when an errant life-long best friend that is slowly going towards the boyfriend status, returns after doing a stupid thing expecting his soon-to-be girlfriend to be ecstatic to see him (after she cried herself to sleep for a week) but instead is greeted with punches and insults. That was such a typical reaction for both men and women in a situation like that. I was dying! :D

LOL!

I have decided to update my Determination list. From the original list, I have erased all the books I already read, and left only those I have not read. I have also added my longstanding "cleaning out my bookshelf" list. I have too many books at home, and I need to get rid of the excess, so I'm continuing to focus on crossing out things books from this list.

Samanta wrote: "I have decided to update my Determination list. From the original list, I have erased all the books I already read, and left only those I have not read. I have also added my longstanding "cleaning ..."

Well done.

If I can find the motivation, I am creating a small notebook of all the books that are on my Kindle. I am hoping seeing the list of the titles will remind me to read them !

Good idea, Samanta. Last year i bungled up my list but am not sure how. It was a mess, partly because i mixed the read & unread prompts.

As you noted, Onward!

Alias Reader wrote: "Samanta wrote: "I have decided to update my Determination list. From the original list, I have erased all the books I already read, and left only those I have not read. I have also added my longsta..."

That's brilliant idea, Alias. I have many books on my Kindle, and I have no idea what I actually have.

madrano wrote: "Good idea, Samanta. Last year i bungled up my list but am not sure how. It was a mess, partly because i mixed the read & unread prompts.

As you noted, Onward!"

As you could have noted, I completely stopped doing my Determination list. First I experienced a complete reading slump, and then I had to focus on cleaning the shelf, and all the books on the original list are already keepers because they are either my favourite series or books that I need to read as part of my work.

Samanta wrote:

That's brilliant idea, Alias. I have many books on my Kindle, and I have no idea what I actually have..."

I call it a black hole. Frequently I only realize I own a kindle book already when Amazon makes note of it when I try to buy it again !

Samanta wrote: "First I experienced a complete reading slump, and then I had to focus on cleaning the shelf, and all the books on the original list are already keepers because they are either my favourite series or books that I need to read as part of my work. ..."

Sorry to hear about that slump. This time of year, i often end up slowing down my reading, which doesn't help my mood at all.

Alias, you are fortunate that Amazon helps you out that way!

FINISHED

by Michal Viewegh

A satirical representation of post-communism Czech Republic struggling to switch from the long Eastern influence to a more modern and liberal western one. For those interested, the complete review is available in my 2025 Challenge. :)
Rating C+

Samanta wrote: "FINISHED

by Michal Viewegh

A satirical representation of post-communism Czech Republic struggl..."

Well done. Sorry it only got a C+

Samanta, from your list, I just wanted to say I think that

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari is excellent.

I read the eBook. However, I then purchased the hardcover for my personal library. I rarely do that. But I knew I wanted to own a copy of this one. I even went back and duplicated all my highlights and notes into the book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I've read his other books too and enjoyed them.

Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow

21 Lessons for the 21st Century

I have his newest on hold from the library

Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI

That's good to know, Alias. Thank you! As you can see, I've had it for a very long time, but I haven't read it yet. Still, when I saw it in the bookstore, I immediately decided to buy it. I just knew it would be a book for me.

Samanta wrote: "FINISHED

by Michal Viewegh

A satirical representation of post-communism Czech Republic struggl..."

We're happy that you are able to mark this book off your DL, Samanta. Nosy Question: will you now get rid of the book, give it to a friend, sell it or something else. What i mean is, do you tend to keep books, even if you didn't like them?

madrano wrote: "Samanta wrote: "FINISHED

by Michal Viewegh

A satirical representation of post-communism Czech ..."

Sorry, madrano, I've just now seen your message. The idea is to unburden my bookshelves and my small apartment so I'm giving away everything that doesn't wow me or that doesn't scream "keep me!". There is a Facebook group of volunteers for abandoned and/or sick cats, established by two women (nonprofessional) who also have their own cats. They are always accepting donations of pretty much anything usable, clothes, trinkets, books, and publish auctions to raise money for food, vets, medicine and care in general until they are healthy and/or find a forever home.

Thanks for the reply, Samanta.

What a terrific organization to donate books.

"Releasing" books we've read into the public is a good idea. I've purged my books twice in the last 15 years. Like you, i limit my "keepers" to those i really liked. They are like old friends. :-)