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Top Banana
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I read 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe' as a kid. I didn't see the symbolism (of course, I was only 9 or 10), but my sisters and I had fun pretending we were going to Narnia by walking into the coat closet.
Has anyone seen the play, or the movie, Shadowlands? It's about the relationship between C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman (or Gresham). I saw it in college (a college production). It's pretty insightful.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Top Banana
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9. The Hunger Games Companion, by Lois H. Gresh
I decided to read this after reading a free excerpt I downloaded to my Kindle. It's an interesting book, looking The Hunger Games series in terms of history, sociology, psychology, and science. There's also a snarky list of apocalyptic predictions throughout history (none of which came true). There's even a rather random Superman reference.
This isn't the sort of book I'd buy for the high school library, despite it being about a popular YA series. The reason is that the author writes about things going on "as I write this," which means that in a few years, it would be incomprehensible to most teens unless they have an interest in history.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Beat Reporter
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9) Without Warning by John Birmingham
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Apr 2003
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The Governer's Wife - Mark GimenezNot the one I've enjoyed most from this author. The characters were drawn in fairly broad strokes and the plot was a little predictable. LabRat 
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
Aramis: Yes, sorry.
Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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Pulitzer
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Anathem by Neal Stephenson.
Typical door-stopping length novel by Stephenson. Fascinating story of an "avout", Fraa Erasmas, who lives in a "concent" on the planet Arbre. As the story opens, Erasmas is going to take vows to live his life in the Concent of Saunt Edhar.
Stephenson has his characters review, well, basically, all of Western Civilization. There's a whole lot of philosophy in there, which he manages to make incredibly interesting. As one reviewer said, " The more you know about history and ancient Greek thought the more you will be blown away by Anathem; and that is before the correlations to more recent philosophy and an extended meditation on zero-gravity navigation. A re-imagining of intellectual history, only Neal Stephenson can make the fine points of esoteric philosophical and intellectual minutia so much fun to read."
I really enjoyed it, but I can see that some people might find it dull. But I highly recommend it.
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Beat Reporter
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10) (Classic #2) Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding. I didn't like this one at all. I won't be reading any of her other books. This was listed on my classic book list but it was copyrighted in 1996. Rather new to be a classic. I don't see this book being around in 100 years. The whole thing boils down to Bridget needs to get a life, find a hobby, and clean her apartment.
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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10. Seven Up, by Janet Evanovich
Not as funny as Hot Six, but still an entertaining read during lunch break at work.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362 |
Accused - Mark GimenezI was excited to see this one was a sequel to the first book I read and the one I've so far enjoyed the most. I liked it. Wouldn't mind seeing another one with these characters at some point. Not least to correct the ending, which stuck in the craw somewhat.  The Abduction - Mark GimenezThe first half of this one was very slow, but hoo boy did it explode into life in the second half. I ended up really enjoying it. LabRat
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
Aramis: Yes, sorry.
Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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Columnist
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Servant of the Empire - Janny Wurts and Raymond Feist
Lord Jingu is dead and Lady Mara is leading House Acoma to greatness within the Empire. Unfortunately with his ascendancy to Minwanabi Lordship, Desio has sworn a Blood Oath to the death god Turamaku. Minwanabi or Acoma...only one House will survive.
Lady Mara has purchased Midkemian slaves to further her financial ambitions. One of them keeps questioning Tsuranni traditions and infecting her with the most alien ideas. Will Kevin's ideas be a blessing to Mara or will they result in the end of House Acoma?
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Not sure if it counts, but I'm also reading a 500 page computer manual so I can build a controller for my greenhouse. Interesting but no plot.
Shallowford
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Like This, For Ever- Sharon BoltonAnother cracking outing for Bolton's flawed, damaged detective, Lacey Flint. Kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat all the way. LabRat
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
Aramis: Yes, sorry.
Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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4. Poptropica: Cryptids Island - adapted by Max Brallier Another book in the Poptropica series. My kids didn't like this book as much because the villain Gretchen Grimlock was "really mean".  Annie enters a contest where a millionaire offers $1mil to anyone who came bring him proof of 4 Cryptids. Despite these creatures having alluded people for centuries, Annie has no trouble finding them :rolleyes: but Gretchen Grimlock is always stealing her proof and trying to knock her out of the contest. My kids didn't like how Gretchen wasn't playing fair. I tried to explain to them that she's a villain and villains aren't known for playing by the rules. 5. The Wide-Awake Princess - by E.D. Baker - Princess Annabella, younger sister to the famed Sleeping Beauty princess, received the gift of not having magic touch her, so that she couldn't be cursed as her sister was. Her "gift" has unforeseen consequences, both good and bad. I saw this children's book at the library and was instantly drawn to the idea. I was enchanted by Annie and the troupe of fairy tale archetypes she encounters while searching for a prince to kiss her sister and awaken her kingdom. I must say though, most of the princes she comes across, and she meets quite a few, aren't the type of man *any* mother would want their daughter to marry. My daughter and I very much enjoyed this story. I didn't realize until after we finished it that the author's "Princess and the Frog" story is the one Disney based their movie. (It's up next on our list). It was a little confusing reading these two books at the same time (one chapter of each, each night) because both characters were named "Annie".
VirginiaR.
