Double Helix by Nancy Werlin

I’ve read this book recently – Double Helix by Nancy Werlin. It’s a YA science fiction novel, and I love reading books in this genre. But to be honest I didn’t like the book that much. The storyline, the idea itself was good but it was so boring that I did not like the first 3/4 of this novel at all…
So, that was not what I was expecting, but I’m not disappointed. To me reading novels in foreign languages are always an excellent language practice and also the natural way to learn new vocabulary. 🤗📖📚

Started Reading – 3 May 2020
Finished Reading – 27 May 2020

Book review: Just Plain Weird ★★★★★

Just Plain Weird by Tom Upton. I got this book as a free kindle purchase some years ago (on January 7, 2014) and I really wasn’t expecting it to be that good.

What a story! I really loved this book. This was one of the best YA science fiction I’ve read so far.
It was well written, interesting and just-plain-weird. :)
Highly recommended!

Started Reading – 22 September 2018
Finished Reading – 07 November 2018
My Rating5 Stars

English books I’ve read in 2014

1) The Ivory Tower (a dystopian YA short story) by Kirstin Pulioff.
What a read! This short story blew me away. Amazing, just amazing!

2) Enchanted Castle (Book 1 in The Enchanted Castle Series) by Chrissy-Peebles.

3) A Measure of Disorder (Book 1 in The Mother-Earth Series) by Alan Tucker.
It was definitely one of the best books I read this year! I really loved the setting, the descriptions, the writing. I enjoyed every page!

4) A Cure for Chaos (Book 2 in The Mother-Earth Series) by Alan Tucker.
It’s a great read for YA and older readers!

5) Mother’s Heart (Book 3 in The Mother-Earth Series) by Alan Tucker.
Great books, all three of them! The author has created a unique and believable world with great characters and storylines. I love Jenni and Sara, Brandon and Bonnie, Alisha and Crank, Denny, Lori, Todd… even Mogritas. They are all so real! I miss them already. Hope to find more books as good as these someday!

6) My Mr. Rochester. Episode 1 (Jane Eyre Retold) by L.K. Rigel.
No… I’m sorry.

7) The Scientific Evidences of Organic Evolution by George John Romanes. (London: MACMILLAN AND CO., 1882).
It was well written and interesting work. I am so glad I found this book!

8) Angelique in Love (Book 5 in Angelique Series) by Sergeanne Golon.
To tell the truth, Russian translation of the book is much better. I would love to be able to read it in the original language (French) one day.

9) Perfect Chemistry (Book 1 in Perfect Chemistry Series) by Simone Elkeles.
A good easy read but slightly predictable at the end. And too many swear words…

10) Rules of Attraction (Book 2 in Perfect Chemistry Series) by Simone Elkeles.
It was just too similar to the first book in the series.

11) Funny Tragic Crazy Magic (Book 1 in Tragic Magic Series) by Sheena Boekweg.
A great plot twist! I loved this book!

12) Anna and the French Kiss (Book 1 in Anna and the French Kiss Series) by Stephanie Perkins.
It was the first English book that I couldn’t finish…

13) The Secret by Taylor Hart.
This was an interesting quick read but I expected a bit more.

14) My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick.
I loved this book so much! This is a very sweet and touching story about family, love and choices we make. Very well written!

15) Hell’s Hollow by Summer Stone.
A good debut book. Interesting but slightly boring sometimes.

16) The Pull of Destiny by Cheri Pye (hotcheri).
I’m reading it right now and I love this book! I really enjoy every chapter, every page of it. What a great read! Thank you, author!

.

I hope I will be able to read books in Spanish and Polish soon! :)

This entry was originally posted in my livejournal (LJ) but I don’t use LJ anymore so I’ve transferred all of my Livejournal content to this website.

Интересно, но ожидала бОльшего

Давно уже прочитала, да все как-то не было времени опубликовать. :)
Hell’s Hollow by Summer Stone (Publication Date: Mar 14, 2013. Print Length: 182 pages).

