Last Book You Read and Your Review of It

[rubah]

Arthur Conan Doyle - Study in Scarlet

the first Sherlock Holmes novel introduces holmes and watson and takes us along the murder case of Enoch Drebber.

It was pretty awesome. I've never read any sherlock holmes so I'm just familiar with the charicatures of him that have showed up through the decades since these were published. It turns out he is a solitary, almost cocky, meticulous person.

It's a lot of fun to see how forensic science has progressed from a hundred years ago; how much sheer chemistry has been developed since then.

it even has MORMONS. I totally didn't see that coming. It was so interesting to see a portrait of the West by an englishman

:up:

[I Took the Red Pill]

The Master and Margarita - One of the best things I've ever read. That's 'bout all I gotta say.

[rubah]

I got Madeleine L'Engle's A Wind in the Door through BookMooch: exchange books and trade them, like a book swap or book barter (http://www.bookmooch.com/) and was completely unimpressed with it.

I liked Wrinkle and Swiftly Turning Planet well enough, but Wind in the Door seems terribly predictable, and obsessed over the fractal view of existence. Perhaps if I had read it when I was younger I would've at least had the happiness that comes with nostalgia in these cases

[redxiiii]

The Picture of Dorian Gray-Oscar Wilde A glorious read, I loved it, literature at its most articulate. Long live Lord Wotton! :D

[Rye]

The Hand Maiden's Tale - Margaret Atwood

My first Atwood novel. Dsytopian literature at its best and a very interesting foray into feminist lit without it being too much. The historical and psychological aspects of it were fantastic. What an imagination. I have to argue that I think this may be a better dystopian novel than A Brave New World.

[krissy]

The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite

pretty typical superhero family with family issues drama with tongue-in-cheek commentary about the genre and high brow glances at evolutionary degrees of freedom between monkeys and humans. 7 magic kids adopted and raised by cold eccentric millionaire who trains them to be a superhero force, years later come apart at the seams after his death; some struggle to live a normal life, others struggle to appease whatever daddy issues they had with their 'father'.

some interesting art direction. i would have like it far more if the dialogue had been better, probably.

6/10

[Raistlin]

I liked Wrinkle and Swiftly Turning Planet well enough, but Wind in the Door seems terribly predictable, and obsessed over the fractal view of existence. Perhaps if I had read it when I was younger I would've at least had the happiness that comes with nostalgia in these cases

Uh yeah, those books are aimed at a much younger audience. I loved them when I was 10. I liked Wind in the Door, though I may have just been fascinated by all of the pseudo-scientific stuff in it.

[Meat Puppet]

the stand

too weak.... to associate with words.... any longer...

[krissy]

^the full edition is sitting on my desk
i guess i should read it before my desk buckles under the 1000 f'n pages
geez

[rubah]

I liked Wrinkle and Swiftly Turning Planet well enough, but Wind in the Door seems terribly predictable, and obsessed over the fractal view of existence. Perhaps if I had read it when I was younger I would've at least had the happiness that comes with nostalgia in these cases

Uh yeah, those books are aimed at a much younger audience. I loved them when I was 10. I liked Wind in the Door, though I may have just been fascinated by all of the pseudo-scientific stuff in it.

I know that :p iwas saying when I reread the others recently, I liked them a lot better than I liked this one :p

[Del Murder]

<i>Middlesex</i>

Pretty entertaining look at a family over a couple generations. It deals with gender roles pretty effectively and convincingly. The main character (narrator) is very well portrayed and almost seems like a real person. Not a gripping page turner by any means but are really interesting read.

4/5

[G13]

The Dark Elf Trilogy omnibus by R.A. Salvatore.

Great book(s). A friend recommended it to me and it was much better than I thought. Story of a dark elf who grows up in the evil world of his heritage and his struggles in finding his morals.

[Booga]

The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

I first read this book when I was 16/17 and I fell in love with it. Holden Caulfield's way of thinking mirrored mine at the time, and it made me feel that I wasn't alone. Five years later and I still love it as much as that first time I read it. It's well written, a simple and belivable story and with characters that you could belive in. The first time I finished it I wanted to know what happened next, I couldn't believe that was it. It's the only time I have ever cared about a character in a book so much. I can't reccommend it enough, everyone should read this book.

[Quindiana Jones]

I always thought Holden was a whiny little bitch who needed to grow the fuck up, and the book really annoyed me.

Though it certainly is well written and worth a look.

[SeeDRankLou]

Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership by R. David Edmunds

I had to read this for history class. Tecumseh was an Indian warchief in the early 1800's. The book was rather boring until it got to the War of 1812, where it got mildly entertaining. I got a 100 on the quiz over the book though, so all is good.

[Rye]

I always thought Holden was a whiny little bitch who needed to grow the smurf up, and the book really annoyed me.

Though it certainly is well written and worth a look.

I always got the impression that the book was a discussion of depression way ahead of its time. I get that impression from all of his novels I've read. All the characters seem like they're coping with depression. It's interesting, I wonder if JD Salinger had it.

[Breine]

<i>Middlesex</i>

Pretty entertaining look at a family over a couple generations. It deals with gender roles pretty effectively and convincingly. The main character (narrator) is very well portrayed and almost seems like a real person. Not a gripping page turner by any means but are really interesting read.

4/5

I'm currently reading it, and loving every second of it.

[Booga]

I always thought Holden was a whiny little bitch who needed to grow the smurf up, and the book really annoyed me.

Though it certainly is well written and worth a look.

I always got the impression that the book was a discussion of depression way ahead of its time. I get that impression from all of his novels I've read. All the characters seem like they're coping with depression. It's interesting, I wonder if JD Salinger had it.

Same I suffered very badly with depression back then, and everything just felt so fake, and I guess the book just reached out to me and let me know I wasn't alone in feeling that way.

[redxiiii]

The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

I first read this book when I was 16/17 and I fell in love with it. Holden Caulfield's way of thinking mirrored mine at the time, and it made me feel that I wasn't alone. Five years later and I still love it as much as that first time I read it. It's well written, a simple and belivable story and with characters that you could belive in. The first time I finished it I wanted to know what happened next, I couldn't believe that was it. It's the only time I have ever cared about a character in a book so much. I can't reccommend it enough, everyone should read this book.

Agreed...

[krissy]

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
by Marjane Satrapi

super good but what a crappy ending ;(
9

[Miriel]

Books I've read in the past 3 weeks:

A Dirty Job - Christopher Moore
Loved it. Quirky and funny, and surprisingly touching.

The Rainmaker - John Grisham
First book I've ever read from John Grisham. After I was done reading, I threw the book across the floor. Awful, just awful.

The Nanny Diaries - Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Picked this up at a used book store for like $2. No wonder it was so cheap, it was pure junk.

The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri
One of those slowburning books that doesn't quite grab you until it's all over and you can look back on the entire book, esstentially look back on these character's journey's and appreciate the quiet beauty of it all. I've read a lot of books about the immigrant experience, and I think the Namesake captures so much of the experience of being a foreigner better than any other book I've ever read.

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
Read it for the nostalgia. One of my favorite books as a little girl. It still makes me cry.

I'm trying to get through Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky but it's a tough read. Postponing trudging through the book by reading another book, The Brief wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. It had be from page 1. "No matter what its name or provenance, it is believed that the arrival of Europeans on Hispaniola unleashed the fuku on the world, and we've all been in the :bou::bou::bou::bou: ever since."


The Hand Maiden's Tale - Margaret Atwood

My first Atwood novel. Dsytopian literature at its best and a very interesting foray into feminist lit without it being too much. The historical and psychological aspects of it were fantastic. What an imagination. I have to argue that I think this may be a better dystopian novel than A Brave New World.

I think it's better than both A Brave New World and 1984. I also enjoyed Atwood's The Penelopiad.

[Raistlin]

The Rainmaker - John Grisham
First book I've ever read from John Grisham. After I was done reading, I threw the book across the floor. Awful, just awful.

Haha, don't read most other books by him, then. Grisham's novels tend to be awfully formulaic. I did enjoy Runaway Jury, though - possibly just because I was young, it was the first of his books I'd read, and I hadn't gotten sick of his formula yet (the movie is still cringe-worthy).

[P4ine]

Franz Kafka's "Der Prozess". The author describes the life of a mid-aged bureaucrat, Mr. K, who one day gets waken up by two policemen, stating he was arraigned. Mr. K then starts to look for his complaimant and the actual charges he's been arraigned for, but whenever he's near to get an answer, he seems to become shaken off.

As much to the plot.. I personally LOVE Kafka's books, he always creates a depressive mood in his books which he's eerily able to project on his reader, so the books's themes and contents may also keep you busy afterwards. =)

[JunotDe]

science of mind, good read, everythings gotta be taken with a grain of salt NO?!

[Jiro]

Last book I read was The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester. I agree with all of the claims associated with this book (best sci-fi novel ever, fantastic piece of literature, etc etc)

[Rye]

Books I've read in the past 3 weeks:

A Dirty Job - Christopher Moore
Loved it. Quirky and funny, and surprisingly touching.

The Rainmaker - John Grisham
First book I've ever read from John Grisham. After I was done reading, I threw the book across the floor. Awful, just awful.

The Nanny Diaries - Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Picked this up at a used book store for like $2. No wonder it was so cheap, it was pure junk.

The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri
One of those slowburning books that doesn't quite grab you until it's all over and you can look back on the entire book, esstentially look back on these character's journey's and appreciate the quiet beauty of it all. I've read a lot of books about the immigrant experience, and I think the Namesake captures so much of the experience of being a foreigner better than any other book I've ever read.

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
Read it for the nostalgia. One of my favorite books as a little girl. It still makes me cry.

I'm trying to get through Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky but it's a tough read. Postponing trudging through the book by reading another book, The Brief wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. It had be from page 1. "No matter what its name or provenance, it is believed that the arrival of Europeans on Hispaniola unleashed the fuku on the world, and we've all been in the :bou::bou::bou::bou: ever since."


The Hand Maiden's Tale - Margaret Atwood

My first Atwood novel. Dsytopian literature at its best and a very interesting foray into feminist lit without it being too much. The historical and psychological aspects of it were fantastic. What an imagination. I have to argue that I think this may be a better dystopian novel than A Brave New World.

I think it's better than both A Brave New World and 1984. I also enjoyed Atwood's The Penelopiad.

Ooooh, I was looking at The Brief wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and wondered if I should get it, but decided against it for another book since I was low on cash. I'll pick it up next time

Just finished Seneca's Thyestes. It was a pretty good read and was insanely brutal, though I much prefered reading Euripdes: Medea for the course I'm taking.

Next up on the list is The Intimate Adventures Of A London Call Girl once I finish A Farewell to Arms. The latter is very, very impressive but I'm not far enough in to really make a full judgement.

[Moon Rabbits]

Nervous Conditions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nervous_Conditions)

Post-colonialism feminist novel.

Verdict: good.

[NeoCracker]

God it's been so long since I read a book. The last one I read was close to a year ago, and it was The Art of War, that old book on Military strategy. It was actually a very interesting read, although it was a lot shorter then I had expected.

[Seraphic]

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

A very bizarre novel about The Second World War and time travel. It's a little disorienting at first since the novel jumps back and forth through time periods at a moments notice, but i think this makes it fast-paced and a lot more interesting.
It's extremely well written and Vonnegut weaves minuscule thoughts and ideas throughout the story to reference each other, so I thought that was interesting.
An interesting spin on coping with war.

[Miriel]

I just finished The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz and it was brilliant. One of the most innovative and downright interesting books I've ever read. It's been a long time since I've so thoroughly enjoyed reading a book.

[The Man]

I tend to read about seven books at a time due to working in a book store and constantly picking new things up. The last book I actually completed was Vineland by Thomas Pynchon. It deals with the drug war and other atrocities of the Reagan era; stylistically it contains Pynchon's typical mix of highbrow and low-brow culture. It's typically regarded as one of his weaker outings, but Pynchon's worst is still considerably better than the best of 99% of the authors on the bestseller list, and frankly I'm at a loss to identify anything wrong with it.

