Books and Reading, 2009, Part 2

Continued from Books and Reading, 2009, Part 1.

Date: May 10, 2009

Author: Robert Coontz (Administrator)

Categories: Life, The Universe, Things We like

Comments RSS TrackBack 618 comments

1

I-Man ((William II, OSW's Secretary))

in May 10th, 2009 @ 07:25

Yay, my second first post!

I just finished “I am the Messenger” recently. If you liked The Book Thief, you’ll probably like that one too.

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1.1

â™¥ shriya siolashrwa jeffica â™¥

in May 27th, 2009 @ 22:43

i loved that booook!!!

and book thief!!

marcus zusack sucks you into his stories!!

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2

crazyquotescollector

in May 10th, 2009 @ 08:26

Yay! I love this thread! I just reread HG2G, and it’s still good, even though I don’t always like books when I reread them. Has anyone read Sherwood Smith? Any opinions? I’m trying to decide whether to read books by her or not. I just read a whole bunch of hilarious picture books to my sibs. “An Undone Fairytale,” “Wait No Paint,” “17 things I’m not Allowed to do Anymore.” They’re funny! Who’s read the new Tamora Pierce? Or the newest Percy Jackson? What about Pendragon? I need to go to the bookstore!

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2.1

I-Man

in May 10th, 2009 @ 13:09

I’ve read the first 9 Pendragon books. I can’t wait for the 10th XD

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2.1.1

Jakob Wonkychair

in May 10th, 2009 @ 14:48

I can’t wait to get the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th!

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2.1.2

crazyquotescollector

in May 12th, 2009 @ 21:01

I GOT IT! *runs off to steal it from her brother*

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2.1.2.1

I-Man ((William II, OSW's Secretary))

in May 15th, 2009 @ 18:14

Bleh. I want to get the tenth, but I have a research paper due on Wednesday.

I guess I’ll get it on Wednesday night and then read it all day long on Thursday since I have no school on Thursday (Graduation Day).

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2.2

RoseQuartz and Deluska (T_T)

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 12:37

The newest Percy Jackson was kind of… um… rushed is the best way I can describe it. IT’s like the author couldn’t wait to get it over with or something. I mean, it was an OK ending, but it was obviously setting up for a new series (*coughWarriorscough*). I’m not sure if I like that.

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3

shadowfire

in May 10th, 2009 @ 08:42

Well, second is good too.
I loved The Book Thief. I should read that one.
Hmmm, book reccomendations… The Stravaganza series by Mary Hoffman is very good.

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3.1

crazyquotescollector

in May 10th, 2009 @ 09:55

I liked Stravaganza. It was an interesting concept.

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4

Rainbowstar

in May 10th, 2009 @ 09:11

I just finished the last Percy Jackson book.

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4.1

crazyquotescollector

in May 10th, 2009 @ 09:56

Was it good? I’m just worried that it won’t be as good as the others.

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5

Rainbowstar

in May 10th, 2009 @ 10:39

SPOILER THE LAST OLYMPIAN SPOILER.
.
.
.
Unfortunately, I didn’t think it was as good as the others. Reasons I didn’t like it:
– What happened to Rachel was kind of abrupt. She starts having weird dreams and visions for no apparent reason, and in a few days she’s the new Oracle.
– Percy never really fought Kronos. The heroic choice turned out to be giving Luke a knife.
– The whole book was like one giant battle. They were just fighting, fighting, fighting.
– What I hated most was the “river Styx” thing. Battle scenes are boring if the hero can’t be injured. And when someone tried to stab Percy in his one vulnerable area (lower back), it was a bit too convenient that Annabeth jumped in and took the injury for him. She lived, too.

What I liked about the book:
– They met Hestia. She’s one of my favorite goddesses, and often forgotten.
– Chiron lived. I thought he would die when the thing collapsed on him.
– Luke became good again.

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5.1

Cyndi and Maple (*-*) (10 WP, 24 BCP)

in May 10th, 2009 @ 15:58

I read it today in about 2 hours. I kind of just tore through it. (Not literally.) I think it was really awesome, overall.
I agree about what happened to Rachel. I think it would have been better if Rick Riordan had had her start to have those dreams earlier. It would have been more surprising if Rachel’s fate had been hinted at.
I actually like it when heroes don’t turn out as great as they are expected to be. I don’t know why. I definitely agree with Percy’s decision on Mount Olympus at the end. Why would it be good to be immortal and see the friends you make through the centuries die?!?!? And what he asked the gods to do was good, too.
Does anyone else think that there is going to be another series. Rick Riordan definitely hinted at it.

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5.1.1

POSOC & Smoleeon

in May 10th, 2009 @ 22:25

I agree with most of these criticisms, but my main complaint was that it seemed rushed, as if Riordan was trying to wrap up all the loose ends at once.

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5.1.1.1

crazyquotescollector

in May 12th, 2009 @ 21:02

It’s quite possible he was trying to wrap things up. Last book, it makes sense.

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5.1.1.1.1

POSOC & Smoleeon

in May 13th, 2009 @ 09:01

Yes, I know, but some of the wrap-ups seemed a bit contrived. Like Rachel’s sudden conversion to Oracleness.

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5.1.1.1.1.1

Rainbowstar

in May 17th, 2009 @ 21:05

The reason I liked Rachel is because she’s pure mortal – no special powers or connections to gods – but she’s still a hero. If she has visions and makes prophecies, it kind of ruins it.

Also, I didn’t like how they just left us hanging with a new prophecy that we don’t get to see fulfilled. What was the point of that?

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5.1.1.1.1.1.1

RoseQuartz and Deluska (T_T)

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 12:39

Nonono, he’s setting up for a new series, a la Warriors!!!

I agree about Rachel. It was pretty obvious the whole time that Percy and Annabeth were going to get together, though. Rachel’s whole presence seemed a bit contrived.

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5.1.2

RoseQuartz and Deluska (T_T)

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 12:45

I do!

The whole thing seemed very cliche, though. I could have written it all myself, and in fact, the (cliche) ending I imagined for the series before I got the actual book pretty much matched the real thing. Anyone else think Luke is kind of a Villain-Sue?

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5.1.2.1

crazyquotescollector

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 21:31

Eh. I definitely did NOT love Luke, but he was OK. I think Rachel should have stayed pure mortal, but a) I’m not the author, b) they DID need SOMEONE to make the prophecy, and the old mummy deserved a break, and c) she could already see through the Mist, so she was always special. Percy’s mom could have done it, I think, she just chose not to, yes? I liked the book. Some parts of the ending were a bit cliche, yeah, but the very fact that the good guys won is a bit cliche, right?
I skipped the kissy bits. For a fifteen-year-old girl, I am SO not romantic.

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5.1.2.1.1

Soccer starr

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 09:08

Ok, sorry, I know this conversation is way way way way way over, so I’m not even sure if anyone will ever read this, but I JUST got the 5th book and finished it, and I personally thought it was really good. (sorry, I know that was definitely a run-on sentence…my English teacher would be mad…) Like some other people mentioned, however, there were definitely some parts that I didn’t like at all:WARNING: SPOILER!! SPOILER!!

Bad Parts:

Percy never actually fought Kronos directly, the way that they hinted he would throughout the WHOLE book. I mean, once I finished it, I found myself thinking…wait! He didn’t fight Kronos yet! Backtrack time! And then I flipped back through the book and I realized that he never actually did…that was a pretty disappointing part for me.

Like someone else mentioned, I also didn’t like the fact that the whole book was pretty much fighting, dreaming, fighting, dreaming, fighting, kissing, fighting, dreaming, fighting, kissing, dreaming…and so on and so forth. It got pretty annoying, because although some of the fighting/dreaming/kissing parts were interesting, it was repetitive. And I definitely do not like repetitive books.

I know this sounds strange, but I actually thought that there should have been some more sad parts. The ending was a little too “happily ever after.”

Good parts:

Rachel becomes the Oracle…I actually didn’t think that that part was bad at all, I thought it was really creative. Although, I agree, he should have given her more “insights” and “prophecies” throughout the series before it happened-I mean, she could always see through the Mist, but she was never was really able to “see” the future the way she could at the end of the book before she became the Oracle.

Annabeth and Percy finally started “dating.” (Well, more or less…) I liked that part, but it was a little too “happily ever after.”-you could tell something was going on between them throughout pretty much the whole series, and it was nice that in the end they were together, but it was still a little too predictable for me.

The humor. Like every other PJ book, there was a lot of humor and laugh out loud moments. I was happy that Rick Riordan kept that up throughout the whole series.

Luke became good, and the prophecy worked out with a twist. It was unexpected and satisfying for me-I didn’t see that coming throughout the whole series, and I liked that it was totally unexpected for me.

The spy was unexpected-whenever Percy mentioned the spy, I kept thinking “Ok, it’s got to be someone in the Ares cabin, or someone who’s really mean and nasty looking.” I never saw Silena coming. It was nice that the spy wasn’t all evil-evil-evil like you would expect.

Finally, it was a good book overall. I’m not sure whether or not I would say it’s the best Percy Jackson book, but it was definitely one of my favorites.

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5.1.2.1.1.1

RoseQuartz

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 09:32

I think I figured out who the spy was about halfway through, but you’re right, it was unexpected.

Yeah, there were wayy too many dream scenes. I got quite tired of those.

And it was a little too happy of an ending… I totally understand where you’re coming from with that.

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5.1.2.1.1.1.1

Soccer starr

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 15:48

I didn’t actually figure out who the spy was until very late in the book-pretty much right about before she was revealed. But then again, I catch onto those types of things pretty late. Like you, I also became tired of the dreams. Some of them were interesting, but I think Rick Riordan overused them. There’s a limit to the number of dreams you should put in a book. And I’m glad someone understood what I meant when I said the ending was a little too happy. No one who was really close to Percy died like I expected them too. Thalia, Annabeth, and Grover all survived, which was pretty surprising, especially considering the fact that all of them (well, maybe not as much Thalia and Grover) suffered from injuries of some sort. But, like I said before, all in all it was a good book.

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5.1.2.1.1.1.1.1

RoseQuartz

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 18:07

I usually figure out the plot about 10 pages in… there are only a few books that aren’t totally predictable for me.

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5.1.2.1.1.1.1.1.1

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 20:43

That means you need to read more-challenging books.

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5.1.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1

Alice

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 20:47

But sometimes that doesn’t even help. Like Dickens. Or Shakespeare. Or Jane Austen. All challenging, all predictable.

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5.1.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.2

cromwell

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 20:55

Read Don Quixote or the three musketeers.

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5.1.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.3

Rebecca Lasley (Administrator)

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 20:58

The plots may be predictable but plot is usually the least interesting thing about a good book.

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5.1.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.4

Elias Eiholzer-Silver

in June 26th, 2009 @ 18:25

Absolutely. Rebecca is right, good novels develop themes and characters rather than plots. It’s like the difference between classical music (which focuses on counterpoint, rhythmic complexities, tonal games, etc) and pop (“let’s make a catchy chorus that everyone will like no matter how little they know about music!”).
Btw, the only reason you find Dickens, Shakespeare and Austen predictable is because they’re the ones who invented the formula in the first place. You want a challenging book with an interesting yet totally unpredictable storyline? Try Toni Morrison’s “Beloved”.

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5.1.2.1.1.1.1.2

JJjetplane-girlw/catsâ„¢

in August 12th, 2009 @ 20:55

I found that the thing I liked the least is that almost everyone redeemed themselves in the end. No one died bad, and all the bad guys are immortal, so they will be back. grrrrrr.

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6

Alice

in May 10th, 2009 @ 11:10

I’m reading The Mauritius Command. It’s good of course.

I also got a bunch of naval books yesterday:
The Truelove by Patrick O’Brian (book 15)
The Wine-Dark Sea by the same (book 16)
The Unknown Shore, also by Patrick O’Brian, but dealing with different characters
The Pirate Queen (non-fiction)
A book about women sailors and another about something else that I can’t remember
And then I already have these books that I haven’t read/finished reading:
Pirates and Piracy (a reprint of a 1917 book which is sort of hard to read, with all its 1917 type and stuff)
The War for All the Oceans, a book about the naval portion of the Napoleonic wars
A book about rounding the Horn in a frigate at the end of the nineteenth century, the title of which momentarily escapes me.

I have enough to last me for months!

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6.1

Zallie

in May 11th, 2009 @ 20:55

Awww Patrick O’Brian! I love The Golden Ocean so much.

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7

Syllabub

in May 10th, 2009 @ 11:11

1-I loved both of them. Did Markus Zusak write any other books? I’d like to read more of his.

Right now I’m reading Seabiscut. It was really boring at first, but now it’s getting good. But I can’t really read it for too long, or else I read but don’t really comprehend what I’m reading. Then I’ve read like two pages and don’t know what happened. (Does this happen to anyone else?? Maybe I’m just weird.)

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7.1

RoseQuartz

in June 15th, 2009 @ 10:55

Ugh, that happened to me with Flatland, which I had to read for math. Also Tale of Two Cities, and a bunch of other old books.

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8

Jakob Wonkychair

in May 10th, 2009 @ 12:28

7- It happens to me. I have to finish reading The Life And Times of Fredrick Douglass for school but it’s taking sooo long because I can only read about 50 pages, and then I have to stop. 300 pages left…

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9

crazyquotescollector

in May 10th, 2009 @ 12:44

Anybody read Daughter of the Flames? That was a good book.

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10

Cyndi and Maple (*-*) (10 WP, 24 BCP)

in May 10th, 2009 @ 15:48

Has anyone here read the series Circle of Magic by Tamora Pierce?!?!?! I don’t know anyone else who’s read it.

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10.1

Zallie

in May 11th, 2009 @ 18:57

I’ve read them, but not for many years!

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10.2

rabbity24

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 13:43

my friend did, but i didn’t, sorry. I used to love fantasy, but I’m not that into any more, it’s still good but other stuff appeals to me more…

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11

Thanks For All The Fish42

in May 10th, 2009 @ 15:56

I’m reading “Wake…”

It’s pretty bad. Anybody else read it? I think that she could’ve done a lot better with the idea…

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12

Zallie

in May 10th, 2009 @ 20:58

I just read Cruddy by Linda Barry. It’s really excellent in a heartbreaking, depressing sort of way.

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13

Kokopelli52

in May 10th, 2009 @ 22:37

Read Jasper Fforde’s books. They’re very witty. And they contain dodos.

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14

Rainbowstar

in May 10th, 2009 @ 23:31

Perhaps I should read the Lord Of The Rings series. Once I started reading The Hobbit (that’s the first one, right?). I got up to about the part where all the dwarves arrive, and I was so bored with the book by then that I quit reading it. Should I try again?

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14.1

Zallie

in May 11th, 2009 @ 18:57

Absolutely! They’re pretty much a classic.

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14.2

C-PM (AKA Kyra) is getting pumped for STATE!!! 3 more days!!!

in May 11th, 2009 @ 20:19

I’ve never read them either. High-five for LOTR ignoramuses!

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14.3

RoseQuartz

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 09:34

Of course you should! They can get a bit dry at times, but as long as you don’t read the Silmarillion you won’t be bored out of your skull. The descriptions, especially, are amazing.

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14.4

iluvbooks303

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 16:38

The same thing happened to me. I’ve tried reding The Hobit multiple times but it is just so boring.People keep telling me to skip it and just read The Lord of the Rings series but I don’t ike skipping books.

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14.4.1

Rebecca Lasley (Administrator)

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 16:51

True confession: though I’ve read LOTR several times, I have yet to read The Hobbit. I don’t think I knew about it before I read LOTR and afterward, I just couldn’t get through it.

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14.4.1.1

muselover

in August 5th, 2009 @ 14:21

My dad read(s) both of them to my sisters and me at night. We’re at The WIndow on the West currently.

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14.4.1.1.1

RoseQuartz

in August 5th, 2009 @ 15:02

My dad read them to me at night a couple of years ago. We started with The Hobbit, then went through LOTR. Afterward I read them myself.

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14.4.2

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 18:12

You aren’t really skipping anything if you read The Lord of the Rings without The Hobbit. They are written very differently, for different audiences.

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14.5

Piggy

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 16:55

You’ve barely begun reading the book. It’s difficult to get through at times, but overall it’s a great book. Trust me, it gets a lot more exciting.

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15

Kokopelli52

in May 11th, 2009 @ 03:03

When was this? Yes, perhaps you should try again.

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16

Kiga__827

in May 11th, 2009 @ 09:12

I love reading. It is great!!! On my birthday I always want to go to the bookstore.

I have just discovered a great author; Wendy Mass. She wrote Every Soul A Star, Leap Day, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, and A Mango-Shaped Space. I’ve only read Every Soul A Star and A Mango-Shaped Space yet, but she writes awesome books!!! I particularly like A Mango-Shaped Space because I think I might have synesthesia like the main character in the book, Mia, does.

*ramblesonandonandon*

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16.1

Cyndi and Maple (*-*)

in May 11th, 2009 @ 16:25

And she wrote 11 Birthdays. It’s her newest book, I believe.

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16.1.1

Kiga__827

in May 11th, 2009 @ 18:40

Oh, yeah, I’ve heard of that one too. I forgot to add it though.

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16.2

â™¥ shriya siolashrwa jeffica â™¥

in May 27th, 2009 @ 22:45

mango shaped space was so interesting

:O you do!!!!!!! =)
what does…..the number 831 make you think of?
(im sorry i’m exploiting your talents…….:C
its just SO interesting!!!)

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16.3

rabbity24

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 13:45

A Mango Shaped Space was one of the books I had to read for a competition one year and it was SOOOOOO amazing. It made me cry so much at the end!!!

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17

MissSwann

in May 11th, 2009 @ 16:03

Oooo, Wendy Mass! Every Soul a Star was great.

Ellen Wittlinger. ‘Nuff said. She’s AMAZING.

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18

Peace*

in May 11th, 2009 @ 18:52

I LOVE WENDY MASS!!! A Mango-Shaped Space is my favourite book.

SPOILER A MANGO-SHAPED SPACE SPOILER.
I cried for hours when Mango died. That line nearly killed me: “A wave of pain washes over me, and I scream loud enough to wake the dead.

Only it doesn’t.”

Shoot, my eyes are tearing up right now. *sniffles*
END SPOILER.

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18.1

Kiga__827

in May 12th, 2009 @ 17:38

I know, she writes so well! But that part was so sad.

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18.2

Silver Lining

in May 14th, 2009 @ 17:56

I love her too. I am halfway through Jeremy Fink, and it’s pretty good so far… Some of the boys in my class have already read it, so I’m kind of afraid they might tell me the ending.

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18.2.1

RoseQuartz

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 09:34

I liked that one.

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19

Tesseract

in May 11th, 2009 @ 19:31

18 – That book was really good, and I cried too. Poor little Mango. I love the end, though.

I just reread The Host. It’s by far the best of Stephenie Meyer’s books. What are the Twilight haters’ opinions on it?

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20

purplefinch

in May 11th, 2009 @ 19:51

6-I’ve never heard of Patrick Oâ€™Brian. This means… “to the library!” *runs off*

What I really want to read is Remembrance of Things Past, or In Search of Lost Time, or A la recherche du temps perdu. Except in English, of course, whatever it’s called. Somebody mentioned it to me the other day, and I’d heard the name Proust before, I just couldn’t remember where. I have no idea about what translations to look for, or how the volumes or organized, or even if I’ll like it, but I love the title. Speaking of titles, I still haven’t read The Picture of Dorian Grey.

I can’t wait until I can read books in French. I have The Little Prince, in the hopes that one day I can be able to understand it untranslated, but right now I’m not able to. But Les Mis would be so much fun in the original… XD

Also, Madame Bovary… yes? no? I want to read it, but I’m not sure if I should buy it from Borders or not.

Thinking I should do some serious Garth Nix re-reading for the next two books coming out.
SPOILERABHORSENTRILOGYSPOILER…
Chlorr was an Abhorsen.
[I was very proud of myself when I figured that out.]

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20.1

C-PM (AKA Kyra) is getting pumped for STATE!!! 3 more days!!!

in May 11th, 2009 @ 20:24

I am sort of shocked that I used to be obsessed with Abhorsen and I do not even know who that person is anymore. Luckily, I got a $35 Amazon Gift card. I was going to only buy these two:
Operation Storm City (Joshua Mowll)
The Singing (Alison Croggon)
But then I look and I need to buy 21 more cents worth of stuff before I can get super saver shipping! I always go for the super saver. So an idea came to my head: Since I was obsessed with Abhorsen a couple of years ago and it’s the one series that I like that I don’t have any of the books of, why not buy the boxed set? So that’s what I’m going to do as soon as Storm City comes out. Yay for me!

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20.2

shadowfire

in May 12th, 2009 @ 19:11

Abhorsen Trilogy spoiler, sort of.
Yes, I figured that out too.
I think it was in Lirael, Mogget being tricky. “Back when she was A-alive.” I was thinking, why did he capitalize the A?…

yes, stravagating is an interesting idea. I just finished City of Secrets.

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21

peary moppins

in May 11th, 2009 @ 20:06

16) I’ve read Jeremy Fink, not as good as I expected, but it was still alright.

I’m reading the Thief Lord (Corneilia Funke), pretty much because of Inkheart/Inkspell/Inkdeath.
And also becasue her last name is awesome.

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21.1

Cyndi and Maple (*-*)

in May 13th, 2009 @ 14:37

The Thief Lord was a great book!!!! I loved it.

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22

crazyquotescollector

in May 11th, 2009 @ 20:53

20.1) The Singing was good, I liked those books.
21) The Thief Lord was, in my opinion, better than the Ink trilogy. Yeah her last name is pretty funky, ain’t it? (Sorry, bad, nay, TERRIBLE pun.)

The Belgariad was a good series.
I’m reading the Graveyard Book. My brother told me to. Who does NOT like end-of-world books?

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22.1

POSOC & Smoleeon

in May 16th, 2009 @ 14:28

Neil Gaiman is one of the three authors who influenced my current writing style the most. I highly recommend the Graveyard Book.
You’ll enjoy it more, though, if you’ve read Kipling’s original Jungle Book.

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23

Kokopelli52

in May 12th, 2009 @ 03:28

16- You’re not alone! I have it too!
I like Pride and Prejudice, especially Mr Collins’ proposal. And Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde. Sorry for going on about Fforde- but he’s really good! Can someone please, please read the Thursday Next series so I can be justified in my incessant babbling??

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24

Alyss (the green one)

in May 12th, 2009 @ 14:29

20.1- The Singing was great, and I think that is my new favorite series.
23- I love Thursday Next!! I wrote a review in the school paper for it, I loved it so much.

I am reading The Godfather, and it’s great. I really thought that I wouldn’t like it, but I do, soooo so much. It’s a bit graphic, but the writing is reallly good for the kind of book that it is.

Anyone read the Bourne series? It’s next on my list.

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24.1

RoseQuartz

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 17:59

I tried to read those, but I couldn’t get through them.

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25

MissSwann

in May 12th, 2009 @ 17:14

24- I’ve been meaning to read those!!! Tell me how they are.

No comments on Ellen Wittlinger. Well, she’s amazing.

OMGOMGOMG!!!!!!!!!!!!! SEQUEL TO WICKED LOVELY!!!!!!!!!!! OMGOMGOMG SETH IS A HOTTIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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26

crazyquotescollector

in May 12th, 2009 @ 21:07

23- I hated Pride and Prejudice. They were all airheads, even the ones who weren’t supposed to be.
Anybody read the Edge on the Sword? I’m thinking of reading it. Opinions?

