First Review 
  avlondon
 
11:28am 19/03/2008
 
mood: accomplished
music: Nicole Atkins
Hello everyone, I'm brand new here, so here is my first post.

Book: This Is What I Did
Author: Ann Dee Ellis
Rating: *** out of *****


If your looking for a quick read with a twist, this might be the book for you. I have to admit though that the first thirty or so pages are confusing; Just for the reason that every few pages the story goes to the pass then back to the present ever so often. After passing that phase of the book, you will be hooked.
The story is about a seventh grader name Logan, who has moved with his family over a event that sort of ruined his life. No one knows what happened to his best friend, Zyler. No one knows what exactly happened to Logan. Through transferring to a new school Logan tries to deal with verbal and physical abuse, his popular-yet-younger twin brothers, his parents who were once the top of there high school and trying to get Laurel's attention by using palindrome.


(Palindrome: spelling words backwards but would say the same statement the right way, example: "Name no one man" or wow)

-A.V. London

  
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  catherineb
 
06:48am 06/03/2005
  I'm going to check out some new authors. Have any of you read Dennis Lehane or Nevada Barr? What do you think?  
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Buggersnot. 
  lembaslover
 
05:49pm 28/02/2005
 
mood: hopeful
music: Nobody's Home - Avril Lavigne - 98.7 FM
I had to give up on Rising Sun. It was just so... boring? Yeah, I think that's it.

I) The major crime was solved 1/8 of the way through the book. It was like: "So... what do we do now?"
II) The criminal dies 1/3 of the way through the book. Double "What do we do now?"
III) Everything was about the interactions between Japanese and American economy. In the eighties. I know it's my fault for reading a book from the early nineties, but oy. Irrelevant much.
IV) Rising Sun made the Japanese seem annoying. And Americans even more annoying. Difficult to do. There was no one to side with! Nothing But The Truth has this same problem. Who am I supposed to root for? I got angry if I read it too much. At all. Order of the Phoenix does this to me too... but that's kind of intentional and the character work makes up for it.
V) There was zero character work. I realize, science fiction leaves very little room for character development. (If this was a sci-fi anyway - it sure didn't seem like it.) But Crichton got my hopes up with Jurassic Park and especially The Lost World, and the majority of his true sci-fi's have fantastic character pieces. Like Sphere's Harry. (Oy, mathematicians.)

So, in all, don't start Rising Sun if you're trying to tune out the Super Bowl. Football is indeed more interesting. (twilight zone music)

Current book: Timeline.
I started this one on the bus on the way to Key West, but ultimately had to put it on hold. (It was so sad... I brought 5 of Crichton's and couldn't read a thing because the TV kept getting in the way. (smashes VCR)) I find that books can hardly compete with a TV as far as attention-grabbing. It's the flashing, obnoxious sounds and colors and lights and movement. Damned television. But anyway, what I could get of Timeline I loved. Really started off with a bang. Literally, haha. So now that I can turn off the TV, I'm starting it again.

I was tickled to death by the mandatory opening quotes:
"Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory does not understand it."
- Neils Bohr, 1927

"Nobody understands quantum theory."
- Richard Feynman, 1967"

But not as tickled as the 'Sequelae are inherently unpredictable' thing. That tickled me even unto the afterlife.		  
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Yet another introduction! 
  lembaslover
 
01:59pm 05/02/2005
 
mood: cheerful
music: The 1960's Spider-man Song (Does whatever a spider can!)
Er... hey y'all. I just joined this community about five minutes ago, and have already commented on two or three posts. So, I figured I should introduce myself before people start getting worried.

I am the Almighty Lembaslover: science fiction and fantasy fanatic. My favorite authors at the moment are Michael Crichton and J.R.R Tolkien, but I've been reading more of Crichton lately. It all started one day in the library when Mother pointed out that I should see Jurassic Park... and it just snowballed from there. Currently I'm reading another one of his, Rising Sun, which I started this morning over a healthy breakfast of leftover stromboli. The last book I finished was another (seeing a pattern in my reading habits?) Crichton, Sphere, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory before that. Needless to say, the latter was not a Crichton book. Boy, would that be weird. Dinosaurs and giant squids and demented candy-makers, oh my!

So, that'd be about it. Scared of me yet? Hee hee.		  
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Looking for something to read 
  forbiddenjoys
 
12:45am 17/12/2004
 
mood: more awake than needed
Pick up Good Fiction Guide edited by Jane Rogers from Oxford University Press. It breaks down types of literature and recommends from that genre.