Before that I read The Crying of Lot 49 and Gravity's Rainbow, both of which deserve every bit of praise they get. Gravity's Rainbow has easily worked its way into my top ten novels of all time; it's a difficult read (though not as difficult as, say, Finnegans Wake - though I suppose that varies depending on how much effort you put into reading it) but it's worth every iota of effort one puts into it. I'm currently reading V., Don DeLillo's Mao II and Libra, William Gaddis's The Recognitions, and James Ellroy's American Tabloid. Don't have anything to complain about with any of them. I'll review them in full after I finish them.

[Rye]

I'm not finished with any of these yet (the consequence of reading many things at a time) but I'm going through:

Zombie CSU by Jonathan Maberry - Fascinating so far, I like how he has an actual individual stance from Max Brooks (my other favorite zombie author) and Romero, who is the father of zombie culture. Need to read more to make a final verdict

Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl by Belle de Jour - Yes, yes, yes. I'm trying not to gallop through the diary, because it's that good. It needs to last forever. I love Belle De Jour's writing.

After this, I still need to finish A Farewell to Arms because I keep skipping books or having to read texts for my Classical & Renaissance Tragedy course ('sup Sejanus) and then I'm going to read The Tale of Murasaki by Liza Dalby, because Huxley's mommy is a weeaboo just like me and let me borrow some books.

[rubah]

There was an article recently where Belle de Jour came out with her true identity, Rye. You might want to read that when you finish Adventures

[Rye]

There was an article recently where Belle de Jour came out with her true identity, Rye. You might want to read that when you finish Adventures

The one in The Times? I actually saw it in the paper the day I got the book, it was a funny coincidence. I just LJ blagged about it, I love how it turns out that she's a pretty scientific researcher paying for her PhD, when people thought she was either 1) an amoral crackpot making it up or 2) a man. xD

[Miriel]

I just finished The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style, it seemed too tame and bland. Anyone from anywhere could have written in the same fashion. But I still enjoyed the book. More towards the end than at the beginning or middle. There was a poignancy at the end that wasn't there for most of the book. And I like it when books tug at the heart. The book was written simply, almost like it was written for children, but then you have all this gruesome murder and violence and sexual overtones, all mixing in with fairy tales. The older ones that are gruesome rather than wholesome Disney ones. I love retelling of fairy tales so you'd think I would have liked this book more. It was just ok. Incredibly predictable.

[Polaris]

Frankenstein was pretty good, I really liked the whole atmosphere and I rather read it as a philosophical book than a terror one. I seem unable to imagine the monster as a monster due to his amazing manners! I would probably scream if he'd appear like he did with his neighbours but I fell in love with his journey :) and also with Viktor. The only think I felt was rushed was Viktor's wedding with Elizabeth, though I enjoyed the scenes it was described quite fast :( Nonetheless it's a lovely book I highly recommend it.

Currently reading "Invisible" by Paul Auster and "The Shining" by Stephen King. I'm growing somehow tired of "the shining" perhaps due to the several ammount of pages. "Invisible" is going quite fast In 2 hours I reached the middle of it :) so by tomorrow I should have an opinion! ^^

[Kamiko]

I just got done with The Anthologist by Nicholson Baker. It was an interesting book on poetry, with a brief life story twisted into it. I was sometimes a bit bored with descriptions of everyday life, but I enjoyed the narrator, Paul Chowder, and his little oddities throughout the novel. He has some interesting ideas on what constitutes good poetry (especially haikus, that part was great) and he's a slightly over-weight, middle aged man with problems keeping everything together. Paul is obsessed with the idea of the "four-beat verse" being the "soul" of English poetry. He mentions Ogden Nash so I automatically liked him. It was a really good book for anyone who likes poetry and, because most of his terms are overly technical, I imagine it would still retain its ease of reading for those who have no interest in poems.

[Rye]

The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood

Oh man, it was fantastic. I do feel like the actually story itself, rather than the flashbacks, was a tiny weak in comparison to the backstory, but I still loved it.

[Zeldy]

I always thought Holden was a whiny little bitch who needed to grow the smurf up, and the book really annoyed me.

Though it certainly is well written and worth a look.

That's certainly what I thought when I had to read and anaylse it for my English Literature GCSE, that and he said "goddamn" too many times! I've had the urge to read it again ever since though, strangely enough.

urrm the last book I read was Jeanette Winterson's - 'Oranges are not the only Fruit' and it probably would make a good read but I was made to completely anaylse it and it became so boring that I have no motivation whatsoever to even read to the end of it. (That's bad that, I'm sitting an exam on a book I haven't read to the end of!). It's very politcal, focusing on social obstacles such as religion and conflicting sexualities, but it's done humorously (I geuss, sorta).

[The Last Oath]

A Time of Legend novel: Malekith, by Gav Thorpe

:D

Awesome book about Warhammer Fantasy. Although there was action, it was not action heavy. It involved a lot of talking and interaction between characters, politiking and espionage type stuff. :D I liked very much

[The Man]

I finished American Tabloid. It starts off like this:
America was never innocent. We popped our cherry on the boat over and looked back with no regrets. You can't ascribe our fall from grace to any single event or set of circumstances. You can't lose what you lacked at conception.

Mass-market nostalgia gets you hopped up for a past that never existed. Hagiography sanctifies shuck-and-jive politicians and reinvents their expedient gestures as moments of great moral weight. Our continuing narrative line is blurred past truth and hindsight. Only a reckless verisimilitude can set that line straight.

The real Trinity of Camelot was Look Good, Kick Ass, Get Laid. Jack Kennedy was the mythological front man for a particularly juicy slice of our history. He talked a slick line and wore a world-class haircut. He was Bill Clinton minus pervasive media scrutiny and a few rolls of flab.

Jack got whacked at the optimum moment to assure his sainthood. Lies continue to swirl around his eternal flame. It's time to dislodge his urn and cast light on a few men who attended his ascent and facilitated his fall.

They were rogue cops and shakedown artists. They were wiretappers and soldiers of fortune and [gay]* lounge entertainers. Had one second of their lives deviated off course, American History would not exist as we know it.

It's time to demythologize an era and build a new myth from the gutter to the stars. It's time to embrace bad men and the price they paid to secretly define their time.

Here's to them.The book delivers exactly what it promises; it's chock full of collusion between organised crime, the CIA, the FBI, the far right, and so on. It carries on to what one might describe as the Death of Hope, and ends immediately before the Kennedy assassination (the sequel picks up immediately thereafter). The portrayals of various historical personages would probably have earned Ellroy a number of libel suits if any of them were still alive (notably, he chose to end this trilogy at 1972, before Watergate, in part because too many of the key players are still alive - plus it's been "done to death"). However, given various historical documents I've read, I'd say it's unlikely that any of Ellroy's characterisations of actual historical figures are actually all that far off the mark.

Those easily disturbed by graphic violence, strong language, homophobia, racism, etc. will not want to read this, as it contains casual depictions of each. One certainly doesn't get the sense that Ellroy approves of any of it; however, it's certainly there. Similarly, those who do not want to have their positive views of authority figures shaken will probably want to stay well away, as, if there is a single authority figure in the entire book who is portrayed positively, I've already forgotten about him. For those who are ready to experience a riveting take on the seamy underbelly of semi-recent American history, however, I'd strongly recommend it. Ellroy knows how to unsettle a reader like few other authors writing today.

I'm about seventy pages into the sequel, The Cold Six Thousand, now, and so far it has not disappointed.

<font style="font: 11px Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;">*Bracketed word used to replace a particular slur whose use is disallowed at Eyes on Final Fantasy.</a>

[Rye]

Between reading The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and A Touch of Dead, a collection of short stories about Sookie Stackhouse. I got the latter for Christmas from my Mom, I bought Oscar Wao for myself - I'm loving it!

[Shlup]

The Sword of Truth: Wizard's First Rule

I was surprised by the amount of testicle eating. And I do mean eating.

Currently reading The Sword of Truth: The Stone of Tears. Does anyone not get raped in this series? Walking through the town: Hey, look at all these dead bodies. They have all been raped. What's behind this door? More gangraped corpses. I mean holy :bou::bou::bou::bou: Terry Goodkind, you are a twisted smurf.

P.S. Raaaaaaaaaaaaaape.

[Bunny]

My girlfriend forced the first two Harry Potter books on me.

They're okay and Rowling is a decent enough writer. My only real complaint is how so reminds the reader of everything that happened in the previous books. I don't really need a paragraph or two about what Harry did last year every page or two. They aren't as terrible as I thought though.

[Raistlin]

The Sword of Truth: Wizard's First Rule

I was surprised by the amount of testicle eating. And I do mean eating.

Currently reading The Sword of Truth: The Stone of Tears. Does anyone not get raped in this series? Walking through the town: Hey, look at all these dead bodies. They have all been raped. What's behind this door? More gangraped corpses. I mean holy :bou::bou::bou::bou: Terry Goodkind, you are a twisted smurf.

P.S. Raaaaaaaaaaaaaape.

Hahaha, oh yes. Just wait until you get to Temple of the Wind. :p

[scrumpleberry]

Not a novel, but I bought a reference book - 100 years of fashion illustration. It was expensive, but it's comprehensive, interesting and very beautiful. Anyone with an interest in illustration or fashion or design would probably enjoy it. The last novel wassss god I can't even remember. I think it was just KIDBOOKNOSTALGIAR. I intend to read Vile Bodies. It's sitting on the nightstand glaring at me.

[The Man]

The testicle eating was one of the many things that put me off Goodkind. It was completely unnecessary, there are other, much better ways to establish the evilness of a character without going for the gross-out. He does seem to overuse rape ridiculously as well.

Too many people had told me to read Charlaine Harris so I read most of Dead Until Dark at work; I'm about three-quarters of the way through. It's far better than any work revolving around vampire sex and heavy-handed social commentary has any right to be. I'll have to watch True Blood at some point too.

[Shiny]

I personally LOVE Kafka's books, he always creates a depressive mood in his books which he's eerily able to project on his reader
That's exactly why I don't like much of Kafka's work, but I recently read his story, The Metamorphosis from a book collection and I found it so endearing. It's interesting how he likes to personify animals. Even in his story, The Burrow.

[Rye]

The Metamorphosis is one of the best novels of all time. :jess::jess:

[Bunny]

And to think, he hated everything he did.

[The Man]

Everything by Kafka I've read has been pretty much perfect. I should really read The Trial one of these days. It would be nice if my German was less :bou::bou::bou::bou:ty so I could read the originals, but alas, I'm too lazy to work on it that much.

[Bastian]

I liked Wrinkle and Swiftly Turning Planet well enough, but Wind in the Door seems terribly predictable, and obsessed over the fractal view of existence.

Yeah, it was my least fav of the lot. Probably my absolute fav is everyone's least favorite which is Many Waters with just the twins as the main characters in the Noah's Arc story. I think it was only my fav because when I was a kid I thought the cover picture of the twins was HOT . . . but not really, cause I wasn't gay . . . :P
http://www.somepeoplejugglegeese.com/images/old/cs.princeton/Covers-50/Many-Waters.jpg
You can't tell, but they totally looked like Zach from Saved By the Bell (during the last season) but way more ripped. And then the second time I read it, it was in this copy, where they looked just cute:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KXJ5Au3IDsU/SwxH-BzBasI/AAAAAAAAEcA/6IRy0Ksmz7Y/s1600/many+waters.jpg


I just finished The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style, it seemed too tame and bland.
I can see that. I think his aim was to write it as simplistically as possible, to make it feel like a fairytale. I had qualms with the book. I felt it was trying too hard to rip off The Neverending Story and failing. Also, I felt like the darkness of the violence was in utter contrast to everything else. But maybe that's what he aimed for? And so it was effective? Yet not quite my cup of tea.

Speaking of other books I thought I'd like but didn't which totally ripped off The Neverending Story: Inkheart. I HATED it. Not only was it far too dark and gloomy and repetitive, it felt rather amaturish. Maybe it's just the English translation.

Aaaaaaanyway, I've been re-reading my fav fantasy series I read when I was in middle school: The Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. I've been too afraid to re-read it all these years thinking it couldn't stand up to the awesome stuff I'd been reading in the years to follow. Well, it's still pretty awesome as far as your generic scifi/fantasy goes. Nothing too outstanding, but a good light read. I just started on book five, Hand of Chaos, where things get VERY interesting.