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26.1

Kokopelli52

in May 13th, 2009 @ 03:19

26-Hmm. You and I seem to disagree on a lot of things, don’t we? No offense meant. In what way are the characters in Pride and Prejudice airheads? Lizzie is, I think, rather clever, and Darcy, while possibly not especially well described, is a smart person too. Do you mean that it was too romantic?

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26.1.1

crazyquotescollector

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 21:38

Yes, we really do, don’t we? It’s OK, I like arguing.
Let me explain. I do NOT like romance, as a general rule. I may read a good book and kinda skim the icky bits. And I found the culture of the time (in Pride and Prejudice) that made even intelligent people seem less so. Compared to the rest, Lizzie is quite clever, yes, but something about her grated on my nerves. Maybe it wasn’t airheadedness, but I need to like the main character in order to like a book. I just didn’t like the main character.
Lovely arguing with you!

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26.1.1.1

Kokopelli52

in May 24th, 2009 @ 05:10

Why, thank you. I’m honored to have another debate with you. Let us now dispute the tiniest and most unimportant aspects of romantic fiction hating that we can… “the culture of the time made even intelligent people seem less so.” Hmm. I tend to find that in contrast and against the society and troubles of the time, characters seem cleverer. So, how do you define airheadedness?

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27

Axa

in May 12th, 2009 @ 22:41

I’m currently reading the Federalist Papers. I’m only on three though. I find Jay’s contributions to be somewhat less hilarious than Hamilton’s, since Hammie has all these subtle jibes and overall writes in a more compelling manner. I haven’t read any of Madison’s yet.

I recently read Gilgamesh, found it very interesting…

Right now I’m looking for a copy of A Century of Dishonor but it looks like I’ll have to order it online.

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28

Cyndi and Maple (*-*)

in May 13th, 2009 @ 14:39

Who reads Warriors??? Sunrise was really depressing. *tear, tear* Has anyone else read it???

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29

DuckyFlutePlayer

in May 13th, 2009 @ 15:08

I like Warriors, The Thief Lord, and Black Beauty. I havn’t read Sunrise yet.

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30

MissSwann

in May 13th, 2009 @ 19:02

28- I used to be obsessed with them, but I’ve cooled off a bit on them. They got repetitive.

Theif Lord was good. I haven’t read it in awhile though. The movie was surprisingly excellent.

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30.1

RoseQuartz and Deluska (T_T)

in May 15th, 2009 @ 11:13

Yeah, it was! I haven’t actually read the book, though, so… *face goes red*

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30.2

crazyquotescollector

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 21:40

Never saw the movie. I feel the same about Warriors. The first series was amazing, the second good, but by the third…?

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30.3

â™¥ shriya siolashrwa jeffica â™¥

in May 27th, 2009 @ 22:47

when did they make a theif lord movie …

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31

Silver Lining

in May 14th, 2009 @ 18:04

I hate Warriors. I used to love them (I got my whole grade started on them), but everyone died, so they got tedious. I cried during every single one of the books.
I’m kind of a baby when it comes to sad books. I cry for hours when someone dies.

If anyone’s looking for a really good sci-fi mystery, I wholeheartedly reccomend Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix.

And Fairest by Gail Carson Levine is a really, really good book.

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31.1

crazyquotescollector

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 21:43

I LOVED FAIREST! Ella Enchanted was also amazing, and the movie was also pretty good if you can ignore the differences between it and the book.
I don’t like sad books, really. I never liked Lurelene McDaniel’s books, for that reason. JUST MY OPINION. (I got lots of those.)

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32

Silver Lining

in May 14th, 2009 @ 19:16

SFTDP

The Award For the Worst Ending Ever Writtten In A Book
most certainly goes to…

The Giver by Lois Lowry

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32.1

C-PM (AKA Kyra) is getting pumped for STATE!!! TOMORROW!!!

in May 14th, 2009 @ 20:37

Why’s it so bad? It’s not too bad. I’d say the worst ending would be for The Glass Word.
SPOILER SORTA.
It could have been almost anyone else. But it had to be Serafin. That made me so mad.

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32.2

RoseQuartz and Deluska (T_T)

in May 15th, 2009 @ 11:12

Um. Yes. I HATE that book.

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32.3

Cyndi and Maple (*-*)

in May 16th, 2009 @ 10:37

Hmmm… Care to spoil the ending for me??? I like to know these things before I read books. Any Connecticut readers here???

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32.3.1

Wake Me Up When September Ends

in May 16th, 2009 @ 11:05

Okay, if you really want a spoiler, I’ll tell you… are you sure? Don’t keep reading unless you want the ending spoiled.

OK. This will make absolutely no sense to you until you read the book.

Jonas runs away and saves Gabriel from certain death. They’re both about to die when they suddenly see… something that looks like our world at Christmas. Which is probably Heaven. Because they’re dead.

It’s a really ambiguous ending.

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32.3.1.1

Wake Me Up When September Ends

in May 16th, 2009 @ 11:06

Oops, posted under my alter ego. Oh well, no one knows who I am! *maniacal laugh*

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32.3.1.2

Cello-Playing Mathematician (AKA Kyra)

in May 16th, 2009 @ 15:08

SPOILER THE GIVER SPOILER.
Actually you know that he’s alive if you read the next two, especially Messenger. Lois Lowry gives a definite answer to that question in Messenger.

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32.3.1.2.1

bookgirl_me

in May 19th, 2009 @ 11:12

But it’s still a very wishy-washy ending.

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32.4

crazyquotescollector

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 21:44

Never liked that book.

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32.5

â™¥ shriya siolashrwa jeffica â™¥

in May 27th, 2009 @ 22:48

D: D: D: i love the giver, i love lois lowry in general!!

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33

MissSwann

in May 15th, 2009 @ 09:16

31- Omgosh, I know. I was sobbing after one of them died… I couldn’t finish the series… and Levine is a fantastic fantasy writer.
32- AHHH! Omg we’re reading that for school. We’re only supposed to read to Chapter 5 because it’s the first week (we have a strict no reading ahead policy), but I finished it on the first day. Amazing book. But yes, the ending was horrific.

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34

KaiYves (Delta V) Go Hubble Servicing Mission 4!

in May 15th, 2009 @ 15:46

Okay, this is going to sound really weird, but I’ve decided to make a list of apocalypse- type books/comics/whatever that take into account that there are people currently living in outer space.

Examples so far (Spoilers follow):
World War Z- the people on the ISS stay in orbit as long as they can to keep crucial satellites working for the benefit of those fighting the zombies. (They get down safely)
Y: The Last Man- the two male astronauts on the ISS are exempt from the plague that kills all males on Earth, but they die when trying to come back to Earth in an escape capsule. (The one female astronaut survives, though.)

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35

I-Man ((William II, OSW's Secretary))

in May 15th, 2009 @ 18:19

I am reading A Lesson Before Dying in English and it’s pretty bad.

Just for the record, our book list this year in E9H is somewhat depressing:
-A Separate Peace (bad book, somebody dies)
-To Kill a Mockingbird (great book but someone dies)
-Old Man and the Sea (bad book, fish dies)
-Lord of the Flies (weird book, several people die)
-Romeo and Juliet (not very good play, several people die)
-In Cold Blood (so-so book, at least six people died)
-Antigone (bad play, several people die)
-A Lesson Before Dying (bad book, guy dies)

I mean, in every single book, someone dies. Is that not depressing?

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35.1

rOseQuArtz

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 17:14

We’re reading To Kill A Mockingbird!!! It’s got to be, like, THE best book I’ve ever read. Amazinggg.

Lord of the Flies has got to be the strangest book ever written. Very well written.

HOW CAN YOU THINK ROMEO AND JULIET ISN’T VERY GOOD???

Sorry, I’m a spaz.

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35.1.1

I-Man ((William II, OSW's Secretary))

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 18:45

Half the people die because of idiotic mistakes!

I also got Soldiers of Halla recently, and I have to say, it’s somewhat disappointing.

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35.2

crazyquotescollector

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 21:49

My 9th grade reading list was also rather depressing. Every story we read, including short stories, someone died, someone had died, or someone was thinking about death or killing. Ugh. There were a lot of short stories, like “To Build a Fire,” and we also read To Kill a Mockingbird, and Julies (sp?) Caesar. Old Man and the Sea was 8th grade, though. HATED IT!

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35.2.1

RoseQuartz

in August 5th, 2009 @ 15:07

Ugh. Yes. To Build A Fire. I actually never ended up reading it–it was assigned during finals week, AKA slack-off week, and I just forgot. I had a couple of my friends tell me the plot, but we never discussed it.

We read To Kill A Mockingbird too. Also Tangerine, Green Angel, Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm, First They Killed My Father, and Macbeth. Short stories: There Will Come Soft Rains, The Lottery, The Big Black and White Game, Flowers for Algernon…. I think that’s it. Mr. Preston enjoys ~~depressing books~~ books that make you think.

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35.2.1.1

Rebecca Lasley (Administrator)

in August 5th, 2009 @ 15:26

Assigning depressing literature to students seems to be a hallowed tradition among English departments.

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35.2.1.1.1

RoseQuartz

in August 5th, 2009 @ 17:26

Indeed. But why couldn’t we just read a happy book for once?

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35.3

oxlin

in June 27th, 2009 @ 22:31

Antigone is great.

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36

Cyndi and Maple (*-*)

in May 15th, 2009 @ 18:42

SPOILER SPOILER SUNRISE SPOILER
IcannotbelieveHollyleafkilledAshfur. IthoughtitwasSquirrelflight! AndthenHollyleafjustdies!!!!!!!!!
Okay, no more spoiler.
I am serious about Sunrise being depressing. WARNING: Unless you can read a terribly sad book (without dying), ask someone to summarize it for you.

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36.1

Rainbowstar

in May 17th, 2009 @ 21:02

SPOILER SPOILER SUNRISE SPOILER.
I know. And I liked Hollyleaf. She was my favorite of the Three.
Was anyone else disappointed that Leaf and Crow were their parents? It was so … obvious.
My theory from before I read Sunrise: Bramble and Squirrel are actually their parents. Squirrel was lying to Ash, to protect her kits.
It would be cool if Jayfeather turns evil. Evil medicine cat! XD
Final Warriors thought for the day: I don’t like Brightspirit. She’s a considerable Mary Sue, and it seems like her sole purpose in the story is to dispense information. Her name is weird – very Sue-ish, and can you imagine a living cat being called (something)spirit? I can’t.
END OF SPOILER.

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36.1.1

Cyndi and Maple (*-*)

in May 19th, 2009 @ 15:12

SPOILER SUNRISE SPOILER
I don’t like Brightspirit either. Maybe she got that name because she was raised in StarClan. We don’t know much about her history. Not cool if Jayfeather turns evil. NOT COOL! I was disappointed about Leafpool and Crowfeather too. Tawnypelt’s kits were related to Firestar. (I thought it was her kits. That was my theory.) Oh yeah, there’s still three… (hint, hint.) (OMG! Scary thought! Jayfeather’s surname is feather because of CrowFEATHER!!!!!!!!)
END SPOILER

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36.1.1.1

Silver Lining

in May 19th, 2009 @ 16:00

Cyndi, you’re supposed to make spoilers like this: SPOILER SUNRISE SPOILER. The point of the period is so your spoiler doesn’t show up in the recent comments bar.

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36.1.1.1.1

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in May 19th, 2009 @ 22:56

The period isn’t needed now, as comments in the sidebar are cut off after a certain number of characters.

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36.1.1.1.1.1

Jakob Wonkychair

in May 20th, 2009 @ 07:17

… I think three periods cuts it off.

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37

Jakob Wonkychair

in May 15th, 2009 @ 18:53

I saw a car today with the license plate ‘HALLA’.

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38

Armada

in May 15th, 2009 @ 19:10

37- Whee. Either Pendragon-obsessed person, or bread-obsessed person.

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38.1

shadowfire

in May 16th, 2009 @ 09:57

That would be “challah”, but sure(of course, it’s probably got several other spellings). So probably a Pendragon-obsessed person.

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38.1.1

crazyquotescollector

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 21:53

Yummy challah, challah yummy, I will now go in search of leftovers…

GO PENDRAGON! Do you say it like “pen” (writing instrument) + “dragon” (big scary monster who will eat you)?

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39

Kokopelli52

in May 15th, 2009 @ 21:06

I just finished Great Expectations. Lovely book! Finished The Merchant of Venice on my excellent English teacher’s advice, and have moved on to the attempted memorization of A Tale of Two Cities. I love this thread! I can discuss books that other people have (hopefully) read, as opposed to trying to find meaning in my classmates’ tiresome summaries of Goosebumps!

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39.1

Alice

in May 16th, 2009 @ 15:24

Great Expectations is a wonderful book. A Tale of Two Cities is…not as good. That’s not to say it’s not a good book, because it is, and I could blame it on the fact that we’re reading it in English class which means we constantly have quizzes and questions and discussions of the themes and motifs and Ms. B enthusiastically reminding us to take notes and frowning on us if we come up with a conclusion that doesn’t match hers.
But I think, when it all boils down, I just like Great Expectations better. I lost a little bit of enthusiasm for A Tale of Two Cities when I realized that Carton and Darnay aren’t related at all.

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39.1.1

â™¥ shriya siolashrwa jeffica â™¥

in May 27th, 2009 @ 22:49

tale of two cities is a great book! :D:D

to get the most out of books, i read what we’re supposed to on my own then use spark notes to review for quizzes and such so i still got all the goodness of the book.

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40

PHO

in May 16th, 2009 @ 09:06

I am reading “Call Me Hope”. I forgot who the author was. It’s about a girl who has a verbally abusive mother. It’s sort of sad, but it’s really good so far.

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41

Syllabub

in May 16th, 2009 @ 10:57

I’m reading Seabiscut. It was really boring at first, but now it’s SO GOOD! The way it’s written is like a novel, but all of it really happened.

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42

((If I was here I would be called Thanks For All The Fish42))

in May 16th, 2009 @ 17:09

We’re reading Tom Sawyer in class write now…

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42.1

Rebecca Lasley (Administrator)

in May 16th, 2009 @ 17:20

By coincidence, I saw Mark Twain give a lecture last night.

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42.1.1

Tesseract

in May 16th, 2009 @ 17:41

Didn’t he die in 1910?

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42.1.1.1

Rebecca Lasley (Administrator)

in May 16th, 2009 @ 17:58

People keep reviving him. This incarnation appeared at the Greensboro Storyfest.

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42.1.1.1.1

Kiga__827

in May 16th, 2009 @ 18:34

Yikes, weird!

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43

Jakob Wonkychair

in May 16th, 2009 @ 19:01

All right, I need help. I’m avoiding Fredrick Douglass and I need to finish reading it in one week! Someone tell me something false/true that happens in the book at the end so I finish the book by finding out if it’s true or not! Please!

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44

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in May 17th, 2009 @ 10:53

Hello peoples! I finally found Pride and PRejudice, which I misplaced, and finished it! Twas awesome! And then I read the newest Southern vampire novel, which wasn’t as good as the others in my opinion. And I wonder if anyone here’s read those books, but most likely not because it’s a little above this age group. But one can always ask.

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45

Jakob Wonkychair

in May 17th, 2009 @ 18:53

Help?

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46

DuckyFlutePlayer

in May 17th, 2009 @ 19:39

30- There’s a movie for The Thief Lord?

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46.1

Cyndi and Maple (*-*)

in May 18th, 2009 @ 17:20

There is! I want to see it.

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47

Jakob Wonkychair

in May 17th, 2009 @ 20:47

Say ANYTHING.

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48

Alice

in May 17th, 2009 @ 20:49

He dies.

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48.1

Jakob Wonkychair

in May 18th, 2009 @ 11:39

No, that won’t work. Fredrick Douglass was a slave in the pre-Civil War times. He escaped and worked for people’s right’s, mainly Africans. He then wrote his autobiography, which I’m reading.

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48.1.1

Rebecca Lasley (Administrator)

in May 18th, 2009 @ 11:52

How about this for True or False: Douglass disapproved of the underground railroad.

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48.1.2

Alice

in May 18th, 2009 @ 17:51

Oh, OK. I didn’t know that.

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49

DuckyFlutePlayer

in May 18th, 2009 @ 11:32

Who dies? What dies? I’m confused.

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49.1

Cyndi and Maple (*-*)

in May 18th, 2009 @ 17:23

Jakob needs a true or false for the biography of Fredrick Douglass that he’s reading/not reading. Alice said Douglass dies at the end. (Kind of obvious, it’s a biography.) That’s what it’s about.
Any Artemis Fowl readers here???

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49.1.1

Rebecca Lasley (Administrator)

in May 18th, 2009 @ 21:05

Actually, it’s an autobiography, though there were plenty of people at the time who questioned whether a black man could have had the eloquence to write it.

Douglass was an extraordinary man of great intellectual as well as personal courage, who championed human rights for all persons. He attended the women’s rights convention of 1848 at Seneca Falls and spoke very persuasively in favor of women’s right to vote.

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49.1.1.1

Cyndi and Maple (*-*)

in May 19th, 2009 @ 15:13

Oh, okay.

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50

Armada

in May 18th, 2009 @ 19:05

49.1- Me. But I think I’m growing out of it, under the influence of all the MBers who think it’s below the middle school age level.

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50.1

POSOC

in May 18th, 2009 @ 20:22

It probably is… But I still like it at age 15+.

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50.2

Cello-Playing Mathematician (AKA Kyra)

in May 18th, 2009 @ 22:12

I only read it for the story now. I want the series to end so I can stop!!!
I liked it in middle school; I thought it was boring in 5th grade when I got it.

Joshua Mowll anyone? I like his style.

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51

Rainbowstar

in May 18th, 2009 @ 23:26

Yay for Artemis Fowl! I’ve read books 1-5, but I think there’s a sixth one.

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52

Alice

in May 19th, 2009 @ 00:07

Meh. I’m sick of depressing stories with death and betrayal and loss, but death and betrayal and loss make the best stories. Also I’m sick of love stories, which, together with death and betrayal and loss, make the best stories. So what do I read?

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52.1

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in May 24th, 2009 @ 14:42

Read a comedy. They may look silly when you first look at them, but you can’t judge a book by its cover!

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53

Kokopelli52

in May 19th, 2009 @ 02:43

Charles Dickens! Charlotte Bronte! Jane Austen! (sorry. I’m into classics right now) Has anyone read Bride of Dark and Stormy? It’s a compilation of the best entries for this Worst First Sentence of a Novel competition.

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53.1

Alice

in May 19th, 2009 @ 23:25

The Bulwer-Lytton Sentence Contest!

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54

bookgirl_me

in May 19th, 2009 @ 11:24

20, 22) Funke = Spark in german.

Artemis Fowl) I liked the first three books, but from there on they went downhill. I hated the time paradox; the plot just didn’t seem to fitâ€¦

The book thief) I’m so sick of that book. It’s insulting to germans, and doesn’t even have a great plot. Zusak has good style & death is funny, but there was no reason for him to write all about the cussing, dirty Germans that way. If he really did research, and was devoted, he would have portrayed it realistically and reliably; maybe unflattering, but the whole “oh the germans were dirty monsters” angle was not appreciated. {self-snipped rant}. I’m so pissed at him (Zusak) for writing such {I should probably stop now before I get a language snip}.

I’m trying to get Douglas Adams books from my libraryâ€¦

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55

DuckyFlutePlayer

in May 19th, 2009 @ 11:28

Oh, and another thing. I highly suggest anything by Eva Ibbotston(I don’t know if I spelled that right), especially Not Just A Witch and The Beasts of Clawstone Castle.

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55.1

Cyndi and Maple (*-*)

in May 19th, 2009 @ 16:22

I don’t know if you spelled it right. The Secret of Platform 13 and The Dragonfly Pool are good, too.

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56

Alice

in May 19th, 2009 @ 18:38

55- I’ve read a lot of Eva Ibbotson and have a mixed opinion. I feel like lots of her stories are quite good, and some of them are boring or childish, but my very favorite Eva Ibbotson novel is Journey to the River Sea, which has an almost Joan Aiken-ish feel to it.

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57

penguini

in May 19th, 2009 @ 19:40

I highly recommend The Day of The Jackal by Frederick Forsyth. It’s extremely good and offers a different perspective on some goings-on-in-the-past in France.

Ibbotson is good. I own Island of the Aunts (is that what it’s called?). Me owning it is significant: If I own it, I had to like it enough to spend money on it.

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58

Alice

in May 19th, 2009 @ 21:03

Still reading Tale of Two Cities. God, what an awful mess. On the one hand, you can’t deny that the French peasants were horribly oppressed and mistreated, but on the other hand, chopping the head off of anyone who may have been remotely associated with the oppressors is a bit extreme.

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59

Piggy

in May 19th, 2009 @ 21:42

Two words: Watership Down. Need I say more?

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59.1

Jakob Wonkychair

in May 20th, 2009 @ 11:25

No. I want it just by reading your comment.
48.1.1 Thanks! Now I have to find the darn book. I have no absolutely no clue where it is…

54- What was wrong with the Time Paradox? Yeah, Koboi came back, but she got spectacularly defeated, in my opinion. I don’t think Eoin Colfer will bring her back in the next book, just leave her loose in the world.
Has anyone here read The Shadow of the Wind? It’s my summer reading for school, and I’m wondering if anyone here has.

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59.2

RoseQuartz and Deluska (T_T)

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 12:35

My cat’s name is Fiver, after the book.

I found it a bit dry, though. Don’t think I ended up finishing it.

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59.3

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in May 24th, 2009 @ 14:43

I absolutely adore that book. The end makes me cry hysterically.

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60

Cyndi and Maple (*-*)

in May 20th, 2009 @ 14:43

Honestly, I am a fan of the Artemis Fowl series. I like minor characters usually, but in this series, I especially like Foaly and Holly Short.
Randomness-
I would give the Award for Greatest (Coolest, Funniest, Weirdest, Idon’tknow) Name to Commander Vinyaya (from Artemis Fowl, of course). I’ve always thought that Vinyaya is a really cool name. (I think I like it because of the “yaya” part)

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61

Armada

in May 20th, 2009 @ 15:59

50.1- I like it, I just have this nagging feeling that I shouldn’t like it anymore, which is kind of annoying.

54- Yeh, I hated The Lost Colony. It was just…. weird. The Time Paradox was better, though, I thought, even though the romance aspect was strange. But I think Eoin Colfer should really just stop while he’s ahead and quit using Opal Koboi as the villain in every one of his books. Yeah, she’s a good opponent to Artemis, but seriously, people, it gets boring when you know the plot is going to be ‘Opal escapes from prison somehow, has dastardly plot to take over the world, Artemis&co. finds out about it and stops her.’

59- *is Watership Down fan* I’ve heard that they did a really bad movie of it, though, and some of my friends watched it and now think the book is all about ‘rabbits killing each other in unpleasant ways.’ Aargh. Jeez, people, there are some books that do not exist to be made into movies and should not be mangled so!

Re:Eva Ibbotson–I like some of her books, but others seem too childish to me. I think I’d like her writing more if she did more books for an older audience. But her non-fantasy books are good.

