I read The Mephisto Club by Terri Gerristen in about four hours late last Sunday night. It was creepy, but a good story. I kept waking up at 3am ish for three nights in a row after reading it, knowing "they" were coming for me! Weird. Woke up again, last night, about 3:30 am. Enough! I need my sleep.
I think you could rename this book, "My cousin the Antichrist!" But, it's a page turner. Serial killer in the ritualist style type of book. Gives me the willies.

Then I picked up Hitched at the drug store while on my way to the laundry mat to do alot of blankets and dog covers. It's written by Carol Higgins Clark, daughter of Mary. You would think they were one and the same. Their writing style is identical.....even down to the hosh posh of New York's elite. Very easy, enjoyable reading. Very predictable too. But, you can't help falling for the lovable main couple. Fairy tales are fun reading, once in awhile.


Trying to read "Saturday" by Ian McEwan. It gets a little slow, at times, when the main character starts to ruminate about his life. Since the whole book takes place in one day, you know there's gotta be alot of drawn out feelings.. you know all that "life, fate, and destiny" stuff. It's pretty good, so far, but not a page turner. So, we'll see how it goes.

Still haven't been able to get past the first chapter of A tree grows in Brooklyn. Keep eyeing the book, but need a little motivation. Why is this book so good? Is it depressing? I guess the time period is not very interesting to me. 1920's, I think.

Next week's release of the movie "The Mist" forced me to dig out my copy of Skeleton Crew by Stephen King. "The Mist" was one of my favorite short stories from one of my favorite King books. If history is any indicator though, the movie will suck.

Before that, I spent waaaay too long trying to finish Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

Right now I'm reading the fantasy based novel The Crystal Shard by R. A. Salvatore. I cannot believe how good it is. I can't believe I've gone this long before reading one of Salvatore's Forgotten Realms novels. This book was first published in 1988. I became interested in the series when I saw his newest novel, The Orc King on the best seller list. I was told that I should go back and read The Crystal Shard and all of the other books in the series before reading The Orc King.

I'm glad I did.

i'm reading "watership down" for the 9 billionth time. still as good as the first time.

The Historian--pretty good, lame ending.

Latest Dick Francis--its upstairs by the bed--about racing & food...his are always good.

I also tried to read Atlas Shrugged--could not get thru the 3rd chapter..gave up--seemed too liberal nutjob for me...

Boomsday by Christopher Buckley--funny but predictable. About the baby boomer entitlements which we will have to pony up for..(he wrote Thank You for Smoking

Other than that, not much of note.

I've been trying to get through "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Nora Zeale Hurston, but it's the literary equivalent of Grape Nuts (I know it's gonna be really good for me but that doesn't make it enjoyable going down)...so last night I started "Good Omens" by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman and my funny bone is being wonderfully tickled. Great stuff.

SMan, I've got a copy of "Atlas Shrugged" just bought from Barnwood Books. It sits there on my bookshelf, all thick and imposing, making me feel intimidated. Now that I've read comments here, I'm even more apprehensive about trying to start it! BTW I used to be a huge Stephen King fan, and "The Mist" sticks out as one of my favorite short stories/novellas as well. When I saw that they finally made a movie out of it, I thought "that's gonna be a big pile of suck". They so rarely adapt his stories well...

Checkingin, please give "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" another chance. It's a little slow starting out, but was such a rewarding book. I cried when I finished it.

CD, I'm a huge "Watership Down" fan also. The movie adaptation was very much in the spirit of the book, too, so I loved it as well. I tried to read "The Plague Dogs" years ago and it depressed the hell out of me... it's another Richard Adams book that they adapted into an animated film. Have you read it or seen it? I only saw about the first 20 mins. of it before turning it off because I just couldn't take it anymore. Too heartbreaking.

What part of it was too liberal? The entire theme of the book was that any government meddling in capitalism and free market through socialistic ideas is evil. All the "good" characters are high-rolling, rich, capitalist pigs . All the "bad" characters want to force the government to spread the wealth to everybody. Isn't that about a fiscally conservative of a story as you can have?

FYI, the website Pajiba has been doing book reviews for some time now. I think that, based on some of the books mentioned on this forum, many of you would get a kick out of their top 15 books of this generation:

http://www.pajiba.com/the-generations-best-books.htm

How many of them have you read? (I've read 8 of them; 11 if you also include numbers 16 through 20, which they mention at the top of the article. This list is where I just found the recommendation for "Good Omens".)

