Pretty self explanatory.

Rate it too, if you'd like.





Most recently finished I Am Legend, and I greatly enjoyed it. One of the best fiction books I've ever read. : ) 5/5 by far, though I didn't particularly like the ending.

Currently reading The Real Middle Earth by Brian Bates, which is pretty interesting.. Haven't gotten very far yet though.

Also reading The Catcher in the Rye for the first time.. I'm kind of shocked as to how well known this novel is, considering I haven't really seen any plot lines yet, and I'm half way through.. Still a great angsty book though. Definitely enjoying it.

Just finished Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire. Really great- I thought that the way he pulled off revitalizing existing Oz material with Wicked was, well, wicked. As in wicked awesome. But to be able to continue that theme on into totally new material and still keep it an interesting read- that's five levels of mind-blowingness higher altogether.
Plus, he uses words like paint and philosophy like a canvas; his writing contends with Diane Duane for being the most like a poem in prose form. Beautiful stuff. And the way he brings themes and plots and ideas into a circling, complete, and yet open, circuit- is amazing.

I finished The Struggle by L.J. Smith.

I thought this book was phenomenal! The plot was breath taking. I am very interested in stories that revolve around the supernatural and hers captured all the needed feelings and so much more. I was impressed.

Just finished [I]Deathly Hallows[I]

Awesome story, good read!

Finished Dostoevsky - The Idiot yesterday.

It wasn't an easy read but it was definitely worth it. The ending was perfect (although i was a bit annoyed that i found out what happened when I was 10 pages from finishing) and there were some very touching moments in it. The characters are unique.

Some parts did seem quite drawn out, but it was meant to feel like regular life.

I felt that most of it was putting dotoevsky's views across on various topics such as Europe vs Russia, capital punishment, the papacy amonst some other things. But I did enjoy his arguments on some topics and it does make you think.

I found it hard to keep up with all the different characters but it's Russian and from all the books i have read that appears to be about right. I would recommend this book, but I imagine quite a few people would find it hard to read if not used to classics. But if you do manage to read it, it's a book that definitely stays with you.
----------------
Now on to Anna Karenina, which at 900 + pages should take sometime, but i should finish it before i go to Russia...

Tough Guys Don't Dance
Norman Mailer

review below-- don't know how I did this!

"Tough Guys Don't Dance," its an older book (1984) by Norman Mailer. Not for the squeamish, 18 and above. Lots of crude sex, disgusting murder, hideous corpse removal efforts, crooked cops, drugs and alcoholism.
Book Report:
The language is terrific. The description is great. The emotional state of the main character is expert level. If you want to learn to write, go to the pros. I loved the writing and am hooked on Mailer now. People say he is narcissistic, but I don't care. If that is Narcissism, bring it on! He writes with profound detail. His characters are nasty, aloof, have bad habits, you wont like them. They are not "likable," certainly not cute and cuddly, but they are wonderfully vulnerable and sympathetic. This story involves Tim Madden an alcoholic writer who lives in Provincetown RI. (By the way, Mailer gives great writing advice in this book). His beloved but estranged wife has vanished. He finds that two women in town (who look like twins) have disappeared and he is connected to both. He finds that the cop husband of an old lover means to implicate him. Somehow, he figures out a very complected web of coincidences/ spiritualists/ homosexuals/ nasty ex-lovers/ rotten cops. He also gets in tune with the vibes of the universe and his dying father helps him. Worthwhile for those learning prose writing...especially if their path leads them to hard boiled crime or noir-- this is both.

I finally finished The Catcher in the Rye last month. While I enjoyed it, I thought it could have been so much better. (Or maybe my expectations were too high; for so long I heard how good it was.. when really.. there was no plot, and it was angsty and poorly written). That's not to say I didn't enjoy it, because I really did. My preconceptions just got in the way. - 3/5

I'm currently reading "The Swastika - A Sign Beyond Redemption?" I can't remember who wrote it, but the history of the sign is amazing to think about. Well written book.

The last one I FINISHED... That would have been "A Certain Slant of Light". I bought it because it was cross referenced with "Twilight" on Amazon. Many of the people on there who had enjoyed "A Certain Slant of Light" had read it because they had heard it was similar. So I tried it out, and here's what I thought...

The story, based on a ghost like character called Helen, had some great ideas. There were some interesting theories and several moments in the book had me thinking Philosophically. It was certainly a beautiful book, full of beautiful characters. There were some twists in it, although I can't say any were deeply surprising (apart from one event near the end of the book).

The main characters, Helen and James, were certainly interesting and held a lot of secrets - that not even they knew- but out of the secrets divulged, only the nature of Helen's death was a true surprise.

I also felt that the flow of the story could have been much better. The relationship between Helen and James developed too rapidly, and that ruined the rest too much.

There were also moments where the characters appeared just a little bit too desperate in their situations. There were a lot of extremes in it, from deeply religious and smothering parents to a verbally and physically abusive brother of a drug addict. I guess it helped to show the different types of corruption in the world. It showed that anything is bad if it's too extreme for comfort.

Despite its flaws, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed "Twilight". Okay, don't search for the same pure love there is in "Twilight", but do pick it up and read it. It's certainly worth it.

Hi :)

The last book I finished was Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer. Its the third one in her Twillight Series. When I first started reading them I wasn't to sure as it's about vampires and books like that tend to be quite stereotypical however I was pleasantly surprised. They are all beautifully written and though I prefered the first, I like them all :D

Currently reading What I Was by Meg Rosof. Again, loved her first book "How I Live Now", really touched me, but not got into this one quite as much. I'll see how I feel at the end I guess.

PS. Just realised the post above talked about Twilight also. What did you think?

Gust Front by John Ringo. Pretty good if you like Military SF. Maybe about 50 pages too long, but for a 700 page novel, not bad.