[Rye]

And to think, he hated everything he did.

That's one of the most interesting things. My copy of The Metamorphosis has letters that he's written to people saying how he like completely boffed up the ending and how he should burn it as opposed to publish and I'm just like, no no no!


Everything by Kafka I've read has been pretty much perfect. I should really read The Trial one of these days. It would be nice if my German was less :bou::bou::bou::bou:ty so I could read the originals, but alas, I'm too lazy to work on it that much.

I wish the The Trial gripped me was much as The Metamorphosis. I stopped reading in the middle when I got a few new books and I never started reading again. I have to get onto it.

I'm in the middle of reading Supreme Courtship - so far it's a pretty great comedy/parody of Capitol Hill. I picked it up because it looked like a something Augusten Burroughs would write, if he were political.



Senator Mitchell's Judiaciary Committee staff investigators were known on Capitol Hill as the Wraith Riders, after the relentless spectral, house mounted pursuers of hobbits in The Lord of the Rings. It was said in hushed tones on Capitol Hill that the Wraith Riders could find something on anyone: could msake it look like Mother Teresa had run a whorehouse in Calcutta; that St. Thomas More had been having it off with Catherine of Aragon; or that Dr. Albert Schweitzer had conducted ghastly live medical experiments on helpess, anesthetized African children on behalf of Belgian drug companies.

However, faced with the blemishless Judge Cooney, the Wraith Riders were left to whinny there was nothing with which to hang him, not even an unpaid parking ticket. He was an exemplar of every judicial virtue. Not one of his decisions had been overturned by a higher court. As for his personal life, he was so reasonable and wise that he made Scorates sound like a raving, bipolar crank.

Dig deeper, Senator Mitchell told the Wraith Riders. Or dig your own grades. Off they rode, shrieking.

And so, on day two of the Cooney hearings, Senator Mitchell, smiling pleasantly as usual, began: "Judge Cooney, you are, I take it, familiar with the film The Kill A Mockingbird?

Judge Cooney answered yes, he was pretty sure he'd seen it, back in grade school.

"Is there anything about that you'd care to... tell the committee?"

Judge Cooney looked perplexed. Tell? He wasn't quite sure he understood the question.

Senator Mitchell held up a piece of paper as if mere physical contact with it might forever contaminate his fngers.

"Do you recognize this document?"

Not from this distance, Cooeny replied, now thoroughly perplexed.

"Then let me refresh your memory," Senator Mitchell said. The vast audience watching the proceedings held it breath, wondering what radioactive material Senator Mitchell had unearthed to incriminate this spotless nominee. It turned out to be a review of the movie that the twelve-year-old Cooney had written for The Beaverboard, his elementary school newspaper.

"The the picture is overall OK," Senator Mitchell quoted, "it's also kind of boring in other parts."

Senator Mitchell looked up, took of his glassed, paused as if tfighting back tears, nodded philosophically and said "Tell us, Judge, which parts of To Kill A Mockingbird did you find quoteunquote boring?"

In his concluding statement several grueling days later, Senator Mitchell said in a more-in-sadness-than-in-anger tone that he could "not in good conscience bring myself to vote for someone who might well show up at the Court on the first Monday of October wearing not black judicial robes but the white uniform of the Ku Klux Klan."

Kills me. XD

[Kossage]

I read Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. I was pleasantly surprised as I expected a very generic reading experience. The flow of the story was good, and there were many interesting twists along the way that kept the narrative tight and exciting. I enjoyed reading the chase scenes which showed how clever many of the characters were as they tried to fool each other, sometimes succeeding and sometimes not.

There was quite a bit of character development for such an action-heavy novel; many characters were portrayed humanly with no one really being truly heroic or villainous, and the story revealed more and more about them in a very nice way as it progressed. The clearest villain, Magua, had a rather touching backstory which to me justified his brutal actions, and in general I really liked the way how he managed to fool pretty much everyone throughout the story.

I was also pleasantly surprised how the author portrayed Native Americans in a sympathetic light, neither justifying their actions nor preaching against them either and instead just subtly showed their different way of seeing and doing things.

Overall the novel was worth a read and very exciting, and I hope I'll get to read the author's other novels featuring Hawkeye someday in the future. :)

[PeneloRatsbane]

I just read Lolita by Vladamir Nabokov, I thought it was brilliant, such a dark topic but writtern so romantically. Main characters you can pity, enjoy and despise all at the same time.

[BarelySeeAtAll]

The Way of Shadows - Brent Weeks

A mate recommended I read it, because he's into assassins and such like..LOVED IT, currently reading the 2nd book of The Night Angel Trilogy and I have to say :cool: not quite as good as the first, but that could just be because I freakin adored Durzo Blint who gone and damned got himself killed..quite blatantly could have lived but *sobsob*what did he have to live for :mad:

:jess: Loved it, kept me reading and I'm not a particularly big reader so..Gotta say, it's turned me into more of an assassin lover too so now we're both happy :love:

Nothing but praise for this book, personally I can't floor it other than the best god damned man in it god damned dies

[Rye]

I just read Lolita by Vladamir Nabokov, I thought it was brilliant, such a dark topic but writtern so romantically. Main characters you can pity, enjoy and despise all at the same time.

That's still my favorite book. Have you read anything else by Nabokov? :)

[PeneloRatsbane]

I just read Lolita by Vladamir Nabokov, I thought it was brilliant, such a dark topic but writtern so romantically. Main characters you can pity, enjoy and despise all at the same time.

That's still my favorite book. Have you read anything else by Nabokov? :)

Got "The Original of Laura" for christmas and "Laughter in the Dark" is on its way in the post, should be here in the next couple of days (but we have severe weather warnings so it might be delayed :( ), then i think i will get another one, I just love the way he writes

[Fuzakeru]

The Lovely Bones comes out in theatres here on the 15th so I'm rereading it right now! I love the book so much. The main character is so amazing. Sure it deals with afterlife and heaven and such things but I think anyone could really enjoy it... that is, if you don't throw the book and start crying like a baby after the first chapter or two... GOSH.

[Rye]

I just read Lolita by Vladamir Nabokov, I thought it was brilliant, such a dark topic but writtern so romantically. Main characters you can pity, enjoy and despise all at the same time.

That's still my favorite book. Have you read anything else by Nabokov? :)

Got "The Original of Laura" for christmas and "Laughter in the Dark" is on its way in the post, should be here in the next couple of days (but we have severe weather warnings so it might be delayed :( ), then i think i will get another one, I just love the way he writes

I flipped through The Original of Laura in stores because it costs like 25 dollars for a skeleton of a novel that's less than fourty pages. I really want to buy it once it's paperback.

An Invitation to a Beheading is really great!

[PeneloRatsbane]

I just read Lolita by Vladamir Nabokov, I thought it was brilliant, such a dark topic but writtern so romantically. Main characters you can pity, enjoy and despise all at the same time.

That's still my favorite book. Have you read anything else by Nabokov? :)

Got "The Original of Laura" for christmas and "Laughter in the Dark" is on its way in the post, should be here in the next couple of days (but we have severe weather warnings so it might be delayed :( ), then i think i will get another one, I just love the way he writes

I flipped through The Original of Laura in stores because it costs like 25 dollars for a skeleton of a novel that's less than fourty pages. I really want to buy it once it's paperback.

An Invitation to a Beheading is really great!

cool i'll be keeping that one in mind then :D

Yeah "The Original of Laura" is more a pretty little item, so i was glad i got it as a gift rather than cashing out for it myself, lol. I still enjoyed it though, despite the fact its so very short. I could see how, fleshed out, it would have been even more intreguing

[Cuchulainn]

I READ 'THE ROAD': IT WAS GOOD.

[Polaris]

Dead until Dark: Charlaine Harris

It was far better than Twilight. It's an entertaining book also nice for those who like crime/ mysteries books, but also the characters are grown ups, adults that have adult problems so I think it's not a masterpiece but it's nice to relax (and thank God vampires are evil there)

[Madame Adequate]

The United States of Atlantis - Harry Turtledove.

Interesting book, but perhaps it had a bit too much similarity to our own timeline. That said it was very well-written and enjoyable and I burned through it in like two days. Not, however, as good as I found The Guns of the South, by the same, which I finished reading a couple of days earlier. And which is sublime. I've now been reading American Front but I'm not so into that, mainly because it's so darned huge I know I won't finish it before it has to go back to the library.

[Raistlin]

I just finished Dragons of the Hourglass Mage by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, the third of their "Lost Chronicles" trilogy (about stuff that happened during the original Chronicles). I was disappointed, though possibly only because my expectations were very high considering it was all about Raistlin. Some of it did not make much sense, though. Still, a necessary read for fans.

[drotato]

The Dark Elf Trilogy omnibus by R.A. Salvatore.

Great book(s). A friend recommended it to me and it was much better than I thought. Story of a dark elf who grows up in the evil world of his heritage and his struggles in finding his morals.

^These. I just finished Homeland, and I'm going to start on the next one soon.
They are reaaaaaaallllly good. I love the way it is written. Salvatore is a great writer. He's very creative. :3

[The Man]

Dead until Dark: Charlaine Harris

It was far better than Twilight. It's an entertaining book also nice for those who like crime/ mysteries books, but also the characters are grown ups, adults that have adult problems so I think it's not a masterpiece but it's nice to relax (and thank God vampires are evil there)

That's one of the books I'm reading right now. Pretty good. And I definitely agree on the "far better than Twilight" assessment, but then, so is just about everything.

[Madame Adequate]

Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke.

Holy jumping :bou::bou::bou::bou:ting smurfing brown Christ on a little red unicycle with a jester's hat on.

Best book I have read since Use of Weapons and Excession. One of the best sci-fi novels I have ever experienced.

[The Man]

Jim Butcher - Storm Front and Fool Moon

Good stuff. He's not going to redefine the fantasy genre or anything but he manages to combine an extremely entertaining (and often humorous) writing style with a fair amount of substance. I'll probably read the rest in this series; they only take me a few hours each.

[Kossage]

The Long Good-bye by Raymond Chandler. I heard this was a good hard-boiled detective book but I never expected it to turn out this great.

The characters are wonderfully complex and develop as the story goes on, the plot begins in relatively simple terms but becomes more and more complex as more surprising facts are revealed, and the vivid descriptions really help to set the mood for this almost dream-like writing style. The narrative keeps one in its grip throughout the whole novel, and the whole melancholic storytelling actually enhances the whole plot to a new level of bittersweet epic that I've rarely seen in this kind of fiction.

I also like the way how Chandler uses his protagonist Philip Marlowe's narration as social criticism of the US, and there are very interesting jabs at Chandler himself thanks to the inclusion of the writer Roger Wade.

Overall the novel was a pleasant surprise and it's definitely worth a read. :)

[rubah]

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde:

maybe this was good before modern science realized you can't transmogrify a man, or people realized that it is okay to lust after stuff (I assume. The book never goes into detail as to what Dr. Jekyll's fancies were) but god, this book was dreadful. Especially after the glorious Sherlock Holmes. The characters were unengaging, the presentation lackluster (I still think letters are a horrible way to express plot), and the terrors that Hyde commits are 1) physically doubtful, 2) not that horrendous.

In short, needs more scare-factor, shocking crimes, and less moralizing. I mean, this potion can separate the evil side of man from the regular man, but it can't do the opposite? Jekyll has a brief spout of spiritual growth, but it's inspired only by Hyde's evilness. You never get to see maybe Mr. Bienvenue, who is wholly good and wholly sinless. Okay, I get it, you think man is inherently flawed and sinful. BEAT US OVER THE HEAD WITH IT A LITTLE MORE K THX.

[Kossage]

Neuromancer by William Gibson. This is known as the cyberpunk novel which pretty much kickstarted the whole subgenre and basically made the term "cyberspace" known to a wider audience. The plot deals with a hacker named Case who is hired by a mysterious employer to hack into a certain database. Needless to say the plot gets much more complex pretty quickly as Case finds himself in a messier situation than he bargained for.