Thanks Clever!

I've read nary a one. But, then I'm usually out of the loop! I do have Kite Runner on back order from Bookins club. Of all those books listed, that is really the only one that catches my eye.

But, I'm gonna start with A tree grows in Brooklyn. CD and Clever both say it's great, so I'll give it a whirl. I can't wait to get The Kite Runner though.

Now, I have alot of choices....... oh, decisions, decisions. If I was stranded on an island, I would just new an endless supply of food and books and I'd be happy! (Diet Pepsi, too)

A good friend of mine recently read "Kite Runner" and said he didn't like it because it was so bleak; it really depressed him. You'd better have a funny book on hand as a quick antidote for when you finish (kind of like when you rent a funny movie to watch right after the tearjerker one)

Since no-one else seems to subsist on a literary diet full of empty calories....
I've just started re-reading the Dresden File series by Jim Butcher (Now a series on Sci-Fi! ). Good schlocky urban fantasy.
Just about all I read is sci-fi or fantasy, so, if anyone else is interested in that type of reading, fire away.

Not true. I also just finished another book based on the canon of the Halo video game series. I was just too ashamed to admit it. Gotta have some empty calories!

Funny--I have a friend who does reviews on Pajiba! I've read 5 of those books. "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris is a masterpiece--love him!

Right now I'm just getting around to reading Margaret Atwood's "The Blind Assassin." So far it's pretty good, but then, I'm a huge Margaret Atwood fan.

Wildblue!!! I am a HUGE Margaret Atwood fan. I read "Handmaid's Tale" about 8 years ago and have been working thru all her books. You'll thoroughly enjoy "The Blind Assassin" even though the story structure is a little complicated at times. The only one of her books that I think I liked more was "Oryx and Crake" which is very sci-fi (I remember a major sci-fi aspect to Blind Assassin now that I'm typing this).

How cool that your friend writes for Pajiba! It's one of my most-visited websites. I love their sense of humor. Tell her I said good job

Margaret Atwood fans unite! "Handmaid's Tale" is a classic and a cautionary tale that, scarily enough, doesn't seem so far fetched in these times. I read "Oryx and Crake" this summer and enjoyed it immensely. "Alias Grace" is another good one.

I will pass along the compliment to Constance. Yes, Pajiba is a very cool, snarky site.

How right you are about Handmaid's Tale seeming so plausible. I think about some element of that story at least once a week anymore. And not in a good way! That book should be required reading in high schools. Loved "Alias Grace" too. Have you read "Cat's Eye"? It's pretty sad but I loved it anyway. Margaret Atwood is just one of those authors who never seems like she runs out of ideas, and she leaves me thinking about so much more than what her stories say on the surface. I'm always so surprised at how little her name is recognized (although I hear that in her native Canada she's very well-known).

I`m reading The Devel Has Green Faces. It`s a story about the Navy Seals in Namn.

Can you imagine the local uproar if they tried to make "The Handmaid's Tale" required reading in Washington County Public Schools? Sadly, I think many people would find the theocratic totalitarian society featured in that book to be their idea of utopia. Did you ever see the movie? Unfortunately it was not a very good adaptation of the book (despite a cast featuring Aidan Quinn, Natasha Richardson, and Robert Duvall).

"Cat's Eye" is next on my list. I want to re-read some Kurt Vonnegut too (another fave of mine).

I agree, the movie adaptation of "Handmaid's Tale" wasn't nearly as good as the book, even with that good cast. I wonder if anybody could ever successfully adapt any of her other stuff, though. Can you imagine an "Oryx and Crake" movie? Trippy!

I look forward to hearing what you think of "Cat's Eye". Be sure to post your comments here!

I've never been able to get into Kurt Vonnegut, read a few of his books but they didn't stick in my memory. Who else do you like?

Handmaid's Tale? Is that the one about the scarcity of babies? I had to read it in college...

Yep, tx, that's the one. In the future, most women are infertile, so the ones who are still fertile (called "handmaids") are rounded up and given to politicians and other powerful men (and their wives) in order to bear children for the men. Also, women are no longer allowed to own property, or read, or basically have any freedoms. The country becomes a theocracy, and the main character (a handmaid) was separated from her husband and child and forced into what's basically slavery to reproduce. It's an extremely thought-provoking book.

I think I already don't like the thoughts that that story line will produce!!

Oh, most definitely, checkingin! It's a very unsettling storyline. But, it's extremely well-written and will give you a lot of things to think about...plus it has a satisfying ending.