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62

Cello-Playing Mathematician (AKA Kyra)

in May 22nd, 2009 @ 23:25

59.1, 61- The Time Paradox is a total setup for the next book, don’t you see? Now there’s TWO Opal Kobois loose in the world: the past one (on the run) and the present one (in jail). Eoin Colfer set it up as a plot device for the next book…At least, that’s how I think of it.

Is Eoin Colfer’s HG2G book out yet? I need to avoid it at all costs, so I need to be aware of its whereabouts…

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62.1

Cyndi and Maple (*-*)

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 07:37

I don’t know about it being out. And, I definitely agree about the setup. You can’t leave two Opal Kobois out there.

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63

Piggy

in May 22nd, 2009 @ 23:51

62- Ugh, my thoughts exactly. What gives Colfer the right to carry on Adams’ legacy? Granted, HG2G did get worse as it went on, but, after seeing Colfer’s writing, I will consider carrying around an emergency eye-wash kit in case I accidentally glimpse the cover of this… thing. *checks Wikipedia* It’s apparently going to be published on October the 12th of this year, on “the 30th anniversary of the first book” by Penguin in the UK and Hyperion in the US. It says he “was given permission to write the book by Adams’ widow, Jane Belson.” Title: And Another Thing…. Wikipedia’s reasoning and justification for this travesty:

“Prior to his death, Adams had once said himself, ‘I might write a sixth book in the near future. Five is such a weird number to finish on.’

In a 1998 interview with Matt Newsome, Adams had also commented that he thought that the fifth book in the series, Mostly Harmless, was a very bleak book and that he would like to finish on a slightly more upbeat note. The Dirk Gently book he was then working on, Salmon of Doubt, was not really coming together, and so some of the ideas would have been salvaged, and put into a sixth Hitchhiker’s book.”

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64

Armada

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 06:02

62- I actually saw Time Paradox as being kind of a good ending for the series, like, they’ve come full circle….. but then, I really doubt EC is going to stop here, and there are a lot of things in it that could be seen as a setup for the next book, yeah.

63- How the heck can they write a sixth book? Everyone got annihilated in the fifth! And Colfer’s doing it? I thought Pratchett was…. But I’m getting mixed up, I think.
“Said to himself““??? What? How could they tell? That’s kind of a strange wording of reason…..
I do believe I will read it when it comes out, though, if only to see how horribly Colfer mangled it. Somebody’s got to so you can all ask me how he handled this and that, right?

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64.1

Piggy

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 07:50

No, “had once said himself,” not “had once said to himself.”

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65

Cyndi and Maple (*-*)

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 07:38

Anyone read anything by Tamora Pierce??

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65.1

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in May 24th, 2009 @ 14:44

Yep. I have. In fact, I’m reading Bloodhound right now.

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66

Armada

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 08:42

64.1- Ehh. You’re right. I should really read stuff more carefully.

65- Yeh, I have.

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67

shadowfire

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 08:56

I just finished Ptolemy’s Gate. I enjoyed it(mostly)

SPOILER BARTIMAEUS TRILOGY.
The ending was a bit depressing. I mean, in most books, the main character doesn’t die. But he (Nathaniel) did, and then the book just ends. I want to know what happens, and maybe a bit more conclusive ending would be good.
What I liked about Ptolemy’s Gate is that you got a glimpse into Bartimaeus’s past and what the Other Place is like. I was also very impressed that the three of them actually managed to cooperate and do some good. In all of the books, it’s not obvious who’s good and who’s bad. All the distinctions get torn down.

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67.1

Cello-Playing Mathematician (AKA Kyra)

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 18:43

Nathaniel’s not the main character; Bartimaeus is.

SPOILER BARTIMAEUS TRILOGY
As I said before, I thought it was right that Nathaniel dies and Kitty lives. Kitty’s more of a Bartimaeus-type character, headstrong and always knowing what’s right. Nathaniel was very unsure of himself and only pulled himself together near the end of the last book. I would be mad if Kitty died, but Nathaniel was a wimp, and it’s nice how he had a “noble death”.
END SPOILER.

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67.1.1

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in May 24th, 2009 @ 14:46

Yeah, I know what y’all mean. I was mentally slapping N all through the second and the beginning of the third book. The ending was still sad though. He finally came to his senses and then….. Yeah. Sort of sad.

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68

Rainbowstar

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 10:02

Re: Artemis Fowl

First book: All right, but a bit confuzzling.
Second book: Mostly boring, but did have a few good parts.
Third book: My favorite.
Fourth book: Would be my favorite, if not for the whole annoying “discover the People again” thing.
Fifth book: Boring, confuzzling, and weird. And if Minerva really is that smart, why wasn’t she more important to the plot?
Sixth book: Also boring, confuzzling, and weird. The time travel thing should have made it interesting, but bringing in Opal Koboi again messed it all up.

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69

Alice

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 11:01

I have one more chapter to go in A Tale of Two Cities, but I read the last few pages yesterday morning because I was 99% sure of the ending and had to know if I was right (I was). Oh, god, it’s sad though. I was reading in the cafe and had o put the book down several chapters before the end so that I wouldn’t start dripping tears into my lemonade. Then I went up to the park and (discreetly) cried for half an hour.

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70

RoseQuartz and Deluska (T_T)

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 12:33

Has anyone read the Chronicles of Anaedor? I read the first one and it’s AMAZING!!!!

*spoilerspoiler*

Team Darian, all the way. Frio creeps me out.

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71

Armada

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 16:24

38.1- Not necessarily. A lot of people spell the soft CH as H. But yeah, I agree with you that it’s more likely a Pendragon-obsessed person.

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72

Silver Lining

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 16:27

46.1– My friend saw the movie for the Thief Lord and she said that it was horrible. It didn’t do the book justice, supposedly.

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73

Cello-Playing Mathematician (AKA Kyra)

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 19:06

I finished His Dark Materials again.
KINDA SPOILER.
It’s still as sad as the first time, but it wasn’t as shocking since I already knew the ending. I love how all the stuff about Dust and specters fits together in the end.
END SPOILER

So now I’m reading Larry Gonnick’s Cartoon History of the Universe again. I can’t wait for the next one! I own all of them except for number three. It sort of gets confusing how he renamed the next ones Cartoon History of the Modern World but they’re still really good and funny!

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74

DuckyFlutePlayer

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 21:38

72- Most movies based on books are like that.

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75

crazyquotescollector

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 21:56

74- Not all! Escape to Witch Mountain was better than the book. And some movies are good, just different than the book. And some, it is true, are terrible, especially compared to the book (HARRY POTTER!)

The Importance of Being Ernest is SOO good! It’s hysterically funny. I love satire, write it myself. Anybody seen my vegetarian poem on the quotations thread? *ramble ramble ramble*

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75.1

Rebecca Lasley (Administrator)

in May 23rd, 2009 @ 22:00

One of my favorite plays. I wrote papers about it in high school and played Lady Bracknell in my college production. My first incarnation as a Lady B.

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76

Insane MLDM+Ferelda (^&^) (103 coolpointz) (1 b-day point) (*sighs)

in May 24th, 2009 @ 00:57

Re: Warriors. First series: OMIGOD WARRIORS ROX MY SOCKS. Yeah, it was amazing. Second series: Hmm. Bit depressing. Third series: Haven’t read it. I am considering reading Twilight first. I do NOT do vampires, but I would like to be able to say it is the worst book ever. (As opposed to, say, In the Reign of Terror.)

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77

Kokopelli52

in May 24th, 2009 @ 05:24

76- My agreements. I started reading Warriors but just didn’t find it that interesting, so I found more suitable material and have never bothered to pick them up again. While many of them carry an environmental message- the Twolegs and all that- I didn’t like them for any other aspect. The style was below LOTR (which, although I love it, is not actually that well-written) and I refuse to read books like that.

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78

Cyndi (who is going to change her alias) and Maple (*-*)

in May 24th, 2009 @ 06:46

Usually, if you see the movie first and then read the book, the movie seems better. (At least, it works that way with me.)
Insane MLDM- Sunrise in the 3rd Warriors series is seriously depressing. (I think that’s the 3rd time I’ve said that…)

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79

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in May 24th, 2009 @ 14:49

Ah. Talking about Warriors again I see. Like I’ve said before, the first series was awesome, though the last book sort of had a weird plot twist. And second series was just OK. I have refused to read the third series because it’s just too repetitive. I mean, really? You have the original characters, then the original character’s kids, then the kids of the original character’s kids, and…. it’s just a never ending circle. Annoying. Very annoying. I stopped reading while I was ahead.

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79.1

booklover17

in May 25th, 2009 @ 12:51

I agree with you on those warriors books!!! The first series is AMAZING, but then you get to the second series and it’s like…predictable. I think the author (can’t remember his name at the moment…) must have started to have a total mental breakdown for story line ideas for each book and simply started writing down the first thing that comes to his mind. (which is normally incredibly annoying and boring) I mean, so many of the books are so pointless in their plots!!! And the whole never-ending cycle thing of characters is getting me seriously annoyed. I wish that the 2nd-4th series lived up to the 1st series great potential. Still, despite these complaints, it’s still a good book to pick up when you’re terribly bored…..

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80

crazyquotescollector

in May 24th, 2009 @ 14:51

76- Yeah, the idea just…died, I guess. I actually did not like the environmental message so much. That’s just me, though. NOT GETTING INTO THAT!

Anybody know any good satire? I love satire.

Read the Graveyard Book. It was good. Soldiers of Halla was also good. As was Bloodhound. Tamora Pierce is THE best.

Artemis Fowl was, and still is, an amazing series. I liked the first few more, but the last couple were also very enjoyable.

It’s funny. I picked up both AF (book 2) and Pendragon (book 4) when I was younger, and I hated them. I love both series now.

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80.1

SilverLeopard (formerly Cyndi)

in May 25th, 2009 @ 11:05

Finally! Someone else who likes Artemis Fowl!

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80.2

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in May 25th, 2009 @ 12:29

Satire? Gulliver’s travels.

I just finished Bloodhound. It was awesome! Artemis Fowl, yes, is awesome and so is Pendragon. I want to read the last book so badly!

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81

Peace*

in May 24th, 2009 @ 15:22

So I finally caved and borrowed Twilight from a girl in my class. It was sucky, just like I knew it would be. Well, I guess it didn’t help that I already knew the whole story line…

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82

Rainbow*Star has gotten over her Warriors phase, and so is spelling her name this way now

in May 24th, 2009 @ 15:31

Re: Warriors

First series was great, second series was okay. Don’t bother reading the third series; the plotlines are overused, the characters are one-dimensional, and the “surprises” are predictable.

I shudder to think what the fourth series will be like.

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82.1

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in May 25th, 2009 @ 12:31

FOURTH SERIES?! HOW COULD THE AUTHOR DO THAT?! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! NO WAY ! SHE JSUT CAN’T DO THAT! SHE’S RUINING THE FIRST SERIES WITH ALL OF HER EVIL OVER PLOT USING-NESS! THIS IS UNEXCEPTABLE! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! *runs away screaming*

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82.1.1

The Man For Aeiou

in May 25th, 2009 @ 13:30

Authors. Erin Hunter is a pen name of three/four people.

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83

crazyquotescollector

in May 24th, 2009 @ 17:26

81- Yeah, I did the same thing. Ordinarily I need to read the whole story, but I’m done. I read the first book and that’s it. And I don’t care about the storyline or the characters, so what’s the point?

82- Yeah. Did you read Seekers? Was it good?

i like the word “yeah”…

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84

Armada

in May 24th, 2009 @ 18:54

80- I like Bloodhound a lot too. Have you read Terrier?

81- Of course it’s sucky. It’s sexist, soppy, and obviously Mary Sue-ish. I really can’t understand why it’s such a big thing.

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84.1

Cello-Playing Mathematician (AKA Kyra)

in May 24th, 2009 @ 22:13

I don’t either. Then again, I’ve never read it, but if my friend likes it I probably won’t. Ugh! She gets on my nerves sometimes… *heads over to Just Friends thread*

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85

The Man For Aeiou

in May 24th, 2009 @ 21:56

83- I just checked out the first warriors and the first seekers. It looks good.

39 clues? bad, really bad, the worst, or just really lame?

Last percy Jackson:
I smell a sequel!

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85.1

SilverLeopard (formerly Cyndi)

in May 25th, 2009 @ 11:09

Lamish. I only buy them because I want to see who wins their competition. (And my brother likes them, but that doesn’t really count…)
Okay, I’m NOT GOING TO READ Twilight. All the websites I go on gave it bad reviews.

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85.1.1

crazy reader101

in May 25th, 2009 @ 12:42

I believe I may be one of the only people who has read twilight and not liked it. (ok, fine so I only read the first book, but still) As you can see from my screen name, I am a HUGE fan of books, but for some reason I just couldn’t get my heart into it. It is suspenseful and interesting (at a few parts), but just not my kinda book. The whole vampire-werewolf love triangle thing is just not that interesting to me. I suggest you don’t read it.

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85.1.2

crazy reader101

in May 25th, 2009 @ 13:07

thanks for all the “hearty welcomes” and the pies……………I did post in the Welcome Neophytes thread but so far the moderators haven’t approved my message yet. *Sigh* actually I made my screen name booklover17 in case anyone’s interested when posting in the welcome neophytes thread.

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86

Axa

in May 25th, 2009 @ 01:35

I’m not sure how many books I have to read/finish now that I finally have time, but I am starting with Emma. I hope it will be a nice segue into extensive summer reading.

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87

crazy reader101

in May 25th, 2009 @ 12:24

hey! this is my first ever post, so I’m afraid I don’t have anything incredibly funny, witty, or interesting, I’ve decided just to say…hi! so hi!

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88

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in May 25th, 2009 @ 12:34

I don’t what everyone’s problem is with Twilight. The books weren’t all that bad. The only reason everyone is freaking out about them is because they’re so popular. *sigh* It’s actually quite scary. I walked into Walmart a few days ago and saw racks and racks of Twilight shirts. People are obsessed.

87) Hello crazy reader! Welcome welcome!

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89

crazy reader101

in May 25th, 2009 @ 12:38

has anyone read the percy jackson books? they are AMAZING AND THE BEST BOOKS EVER!!!!!! unfortunately I still haven’t gotten the 5th book (the last olympian) thanks to some of my ill-tempered siblings and co. yeah, I won’t get into details but let’s just say I probably won’t be getting the book for a while…
Anyway, I love the idea of modern-day Greek gods, because yes, I am a nerd (and proud of it!) and even though this book has been labeled as a “geeky guys book” at my school, I continue to read it anyway. They are, in my opinion, MUCH better than what the covers appear to be. Typically, I am a fictional fan who doesn’t read much fantasy, but like Harry Potter, these book are just too good to resist. There are some fighting scenes but I think that even some girly-girls will like them. I even convinced one of my best friends (a girly girl, that is…) to pick up the books and she did and loved them! So now we are “geeky guy fans” and love the books to death!

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89.1

The Man For Aeiou

in May 25th, 2009 @ 13:31

Isn’t Percy Jackson what we’ve been talking about for like half this thread?

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90

Silver Lining

in May 25th, 2009 @ 12:39

Hello, there! Welcome! Come on over to the “Welcome, Neophytes!” thread.

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91

Eli Romley

in May 25th, 2009 @ 13:00

oh my gosh i love percy jackson! i have the fifth book but haven’t had the chance to read it. my best friend has read the first one and she said that her favorite part is that riptide is a pen turns to sword. i think that she has thrill issues.

i think the sad part is that there are so many awesome books in the world but the only ones people read are the commercial “popular” books like twilight and harry potter (not that i have anything against those books) but the thing is that (i think) people over glorify them.

has anyone read maximum ride? they are really good. i don’t want to spoil it for anyone though so i’m not gonna talk about it.

(please note that all of the opinions expressed in this rant are just that OPINIONS so please do not be offended.

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91.1

crazy reader101

in May 25th, 2009 @ 13:10

Cheers, Eli Romley! Glad to have found another percy jackson fan. I am currently re-reading the series for the….let’s see now…6th time. Wow. I supposed I am a (bit) obsessed.

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91.2

crazy reader101

in May 25th, 2009 @ 13:16

No offense taken!!!! I haven’t read the maximum ride books, actually never heard of them. Maybe sometime this summer if I have some spare time I’ll look them up. Can you tell me anything about them? (Fantasy, fiction, whatever…)

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91.3

Thanks For All The Fish42

in May 27th, 2009 @ 21:06

I LOVE the maximum ride series! I’ve read them all… Shall we discuss at the bottom?

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92

Rainbowstar and Serendipity (o.o)

in May 25th, 2009 @ 13:12

I want to make a line of anti-Twilight T-shirts. Like:

*shirt is sparkly*
I’M A VAMPIRE
(Does not compute.)

AWESOMENESS OF VAMPIRES:
—————————————————————-Idea for Twilight conceived
………………………………………………………..\
………………………………………………………….\
……………………………………………………………\
……………………………………………………………..———————

Bella: Like, hi! My name is Bella, and I’m a special and unique snowflake and I’m so pretty and nerds are so lame! Plus, all the
teachers and students at school think I’m so awesome!
Edward: Hello. I am Edward and I am a vampire. I have no personality, and you and I are void of any kind of actual chemistry.
Bella: Ooh! You’re pretty! We should be in love! Let us frolic!
Bella and Edward: *frolic*

(That last one was a comic on DeviantArt.)

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92.1

Sweet Melpomene

in May 25th, 2009 @ 16:25

I love the graph. So much.

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93

crazy reader101

in May 25th, 2009 @ 13:23

I <3 the t-shirt idea&comic!!! Laugh out loud!! (yeah, I know, most would just abbreviate laugh out loud for LOL but I’m just not the kinda person to do that…i’m not exactly sure why?!)
However, on another, note, I guess I’m a hypocrite because I do sorta agree with what Eli Romley pointed out in a previous musing. He/She explained how those commercial books aka Harry Potter and Twilight gain too much attention, and I agree with that. I guess the t-shirt idea would kind of reinforce the idea of those books getting undeserved attention and obsession. But like I said before, I suppose I am a hypocrite. oh well.
and to rainbowstar, please don’t take any offense, that’s just my unimportant opinion!!!

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94

Alice

in May 25th, 2009 @ 13:46

So I started The Unknown Shore. Jack Byron and Tobias Barrow are remarkably similar to Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, only considerably younger.

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95

Sweet Melpomene

in May 25th, 2009 @ 16:32

I’m rereading this summer. Vonnegut, and LotR. I really have nothing better to do with myself.

Maybe part two of Tamburlaine.

And I always meant to read The Fairy Queene in its entirety. Just, it’s over 1000 pages. So many books, never enough time.

And the third Abarat book is supposed to come out this summer…I should reread the other two…

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96

The Man For Aeiou

in May 25th, 2009 @ 16:51

I just found this on Rick Riordan’s website:
How many books will there be in the Percy Jackson series?
Answer: Five. The main story that started in The Lightning Thief is wrapped up in The Last Olympian. However, there will be a second Camp Half-Blood series starting in late 2010 if all goes well, and you may see some of your favorite characters again in those books. Itâ€™s way too early to tell you anything more about the next Camp Half-Blood series. As soon as Iâ€™m ready to share more, Iâ€™ll post information on the website, but donâ€™t expect any information until late 2009 at the earliest. When you read the ending of Last Olympian, though, you may have some ideas about where the next series is heading.
When does the next book come out?
Answer: Book five, THE LAST OLYMPIAN, was published in hardcover on May 5, 2009, in the US, Canada and the UK. The paperback version usually comes out a year after the hardcover. I will have a new fantasy adventure book (not a Percy book) out in the spring of 2010. More info about that will be released soon. The second Camp Half-Blood series should follow in late fall of 2010. Those are the tentative plans. Stay tuned to the website for more!

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97

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in May 25th, 2009 @ 17:23

89) Who is Percy Jackson? never heard of him.

92) *reads shirt idea* lho (laughs head off)

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98

Armada

in May 25th, 2009 @ 17:32

87- Welcome! Yeh, I know I should probably go post this on the Welcome, Neophytes! thread instead, but I don’t want to.

95- Hi, SM! Is it me, or are all the ’07 MBers coming back suddenly?

96- Oh, good grief. I mean, yeah, I like the Percy Jackson books, but if you have a good series going, you should just stick with it instead of starting an infinite number of short series about more or less the same thing.

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99

Sweet Melpomene

in May 26th, 2009 @ 15:10

97- I believe he is the main character of a series of books based on Greek mythology. Wikipedia “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.”

98- Hello ^_^ It’s summer, so I have time for this again. Otherwise I post every now and then, and then forget to check for replies. Such is life.

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100

crazyquotescollector

in May 27th, 2009 @ 17:06

Kokopelli52- HaHA! So, I just think that it depends on how it was written. If she had been more “break out of society’s mold” I might have liked it better. I just didn’t like it, but you might have interpreted it completely differently. How old are you, by the way? (And by “romance”, I mean lovey-dovey stuff, not adventure.)

Re: Twilight/popular books. I read the first Twilight book, and I did not like it at all. It was very Mary Sue-ish, and predictable, and yet I can see why others liked it. I’m just more into adventure. Popular books, well, I’ve been reading Harry Potter for 9-10 years, since about second grade. When did it become the huge thing it is now? I didn’t read it just because it was popular, but I like it even though it is. Same with Tamora Peirce. (Granted, she’s not quite as big a deal, but still. People like her)

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101

muselover

in May 27th, 2009 @ 18:49

I just finished The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe. It rivaled even HG2G in funniness. Unfortunately, I think that with books 4 and 5, Mr. Adams experimented with actually creating a storyline, and the series sort of went downhill.

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101.1

Piggy

in May 27th, 2009 @ 22:52

That one is my personal favorite. And as for storyline, the trilogy is garrumphuous, if I may make up a word to describe my opinion. Obtain and read the original radio scripts to see the real HG2G.

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102

Cello-Playing Mathematician

in May 27th, 2009 @ 19:00

My mom gave me all the books she was hiding from me yesterday because I finished my big project. Now I’ve started on The Singing. I can’t wait to see how it ends.
I still have Operation Storm City (Joshua Mowll) and my box set of the Abhorsen trilogy to read. *skips around* But I guess I should save something for the summer. I don’t know.

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103

Thanks For All The Fish42

in May 27th, 2009 @ 21:11

Has anyone read The Hunger Games?
It. Is. A-m-a-z-i-n-g! If you have not read it, read it. Still wanna’ discuss max ride?

101- So true, but you’ve gotta’ love ’em.
*goes to read Percy #3*

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104

Kokopelli52

in May 28th, 2009 @ 02:57

100- I’m 11.

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105

crazyquotescollector

in May 28th, 2009 @ 08:00

103- I read that! It was really good! But it ended at an inconvenient spot…

104- Oh, so there’s a 4 year age gap! That would explain some things. When you’re older, you’ll understand. *sticks nose up in gesture of contempt and superiority* Kidding! But a 4 year difference, no matter what years, really does affect our worldviews.

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105.1

Kokopelli52

in June 14th, 2009 @ 20:37

I’m sure that our difference in ages has some effect on our world views, but growing up shall not change my love of Jane Austen. Except for Persuasion, which I disliked immensely. However, being 15, I would assume that you would be able to disregard Elizabeth’s conforming to society and appreciate it for its amusing style and beautiful prose, as well as its being a good reference point for Drama assignments concerning plays set in that era.

