723 p. Took me longer than the previous ones. The author decided to do a 2-parter and put half of the characters in one book, and half of them - to the next one. Not sure if lack of Daenerys had something to do with my slow reading
#afiestforcrows #got #gameofthrones #grrm #valarmorghulis

351 p. I was really curious to look inside the very closeed community. It is really sad and frustrating to see how a woman, as a concept, is degraded to be just a servant for a man. But it's great that a story came out: not everyone born into a community wants to be a part of it and we might just be able to help someone if we know it's happening.

#unorthodox #DeborahFeldman #Hasidism

429 p. I know that marrying the Emperor of Austria-Hungary was not the choice of Sisi, but as poetic and vulnerable she was, she failed people to do her duty. All her life concerned about her passions and love affairs, such a mediocre person. Or is it writing that fails to enlighten the person?

#Sisi #Empress #Pataki

582 p.
2nd book of this author that I get to read, and I'm willing to read more! It is also a 2nd book in a row about a Russian royal family. Is there a pattern forming?

#tsarina #romanov #gortner #royalfamily

992 p.
Spectacular writing and unbelievable intrigues!
I love Tyrion just as much as I loved him in the TV show. Always liked brainy characters! What stunned me is Cercei redeeming herself in my eyes. In the TV show she was just crazy but in this book I started to notice that in this craving of power she fights the fight that all women do to be treated as equal to men.

What's your revelation about the books vs TV show?
#loveCercei #GameofThrones

332 p. A second part of a great story about a wife of Peter I, zsar of Russia.
A Lithuanian war prisoner that zsar fell in love with, and married, and later made his Empress. The only person who could influence Peter to be merciful and gracious. She tells her story on her deathbed...

#Sabaliauskaite #PetroImperatore #Peter #zsar #Russia #Lithuania #history #Empress

756 p.
Does it need saying?...
Great continuation to an exceptional story!
#Martin #GeorgeMartin #ClashofKings #theSongofIceandFire ♥️🔥❄ #SummerRead 🏖📚

217 p. I got this precious in our local library by a lucky accident. Tagged book does not match. The one in my pic is called "And I Sign on This" and was released in 1935. It is one of the last copies. In Lithuania, only 3 libraries have it! . The author is from my native town, a charming personality and created several short, witty novels about daily lives in times between the wars.

#archives #LiuneJanusyte #oldbooks

333 p. I have read this book before and loved it when I was 14 or 15 y.o. This time around it struck me differently - I still loved the philosophy, the irony of the book, the insights into German society in between wars - but I appreciated it more. The book perfectly reveals the trauma of war, devastation of falling economy and and a burning desire to live despite all of it.
#remarq #theBlackObelisk

479 p. Very touching friendship formed during and after war times coloured by some tragic romance. Reflects nicely on what a traumatic experience war is. I think the only people who can appreciate each living moment without rushing into the future are the ones who've seen the death from up close.

#remarque #3comrades

360 p. What a great doscovery! Didn't think I'd enjoy Pushkin, but it was a great read. Touching plots and down to earth language makes you appreciate the creations.

638 p. Does it need commenting? Totally loved it. Seen the TV show, it was great, but the book brought it to the next level.
I have to say I do appreciate Sansa a bit more. In the 1st season of the show I considered her plain stupid but the book gives her previously undiscovered layers.

In preparation to see Queen of Spades in theater, took some of the Pushkin's novels to read.
40 p. The Negro of Peter the Great has a promissing premise, unfortunately is an unfinished novel. It is a story based on true facts and it is unclear why he never finished it.
#pushkin #classics

971 pages. It is an almost bail. While intriguing for a bit less than a half, I soon found myself flipping through pages without much interest. I might have had huge expectations for the book. I wanted horrors and this... was just misterious. Good writing but somewhat dissappointing plot.

#StephenKing #King #it #horror

"Cause there ain't no cure for the summertime blues". - Eddie Cochran

Intriguing!