The plot is quite interesting although it's all over the place most of the time. The cyberspace segments are quite interestingly written, and the introduction of such terms as ICE, flatlining et al is quite fascinating. The characters themselves are okay although I don't think they're developed enough, which is a shame. Still, the characters are entertaining enough as they are and there are some gems such as a certain guy named Dixie who is hilarious. The eponymous Neuromancer also left a good impression on me too.

The most interesting stuff in this novel is obviously the detailed and complex setting which reveals more secrets in the background during repeated readings. It's the setting that helps to sell the somewhat bland story, and philosophical ramblings add depth to the overall narrative.

Overall the novel is worth a read not only because of its importance and impact on literary studies but also because it has a very fascinating view of a future world.

[Nice]

The Sorrows of Young Werther - Wolfgang Von Goethe

Werther is a philosophical rant machine as well as an emotional well of girly emotions. It's very interesting to read a book where the protagonist rebels against the norms of his day. I liked it...even though Werther cried like every 6-8 lines. :eep:

[Rye]

Reviving this thread. Daaaamn right, I am!

I just finished The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood. It was insanely fantastic. She is the master of dystopian lit, though this one was more looking at the end of the world actually happen, and what you become when your role in society is destroyed, as well as bringing up the subject of end of the world religion.

I'm reading The Blind Assassin now, also by Atwood. But I can say already that it is amazing. A novel, within a novel, within a novel, and I can't figure out which of the stories I love the most.

[Ouch!]

I finished the first book in Steven King's Dark Tower series. It made no bloody sense whatsoever, but I loved it.

[Imperfectionist]

I just finished The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood. It was insanely fantastic. She is the master of dystopian lit, though this one was more looking at the end of the world actually happen, and what you become when your role in society is destroyed, as well as bringing up the subject of end of the world religion.

I'm reading The Blind Assassin now, also by Atwood. But I can say already that it is amazing. A novel, within a novel, within a novel, and I can't figure out which of the stories I love the most.


Have you ever read The Handmaid's Tale? Because I absolutely loved that book but I wasn't sure if I should read any of her other stuff. Do you reckon they're better or worse comparitively?

[Rye]

The Handmaid's Tale was the first novel I read of hers, and I absolutely devoured it.

Needless to say, I think The Year of the Flood might be better, or at least comparatively good, since they're both dystopian, but in very different ways, and they're written a bit differently. The Blind Assassin is way too different to compare, and it's really more of a quiet drama, but I love that as well.

[Imperfectionist]

Cool, I may have to give them a read :D

[Bunny]

I'm currently in the middle of reading the third book from The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks. Cliché title aside, the books are actually fairly decent and feature some interesting things. They read a little weak in some parts, but for the most part they are strongly written by a novice writer. The Way of Shadows and Shadow's Edge were the last two books that I read, the first two books of the trilogy; currently reading the third one.

[Raistlin]

I recently read Dexter by Design the fourth book in the Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay. It was pretty good. Lame ending, but still miles better than the third book. I love Dexter's thinking, but even that is starting to get a little old. I think Lindsay needs to shake things up a bit more (which is something the TV show has done much better than the books: better plot development).

[Miriel]

Some of these aren't super recent, but they're all books I've read in the last 3 months. Going from best to worst:

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Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany by Bill Buford
Re-read this one. Read it years ago but lost the book. Bought it again cause it's SO FREAKIN' FUNNY! It's one of those books that literally makes me laugh out loud. Cannot eat snacks while reading this book cause I'll spit it out. And it's awful because the book also makes you crazy hungry. It's funny, inspiring, educational. Really one of my all time favorites.

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
READ IT! It's such a fascinating read. Every half page or so, I'd stop and be like, "OMG DID YOU KNOW THAT.." to my boyfriend. It's full of crazy, gross, enlightening material. I feel like everyone should read this book. It should be mandatory.

Atonement by Ian McEwan
Beautiful.

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The Hunger Games & Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
YA books, so they're really fast reads. I enjoyed it a lot though. It's pretty much a copy of Battle Royale, but who cares? I still liked the ride, even though it was pretty gruesome. Looking forward to the 3rd part in the trilogy to come out.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Didn't think I'd like it, ended up really enjoying it. Nice easy read. The audiobook is even better! One of the best I've ever listened to.

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What is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng by Dave Eggers
The writing style was sometimes quirky and nice, other times it just felt too forced. But overall, I enjoyed the story, even though it made me sad. I do wonder though what the story would have been like if Achak had written it in his own voice, rather than telling his story to Dave Eggers and having him write it.


The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - by Stieg Larsson
Soooo many people love this book! Read it for my book club and everyone else loved it. I thought it was ok. I'm just not into murder/mystery type books I guess.

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Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
Latest installment in the Sookie Stackhouse, Southern Vampire series. Took me like 2 hours to read? I thought it was kinda empty and boring. But Sookie/Eric action always makes me happy. Crazy how fast the author churns out these books.

Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings
Meh. The first book the the The Belgariad series. Didn't really make me all that interested to read the books that follow.


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Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
Hated the main character. Awful awful man. And he was supposed to be the hero? Only good thing about this book is the author's wonderful way with words.

Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind
One of the worst books I've ever read. Please, avoid.

[Imperfectionist]

Ooh I saw the film of Fast Food Nation! It actually put me off eating meat, i've cut down a lot XD Brilliant film. I didn't realise it was based on a novel though.

[Madame Adequate]

Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World 565-1206 - John Haldon.

I had to read this in great depth for my dissertation. It was an informative and interesting book, but there are two fairly serious problems. First is that Haldon never uses a word where he can use a paragraph. Quite a few times I saw something hugely convoluted that he could have conveyed more clearly with far fewer words. Second is that the book's structure isn't very good. The chapters ostensibly deal with various different aspects and developments of the east Roman empire, but the nature of the book means that such divisions are highly arbitrary. It's probably for the best that he didn't try to enforce them, but on the other hand they seem redundant in the extreme, and it can be rather tricky to find what you want when it's scattered among any of several chapters and each fragment adds just a little more to the whole.

Also, don't go into it without a working knowledge of Byzantine history. Haldon gives plenty of historical examples and explains how events influenced Byzantium, but there's no general overview of how everything fits together.

[champagne supernova]

Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany[/I] by Bill Buford
Re-read this one. Read it years ago but lost the book. Bought it again cause it's SO FREAKIN' FUNNY! It's one of those books that literally makes me laugh out loud. Cannot eat snacks while reading this book cause I'll spit it out. And it's awful because the book also makes you crazy hungry. It's funny, inspiring, educational. Really one of my all time favorites.


You should read Anthony Bourdain. Kitchen Confidential is very good.

Haven't read Love in the Time of Cholera, but have read One Hundred Years of Solitude. Marquez doesn't necessarily give you the nicest characters in the world. But Solitude is more depressing than Cholera, so wouldn't recommend it. But Marquez certainly can write.

And if you liked Atonement, read Amsterdam. Better novel. More succinct. Atonement drifts a little bit here & there. But both are excellent.

The last novel I read was Crime & Punishment by Dostoevsky. Yeah, it's very good. Hard to get through, but still can't figure out why he did it. There's a book where they tweet famous novels and I laughed when I saw Crime & Punishment's entry.

Currently reading War & Peace and Midnight's Children. Midnight's Children starts off well, but midway through you kind of wonder if you're just living in Rushdie's wet dream. Will try finish it off at some point.

War & Peace on the other hand is utterly bloated. Read about 3/4 chapters and think there are already 10 characters. Unfortunately, I don't have the space to appreciate it properly, so going to finish Midnight's Children first. Hopefully the irritation I have for it has passed.

Also trying to read Pale Fire by Nabokov. Possibly the hardest novel in the entire world.

So when I get some free time, I think I shall finish Midnight's Children, re-read Lolita and then continue with Pale Fire.

EDIT: Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger is a must read.

[Rye]

Pale Fire is an extremely difficult novel, I'm so intimidated to read it.

[The Man]

The last book I finished was The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson. Sanderson's skill with words isn't all that strong compared to that of a lot of other authors I've read lately, but he makes up for it with extremely imaginative magic systems and skilful plotting and world-building. The Mistborn series is an intriguing deconstruction of a number of standard fantasy tropes, and I felt it came to a fairly satisfactory end. Having completed all his solo novels for adults I would say that he was a superb choice to finish the Wheel of Time series, which I'm still considering a re-read of (although I'm probably going to wait until the final volume is out).

At the moment I'm reading The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. He's made me think about a number of important issues in different ways than I'd previously considered them and thus I'd recommend it, although I don't necessarily agree with all of his conclusions. I have a number of other works I'm somewhere in the middle of but I haven't really been thinking about them enough to justify writing about them.

[rubah]

Vanity Fair-- the recurring moralizing got on my nerves, but it was mostly engaging. It's definitely an interesting look into the mind of the british public at the time, though.

[Rye]

Oryx and Crake - A parallel novel to The Year of the Flood, I personally think TYOTF should be read first to really understand the world of the two novels, though the latter was curiously enough written after Oryx and Crake. I'm currently obsessed with this horrible little world that Atwood has created.

I'm not quite done yet with it, but I'm really enjoying it. It's weird and interesting how the main character of this one is the most uninteresting and annoying recurrent "background" character in TYOTF, which is a book full of colorful and frightening characters that I would have liked to see more of. It would sound like the book is unenjoyable and a disappointment, making Snowman the main character, but sometimes it's necessary to see a character like that tell the story of his betters, in all the envy, awe and jealousy, and I think it succeeds in that way.

[Miriel]

You should read Anthony Bourdain. Kitchen Confidential is very good.


I've read it. I liked it, but not as much as Heat. I also loved Julia Child's My Life in France, and Ruth Reichl's food related books are lovely as well. Jeffrey Steingarten's The Man Who Ate Everything is good too, but the writing style is a little too blusterous for my tastes. I've just started on Alice Waters and Chez Panisse: The Romantic, Impractical, Often Eccentric, Ultimately Brilliant Making of a Food Revolution, which is fascinating in a historical context sort of way.



Haven't read Love in the Time of Cholera, but have read One Hundred Years of Solitude. Marquez doesn't necessarily give you the nicest characters in the world. But Solitude is more depressing than Cholera, so wouldn't recommend it. But Marquez certainly can write.
I enjoyed One Hundred Years of Solitude MUCH more than Love in the Time of Cholera. The main character of Cholera wasn't just not nice, he was a delusional, selfish, obsessive, rapist, pedophile.

[blackmage_nuke]

THe Hobbit (Im abit behind in times) great book except they dont include a description of elves and had I not seen the LoTR movies I wouldve assumed they were the shorter variety of elves because of they way the acted and since everyone else besides Gandalf up to that point were dwarf/hobbit sized. Other than that and the fact "goblins" randomly got changed to "Orcs" in the LoTR book I thought the book was brilliant the whole way through

Suzumiya Haruhi: Volume One: The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi, Not very descriptive, Had I not seen the anime i dont think i would be able to picture the scenes at all, but that might just be that all schools in Japan look the same and its written for that audience in mind. It still has a good story though and its nice to read the original source.

[Hot Shot]

Catch-22

Probably the best book I have ever read. This book follows the adventures, or rather misadventures, of a group of enlisted men in a bomber unit. It is very comedic and filled with paradoxes (as you would expect from the title). The author creates many characters who have so many bad qualities but you can't help but like them. And the bizarre and outlandish situations they get in are sooo funny. A fine example of modern American literature. Simply a classic. I would recomend this book to anybody!

[Rye]

The Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood.

This was... amazing. I feel like this is what more subtle romance & family dramas like Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice and Wuthering Heights are supposed to be like. Compared to really bold and frightening dystopic novels like The Handmaid's Tale and The Year of the Flood, this might seem a little too slow at first, but this story really gripped and rocked me. I think the twists were well done, in that I wasn't surprised (I rarely am), but I just figured out what was going on right before the twists were revealed, so it was satisfying without being too like "I knewwww that already, boring!"

I'm reading Q&A right now by Vikas Swarup. It's so different from the movie, I'm kind of surprised. I really like it though. I'm not sure which I prefer yet since I'm only a quarter into it. This one is a lot grittier, which I like. I really enjoy the writing. It has a simple honesty too it.

[Madame Adequate]

I finished the first of Harry Turtledove's Worldwar books a couple days ago - I found the first two in a charity bookstore in town and snapped them right up.

