Domi's Book Palace

Please consider donating and sharing my campaign. Thank you.

MMD Reading Challenge 2017- For Fun Category: Book You've Already Read Before Back to the Classics Reading Challenge 2017 Category: Classic by a Woman Author This book is one of my favorites. I have read it 5 or 6 times already, and I always get something new out of it. Her spirituality is accessible to everyone, and that is what I love about it. This is by far the best translation in my opinion. The language, while still flowery, is not saccharine sweet, which I have found to be the case in some other translations. Also, the earlier translations, were heavily edited by her sisters. Don't hesitate to read this book because it was written by a young nun during the 1800s. There is really something for everyone contained in her writings, and it's definitely worth re-reading.

MMD Reading Challenge 2017- For Fun Category:  Book with a reputation of being un-put-down-able This is not a book I normally would've been drawn to, but I found out that it was written by one of the writers for Arrested Development, and I became intrigued. I flew through this book. It's a pretty hilarious satire, and while it feels like a light "chic lit", the characters have depth. This novel is in epistolary form, made up of emails, psychology reports, FBI documents, school memos, etc. that have been collected by Bee, Bernadette's daughter, as well as Bee's first person account of her search for her mother .

Back to the Classics Reading Challenge 2017 Category: Romance Classic L. M. Montgomery wrote mostly children's books, but this book is geared toward adults. It is a hidden gem; a light read, but one with substance. The plotline of the movie, Last Holiday is very similar to this. Valancy Stirling lives with her mother and cousin, who are highly dysfunctional. Her extended family is just as dysfunctional, and they all live in the same town in Canada during the 1920's. At 30, she has been relegated to the status of "old maid". She is told by the Doctor that she has a year to live, tops. Upon hearing this news, she feels free to live and speak as she wants, which shocks her family. She moves out, and eventually, gets married. I won't give the rest away. The beginning of the book was a bit tedious, but it picks up after that. I actually laughed out loud several times!

MMD Reading Challenge 2017- For Fun Category- A Topic You Already Love One of my favorite genres is Fairy Tales and Fairy Tale Retellings. These are my ultimate comfort reads, even when they are on the cheesy side. I really didn't know what to expect from this $0.99 Indie Kindle Deal, but it really impressed me. It is a very unique take on the Little Mermaid. For instance, the Mermaids are protectors, who keep Sortheliege, an evil force, much like a zombie virus, from taking over sea and land kingdoms. Arianna is also different from the other mermaids because she has two natures, mermaid and human. It is also a story of faith, and there are little nods to the Disney version, which I really liked.

Back to the Classics Reading Challenge 2017 Category: Published Before 1800 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a medieval alliterative romance poem that is surprisingly deep for it's time. I really enjoyed it. The most striking thing about it to me was Gawain's character. He is a dynamic character which is not typical during that era of Literature. The imagery is fantastic. I chose the translation by Simon Armitage in audio book format. I really wanted to hear the poem spoken aloud, so this version was a great choice for me, and the introduction was very helpful. 

Back to the Classics Reading Challenge 2017 Category: Russian Classic This book took me a little while to get into, but once I got through the first few chapters, I was hooked! This is a long, philosophically dense book, but do not let that deter you. It is anything, but boring, and it will make you think. The main conflict in the novel is Faith vs Doubt. The characters are so dynamic that I believed they were real people. Definitely take your time reading this one. I read it in two months, and there is so much to it that I want to read it again. I think I will read a different translation every time. I actually regret that I can't read it in Russian. I would love to experience this novel in it's original glory .

Back to the Classics Reading Challenge 2017 Category: Classic with a Number in the Title The Sign of Four is Arthur Conan Doyle's second novel. While I enjoyed A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four is more complex and the writing style is greatly improved. There are some definite racist remarks in this book, but I realize that this was a typical view of the time period, especially in England, so historically accurate. I have read some Sherlock Holmes years ago, but I don't remember reading this one. I love the monologues, and the character development is good too. I noticed that in A Study in Scarlet, Watson claims that he has a shoulder injury, but in The Sign of Four, he states that his leg is where he is injured. I'm wondering if perhaps Watson may be a bit of an unreliable narrator?

MMD Reading Challenge 2017- For Fun Category: Book recommended by someone with great taste Back to the Classics Reading Challenge 2017 Category: 20th Century Classic I had such mixed feelings about this book. It is a Christian allegory, that has some great themes, and it does make you think, but I wasn't a fan of the writing style. Much-Afraid is called by the Shepherd to make a journey to His Kingdom of Love, where he will give her a new name. It was a really strange mix of biblical language and more modern language. She kept switching between Thee and Thou and You, etc. Also, it was really repetitive. The descriptions were wordy, but repetitive. I felt like I was having De'ja vu. I also felt like I was being spoon-fed a majority of the time. It actually has some very similar themes to Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis, which I will be re-reading for my challenges this year, but Till We Have Faces is far superior in my opinion. There was one part in this book that drove m

Challenge: MMD Reading Challenge 2017- For Fun Category: Book Chosen for the Cover I really don't read a lot of  urban fantasy, but this cover just grabbed me, and that is what this category is all about! I really enjoyed this. It was very well-written, and hard to put down. The language is pretty graphic at times as is the violence, which mostly happens in the second part of the book. It was set in an alternative Johannesburg "ghetto" in South Africa, though, so it wasn't really unnecessary, just too descriptive for me at times. The ending was sad, but still hopeful. Zoo City is the name of the ghetto where "Zoos", people who have committed a serious crime and have an Animal counterpart linked to them as a result. It has more to do with guilt of the individual than a specific crime. The magic system was very unique, at times creepy, but always engaging. I would really like to see a sequel to this book.

Back to the Classics 2017 Reading Challenge : Category: Classic about an animal or which includes the name of an animal in the title MMD Reading Challenge 2017 - For Fun :  Book set somewhere you've never been, but would like to visit I'm giving this book 4 stars. I enjoyed it so much. Dot gets lost in the Australian Bush and is befriended by a Kangaroo. She meets many creatures while trying to find her way back home. I loved the descriptions of the Bush and the creatures that live there. This is a really good children's book, and the only problem I had with it is that all humans are demonized. There is no distinction made between poachers and those who hunt for food. I have always wanted visit Australia, even though some things about Australia terrify me, for example, killer spiders. I actually used to watch the Dot movies when I was a kid. I had no idea that it was based on this book until I was looking for books to read for the Challenges. I'm really glad I foun

I read this book for the MMD Reading Challenge 2017- For Fun Category: Book in a Genre you Usually Avoid I avoid celebrity memoirs, mostly because I feel that I can get enough celebrity news from the internet and tv. I don't want to read books about that subject in most cases. I chose The Princess Diarist because I love Star Wars, and this memoir takes place during the filming. I had very mixed feelings about this book. Fisher is hilarious and relatable, at times far to crass for my liking, but candid. Her diaries from when she was young were probably the most interesting part to me. Her affair with Harrison was just so heartbreaking to me. She tries to defend him, but I think it's awful. Right after he "rescues" her from some co-workers who have gotten her plastered, he takes her into his car and makes out with her. He was 15 years older than her, and married with two kids. It was also heartbreaking because she idolized him so much. The contrast between her diari