It's the second in the Posleen War series (Finished A Hymn Before Battle about two weeks before that, and started the third in the series, When the Devil Dances this weekend). So far the first is the best but the others are not far off.

It's the best Military SF book(s) I've come across since Armor by John Steakley.

Terry

Recently finished Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud. I started reading the trilogy several years ago and loved it, even though it's for younger/mid teens. It's fantasy dealing with magicians and demons. Loved it.

I just finished both Crank and Burned by Ellen Hopkins. Both are told in fabulous poetry.

Burned talks about religion and how one girl's religion (Mormonism, although the book is not anti-Morman at all..) almost killed her.

Crank is the transformation of a character, at first straight-edge -had never done drugs, had sex, cursed, etc.- into a drug addict after trying the 'Monster' -Crank.


Both fabulous pieces of work. We all know the character in a friend or a part of us personally. :) I am looking foreward to reading the sequel to Crank, Glass soon.

I just finished Golden Compass waiting to find the 2nd before I read the 3rd.
I am now reading Owl Flight and plan on reading Owl Night. by mercedes lackey/

books I never felt like reading and they are turning out to be really interesting to me.

I've just finished "The Tenderness of Wolves", by Stef Penney.

I thought it was pretty good. :)

Alex and the Ironic Gentleman by Adrienne Kress.
It's the best book I've read in a long, looong time. Like humorous magical realism for all ages- except ten times more impossible to describe, and one hundred percent awesome. Read it. Read it noooooow.
(NOTE: In the UK it's called "Alex and the Wigpowder Treasure," I think.)

I keep seeing this post and forgetting it just as soon, so I'll just post what I've read in the last few weeks. :p

Candide - hilarious. Knowledge of the time will only add to the humor, as it was a satire of everything Voltaire saw wrong in the world in the late 1750s.

Temple of the Golden Pavilion - not sure if it was the translation but I couldn't really get into the book. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't all that great. Definitely an interesting read, but I didn't think Mishima dealt with psychology all that well.

Nausea - Loved it! I was surprised at how coherent the thoughts were despite the language hop. It was definitely... interesting.

The Idiot - It rivaled Brothers K in length, but it was even better. The ending destroyed me. :(

Recently?

Herman Hesse- Siddhartha. Great book, full of great info and a relatively simple plot.

Just reread Gulliver's Travels. Fantastic collection.

Hemingway- The Sun Also Rises. Arguably one of his best works. I feel he's given a bad rap for his misogynist beliefs (which I don't agree with) but this does not replace the fact he is an incredible writer. This might be my favorite piece by him (def novel, Hills Like White Elephants is possibly his best work IMO), his ability to develop the entire piece is completely incredible.

Currently reading All Souls again, a memoir about a family in South Boston during the integration of blacks into Irish Southie. Seeing as it's down the street, it touches home a bit. Also reading Go Down Moses from Faulkner and Welcome to the Monkey House from Vonnegut.

Ken Follett's Triple. Good spy thriller.

The Idiot - It rivaled Brothers K in length, but it was even better. The ending destroyed me. :(

Think yourself lucky i was close to finishing it, when someone told me the ending. I was raging as i had spent weeks reading it and was only about 20 pages from finishing it. Good book though, although a bit tireing in parts.


I recently finished Other voices, other rooms - Truman Capote. Not bad, full of homosexuals and ghosts what more can you want :P

That's unfortunate. I've been meaning to pick up some Capote - probably In Cold Blood, but for some reason I just don't. *shrugs*

Sophie's World - a general history of philosophy from the Greeks to Sartre (early 20th existentialist) tied into a delightful story. (I hate the word, but it is the only good description.)

That's unfortunate. I've been meaning to pick up some Capote - probably In Cold Blood, but for some reason I just don't. *shrugs*

Sophie's World - a general history of philosophy from the Greeks to Sartre (early 20th existentialist) tied into a delightful story. (I hate the word, but it is the only good description.)

Yeah In Cold Blood is probably his best work. Its very good I read it last year.

Tetrarch - Ian Irvine

It was a good book, and a good follow up to Geomancer with is one of my favourte novels ever written. Just a bit drawn out in places.

A couple of the books I've recently finished have been mentioned, but here goes.

Burned and Impulse, by Ellen Hopkins. Both are written in free verse, and are aimed more for mature teens. I enjoyed them, but though I should have been expecting this since I read Crank, I was still disappointed with the endings. I'm more of a happy-ending kind of person, really.

I had to read Siddhartha (Herman Hesse) for English. I liked it for its simplicity and ease of reading, though it's mainly an introspective novel and takes a bit of patience to get through.

I also finished Good Omens, a collaboration between Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. It's hilarious--sort of like what would happen if Douglas Adams had written the book of Revelations. It's a sort of apocalyptic story that follows the events right up to the end of the world... and beyond?

Dom Juan (Molière)
A French classic, published around the century of absolutism.

I really liked the fact that this piece of work was so controversial at that time that it had to be censored in some places. The 'hero' truly becames an 'anti-idol' and turns out to be a blasphemic, hypocritical and contemptuous character - ending up in hell with no regrets. Must have been very spectacular at that period of time.

Ignoring the fact that plays as such really ain't my cup of tea, I partly enjoyed it. The language was rough. Although I've been studying French for a long time now, I'm still not familiar with most of the vocabulary.

Lately, I've read...

This Side of Paradise by F Scott Fitzgerald - I really liked it. It wasn't as good as The Great Gatsby, but I like his writing style quite a bit. It's about a man named Amory who attends college at Princeton, and about a series of failed romances he has that eventually leads him to complete disillusionment with women, and later life. I think it's partly auto-biographical.

Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut - It's a collection of his short stories. A couple of them, including the title story, are excellent. They're as good as Vonnegut's best works, and they give you that feeling that only he seems to be able to give you. However, a lot of them are simply squeezed out to fund the writing of his novels, as he admits to in the beginning of the collection. It's worth the read for a couple of the stories though.