Worldwar - In the Balance.

It's pretty standard Turtledove stuff; alternate history which focuses pretty much completely on war. This one's a bit more out there than most though, because aliens invade right in the middle of 1942. They are a bit surprised at how we've got radio and tanks and stuff, on account of their probe having seen knights and the like just 800 years ago, which is obviously not long enough to make any advances at all. Anyway, if you like Turtledove I expect you'll like this, and if you don't, I don't think this will change your mind. I will say that he does a good job of getting humor into his work though, both regular and the sort of black humor which sustains a man on the frontline.

[rubah]

while driving, I'm having Kate Rudd narrate The Year of the Unicorn to me. I've read it before, but didn't remember all that happened, but remember enjoying it.

It's nice to see some other regions of the witch world's universe-- the Hounds of Alizon are familiar, and Estcarp gets a few mentions, but the Were-Riders take the stage here. I don't really like the first person style, but Norton uses it quite a bit, and in this format, it's particularly nice-- I can really feel that Kate is Gillan!

It gets pretty stream of consciousness at times, but that usually isn't a big detraction, and overall I still enjoy it

[Clo]

A lot of books!

I read Wonderland by Joyce Carol Oates as the semester ended. I read a short story by her before, and this was my first novel by Oates, and though I really enjoy her writing style, the plot at the end was so neurotic and random it was a bit too much. I kinda want to discuss it with someone, because I know it was all about personality, but the last part of the novel was so bizarre and I couldn't see the point of it. His wife also -- her character before marriage, and the sudden focus on her in the third part of the book where she's near insane -- her character seemed so different, as if there was a completely different person in her place now. I know it's probably commenting on the nature of marriage, but I was so disappointed with how her character turned out. And the she drops off the face of the planet, like every other character. I'll need to try another book by her one day and hope for a better experience.

I had been reading a lot of serious stuff, so I decided to chill after that with a nice Neil Gaiman book, Anansi Boys. It was cute, but I liked the more serious nature of American Gods better, and I still like his short stories better than anything else so far (I think the only work of his I have left to read is Coraline).

After that I read John Green's second book, An Abundance of Katherines, because I loved his first book Looking for Alaska a lot. They're YA books, and I was hoping to use Looking for Alaska one day with a class. Katherines is good -- I enjoyed it a lot, probably just as much as Alaska, though the ending was very abrupt and the main character was a tad bit annoying, though that was pretty much the point. So I dealt with it.

Now I'm reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, because I noticed I had it and it's fairly short. Her writing is so pretty to read.

[Miriel]

I just finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

SOBBING AND CRYING OMG. Tears everywhere.

[Rye]

I seriously love that book. I need to bring it to England and let Huxley have a turn reading it! He was the one who bought it for me at a charity bookshop. <3

I just finished Q&A by Vikas Swarup. This is a first - while I really enjoyed the book, I think I much prefer the movie, Slumdog Millionaire. The writing was great, but I just like the course of events Slumdog Millionaire a lot more. The movie and the book were soooo different.

[Quindiana Jones]

Tiger! Tiger! (AKA (LAMELY) Stars My Destination). Alfred Bester.

My favourite book ever. I've read it roughly eighty-five thousand times, and it's as good as the first time every time. Kinda like yo momma. :smug:

[champagne supernova]

Catch-22

Probably the best book I have ever read. This book follows the adventures, or rather misadventures, of a group of enlisted men in a bomber unit. It is very comedic and filled with paradoxes (as you would expect from the title). The author creates many characters who have so many bad qualities but you can't help but like them. And the bizarre and outlandish situations they get in are sooo funny. A fine example of modern American literature. Simply a classic. I would recomend this book to anybody!

I'm glad you like it. I find it great. But a lot of people don't like it for some reason. Maybe try read The Good Soldier Shweik by Jaroslav Hasek (Czech author). He died before it was finished, but Catch 22 reminded me a lot of it.

Oh, random fact, but the phrase Catch-22 actually came about because of this book. Before it was released, if you were in a catch-22, you'd have to give a lengthy description of your situation :p

[escobert]

I've been reading the Dark Elf Trilogy. Great books so far :D

[Kirobaito]

On the Road - Jack Kerouac

I had heard so much about Kerouac, and being at least a bastard child of the beat generation, I figured I'd read it. It was easy enough to read, and Kerouac has a good way of turning phrases ("We turned and faced each other at twelve yards, because love is a duel," etc.), but I wasn't exactly wowed by it. Maybe I'll need to sit on it longer, but I don't particularly feel like a more enlightened person for reading it.

[Rye]

I finished Oryx and Crake. It took me kind of a while to read through this - it wasn't a fast pace really gripping read until midway, then it became addictive. I was really impressed by the ending of it.

Currently reading Hard-Boiled Wonderland And The End of the World by Haruki Murakami. I tried this book ages ago and I could not break into it at all, which is weird, because I'm really into it now, I really dig it.

It's a split narrative novel, with the odd-numbered chapters taking place in Hard-Boiled Wonderland, and the even-numbered chapters taking place in The End of the World. In Hard-Boiled Wonderland, the story centers around a man who works as a split-brain data processor for an old crazy scientist who is trying to eliminate sound. In The End of the World, a man who has no memory of his past comes to a Town where he is separated from his shadow and is forbidden to leave, and is made to work as Dreamreader.

[Zeldy]

I've been reading a crazy amount of books recently for my English Literature A-Level xD and so:

F.Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby. I read this book twice last year, but as I failed (well I got a D) the exam this book featured (along with Curious Incident..) I re-sat the paper only last week. Re-reading it a year older, and at my own pace and not 'up-to-speed' with the class, I was able to like it a little bit. Last year I despised this book; but I think that was more how it was rammed down our throats. The book isn't all bad, it's incredibly boring however, still. I was able to get a lot out of it though and ended up really feeling for Gatsby, the old sport, at the end; a question in the re-sit asked me to comment on to what extent the idea of Gatsby's lifestyle being an illusion that.. urm, something to do with human values! It was a super question though.

Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time meh, it's a book I vaguely like. It starts off humourous, through the way the author presents the child as having asperger's syndrome; the obsession he has with prime numbers, his complete attention to detail and the idea of the book being presented as murder mystery novel being told by a 15 year old. Yet it's not humourous, it's rather same'y, and yeah I liked it, it's an easy read but seeing as thought it was for my English, I had to anaylze it and there was NOTHING to analyze. The question was pretty nice again though, commented on the influence a narrator has on the reader.

Shakespeare's - Macbeth My favourite Shakespeare of all time? I think so! IS THIS A DAGGER I SEE BEFORE ME, THE HANDLE TOWARD MINE HAND?! I love this play. Our topic for this book is gothic too, so I can go crazy on the presence of the witches, the duality of Lady Macbeth ("unsex me here, and fill me top to toe with direst cruelty...") the repetition of blood ("will my hands ne'er be clean?"), murder, treachery. Although Shakespeare originally wrote Macbeth as a tragedy it's accidentally incredibly gothic. (Bit of revision there, testing myself on remembering quotes)

Chaucer - The Pardoner's Tale I do not like this. It's in middle English, and I have to remember quotes word perfectly (pretty much) in a closed book exam. HAEEEET.

Finally, Angela Carter - The Bloody Chamber I Loooooooove this, it's incredibly gothic and it's simply wonderful how Carter re-inverts innocent fairy tale stories into that of the gothic. I recommend it as a read most indefinitely, I think it's incredibly clever. Written through a feminist perspective, Carter re-inverts stories such as 'puss in boots' and 'red riding hood' to be explicitly gothic; through the sexual connotations and unbelievable amount of gore.

[Kossage]

I finished Tuliholvin alla (Under the Fiery Dome) by Eino Hosia.

It basically set the basics for realistic Finnish war novels (vivid description from a soldier's POV, not overtly patriotic etc.) for years to come.

The story details the battles that took place in Taipale and Vuoksi during the Winter War when the Soviets tried to invade Finland. There's the occasional flashbacks which take place a few months prior in Helsinki where the ominous mood of an impending war are described in a very impressionistic manner. Although there's a narrator (who is basically an author avatar for Hosia), it's more about detailing the experiences of the soldiers as a collective with bits of individual scenes written in. Because of it the story actually becomes quite universal and sucks you into the narrative when you feel like you're out there with the soldiers defending your home.

What I enjoyed in the novel was Hosia's way of writing detailed, nightmarish visions of war. Corpses rise from their graves (thanks to the enemy bombarding the area the soldiers are fighting in), the earth itself is personified as mud becomes symbolic of spilled blood and tree stumps look like skeletons reaching for the sky, the struggle of Finns is compared to the struggles of Jesus etc. Surprisingly enough it doesn't become over the top because everything adds up and creates a very immersive environment in whch you can feel the dread of the soldiers as they fight against all the odds. There are also lyrical, contemplative passages (of particular note is the scene when the narrator visits his brother's grave after the war) which help to balance the nightmarish, apocalyptic visions.

Despite these creepy descriptions the Soviets aren't portrayed as monsters; instead the author sympathizes with them and sees them as people who are forced to follow a dictator's commands. The point of view remains Finnish, though, but it's nice to see that there isn't that much patriotism or demonizing the enemy, so you get a rather interesting story which only wishes to present the horrors of war and their toll on a soldier's psyche.

Overall the novel may not be among the best Finnish war novels but it definitely deserves its place as a trend setter and is definitely worth a read for anyone interested in the psychological side of war (and particularly vivid descriptions of the battlefield).

[Clo]

On the Road - Jack Kerouac

I had heard so much about Kerouac, and being at least a bastard child of the beat generation, I figured I'd read it. It was easy enough to read, and Kerouac has a good way of turning phrases ("We turned and faced each other at twelve yards, because love is a duel," etc.), but I wasn't exactly wowed by it. Maybe I'll need to sit on it longer, but I don't particularly feel like a more enlightened person for reading it.

Aw, I really enjoyed this book. I read it in the heat of summer and it was just perfect, and I wasn't "wowed" but I fell in deep, deep like with Kerouac's writing.

[Miriel]

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

I thought it was brilliantly written (how does an adult male get the voice of a young girl/woman so perfectly?) but I'm not sure I'll read this one again. It was haunting, but in such a subtle way that you don't really realize how horrifying it all is until you've finished the book. And now I can't sleep. I kept waiting and waiting and wishing for a turn of events, for things to change and become better & for the characters to rise above, take action, do SOMETHING but it never happened. At first I felt cheated, and now I just feel so uneasy and profoundly sad. The main thing that's clear is that Ishiguro is a master craftsman of his work.

I think I'll read his earlier book, The Remains of the Day too. I've heard wonderful things about it.

[missaira]

hunger games: chasing fire by suzanne collins.

this is the second in a trio that will shock you to your core. it's set in a post-apocalypse land called panem where there is the capitol and then twelve districts. hundreds of years ago the districts rebelled against the harsh and cruel reigning of the capitol, and to remind them of the capitol's strength each year brings the hunger games. each district must submit two "tributes" for the games; children between the ages of 12-18. the twenty four tributes are then placed into an arena, their every move caught on camera for the entertainment of the capitol and the horror of the districts. it's like survivor - literally. the last tribute alive returns to their respective district bringing money and food; of which the districts don't have much.

i can't go into too much more detail because it'll give away the ending, but wow. dudes and dudettes, you must read these books. the first one is called plainly hunger games and i strongly recommend reading it first as the second won't fully explain what has happened and you will be left bewildered and confused; but shocked nonetheless.

[The Man]

A Clash of Kings, by Steve R. R. Martin

The book expands on the fully realized world that Steve set forth in his first installment of the series - A Game of Thrones. What was ripe and interesting in the first installment is now utterly undeniable intrigue: the politics are slippery, cruel in times and horribly ambivalent; the warring grisly but also described in a fashion that can call upon the realms of romanticism, horror, surrealism, and/or the drunken madness of battle fever, a feat that leaves one thirsting, exhilarated and haunted; the characters are personal and human; and the grand sweeping vastness of a world and its characters struggling in a world with newly awakened powers calls upon a single word: epic. Where other authors may have relied upon magicks and tricks to serve the purpose of fantastic intrigue, Martin instead flowers a beautiful and yet darkly cast fantasy reminiscent of Medieval Europe and its surrounding areas.