"The Art of Loving" by Erich Fromm.

Hmm...who else do I like? That should be an easier question for me to answer, considering I was an English major in college! I guess my favorites would be, as mentioned before, Margaret Atwood and Kurt Vonnegut, as well as Amistad Maupin, C.S. Lewis, David Sedaris, Stephen King... I go through phases with what I read. Right now I'm kind of on a nonfiction kick (I like biographies and historical books). Last year I was into science fiction, and before that historical fiction. Oh, and I loved the Harry Potter books. And for the record, Ayn Rand is full of crap (IMO).

Which authors do you enjoy?

I would agree but it's not in my personal interest.








I like Stuart Woods, David Baldacci, Vince Flynn, Richard North Patterson, Grisham... stuff like that. Easy to read.

*rimshot*

As far as authors who have written several books each that I've read, my favorites are John Irving, Tom Robbins, Richard Russo, Tom Perrotta, Kate Atkinson, David Sedaris, Anne Tyler, Chuck Palahniuk, Augusten Burroughs, and Michael Chabon. Then there are some other people I've just discovered, or only read one book by them, but based on their styles I want to track down all their books eventually: Jann Martel, Christopher Moore, David Eggers, Jonathan Franzen, Neal Stephenson, T. C. Boyle, Jeff VanDerMeer. I guess I really enjoy quality time in the hammock with a book, huh?

Heh--same here. Nothing wrong with being a bookworm! I like many of the writers you've mentioned, including John Irving, Anne Tyler, Augusten Burroughs, and David Eggers. I do have pretty eclectic tastes as far as what I like to read.

The Kite Runner pissed me off. A movie is being made, fyi.

THE MIST. Loved the short story too. Must see the movie, only because it's Thomas Jane. He can rescue me from Stephen King movies any day.

Otherwise, I've been wanting to read House of Leaves forever but it sets on my end table. Lonely.

Text books. Meh. My sociology text book aint that bad. I'd still rather attend class with the HM forum than the bots I share class with now.

Hey Heather, what is the deal with that book? I have one friend who says I have to read it, and another who said he didn't like it at all. Why did it piss you off? I had been considering reading it based on my one friend's liking it so much, but I have my doubts now. And hasn't that author recently come out with another book? Did you try it, or skip it based on your opinion of the Kite Runner?

I thought I had Kite Runner on backorder, but it's actually a book by the same author. Name of book escapes me right now...... A Thousand something or other.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Yes, I finally read it and fell in love with the Nolans. This book reminded me of Angela's Ashes, but not quite as depressing. I had to have a good sobbing cry when I got to her graduation........ that was so touching. So, yes, I am glad that I stuck it out. It was beautifully written. Man, kids were left to raise themselves all the time back then. Shocked me a little, but somebody had to work for their dinner. Good story.

I'm now reading Poland by James Michener. I read it about 25 yrs ago and found it recently. Michener is such a good historian. If you like historical novels, he does his homework. My very favorite is Chesapeake. They should put that on the list of readings in high school. So interesting. I read it when we lived on Eastern Shore. So, it just came alive to me. Any one else enjoy his books?

Hey Checkingin! I'm so happy you finally read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". That book gives me the warm fuzzies. I've never read any Michener, although you're not the first person I've heard say good things about his books. I'll have to put "Chesapeake" on my list, which grows weekly (probably yours does too!)

If you like a little history with your pleasure reading, I'd like to recommend "Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson (he also wrote "Isaac's Storm", which is more well-known). It's about the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, and the story is told from two points of view -- the main architect behind the fair, and a serial killer who preys on the young women who come to the city for the fair. It reads like a novel, not like non-fiction, and I burned through it. Really fascinating stuff. I got a kick out of learning about all the new technology and inventions that came about because of that fair. The first Ferris Wheel was there!

I thought I'd be more interested in the serial killer chapters of "Devil in the White City", but it was just the opposite. I ended up wanting to skip through those and read about the fascinating civil engineering achievements of preparing the World's Fair. I loved it, but I lent it to two friends and they thought it was a snoozefest. :shrug:

I'm glad I'm not the only nerd who likes reading about engineering achievements.

Hey SMan, have you read "Isaac's Storm" as well? I read "Devil in the White City" first, then went back and got "Isaac's Storm" which was written earlier, because I liked DitWC so much. I thought "Isaac's Storm" was hard to get through -- not exactly snoozefestive, just kind of blah. I think Erik Larson has one or two other books but I haven't read them yet.

