004 [21 Aug 2008|07:22pm] 50bookchallenge [syikana] ( The List So Far ) 11) Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell (Tag Line- The Book that started it all... ( Back Cover ) My thoughts: I've been wanting to read this book for a while (it just took me a while to find it) and while I got a little confused with the whole essay aspect initally I adjusted and it was good... for a good read. My only disappointment was finding out that the the other three main characters from the show wheren't mentchioned as much. 4/5 11 / 50 books. 22% done! post comment

25 books in 2008. [20 Aug 2008|01:34am] 50bookchallenge [phoenix39] [ mood | sick ] I'm a freaking slow reader, so I cut my goals in half. 25 books and 7,500 pages. Books of the Year: 1. Sin City: The Hard Goodbye by Frank Miller, 200 pages 2. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For by Frank Miller, 206 pages 3. Sin City: The Big Fat Kill by Frank Miller, 183 pages 4. I Am Legend [graphic novel] by Richard Matheson, 240 pages 5. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, 498 pages 6. New Moon by Stephanie Meyer, 563 pages 7. Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer, 629 pages 8. Holes by Louis Sachar, 233 pages 9. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer, 756 pages 10. Heroes: Volume One, 240 pages 11. How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found by Sara Nickerson, 281 pages 12. Small Steps by Louis Sachar, 257 pages Small Steps is a follow up novel to Holes. So if you have read Holes and loved it, you have to read Small Steps. This one is about Armpit two years after he's released from Camp Green Lake. He wants to get his life back, but X-Ray comes up with a get-rich-quick scheme and all hell breaks loose... (  Spoilers  ) 12 / 25 books. 48% done! 4286 / 7500 pages. 57% done! post comment

Just started [20 Aug 2008|04:16pm] 50bookchallenge [merchendiver] [ mood | chipper ] [ music | Cum on Hear the Noise-Quite Riot ] Well I started Monday but just now getting around to posting. 1. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho-( Read more... ) Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury-( Read more... ) ROOKIES By Morita Masanori-A Graphic Novel-( Read more... ) And I just started Margaret Atwoods The Handmaid's Tail. Maybe this time I'll be able to get through it. 4 comments|post comment

Book 20: The Essential 55 [20 Aug 2008|10:28pm] 50bookchallenge [mhleigh] Title: The Essential 55: An Award-Winning Educator’s Rules for Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child Author: Ron Clark Genre: Autobiography / Self-Help Plot: Famed educator Ron Clark originally agreed to teach for North Carolina solely because of a program which would pay for his college tuition if he agreed to do so. His first classroom was a troubled group of elementary students who had already run through a slew of teachers by midyear. After becoming very well respected in rural North Carolina, Clark stunned family and friends by deciding to move on to a different set of challenges and teach in Harlem, New York. To deal with difficult students and situations, Clark developed 55 rules to help students achieve to their highest potential. A few of these rules include, “if you are asked a question in conversation, ask a question in return,” “do not show disrespect with gestures,” “know other teachers’ names and greet them in the hall by name,” and “do not bring Doritos into the school building.” While all of these rules are used in his classroom, their goal is prepare students for later life as well. Quote: “Kids are kids, and many actions that may seem like common sense to us will seem foreign to them.” Grade: B Review: This book contains many helpful tips for working with children. While many of the same concepts will work will for children (and people!) of every age, the advice is specific to elementary school. There are many traditional bits of wisdom, such as giving students praise, using rewards, structure, and organization, as well as some untraditional methods, such as scolding students in front of the rest of the class (although the peers are not permitted to look at the student being punished), and taking students on class trips to basketball games and the movies. It is a good book of ideas for teachers and others who work with students, even if just because Clark encourages people to read his rules, but them come up with the ideas that will work best for them. Currently reading: Murder Most Royal On the list: Managing Your Classroom with Heart, March of Folly, Rose without Thorn post comment

More books [20 Aug 2008|04:38pm] 50bookchallenge [travelinjen] I'm not doing very well on the 50 book challenge.  I haven't been in a reading mood lately.  I pick up a book and my mind starts to wander to other things. 25.   The Dark Knight by Dennis O'Neil This is the novelization of the screenplay.  I started it before seeing the movie, but saw the film before I finished the book.   This turned out to be good, as plot points weren't spoiled for me.   Not too much additional insight is provided by the novel in this case.  It's going to the used bookstore. 26.  Austenland by Shannon Hale Jane (naturally) is left an all expense paid vacation to a Jane Austen theme park in her aunt's will.  Naturally, chaos ensues.  Modern girl has trouble with Regency rules, typical chick-lit situation of one girl with two men interested in her (we all should have such problems) and she first chooses the wrong one to realize the right one was in front of her all the time.   This was a quick read.  I read it on a cross-country flight last month and finished it as we were landing at home.  It was cute, but I doubt that it'll be a re-read.   post comment

[20 Aug 2008|07:09pm] printfactory This boy has such a lovely piano space. Mine is rather impersonal... I plan on re-designing it tomorrow! I've already acquired myself the piano sheets to the piece heard above, "River flows in you", by Yiruma. It's so beautiful. River flows nowhere when I play though, I'll need to practice more. 2 comments|post comment

Nearly Halfway there! [20 Aug 2008|04:04pm] 50bookchallenge [dakotawitch] [ mood | accomplished ]   22 / 50 (44.0%) Per request, I'm putting most of this post behind an LJ-Cut. The books you'll find within: #13-#15 is actually an ominbus edition of all three books in the Wraeththu trilogy by Storm Constantine, and I'll review it as one book. #16 was Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow by Elizabeth Lesser #17 was Notes from an Incomplete Revolution: Real Life Since Feminism by Merideth Maran #18 was Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings by Christopher Moore #19 was Food and Feast in Tudor England by Alison Sim #20 was The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver #21 was Folly by Laurie R. King #22 was House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III ( Wraethuthu ) ( Broken Open ) ( Notes from an Incomplete Revolution ) ( Fluke ) ( Food and Feast in Tudor England ) ( The Bean Trees ) ( Folly ) ( House of Sand and Fog ) 1 comment|post comment