Of all its hundreds of pages, I was unable to leave the book for long. So truly I was absorbed by its story.

There are long lists of characters, houses, and histories; yet, these play a prominent role within the story, disallowing one to simply dismiss them as simple lists to be rushed by. Within the names comes a story in of itself, and to be cast into a world where names act as people is a welcome thing.

Love and lust intertwine; fantasy and the harsh reality of the chaotic, harrowing world weave; religion and philosophy are discussed... there is little - if nothing - that this book does not touch.


It is a feast that leaves one hungrier for the next course, whether that be the next page, chapter, or installment.

9/10George, not Steve. Great book though. :monster:

[Rye]

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

I thought it was brilliantly written (how does an adult male get the voice of a young girl/woman so perfectly?) but I'm not sure I'll read this one again. It was haunting, but in such a subtle way that you don't really realize how horrifying it all is until you've finished the book. And now I can't sleep. I kept waiting and waiting and wishing for a turn of events, for things to change and become better & for the characters to rise above, take action, do SOMETHING but it never happened. At first I felt cheated, and now I just feel so uneasy and profoundly sad. The main thing that's clear is that Ishiguro is a master craftsman of his work.

I think I'll read his earlier book, The Remains of the Day too. I've heard wonderful things about it.

I think we've been reading the same stuff lately. XD I've just read an Ishiguro book recently, since I discovered him while I was in England. I read Nocturnes - it was a short story collections centered around music, and a few of the same recurring characters. It was subtle, as you said. I liked it quite a bit.

[Miriel]

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin

It was ok. Intriguing enough that I may continue reading the series, and there was nothing to dislike about the book. But I guess the whole thing felt rather detached. Never grew to care to like/dislike any of the characters.

I really want to read a great fantasy book, but I haven't been able to find anything. So many fantasy books are too heavy for me. I really don't want to read about rape and incest and all this random crap that seems to be in a lot of fantasy books these days. I want something that's just really good escapism.

[The Man]

It's not fantasy, but I'd strongly recommend Le Guin's The Dispossessed. I suspect it will be very much unlike anything you've read before.

I finished Good Omens last night. Needless to say it was awesome. You can't go wrong with either Gaiman or Pratchett so both of them together is pretty much a guaranteed win.

[Clo]

I just finished Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. The plot was really interesting, especially considering it was written throughout the 40s. It wasn't right away, but I definitely began to really like and sympathize with Montag.

Bradbury has a strange writing style, though, and I couldn't exactly put my finger on what was off, but I think it might be his word choice - it's strange sometimes.

[aquatius]

The Death of Woman Wang.

It sells itself as a historical novel, but the first 3/4 of the book is almost pure history with only the occasional interesting folk story, so I found my attention slipping frequently. Luckily, it's a short book, so it's not too bad in the end and I learnt quite a bit about ancient China reading it.

[Slothy]

The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White

This should be required reading for anyone who posts on the internet. I suppose writers could also benefit. Fairly short, but jam packed with useful knowledge. 10/10

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

Fun read that demonstrates how incredibly powerful and surprisingly accurate instant decisions made by the unconscious can be over detailed analysis, as well as times when our instant decisions can break down, both partially and completely. Well researched and filled with very interesting and enjoyable examples, and potentially very powerful once you understand how this type of decision making works, how to cultivate it, and when to avoid its pitfalls. 9/10

[Nominus Experse]

dgdfggggggggggggg

[~*~Celes~*~]

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Very bittersweet but really great. I highly recommend it.

[Miriel]

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

I thought it was ok. Kind of unbelievable. Never really felt like the main character was in any way real. And the ending was strangely paced and rather strange overall for me. A nice easy and (for the most part) enjoyable read.

[Madame Adequate]

Singularity Sky by Charles Stross.

This book was interesting, because Stross isn't afraid to throw in any and all ideas about the Singularity and what kind of crazy consequences it could have. However, it was a little boring to see him rely on the now-tired trope of a throwback individual/civilization, even if it was an interesting one. Overall it was a fun read, but it lacked characters I really liked very much, with one notable exception. Still, it was his first novel and it was a good effort given that; I'm planning on reading more of his stuff and I expect he'll improve.

[Carl the Llama]

A Storm of Swords, by George R. R. Martin

Grim and beleaguered is how I might shortly describe this lengthy book. In many instances, a small chance glimmer of hope is quickly and thoroughly snuffed out.



This is a truly awesome book, and I completely love the series right up until A Feast for Crows, I still haven't found the will to pick that book up again, not enough appearances from the characters I love and to many new view points.

I remember thinking after A Storm of Swords to try and not get attached to any of any of the characters as they could be dead in the next couple of pages x.x very grim indeed.

On a side note I have actually met Martin and got all my books signed with a personal inscription, hopefully he will come to my town once Dance has been released.

That said I cannot wait for the next book, should be a bit more interesting with A Dance of Dragons.

My current book is actually an old favorite of mine Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan (R.I.P) my favorite of the Wheel of Time series.

[rubah]

2010: Odyssey 2.

Pretty terrible. It feels like an author got to put their grubby hands all over it with very little editorial supervision. There are random romances, exorbitant detailing of other life forms, godmode destruction of said lifeforms, and HAL is made out to be dave bowman's space ghost puppy. He doesn't even get to be an equal! ARLSKHGads

a frustrating book. I will probably pick up 2061 just to see where it goes.

[The Man]

Stuff I've recently read:

Noam Chomsky - Hopes and Prospects. It goes without saying that this is chock full of important information that conveniently gets left out of mainstream media outlets; anyone who's read one of Chomsky's book-length volumes before should know what to expect. Needless to say he's not a fan of the current administration and he makes it clear just how far they've descended into the same lawlessness practised by the Bush administration. I'd say this is pretty much essential reading for anyone who wants insight into why the country hasn't improved as much as so many of our media types believed it would. And, as is par for the course with Chomsky, the documentation for his claims is quite thorough, so you can figure out where he's getting his information pretty easily with a trivial amount of googling of the sources listed in the endnotes.

Daniel Suarez - Daemon and Freedom™. After a famed computer game developer's obituary is posted in the news, a computer program activates that begins killing former employees of his company, and later law enforcement officials who attempt to investigate his property. And that's only the beginning. I'm not going to disclose any of the plot beyond this because Suarez takes delight in constantly confounding the reader's expectations, especially in the first book. I will say that this is a technothriller with no letup on either the techno or the thriller that was written by a person who clearly understands the technology he's writing about, which is a nice change of pace for the usual entries in the genre (Dan Brown I'm looking at you). All of the technologies described within either exist in real life or are expected to exist within short notice, and the fact that Sobol was a multibillionaire who spent a lot of his fortune on R&D makes the existence of anticipated technologies more believable. I will also say that Suarez has a superb grasp of the issues facing mankind and many of the solutions he has for them are things I'd never even thought of before. Whether they're realistic will be up for the reader to decide.

Current reading includes:

Nouriel Roubini & Stephen Mihm - Crisis Economics. Roubini has a reputation as the economist who predicted the current economic crisis in perhaps the greatest detail, and the analysis here goes a long way towards explaining how he was able to do it. The authors contend that financial crises are entirely predictable based on certain behaviours in the market, and go into exhaustive detail describing some of these behaviours. The authors then review how various schools recommend dealing with crises (Austrian, Keynesian, Marxist, etc.), going into the strengths and weaknesses of each, and then make specific policy recommendations for how to deal with crises in the future, most of which seem to be eminently reasonable (I've only skimmed through this part of the book at this point). Recommended reading.

John Twelve Hawks - The Traveler. Since the final volume of the trilogy finally came out in paperback last week, I picked this up in the book store a few days ago based on a recommendation from customers who seemed to know what they were talking about last year. The series is set in an alternate reality earth where people called Travelers can visit other realms, but apart from the existence of Travelers and a few other factions invented for the series it's set in our present day. Thus far the depiction of technology used for surveillance and the extent to which it is employed makes Orwell look downright complacent. This is paranoia fuel to the highest degree: they really are out to get you. Libertarians and left-wingers will probably appreciate Twelve Hawks' view of the world. Thus far I've been immensely drawn into the series and have already picked up the second book.

I have a lot more stuff I'm reading at the moment (working at a book store basically ensures that I never have fewer than ten books in progress at once) but I'm too lazy to talk about it now. Maybe later.

[Iceglow]

Just finished last night reading Stieg Larsson's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I really enjoyed the book, much more than I thought I would. I haven't really enjoyed crime thrillers for a couple of years now but I have to admit that Larsson not only amused me and intrigued me with his writing but he also managed to actually hook me, to make me want to read the next page and find out who and what had happened. The book is definitely worth reading, I'm looking forwards to reading The Girl Who Played With Fire.

[The Man]

Larsson's one of the best crime novelists I've read recently; all three novels were top-notch. I read the final book in one day, only stopping to get up to eat and watch TV with my family. I strongly recommend James Ellroy as well.

I finished The Traveler and it got, if anything, more compelling as the story went on. Now fifty pages into The Dark River; that was a pretty dark opening to say the least.

[Rye]

About halfway through The Children of Men, and it's really fantastic thus far. The scene with the ceramic child doll gave me goosebumps.

[Raistlin]

I just finished Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind. It's a fantasy novel, the first in an ongoing series. Overall, it's exceptionally well-written, with an engaging plot and realistic, relateable characters. It really feels like you're being told a story. The plot device "If this were a story _____ would happen, but instead ______" got a little old, but I did appreciate the attempt at realism -- it was not as stark and bleak as Abercrombie's First Law series, but still much better done than with most fantasy series. A little slow to develop, but I was still engrossed for most of the book.

[PeneloRatsbane]

I just finished reading a book called "One day" by a geezer named David Nicholls.

I was skeptical because I didn't think it would really be my sort of thing, but i really enjoyed it. It was written very well and it made me cry so bad!
It was about two graduates who spend one night hanging out and then the next 20 years of their lives together and apart, as they try to avoid the obvious fact that they should be together.

[Nominus Experse]

hucen;asc

[Miriel]

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray - Oh god, this book was tiresome. There were parts I liked, especially with the main character. She was a surprisingly nice change from the characters I'm used to in these types of period novels. But there were pages and pages that I just skipped over cause the author was blathering on. I hate when authors talk directly to the reader in that way.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen - I wasn't expecting much since this is one of those super popular, half off if you buy 2 books, type of thing. But I ended up LOVING it. LOVE! Such great mood and atmosphere. Just sucks you right in to that incredible era of the American depression and the subculture of the traveling circus.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks - Movie is sooo much better. I don't believe I have ever read such a sappy saccharine book in my entire life.

The Rug Merchant by Meg Mullins - Lovely. Not so much about story, but about a quick interlude in two people's lives. I thought the writing was poetic, but not overly descriptive. In fact, it was fairly sparse but still fluid and beautiful.

[The Man]

One thing I liked about AFFC is that it gives a much fuller picture of what Westeros is like for common people than any preceding volume in the series did. Taken on its own though, I agree that it's not as strong, and it definitely suffers for the lack of the many main characters who were omitted.

As for characters behaving stupidly, it's been about five years since I read the series but in most cases I found that it wasn't so much stupidity as it was not having available all the information that is available to the reader. One of Martin's main themes is that warfare is based on deception (which is an old point going back to Sun Tzu if not earlier), and thus those who have imperfect information are unlikely to make expedient decisions.

My review of John Twelve Hawks' Fourth Realm trilogy:

John Twelve Hawks - The Traveler, The Dark River and The Golden City. Since the final volume of the trilogy finally came out in paperback a couple of weeks ago, I picked the whole thing up in the book store based on a recommendation from customers who seemed to know what they were talking about last year. I was not disappointed. The surveillance depicted within makes Orwell look downright complacent and Twelve Hawks' insight into of the current political situation is strong indeed. Twelve Hawks correctly notes that surveillance isn't really a "left versus right" issue - governments of all ideological stripes support these things in order to increase their own power, and due to the potential for abuse innate in this technology, which the trilogy compellingly makes disturbingly clear, they should be opposed unilaterally. (The ending also makes it clear that a mass movement is needed to generate any meaningful change, a gesture I appreciate - far too much dystopic fiction doesn't really bother suggesting any realistic solutions, but Twelve Hawks' ending gently nudges the reader to get involved). Beyond the political content, the characterisation and plotting are strong and the pacing is immaculate - scarcely twenty pages go by without some compelling action sequence (Twelve Hawks has embellished the modern world by adding a few fictitious science-fiction elements which add to the action and philosophical content, but otherwise left the current political situation unchanged). The philosophical content is also quite compelling.

