Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic 50 Book Challenge 2012/What I've Read in 2012

3. "James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl

I don't know why I'm suddenly reading (and rereading) kids books...

#5 Kindred Spirits by Sarah Strohmeyer
Predictable story about a group of women friends dealing with the death of one of their own.

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
2. The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse.

I love Pride and Prejudice! Has anyone read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies? I'm so tempted but I don't want it to ruin Jane Austin's masterpiece for me. (I've also heard they're making it into a movie.)

I haven't read P&P and zombies, but I see there's a new sequel out by PD James called Death comes to Pemberley. Anyone read it? I will, but not the £19 hardback unless it's from the library. I did read Pemberley a few years back, which was entertaining enough, if I recall.

P&P is one of my most favourite books ever. Haven't read any of the sequels/alternatives, though.

R4. De la Terre à la Lune (From the Earth to the Moon) - Jules Verne [Greek]

R5. Autour de la Lune (Around the Moon) - Jules Verne [Greek]

I've been trying to keep a critical eye as I re-read, in order to be able to post proper "reviews". So, while I've enjoyed these two books very much, I can now say that From the Earth to the Moon might not be for everyone. It deals a lot with technical stuff (how big should the cannon be? what should it be made out of? etc.), astronomy and history of astronomy, and while the few characters we actually meet are fun and well-written, the plot progresses considerably slowly and could actually be summed up in two or three lines.

Around the Moon is more interesting in that regard, although here too, we find more astronomy, and detailed descriptions of the space and moon. But again, not that there is much plot, but we see more of the characters and their life inside the projectile.

Despite all that, the books are fascinating for the view of the world and the space they offer. Reading them brings you back to that era, and you'll find yourself rooting for this to happen, eager to discover the moon, and completely forgetting that you're in fact living in a world where space travel is an old story.

N2. Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes [English]

Doranwen got me this book. Very, very interesting premise, and very well done. The character starts out decidedly likeable and even amusing, in the way that kids and their naïveté can bring a smile to your face. Then it becomes fascinating to watch his progress after the operation, and you feel for him as he struggles to fit inside a newfound world. It also poses some good questions about people, intelligence and its importance, and life in general.
I admit that, being the geek that I am, I would have liked to see some more technical/medical talk, but its absence makes this book a simple and enjoyable read for everyone.

Now to get my psychiatrist-in-training boyfriend to read it... :p

P.S.: gr8shadesofElvis, LOVE your sig. May I steal? (Not for use as a sig, obviously!)

Anna, steal away, it's not mine really anyway. Comes from a book called Scarlett Rules. Other life rules include 'pretty is as pretty does' and 'tomorrow is another day'. I am a big Gwtw fan.

Now, there's a great book "Gone with the Wind", which another (later) author wrote a so-so sequel ("Scarlet" in the 80s, I think).

Speaking of P&P, has anyone read the mystery series where Jane Austin is the sleuth?

13) Net Force Hidden Agendas created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik. Good story. Predictible. Nowhere on the book is an author listed. Only created by.

14) In the Arms of Grace by LeChristine Hai. An autobiography of a Vietnamese child and her brother who were brought to the US following the end of the Vietnam War.

10. Tahoe Hijack - Todd Borg
One of the best of the series

11. The Cat Who Turned On and Off - Lilian Braun

12. Rules of Prey - John Sandford

The Heart-Shaped Box – Joe Hill

I enjoyed this modern ghost story, it was quite entertaining. But I can’t say that I understand the huge buzz that there’s been around this one. It was…okay.

Dweller – Jeff Strand

Now this horror tale I absolutely loved. It could have been a simple, pulp horror tale of an ape-man creature living in the woods and attacking humans. It does have its odd moments of horror, but, in the end, and in an odd fashion, it was really a simple tale of friendship. When he was eight, Toby, met a monster in the woods – and over the years the loner human, who finds it increasingly difficult to get along in human society, and the long-orphaned creature, share their lives together in an unlikely bond. The witty tone throughout helps lift this above the usual horror fare. And, given the bittersweet ending, this one reminded me in some ways of Dean Koontz’s Watchers. I cried at the end of that one, too.

Pressure – Jeff Strand

A chilling thriller. Poor Alex has the misfortune to cross paths with a budding psychopath in his 12 YO boarding school room-mate. A psychopath who, unfortunately, develops an obsession with tormenting his former ‘friend’.

I’m definitely going to have to look out for more from this author…

LabRat

3.) The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.

Wonderful read, made me cry a lot in the last few chapters but in a good, uplifting sort of way.

4. "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld

This is another reread - it's the first in a series of 4 for young adults and it shares a great lesson about accepting yourself and others the way we are.

The Book of Fires – Jan Borodale

I really enjoyed this unusual historical novel. Dire circumstances see our heroine, Agnes, flee her small Sussex village for London, where she falls in with John Blacklock – Pyrotechnist and firework maker. I was engaged with Agnes from the outset and my heart was in my mouth every step of the way with her towards her redemption, sure that things were going to fall apart. If I’ve one criticism it’s probably that, in the end, everything fell together far too easily, but it didn’t really matter and didn’t spoil the story for me.

LabRat (who, while suffering a bout of chronic insomnia, says, thank heavens for Kindle and its endless books! The long hours of the night sure go quicker for them...)

Finally, I've finished reading my first book of 2012! And it was...

#1 - For Whom The Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway

I loved it. More than a book, it was an experience. I was born after the spanish civil war ended and even though Portugal and Spain are hermanos I'm ashamed to say that I didn't know all that much about the guerrillas and the fight itself. The book was amazing and the writing was propably the best I've ever read - I have a terrible memory. I forget things faster than I can learn them. But while reading this book all the chapters stayed neatly organised on a cosy spot of my mind and didn't go off to wherever they usually go when I can't recall them. Very refreshing.

The Cold Room - J T Ellison

The premise and characters were hardly original - a group of women law professionals banding together, FBI boyfriends...and so on, but I never hold that against a thriller. There are so many in the mix these days that originality is hard to come by.

This one though had a genuinely creepy villain and the law enforcement characters were engaging and made me want to read more about them, which is all I ask.

Clearly not the first in this series, but unfortuately the only one I have on my Kindle. I'd be interested in starting at the beginning.

LabRat

So I went to a cheap book bazaar the other day - the yearly editor's union stock sale. I got 4 new books for 15.5 euros. Why can't prices always be like that??

N3. And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie [Greek]

I wanted to buy something for my brother, who seems to enjoy thrillers/mysteries, and I remembered someone here had recently read and loved this one, so I bought it and read it today. It was so magnificently creepy and it gave me the chills. Greatly done, loved the mystery.

Thanks for the recommendation, Mouserocks!

A couple of re-reads:

The Dead Room - Chris Mooney
The Soul Collectors - Chris Mooney

I have two more from this author which I don't think I've read, so I figured I might as well read these as well before I got to them. Unfortunately, I seem to have read them entirely out of order...ah, well...

LabRat

The Cat Who Saw Red - Lilian Braun

Shadow Men - Jonathon King

Explosive Eighteen - Janet Evanovich
I know this book has gotten pretty bad reviews. It wasn't great but I kind of enjoyed it.

The Cat Who Played Brahms - Lilian Braun

The Cat Who Played Post Office - Lilian Braun