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106

Sweet Melpomene

in May 28th, 2009 @ 13:52

100- Heh, Harry Potter. I was at the midnight release of the seventh book with a bunch of friends (we were all 17 or 18), but the majority of the people there were mothers and their 8-to-10-year-old kids. They wondered why we were there and we had to explain that we started reading the books when we were their kids’ age(s). Good times. New movie this summer

Anyone else have Reading ADD? I can’t just read one book at once. It’s always several.

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106.1

RoseQuartz

in May 30th, 2009 @ 12:49

Me….

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106.2

crazyquotescollector

in May 30th, 2009 @ 23:08

Ooh ooh! I do! Sometimes, anyway. I do it so my books will last more than 1 day.

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107

SilverLeopard (formerly Cyndi)

in May 28th, 2009 @ 14:27

Who here has read The Alchemyst or The Magician. Good series. There’s a lot of action.

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107.1

soccer starr (formerly crazyreader101)

in May 31st, 2009 @ 13:23

I’ve read the alchemyst and then I immediately bought the magician but never got around to reading it…maybe I will this summer with more free time. Anyway, yeah, they are REALLY good, but a little (too) actionful because I would have to go back and re-read some parts whenever I forgot something had happened.

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107.2

Alice

in June 9th, 2009 @ 12:08

I got The Alchemyst after the fire because I needed a book, but I didn’t like it very much. It seems exactly like every other book about alchemists. I know it wasn’t exactly like every other book at all, but I just found the writing really boring so it seemed like every other book.

I remember reading a series a few years ago with alchemists. There were two books, both pretty short, about a pair of British kids in an old house, and there was this boy in the wall or something, some alchemist’s son named Sebastian, who’d been asleep for four hundred years or something like that. And there was a golem and a power plant and some creepy person who was not who they appeared to be. And there was one scene where the kids were looking at the sheep and one of them went crazy and turned into a chimera but it was only a hallucination… I think the second one was called Soul Stealer. I don’t remember them very well, but looking back, they weren’t half bad.

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108

Cerulean Pyros

in May 28th, 2009 @ 14:33

92 (Rainbow*Star): *Laughs head off*

About Maximum Ride: Do they get better after the first book? I can’t decide if I liked it enough to merit continuing with the series.

Does anyone else like Kiki Strike? I’m waiting impatiently for the third book to come out.

I’ve just finished the second S.T.O.R.M. book. Does anyone like that?

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108.1

Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 4th, 2009 @ 18:44

I was the same way… I didn’t know if I liked it a lot, but then I read the 2nd one and I got sucked in. You’ll get attached to the characters, but be ready at the en of th 3rd one, because after that the main plot is over; he splits the other two into (mostly) separate stories, which to me are not as good, BUT I LOVE FAX! (Max<3Fang)

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109

kiwimuncher

in May 29th, 2009 @ 20:27

108) I lurve Maximum Ride. I just got MAX at the library, which I hope is the last book. *wiggles eyebrows* Yeah, they get better, though The Final Warning was a little weird. The villain was definately overdone.

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110

Eli Romley

in May 29th, 2009 @ 20:41

ive only read the first two max books but i hope to get the rest for my bday. the second book is just as good as the first but that is as far as i got in the series. ive never even heard of kiki strike, is en good?

I love the Magician, good book. haven’t read the second one.

Has anyone read the Septimus Heap books? they are really good, kinda magical but not over doing it…

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110.1

SilverLeopard

in May 30th, 2009 @ 08:12

The Magician IS the second book. The Alchemyst comes first. (Clarify: These books are by Michael Scott.)

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RoseQuartz

in May 30th, 2009 @ 12:46

Ooh, I like those!

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110.2

soccer starr (formerly crazyreader101)

in May 31st, 2009 @ 13:25

Septimus heap sounds so familiar to me but I can’t remember what it’s about…I think I might be having a mental breakdown…*goes to try to overcome the mental breakdown with an overload of chocolate*

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111

Alice

in May 29th, 2009 @ 21:36

I finished The Unknown Shore. I haven’t cried yet, but I fear I may, though in this case tears are entirely unreasonable. Only I got very fond of Jack and Toby (especially Toby, who is like Stephen, only… different), and I’m very sad to see them go, even if Jack Aubrey and Stephen are still around (for another fifteen books or so–they must get terribly old by the end). I don’t have the next Aubrey/Maturin book though… perhaps I’ll switch over to Hornblower for a while.

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112

SilverLeopard

in May 30th, 2009 @ 08:13

I’ve read Septimus Heap! It’s a good series.

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113

Cerulean Pyros

in May 30th, 2009 @ 08:22

109, 110 (Kiwimuncher, Eli Romley): Thanks. Do they get less confusing?

110 (Eli Romley): Kiki Strike is very good. A vespa riding, cafe au lait drinking, albino super-spy? How could I pass that up?

Kiki is the founder and leader of the Irregulars, a band of disgraced Girl Scouts with unique talents. Together, they explore an underground city and save New York–and themselves.

That’s only the first book. The second is just as good, if not better.

The series is well-written, witty, quirky, and full of well executed plot twists. I love the characters: murderous royalty, Chinese gangsters and kleptomaniac squirrels are all present. Definitely a favorite.

The author is Kirsten Miller.

The books are titled:

Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City

Kiki Strike: The Empress’s Tomb.

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114

Eli Romley

in May 30th, 2009 @ 09:30

OH MY GOD!!!!!
i just read percy jackson and the last olympian! it was AWESOME!!!!! I was up till 12:30 last night reading it.

96- i think that he needs to continue the story somehow because something happens at the end of last olympian that has to be resolved

110.1-oh right sorry…

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soccer starr (formerly crazyreader101)

in May 31st, 2009 @ 13:27

OMGG!! (oh my golly goodness…oh my god/oh my gosh is to “normal” for me) I can’t wait to read percy jackson and the olympians! Has anyone heard anything about the movie? I know it’s coming out February 2010 but I don’t know any more than that…

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SilverLeopard

in June 4th, 2009 @ 14:53

Wait, WHAT?!?! Did I hear/read movie!?! I certainly hope it does the book justice. (OMG, has anyone watched the movie of The City of Ember? It SO does not do the book justice…)

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crazyquotescollector

in June 4th, 2009 @ 19:53

I didn’t like the book much, though…

Percy Jackson movie?!?!!?!? Where? *looks around wildly* Me first!

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soccer starr

in June 16th, 2009 @ 15:43

Like I said before, it’s coming out in February 2010 but I don’t know any more info. If you google Percy Jackson movie I’m sure you could read more about it. Oh, I forgot to mention that it’s the Lightning Thief…that (might) be important info.

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SilverLeopard

in June 5th, 2009 @ 16:39

SFTDP
The movie of The City of Ember was REALLY not a great movie. There was a GIANT MOLE (the blind thing that lives underground) IN THE PIPEWORKS (and it slurped up the Mayor) in the movie!!!! For goodness sake! That part was a really good example of id**cy.

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RoseQuartz

in June 15th, 2009 @ 10:53

Pierce Brosnan is playing Chiron!!!!!!!!!!

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Rainbow*Star

in June 15th, 2009 @ 14:56

*Googles* Perfect. He looks pretty much how I imagine Chiron.

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115

bookgirl_me

in May 30th, 2009 @ 09:53

CP) I love Kiki Strike.

Does anyone else here know/like Stravaganza? I just got the 4th book in english (*is delighted*).

Percy Jackson) I read the first three books. I liked the first two, but since I hated the hunters it spoiled the third book for me. I’m not sure if I’ll buy the fourth oneâ€¦

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soccer starr

in June 16th, 2009 @ 15:44

The fourth one is really good-it’s really worth it, I highly suggest reading it. Now you can also get the 5th book if you want to as well…

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116

crazyquotescollector

in May 30th, 2009 @ 23:13

Stravaganza was good! So was Percy Jackson. What about the Hunters did you dislike? I thought they were cool.

Septimus Heap is also a very good series.

It is way too late to think properly…

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117

Raynpho

in May 30th, 2009 @ 23:51

I read Coraline the other day, seeing as the movie was fantastic and it was highly recommended. I think I would have liked it better, though, without having known what was going to happen next. It just wasn’t that scary after you see the movie, which has amazing visuals besides. It’s still more-than-decent book, though

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118

kiwimuncher

in June 2nd, 2009 @ 14:50

113) Yes, they do.

115) I read the second one because I was in the middle of an Italian country looking for something, anything, English and I picked it up. Itk was very good as I recall, but I never bothered tor ead the others after that.

OMG. MAX wasn’t the last Maximum Ride book. That’s just ridiculous. RIDICULOUS! Not that I don’t like reading them, it’s jsut that I’m afraid that Maximum Ride will turn into aother one of those series that go on and on and ON. Alas.

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Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 4th, 2009 @ 18:47

You should read it, ’cause you get attached and don’t worry, I’m pretty sure he’ll end it somewhere in the 10-12 books vicinity… At least I hope so, but I would still be loyal to them…

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119

Peace*

in June 4th, 2009 @ 08:01

I just finished reading Kaleidoscope Eyes by Jen Bryant. ‘Twas very good. ‘Tis written in poem form. Three guesses first two don’t count if you can figure out why I checked it out in the first place.

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120

The Man For Aeiou

in June 4th, 2009 @ 22:35

Cory Doctorow for the win.

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121

Silver Lining is using an iPhone!!!!!

in June 6th, 2009 @ 20:48

110- Whoa, I literally just put down Kiki Strike!! I’m almost done with it, and it is good. But you really, really have to like adventure books packed with crime, complicated plots, and elaborate fist fights (especially towards the end.) The cool thing about the book is that in every chapter, there’s a section with tips on how to do things like be a master of disguise or foil a kidnapping.

Hmm… I’ll have to check out Stravaganza. Who’s the author?

119- Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly, the girl with kaleidoscope eyes.

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122

Cello-Playing Mathematician

in June 8th, 2009 @ 19:16

121- …Wow. You have to make a Beatles referance about everything. But seriously, I do that, too.

I’m halfway through Lirael already! And it’s not even summer yet! I need to better manage my time.
Anyway, Abhorsen used to be my favorite book of the trilogy, but now I think that Sabriel is. I don’t really like Lirael as a character. She’s too depressed and whiny all the time. Plus, the cover art on Sabriel is better than the art on Lirael and the art on Abhorsen is in a different style than the other two (even though it’s by the same person, I just checked), so that puts it out of the rankings, even though it is probably the best art. Plus, Lirael’s head looks different in the two pictures, and that’s sort of weird.

*end of long Abhorsen Trilogy ramble*

I’m going to check on more info about the next two books. Later!

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123

Sweet Melpomene

in June 8th, 2009 @ 21:20

122- Aw, I liked Lirael best. Out of the books, that is. Also, check out Across The Wall. It’s lots of short stories, the first (and, if my memory serves me well, the longest) of which is about one of the main characters from the Abhorsen series. Can’t give too much away…

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Cello-Playing Mathematician (AKA Kyra)

in June 9th, 2009 @ 15:32

I know what happens, I’ve already read the series and been obsessed with it… I used to be Mogget’s Little Sister before I changed my name.

I’ve read Across the Wall and didn’t like it. I hope the next two books are way better than some dumb short story about Nick.

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124

bookgirl_me

in June 9th, 2009 @ 09:01

166- They were living in the past, whining the whole time about boys who dumped them. I mean, girls dump guys too. They should get a life. Okay, SPOILER SPOILER with Zoe it was very dramatic, but by Thaliaâ€¦ They warn Annabeth that Percy might betray her, but what about Annabeth betraying Percy? (for example). Nope, it’s the girls who whine and worry about getting dumped.

122- But she did capture the feeling of being the only different one very wellâ€¦

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125

JJjetplane-girlw/cats

in June 9th, 2009 @ 12:28

Have any of you read this series (?) :
1. The Thief
2. The Queen of Attolia
3. The King of Attolia

Awesome series, but I don’t know what the series is called. I’m in the middle of the last book. It has tons of twists and turns you would never expect, making it almost an obssesive read for me. I started it 5 days ago, and I wasn’t allowed to read yesterday, since I’ve had my nose in the book too long.

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125.1

Armada

in June 14th, 2009 @ 20:04

Yeah, I’ve read them. I really liked the first one, which I read on the boat (I live on a boat in the winter, FYI) two years ago, and I was really excited when I heard that there were two more books in the series, but I somehow didn’t get around to reading the other two that year. Then last year I saw the books in the library, thought ‘what the heck, I’ll read them,’ checked them out, and within five minutes of opening The Queen of Attolia was crying. I mean, what kind of sadistic author does that to their characters? I hate books where that kind of stuff happens. Gen was a totally different person in the second two booksâ€“he was the kind of quirky character I like in the first one, but in the second two he got all weird. I mean, okay, make allowances, but still.
I did stay up all night reading the second two, but that was more out of morbid curiosity (‘What is the author going to do to him now? Oh, now he’s going to kill the queen? Oh, now the queen is going to kill him? Oh, now they’re going to marry? Gods, what next?’) than actual excitement about the characters and plot. Gen, who is the only interesting character in the whole trilogy, kinda died for me after the first book.
[/rant] Okay, sorry. That plot twist just really gets me. It’s like the author cheated you into getting the second two books, thinking they’re going to be like the first, and then mutilates her character and forces him to be totally different. The first book is one of my favorites, but the series as a whole is one of my least favorite.

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126

Alice

in June 9th, 2009 @ 13:00

122- I think I liked Lirael the best, as a character. I rather identified with her, at least the last time I read the book. I didn’t like Sameth because he was too whiny, but Lirael was cool, she liked adventures. Lirael and Abhorsen are more like one book to me, in two installments, than two different books, so I can’t really choose a favorite out of them. I’ve only read Sabriel once, because it’s the only one I don’t own.

123- The first story’s called “The Creature in the Case,” and I first heard of it on the Garth Nix website, as a novella. I searched and searched and searched and ended up ordering a copy for like twenty dollars from the UK, only to realize later that it was in a book of short stories the whole time. So now I have like the only copy in the US (actually there’s no way that can be true…).

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127

speller73

in June 9th, 2009 @ 15:08

120 – I read Little Brother recently. Amazing book.

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128

crazyquotescollector

in June 9th, 2009 @ 20:31

Tamora Pierce is the best author! Name one bad book she wrote, I dare anyone. (Sorry, difficulties with Alanna-haters in school today. )

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129

Alice

in June 9th, 2009 @ 20:49

128- None of them were bad, but they were all kind of the same which got boring after a while.

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130

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in June 11th, 2009 @ 21:09

Yeah, I LOVE the Beka Cooper books, so when I went to read the Alanna books I had high expectations. I was disappointed a lot. I mean, they were good but not as good as I’d originally hoped. But Tamora Pierce is still a good writer.

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130.1

Zallie

in June 11th, 2009 @ 21:35

To be fair, the Alanna books were the first ones Tamora Pierce ever wrote! If you’re a fan, you should read the Circle of Magic series too, but mostly The Circle Opens series. I think the CO series often gets overlooked.

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130.1.1

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in June 11th, 2009 @ 21:42

Yeah, that would most likely explain it. *makes mental note to read the CO series*

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130.1.1.1

Zallie

in June 11th, 2009 @ 21:50

Read the Circle of Magic series first! They’re from pretty early in Tammy’s career, but it’s worth it for the Circle Opens!

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131

Zallie

in June 11th, 2009 @ 21:52

Do other MBers use the Goodreads website? It allows you to keep track of books you have read, are reading, and are going to read, as well as rate books and post reviews. Also, it recommends books to you, which can be pretty handy. I’m not going to post the link, but if you guys google Goodreads, it should come up. I find it pretty helpful, as well as interesting, because I can see what my friends are reading!

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131.1

Axa

in June 11th, 2009 @ 23:45

I do! Well, I have an account, at least. I need to update it actually, I am so behind…

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131.2

Daisy*chain

in June 12th, 2009 @ 16:32

Sounds useful! Maybe I’ll get an account… After finals and school are over, though.

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132

Daisy*chain

in June 11th, 2009 @ 22:24

Has anyone read Good Omens? *drools* I loved it…
It’s by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman… (my favorite authors!)
Some people said their writing sounds like Douglas Adams, but I think it’s better… Gaiman adds a certain ‘darker’ layer to the story… Yum…
[/book tasting]

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132.1

Piggy

in June 11th, 2009 @ 22:29

*also drools* I’m working on making the cover of my copy as destroyed as they describe most of the books they sign.

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132.1.1

POSOC

in June 11th, 2009 @ 22:47

I also loved Good Omens. A brilliant book.

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132.1.1.1

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in June 12th, 2009 @ 07:23

Hmmmmmmmm. Sounds interesting.

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132.1.2

POSOC

in June 12th, 2009 @ 17:53

I’m a bit surprised you liked it, though.

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132.1.2.1

Piggy

in June 12th, 2009 @ 18:38

What? How? I’m a HG2G fan, aren’t I? I adore comedy books, especially those written by British authors.

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132.1.2.1.1

POSOC

in June 12th, 2009 @ 20:23

Well… you’re also Catholic, right?

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132.1.2.1.1.1

Piggy

in June 12th, 2009 @ 22:13

Oh, that? What can I say? The book is hilarious. Is it remotely accurate, in the eyes of the Church? Of course not. But it’s hilarious.

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132.1.2.1.1.1.1

Enceladus and Nimly (*.*)

in June 13th, 2009 @ 05:14

Is it remotely accurate in the eyes of ANYONE?

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132.1.2.1.1.1.1.1

Elias Eiholzer-Silver

in July 1st, 2009 @ 11:06

It’s a parody of Satanic horror films, like the Omen and Rosemary’s Baby. Brilliant movies, by the way, and Good Omens will be a lot funnier if you’ve seen them.

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132.1.2.1.1.1.1.2

Elias Eiholzer-Silver

in July 1st, 2009 @ 11:09

Oh, however, Pratchett and Gaiman are taking the piss of Catholicism. Pratchett defines himself as “an atheist who’s angry at god for not existing” and Gaiman has worked as a cartoonist to ridicule Bible stories, most notably with Steve Gibson.

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132.1.2.1.1.1.1.2.1

cromwell

in July 1st, 2009 @ 11:18

Shh. One thread is enough, is it not?

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Rebecca Lasley (Administrator)

in July 1st, 2009 @ 11:32

Cromwell, his comment happens to be relevant to the existing discussion. Please don’t bring a personal disagreement into the conversation.

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kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in June 12th, 2009 @ 20:31

I absolutely adore HG2G! I loved the petunias. “Oh! Not again!”

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Thanks For All The Fish42

in July 1st, 2009 @ 11:13

That is my absolute FAVORITE part.

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132.2

Jadestone

in June 12th, 2009 @ 19:23

I love Good Omens! It’s one of my favourite books… I was hoping ot be able to meet Neil Gaiman last saturday at a lit fest thing in Chicago, but I couldn’t go But I really wanted to be able to have him sign it.

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133

Kagcomix

in June 12th, 2009 @ 19:37

132.2- Great book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I generally tend to like Gaiman and Prachett, except for Gaiman’s Coraline. I hated that book.

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134

Cerulean Pyros

in June 14th, 2009 @ 17:58

Quite recently I read Airborn by Kenneth Oppel.

It’s a marvelous mix of adventure, sci-fi and Steampunk, featuring airships, pirate attacks, uninhabited islands, mysterious creatures…. etc. Very well-written, with a good sense of humor, and a little romance.

I’m waiting for the sequel, Skybreaker , to come from the library. After that will come Starclimber .

Is anyone else familiar with this trilogy?

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134.1

POSOC

in June 14th, 2009 @ 18:24

Skybreaker is passable. Starclimber is horrible. Oppel should have stuck with Airborn. (Which was, as you said, very good.)

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134.2

Alice

in June 15th, 2009 @ 10:45

I read something else by Kenneth Oppel–a series about bats or something. It was good, but not great, so I never read Airborn, even though I had it for some time and may actually still have it.

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POSOC

in June 15th, 2009 @ 11:10

I liked Silverwing when I was younger…
Kenneth Oppel series have a depressing tendency to start out good and get steadily worse. Sunwing was tolerable, if physically impossible (holding up a BOMB with SOUND???), but Firewing was just a bunch of quasi-mystical bat guano.

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Jadestone

in June 15th, 2009 @ 13:01

Yeah, the bat series declined… I liked Airborn a lot (I also read it on a plane, hehe) but I haven’t checked out the sequels.

He also wrote one about prehistoric bat-like animals right? I don’t remember what I thought about that anymore.

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135

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in June 14th, 2009 @ 19:00

What?! He wrote a sequel to Airborn? And it’s horrible?! *sob* Oh no. I lurved the first one.

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135.1

POSOC

in June 14th, 2009 @ 19:33

Skybreaker was OK, but Starclimber… ecchh.

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136

Kagcomix

in June 14th, 2009 @ 19:23

I just started reading Sophie’s Choice. I’m not sure whether I like or dislike it yet. I picked it up for 10 cents so it won’t really be a waste of money if I don’t like it. Has anyone esle read it?

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Zallie

in June 17th, 2009 @ 17:35

Oh! I just read this. I found it really fascinating and I loved the non-linear plot. However, I wasn’t very surprised by any of the plot-twists (of which there are several!). I guess I just saw them all coming? I also thought the book was a bit long for such a non-dramatic conclusion. It was a lot of reading for a rather predictable ending, at least in my opinion. However, it’s a beautiful story (in its own way) and definitely a book you should read.

Tell me when you’re done, so we can discuss!

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137

MissSwann

in June 14th, 2009 @ 20:13

133- Coraline wasn’t too bad. I read it when I was around 7 and it scared the carp out of me, but otherwise it wasn’t horrible.

I am reading the 7th Sisters Grimm book. I love them. They never get boring. And they are oh-so creative.

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137.1

Armada

in June 14th, 2009 @ 20:22

You know you’re an adolescent when you identify with Sabrina Grimm more than Artemis Fowl…..Okay, nobody identifies with AF. But it’s true.

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137.2

RoseQuartz

in June 15th, 2009 @ 10:50

I love them too! And ARGH why does it take so long for the next book to come out????

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138

Goldendoodle

in June 14th, 2009 @ 22:15

Has anyone read A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray? There is romance in it, for MBers who aren’t fond of lovey-type books, but the rest of the plot really gripped me. I couldn’t read them at night, because then I would stay up half the night wondering what would happen. If anyone is interested, there are also two more books, Rebel Angels and the Sweet Far Thing. AWESOME BOOKS!

Re: Max Ride- The series starts to lose me when the characters start getting wrapped up in saving the earth. I’m jsut not into that sort of thing, but I read the later books anyway because I love the characters.

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138.1

Tesseract

in June 14th, 2009 @ 22:27

Yes! I love those books! I borrowed them all from my friend. Which one is your favorite?

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138.1.1

Goldendoodle

in June 15th, 2009 @ 10:20

I liked the second one a lot. I have to admit, I haven’t read them for a year or two, so the details of the individual books are a little blurry for me, but the main idea of the series I remember. What did you think of the ending of the third book?

SPOILER THE SWEET FAR THING SPOILER.
I didn’t think Kartik should have put himself in the tree (that’s what he did, right?). I mean, yes, it was noble of him, but I was so sad at the end, because he put himself in the tree. Now I suppose I should get down to the library to re-read the series so I actually remember what happened.
END SPOILER.