Merry Christmas and such to all.		  
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Contemporary British Humour 
  whiz
 
12:07pm 06/10/2004
  The Queen And I
Sue Townsend

The Queen And I brings out Sue Townsend's unique brand of self-depracatory humour. For everyone who thinks British humour begins and ends with Wodehouse, this is a must read.

The book starts with the unlikely premise that a newly elected Republican government in Britain abolishes the monarchy and banishes the entire royal family to Hell's Close, a welfare township in a hinterland suburb of London. The story then follows each of the Royals as they try to deal with this new life, each in his/ her own way.

The Royals are portrayed at their most vulnerable, and yet the pomp that has come to be associated with the Windsors shows through ever so often. Every situation in the book is pregnant with black humour. Humour that comes from the family's awkward, but gutsy, attempts at living the low life, and living it well.

A thoroughly satisfying read.		  
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  sosammy
 
08:55pm 23/06/2004
  Hi everyone, I'm new to this community and this is my first post. I was wanting to know if anyone could recommend to me any adventure books that are a great read. The sort that you just can't put down?  
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  rue692
 
07:50pm 06/04/2004
  hey!
i just wanted to see if anyone has read God-Shaped Hole. if not i highly recommend it because it is one of the greatest books i personally have ever read.
.. that's just about all i have to say.. ^.^
-aleah		  
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Favourite books from childhood 
  missyasemi
 
08:21pm 06/04/2004
  hi people, i'm new to this community and just thought i'd introduce myself and tell you about what i'm reading! My name is Maria and I'm in my final year of study and graduating as a primary school teacher in Australia. At the moment I'm revisting some of my childhood favourite books written by Enid Blyton. The series that got me hooked on the books was the famous Faraway Tree and at the moment I'm reading The Wishing Chair Again (the continued story of the Wishing Chair, one of my all time favourites). For those who haven't read Enid Blyton before, her books are in the genre of adventure/fantasy.So what books did you read as a child? Has anyone revisited any of their favourite novels from their childhood?  
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Geisha 
  doodleaway
 
02:12am 06/04/2004
 
mood: relaxed
i'm reading a book called "Geisha" by Liza Dalby.

Geisha are professional female entertainers who perform traditional Japanese arts on banquets.
Girls who wish to become a geisha, have to go through a rigid apprenticeship during which they learn various traditional arts such as playing instruments, singing, dancing, but also conversation and other social skills. Geisha are dressed in a kimono, and their faces are made up very pale.

interesting read		  
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  1warrior
 
06:10pm 24/02/2004
 
mood: busy
I read: Ain't Gonna Make The Same Mistake Twice by Angela Sinclair. The book is about an african american woman who grows up in Chicago Southside, about college life from the young female african american perspective, about racism, friendships, relationships with family, and sexuality. I loved this book. But I didn't like the ending because I would have liked to know what her final decisions were. But when Angela Sinclair ended the book, the girl, Stevie, was still trying to find herself, but this time, Stevie, not only is searching for herself, but confidently for the first time. An I liked that, that bit reminded me of a delicious bite of cake.		  
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hi 
  chelleybean02
 
05:05pm 17/02/2004
  I am reading a book series from an author Brian Lumley. The series of books are labelled Necroscope. These books are about vampires but the way Lumley portrays them is just fantastic. Whenever I read these books, his details are so exact I can envision everything going on in my head.

So far in the series I have read: Necroscope I, Wamphyri!, and The Source. I just recently purchased the fourth book, Deadspeak.

Try reading some of these books and tell me what you think about them.		  
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  the_bandaid
 
05:20pm 01/02/2004
  Julian Barnes Love, etc is a brilliant book. Perfect for those feeling absolutely cynical but still in love all the same...  
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Good books 
  litlgin
 
01:22am 02/02/2004
 
mood: curious
Hey, I'm always on the look-out for some new, good books! Any suggestions (hopefully with a little story info - I'm lazy, I know) would be appreciated! Here are some good ones I've read:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon
Written from the POV of an autistic boy.

Lies and the lying liars who tell them - a fair and balanced look at the right, Al Franken
A funny and interesting look at liberal and conservative sides of politics.

Running in heels, Anna Maxted
A suprising book about a woman who has issues with her best friend getting married.

Paradise, Toni Morrison
Interestingly written from a number of different perspectives. About how a group of women came to live together.

1984, George Orwell
Written in the 30s (or 40s...?), one perspective on what the world would be like after the war.

Brave new world, Aldous Huxley
Everyone loves this book, I don't think it needs an intro.