[Nominus Experse]

ef I am efw

[PeneloRatsbane]

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray - Oh god, this book was tiresome. There were parts I liked, especially with the main character. She was a surprisingly nice change from the characters I'm used to in these types of period novels. But there were pages and pages that I just skipped over cause the author was blathering on. I hate when authors talk directly to the reader in that way.



Agreed, this book could be shortened by about a 100 pages if he just cut the crap

[ValkyrieWing]

I've just finished 'Under the Dome' by Stephen King, and it really got me thinking. And it nearly broke my wrists. >< That's one HEAVY book.

At any rate, the story is about a small town that spends a little over a week trapped withing an impenetrable dome, and what happens to the people therein. There's the typical SK sci-fi touch, but it's the way the PEOPLE interact that make up the most of the book.

All in all, a good read, but not for those with carpal tunnel. That books over 1k pages. ><

[Raistlin]

I just finished The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. It's a solid read, and it's accessible for people outside of fantasy buffs as it doesn't overwhelm the reader with intricacies. Easy to read, funny, and entertaining characters. Nothing really great, but enjoyable.

[champagne supernova]

Hemingway - Old Man and the Sea

Enjoyed it a lot. Hemingway is very easy to read and I just liked the themes running through it. Read a bit about his life at the time and it seemed to make a bit more sense to me (although the critics would most likely disagree).

[Miriel]

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Not really the type of book I thought I'd be interested in. I detested beyond reason Conrad's Heart of Darkness, so I was wary of this book which also deals with the African Congo.

But I found the book to be engrossing and poetic. Heartbreaking at times. Lots of flaws for sure. You never really quite believe in most of the characters. They're incredibly one-dimensional, with the exception being the Mother. Who for some reason, is the most fascinating, but has the fewest chapters dedicated to her. And the book is essentially broken up into two parts. The first part being 10 times stronger than the 2nd part. Still, I enjoyed it.

Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky

Quite possibly, the most astounding book I have ever read. And one of the hardest to read. I'm not saying that it's the most interesting book, the most captivating, or most beautiful. Just the fact that a book like this, so well written, even exists blows my socks off. There have been so many times when I've had to put the book down and there are two reasons for this. A) I made the mistake of reading the introduction and the appendices before diving into the book itself, and it breaks my heart to know the context of the book. Who wrote it, when she wrote it, and how it came to be published. B) Sometimes I have to pause and take a break because it's incredibly hard for me to understand how this book is possible. How can the writing be so clear, so vivid, and so composed, when given the circumstances? It amazes me to the point where I'm just arrested. Even disregarding the context of the book's existence, I would still describe the book as beautifully written, with characters that feel so alive and real that you can see them in your head as clear as day.

I have to believe that the author was some sort of genius, in order for her to have written this book. And knowing that she was probably a genius... well that just breaks your heart even more.

[Raistlin]

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch. The sequel to The Lies of Locke Lamora, this one was not quite as enjoyable as the first one. Maybe the simple writing style just got old, maybe the basic plot concept of "everything goes wrong, constantly" was tiring, maybe the two main characters were a bit stale. Regardless, I did not like it as much. It is still worth reading, though, if you read the first book and enjoy it. It will also be interesting to see where the third book (yet to be released) takes off from the end of this one.

[Miriel]

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Really engrossing. I finished it in 2 days, and it's like a 1000 page monster. So definitely a page turner. Historical fiction, first half is waaay better than the 2nd half. It almost felt like the book could easily have been half as long. It just kinda meandered and dragged along towards the end, and finished rather abruptly. Like the author was like, "oh :bou::bou::bou::bou:, I should really start to wrap this up." The writing style is kinda simplistic, and the author repeats phrases which is such a huge pet peeve of mine. I think he used the phrase, "feared for his life" like 15 different times. Once he used it twice within one paragraph. But the characters felt alive, and it was a fun ride. A little trashy in parts, but not as trashy as something like The Other Boleyn Girl.

Would definitely recommend this book. It's kinda halfway between a fun summer beach read and proper literature.

[Kirobaito]

Freedom Summer: The Savage Season That Made Mississippi Burn and Made America a Democracy by Bruce Watson

As far as history books go, it keeps the reader engaged. Watson is a journalist, so the focus is on individual stories rather than tremendous historical analysis, but when it comes to something like Freedom Summer, most of the historical analysis is pretty evident from the mere nature of the event. If you like non-fiction, I think it's worth reading.

White Like Me by Tim Wise

Oh, wow, wow, wow. If you want to learn more about white privilege, all you have to do is read this book. Holy freakin' crap.

[The Man]

Tim Wise is awesome. I've read a lot of his essays and he always has tons of solid documentation backing up his statements, and he's probably one of the best critics of white privilege out there. I should read some of his books. Freedom Summer looks interesting too.

I recently re-read A Wrinkle in Time. I had forgotten why I loved that book so much when I was a kid. No longer. If more Christians were like L'Engle I doubt the religion would be criticised so often.

[Parker]

Almost finished reading Post Office by Charles Bukowski. I've only been familiar with his poems before now (For Jane is one of my favourite poems ever) but I really like this. A nice easy read, funny but oh so sad.

[Rye]

How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent ~ Alvarez

I adored the writing, but as a novel, it frustrated me. The first half fit together like a novel and built up to an interesting novel, and then the second half, it just broke apart and turned into fragmented short stories. Interesting to think about, but that doesn't seem like a novel to me. Maybe a collection of short stories?

Little Bee ~ Chris Cleave

I just bought this novel about an hour or two ago and I'm already over a quarter through it. I've not read so voraciously in ages. It renews some hope in me that I can be a good English teacher/professor/reader, albeit a very picky one.

This has some of the best writing I've ever read. I can't even skim it like my eyes tend to do automatically because every word is delicious and bright and onto the next like string lights. It's a disturbing and sad novel.

In my experience, a novel can go from amazing to a disappointment around the half-mark, so I'm hoping this novel stays as exquisite as it is right now, because it will easily become one of my favorite novels.

It is heavily marketed as a "DO NOT SPOIL THIS" book, so I guess I won't say much about it at all, except it is about a young Nigerian refugee named Little Bee and a British woman and mother and how they become tied together through tragedy and ignorance.

[Miriel]

Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins

So this 3rd book in the Hunger Game trilogy was released last Tuesday. It breaks my heart how disappointed I was in this last book. Very very similar to how I felt with the last Harry Potter book. Such a great series up until this spectacularly disappointing ending. All the characters that I grew to like became awful butchered versions of themselves, the story itself was disjointed and unappealing. Even the writing style seemed incredibly immature, rushed, and unpolished. Ugh.

I bought the whole series for myself and now I'm not sure if I can read the first two books having been so severely disappointed with the 3rd.

:(

[Rye]

I finished Little Bee just a few minutes ago. I'm shocked how fast I devoured that book. It was probably one of the best novels I've ever read. It uplifted me and broke my heart. A must read for anyone whose heart rips whenever they see the ignorance of immigration laws on television.

[~*~Celes~*~]

I'm currently reading the Sookie Stackhouse series and I just whizzed through Dead in Dallas (book 2) last night and have moved on to Club Dead (book 3) today.

Book 2 was actually a lot different from the show in many ways, it was pretty shocking to me. Not at all in a bad way though. Though, I can see why some would think so.

[Miriel]

Dune by Frank Herbert

Such a richly imagined book! The depth, and the full realization of the characters, the setting, the mythology was so impressive. I was riveted the whole way through. It was only toward the ending that I felt a little... I don't know the right word for it. It's just that the ending felt kind of anti-climatic and hollow. Everything that led up to the ending was great. And then it fell a little short. But still, what a great accomplishment in science fiction. I really enjoyed it.

[Ouch!]

Ouch!'s response to summer reading:

The Wheel of Time Books I-X by Robert Jordan
I'm not going to individual respond to each of the books in the series since there's very little distinction between each entry. The series is plagued by just about every fantasy trope (shepherd turning out to be prophesied hero, the Dark One bound thousands of years ago breaking free, etc.) and yet somehow I can't bring myself to stop reading. After reading Martin's work, I've become even more critical of fantasy novels and heavy reliance on the clichés that define the genre, but for some reason, I manage to keep plodding on through The Wheel of Time which somehow manages to package the familiar trodden ground in a way that keeps me reading. I'm quickly becoming sick of Jordan's obsession of the dichotomy of the sexes, though. Currently about 200 pages into the eleventh book in the series.

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
The premise of Gladwell's argument is a fairly interesting one. I've never read his other books (which I have heard are better), but I found myself growing more and more unimpressed by Gladwell's rhetoric as the pages turned. The argument would have been far more compelling as a twenty page essay; as an entire book, it fell on its face, lost in its own plethora of examples which turned out to be more interesting as anecdotes than as support for the argument.

Dune by Frank Herbert
I'm going to have to agree with Miriel on all counts for Frank Herbert's science fiction masterpiece. The world created for the series is absolutely brilliant, and the tension rising towards what ultimately felt like a rushed and sudden conclusion was only a bit of a disappointment.

Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert
I felt that this was certainly a worthy sequel of the first novel, but fell short insofar as very little is revealed to the reader until the very end of the novel and it's near impossible to piece together how Paul plans everything to fall together. Having read more in the series, I now understand this to be characteristic of the series as a whole. Definitely a satisfying sequel and worth a read to those who liked the first.

Children of Dune by Frank Herbert
Unfortunately, by this point, the story begins to fall apart. While the premise of abominations and the risk the pre-born face is most certainly an interesting point, it feels contrived since it had never before been mentioned in the series. This is also where the series begins to take a turn for the weird, and I hear the series only becomes weirder in the second trilogy. I feel that the plot grows weaker and weaker as the story moves further into its own pseudoscientific world and further away from the plotting and the tension between characters which made the first book so brilliant.

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
This is a series I've been meaning to read for a while, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. The story was brilliant until the end of the third book which was perhaps one of the biggest letdowns in fiction I've experienced in some time. For a series which spent such a great deal of time attacking and challenging religion and exposing moral gray areas, the ultimate explanation for the big mystery of the series was somewhat lackluster. The omnipotent narrator constantly refers to a very difficult decision which the main character must make, but in the end, no such difficult decision ever truly materializes, which ultimately left me with a sour taste in my mouth despite how well everything else had been presented.

The Dark Tower - The Gunslinger by Stephen King
Honestly, I don't really think I understood much of any of the explanation that was given at the end of the first entry in Stephen King's epic, but I don't really think I was supposed to anyway. Despite being utterly baffled and confused, I went ahead and ordered books II-VII anyway and will be tackling those soon.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Cards
I feel like if I'd read this book seven years ago, I would probably think this was one of the deepest and most provocative books I'd ever read. As it stands, I felt Cards approached the subject matter in a manner which didn't do it justice. I feel like it would have been better if the book hadn't been written as though it was directed at juveniles. Ultimately a disappointment.

Good Omens by Terry Prachet and Neil Gaiman
By no means a life-changing read, but certainly a very amusing one. Being largely British humor, there were a number of footnotes explaining some jokes to American audiences, and I tended to find the explanations themselves the funniest part of the entire book. Then again, I'm the kind of guy who gets a giggle out of footnotes.

I also read a linguistics textbook about basic information for field linguistics, but I don't think reviewing that would be appropriate.

I'd also like to speak up in defense of Martin's A Feast for Crows. I think a certain measure of forgiveness is required in appreciating AFFC in comparison to the others in the series; the book was originally intended to take place five years after the ending of the previous entry. When this plan failed, Martin dove headfirst into a gargantuan effort which ultimately proved too ambitious for a single book. As a result, he decided to split the characters into two groups. Unfortunately, the most engaging characters (Daenerys, Bran, Jon, and Tyrion, to name those who most interest me) appear briefly if at all as a result.