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138.1.1.1

Tesseract

in June 15th, 2009 @ 10:29

SPOILER THE SWEET FAR THING SPOILER
The ending was pretty good. Yes, he did put himself in the tree. I remember being a little confused as to whether that meant that the tree would continue to have power, though. And I recall that the Winterlands were starting to become better, but wasn’t there something mentioned earlier in the series about the balance between good and evil? I could be making that up.
END SPOILER.

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138.1.1.1.1

vanillabean3.141

in June 21st, 2009 @ 21:07

Gargh! (I know this conversation is long over) I was so mad at the ending! I’m pretending to myself that Kartik didn’t put himself in the tree and that he’s going to find Gemma in America.
I loved the entire series, especially the setting.

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138.2

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in June 15th, 2009 @ 20:31

Hmmmmmm. I saw those at the library but… I’m guilty. *shamedface* I judge books by their covers. I’ll take your word for it and read it sometimes. Me promises.

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139

bookgirl_me

in June 15th, 2009 @ 06:28

138-I thought them rather boring. The idea was good and appealing, but I kept falling asleep and I never managed to finish the second one.

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139.1

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in June 15th, 2009 @ 20:32

Oh. Dissenting opinions? Then I really must read them. *wicked grin* Too bad I’m going on vacation in 2 days.

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140

I-Man ((William II, OSW's Secretary))

in June 16th, 2009 @ 08:40

I just read Animal Farm and it was incredibly good.

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140.1

fireandhemlock1996

in June 16th, 2009 @ 08:57

I hated the ending though. Bad pigs!

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140.1.1

RoseQuartz

in June 16th, 2009 @ 09:19

I forgot the ending already. *is pathetic* It’s made even more pathetic by the fact that I LOVE satire, and want to be a published satire writer at some point.

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140.1.1.1

bookgirl_me

in June 16th, 2009 @ 11:10

It was an excellent satire, but a bit pessimistic. </is on insane pessimism control

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140.1.1.2

fireandhemlock1996

in June 16th, 2009 @ 23:28

the ending: the pigs are like men, they wear suits and drink wine and beer and play cards and make the other animals be their slaves.

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141

rabbity24

in June 16th, 2009 @ 14:00

For summer reading I have Of Mice and Men and Catcher in the Rye for English, John Adams for U.S. 1, and In Our Defense for AP Government. Can anybody give me reviews for these and if any of them are really bad or will take forever etc.?

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141.1

RoseQuartz

in June 16th, 2009 @ 14:09

Of Mice And Men is very sad. That’s all I can say.

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141.2

Jadestone

in June 16th, 2009 @ 14:19

Of Mice and Men is very short, and not hard to read. It is a bit depressions, as RoseQuartz said.

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141.3

Axa

in June 17th, 2009 @ 01:12

gasp!

JOHN ADAMS = #1 BOOK

I love it. you will love it. YOU WILL LOVE IT
although I am also #1 john adams fan so I may be biased…maybe
there’s also an excellent miniseries you can watch based on the book/ real life events (lol)

I wish we had to read cool books for ap gov. I have a bunch of stuff to read for ap lit though, v. excited.

I enjoy Steinbeck in general. Of Mice and Men is a wonderful introduction to his work.

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142

Alice

in June 16th, 2009 @ 18:56

I’m currently reading Beat to Quarters, and though I’m less than a chapter into it, I’m writhing most horribly inside. Until now I’ve only read books written long after Hornblower was first conceived of and created, and Forester had had plenty of time to develop a consistent character. Beat to Quarters/The Happy Return is the first Hornblower book he EVER wrote, so the inconsistencies are appalling. Bush is featured, but this was before Forester had decided that Hornblower and Bush had been friends for ages, so they’re practically strangers.

This is going to be a very difficult book to read.

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142.1

Rebecca Lasley (Administrator)

in June 16th, 2009 @ 19:05

However it could be very instructive to see where a writer starts from. You can get a good idea of how the author develops as a writer as well as see how the characters take shape. It could be almost like reading an early draft.

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Alice

in June 16th, 2009 @ 19:48

I’m much further in by now, and Hornblower has become more like the character I know. It’s interesting reading these books, though, because he’s not always perfectly consistent. In Lieutenant Hornblower, he seemed a much more eager sort, and he always seemed just on the border of insubordination, because he was so much cleverer than his betters and he always made suggestions to them which generally saved the day but also could have gotten him in trouble.

Actually, it just occurred to me that why he was like that in Lieutenant Hornblower and not in any of the other books probably had less to do with Forester’s inconsistency than with the fact that that particular book was told entirely through Bush’s perspective while the other ones follow Hornblower and we see him in private and see the inner workings of his mind and realize that he’s really insecure and self-deprecating and even though he seems confident, it’s just because he’s a really good actor.

I can talk for hours on the subject of Hornblower, but I have to go check the pot roast now.

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143

Alice

in June 16th, 2009 @ 23:42

Wow. I’m done already. It was very good; the inconsistencies mattered less after a while. But it wasn’t quite as good as the Atropos or the Hotspur.
SPOILERSSSSSSSSSSS
I found the relationship between Hornblower and Lady Barbara irksome, in a way the relationship between Hornblower and Maria, uncomfortable and awkward though it could be, never was. I think this was because it took place at sea, and I’ve always enjoyed the fact that besides the awkward letters home in Hornblower and the Hotspur there aren’t any relationships of that sort while Hornblower’s at sea. And then Lady Barbara comes along and before you know it, they’re head over heels in love with each other and snogging in the cabin. It’s not that I find it morally wrong because he’s married or something–he should never have married Maria, and he knew it and everyone else knew it–it’s just getting in the way of the story.

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144

rabbity24

in June 17th, 2009 @ 06:41

141.1-141.3- Thanks for the info. I’m a fan of John Adams too. I’ve already watched one miniseries on him and the next four generations of his family called The Adams Chronicles, and I have to watch the Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney version (one out of the first four episodes) and do a critique on it for my U.S. 1 class too! I think Of Mice and Men will be good. I’ll have to watch the movie, which my family owns but I’ve never watched with John Malkovich and some other guy who I know and love but can’t think of the name of who’s in Truman and George Wallace, after I finish the book. (sorry if that was a run on sentence

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145

Zallie

in June 17th, 2009 @ 17:38

Here are all of the books I’ve read this spring! I’m on a quest to read 100 books in 2009 and I’m woefully behind, but I think I can catch up this summer.

April Books

17. American Pastoral, Philip Roth
18. My Antonia, Willa Cather

May Books

19. King Lear, Shakespeare
20. Watchmen, Alan Moore
21. Cruddy, Linda Barry
22. Hamlet, Shakespeare
23. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz
24. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Tom Stoppard

June Books

25. Sophieâ€™s Choice, William Styron
26. Shards of Honor, Lois McMaster Bujold
27. Barrayar, Lois McMaster Bujold
28. Witch Baby, Francesca Lia Block
29. The Warriorâ€™s Apprentice, Lois McMaster Bujold
30. The Vor Game, Lois McMaster Bujold

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146

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in June 17th, 2009 @ 22:35

oxlin, from the previous thread:

I’m reading and enjoying To Say Nothing of the Dog. Have you read the book that inspired it, Three Men in a Boat, by Lewis Carroll’s friend Jerome K. Jerome? It’s one of my favorites. (I also like the author’s name. It took real nerve to name a child Jerome Jerome.)

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146.1

oxlin

in June 26th, 2009 @ 00:12

I rather ought to. I started it, then went back to college, started it again, then went back home. Switching libraries is difficult. I shall have to get it and read it before I go back to college again.

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147

Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 18th, 2009 @ 12:40

Are any Musers fans of The Hunger Games? I LOVE that book, and now I am even MORE exciting to be getting the Advanced Reader’s Copy of Catching Fire. *teehee* I feel so special!

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147.1

rabbity24

in June 19th, 2009 @ 08:50

I own it, haven’t read it. Isn’t the woman who wrote that the one who wrote the Gregor the Overlander Chronicles? I loved those. Susanne Collins or something maybe?

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147.1.1

Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 19th, 2009 @ 13:43

~~Susanne~~ Suzanne Collins. I read the first of the Overlander Chronicles. I’ll read the rest in time… It was pretty, but I think the other ones are going to be better.

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rabbity24

in June 20th, 2009 @ 11:31

I just haven’t read the last one. The story actually stays about as good and the characters get better, which is unusual for sequals!

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147.1.1.1.1

Cello-Playing Mathematician

in June 20th, 2009 @ 15:33

Last one’s pretty sad… Watch out!

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147.2

42 :)

in June 19th, 2009 @ 12:01

Did you tell the author that you were going to die soon so you needed the book now?

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148

Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 19th, 2009 @ 13:45

No, I politely asked a librarian. ~~IS THAT SO HARD TO BELIEVE!?~~
Do you think that is something that I would not do?

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149

Alice

in June 19th, 2009 @ 14:14

147.2- Hey, that’s a good idea!
148- Our librarians are all dreadfully stiff and the idea of making an EXCEPTION would probably give them all heart attacks. I have begged and pleaded with the librarians on numerous points, and they never give in.
The school librarians, on the other hand, are very helpful and nice and put up with my teenage angst and ranting and mood swings, and they ordered all the books on the list I gave them of books they should order. Well, almost all. They maintain that The Dark is Rising is “too young” for the high school library, even while putting out a display featuring Artemis Fowl. I beg your pardon? The Dark is Rising is WAY more mature than Artemis Fowl! No offense to Artemis Fowl, which is a decent series and one I enjoyed thoroughly (albeit slightly guiltily), but The Dark is Rising is infinitely better in pretty much every way.
And the across-the-river librarians are also very nice, in addition to having the best library, because it’s a chain library so you can order books from all over the place.

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rabbity24

in June 20th, 2009 @ 11:33

Our libraries are miserable. In the teen fiction section they have Eragon and maybe the Harry Potters and that’s just about it. The Dark is Rising is WAY more mature than Artemis Fowl, you’re right. Artemis is suitable for, like 4th graders, and DIR is better for seventh or eighth

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149.1.1

Alice

in June 20th, 2009 @ 15:15

Anyone can read The Dark Is Rising. That’s what I like about it. It’s sort of ageless, if you know what I mean.

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149.2

speller73

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 19:31

What? I think that DIR is a good introduction to the fantasy genre no matter how old you are. Trust me, there are plenty of high schoolers who don’t know what they’re missing. (That said, I read the first three in fourth or fifth grade, but reread them later.)

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149.3

oxlin

in June 26th, 2009 @ 00:04

My favorite library is probably the library in my college’s town. They have the most amazing science fiction section. Sadly it moved a bit farther away so it is a rather long walk from campus.

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150

Jadestone

in June 19th, 2009 @ 16:33

149- It’s the opposite here. The high school librarians are nasty and mean. I don’t even go there.
At our middle school/grade school library, I knew a lot of them personally from being in there s much and they’d let me read really new books before htey even put them in the card catalogue.

But our town library is very nice–they put in some booths/more comfy chairs along with vending machines, so if I ever miss the buss it’s a great place to wait for someone to pick me up along with being able to read.

Not to mention the programs! I went to book club at the public library for a few years but I’ve passed all the reading levels now and my favorite librarian isn’t the one hosting them anymore But on tuesday is free henna tattoo day

Also The Dark is Rising sounds very familiar but I don’t remember if I’ve read it, what’s it about again?

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151

Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 19th, 2009 @ 18:33

I’ve read the first two of The Dark is Rising. I liked them both a lot. Although, I do love Artemis Fowl… Maybe when I read the rest I will find it superior. *is proud of his use of “superior” *
But anyway, I saw a poster that had a picture of Catching Fire, ad it said to ask Grace for advance copy. She had the flu at the time, but a week later, I GOT IT! So far it is just as good as the first (maybe better). If you haven’t read The Hunger Games, read it. It’s gonna’ be the next big thing. (It deserves to be bigger than Twilight…)
Catching Fire is coming out on September 1.

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152

Alice

in June 19th, 2009 @ 19:06

151- The Dark is Rising doesn’t really get better as it goes on. Greenwitch would be a super amazing book, but the whole Will+Jane/Simon/their brother doesn’t work so well. It makes all of the characters a little less satisfying than they were before. Still a good book, but not as good as the previous ones. I did like Jane though. I’ve always liked Jane. The Grey King and Silver on the Tree are good, too, though. I distinctly remember crying at the end of Silver on the Tree, which doesn’t seem like a good thing, but recently I tend to cry at the end of all good books. It’s kind of good, it gets rid of any bottled-up emotion I happen to have on hand. But to get back on topic: maybe they do improve after all. My memory of the last two is hazy. I still maintain, however, that The Dark is Rising is definitely the best one, and ALL of them trump Artemis Fowl.

Jadestone– The Dark is Rising sequence is by Susan Cooper, about a boy named Will Stanton, for the most part. It makes use of a great deal of mythology. They go to Cornwall in a couple and Wales in a couple more. In the first one he learns that he’s (I think the last…) one of the Old Ones, and he has to find six signs. They made a movie called The Seeker: The Dark is Rising and messed it up TOTALLY and everyone ranted about it on here. You should definitely read them. if you haven’t yet.

I had the poem at the beginning memorized once, but I forgot it, so now I have to go memorize it again and reread the entire series. Or at least the last two.

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152.1

oxlin

in June 26th, 2009 @ 00:02

I do like that series. My little cousin should return the ones he borrowed and get the next ones from me.

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153

Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 20th, 2009 @ 09:27

152- Really? I thought that the first one was better. The second went too quickly for me. Of course, I still liked it. Now that I think about it, I guess The Dark Is Rising (series) is better than Artemis Fowl. I seem to be more attached to the latter, though…

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154

the_californian_chick

in June 21st, 2009 @ 17:36

I’ve only read the first one, and that was 2 or 3 years ago, however I think that they’re pretty good….the movie was horrid, i do agree wholeheartedly on that point…..Artemis Fowl – nice, but for me it lacks depth…

OH! I just finnished the Pellinor series by Alison Croggon…I LOVE the whole entire idea that they are translated historical texts from ancient times.

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155

Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 21st, 2009 @ 20:07

Artemis Fowl- It does lack depth, but I find that every book sucks ((No, not in a bad way. just finish the sentence)) me into a new story.
By the way, I finished Catching Fire. ((Sequel to The Hunger Games)) It was just as good as the first. Which is amazing. If you thought that the first one wasn’t that good, then you’ll probably find Catching Fire better, because it doesn’t focus on fighting as much. ((But if you loved the fighting, don’t worry, there’s more))

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156

leloochlover101

in June 21st, 2009 @ 20:45

you know what was a splendid book, the giver, freak the Mighty, and The outsiders. Ok, im in 6th grade, but i have the reading ability to read charles dickens, and other books, in short im like a college person at reading. So can you recommend me some awesome books. those books above, i read 4 yearsago.

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156.1

Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 14:34

That’s funny… All of those books are require reading for middle school… I’ve read The Giver and The Outsiders, I’m in the Enriched English class so I didn’t have to read Freak the Mighty. I believe you about you being an advanced reader, but those aren’t very difficult books… In my school, the regular classes are required to read those. Jus’ sayin’.

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157

vanillabean3.141

in June 21st, 2009 @ 21:02

I know what you mean, leloochlover. I would recommend Rebecca (that was a really really good book!!), The Great Gatsby, The Odyssey, and Great Expectations. Those were some books that we read at school.

If you want an example of terrific bad writing, look up “Irene Iddesleigh” on the Internet because I don’t think it’s in print anymore. The author is Amanda M’Kittrick Ros. There are passages on the Internet that are just hilarious. I laughed all the way through the book.

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158

Alice

in June 21st, 2009 @ 21:42

156- I think I might say at this point that Dickens is my favorite author. If I ever get a car, I want a bumper sticker that says “I’d rather be reading Dickens.” Also a bumper sticker that says “I ♥ Irony.”

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159

Purple Panda

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 10:02

Robert (146): I read To Say Nothing of the Dog at the beginning of the year (because of oxlin’s recommendation), but I never got around to reading Three Men in a Boat. I’ll do that this summer — thanks for the reminder!

I can’t believe how much time there is in a day when I’m not in school. It took me several days to realize the fact that it is summer (for example, I spent the first three days of summer vacation doing summer calculus homework), and now that I finally have, I have been reading. Nonstop. Everything. There have been so many books throughout the year that I have wanted to read but haven’t been able to due to piles and piles of homework and studying. I forgot how much fun it is to just sit down and read books all day!

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159.1

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 10:10

Hi, Pan! Good to “see” you. Zuleika Dobson, also mentioned in TSNotD, is worth reading, too.

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159.1.1

oxlin

in June 26th, 2009 @ 00:01

Zuleika Dobson? What is this?

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159.2

oxlin

in June 26th, 2009 @ 00:00

I should finish Three Men in a Boat. The problem with going between college and home is that you switch libraries…

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160

onomatopoeia

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 14:11

I read the first few pages of what I think was the first book of The Dark is Rising… maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for typical fantasy or what, but I found it really boring and kind of cliche. =/

…Catching Fire is out? *must… get… now…*

Has anyone read The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott? I’m in the middle of it and it’s really good so far, especially all the references to mythology.

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160.1

Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 14:30

No, it’s coming out on September 1. I was lucky enough to borrow an early copy.

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160.2

soccer starr

in June 24th, 2009 @ 15:55

I think I’ve said this before, but I have read the Alchemyst…it was pretty good, except then right after I got the Magician (the second book in the series) and I never picked it up. I’m not sure if that’s any indication to the fact that I really didn’t like the book, I just couldn’t tell. Anyway, I’m in no hurry to read the Magician-I have lots of other books on my list right now, anyway.

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161

leloochlover101

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 15:59

you see, this is why i hate ela im sleeping through all the books, because i already read them, and my group, the advanced one, are just a bunch of nincompoops (its true). Hey, who else read gone with the wind, i thought it was pointless. Anyway, who was able to decipher tom saywer in the original writing, i dont think ill be able to beat that book. I kinda liked the Da vinci code , but its not accurate, i like angels and demons more. i enjoyed 20,00 leagues under the sea, but jules vernes writing doesnt really click with me. I think ill read the dark is rising, whats the plot? ill tey rebecca as well. I HATED FARENHEIT 451, so wierd. Jack londons books are worthreading, i love call of the wild.

Hmmmm, do you guys think im advanced, im in 6th grade.

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162

leloochlover101

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 16:10

apologies, im in 8th.my computer is out to get me. also even though this is off topic, my dad got the mini size of my laptop, and its as big as a really small shoebox, really small. mine is huge. sorry, im off topic, apologies again.

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163

Piggy

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 16:19

Leloochlover, you keep saying that computer troubles are causing you to make typos and be unable to capitalize anything. I have a very hard time believing that. Could you please capitalize, check spelling, use punctuation, and proofread? Thanks.

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164

leloochlover101

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 16:32

ok, would you beileive this, the fedex dud dropped the computer, and apparently the keyboard is doing thse random things and toadd on to that, my dog just peed on it at 2 in the morinig today. piggy, ill try to, but my computer is seriously messed up. walks away mubling to ones self.

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164.1

RoseQuartz

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 18:03

I believe you, leloochlover. I understand your computer troubles perfectly.

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165

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 17:06

(163) Peace, Master Swine! In sooth, we are all Musers here.

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166

Alice

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 17:14

160- See, I thought The Alchemyst was boring and cliche. To each ens own.
161- I liked Fahrenheit 451. It was weird, but I’m OK with that. It was less depressing that 1984.

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166.1

POSOC

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 17:25

Re: Alchemyst… I didn’t think it was BAD with a capital BAD, as such, just generally mediocre.

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166.1.1

Alice

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 17:39

Well, yes. If it had been bad, I would have much more vivid memories of it. As it is, I have hazy memories of being dissatisfied.

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167

leloochlover101

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 17:59

My mom told me that farenheit 451 was on the list of books not to read by pres bush, whos to say that when he publicly announced he only reads the bible. i dont know, i read an article about it. moving on, i never heard of the alchemist, oh whatever. thanks robert.

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Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 18:12

161-Well, it’s not easy to judge how advanced you are just from the books that you have read. I’m in 7th grade and I haven’t read Gone With the Wind! I could, but I don’t think I have any interest… Wait, *is confused* did you read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer? Or are you saying that you think that it will be too hard? I had to read it in class, and I liked it.
Oh, wait, your in 8th grade… I can’t judge you….
ANYWAY! I have to read City of Masks for this book club. I didn’t want to join it, but I had to to get Catching Fire. Anyone know how it is? I’m only fifty pages in, so I don’t really know if it’s going to be good or not.
166- I want to get 1984, because I LOVED Animal Farm. What is Fahrenheit 45 about?

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169

Alice

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 18:24

168- Hm, City of Masks is pretty good. Not great, but good enough for me to read the whole series.

Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel about a society where books are illegal and people talk to their TVs. It’s good. I wouldn’t say it’s better than 1984, but it’s less depressing.

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169.1

Piggy

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 18:36

Less depressing? I honestly didn’t find that. I found, from my observations of the world, that we are closer to the catastrophe found in Fahrenheit 451 than that in 1984, which was scarier and, hence, more depressing for me.

In non-depressing (maybe) and unrelated news, I’m still hacking my way through The Rise of American Civilization, about 1600-1700 pages. Very dense, very dry, very educational, very hard to read, very fascinating. Not up-to-date, by any means, but fascinating. Just the first few hundred pages have given me a new perspective on pre-revolutionary and early America.

I doubt it’s been in print for decades, so, unfortunately, I don’t think anyone else will be able to read it.

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Alice

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 19:26

Maybe it’s closer to real life, but it seemed less bleak. I mean, people could still have gardens and nice lives if they wanted, they just preferred to sit in front of TVs and rot their minds out. Such a society scares me less because I have no desire to sit in front of a TV and rot my mind out. In such a situation I would appear to conform, give up my books (well, maybe) and entertain myself using my imagination, since I think I still have one somewhere. I’d probably end up getting hit by a car or something, but there you have it. In a 1984-esque situation, always being watched, I have no idea what I would do. I might kill myself, which is essentially the same outcome as the F451 situation, but somehow less desirable.

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170

leloochlover101

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 18:32

im saying that the language in the original transcript of tom saywer is like a language on a different planet. farenheit 451 is about the average persons pointless life , wake up, got to work, watch tv, babble on the phone, go to bed, never explore the things that make our lifes amazing, like seeing a sunset for an idea. in this society books are burnt and no books are allowed, people must be stupid, not smart or cunning. one man who is an average person and burns books for a job, realizes what they are and is chased after, therefore the book ends. sorry im bad at explaining books. dont read gone with the wind its stupid. i think pres bush got angry because it was these averaghe people that where his voters, and i think the writer wanted to offend america.

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170.1

Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 18:46

SFTDP, but leloochlover, may I ask you where your name comes from? Would it be Code Geass?????? (I hope I spelled that correctly…))

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171

Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 18:44

Hmmmm… Daisy*Chain, did our class read the original Tom Sawyer? (She was in my English class))

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171.1

Daisy*chain (Azorica)

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 19:13

Er, I think so, yes. Mostly original. I believe it was adapted just a tiny bit- remember the differences in vocabulary in our teacher’s copy and the class’s?

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172

leloochlover101

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 18:53

yes code geass where else? thank god there is someone else in the world who watches that. wait, do you think lelooch dies in the end?

i dont love lelooch in that way, i like his character.

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173

leloochlover101

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 19:19

where are you getting at fish? im not trying to offend you.

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174

the_californian_chick

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 20:06

I believe that Thanks For All The Fish is quoting Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy….affirmative?

lovely book, by the way.