"On the long road, take small steps." -- Jor-el, "The Foundling"
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"clearly there is a lack of understanding between those two... he speaks Lunkheadanian and she Stubbornanian" -- chelo.
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Pulitzer
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The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde. Hilarious police procedural where Inspector Jack Spratt investigates the death of Humperdinck Aloysius Jehoshaphat van Dumpty. Meet Inspector Jack Spratt, family man and head of the Nursery Crime Division. He's investigating the murder of ovoid D-class nursery celebrity Humpty Dumpty, found shattered to death beneath a wall in a shabby area of town. Yes, the big egg is down, and all those brittle pieces sitting in the morgue point to foul play...Jack is still stinging from not being able to bring the three little pigs to justice for their wanton murder of Mr. Wolff. He wants to shake his reputation for having a poor solve rate for his cases, so cracking the Dumpty case is important to him. There's a new pun or allusion every minute ("Thomas Thomm, the son of Reading's premier solo flautist, was convicted in court of stealing a pig last Wednesday.") I'm sure I missed some, so I'd better go back and re-read my Mother Goose.
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Originally posted by IolantheAlias: [b]The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde. Hilarious police procedural where Inspector Jack Spratt investigates the death of Humperdinck Aloysius Jehoshaphat van Dumpty. Meet Inspector Jack Spratt, family man and head of the Nursery Crime Division. He's investigating the murder of ovoid D-class nursery celebrity Humpty Dumpty, found shattered to death beneath a wall in a shabby area of town. Yes, the big egg is down, and all those brittle pieces sitting in the morgue point to foul play...Jack is still stinging from not being able to bring the three little pigs to justice for their wanton murder of Mr. Wolff. He wants to shake his reputation for having a poor solve rate for his cases, so cracking the Dumpty case is important to him. There's a new pun or allusion every minute ("Thomas Thomm, the son of Reading's premier solo flautist, was convicted in court of stealing a pig last Wednesday.") I'm sure I missed some, so I'd better go back and re-read my Mother Goose. [/b] That seems like a fun read.
VirginiaR.
"On the long road, take small steps." -- Jor-el, "The Foundling"
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"clearly there is a lack of understanding between those two... he speaks Lunkheadanian and she Stubbornanian" -- chelo.
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
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#6 The Passage by Justin Cronin
I saw this book mentioned on a few websites comparing it to The Stand and Swan's Song. Since I enjoyed those post apocalyptic books, I was looking forward to this one. The writer does a nice job with creating characters and with his descriptions. However,there were some credibility issues with the plot for me so it didn't pick up momentum.
#7 The Fall of Five by Pittacus Lore
Fourth book in the series. My kids got me into this one about aliens on Earth trying to prevent another race from invading.
Joan
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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Originally posted by IolantheAlias: [b]The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde. Hilarious police procedural where Inspector Jack Spratt investigates the death of Humperdinck Aloysius Jehoshaphat van Dumpty. Meet Inspector Jack Spratt, family man and head of the Nursery Crime Division. He's investigating the murder of ovoid D-class nursery celebrity Humpty Dumpty, found shattered to death beneath a wall in a shabby area of town. Yes, the big egg is down, and all those brittle pieces sitting in the morgue point to foul play...Jack is still stinging from not being able to bring the three little pigs to justice for their wanton murder of Mr. Wolff. He wants to shake his reputation for having a poor solve rate for his cases, so cracking the Dumpty case is important to him. There's a new pun or allusion every minute ("Thomas Thomm, the son of Reading's premier solo flautist, was convicted in court of stealing a pig last Wednesday.") I'm sure I missed some, so I'd better go back and re-read my Mother Goose. [/b] I'm going to have to try that one. Thanks for the recommendation.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362
Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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OP
Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362 |
Rubbernecker - Belinda BauerI thoroughly enjoyed this one. Far from your standard thriler, it turned out to be less about murder than about 18YO Asperger's sufferer Patrick's struggle to understand a world that confuses and baffles him. His poignant quest to discover the truth of his father's death and bring a murderer to justice. By turns funny and sad with some great side stories intertwined (I particularly loved the ironies of Tracey's story), and some startling twists and turns, this was a real winner. And the perfect ending from Patrick himself made me smile with a lump in my throat. LabRat
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
Aramis: Yes, sorry.
Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 404
Beat Reporter
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Beat Reporter
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11) The Hot Gate by John Ringo. Good classic space opera.
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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11. Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller
I found a copy of this play in a box of donated books and decided to read it. It's just as much of a tearjerker to read as it is to watch.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362
Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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OP
Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362 |
Blind Sight - Terri PersonsI didn't enjoy this one as much as the others. Primarily, because the supernatural characters were missing entirely and the supernatural plot elements barely there at all. Without them, the main characters were bland and the plot lacklustre. Perhaps the next in the series will get back to basics. LabRat
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
Aramis: Yes, sorry.
Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,686 Likes: 1
Merriwether
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Merriwether
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,686 Likes: 1 |
#8 Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews
I've had a lot going on so this fluffy read about three friends sharing a beach house and solving each other's problems was just what I needed.
#9 Wool by Hugh Howey
Some one on this group recommended this one as a futuristic dystopia story. Short but very good! I've noticed there are lots of companion pieces that I'll have to look into.
Joan
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