#StephenKing #King #It #Cochran #summertime #blues #lyrics

I am not sure I ever read a book so thick. Starting my relaxing Monday evening!
#StephenKing #King #It #CurrentlyReading

459 p. Witty tone, bunch of adventures, great book! I did not expect Churchill to be that colourfull. However, very detailed war scenes bored me a bit towards the end.
#Churchill #MyEarlyLife

Winston Churchill writing a hilarious letter to his colleague of the same name: "Mr. Winston Churchill presents his compliments to Mr. Winston Churchill, and begs to draw his attention to a matter which concerns them both."
#Churchill #letter #MyEarlyLife

332 p. Finally finished, and read it in Italian! So much drama just for getting married! I might be misjudging, I know I should evaluate the context of time in which the book was written, but it feels so outdated and I just could not ignore the pointlessness of the story. Would not read it again, would not recommend it.

#JaneAusten #PrideAndPrejudice #OrgoglioEPregiudizio

412 p. Loved the beginning. Author presented a different take on early humans and evolution, and up until he started talking about economics and money, it was a fascinating read. The 2nd part of the book felt more like an opinion rather than factful story and I did not enjoy it as much.

#Harari #Sapiens

"How do you cause people to believe in an imagined order such as Christianity, democracy or capitalism? First, you never admit that the order is imagined.”

146 pages. Quite a disappointment. If the Dawn Treader still contained some character development, this one had none. New main character introduced, not sure why at all needed. It would have been good enough with Eustace alone.

#cslewis #thechroniclesofnarnia #narniareadalong

149 pages. I'd say first couple of books were better. This one felt a bit long for what was told, and ending was a bit dissapointing.

#narnia #thechroniclesofnarnia #cslewis #dawn #treader #NarniaReadalong

I guess the book contains nice arguments where to begin and where to focus if you are really, really a newby in investing or if you know nothing about it. It felt like the whole book could be easily sumed up into 2 phrases: invest long-term & pay attention to taxes and fees.
Here you go, you might as well not read it.

#money #bogle #commonsense #financialeducation #investing

A Magician has changed the look of the Duffers as he thought their original form was ugly and they are better off in their new bodies. How typical of a humankind to think we know better what suits other life forms.
#cslewis #dawntreader #magician #human #supremacy

Don't you just hate Eustace? What a little man, pretentious, sexist prick!
Guess what Eustace, nobody consented to travel with you either. The feeling is mutual.

#cslewis #narnia #dawntreader

130 pages. Lovely fairytale! Appreciate the details and emphasis on the importance of meals 😂 a pick for the kids definitely, and if you are an adult... well, it's a fairytale, if you are not a fan of genre, then you might have a problem.

#narnia #caspian #cslewis

111 pages. Great fairytale for a Saturday morning! Looking forward to read the rest of the Chronicles.
While clearly not targeted for adults, I think the world created was interesting and believable. I hope at some point time discrepancy between Narnia and the real world would be explained. And how come kids forgot the lamp post?
#narnia #cslewis #thelion #thewitch #thewardrobe #fairytales

Meanwhile the Italian version of Pride and Prejudice is going slowly, I pulled out The Narnia Chronicles. Never read them before! I am extremely glad that the first time all the kids enter Narnia there is this realistic thinking about food. I can definitely relate. I would stand in a middle of gorgeous city and I would still think "what's for dinner?".

#narnia #fantasy #cslewis #wardrobe #currentlyreading

Trying to remember a language I once knew so well - reading Pride and Prejudice in Italian. Difficult, but exciting journey! Quite slow though.
Picture taken from my very random walk in the forest just before the rain poured out of the cloud.
#prideandprejudice #readinginitalian #janeausten

208 pages. This quarantine definitely took a toll on the relationship with my partner. I read the book and then yesterday we sat down on the bed, took a test together, and spent some time discussing what each language means and how we fill differently our love tanks. Totally worth it!