F451 sounds a LOT like 1984……there is a whole genere of books like that.

Twain has a tendency to trail off on tangents and the like…I agree that the language is confusing, however once you get in the swing of it (like Shakespeare), it becomes much easier.

Hey, just a shout out, any good books to read over the summer?
I have a nice bit of time to kill

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174.1

Armada

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 20:15

I love Twain’s writing….if you can’t understand it, you should probably just wait a year or two. No offense, it was true for me too. His books are worth waiting for.

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174.1.1

Soccer starr

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 15:54

I personally agree with the californian chick, I find Twain pretty boring to read. I mean, I know it’s great literature and all, but all the “random rants” are…well…boring.

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174.1.1.1

Armada

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 16:22

Wait a couple years. Seriously, it pays off. When I first read A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court I thought exactly the same thing, ditto for Tom Sawyer. Which of his books have you read?

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174.2

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 18:01

I like Twain’s nonfiction books, such as Roughing It and Life on the Mississippi (in which my great-great-grandfather Ben Coontz plays a small but significant role — in chapter 55, I think). And Huckleberry Finn is brilliant until Tom Sawyer shows up in it to steal the spotlight. I’ve never thought that his writing felt like “great literature,” with all the burden of expectation that goes along with that; it has always just entertained me.

Twain’s own favorite of all his books was one he wrote late in life, a biographical novel about Joan of Arc. I read it a few years ago. It’s odd. Joan herself is a fascinating character, though, and a lot is known about her from her testimony in her trial.

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174.2.1

Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 18:40

Your grandfather was really involved in one of Mark Twain’s books!? Do people already know this? Maybe I’m just ignorant…
Anyway, if one of my ancestors had been involved, I’d be bragging to everyone. I’d be all proud of myself, and other people would be like, yeah *insert name here*, that’s great….
But yeah, that’s REALLY cool (at least to me :P).

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174.2.2

Alice

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 18:49

Hey, I think I have Life on the Mississippi somewhere around here! -runs off to find Robert’s great-great-grandfather-

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174.2.3

Rebecca Lasley (Administrator)

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 18:49

That was chapter 56, actually.

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174.2.3.1

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 19:02

I can’t help thinking that different editions must have numbered the chapters differently, but I’m happy to abide by the online version.

Thomas Hart Benton (“Ben”) Coontz was a boyhood friend of Sam Clemens (Mark Twain). Like Clemens, he set out to be a riverboat pilot, but he didn’t stick with it as long. He worked in a grocery store and a saddle shop in Hannibal, Missouri, and later ran a newspaper and a streetcar line there and served a term as mayor. He was a colorful character, one of my favorite ancestors.

Mark Twain also mentioned him in another book and in an interview he gave to Rudyard Kipling (who misspelled the name with a K). After Twain’s death, people went through the notes on his desk and found one that said, cryptically, “Ben Coontz — half idiot.” I think they disagreed about politics.

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174.2.4

RoseQuartz

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 19:12

Teehee… your great-great-grandfather set a guy on fire.

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174.2.4.1

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 19:14

Only it wasn’t my great-great-grandfather who did it, it was Sam Clemens — Mark Twain. He gave the man a match. The man later struck the match, dropped it in his jail cell, and set himself on fire. Let’s be precise, please. Coontzes are not in the habit of burning people.

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174.2.4.1.1

RoseQuartz

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 19:46

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175

the_californian_chick

in June 22nd, 2009 @ 20:23

Oh I never said I didn’t understand it nor liked it – it simply takes me a bit to get in the swing of things…..

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176

bookgirl_me

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 09:39

The Dark is Rising- I liked all of them, but I also am a bit of a fantasy fan. *laughs* If you want to find really bad literature full of cliches, check out the German fantasy literature.

164- Maybe your keyboard is flipped. Mine (being austrian) includes ÃŸ, Ã¼, Ã¤ and Ã¶ as normal keys, but using a reset from the menu I can change them to (only) ?, “,” , “.” , and # (if I recall correctly, it might have been -), even though the keys are still labeled falsely. I don’t know how this relates to PCs. Worse case, you can simply stick bits of tape with the correct label on the side of the keys (I did it to my old computer).

167- That’s the reason I’m trying to get hold of a copy of it.

168- I really liked Stravaganza, though looking back my favorite one was the city of the stars. I guess it’s mainly because it brings back my good memories of a (brief) easter vacation in Venice. I never read gone with the wind, in part because I try to read classics in their original language, which means I end up reading books that come my way- i.e. ones that I can find in the library (poetically phrased as “books that come to me”). Gone with the wind hasn’t crossed my path yet.

1984- That sounds interestingâ€¦

170- I’ve only read reviews of the book, but wasn’t part of the idea that “we” shouldn’t become “normal” people who just sit in front of the TV e.t.câ€¦? That we should read books, educate ourselves, have/protect (the?) freedom of speech! That we should think for ourselves and shape our lives the way we want them become, following our passions, dreams and ideals? *goes off to read the book so that she can argue further* I hope that wasn’t too off-point.

So long, and Thanks For All The Fish is a HG2G quote and the title of the 4th book in the HG2G trilogy. It’s also the last thing the dolphins say before they leave earth when it is to be blown up. 42 refers to the first book, when it is stated that the answer to “the” question of life, the universe and everything is 42. ~~we call him Fishy~~

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177

leloochlover101

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 10:16

excuse me thanks or all the fish, my cousin was typing random stuff when i was asleep, and now hes eating my cereal, ewww ill pass on breakfast. i love venice, and it so deosnt smell. paris is nothing to venice.

stops ranting

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178

Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 13:29

Yes, I do watch Code Geass. Well, I used to watch it. I never finished it, but my brother did tell me the ending. I know whether he dies or not… Do you?
171.1- Yes, I do remember… It wasn’t that much different though. There were just a few more adjectives…
173- Yesss, it comes for HG2G. If you have not read it yet, you should.
176- Yeah, you can call me Fishy.

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179

Enceladus and Nimly (*.*) (10 wung points)

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 16:52

Whee! I got the 10th Pendragon! But my evil parents won’t let me read it until I go to camp! Wait, I probably shouldn’t type that. My mom’s at our mac.

/rambles/

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180

Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 17:33

Wow. I didn’t know parents ever didn’t let there child read a book.

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180.1

bookgirl_me

in June 24th, 2009 @ 06:05

My mother said that there were two types of parents comments to their children; either: “Just read a book for once, it won’t kill you!” or “Stop reading for once!”. I belonged to the latter category.

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180.1.1

Alice

in June 24th, 2009 @ 09:14

I don’t think my parents ever told me to stop reading… Except for at meals… And at 3 AM… And when they wanted me to do my chores…

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181

Alice

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 17:38

Persuasion is really good. I never finished Pride and Prejudice, but from what I read of it, compared to what I have read of Persuasion, I would say that the latter is much better. Or possibly I’ve heard the story of Pride and Prejudice far too many times already. At any rate, Persuasion is a wonderful book, though highly frustrating. I’m sure if I was in Anne’s position I probably would have caved and told someone about my former relationship with Captain Wentworth. Granted, there isn’t really anyone worth confiding in… But these Austen heroines always seem to have such extraordinary will-power, not to mention a noticeable lack of hatred towards their sisters. It’s odd.

I want to read Sense and Sensibility too.

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182

the_californian_chick

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 18:26

Oh! Sense and Sensibility is a WONDERFUL book….I read it in 8th grade and personally enjoyed it much more than Pride and Prejudice……I have not read Persuasion yet…may have to pick it up over the summer

But you should read Sense and Sensibility — and the movie isn’t half bad either.

I’ve been trying to pick up some classics over the summer……..Any ideas?

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183

Alice

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 18:41

182- I saw part of the movie some time ago–all I remember is Marianne in the rain and Colonel Brandon played by Alan Rickman. Recently I saw the BBC version, which was very good indeed. Because the BBC is wonderful. Then I saw the BBC version of Persuasion and decided I HAD to read the book, although the movie was not exceptional–too short.

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184

Midnight Fiddler and Red-tailed HAWK are Kokonvening

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 19:00

183~ It’s a good movie. Great book too, of course. As is Emma, the book made more sense than the movie, in my opinion, though if you read the book first the movie would be pretty good.
*ducks out of conversation to pick berries*

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185

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 20:57

(5.1.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1) King Lear, predictable? I don’t think.

There are plenty of books that can’t be figured out in ten minutes. In Remembrance of Things Past it takes the hero 60 pages just to get out of bed. Try The Idiot or The Brothers Karamazov or The Dream of the Red Chamber or The Tale of Genji or The Master and Margarita. Honestly, you MBers have only begun to read.

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185.1

cromwell

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 21:03

The Brothers Karamazov-really long. Really long.

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185.2

Enceladus and Nimly (*.*) (10 wung points)

in June 24th, 2009 @ 07:04

The Tale of Genji was written a really long time ago in ancient Japan!

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185.3

oxlin

in June 25th, 2009 @ 23:55

hee. Yes. I have lots to read yet.

I do think I’m a bit further along than some MBers on the reading experience thing but only because I am many years older than many.

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185.4

cromwell

in June 26th, 2009 @ 06:45

I’m reading The Brothers Karamazov now…

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185.5

Elias Eiholzer-Silver

in July 1st, 2009 @ 11:44

I mentioned it somewhere else in the thread, but Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” should also be included in any list of essential books that can’t be figured out in ten minutes.

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186

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 21:28

(5.1.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.2) Don Quixote — yes! No plot to speak of, but a riveting story, especially the second half.

(5.1.2.1.1.1.1.1.1.3) “plot is usually the least interesting thing about a good book.” — yes! When you start a famous book, you almost always have at least a general idea of what happens and how the characters end up. The important thing is how the writer takes you there.

In the Gormenghast books, for example, Alice, the plot is much less important than the way the author draws characters and places, wouldn’t you say? (It’s not suprising that Mervyn Peake started out as an illustrator.)

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186.1

oxlin

in June 25th, 2009 @ 23:54

I definitely agree with point five with a two and lots of ones and a three. I like my stories to have characters and for the settings to have character and for it to all seem lush and subtly magical.

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187

Piggy

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 21:37

5.1.2.1.1.1.1.1- Too simple of plots, huh? Try the four Sherlock Holmes novels, or the short stories, if you don’t want a full novel. I’m zero for n on figuring out those plots before the story ends.

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187.1

RoseQuartz

in June 24th, 2009 @ 07:53

I’ve read, I think, The Hound Of The Baskervilles, but I didn’t really like the style of writing. However, I do like Agatha Christie mysteries. They’re definitely not predictable.

Probably the reason I find some plots very simple is because I’ve pretty much read every myth there is, and a lot of plots are based on mythology, so I usually know where they’re going.

The plot of the novel I’m writing is NOT predictable (at least not now that I’ve figured out the ending).

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188

Alice

in June 23rd, 2009 @ 21:46

Re: Plots: I don’t mind predictable plots, as long as the characters and setting are good. I kind of like them, actually. If you know it turns out well, it’s cozy, and if you know it turns out badly, there’s that horrible but rather enjoyable sensation of suspense because you never know quite when everything’s going to turn bad. Plus, guessing plot twists is exciting, especially during a movie or if you’re reading a book in English, where you can speculate with your classmates. I’m only saying that more advanced books don’t necessarily mean less predictable plots. As a general rule, though, they mean more exciting writing, which is better than a less predictable plot.

185- I’ve never read King Lear. I have a vague idea of what happened, but mostly it’s limited to the fairy-tale beginning and I know it involves blindness.

186- It took me a really long time to figure out the plot of Gormenghast, actually, because it’s so insignificant compared to the characters and the setting. I remember being almost done with the first book and not even being entirely sure what the plot was. But it didn’t matter.

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189

Enceladus and Nimly (*.*) (10 wung points)

in June 24th, 2009 @ 07:03

I’m reading Oliver Twist right now. You can’t pull me away from it!

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189.1

rabbity24

in June 25th, 2009 @ 13:31

I love what little Dickens I’ve read. Two Cities was a long time ago, and confusing at the time, but Great Expectations was AMAZING!

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190

Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 24th, 2009 @ 10:22

I would like to read a lot of classics, but I always get sucked into more recent books… I recently bought The Long Walk by Stephen King. The plot seems interesting. I also bought Battle Royale. Has anybody read these? When I searched Catching Fire on Barnes+Noble.com, those books showed up too. I probably should have gotten some opinions first, but Battle Royale got really good reviews, and The Long Walk sounds extremely interesting. It’s my first Stephen King book. What is his best book? ((just want some opinions…))

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191

SilverLeopard

in June 24th, 2009 @ 11:51

I read The Goose Girl a little while ago. It was a good book, in my opinion. I also read the Diamond of Drury Lane, by Julia Golding. It’s a good book, and pretty funny, too.

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192

Enceladus and Nimly (*.*) (10 wung points)

in June 24th, 2009 @ 12:05

SUCCESS!!!

I HAVE THE TENTH PEDRAGON! BUT MY EVIL PARENTS WON’T LET ME READ IT

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192.1

bookgirl_me

in June 24th, 2009 @ 12:10

You already said thatâ€¦ Try swapping covers with another book that you’re allowed to read

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192.1.1

Enceladus and Nimly (*.*) (10 wung points)

in June 24th, 2009 @ 12:25

Can’t. My parents would get REALLY angry when they found out. And any way, I’m going of to camp, which is where I’m supposed to be reading it, on Saturday.

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193

the_californian_chick

in June 24th, 2009 @ 12:25

192 – Congrats! I just started the series myself

192.1 – I, for one, have actually tried that, and my parents FIGURED IT OUT. Sigh. That was depressing.

191 – Goose Girl is a lovely book – great plot and memorable characters…I read it a while back.

189 – Hmmm…Oliver Twist…….I’ll have to pick that one up….A couple of my friends have read it, and thought it was ok.

Anyone here read Alison Croggon? She is a favorite of mine at the moment – lovely thick books filled with AMAZING fantasy.

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194

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in June 24th, 2009 @ 14:26

Has anyone read a book called Little Brother? Diana Lutz mentioned it an e-mail she just sent, and I wonder whether it’s worth reading. (It’s YA fiction about computer hacking.)

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194.1

speller73

in June 24th, 2009 @ 15:40

As I mentioned earlier on this thread, I read. I loved it, as did my dad.

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194.1.1

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in June 24th, 2009 @ 15:42

Why, so you did. Comment 127.

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194.2

oxlin

in June 25th, 2009 @ 23:52

It is good I have heard but I have not read it yet. Cory Doctorow is good in general. I almost met him once but then I didn’t.

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194.3

cromwell

in June 26th, 2009 @ 06:43

Yeah, I read that. Pretty good. Big Brother is better, though.

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194.3.1

cromwell

in June 26th, 2009 @ 06:43

I meant 1984 is better.

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195

Jadestone

in June 24th, 2009 @ 14:34

Reading a mythology book and my “this is different from version x and y and z” alarms keep going off.

Also what the heck was Hermes doing in the story of Prometheus, where he gets chained to a rock? In every version of Hermes’ origin I’ve heard he was made a god much later. This book, it does not make sense.

Also, I’m really good at guessing where a plot is going and picking up on foreshadowing. In the first 5 minutes of the 3rd Pirates of the Caribbean movie I knew how it was going to end –_– Same with a lot of movies. It just seems so… obvious. It’s not as easy with books but I’m pretty good at figuring out those to.

And sometimes I think the endings I come up with are better than what the author actually did XD

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195.1

rabbity24

in June 25th, 2009 @ 13:33

movies are ALWAYS predictable, even the ones with plot twists cuz you know there’s going to be one and it can’t be THAT obvious. Books I’m not usually able to do it with because they’re longer and I get focused in the moment and not looking ahead.

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196

the_californian_chick

in June 24th, 2009 @ 15:41

194 – in fact, I have read the mentioned book – picked it up on a rainy day. It is good – one of those sci-fi alternate future type things….it shows what could happen if there was, say, another terrorist attack in San Fran. It has a ton of computer hacking and the like, something that, sadly, I never really got, but am sure that others will revel in. It is like 1984 and The Silenced (another great read) – yet set from more of a technological point of view.

195 – ditto on the endings.

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197

Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 25th, 2009 @ 19:49

Who here thinks that The Host is better than Twilight?

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197.1

Enceladus and Nimly (*.*) (20 wung points)

in June 25th, 2009 @ 20:01

What’s The Host? It’s probably better than Twilight, though. Nearly everything is better than Twilight.

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197.2

Daisy*chain

in June 25th, 2009 @ 20:24

I do!!! I don’t like the Twilight Saga ~~anymore~~ as much as I did before…

197.1- The Host is another book by Stephanie Meyer, but not about vampires.

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197.2.1

soccer starr

in June 26th, 2009 @ 17:56

I never liked Twilight much to begin with, but a bunch of my friends who used to be obsessed over Twilight have all of a sudden decided that it’s not “cool” anymore to like it. I know that’s the general idea of a fad, but still, I’m amazed the whole thing happened so fast! One minute, everyone’s reading it, the next minute, I can’t find a book in sight….

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197.2.1.1

Elias Eiholzer-Silver

in June 26th, 2009 @ 18:15

Twilight… Hah. Even Stephen King thinks Meyer is bollocks at writing.

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197.3

Loreena Chatheng (AP)

in June 25th, 2009 @ 21:23

Me! Much, much much better.

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197.4

Tesseract

in June 25th, 2009 @ 21:26

It’s far better.

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198

Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 26th, 2009 @ 07:47

I hear that she is almost finished with a sequel. I’m really excited, because I would rather that idea be her hit series.

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198.1

Enceladus and Nimly (*.*) (20 wung points)

in June 26th, 2009 @ 09:39

What’s the idea? I might want to read it.

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198.1.1

rabbity24

in June 26th, 2009 @ 13:37

The idea is the first book from Edward’s point of view (if you’re talking about twilight and not the Host) and somebody illegally stole it or whatever and posted it so she said something about not publishing another twilight book until she hasn’t gotten any grief about it for FIVE years…. I haven’t read The Host, but I’ve heard it’s good. Is it about ghosts or something?

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198.1.1.1

Enceladus

in June 26th, 2009 @ 13:57

No, The Host

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199

SilverLeopard

in June 26th, 2009 @ 09:01

I just finished this book called Skulduggery Pleasent. It’s a really great one, with humorous characters and suspense and all that stuff.

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200

Sequoia

in June 26th, 2009 @ 10:00

199-I’ve heard of that book. It was on the Isenglass Teen Read book list. (It’s a NH book list.) It sounds good! Maybe I’ll read it.

I just started reading Runaway by Wendalyn Van Draanen. It’s so good!

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201

Raynpho

in June 26th, 2009 @ 10:03

I read Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and The Arrival by Shaun Tan the other day. Both graphic novels, but completely different styles and subjects. I like them both, though. Persepolis is simpler, but it conveys a lot of meaning. And the Arrival is just insanely detailed. That guy is creative beyond belief.

Oh, and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, which I see has been mentioned a couple times already. It’s pretty good! Gaiman’s style is super-distinct.

Read The Last Olympian, which has also been discussed here. Overall, I liked it.

Our summer reading! Of Mice and Men, A Streetcar Named Desire, Lord of the Flies, and one book from a short list of classics- I chose Pride and Prejudice. I’d actually read half of Lord of the Flies before, but never made it through the whole thing. We have to write a journal-thing on each of our books, though, which is… mrrgh.

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201.1

rabbity24

in June 26th, 2009 @ 13:34

Lord of the Flies is TERRIBLE. I’m sorry. Mice and men is on mine as well, as I said earlier, I wish I was reading A Streetcar Named Desire (We own the movie which I also haven’t seen), and Pride and Prejudice is amazing. I love Jane Austen honestly, and I also read Sense and Sensibility, though P&P was better

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201.1.1

Elias Eiholzer-Silver

in June 27th, 2009 @ 08:31

Lord of the Flies is brilliant, and a differing opinion just demonstrates a Philistine appreciation of the socio-cultural themes in Golding’s writing.

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201.1.1.1

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in June 27th, 2009 @ 08:50

Or, perhaps, a level of sophistication that different from that of a multilingual, multicultural 18-year-old with a lot more experience of life and literature under his belt. “Philistine” is a developmental stage that most people pass through; but it takes more than name-calling to help make the transition quicker and smoother. That’s part of what MuseBlog is about, Elias.

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201.1.1.1.1

Elias Eiholzer-Silver

in June 27th, 2009 @ 08:54

Appreciation of irony is also an essential part of the transition
Anyway, the main point is the difference between saying “the book IS bad” or “I THINK the book is bad”.
In addition, my use of the term “Philistine” was not an ad-hominem, it was an adjective used to describe the appreciation that someone might have of the book.

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201.1.1.1.2

oxlin

in August 4th, 2009 @ 23:59

“Phillistine” is also not the proper word to use as Palestinians are not uncultured. (This is not to say, Robert, that you used the word originally but I want to emphasize my point here.)

I agree with you, Robert.

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201.1.1.2

oxlin

in August 4th, 2009 @ 23:52

Please don’t use the word Philistine to mean uncultured. It means Palestinian.

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201.1.1.2.1

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in August 5th, 2009 @ 08:08

Does it? In its literal sense, I’ve never heard “Philistine” used in English to mean anything except “an inhabitant of ancient Philistia,” a nation that disappeared more than 2,300 years ago. Using it to refer to modern Palestinian Arabs would sound as strange to me as calling modern Turks Hittites.

(It’s true that the Arabic word for Palestine is “Falastin,” but that’s their language, not ours.)

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201.1.1.2.1.1

oxlin

in August 5th, 2009 @ 09:54

I am told that the offense comes from the similarity of “Philistine” and the Arabic pronunciation of Palestinian and not who the Philistines actually were. I think it is more important to consider courtesy than accuracy. Since it offends my friend, I would rather not use Philistine to mean uncultured.

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201.1.1.2.1.1.1

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in August 5th, 2009 @ 11:14

That’s considerate of you. When your friend does encounter the word, however, it might ease ens annoyance to know that when the word was first used in its modern figurative sense (apparently by German university students referring to local townspeople, around 1700) nobody had Palestinian Arabs remotely in mind, and that nobody who doesn’t know Arabic thinks about Palestinians on hearing the word today.

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201.1.1.2.1.1.1.1

oxlin

in August 5th, 2009 @ 11:58

I think that her emotions towards it are personal and mine have stemmed from her explanation of why it is offensive which lead me to become similarly offended. This is something that comes directly from the way that the word sounds to her and what it implies to her. Since she is not on this blog, I suppose she is not made uncomfortable by the use of the word but I am here and it makes me uncomfortable too, though I do not have the personal connection to it.

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201.1.1.2.1.1.2

Rebecca Lasley (Administrator)

in August 5th, 2009 @ 11:35

I certainly understand not wishing to offend your friend, but is it always a service to perpetuate misapprehension in the name of courtesy? Just one example, what if someone were offended by having ens beliefs labeled as homophobic or racist?

Excuse me if I’m not expressing myself clearly — I’m dull-witted from a long, late-night drive and little sleep — but such blanket statements about courtesy set off alarms in my mind. One doesn’t have to look far to find plenty of examples in which ignorant, ugly, or hateful behavior persists because people are fearful of being impolite for one reason or another.

From another angle, perhaps it is also a disservice to allow someone to continue to take offense where none is intended. I’m not saying it is or isn’t, just asking you to think through your statements.