I have been reading. A LOT. Here are some recommendations:

"The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand: I won't debate the fact that this was a long, complicated book to get through, but given my full attention, this was a very rewarding book. It's just not the kind of book you can read while the TV is on. There were many passages that I read multiple times just so I could think about the concepts they put forth, and I read several of these snippets out loud to hubby. If you like philosophical books set in the 30's about architects and media moguls, well, this is your book. It's my first Ayn Rand. I think I'll try "Atlas Shrugged" next, but I'm going to wait awhile. :-)

"Sex. Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs" by Chuck Klosterman: the author is a columnist who writes amusing articles about pop culture for various magazines (Spin, GQ, McSweeneys, Vanity Fair, etc.) This book is a collection of essays about a wide variety of topics, mostly pertaining to pop culture in some form. What's interesting is that these pieces don't just make you laugh but they make you think about our society and culture as a whole. My favorite essay was about how the idealized male role in a romantic date movie actually tends to harm the typical "real" male, because roles like this make single women believe that all guys should act this way (specifically, the author deconstructs John Cusacks' Lloyd Dobler character in "Say Anything") He also writes a VERY thought-provoking essay about how young society has been affected by (seriously) "The Real World". You'll find yourself laughing, then pondering. :-) Not all the essays are good, but there are way more hits than misses.

"A Dirty Job" by Christopher Moore: I read this book in a day and a half start to finish -- simply couldn't put it down. I haven't read a book this laugh-out-loud funny in a few years. This is a bizarre story in the vein of Douglas Adams, Tom Robbins, Dave Barry, or Terry Pratchett; you just don't know where the story's heading or where you're going to end up, but you're certainly going to enjoy the ride. The plot is too bizarre to summarize here, but look it up on Amazon if you like these authors. Even though this is a VERY funny book, C. Moore mixes in some serious philosophical stuff too, and parts of the story are quite touching without feeling manipulative. In other words, the emotion in the book is quite natural juxtaposed with the goofy, raunchy humor throughtout. And if you read this book and end up liking it, your sadness at reaching the end of the book will be alleviated slightly when you turn back to the front of the book, and see the long list of other books Christopher Moore has written, which you'll now simply HAVE to read.

Followed CleveNameGoesHere & picked this book up again & finished it..... "A Dirty Job" by Christopher Moore
It is bizarre but in a fun way. Moving, hilarious, & if u can believe it there r vampires & love. Guess that is why it is set in San Francisco. I like combining rich descriptions of different locals, along with an entertaining story.

A friend recommended “Dispatches” by Michael Herr
Aspects of Vietnam, specifically the early part from 1967 - 1969. It has 3 sections, the 1st & 3rd r great, I got bogged down in the middle but that because I was catching up on my history. Enjoyed this collection of stories. It was woven into a visceral description of the Vietnam War. Politics was avoided, he seemed more interested in the emotion & time-line during his early coverage. He spun it into a novel. Herr was a war correspondent for Esquire magazine in Vietnam during `67 & `68, he recounts the period from the Hill Fights of `67 thru the Tet Offensive.

Now on to much lighter @ trivial stuff. I like to read, any reading keeps my brain in tune, exercising the gray matter.
Use it or loose it........I am always interested in reading or other memory exercises since I hit 40.
Stephen White, a clinical psychologist based in Colorado writes escapism mysteries. While I waited for more Jonathon Kellerman books, Low and behold I breezed thru several of White’s novels and thought they were similar to Kellerman. Later I found that White and Kellerman were in medical school together, both specializing pediatric psychology @ a program in pediatric oncology . They both use their former professions when creating key characters. If you like the Kellerman series then you will know what I mean.
White gives Kellerman a run. I love his travel sequences, the descriptions of the Colorado, Washington, and California landscapes. His view of the Rockies & old west towns was very vivid. This was the backdrop to multi layered crime stories involving a clinical psychologist who finds himself in the thick of it.

I want to read this. Thanks for the review.

you're welcome miss heather. let me know if you like it. :-) i expect that you will!

You should read Cat's Cradle too, if you have not already. I <3 Margaret Atwood as well.

Actually I just finished Cat's Eye--loved it! I'd say it's one of her best.