Не понравилась концовка, скучновато немного, но в целом для дебюта – очень даже хорошо.
Интересные слова и выражения:

Bark up the wrong tree = обратиться не по адресу, ошибиться, напасть на ложный след (You may be barking up the wrong tree asking me this stuff);
bide one’s time = ждать благоприятного, подходящего момента, случая (I was dying to ask him more about being locked up, about what he’d meant when he’d said “murderer”, but I needed to bide my time);
blow off = отшить (Suddenly he seemed sad and serious. I worried that it meant he wasn’t interested in being friends with a freak like me – that he was struggling to find some polite way of blowing me off);
circa = c. ca. = приблизительно (Just then, the circa – 1970 transistor radio on the metal desk came on by itself blaring oldies. The Hollow was up to its tricks);
croak = (разг.) умереть (The chipmunk died suddenly, like it was super strong and healthy for a minute, like crazy good, and then it had a heart attack or something and croaked);
lay claim to = предъявлять права на что-либо (A few of the local men tried to sneak in and lay claim to this land);
legal pad = блокнот с отрывными страницами из желтой линованной бумаги, без обложки, очень популярный в США (She scribbled notes on a legal pad);
let down = разочаровывать, подводить (I trusted you. How could you let me down like this?);
stall = глохнуть – о двигателе (I knew he’d gotten stuck here when his car had stalled out on his way from West Virginia to San Francisco);
spring= побег, освобождение из тюрьмы или плена. Возможно, от слова «spring» – открывать с помощью пружины, отомкнуть (You figure out how to block those radio signals, then come back and spring us);
wound-up = взвинченный, заведенный (I paced around my small room, too wound up to be still).

This entry was originally posted in my livejournal (LJ) but I don’t use LJ anymore so I’ve transferred all of my Livejournal content to this website.

Моя жизнь по соседству (Хантли Фицпатрик) на английском – первые впечатления

Прочитала половину: My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick (Publication Date: Jun 14, 2012). Вроде ничего особенного, а оторваться невозможно! Отличная книжка и читается легко.

Beat it! = прочь!, вон! (George! Beat it!);
come to terms (with smth.) = примириться, привыкнуть к чему-либо (It only took Clay a little while to come to terms with the fact that I had teenaged daughters);
CVS = CVS Pharmacy = распространенная в США сеть магазинов аптечных товаров + товаров повседневного спроса (We go to CVS later that night);
every trick in the book = все (возможные) средства (Tracy pulled every bad-teenager trick in the book. She played with drugs and drinking, she shoplifted, she slept with too many boys);
hangnail = заусенец (Tim’s eyes are cast down as he tears at a hangnail on his thumb);
ministering angel = (обычно о сестре милосердия) добрый ангел (What, you don’t see my big sister as a ministering angel? I’m shocked!);
no sweat = никаких проблем, не волнуйся (“Thanks,” I tell Alice. She fixes me with a stare “No sweat.”);
ole = (ам. разг.) old (S’up with ole Jase Garrett and you?);
Q-tips = «кью-типс» – товарный знак пластиковых ватных палочек с ватой на обеих концах (I bought Q-tips, and almost nothing else);
R and R = от военного Rest and Recreation = отпуск, побывка (He came here for a little R and R);
take in stride = accept good or bad luck and go on (Am I somebody who takes things in stride?);
to a fault = excessively, extremely = чрезмерно, чересчур, бесконечно, слишком (Punctual to a fault, I’ve never understood the expression “I lost track of time”);
up-and-comer = что-то вроде – подающий большие надежды, обещающий (Our Timothy is an up-and-comer, Samantha. I’m so proud!);
windbreaker = windcheater = ветровка с вязанными манжетами и воротником (In some of the posters mom’s wearing a yellow Windbreake.

This entry was originally posted in my livejournal (LJ) but I don’t use LJ anymore so I’ve transferred all of my Livejournal content to this website.

A great plot twist!