[By the way, it took my brain so long to form sentences, I didn’t realize Robert had replied in the meantime.]

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201.1.1.2.1.1.2.1

oxlin

in August 5th, 2009 @ 12:01

I am not trying to accuse Elias of not meaning well but to point out that the use of this term is offensive to me and to others.

One can be someone who does not mean harm at all and accidentally say something homophobic or racist. I was not saying that Elias had the intent to offend but to point out the offense that can be taken. I would rather be able to be courteous around my friends than to take offense when people tell me that I have offended them.

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201.1.2

RoseQuartz

in June 28th, 2009 @ 14:23

It’s not terrible. It’s very well written, but it’s creepy and can scare you quite easily.

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201.2

oxlin

in June 27th, 2009 @ 22:38

Mm. Both Persepolis and The Arrival are good.

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202

Elias Eiholzer-Silver

in June 26th, 2009 @ 10:21

Recent reads:
Albert Camus – “The Stranger”
A wonderful testament to the vitality of atheists and the absurdity of the superior man’s place in a mediocre world.

Isabel Allende – “House of Spirits”
Very well written, but the fact that I already read Marquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude” makes any other south American magical realism seem dull and second-rate by comparison.

Currently reading:
Irene Nemirovsky – “Suite Francaise”
Don’t know what to think of it yet, too early into it.

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202.1

rabbity24

in June 26th, 2009 @ 13:32

my mom read suite francaise…. I think she liked it….

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202.2

Jakob Wonkychair

in June 26th, 2009 @ 13:44

Why hello, someone whose avatar is FrigidSymphony’s.

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202.2.1

Armada

in June 26th, 2009 @ 13:51

He is FrigidSymphony, grasshopper. Why would a neophyte impersonate FS?

Oh yeah. Welcome back, FS.

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202.2.1.1

Jakob Wonkychair

in June 26th, 2009 @ 13:57

Well, it could be a sibling of his using his email.

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202.2.1.1.1

Armada

in June 26th, 2009 @ 14:10

Uh….I suppose. But his real name is Elias.

Uh…..why are we arguing about this?

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202.2.1.1.1.1

Jakob Wonkychair

in June 26th, 2009 @ 14:21

*shrug* Dunno. I thought he was banned, that’s all.

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202.2.1.1.1.1.1

Armada

in June 26th, 2009 @ 14:33

Not anymore. Only for a week.

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202.2.1.1.2

POSOC

in June 26th, 2009 @ 14:15

He said once his first name was Elias, so it’s likely that this is the real McCoy.

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Elias Eiholzer-Silver

in June 26th, 2009 @ 18:13

Yar, ’tis me. I was banned for a week once quite some time ago for nastily talking back to people who expressed a desire for me to burn in hell. Good times. Good times. Anyway, I scanned the rules again and noticed that 18+ need to use their full name, so yeah. My musician’s pseudonym, however, is Elijah Fynmore, I’ve got some stuff on youtube.

Well, isn’t this fun! People not only remember me, but I daresay I detect an air of notoriety around my persona. Excellent.

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Rebecca Lasley (Administrator)

in June 26th, 2009 @ 18:19

Actually, over-18s who’ve been around for awhile have the option to keep their aliases if they prefer. Your choice.

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Elias Eiholzer-Silver

in June 26th, 2009 @ 18:22

I’d rather not, I use my alias for publishing choice articles on certain websites (music reviews and philosophical newsletters), and my pseudonym for musical products. Since I’m not doing either of those things here, I’ll stick with my real name.

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Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 26th, 2009 @ 18:30

How is The Stranger? I found it in an old box from my cousin’s house. Then I saw it in Barnes+Noble as “Notable Literature.” I have no idea what it is about…

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Elias Eiholzer-Silver

in June 27th, 2009 @ 03:03

Camus is an existentialist, so before reading The Stranger you might want to read up on existentialism, whether it’s Sartre or just the wikipedia page.
The Stranger is a short book, but it’s powerful, well-written, and brings its messages across very well. I’d heartily recommend it.

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oxlin

in June 27th, 2009 @ 22:39

Heh. We read both House of the Spirits and One Hundred Years of Solitude in school. Most of my classmates also preferred One Hundred Years of Solitude.

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203

muselover

in June 26th, 2009 @ 18:03

Okay, just so everyone knows, David Lubar is my favorite author ever. Hidden Talents was brilliant, as were Dunk and Flip. I also love his short story collections.

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204

vanillabean3.141

in June 26th, 2009 @ 18:08

I’m going to be on several loooooooooooooooooong plane rides this summer, so what are some good books? The fatter the better, and preferably fantasy/fiction.

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Elias Eiholzer-Silver

in June 26th, 2009 @ 18:20

Take a step up from “fantasy”. Try Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude”. Magical realism for your cop out needs, but it actually means something. Marquez is a fantastic writer, and One Hundred is the crowning achievement of the magical realism style as well as one of my favourite books.

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POSOC

in June 26th, 2009 @ 18:32

“Magical realism…” I’m not familiar with that style, but it sounds interesting.

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Alice

in June 26th, 2009 @ 19:14

I’ve heard of magical realism, but I’m not entirely sure how it’s defined.

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Purple Panda

in June 26th, 2009 @ 21:47

Just read a MÃ¡rquez story–you’ll understand immediately. Try A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings or The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World. We read both stories in Spanish class this year–they prompt great discussions.

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Elias Eiholzer-Silver

in June 27th, 2009 @ 03:07

Magical Realism is a writing style which uses our world, familiar to us for the geography, history, etc, and adds an element of “magic”, which means that things that would be physically impossible do happen and are treated as everyday occurrences. Things like ghosts, impossible meteorological phenomena, etc. What’s great about it though is that everything happens for a purpose, and is linked to some sort of symbolic meaning, rather than just gratuitous magic for the sake of being magic, like fantasy.

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Thanks For All The Fish42

in June 27th, 2009 @ 10:02

Have you seen Pan’s Labyrinth? I know that that is a movie, but it casually slips into fantasy; she goes to a fantasy world, but it interconnects with her world.

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Elias Eiholzer-Silver

in June 27th, 2009 @ 17:43

Great movie, and, surprise surprise, the director is Latin American. However if you really want to understand magical realism (and gain knowledge of a great cultural literary movement) I highly suggest you read Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude.
By the way, be careful not to confuse it with surrealism. The difference may be subtle, but it’s important.

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oxlin

in June 27th, 2009 @ 22:48

Pan’s Labyrinth is my favorite movie but it is not quite magical realism. You could also try Octavio Paz’s “My Life with the Wave”.

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POSOC

in June 27th, 2009 @ 17:58

Mm, that sounds remarkable. “Impossible meteorological phenomena” particularly caught my eye. I’ll have to look it up, thanks.

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Elias Eiholzer-Silver

in June 27th, 2009 @ 18:24

When it starts raining nonstop for 4 years I’d consider that impossible.

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soccer starr

in June 26th, 2009 @ 19:37

Two words: Percy Jackson. Percy Jackson. And more Percy Jackson. (Sorry that was actually…*counts the words* eight words, not two. But you get the idea.) Actually, the whole series has been discussed quite frequently on this thread, and so if you want to know more about it you can here. (I’ve talked about it quite a few times myself, actually-just be careful, because I know there are several spoilers lurking around.) Although I wouldn’t say they that they rank highly in the fattest books category, they are definitely fantasy. And a bonus: there are five books in the series, which I personally like on long plane rides.

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rabbity24

in June 28th, 2009 @ 13:58

How about the complete King Arthur books, you know, Sword in the Stone, the something King, yaddah yaddah, I can’t come up with the title, The Once and future King maybe it’s called? I read the first one and it was good, plus it’s a little longer than any of the Harry Potter books, a classic, and it’s full of magic from Merlin

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205

Alice

in June 28th, 2009 @ 14:21

204.3- The Once and Future King, yes. I’ve actually never read that one. I did read The Sword in the Stone, it was good. And something else by the same author…what was it called…I think it had “master” in the title, but it wasn’t The Good Master, because that’s something else entirely. (Good book though.)

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Jakob Wonkychair

in June 28th, 2009 @ 14:50

I just bought the Ultimate H2G2!

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RoseQuartz

in June 28th, 2009 @ 14:54

A warning: it tends to fall apart. I have it, and… well…. it’s pretty much unreadable at the moment.

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Jakob Wonkychair

in June 28th, 2009 @ 15:04

Really? It seems in good condition to me. It’s the paperback version.

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RoseQuartz

in June 28th, 2009 @ 15:13

So is mine. Believe me, once you’ve read it a couple of times, it will be dead. Just treat it like a jewel and maybe it’ll be OK…

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Thanks For All The Fish42

in July 1st, 2009 @ 11:19

I have that copy… I’ve only read it once, but it seems to be durable…

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RoseQuartz

in June 28th, 2009 @ 15:13

Argh, stupid italics…

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208

Adeia

in June 28th, 2009 @ 15:32

I LOVE THE ABARAT SERIES! It is awesome… it is by Clive Barker…

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RoseQuartz

in July 1st, 2009 @ 10:52

I’m doing some online shopping today… got a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card and a $20 Amazon card for my birthday last month (well, May 22nd). My cart so far: Good Omens, Equal Rites, Mort, The Light Fantastic. I almost got Tithe and Ironside, but I read the reviews and decided it wasn’t worth it…. am I missing out here?

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soccer starr

in July 5th, 2009 @ 14:26

Book shopping! My favorite type of shopping! (Is a nerd…)

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Enceladus

in August 5th, 2009 @ 06:20

Me too! *is also a nerd*

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SudoRandom

in August 5th, 2009 @ 08:06

Did someone say nerd? Oh, hey! Book shoppers! High Fives all around! *nerdiness galore*

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oxlin

in August 4th, 2009 @ 23:51

Get War for the Oaks by Emma Bull instead. Tithe and Ironside are good but not worth buying. There are always libraries!

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Silver Lining

in July 5th, 2009 @ 12:41

Stephanie Meyer came up with another way-too-long, sappy fantasy romance novel called The Host. *skips off*

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Alice

in July 5th, 2009 @ 12:53

209- Tithe was good. I wouldn’t say it was particularly remarkable, and I’m sure there are better books of that type. I enjoyed it enough to read it almost straight through, but when it was done, it didn’t really stick with me. I didn’t spend hours pondering it and wandering about in a daze like I do with really good books. I haven’t read Ironside.

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oxlin

in August 4th, 2009 @ 23:50

“and Iâ€™m sure there are better books of that type”

yeah. like War for the Oaks by Emma Bull.

I like what you do with really good books.

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Jadestone

in July 5th, 2009 @ 13:43

209- Good Omens is an amazing wonderful marvelous book and you need to go read it right now.

Seriously it made me consider becoming a writer again… the life jumped in my face but it’s such a good read.

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RoseQuartz

in July 5th, 2009 @ 14:33

I know!!! I just finished it and it was AMAZING.

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Armada

in July 11th, 2009 @ 18:32

Yeah, it was awesome. Gaiman and Pratchett need to do more books like that.

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213

Alice

in July 5th, 2009 @ 13:57

Ugh.

Long, long ago, ~~in a galaxy far, far away~~ my mother suggested that I write down all the books I had read. I didn’t. Several years later, I decided to try again, so I did. I gave up because I couldn’t remember what I had already put on the list. This morning, I thought, “I can eliminate that problem by alphabetizing!” so now I’m alphabetizing my previous list and it’s very time consuming as well as kind of exciting because I keep seeing titles and thinking “that was good, I should reread that” and I think I might give Diana Wynne Jones another try.

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Zallie

in July 5th, 2009 @ 22:53

213 – On that note, here are all the books I read this month!

June Books

25. Sophieâ€™s Choice, William Styron
– Unfortunately, I knew where this one was going, so it wasn’t as heartbreaking as it should have been. Nonetheless, it’s a beautiful (ly tragic) story.

26. Shards of Honor, Lois McMaster Bujold
Reread!

27. Barrayar, Lois McMaster Bujold
Reread!

28. Witch Baby, Francesca Lia Block
These books are so weird, yet oddly charming. There’s some really inspired language, for sure, and a lot of mature themes for what are supposedly childrens books.

29. The Warriorâ€™s Apprentice, Lois McMaster Bujold
Reread! I have a HUGE literary crush on Mikes Vorkosigan.

30. The Vor Game, Lois McMaster Bujold
Reread!

31. The Laramie Project, Moises Kaufman
This play is a nice idea, but I felt it was a bit overdone.

32. Cetaganda, Lois McMaster Bujold
Reread!

33. Ethan of Athos, Lois McMaster Bujold
Reread!

34. Borders of Infinity/Labyrinth, Lois McMaster Bujold
Reread! Borders of Infinity is incredibly brilliant.

35. Gathering the Tribes, Carolyn Forche
Her poetry is so rural and perfect. She has a way of describing things that’s really remarkable, yet simple and true.

36. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith
Reread! This was/is a childhood favourite. It’s still sweet and poignant.

37. Brothers in Arms, Lois McMaster Bujold
Reread!

38. Angels in America, Millenium Approcaches, Tony Kushner
I don’t know what to make of this play. I want to like it a lot, but the way it was going at the end of Part One, was really, really bizarre and I don’t know if I approve or not.

39. Mirror Dance, Lois McMaster Bujold
Reread!

My mother made me make a list when I was little, which I kept up for several years. I restarted the list idea last summer, and I’m attempting to read 100 books this year, so my numbers are my progress thus far. As you can see, June was a really good month for me!

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vanillabean3.141 (Minka)

in July 6th, 2009 @ 23:48

Wow, that’s really good! All I’ve done recently is reread all of the Harry Potters, as well as the companion books.

The new Pretty Little Liars book came out: Killer. Has anybody read that series? It’s rather mature in some parts, but it’s very gripping. I spent an entire weekend just reading the first four books.

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Alice

in July 8th, 2009 @ 20:17

Agh. -dies-

I’m reading JS&MN for what? the fourth time? fifth? Fifth, I think. And yet it is just as distressing as every other time I’ve read it (I just got to the third book), perhaps more so because I know that it ends…not badly, but not completely happily even so. And I keep thinking how certain choices led to sad things and it’s making me sad.

Stories that end make me sad, but sequels are mostly dissatisfying.

My copy of JS&MN is really beat up. I’ve had it for four-and-a-half years, and in that time, it’s been read at least eight times by various people, been through a house fire, been toted around with me for some time, and referred to at least once a month for some quote or favorite scene. It lost its dust jacket in the fire, and then the front cover was coming off, so I was obliged to stitch a piece of black fabric onto the binding to hold the cover on. It’s a good thing my dad got me a hardback…

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Alice

in July 8th, 2009 @ 20:21

I get the feeling I’ve posted pretty much everything in the above post before, possibly all in one point, certainly in two or three. I think I was going to make a point when I embarked on my account of the book’s sufferings, but I forgot what it was. I’ve probably posted it somewhere else already.

Oh! I got an ID picture for this program I was in, and I was reading JS&MN.

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muselover

in July 11th, 2009 @ 17:22

I know I’ll sound stupid for saying this, but, what is JS&MN?

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RoseQuartz

in July 11th, 2009 @ 17:39

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. It’s a book.

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Alice

in July 11th, 2009 @ 18:24

Read it. Now.

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RoseQuartz

in July 14th, 2009 @ 17:48

I tried. I failed. No offense, but it bored me to death! None of the characters were likeable, and the plot was nearly nonexistent. I stopped somewhere after 300 pages.

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Alice

in July 16th, 2009 @ 16:59

-shuns-

Characters don’t have to be likeable! I hate half the characters I read about! Anyway, I like Strange. And Childermass. And Sir Walter. And Arabella. And Stephen. And the Raven King. And Flora Greysteel. And Vinculus, to a certain extent. My friend L likes Norrell and Henry Woodhope (though she hasn’t finished the book, so she doesn’t know how horrible Norrell becomes). We both like Segundus. (Don’t tell me you don’t like Segundus! He’s so nice.) There are such a lot of characters, you must be able to find at least one that you like.
Anyway, more plot turns up later. You’re less than halfway in, give it a chance.

What do you like?

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RoseQuartz

in July 16th, 2009 @ 17:18

I don’t really like Strange very much yet (okay, fine, I’ll try it again). I hate Norrell. He’s so full of it. Fine, Segundus is nice, but he doesn’t really do much, does he?

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Alice

in July 16th, 2009 @ 18:32

Segundus? He does more later. Norrell is unpleasant. Strange doesn’t really get better, but he may grow on you.

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muselover

in July 20th, 2009 @ 15:04

Never heard of it. Oh well…

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218

vanillabean3.141

in July 13th, 2009 @ 01:44

a anyone read The Screwtape Letters? It’s a book by C. S. Lewis. It’s very good, and although it does have a religious theme, I would recommend it to people of all religions, and atheists too.

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219

Thanks For All The Fish42

in July 14th, 2009 @ 19:03

I just picked up Anne Frank. I’m really excited to finally be able to read it! I haven’t read much yet… Has anyone read Maus I and II? They’re absolutely wonderful!

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rabbity24

in July 15th, 2009 @ 12:16

Has anyone read My Antonia? My dad loves it and wants me to read it after I finish school stuff but I’ve heard mixed reviews.

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221

Silver Lining

in July 15th, 2009 @ 12:42

I just finished reading The True Meaning of Smekday. Hysterical book, highly recommended by me….

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222

Alice

in July 16th, 2009 @ 17:05

219- Oh no. Anne Frank is a terrible book. Nothing happens! Which might be all right if Anne Frank wasn’t so annoying. It’s just the diary of a teenage girl who hates her family. She doesn’t even talk that much about being stuck in a cupboard. I’m not blaming Anne Frank for writing a dreadful book, because it’s a diary; it was never meant to be interesting to anyone but the person concerned. it’s just that then people decided it was a good story and published it. Her circumstances are certainly unpleasant and frightening, but they don’t make an otherwise totally pointless story good or interesting or enlightening. If she hadn’t been in hiding, the subject matter might easily have been the same (well, some of it) and no one would think it remotely a good story.

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Elias Eiholzer-Silver

in July 16th, 2009 @ 17:52

Anne Frank is a historical document, not a book. It gets marketed as a book because it’s a Jewish girl who gets killed. Of course, we all know that when a white girl dies it’s a tragedy, but if she’s black or Mexican… meh. Anyway, don’t read it as a book. Read it as a historical text. Which it is. And not a very good one at that.

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soccer starr

in August 4th, 2009 @ 10:03

Alice-I’m pretty sure that it was Anne’s father who decided to put the diary together and publish it. I’m not positive if that’s true, but that’s what I remember.

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222.3

Rainbow*Star

in August 4th, 2009 @ 10:14

If you want to read about the Holocaust, read Once by Morris Gleitzman. It’s fictional, but I think it gives a good idea of life then, It made me cry, though.

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223

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in July 19th, 2009 @ 12:33

I read Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights over vacation. I loved Jane Eyre but disliked Wuthering Heights. I disliked every single character in WUthering Heights except for Nelly and she was the narrator, so the whole book is about these people that you despise! Arg.

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Jakob Wonkychair

in July 23rd, 2009 @ 15:28

Everybody is whiny and messed up except for Nelly.
I just finished David Copperfield! * smacks Uriah Heep with a frying pan*

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224

Alice

in July 22nd, 2009 @ 14:48

I just watched the 1981 BBC version of Great Expectations. I won’t go into everything they got wrong (although I will say that I am rather put out at their entirely leaving out the connection between Compeyson and Miss Havisham), because it would take too long and anyway it wasn’t a half bad version (though the theme music rather got on my nerves…). However, the ending is positively appalling. I don’t know what Dickens was thinking when he let Pip and Estella get together in the end. Didn’t he write the last chapter because people wanted a happy ending, or something? And I like some of the last chapter, for instance, I like to think that Pip became a partner in Clarriker and Co., because it’s depressing the way Herbert went off to Cairo and Pip stayed in London and they never saw each other again (plus Herbert is my favorite), but Pip + Estella? It’s a bit much!

-rants on-

I’m going to the library to check out the book now. Yay!

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Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in July 22nd, 2009 @ 15:32

As I understand it, Dickens wrote two different endings to Great Expectations. In the version I read in ninth grade, ***SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER*** Pip and Estella do not wind up together at the end. My teacher told us that the happy ending came later, after readers complained — just as you say.

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Alice

in July 22nd, 2009 @ 16:46

Yes, I only wish the version that I have access to didn’t have that ending. And that BBC didn’t include it, because I really can’t imagine a wronger ending. But ah well, I’ll just pretend it isn’t happy.

The first time I read the book, I didn’t get the impression that they ended up together at all. I interpreted the last line as saying that it was OK that they were parting, hence the lack of shadow, you know? I thought Pip was over Estella. He realized that she was a horrible person and even if she was still part of him, it wasn’t so tragic. But then I realized that every other person in the world interpreted it that they didn’t part at all, and that that was how Dickens had meant it, and it became dreadful.

I wonder if the original last chapter is online somewhere, or something.

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224.1.1.1

the Book Thief (awesome book, by the way)

in July 24th, 2009 @ 15:12

You get the imperison from many of Dickens’s original books that he was a cynical, depressed guy (i.e. A Tale Of Two Cities) but all his books are excellent…

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225

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in July 23rd, 2009 @ 11:59

Currently, I’m reading 1776 for my US History summer reading! It’s actually fascinating for a history book. I was pleasantly surprised.

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226

Sequoia

in July 23rd, 2009 @ 16:02

I just read an awesome book. It’s called Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas. It’s wriiten in free verse which makes it a very quick read. My mom actually went to the same school that the author did!

I highly recommend this book!!!!

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227

SudoRandom

in July 24th, 2009 @ 10:00

I’m currently reading Flowers For Algernon. I’m scared to finish it.

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227.1

POSOC

in July 24th, 2009 @ 11:01

I know, you get this horrible sense of approaching doom, right? You see Charlie’s intelligence deteriorating- and he knows it, he’s still articulate enough to express it. *shudder*

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RoseQuartz

in July 24th, 2009 @ 11:13

I’ve read that. It’s kind of sad. Don’t be scared to finish it–*spoilerspoiler* he doesn’t die. At least not in the story. The ending is sad though.

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POSOC

in August 5th, 2009 @ 15:25

It would have been a happier ending if he’d died. But that’s just me- I fear losing my mental faculties, yet remaining alive, more than dying.

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RoseQuartz

in August 17th, 2009 @ 19:07

I think he does, though. *spoilerspoilerspoilerspoilerspoilerspoilerspoilerspoilerspoilerspoiler* Die, that is.

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228

the Book Thief (awesome book, by the way)

in July 24th, 2009 @ 15:09

I read an incredible, though slightly disturbing book called The Thirteenth Tale recently. Anyone read it?

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229

purplefinch

in July 25th, 2009 @ 21:26

I fell asleep reading Proust today, and I suspect that it will not be the last time that this happens. Oh dear.

Tess of the D’Urbervilles! I enjoyed it, though… aaaahh! The ending. Humph. Some of Thomas Hardy’s ideas were interesting. Not really sure what to say… it was an easier read, language-wise, than I was expecting. Will write more about it later?

I do not enjoy Ayn Rand in the slightest, and having finished all of Atlas Shrugged (did skip most of the twenty page radio rant in the middle, though), I feel rather qualified to make that judgement.