Suttree by Cormac McCarthy - This isn't as bleak and violent as he normally is, but it is one of his strongest works, which is really saying something. This book has an almost comedic tone in parts, which is something I've never experienced in reading McCarthy. It is depressing though, as all of his writing tends to be. This is not a good book to read if you want to get into McCarthy, but if you've read a couple of his other books, it's perfect.

The Fall by Albert Camus - while the awkward narration style (talking to the reader, who is a character) is a little annoying, on a whole the book is great. It's a little trudging to get through the beginning but it's worth it.

Ernest Gaines- A Lesson Before Dying

A great book about a young black man in the 40's who's sentenced to death for a shootout in a liquor store, and a professor who comes and talks to him and they discuss numerous subjects. Without giving it away, their discussions delve into many of the issues at large during the time and is a great read.

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner - I struggled more with this than any book I've read since Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon. In the first half, I had to read certain parts three or four times before I finally understood. I think it's because the first two parts of this book are written in stream of consciousness form, which isn't always the easiest to dig through. That being said, I really enjoyed it. It outlines the fall of a once prominent Southern family: the Compsons. The book deals with the disillusionment and resentment that the three male children of the family have towards their sister, who had pre-marital sex.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson - This was a really amusing book. I've found myself fascinated with 1960's and early 1970's drug culture in the Western United States for quite a long time, and this book did a better job capturing it than The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe. It follows Thompson, who goes under the alias Raoul Duke, and his attorney as they go on a drug fueled adventure across Las Vegas. During the course of a five or six day binge, they destroy two hotel rooms, attend a motorcycle race in the middle of the desert, meet a girl from Montana who paints portraits of Barbara Streisand and attend a four day seminar put on by law enforcement, aimed at cracking down on the drug culture. It's definitely worth the time, and is a fast read.

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson- My introduction to Cyber Punk was one fun ride. Funny, cool, and imaginative all at once. For example, the main characters name is Hiro Protaginist. I'm going to get Cryptonomican next.

Shadow and Claw by Gene Wolf- Its actually two boks in one volume, "Shadow of the Torturer" and "Claw of the Councillator". The whole four book series is called "The Book of the New Sun". Its psuedo-fantasy-Sci-Fi which takes place on "Urth". "Shadow" was very interesting and itroduces the culture of a strange society. Sometimes though it got a little confusing. "Claw" though, was even better. The story really picks up and a few wierd moments from the first book are cleared up while creating a whole set of new questions. THe other volume is called "Sword and Citadel". If you see any of these books I recomend them.

Zeno's Conscience - an early 20th century northern Italian man seeks psychoanalysis as a cure for his smoking and sickness. It was an incredible read - he was starkly sincere in everything he said.

I've just exposed myself to Stephen King's writing (The Shining and The Gunslinger). I found the Shining much more entertaining than the Gunslinger, but then again, I haven't read the other six books in The Dark Tower series...

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed both books, but the Shining was the better of the two, imo...anyway, here's my rating:

Shining: 9/10
The Gunslinger: 7/10

I finally got around to reading Kerouac's Big Sur, and I must say, it was quite different. His staunch attempts to create the woods around him, while he repetitively visits, create an atmosphere much different from his other works. He starts to ignore traditional writing styles, ignoring apostrophes, and replaces periods with hyphens to create the image of his thought process.. uninterrupted and steadfast.

A great read. Highly recommended. However, I do suggest On the road and The Dharma Bums prior, as a bunch of the characters come back.

God, I would kill to be a part of that group of friends. :redface:

Right now I am reading Mercedes Lackey books.
I am reading some online and a lot that have been in the house for ages.
I didn't know she was such a good writer so I passed them over for years.
Owl Flight, Owl sight and Owl Knight are the 3 I just finished.
Fantasy is a great escape and most days I need that for one reason or another.

Duras- The Lover..

A very interesting style of writing, switching between first and third person. She jumps around with time and description, dropping bits of information throughout the piece... a very interesting read, highly recommend it.

The Beautiful and Damned by F Scott Fitzgerald - This wasn't as good as his other books that I've read, but compared to many others it's still incredible. It deals with a guy named Anthony and his new wife, Gloria during the Jazz age and World War 1. Anthony and Gloria are waiting for his grandfather to die so that they can inhering his millions and live off of it for the rest of their lives. It's always interesting to read a book where the main characters are absolutely worthless, terrible people. Most of the time it's
difficult to get into a book like that, but Fitzgerald puts this together so well that I didn't mind at all.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

It was absolutely amazing to me. I wasn't a big fan of romance before I read this, but with the touch of fantasy that it had along with it with vampires and the werewolves, I was completely drawn into the "forbidden romance" of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. The entire series is entrancing, and it gave me inspiration to write again. If possible, I recommend everyone and anyone who is a fan of vampire books and a touch of romance to read this, because it will just absolutely shock you.

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway - This was an excellent book, and without a doubt, the best war novel I've ever read. I usually don't go out of my way to read stories about war, but this was so elegantly written and the main character was so well done, that I felt like I was truly inside of his mind and seeing the same things that he was. I can't recommend this enough.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. It was intriguing and original; definitely one of the best books I have read this year. What really got to me was the ending and how it was handled with such delicacy; certainly a unique ending compared many other novels (don't want to give too much away). Extensive research went for this book, and it certainly was not a waste.

8.9/10

The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy - This is the second book in McCarthy's border trilogy, the first being All the Pretty Horses. The Crossing is darker than it's predecessor, and much longer. I can't say I liked this as much as All the Pretty Horses. In fact, I would say it's the weakest novel I've ever read by McCarthy, but it was still very well written. If you're looking to get into Cormac McCarthy, this book is definitely not the place to start.