279 pages. It is a conditional pick. I loved the part about delegating or eliminating. As a new team leader, I had trouble to say "no" to things, and at some point I found myself working 50 hours a week and accomplishing only minor things. The book helped me to sort out the priorities and get my life back but I felt that some of things Tim has done are on the edge of being non-ethical.
#4hourworkweek #ferris #timferris

523 pages. I guess no comments are needed on the book that remarks one of the cruelest episodes of the world's history.
#harrietbeecherstowe #uncleTom

464 pages. Not THAT breathtaking as the first part (after finishing the first one, my heart was pounding for half an hour more due to a massive cliff-hanger) but it was still a great story. A mash up of extraterrestrials, society behaviors and multi-billion $ companies' impact on our lives.
#hankgreen #carl #aprilmaybenot #abeautifullyfoolishendeavor

352 pages. It is hard to believe it is Hank Green's first book! I started reading it yesterday, it was cloudy Sunday afternoon, and found myself at 3 am with finished book and a fast beating heart from intensity. I am not a fan of extraterestrial stories but this one is fascinating and contains a trully unique point of view. How would you react if Carl appeared in your universe?
#hankgreen #carl #aprilmaybenot #anabsolutelyremarkablething

779 pages. Great start of the year with a continuation of Shantaram. Recommended for everyone wanting to get to know India's everyday culture better and looking for a philosophic adventure book!
#gregorydavidroberts #shantaram #themountainchadow #india

313 pages. The most intense 313 pages I have recently read! I am on streak of John Green's works and this is an outstanding piece. This was so touching, so deep, I could not not feel helpless against the fate of characters. I could not stop reading until I finished and cried throughout a good half of the book.
"The universe wants to be noticed".
#JohnGreen #TFIOS #TheFaultInOurStars

297 pages. The mysterious Alaska seemed a bit unrealistic but I guess it it OK as for young adult book. It touched sensitive topics as friendship, first loves, and the loss, though I would not have minded more depths into it.
#lookingforAlaska #JohnGreen #CulverCreek #AlaskaYoung

175 pages. A bit of John Green strike. I read those either early in the morning, or after hard day at work, so eventually they started to blend. Problematic is similar everywhere but in the end it is a YA literature. Would recommend either for light read or for a teenager.
#papertowns #agloe #johngreen

141 pages. While the main character is a prodigy and the theme - life struggles of a kid who wants to matter - is promissing, in the end the book turned out to be dull. Missed a better plot and needed more closure on some of the events and characters.
#johngreen #katherines #gutshot #prodigy

286 pages. I really did not want it to end. I am way past the age the book is dedicated for, but who the hell can be too old for friendship overcoming obstacles, first loves, and a teenage dramas overwhelmed with mental health? A story from a different angle that really enriched me.

#turtlesallthewaydown #johngreen #mentalhealth

460 pages. Very detailed history of the World War I, how it started and why. Quite an interesting read especially given that World War I is usually not given its proper recognition for the impact it made.

327 pages. In the story there are many details from Lithuanian myths and legends, written with a dose of humour. The story goes around about the Devil trying to get himself a bride. Mythology and real life are so closely overlapping, that it is impossible to understand where one ends and another begins. From another point of view, author managed to grasp of how the coincidences and gossips turn into local legends.
#boruta #velnionuotaka #myths

365 pages. Tragic story about broken dreams. Jude wants to go to college, but college is for rich people only. He meets his sweetheart, and she appears to be cold-hearted bitch. He meets he love of his life, and society condemns them both for having "unlawful" relationship. The story takes place in 19th century but in many aspects, aren't we still facing the same issues?

#tomhardy #jude #judetheobscure

175 pages.
Comic books are definitely not my cup of tea - too many pictures. But the story is great!

#comicbook #dragonball #akiratorajama

205 pages. Incredible story about 2 men who went for hunting in Siberia. Cold, harsh living conditions and philosophy of living in the nature, with nature, and taking only essentials out of it.

#nature #lithuanianauthor #siberia #taiga #hunting

637 pages.

1695 pages.

278 p. Poet Nėris had an exceptional talent, though very little brain for politics. Fascinated by the Soviet ideas all of her life she worked for them and only on her death bed realized how badly she betrayed her nation. Many people defend her, many people hate her. After reading her whole life story, even if she's a great poet, I still cannot justify many of her obviously stupid decisions.

#lithuanianauthor #poet #salomejaneris

622 pages. Cruel and impressive, realistic story in the medieval Catalonia.
#cathedralofthesea #falcones #medieval #feodalism #barcelona