The stinky cheese man and other fairly stupid tales, John Scieszka and Lane Smith
Yes, it's a children's book, but don't discount it because of that. Beautiful artwork and hilarious stories, this one is a truly great read from cover to cover.		  
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Revisiting favorites 
  the_bandaid
 
09:01pm 28/01/2004
  I'm re-reading books I've enjoyed in the past, because I'm too tired and lazy and busy to go and look for good ones. I'm listing ones I've read during the last month. If anyone is into similar styles and can recommend anything, please feel free...

Margaret Atwood:
The Handmaid's Tale
Cat's Eye
The Robber Bride
Alias Grace

David Foster Wallace:
Infinite Jest

Sarah Waters:
Fingersmith
Affinity		  
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  save_the_reeper
 
10:08pm 27/01/2004
 
mood: crushed
music: jewel - hands
books i have read currently

* crosses by : shelly stoer ( the most awsome book ever )
* letters from the inside ( very good.. but it leaves you hanging at the end )
* my father, the nutcase ( very good )


what im currently reading -

* king of torts by : john grisham
* misfits no.2 of heroes and villians..

comment if youve read any of the books above please and tell me how you like them.		  
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Return of the King. 
  iodine
 
11:10am 06/01/2004
 
mood: accomplished
I just finished Return of the King last night before I went to bed. I have spent a while reading it because I have been in college and haven't really had the time to read. It was a brilliant last part to the epic story of the fellowship of the ring. I enjoyed reading about the last part of the journey for Frodo and Sam, Legolas and Gimli, Pippin, Merry, and the Ents, Gandalf as Gandalf the White, and Aragorn's crowning as the King of Gondor. It was a nerve racking book as it kept me on the edge of my seat while the hobbits were being attacked by the orcs and the riders of Rohan had to fight the dreadful war with the help of Strider and the rest. In the end, though, everyone got returned to their rightful status, and as Aragorn became king, he also ended up getting married to the lovely Elven Princess. I recommend this three part epic to anybody and everybody. Right now I am reading The Salmon of Doubt by Douglas Adams.		  
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new year, new reading. 
  iodine
 
09:31pm 31/12/2003
 
mood: accomplished
Into the New Year, here is a list of all of the books I have read during the year 2003.

The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide by Douglas Adams.
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.
Everything's Eventual by Stephen King.
Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh.
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides.
The Sorceror's Companion by Allan Sola Kronzek and Elizabeth Kronzek.
Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King.
Dead-eye Dick by Kurt Vonnegut.
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin.
Shakespeare 4 Comedies by William Shakespeare.
Pet Sematary by Stephen King.
Different Seasons by Stephen King.
Alice with Golden Hair by Eleanor Hall.
God Bless You Dr. Kevorkian by Kurt Vonnegut.
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles.
The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac.
The Time Machine by HG Wells.
The Gunslinger by Stephen King.
Starship Titanic by Douglas Adams.
Choke by Chuck Palahniuk.
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
Beyond the Chocolate Wars by Robert Cornier.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
The Portable Henry Rollins by Henry Rollins.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling.
True Irish Ghost Stories by John Seymore.
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone by JK Rowling.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling.
Delores Claiborne by Stephen King.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.
The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King.
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien.
Napalm and Silly Putty by George Carlin.
Antigone by Sophocles.
Happy Birthday, Wanda June by Kurt Vonnegut.
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk.
Disaster Relief Poems by Brett Axel.
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare.
Take Me Out by Richard Greenberg.
Lysistrata by Aristophanes.
The Brothers Manaechmus by Plautus.
The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien.
The Two Towers by JRR Tolkien.
Prozak Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel.
Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles.
**I'm going into the new year reading The Return of the King by JRR Tolkien.
**Happy Reading!!
  
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Good Books 
  midnight_scar
 
06:43pm 08/11/2003
 
mood: amused
Well, since I just finished a few books (and also because I have nothing better to do) I'll suggest some good reads for you guys.

~'The Count of Monte Cristo' by Alexandre Dumas (excellent and a must-read)

~'The Runaway Jury' by John Grisham (the movie was a *shame* compared to the book)

~'The Firm' by John Grisham (great movie and book)

~'A Time to Kill' by John Grisham (wonderful story and portrays that even if we think racism is long gone, we have to remember that not everyone believes that)		  
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NEWBIE 
  raftigidig
 
07:56am 09/11/2003
  Hey... No book yet.. actually I am reading Hamlet (and enjoying it) because its part of the requirements for school.  
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