Come Back, Dr. Caligari by Donald Barthelme - This is a collection of short stories that I found I really enjoyed. Some of them were nearly impossible to understand, but others were some of the funniest writing I've ever read in my life. This man is a truly gifted writer.

Johnny got his Gun - Dalton Turmbo

What a fantastic novel!
It is simply amazing, one of my favorite novels of all time.

It's cold, uncompromising and brutal vision of war, and the aftermath for the stories protagonist Joe Bonham could alone make your blood run cold.
Trapped within his own mind, fighting off his own fears, and the ever present threat of insanity, along with the almost peaceful memories of his life combine to make this novel one of the most powerful, shocking, and troubling of all time. As the ill-fated Joe struggles to find out, and later comprehend what has happened to him, some of my own fears of being totally isolated from the rest of the world came out which made this hold and even greater meaning in my life.

Goerge Bush should have read this novel before Iraq.
Hell... everyone should read this book.

"SOS... Kill me!"

Journey to the End of the Night by Celine - other than the occasional poorly translated expletive, it wasn't "awkward" like some translations I've read. Either way, this book is rather like Zeno's Conscience, so I'm glad I read them one after the other. That's the only book I can really compare it to - it's rather gritty, though you have to take into account when it was written sometimes. The blurb on the back saying the "...inescapable conclusion..." was rather misleading for me as I expected something entirely different, though I figured that might happen. Oh well. It was a good book, and it did have some interesting insights; if you've read and liked this book, pick up Zeno's Conscience. That's all I can say.

The Love of the Last Tycoon by F Scott Fitzgerald - Fitzgerald died while writing this book, so it cuts off abruptly. I was enjoying it up until it ended. His notes explain what he was going to have happen, so it was good to not be left hanging, but I feel cheated out of the ending. It would have been a good ending had he written it. A couple of quick sentences don't do it a justice at all.

Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut - Lately I've been reading a lot of Vonnegut's earlier works. I found that I enjoyed this even more than The Sirens of Titan. It's the story of an American on trial in Israel for war crimes. He worked for the Nazi's putting out propaganda, but was an American spy at the same time. I highly recommend it to any Vonnegut fan.

Hocus Pocus by Kurt Vonnegut - This is the second night in a row I've sat on my couch for four or five hours and read an entire Kurt Vonnegut novel. I believe this was his second to last novel, published sometime in the early 1990's. It's definitely one of my favorite books of his, right up there with Breakfast of Champions, Slaughterhouse-Five and God Bless Your Mr. Rosewater. This book is about a college professor who fought in Vietnam. It's written in Vonnegut's usual style, with a slight twist: It's much more fragmented than his writing usually is. I liked it though. To any Vonnegut fan, this is a must-read.

I finished Nefertiit by Michelle Moran. It was really interesting, especially using her younger sister Mutnodjmet as the narrator. Very similar to The Other Boleyn Girl but is also original and recreates Ancient Egypt superbly.

Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy - This was the third and final book in the Border Trilogy. It was better than the second book, The Crossing, especially in the second half. This was about John Grady Cole, a ranch hand, who falls in love with a prostitute in Mexico. Then, because he wants to take her away from that life to marry her, the men who claim to own the prostitute retaliate, and it goes down hill for Cole from there. Definitely don't read this first if you're looking to get into McCarthy. But, if you're a die-hard fan, you'll probably enjoy it.

On the Road by Jack Kerouac - This was a very well written book that makes me want to jump into some car, it doesn't matter who it belongs to, just that it runs, and take off across America and experience whatever it is that I find. It makes me want to get drunk in random places, meet new people, and drift from city to city, seeing everything that this country has to offer. There aren't that many books that I can say have left me wanting so much. This, along with Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs and Howl by Allen Ginsberg are considered the three biggest works of beat literature. Now that I've read all three of them, I can say, without a doubt, that On the Road is the best of them all. This is a book that everyone should read at some point in their life. Like books such as The Catcher in the Rye, it offers a valuable insight into what it's like to be young in a confusing world.

Child of God by Cormac McCarthy - This is his third book ever, and the first one to really get any sort of critical acclaim. That being said, I wasn't a huge fan of it. I think that McCarthy's best period of writing came immediately after this, starting with Suttree, and finishing with All the Pretty Horses. Child of God is a brutally violent tale that's probably not appropriate to explain on here. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone but the most die-hard fans of McCarthy.

I've just read, 'This way for the gas, ladies and gentlemen' by Tadeusz Borowski

I think blistering is one word to describe it.

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner - I didn't like this as much as The Sound and the Fury. This dealt with a family who was traveling to Jefferson, Mississippi to bury their recently deceased matriarch. Throughout the novel, each of the children react to the death of their mother differently. It's told in a first person narration that jumps between each character, which I thought was interesting. For example, the name "Darl" will appear in bold, and he's the narrator. Then, the name "Cash" will appear, and Cash has taken over the narration duty. Like The Sound and the Fury, this really difficult to follow, and I found myself rereading certain parts of it over and over again to fully comprehend what was going on.

Shadowvale a gothic rendevous.
it is a free novel on line. I am not sure yet what I really think of it.
Some people can change into animals have seen a wolf and an owl so far.
strictly fantasy but there is also a romance. It is the romance I am not sure about. But
I am only on the 2nd chapter.
The pictures that go with it are great.
Will let you know how it goes.
finished it and it was not worth the read.
in bookform it probably would be very good but the internet version was poorly set up and kept
going back to earlier parts of the story. It says there is a book 2 but you have no way to access it.
so all in all not worth it.

A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen - I had to read this for Literature class. The first two acts were pretty good. Then, the third act came along, which ruined the entire play for me in the space of a couple of pages. The main conflict of the story went right out the window, and the rest of it was this meaningless diatribe. I don't think I'll be reading anything else by Ibsen for a while.