I feel that the first half of the book comes off as fairly slow as a result of having a cast of mostly unlikeable characters. The story largely takes place during a period of stasis in the wake of the War of the Five Kings. While the narrative lacks any scenes comparable to something like the Red Wedding, I feel that the conflicts begin to build towards some very engaging cliffhangers by the end of the narrative. The endings to many of the plot arcs strike me as some of the best and most ominous of the series, and I was impressed by how engaged I felt by the stories involving some of my least favorite characters in the series.

I also appreciate Martin's knack for making my sympathize with some of the characters previously only presented as villains simply by giving them perspective chapters while reinforcing my burning hatred for others by the same means.

[The Man]

The "very difficult decision" Lyra has to make in His Dark Materials is separating from Will. I would expect that separating from someone after falling in love with them, never to see them again (as far as she knows, anyway), would be an excruciatingly painful decision to have to go through with; however, it is presented as being clearly necessary for the fabric of reality to maintain itself.

Oh, and the author of Ender's Game is Orson Scott Card. No s at the end of his name. I read Ender's Game almost a decade ago now so I'm probably not in a position to judge it much, but I didn't mind that it was written as though it was directed at younger people; the characters, after, all, were themselves mostly young. I also quite liked the sequel, Speaker for the Dead, which definitely isn't directed at young people.

Other than that, good reviews.

[Pheesh]

Under the Dome by Stephen King

Finished it a few days ago and for such a large book I really was able to chew through it. I hold no secrets about my absolute fan boy love for Stephen King, and not only did this book not disappoint me, it blew me away. I've read both the Stand and It before, both of them were amazing and It has probably been in my top 2 for favourite books ever for some time now. The Stand was different in that, though it was so good, it felt so hard to read, especially the beginning. Under the Dome had none of those problems, there were dozens of stories playing out at the same time and each of them flowed and intertwined with amazing clarity and without ever skipping a beat.

The plot was awesome to watch unfold, but once again it's his characterization that really carries the story. In my opinion no one is able to make a person feel like characters in a story are people that the reader has grown up with more than Stephen King. The book has moments that were so tense where I literally had to stop because I was afraid for what I knew was about to happen. If you held a gun to my head and made me say a weak point it would be that the 'mandatory Stephen King sex scene' was a bit out of place in this book. Maybe not so much out of place, but it certainly didn't hold as much weight as some of his other efforts, and looking back I'd say that the main romance in the story didn't do much for me. But I think that's okay because it was really a minor plot line in a book that is absolutely packed to the brim with plot lines.

It could be that I'm a bit older now so I'm able to digest his epics a bit better, but it's not that books like The Stand were incredibly hard to read, it's just I think he may now have honed his craft to the point that his larger books just flow that little bit better. I give it the highest of recommendations.

[~*~Celes~*~]

Dead To The World. I really hope season 4 of TB follows the book because it will make one hell of a season.

[Miriel]

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Enjoyed it. The person who recommended it to me said it was a life changing book. I know it's a favorite for a lot of people but I didn't think it was omg amazing. I had a feeling going into it that I wouldn't love it like other people love it. I've just never been a big fan of these types of coming of age, people just living their lives type books and I tend to shy away from them. I wouldn't have picked this book out if the reviews weren't so great.

Let the Great World Spin - The words are beautiful but I couldn't get into this AT ALL. Poetic writing is really all that it had going for it. It just didn't grab me. And like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, I'm just not into reading about a collection of people just living. Living through their daily problems, going to work, etc etc. I know a lot of people find beauty in the normal things, but I already do that in real life. I want my books to be brimming over with the extraordinary.

Medium Raw - Loved it. Not as much as I loved Kitchen Confidential, but Anthony Bourdain has matured and so has his writing. He can still be scathing and hysterical, but a lot of the times he'll temper his opinions by saying something like, Sandra Lee is the devil incarnate... but who knows, maybe she's a really nice lady? I like the scathing stuff the best. :)

Innocent Traitor - Historical fiction! Fun quick read.

Re-read:

Golden Compass/Northern Lights - Love this book so much. One of my absolute favorites.
The Subtle Knife - HATE HATE HATE. I remember reading part of this years ago and stopping because of my intense dislike for it. I went ahead and finished it and I found it more loathsome the further along I got. What happened? Why did the story shift so dramatically? Where was the continuation from the first book? Why did Lyra get shoved aside to be a groveling insipid servant while a boring ass male character with daddy issues becomes the main character? The one part of the book I liked was the bits with Lee Scoresby since the interaction between daemon and human was always my favorite parts, and nothing in this sequel (especially nothing with Lyra and Pan) showed as eloquently the bond as in the last few scenes with Lee and Hester.

[Del Murder]

<i>The Girl Who Played with Fire</i>

Read this on the plane during my recent trip to DC. It started off slow. Very slow. Slower than the first one even. Once the actual plot was established (about 40% in) it was a good read with an interesting mystery. The 'twists' weren't as profound as the first book but they were suspenseful. It seems like a lot of loose ends were left after this one (more than in <i>The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</i>), so it looks like the third book ties more into this one. I'll probably have to read it at some point.

[Miriel]

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

I loved this book. It was equal parts bewildering, tragic, and awkwardly hilarious. I'm usually not fond of autobiographical books, but what a crazy ass story Jeannette Walls had to tell. I almost couldn't believe it until I read comments online from people who grew up with her and her family and who verified the truth of her story. I thought it was interesting that Walls specifically mentioned A Tree Grows in Brooklyn as being one of her favorite books growing up and how she related so much to Francie Nolan. For me, The Glass Castle was touching and provocative in a way that A Tree Grows in Brooklyn couldn't really match.

[Madame Adequate]

The Third World War by General Sir John Hackett.

Pretty interesting read. Written in the late 70s so some of the predictions were pretty amusing, but the overarching thing made reasonable sense and was convincing. That said, the Soviets simply did not think of nuclear weapons in the way Hackett portrays them to, so it's doubtful that things would have gone down as they did on that front. Good book, nonetheless.

[Freya]

Game of Thrones


I finally got around to finishing it. I had like 200 pages to go for the past few months. Just been busy and haven't had the time. Well I made time. This book is just hella awesome. I'm so excited that they are making it into a series this coming spring.

What was great about it was that it had it's twists and was very captivating. It has just enough fantasy in it to give it the "fantasy" title. It's more about politics, vicious, vicious politics. Even in those last 200 pages there were enough gasp moments to carry this book on to be one of my all time favorites. Definitely a recommended read... or just wait for the show :P

[Roto13]

Lost at Sea (By Bryan Lee O'Malley, who wrote Scott Pilgrim)

It was ok but too emo.

[Miriel]

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/Emoticons01/star-2.gifhttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/Emoticons01/star-2.gifhttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/Emoticons01/star-2.gif) - There are passages in this book that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Beauty and poignancy that just shoots straight to your heart. I was sobbing at various parts of this book. I was luckily warned in advance about the truly awful ending of the book, so I was bracing myself for something heinous. It ended up being bad, but not the worst ending in modern American literature like some reviewers on Amazon are calling it. It was a pretty bizarre and bewildering conclusion to what was otherwise a great book.

The Girl Who Played With Fire (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/Emoticons01/star-2.gifhttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/Emoticons01/star-2.gifhttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/Emoticons01/star-2.gifhttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/Emoticons01/star-2.gif) - The 2nd book in the Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy. I really enjoyed this one which was suprising since I wasn't a big fan of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. But this book was gripping and such a page turner. There were elements of the book that were ridiculous and unbelievable, but that just made the book more amusing I think. Now I need to get The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/Emoticons01/star-2.gifhttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/Emoticons01/star-2.gifhttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/Emoticons01/star-2.gif) - Young Adult! Really enjoyed the book, up until the ending. Nice writing style. It got slow and repetitive at times, but it is YA so I wasn't expecting too much. The ending was just silly though.

[Shlup]

The Hunger Games trilogy - Good stuff. An easy read, lots of unexpected events, a good amount of graphic violence, and a strong female lead. No real complaints.

[Depression Moon]

When did we get star smilies?

[Miriel]

The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/Emoticons01/star-2.gifhttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/Emoticons01/star-2.gifhttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/Emoticons01/star-2.gifhttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/Emoticons01/star-2.gif)

I picked this up on a whim because it had a dog on the cover and it was sitting in the "Best Sellers" section. I thought, "hmm... a cute doggy, best selling book, it must be good!"

I was silently weeping by the end of it. Silently, instead of my normal loud wailing sobs because Del Murder was sitting next to me and I didn't want to make too much of a scene. It's a super fast read, nothing ground breaking or anything like that. But still, it touches your heart and it made me both sad and uplifted. I sat and hugged my two dogs afterwards when thinking about this book.

Vampire Academy Books 1-3 - Richelle Mead (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/Emoticons01/star-2.gifhttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/Emoticons01/star-2.gifhttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/Emoticons01/star-2.gifhttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v451/Emoticons01/star-2.gif)

I'm sick and spewing up snot and flem, I deserved a nice easy, slightly smutty read. The Vampire Academy series happens to be the perfect books for me right now. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the main female character who is a total badass, and not the "omg, help meeee!" kind of girl in other vampire books. She kicks ass, isn't afraid to embrace her sexuality, isn't super noble, but isn't a total smurfup either. She actually reminds me a bit of Buffy. The end of book 3 was kinda OMFG! So I'm launching right into Book 4. :D

[Peegee]

When did we get star smilies?

We didn't.

I just read # Batman: The Widening Gyre (with Walt Flanagan, DC Comics, 2009–2010) - it's not complete yet but it is very entertaining in a way I did not expect.

Perhaps out of character, Batman encounters another masked hero and considers retiring (or not working as much) in order to pass the role of masked crusader to Nightwing/Robin/the new guy. Without giving too many spoilers the twist at the last book made me go WAAAAAAH and now I'm waiting for 2011 to show me the end.

[Shiny]

The Picture of Dorian Gray-Oscar Wilde A glorious read, I loved it, literature at its most articulate. Long live Lord Wotton! :D

Recently read that too. Very homoerotic.

These Children That Come At You With Knives - The title is sort of misleading. The book is actually several short stories combined into one and they are a bit story tale like -- only instead of writing about the cliche princess-dragon-knight-scenario, it has unconventional characters and even less conventional endings. Definitely an interesting read with a very sardonic tone.

Hopefully The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo is as good as people are saying. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I usually like to see the movie before I read the book, as backwards as that sounds.

[Miriel]

Anna Karenina - Tolstoy

More than anything, I am proud of having finished this monster of a book, and pretty quickly too! Took me about... 2 weeks? I can understand the appeal of the book, especially when trying to imagine what it would have been like to read that book when it was first published. And a lot of it still stands the test of time. Some things never change I guess. And I was amazed at how well Tolstoy wrote from the female perspective. I felt sometimes that he did a better job writing from the female perspective than from the male. There were parts that were fascinating and engrossing and other parts that were unbelievably boring.

More than once, I would just totally knock out and fall asleep during one of those chapters full of philosophical ramblings or paragraph after paragraph of 19th century Russian farming techniques. My god.

It was a decent read, but I'm baffled by people who claim it's one of the greatest novels ever written. And what the smurf, Oprah? This is totally NOT the greatest love story ever told. In fact, most of the characters were highly unlikable. It's hard to read a book when you really don't care if almost every single character (with maybe the exception of Kitty) just went ahead and died.

[Miriel]

Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls - Not anywhere near as good as her other book, The Glass Castle. It was decent in that the main character was an awe-inspiring woman. But I think you could tell that Walls was trying really hard not to turn the book totally fictitious by adding in too many details. It was pretty sparse. She told her Grandma's story with as much restraint as possible so it just wasn't engaging.

Little Bee by Chris Cleave - Enjoyed it! But it's one of those books that you expect a lot out of and then it ends up being just, "pretty good" but not something you would lend out to friends insisting they read it. There was something distant and remote about all the characters so that while you might laugh and cry for them, it doesn't really go straight to your heart like it should.