Last Book You Read and Your Review of It

[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.

9/10

George, not Steve. Great book though.

[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 (SPOILER)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.