Falling Behind, How Rising Inequality Harms the Middle Class by Robert H. Frank - I had to read this for class. It was really dry and I found it to be a struggle to sit there for two hours straight and read it from cover to cover. Somehow, I managed to do that. I won't go into any description as to what the book is about, as I'm sure the title does that for me.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck - For the past three years, I've wanted to read this book. Last Saturday, I decided that I was going to buckle down and finish it, and now I've done just that. Somehow, I managed to get through all 600 pages in five days. That being said, I'm glad I did it. It was a wonderful book, and it was by far the best of John Steinbecks writing that I have ever read. I liked this more than The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men and The Pearl. The novel is about two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons. It tells their story across three generations that are full of rivalries, suicide, love, hate and many other things and it is definitely worth reading.

Bourne Identity is pretty cool

I finally made my way through 'The DaVinci Code', The movie spoiled it for me, but the book was by far superior; both in content and presentation.

Just wrapped up "Duma Key". I think I can finally say I like King now after this read. Definitely recommend it!

Really? I got 120 pages into Duma Key and thought it was okay, but I haven't revisited it for awhile. I felt, like with most of his new "character-driven" stories that the characters actually felt forced. Especially Wireman. But I know it'll get much better later on.

Yeah... I just thought the plot was very interesting, and while not very scary, the story was nice to follow.

I am trying to like King though, and before Duma Key I had only read 2.75 of his novels (Green Mile, Cell, and almost finished with Lisey's Story... what a challenge that one is), so maybe my opinion shouldn't be taken too much to heart :)

Well the critics loved Duma Key so you're on the money.

You should read some of King's earlier work because it's much better than the newer ones you tried. Lisey's Story was an abomination.

Hopefully you end up really getting into Stephen King.

Yeah... I just thought the plot was very interesting, and while not very scary, the story was nice to follow.

I am trying to like King though, and before Duma Key I had only read 2.75 of his novels (Green Mile, Cell, and almost finished with Lisey's Story... what a challenge that one is), so maybe my opinion shouldn't be taken too much to heart :)

I would suggest reading "The Stand." It is simply amazing.

Anyways, I just finished reading Orson Scott Card's "Shadow of the Giant." It was good, but the ending was severely lacking in substance. It almost seems rushed. I did enjoy it, though, for the most part, even though it's probably my least favorite installment of the Ender series.

I did enjoy it, though, for the most part, even though it's probably my least favorite installment of the Ender series.


Care to fill me in on the sequence of those novels? I read Ender's Game, and while I thought Ender's Shadow was the "sequel" to that, I took a gander at the local Barnes and Nobles and realized that there are at least a hundred books in the series.

What comes after "Ender's Game"?

Care to fill me in on the sequence of those novels? I read Ender's Game, and while I thought Ender's Shadow was the "sequel" to that, I took a gander at the local Barnes and Nobles and realized that there are at least a hundred books in the series.

What comes after "Ender's Game"?

The Ender series and the Shadow series are parallells, but here is the order I would read them in.

Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, Shadow of the Giant, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and finally, Children of the Mind

Ah, okay.

thanks :)

I just read Eragon.

Needless to say, it did not live up to the hype. It was almost as if he was writing straight out of a thesaurus. Serioiusly, how did this guy even get published.

Can I please have the last 2 days of my life back?

A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut. I haven't read any of his works before, but my English teacher loaned it to me for a field trip (nearly an hour drive). It was short enough to finish in an hour, but it was really enjoyable. It felt like very light reading but it wasn't. (Don't ask me to explain.) It was incredibly humorous - "If you want to upset your parents and you don't have the nerve to be gay, at least be an artist." :D

A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut. I haven't read any of his works before, but my English teacher loaned it to me for a field trip (nearly an hour drive). It was short enough to finish in an hour, but it was really enjoyable. It felt like very light reading but it wasn't. (Don't ask me to explain.) It was incredibly humorous - "If you want to upset your parents and you don't have the nerve to be gay, at least be an artist." :D

Man, Kurt Vonnegut is the best. I've read most of his books, and they're all just so damn enjoyable.



The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - This isn't the first time I've read it. I went through it once shortly after tenth grade, but I'm glad I re-read it. While it wasn't as good as East of Eden, it's still really well written. The only thing is that it has to be one of the biggest downers I've ever read.

Once I get my paycheck I'm picking up some Steinbeck and Vonnegut! :p

I just read Eragon.

Needless to say, it did not live up to the hype. It was almost as if he was writing straight out of a thesaurus. Serioiusly, how did this guy even get published.

Can I please have the last 2 days of my life back?

I hear Eragon is bad... I'm never one to bash it till I try it, though, the things I hear about it... I should mabye say away from that book.

Chistopher Panni does not sound like a good writer in any real sense of the word.

Once I get my paycheck I'm picking up some Steinbeck and Vonnegut! :p

That's a good plan.

Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut - This isn't the first time that I've read this. It's without a doubt my favorite book by Vonnegut, but if you haven't ever read him, I wouldn't recommend starting here. This is probably one of the greatest books I've ever read though. You need to read Slaughterhouse-Five, then Cat's Cradle and then this, or you are committing a grave injustice against yourself.

Last book I read was animal farm. It was a good book, although I didn't expect it to be written like a children's story until I begun. I kept making parallels between it and my knowledge of Russian history.

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway - I liked this more than any of his other writing I've read aside from A Farewell to Arms. This book deals with expatriates in France and Spain following the first World War.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut - I've been re-reading all of Vonnegut's well known books lately, since it's been so long since I first read them. I'm surprised that I didn't like this as much the second time through. When I was younger, this book was incredible, but now it only came off as really good. So it goes.