I want to share in the "Cat's Eye" love as well. <3 Such a fantastic story. I sooooo felt for the main character as a girl, and her endurance of the constant bullying. It's rare that you ever read that accurate of a portrayal of how cruel young girls can be to each other. Also I liked the fact that the ending felt real, not like a "hollywood" ending, if that makes any sense (I know that makes sense to wildblue & portmanteau96 at least)

FYI wildblue, I received two M. Atwood books for Xmas which I haven't read yet - a short story collection called "Moral Disorder" and a poetry collection "The Door". I shall peruse and summarize shortly. :-)

You'll have to let me know how you like them, Clevername... I've not read any of her short stories and only a bit of her poetry.

And yes, the ending to "Cat's Eye" is definitely not a "Hollywood" ending, but satisfying nonetheless. That book stayed with me for days after I read it. And although not a comedic book in any sense, I love how she imbues "Cat's Eye" with a sense of humor. Also, it seems that "Cat's Eye" is semi-autobiographical; the character of Elaine is the same age as Atwood, and her father was an entomologist in real life.

Interesting, I did not know that. Thanks! It seemed awfully personal to be totally made-up....

You would probably enjoy M. Atwood's short essays. I read "The Tent" a few months ago, and some of the pieces were only two or three pages. I enjoyed each one, and many left me wanting more. Kind of like when you get a bunch of really good appetizers, and the ones that are your favorites are small, and your friends are with you, so you only get a bite or two? Can you tell I'm hungry this a.m.?

Have you ever read anything by T.C. Boyle?

OT: ok. this satisfied my suspisions. thanx.



On topic:
I just finished reading The Dragon Harper by Anne and Todd McCaffery.
Great new addition to the Pern series. Glad Todd is taking over. He's a wonderful story teller just like his mom. Hope to see lots more from him in the future.

You know, I haven't. He writes a lot of short stories, doesn't he? How do you like him?

I've just finished "White Oleander" by Janet Fitch. Great book.

Suzie, welcome to the forums! I read White Oleander a few years ago. It was heartbreaking but I remember really liking it, and that the relationship between the narrator and her mother was complicated and messy, but also seemed authentically depicted. Did you see the film version, and in your opinion how did it measure up to the book? I never saw it because I'd read a review that it was somewhat disappointing.

Wildblue, T.C. Boyle is an author I just discovered and he's rapidly becoming NewAtwood to me (sssh, don't tell Margaret!) Look up "Drop City" on Amazon; it's the first one I read and I was totally engrossed. It's about the workings of a hippie commune in the Sonoma Valley of CA in the late 60's, and what happens when the idealistic residents are forced to move off the land, and they set their sights on an unsettled section of Alaska. They do get there, in a run-down bus, and the issues they face with the locals, the climate, and each other with the infighting, well, it's pretty compelling stuff. I love his style, it's very naturalistic and does remind me of M. Atwood. Right now I'm about halfway through my second T.C. Boyle novel, called "The Inner Circle". It's narrated by a man who was recruited by Professor Kinsey in the early 1940's to help in his sex research (remember The Kinsey Report?) Basically the story is about Professor Kinsey, but also how working for him affected the narrator's marriage and his relationships with the other researchers. The subject matter couldn't be much different that the plotline of "Drop City". It's so impressive to me that both books were written by the same author; he must've done massive amounts of research beforehand for both books. Certain authors that I love have a tendency to write the same sorts of books over and over (John Irving, Richard Russo, Amy Tan) but Boyle seems (so far) like he explores new territory with each novel. Highly recommended!!!!

To everyone reading this thread, I apologize if I'm dominating it. I just love a good book.

"The Inner Circle" by T.C. Boyle -- I finished it last weekend. It was a great story and somewhat satisfying but the ending just kind of fizzled out. I did like it but thought "Drop City" was much better. I'll still continue to track down Boyle's other books (he's got a lot of them) because this was still worth reading, even if it was anticlimactic (funny to say about a book on Professor Kinsey!)

Currently reading "No Country for Old Men" by Cormac McCarthy. The book came first, then the movie which was just out last year. I saw the movie and lovedlovedloved it. The book is EXACTLY the same, minute for minute, as the movie's plot. Never has the movie adaptation of a book been so faithful! This is my first Cormac McCarthy novel and I'm not sure I like his particular style, though. It's very spartan and unemotional, with lots of sentence fragments, and he uses no quotation marks whatsoever, even with extended passages of dialogue. It's not easy to read. But the story itself is quite compelling (just like the movie).

I finally started Homeland by R. A. Salvatore. It's the first book of The Dark Elf Trilogy.