Прочитала и всем любителям YA-books советую:
Funny Tragic Crazy Magic by Sheena Boekweg. (Publication Date: December 8, 2013. 307 pages).
Amazon и Goodreads оказались правы. Действительно, интересная вещь! Да, есть небольшие пропуски (провалы) в повествовании, и стиль изложения довольно своеобразен, но эта книга стоит того, чтобы ее прочитали!
Надеюсь, что скоро будет продолжение, и одновременно боюсь этого. Достаточно кошмариков выпало на долю девочки – главной героини, пусть подрастет сначала. :)

Традиционно, фразы:
a tad = a little (While he looked at my hands, they felt a tad hotter);
bisabuela (Esp) = прабабушка (I could get my mother’s notebook back. It was my legacy. There were runes in there, from her abuela… maybe her abuela’s bisabuela);
bleeping = a word to block out or substitute swear words (Every day from the hours of three until five, I come into the cafeteria: the one room in this bleeping place that they allow us a computer);
dog ear = загнутый угол страницы (My notebook had a crease down the middle, and a few of the pages were dog-eared);
doodle = рисовать чертиков, или просто каракули, когда мысли заняты чем-то другим (Joe took out a black BIC pen and started doodling on the edge of my notebook);
drop cloth = чехол для защиты мебели от пыли и т.п. (There was a furniture inside covered with drop cloths);
faux = фальшивый (His hair has this sticky-up faux Mohawk («ирокез») quality, which I have never found attractive);
farmers tan = интенсивный загар открытых участков тела во время полевых работ (He had a farmers tan);
ground beef = говяжий фарш (My parents were in the kitchen talking about the price of ground beef);
half ponytail = прическа «Мальвина» (Ms. P. had long light brown hair pinned up in a half ponytail);
in a pinch = при крайней необходимости (I don’t usually lie, but in a pinch, I find I’m pretty good at it);
IOU = I owe you = я тебе/вам должен (Inside the car, on a post-it note stuck to the steering wheel, was a note – IOU one ride to school ~ J.);
my bad = my mistake (Whoops, guess I just spilled a Witch secret. My bad);
on a hunch = интуитивно (On a hunch, I opened my backpack);
on the dot = ровно, точно в срок, пунктуально, минута в минуту (Ryan got a haircut like every three weeks on the dot);
silver lining = a comforting or hopeful aspect of an otherwise desperate or unhappy situation (At least Joe was still in his right mind as they decided whether they should kill him or not. Silver lining);
USPS = United States Postal Service = почтовая служба США (A couple days later, when the hospital returned all my family’s belongings through USPS, my mom’s notebook was gone).

И еще одна фраза зацепила: «The house looked like chaos and felt like home». Хорошо сказано!



This entry was originally posted in my livejournal (LJ) but I don’t use LJ anymore so I’ve transferred all of my Livejournal content to this website.

An interesting book is a great teacher!

I love foreign languages and I love young adult books! Roswell High book series, as well as Harry Potter series, are helping me with my English more than anything else I have tried. They constantly give me everyday expressions, British and American slang/sayings, etc.
Unfortunately, the books could not improve my speaking skills… (sigh).
Anyway. I’ve read the fourth book in the Roswell High series (The Watcher) by Melinda Metz and here are some interesting words and expressions that I’ve found:

after-hours = после рабочего дня, после отбоя (You’re predictable in your after-hours activities);
bummer = «облом» (What a bummer!);
check out = (разг.) умереть (You can’t check out now!);
crash crash out (break out) = быстро засыпать, «отрубиться»;
сrew cut = crew haircut = короткая стрижка, «ежик»;
flag down = сигнализировать, давать отмашку;
joint = (ам. жарг.) косяк (He’d been busted for smoking a joint behind the school);
mug = (разг.) лицо или рот;
no dice = бесполезно, ничего не вышло, этот номер не пройдет (It’s no dice, buddy);
on it = принято;
rocks = (разг.) лед (…on the rocks – …со льдом);
settle for = довольствоваться чем-либо;
sitch = situation (AmSlang);
stakeout spot = место, откуда ведется наблюдение, засада;
to cut smb. some slack = (амер.) быть менее строгим к кому-либо, дать поблажку.

The Watcher (Roswell High, #4) by Melinda Metz

This entry was originally posted in my livejournal (LJ) but I don’t use LJ anymore so I’ve transferred all of my Livejournal content to this website.