I just finished The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. As most of his writing, it was a very entertaining read and I never fail to be amazed by some of the ideas that he came up with. His prose is very easy to follow and understand which is just another reason for everyone to read it.

I just finished The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. As most of his writing, it was a very entertaining read and I never fail to be amazed by some of the ideas that he came up with. His prose is very easy to follow and understand which is just another reason for everyone to read it.

That's a great book. I really like that period of his writing, starting with that, then Mother Night, Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five, Breakfast of Champions and ending with God Bless You Mr. Rosewater. I also really enjoyed Hocus Pocus.

I have also read Slaughterhouse-Five, but I am yet to read more by Vonnegut. I try my best to read novels by different authors, but I might have to come back to K.V. soon again.

Another great series that I can't stop talking about is His Dark Materials. Well worth the time to read.

I have also read Slaughterhouse-Five, but I am yet to read more by Vonnegut. I try my best to read novels by different authors, but I might have to come back to K.V. soon again.

Another great series that I can't stop talking about is His Dark Materials. Well worth the time to read.

My favorite Vonnegut books are Breakfast of Champions, Hocus Pocus and Slaughterhouse-Five in that order. You really can't go wrong with Breakfast. It's one of those books that puts you in a place you haven't ever been before.

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner - I struggled more with this than any book I've read since Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon. In the first half, I had to read certain parts three or four times before I finally understood. I think it's because the first two parts of this book are written in stream of consciousness form, which isn't always the easiest to dig through. That being said, I really enjoyed it. It outlines the fall of a once prominent Southern family: the Compsons. The book deals with the disillusionment and resentment that the three male children of the family have towards their sister, who had pre-marital sex.


I read this book about half a year ago and I can see where you are coming from. The first section of the book especially requires focus just because of the type of person Ben is. I am reading As I Lay Dying for the second time right now and I am pretty sure that I prefer it over The Sound and the Fury just because it is easier to follow and has some wicked interesting imagery

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer. I was very interested in it, though I didn't like how it just ended as it did. I guess it will make the new one that comes out in August better, but I never really liked Jacob Black, so, yeah. Not the best of the three, but way better than New Moon in my opinion.

I just finished Twilight (in eight hours by the way, damn I'm good ;)). My conclusions.

Good Book. Edwards a moron. Bella and Alice rulz :p.

I probably read New Moon soon as I have the opportunity to buy it.

I hated New Moon compared to the other three. I finished it in six hours, but I was very upset with it.

I hated New Moon compared to the other three. I finished it in six hours, but I was very upset with it.

I gotta read it though. Must have, conclusion, to storyline.

It's not 'bad'. Just not the best of the three so far. That and if you fell in love with the storyline, you might get disappointed.

There's a Twilight Series thread I just posted too if you wanna talk about the book. :)

Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov - This is one of the best books I've read in a very long time. The quality of writing here really puts most other writers to shame. Lolita is about a man named Humbert Humbert who falls in love with a 12-year-old girl named Dolores Haze who he affectionately calls Lolita. Besides A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, I've never read a love story that really grabbed me like this one did. I can't recommend this enough.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer - This book didn't impress me at all. The writing was really bland, and the last 150 pages of it were flat out awful. The only part I liked was when they went on their little hike in the meadow. Other than that, this was a major disappointment.

The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. I came across this book in a stack of books that my mother had picked up from the local library's book sale. Oddly enough, there was a receipt for the book from 1940 when the library must have purchased it. I don't really know if my opinion of this book really matters all that much, seeing how most people are familiar with the story. I do enjoy most of the notes on the text that the book features at the end. I always enjoy Twain's opinions on monarchy and social status that carried over to his views on the American South.

I have just read The Shinning by Steven King and Kiss the Girls but I cannot remeber who that was. I really liked the latter.

Kiss the Girls is by James Patterson. I think it's one of his best books, although I'm not a huge fan of the guy.

I was trying to remember a title from Edger Allen Poe, so I ended up reading "The Murders in the Rue Morgue."

I've read some short stories recently...

The School by Donald Barthelme - He's a great writer with a very unique style. This story was very well written, although short.

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien - Normally I don't much care for war stories, but O'Brien really has a way with words.

Pet Milk by Stuart Dybek - I found it really easy to relate to the protagonist in this story. This is the first time I've ever read anything by Dybek but hopefully won't be the last.

Fiesta 1980 by Junot Diaz - I guess this guy won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction this year with a novel that he just wrote. I enjoyed this short story, but I didn't think it was anything worth of winning a Pulitzer. The novel must be a lot better.

Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx - This is the first time I've ever read anything by her. I found that I really enjoyed this story quite a bit. It was really depressing, but she managed to paint an excellent picture of the American west, specifically the Wyoming area. A couple of years ago, a boy named Matthew Shepard was murdered in that same state because he was homosexual, and I couldn't help but think of him as I read this.

Remember Me by Lesley Pearse.

It's the story of Mary Broad, one of the first convicts to be transported to Australia and the tale of her escape. I found it to be really interesting. It made me shed a tear too. Any book that can do that can't be bad.

Reread Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. Wasn't as good the third time through. The ending still throws me off. I would have just let Harry AND Voldemort die.

Terry Pratchett's "Reaper Man"

Brilliant.

Kiss the Girls is by James Patterson. I think it's one of his best books, although I'm not a huge fan of the guy. aye, I ejoyed reading it immensely.

I am trying to read Dean Kootz, The Face but I cannot get into it. I want to reas Hanibal again but I know it will make me sad so I don't know if I am going to

Reread Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. Wasn't as good the third time through. The ending still throws me off. I would have just let Harry AND Voldemort die.

Hmm, yeah, that would probably have made the best ending.

Finished The Memory Keeper's Daughter. It was quite good, I liked the idea and all. But I think she spent too much time on the characters who didn't mean that much, and not enough on the ones around who the entire story revolved. Too much repetition of ideas and such, too.