I ordered a book of contemporary poetry (McSweeney’s Book of Poets Picking Poets) online, and it is fantastic. Not every single poem, but so many of them… I don’t read as much poetry as I’d like to, so I thought it would be a good introduction. And I am kind of amazed. I am also trying to read some of Jacques Pervert’s poems, except they are in French, so I am going very. very. very. slowly. I’ve packed Le Petit Prince to read while at camp, so hopefully I will be able to understand the French well enough. (In case you can’t tell, I can’t wait until I’ll be able to read a foreign language well enough to read real, long books in it–no more translations for me! If I ever manage to…)

214-I saw The Laramie Project live, and was pretty impressed by it. It was kind of difficult, but really moving. Not sure, though, what it would be like to read it… I can see how it might look overdone when not performed.

59-If I ever get a pet of my very own, I shall name it General Woundwort . XD

228-I’ve seen the book before, though I’ve not read it… should I?

As John Hodgman says,

That is all.

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229.1

the Book Thief (awesome book, by the way)

in July 28th, 2009 @ 13:17

absolutely….. it is incredible, just a little disturbing. Like the Yellow Wallpaper sort of disturbing, except the yellow wallpaper was an awful short story and the thirteenth tale is an amazing book.

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230

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in July 26th, 2009 @ 15:07

Yay! I finished 1776! *does happy dance*

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230.1

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in July 26th, 2009 @ 15:12

1776? The Broadway musical?

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230.1.1

Enceladus (The Returned)

in July 26th, 2009 @ 15:24

The book about the American Revolution. Y’know, the one written by the guy who wrote “1491”?

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kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in July 26th, 2009 @ 20:57

He wrote 1491? What happened then? *knows that self sounds very stupid but is too lazy at the moment to figure it out for self*

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Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in July 26th, 2009 @ 21:14

1491 was about the New World just before Columbus arrived. (It’s subtitled “New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus.”) The books had different authors, though. Charles Mann wrote 1491; David McCullough write 1776.

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kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in July 30th, 2009 @ 17:56

Oh. OK.

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230.1.2

Axa

in August 4th, 2009 @ 11:30

Smoeone oughta oooooooooooooooooooooopen up the windowwww

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231

vanillabean3.141

in July 28th, 2009 @ 09:01

A Northern Light was really good, for those of you who like historical fiction.

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231.1

the Book Thief (awesome book, by the way)

in July 28th, 2009 @ 13:14

I loved a Northern Light… it kind of creeped me out, but I LOVED IT

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231.2

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in July 30th, 2009 @ 17:56

YEah, it was OK. I read it a long time ago.

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232

Thanks For All The Fish42

in July 30th, 2009 @ 19:20

Has anyone read Let Me In? It’s Swedish (of course translated)! It’s also known as Let the Right One In. I’ve only read a hundred pages, but so far, it’s been very disturbing! I LOVE IT! The main plot is about an old vampire(whose body is twelve) who falls in love with a twelve year old boy. The boy is bullied very cruelly. He has many problems, and fantasizes about killing the people who bully him. He even stand his knife in a tree everyday. It’s also a movie. It is supposed to be one of the great vampire novels. If no one has read it, please do! I want to discuss it!

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233

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in August 2nd, 2009 @ 13:44

232) Wow. That sounds weird.

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233.1

Thanks For All The Fish42

in August 2nd, 2009 @ 18:08

It’s soooo good. It is the TRUE vampire love story. I still haven’t finished it, but I’ve read about 50 pages a day, and it really is great.

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234

Tesseract

in August 2nd, 2009 @ 13:53

A Brief Summary of Silent Spring

(Technically spoilers, but I really doubt anyone cares.)

Once upon a time, there was a town with lots of lovely farms nearby. Then a plane flew over and sprayed it with a billion pounds of DDT and dieldrin and arsenic. All the bugs and birds and bunnies died, and all the humans got sick. In conclusion, pesticides are bad.

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234.1

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in August 2nd, 2009 @ 20:40

I haven’t read it, but that book is awesome! It was, after all, the beginning of the environmental movement.

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234.1.1

Tesseract

in August 2nd, 2009 @ 21:53

Which is of course a really good thing! I had to read it for a summer assignment for APES, though, and basically every paragraph says variations on the same thing. At least it’s well-written.

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235

Rainbow*Star

in August 2nd, 2009 @ 16:44

Has anyone (besides Zinc, I mean) read anything by Wendy Mass? I’ve read:
Mango-Shaped Space
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall
Every Soul a Star (my favorite)

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235.1

Kiga

in August 2nd, 2009 @ 17:16

DO NOT get me started on Wendy Mass. Lately I’ve become so obsessed with everything she writes it’s hard to write my own stuff sometimes. I so love her writing!!!

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235.2

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in August 2nd, 2009 @ 20:40

I don’t think so…

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235.3

vanillabean3.141 (Minka)

in August 3rd, 2009 @ 16:23

I read A Mango-Shaped Space, and that was pretty good. I thought I saw another book by her, and the title had something to do with peanut butter. I should look into those…

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235.3.1

Kiga

in August 5th, 2009 @ 08:19

That was Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, probably, because that has peanut butter.

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235.4

SilverLeopard

in August 5th, 2009 @ 16:07

I read all her books, just in backwards order of their publishings. A Mango Shaped Space is my favorite. No contest.

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236

Axa

in August 4th, 2009 @ 11:48

1776/ David McCullough — If you liked that…you should read John Adams! I also have 1776 and The Path Between the Seas (about the Panama Canal and TR being hilarious).

I’ve been engaging in marathon reading sessions. I finished Persuasion two days ago, and then yesterday I read The Catcher in the Rye (required reading), Today I may or may not read all of a certain collection of Greek myths (also required reading). I don’t want to break my streak but I have to be gone for about two hours today so I don’t know. ra ra ra!

I enjoyed Persuasion very much, even more than Emma to be truthful. I am disturbed by the fact that Captain Wentworth is played by (in some adaption or other) the same guy who played the mayor of Casterbridge in The Mayor of Casterbridge since that story (and all of Thomas Hardy’s books) is utterly and soul-crushingly depressing.

Silent Spring — Ah, that book reminds me of Good Tymes in ap bio and no one remembering the author’s name on an early quiz and forever cursing it afterward. It comes up in AP US History as well, if you’re taking that. Beyond my fond memeories of said class though she is awesome, kicks butt and takes names, etc

232 — I think that was made into a movie?

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236.1

RoseQuartz

in August 4th, 2009 @ 11:54

I think he said “I think it’s also a movie” at some point in the comment, so yes, it was made into a movie.

0
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237

Thanks For All The Fish42

in August 5th, 2009 @ 11:38

And another thing…, the sixth book in HG2G, is supposed to come out in October. It’s written by Eoin Colfer. I don’t know if whether or not it will be good, but it most certainly won’t be as good as the first five… Also, has anyone read The Salmon of Doubt? I’ve just recently found out about it. Let’s hope Eoin does the series justice!

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237.1

muselover

in August 5th, 2009 @ 14:24

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! EOIN COLFER WILL TOTALLY MESS UP THE SERIES! HE SHOULD JUST GO WORK ON AF7! GRRRR… (goes and mopes for a few months)

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237.1.1

Thanks For All The Fish42

in August 5th, 2009 @ 14:54

Don’t worry… It won’t matter if he makes a bad book. You can just pretend that his book doesn’t exist. I’m going to give him a chance. I don’t know how he will write with this situation; the one in the book, and in real life.

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237.1.2

Cello-Playing Mathematician

in August 7th, 2009 @ 16:21

muselover- *totally agrees*

TFATF42- (just because I don’t want to post another comment) Well, whenever I read a sequel that completely ruins the series (which I have done more than once), I tend to dwell on its badness. It’s hard to completely forget about something, so that’s why I’m not even going to give Mr. Colfer the smallest of chances. The probability that he will mess up the entire series for me is so overwhelming that it’s best (for me anyway) to not read the book at all.

*apologizes for the very long paragraph*

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237.1.2.1

Thanks For All The Fish42

in August 7th, 2009 @ 19:41

I totally understand that a book can ruin the series… I’ve just decided to myself that I’m going to read it, and be able to say that I’ve read it. I just have to read it… I can’t just ignore it.

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237.1.2.1.1

muselover

in August 9th, 2009 @ 18:04

Me too.

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238

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in August 6th, 2009 @ 15:00

236) Yeah. I’m wishing I could read that book now, since that was a choice for our second summer reading book, but, instead, I’m reading Adams and Jefferson, which is… well… something I dread.

I had to read a collection of Greek myths, Edith Hamilton’s, 2 years ago and it wasn’t so bad. I’ve read Catcher in the Rye, but I didn’t like it very much.

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239

Axa

in August 6th, 2009 @ 16:09

238– oh man, don’t dread it. adams and tjeff were bff in the end, and had a long and very interesting friendship. I have a collection of all their correspondence (it’s ENORMOUS). I recommend renting the HBO John Adams miniseries because it’s excellent and you get to see the human side of it all, which textbooks generally fail to impart. Also, I am a nerd for all of this so maybe I am biased, but to me it is FASCINATING. Do you have to read all of this for APUSH?

Everyone complains, but I love Greek mythology and I think Edith Hamilton does a great job. I am still puzzling over Catcher in the Rye. I think it’s one of those books where it’s very easy to miss things because of the first person narration.

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239.1

Cello-Playing Mathematician

in August 7th, 2009 @ 16:24

Ever since I read Catcher in the Rye, I’ve been finding references everywhere to it and annoying the cake out of my friends. But seriously, we spent about a month on that book talking about it every day in class, and it got drilled into my head.

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239.1.1

Axa

in August 7th, 2009 @ 22:57

ha, I’m really interested to hear what my esteemed peers thought of it. I hope we do talk about it, sometimes summer reading only merits a test and then gets pushed aside.

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239.2

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in August 7th, 2009 @ 21:23

Yeah, I have to read it for APUSH. *sigh*

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239.2.1

Axa

in August 7th, 2009 @ 22:54

EXCELLENT. Have fun with APUSH, hopefully you’ll have The American Pageant as your textbook, it ‘s basically a book of puns and catchphrases.

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240

Cello-Playing Mathematician

in August 7th, 2009 @ 16:27

Re: Holocaust books- Night probably beats evey Holocaust book ever written hands down. I got so sad after reading that one book that I had nightmares for the entire week!

Anyway, I’m currently working on Dragonlance again. I’m not starting from the beginning, though, because that would take forever without adequate transportation to the library (which I have none). So, I’m starting where I left off about a year ago: The War of Souls.

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241

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in August 9th, 2009 @ 13:35

Hmmmmmmmmm. Catcher in the Rye… I read it a long time ago. I just remember that I thought the main character had a foul mouth. I recall that he left school but kept in contact with an ENglish teacher… I think. And it ended in an unsatifactory way for me, but I can’t remember why. Alas.

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242

Alice

in August 9th, 2009 @ 14:47

Re: Catcher in the Rye: It was pretty good, but it didn’t always make much sense.

Still reading Bleak House. It’s a great book, though I sometimes feel that there is more exposition in the dialogue than is strictly necessary, given the omniscience of the narrator. And the Spontaneous Combustion chapter was kind of weird and didn’t make a great deal of sense.
I saw an adaption from the 80s before reading the book, so when I did read the book I was kind of surprised to find whole subplots and sets of characters that I was unaware of. And I was kind of frustrated with the movie because SSSSSSPPPPPOOOOOIIIIIIIILLLLLLEEEEERRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSS Esther and Mr. Woodcourt didn’t seem to interact at all and then they ended up marrying, which I thought was the fault of the moviemakers, cutting out half the plot as usual, but it turns out that Esther avoids the matter so very much that there was very little to be done for it. Of course, it was the fault of the moviemakers to some extent, because I can think of ways to make their relationship apparent, but it would have been much more difficult to convey than I had originally thought, so I forgive them.

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243

Kokonilly

in August 9th, 2009 @ 16:27

I have to read The Crucible for Honors American Literature. Has anybody else read it? If so, is it any good?

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243.1

Cello-Playing Mathematician (AKA Kyra)

in August 10th, 2009 @ 15:30

Oh, that’s the play, right (just realized there was an unintentional pun there after typing the word “playwright”)? We read it at the beginning of the year last year. It’s not that bad. Arthur Miller is a great playwright. It’s pretty sad, has a good love story, and the antagonist is super creepy. All and all, pretty good.

(OhmygoshIjustrealizedthatit’sbeenanentireyearalreadymybraincan’tcomprehenditI’malmostajuniornowohmygosh)

Sorry, that was a little rant that I just had to get out of my head.

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243.2

Fio

in August 10th, 2009 @ 15:43

I read it for my APEnglish class last year. It was really good, especially since my class read most of it out loud.

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244

Cello-Playing Mathematician (AKA Kyra)

in August 10th, 2009 @ 15:36

So, I went to the library yesterday and all of their Dragonlance books were gone. I got some science fiction novellas instead.
I also went to the bookstore today and discovered that the last Dragonlance book (for now) has just come out. I’ve gotta catch up!

This is my reading list for the summer and I was wondering if anyone could help me out with their opinions on which one would be the best to read. I have to pick one.

Othello by William Shakespeare
The Tempest by William Shakespeare
Go Down Moses by William Faulkner
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
Light In August by William Faulkner
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
Magister Ludi by Herman Hesse
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

Personally, I was thinking Go Down Moses or The Tempest just because those were the two that my parents happened to have. I started The Tempest and didn’t get very far (my inability to follow the language caught up with me again). I looked at Go Down Moses a bit and it looked pretty interesting, though I’ve heard from numerous family members that Faulkner is hard to read (though none of them have actually read this particular Faulkner book).

Anyway, do you have any suggestions as to which one I should choose? I’d appreciate any advice.

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244.1

Elias Eiholzer-Silver

in August 10th, 2009 @ 16:06

McCarthy, Joyce or Faulkner.

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244.2

RoseQuartz

in August 17th, 2009 @ 19:05

The Tempest. No question.

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244.3

Cello-Playing Mathematician (AKA Kyra)

in August 20th, 2009 @ 00:11

Following up on this, I decided to go with Go Down Moses. It’s pretty good so far! I finished the first story but lost the plotline around the end. Maybe I’ll read the first one again after I finish the entire book and see if it’s any more clear.

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245

Fio

in August 10th, 2009 @ 16:59

Has anybody read Les Mis? I’ve borrowed it from the library a couple of times but haven’t managed to finish it yet. I’m reading it in English, because even though I probably know French well enough to understand the original, my library only has an English copy.

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245.1

fireandhemlock1996

in August 10th, 2009 @ 20:11

I read it after one year (I think the summer when I was erm, what, well, it was in between third and fourth grade for me…..) my music camp did Les Mis for the musical which I of course was in….it was great fun, and so I had to read the book of course. That music camp was great……… and so is Les Mis. It didn’t take me very long to read, though. Maybe a week or so…..?

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246

Thanks For All The Fish42

in August 12th, 2009 @ 20:11

I’m feeling a bit sad… I was in Barnes&Noble (If i could, I would live there) and I saw a schmancy The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galxy, and it was only twenty dollars. It even had golden tipped pages.

Golden. Tipped.

This was the master of all books. The problem was that I own the same book in paperback, and without, golden. Tipped. Pages. It was staring at me, taunting me. I just wanted to grab it and take it home. But I couldn’t. It was torture.

I want it.

A lot.

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246.1

JJjetplane-girlw/catsâ„¢

in August 12th, 2009 @ 20:47

That HG2G edition was passed down to me from my father.
No seriously. He introduced me to the series, before I ever blogged here.

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246.2

Cello-Playing Mathematician (AKA Kyra)

in August 20th, 2009 @ 00:13

That’s pretty amazing. I just have the plain old paperback edition. It has served me well.

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247

bookgirl_me

in August 13th, 2009 @ 03:43

246- Welcome to the wonderful world of my nightmares. I always end up dreaming of being in an (english) bookstore or a library, and then as soon as I reach out for the books they disappear somehow, or someone turns on the dimmer. I’ve have variations of that dream hundreds of times. The last time I went to a Barnes and Nobles, yI had to hold on to the shelves, thinking something like “this is real, this is really real” all the time.

227.2.1- Look at it this way; at least you’d be happy. One of my worst fears is going blind.

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248

KaiYves

in August 16th, 2009 @ 18:14

Earlier today, I decided to re-read some books in a series called The Bailey School Kids that I’d bought and enjoyed when I was younger. Every book is about four kids suspecting an adult of being some supernatural creature and then trying to prove it and then get rid of them if they seem to have ill intent. If the adult is supernatural or not is always left ambiguous.

Now, when you’re about the age of the kids in the book (Seven or eight), you agree with them and think that the adult is obviously a supernatural creature and needs to be stopped by any means necessary or it will be the end of the school/their city/the world.

But upon re-reading, you see how absolutely SCANTY some of the “evidence” that’s enough to convince the kids is, and then consider how HORRIBLE some of the stuff they do to these adults is considering that they’re probably completely innocent…

I mean, suppose they’re WRONG about the violin player whose romantic life they ruined? Or the gym coach they let a swarm of bees loose on and then tackled?

It’s a bit harder to root for kids who throw water on their drama teacher convinced she’s an evil robot when the overwhelming evidence indicates she isn’t. Or, in the most extreme example, kids who blew up their art teacher’s garage because of what really seemed, upon re-reading, to be a string of coincidences.

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248.1

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in August 17th, 2009 @ 18:18

I know. I used to read those books.

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0

248.1.1

KaiYves

in August 21st, 2009 @ 17:42

I worry a bit about what those kids must have done when they grew up…

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248.2

Elias Eiholzer-Silver

in August 21st, 2009 @ 18:18

I used to read the Boxcar Children stories when I was little. I knew it was time to stop when my reaction to their “discoveries” started being: “Well, f***ing DUH!”

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248.3

Rainbow

in August 21st, 2009 @ 19:51

Grown-Up: *acts strangely*
Lisa: Oh no! Grown-Up must be a Mythological Creature!
Melody: Gasp! You’re right! But, why would a Mythological Creature come to Bailey City?
Kid that I forget the name of: Hey, maybe en wants to carry out Suspicious Plan!
Eddie: That’s stupid. You guys have rocks in your heads.
Kid that I forget the name of: I know, let’s stop en by carrying out Generic Monster-Fighting Plan!
Eddie: I still don’t believe you, but Generic Monster-Fighting Plan sounds awesome!
Kids: *carry out plan*
Grown-Up: Gah! *is mildly inconvenienced*
Kids: Well, we still don’t know if Grown-Up was a Mythological Creature or not, but it was better to be on the safe side.

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249

Jakob Wonkychair

in August 18th, 2009 @ 07:39

Ah, I want to keep reading Two Years Before the Mast but I can’t. It isn’t interesting enough. There are virtually no names in the entire book!
*601st comment*

0
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250

iridian4

in August 19th, 2009 @ 16:52

I am hooked on the Gallagher Girl and Blue Blood series! they are sooooo interesting!

0
0
251

soccer starr

in August 19th, 2009 @ 18:27

I am officially obsessed with Percy Jackson. Someone please share my obsession with me!!! (Sorry, I know that this isn’t a very useful post, but please don’t PoPo me. I’ve been thinking about this for so long that I just had to get it out somewhere and I thought that this would be a good place to do it…)

0
0

251.1

RoseQuartz

in August 19th, 2009 @ 18:42

Sorry, my obsession is already taken for the month; it’s Death Note until further notice.

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0

251.1.1

soccer starr

in August 20th, 2009 @ 07:03

Alright, alright. But there has GOT to be someone else out there who’s obsessed with PJO, right?! Please?

0
0

251.1.1.1

fireandhemlock1996

in August 20th, 2009 @ 08:31

Well, it’s pretty good, I’ll give you that. I’m still reading the latest book though.

0
0

251.2

SilverLeopard

in August 22nd, 2009 @ 06:49

Kind of. I saw the preview for the movie. Olympus looks rather dark and scary.

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252

Daisy*chain

in August 19th, 2009 @ 18:59

I read Un Lun Dun… It’s quite good.
If you like Alice in Wonderland, you would like it… And it shares a kind of idea with Neverwhere. It’s very nice.

0
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253

fireandhemlock1996

in August 19th, 2009 @ 19:15

251-and my obsessiveness is usually used up for various animes and mangas, and of course all books by Robert Jordan, Tad Williams, DWJ, Brian Jaques, Sharon Creech, and Kathryn Lasky. I can’t wait for Shadowrise to come out! Also the Dragons of Ordinary Farm rocks.

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254

kiwimuncher (3 B-Day points) (50 Muszey points)

in August 21st, 2009 @ 15:42

I’m reading the Ropemaker. Has anyone read that?

0
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255

Elias Eiholzer-Silver

in August 21st, 2009 @ 18:20

Spied a collection of short stories by Charles Bukowski today. Snatched it up, as I had been meaning to buy something of his for quite a while.

Without a doubt, the most underrated author in the English language.

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256

kiwimuncher

in August 25th, 2009 @ 09:00

Dude. I just noticed that this section has over 600 posts. That’s ridiculous! GAPAs, do we need a new thread?

0
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256.1

Rebecca Lasley (Administrator)

in August 25th, 2009 @ 09:12

Oops, you’re right. We hadn’t noticed. Actually, the little icon on the moderating page that shows the number of posts is very hard for me to see, at least on this computer. Design fail. New thread accomplished.

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0

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crazyquotescollector

I-Man ((William II, OSW's Secretary))

RoseQuartz and Deluska (T_T)

shadowfire

crazyquotescollector

Rainbowstar

crazyquotescollector

Rainbowstar

Cyndi and Maple (*-*) (10 WP, 24 BCP)

POSOC & Smoleeon

crazyquotescollector

POSOC & Smoleeon

Rainbowstar

RoseQuartz and Deluska (T_T)

RoseQuartz and Deluska (T_T)

crazyquotescollector

Soccer starr

RoseQuartz

Soccer starr

RoseQuartz

Alice

cromwell

Elias Eiholzer-Silver

JJjetplane-girlw/catsâ„¢

Alice

Zallie

Syllabub

RoseQuartz

Jakob Wonkychair

crazyquotescollector

Cyndi and Maple (*-*) (10 WP, 24 BCP)

Zallie

rabbity24

Thanks For All The Fish42

Zallie

Kokopelli52

Rainbowstar

Zallie

C-PM (AKA Kyra) is getting pumped for STATE!!! 3 more days!!!

RoseQuartz

iluvbooks303

muselover

RoseQuartz

Piggy

Kokopelli52

Kiga__827

Cyndi and Maple (*-*)

Kiga__827

â™¥ shriya siolashrwa jeffica â™¥

rabbity24

MissSwann

Peace*

Kiga__827

Silver Lining

RoseQuartz

Tesseract

purplefinch

C-PM (AKA Kyra) is getting pumped for STATE!!! 3 more days!!!

shadowfire

peary moppins

Cyndi and Maple (*-*)

crazyquotescollector

POSOC & Smoleeon

Kokopelli52

Alyss (the green one)

RoseQuartz

Cyndi and Maple (-) (10 WP, 24 BCP)

Cyndi and Maple (-) (10 WP, 24 BCP)

Cyndi and Maple (-)

Cyndi and Maple (-)

Cyndi and Maple (-)

Cyndi and Maple (-)

Cyndi and Maple (-)

Cyndi and Maple (-)

Cyndi and Maple (-)