But like I say, it wasn't bad. I'm just about to reread some Robin Jarvis now :)

I just read some more short stories...

This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona by Sherman Alexie - We watched the movie that came out of this story, Smoke Signals, in class last semester. The people who made the movie really added a lot, which ruined the story. I didn't enjoy the movie where as I enjoyed the short story.

Raymond's Run by Toni Cade Bambara - I felt neutral to this story. I can't say I'd really recommend it.

Errand by Raymond Carver - This ended up being about the last days of Anton Chekhov. It was interesting and fairly well written.

White Angel by Michael Cunningham - I liked this story the most. It was about some kids who did a lot of drugs in Cleveland in the early 1970's. Cunningham is a really good writer. I think he won the Pulitzer Prize a few years back.

Ghost Girls by Joyce Carol Oates - The last time I read something by Oates, I hated it. This was a bit better, but I can't say that I'm in a hurry to read anything else of hers.

Raymond's Run by Toni Cade Bambara - I felt neutral to this story. I can't say I'd really recommend it.



I read that a few years ago. I remember distinctly not not liking it, but I didn't like it or really feel neutral. It was one of those stories that you read and go, "Okay, whatever."

I read that a few years ago. I remember distinctly not not liking it, but I didn't like it or really feel neutral. It was one of those stories that you read and go, "Okay, whatever."

Yeah, that's how I felt about it too. The writing wasn't particularly bad or anything, it just seemed pointless, and not in a good way.

Just got through some more short stories. I don't know why I've been reading so many lately. I should pick up a novel again.

Sarah Cole: A Type of Love Story by Russell Banks - This was really amusing. I want to read more of this guy's writing.

Wild Horses by Rick Bass - I thought this might have something to do with The Rolling Stones song, but it turns out that it didn't. This is about a woman who lost her fiance and never quite got over it.

The Man Who Knew Belle Starr by Richard Bausch - This wasn't as good as the two aforementioned stories. I can't really say I'd recommend it.

The Year of Getting to Know Us by Ethan Canin - I really enjoyed this story. It dealt with a man who was losing his father.

Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Connor - I've always really liked O'Connor, and this story gave me no reason to think any less of her. She's such a talented writer, I find myself wondering how it's possible to be that good. This story dealt with racism in the south, and I found it to be quite captivating. I think this is one of her best.

Recent book I've read was the book entitled "Law of attraction". A very inspiring book that everyone must read. I've learned that we are the Michael Angelo of our life. We are the creator of our experience. Just focus on what you want and ignore all the negative things in our mind. Nothing is impossible if you believe in yourself.

I just finished Twilight by Stephanie Meyer for the second time. If you're into vampires and maybe some romance you'll love her series. Hell, even if you're not into vampires and romance, you'll like it anyway!! It kicks mucho culo!!

I just finished Footprints of Thunder by James F. David. It's about what would happen if sections of the world were suddenly replaced by pieces of land from the age of the dinosaurs. It was a great idea and I really liked the characters, but there were too many and most of the storylines didn't really go anywhere. Then there's the fact that they set off a hundred nuclear bombs in one place and all it did was nock a helicopter out of the air.

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk - My roommate kept telling me how Palahniuk is nothing more than a shock fiction writer, out to write the most obscene things possible. He's not much of a writer, at least, his style isn't very impressive. It lacked any real kind of elegance. The story was interesting enough, but it still didn't send me anywhere. I can't say I'd recommend this one.

Slaughterhouse-Five: Need I say more? :p

Slapstick: OR Lonesome No More! by Kurt Vonnegut - It was great. I found it much better than Breakfast of Champions. Quite on par SH-5. Like most (maybe all) of Vonnegut's stuff, the story doesn't really end, though.

Breakfast of Champions - Pretty good. Funny, but not quite as good as Slaughterhouse or Slapstick.

Brave New World - Seemed to echo quite a few of my own sentiments, though I won't mention which. ;) Great book. The ending was... well, I haven't really come to a conclusion about the ending. I'm a tease. ;)

Hmm, Breakfast of Champions is my favorite Kurt Vonnegut novel by far. Nobody really seems to agree with me though. :\

"Holidays on Ice" by David Sedaris

It's a cute little collection of Christmas stories. 'The Santa Land Diaries' has got to be my favorite- it's where the main character gets a job as a Macy's Santa Elf.

Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy - This isn't one of McCarthy's better novels. It's set somewhere in Appalachia during the early 1900's. A man has a son with her sister, and then he leaves the kid to die out in the woods. A tinker comes and gets the kid, and the rest of the book is about the sister going after the kid, and the brother going after the sister. It's blah.

I need to read more McCarthy. It's too bad I have to wait until summer break to dig into reader for pleasure.

I've just finished My sister's keeper, a very sad book about the usage of a little girls body to save her sisters life who has a very bad case of leukimia (I think I've spelt the cancer wrong), she goes about to sue her parents, in the end the girl is involved in an accident, the court case was for nothing and her sister finally received one of her kidneys.
I though it to be excellent...

I just finished Misery by Stephen King.

I still say he is the most overrated writer in the world. But boy can he make you keep turning the pages. Sure, he isn't a Thomas Pynchon or Goerge Orwell, but he is entertaining, in my opinion, he is carrying on the traditions of the 1800s 'Penny Dreadfuls.' Other than my normal critique of King's writing style, and general misuse of words (also my suspicion that the man simply does not do any redrafts of his novels what so ever) I have to say it was one of the more believable, and therefor effective, of the King novels.

Glad you decided to give Misery a chance, Lemex.

Glad you decided to give Misery a chance, Lemex.

Boy am I too... I really enjoyed it this time.

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville


It floored me and gave me new faith that there are still things that have not been done.

I highly recommend a book series called The Tales of the Otori, by Lian Hearn. It's quite difficult to categorise the books, but they rank amongst my most favourites and I re-read them often, having just finished the fifth and final book in the series for a second time.

Translation Nation: Defining A New American Identity in the Spanish-Speaking United States by Hector Tobar - I had to read this book for a class I was taking, and I actually found it to be fairly interesting. It's about the influx of Spanish speakers in the United States on all levels of society. It deals with immigrants that are at rock bottom, all the way to established and respected artists, politicians and other prominent public figures.

Superstition by Karen Robards. A mystery novel...not as well written as I'd hoped but it was good story. It held my attention and I think I finished it in like three days. I really did enjoy it.

I just finished The Tao of Physics. Cool stuff. My dad sent it to me while I was at college (he's an astronomer) and I just happened to be taking a Taoism course. Worked out pretty well; I quoted it on my final paper. If you like eastern religions AND physics, it's great. I like physics, but I quickly went back to reading sci-fi and fantasy after I finished >_<

Filth by Irvine Welsh.

It's very raw, stark and intimate in the finest of details. I'm not a sociology expert but always chose micro rather than macro. I love trying to read in between the lines of human interactions, which Welsh does beautifully against the backdrop of the society(macro) as a whole.

Welsh is truly one of the greatest British writers of all time, and is Scotland's finest.

I finished Interpreter of Maladies the other day. Lahiri is really, really good. I am definitely checking out her new book. I loved The Namesake and so now she's proven to me she can write short and she can write long. No easy feat.

I just finished the Druid of Shannara by Terry Brooks. I loved it. The story was gripping and held me through every page. I was not expecting the ending, at all, but I loved it. I'm going to finish the series. :)

I'm reading John Dies At The End by David Wong for the second time. I love this book so much! It's so funny and random, but really exciting and kinda scary at the same time. I can't wait for the sequel!

Sequel? Born Again John? ;)

:D Actually, it's John and Dave and the Temple of X'la'naa"thuthuthu (it's supposed to be ridiculous - you'll get it if you read it) The author has it posted online, but aparently really scary images pop up when you read it, so I'm just gonna wait for the book to come out :P

i just read Darfur Diaries. I honestly am not a fan of nonfiction like at all, but i really enjoyed this book. I think that everyone should read it. 4.5/5

Though it's a very old book, I just read Jurassic Park. I was amazed at how good it actually was; a hundred times better than the movie. But that is the case of a lot of books that are made into movies.

I recently finished reading Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. It's actually the third time I've finished the whole book, and I have to say that it is most definitely a work of art. The way Dostoevsky weaves the characters together and delves into Raskolnikov's mind, and the whole "Ubermensch" ideal, it's just heart-wrenching the whole way through. Overall, amazing read, just as is everything Dostoevsky wrote. 5/5.

Well, I finished two books lately that are almost exactly alike.

What if the Nazi's won WW2?

What if the Confederacy won the Civil War?

Both are really eye-openers to what the future would be like on the other side of the spectrum view. Basically take an episode of the Twilight Zone and base it on a war and these books are the result.

I recently finished Al Capone Does My Shirts which I enjoyed immensely. It's all about a kid that lives on Alcatraz during the depression. If you enjoy historical fiction, you have to read this book. It shows what it would be like for a 12 year old kid to move from San Francisco to Alcatraz just so his parents can afford to live in decent conditions.

Catcher in the Rye

I liked it. It was pretty different from most other books I read, but I liked how the main character wanted people to stop being "phony" and be real.

Dominion by Steven Savile

Monster Planet by David Wellington. a decent enough zombie book.

Wideacre - phillipa gregory

Hated the protagonist, found the other characters too stupid and thought the one decent character wasn't fully fleshed out. She wrote about ten chapters developing this guy and then he becomes an urban myth until the end. Too much sex, then too much incest (sex, I know - but once you've read about all the romps with the game keeper lad, you don't want to read the same thing between siblings). Then there was too much repetitive action.

Disappointed because I loved the Other Boylen Girl and the Boylen Inheritance

I've just read, back to back and for about the fifth time each, cien años de soledad, crónica de una muerte anunciada, and el amor en los tiempos del cólera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Marquez is, in all respects, second only to Faulkner.

edit - I have, over the years, had a spirited debate with a friend who says that Faulkner is, in all respects, second only to Garcia Marquez. All of these are available, I believe, in English translation.

The Little Prince: as much as I liked it, it wasn't as good as people make it out to be.
But very insightfull.

I read Cassandra Clare's The City of Bones and tried to read her The City of Ashes.

This book was just bad. It had all the cliches of the fantasy genre and she offered nothing new with her words. It had vampires, werewolves, warlocks, demonhunters, fairies... all in the same book. The dialogue was from Buffy, half of the plot was from Star Wars etc. There was very little of anything original in it.

That wasn't the worst part. I could have lived with all the borrowing and being very unoriginal, but I couldn't live with the constant explaining of what the characters were wearing. The author said every time: he was wearing this and that. Never anything that might come out of the story itself, just telling what they were wearing. And the fact that all the characters were beautiful and the main character learned everything quickly without anyone teaching her... Well, lets just say that the author wasn't really interested in developing her characters. She was more interested in all the cute outfits and the way the world worked.

Blargh. And I thought I would like this book, because her Draco Trilogy was quite famous in the fanfiction world. Well, I never was able to finish that either. Maybe I should have remembered that before I asked my husband to buy these for me.

I'm perhaps not the right age group for this, either. :)

I just read The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien and I have to say it's one of the best books I've ever read in my life. I have grown weary of war stories, mostly because I feel like all they do is distance me (the civilian who has never seen war) from "them" (those who have). This book did exactly the opposite in that I understood so deeply and acutely how and why the soldiers were feeling or doing the things that they were. It was spectacular.