#45: "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss [20 Aug 2008|02:37pm] 50bookchallenge [slimequeen] [ mood | tired ] This book took a long time - almost two weeks - to read, and not simply because it was 722 pages. The book had to get packed up, briefly, along with everything else as part of a cross-town move. But now most stuff is unpacked, and the book is concluded. I keep seeing The Name of the Wind mentioned everywhere online. Apparently it's one of the biggest sensations in the fantasy genre in the past year. The reviewer blurbs at the beginning constantly cite George R. R. Martin, which is a fitting comparison looking at the width of the binding alone. Unlike A Song of Ice and Fire, this first novel of the Kingkiller Chronicles is mostly in a first-person viewpoint. Kvothe is a peculiar character. He is real, deep, and flawed as any human should be. We begin knowing that Kvothe is somehow begin a mythical hero within his own lifetime, but now he's trying to live a simple life as an innkeeper. The truth has a way of emerging, and Kvothe begins to tell his life's tale to a chronicler, and the reader is along for the ride. And what a ride it is! At times, Kvothe infuriated me when he did stupid things; it was like watching The Flintstones and wanting to yell at Fred to stop being a blockhead. There are some slower points in the book where I wondered if I should keep going, then boom - the action picks up and the better plot elements like the Chandrian zoomed back into the story. It's a good book, but I wasn't as ecstatic over it as others seem to be. It could have been two hundred pages shorter, tighter. I think the next book, due out next year, will be worth reading, but I won't be waiting in line for it. Rothfuss will be an author to follow over the coming decades as his writing matures. 2 comments|post comment

Book 15 - Guns of the South [20 Aug 2008|05:16pm] 50bookchallenge [peppermenthe] Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove (alternative history) (SF) (American Civil War) I originally read this book several times about ten years ago. Then, I thought it was absolutely, completely wonderful. Now, I find it fun, but not as good as I did then. I'm not sure if thinking that it was going to be top ten material made me harder on it. Basically, somebody gives the Confederacy advanced weapons. It's told primarily through the viewpoints of Robert E Lee, and two rank and file confederates. As far as alternate histories go, it's interesting. The characters are sympathetic, the biggest problem that I had was that it wasn't as good as I remembered. If you haven't read it, I still recommend it. 2 comments|post comment

Graphic novel 6 - 52, volume 1 [20 Aug 2008|05:07pm] 50bookchallenge [peppermenthe] Graphic novel 6 - 52, volume 1 {superheroes, DC comics} Reading this was interesting, as I had already read the novelization, before I got the graphic novel. This is definitely better than the novel. The novel had its strengths, but it wasn't as gripping. The art is good, and tells the story clearly. Reading the novel, I was amused. Reading the graphic novel, you actually think that someone might keep buying the comics every week to follow the plotline. post comment

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay and the Mercy Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs [20 Aug 2008|02:01pm] 50bookchallenge [shawn_small] 52/50 Umm… I guess 52/75 49. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay - Thrillers, Suspense, Mystery (304 pages) -Meet Dexter Morgan. He's a highly respected lab technician specializing in blood spatter for the Miami Dade Police Department. He's a handsome, though reluctant, ladies' man. He's polite, says all the right things, and rarely calls attention to himself. He's also a sociopathic serial killer whose "Dark Passenger" drives him to commit the occasional dismemberment. Mind you, Dexter's the good guy in this story. Adopted at the age of four after an unnamed tragedy left him orphaned, Dexter's learned, with help from his pragmatic policeman father, to channel his "gift," killing only those who deal in death themselves. But when a new serial killer starts working in Miami, staging elaborately grisly scenes that are, to Dexter, an obvious attempt at communication from one monster to another, the eponymous protagonist finds himself at a loss. Should he help his policewoman sister Deborah earn a promotion to the Homicide desk by finding the fiend? Or should he locate this new killer himself, so he can express his admiration for the other's "art?" Or is it possible that psycho Dexter himself, admittedly not the most balanced of fellows, is finally going completely insane and committing these messy crimes himself? - A quick read. Disturbing and delightful. I’m surprised how much I liked this book. (3.5/5)   (Mercy Thompson Series) 50. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs - Fantasy (304 pages) - Moon Called is the first installment in Patricia Briggs's Mercedes Thompson series. Set in the Tri-Cities area of Washington state the series follows Mercedes, a VW mechanic, and her interactions with the supernaturals who live in the area. In this first novel most of the action centers around Adam, the Alpha werewolf who lives next door. - I liked this, but wasn't wowed. (3.5/5)   51. Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs - Fantasy (304 pages) - Mercedes Thompson may not be a were-creature, ruled by phases of the moon, but she can change into a coyote whenever she wants to. Because she owes him a favor, Mercedes agrees to back up vampire friend Stefan when he confronts another of his kind. But, being demon-possessed, that vampire proves deadlier than most. Before she can so much as bark, Mercedes is up to her ears in vampires fighting vampires, werewolves fighting vampires, and humans in the middle. She aims to off the demon-possessed vampire before any more killings, but she can't count on everyone who ought to be her ally because the local top vampire has schemes of her own. - From Amazon - I liked this better than the first book. It kept me interested. (4/5)   52. Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs - Fantasy (304 pages) - Shape-shifter Mercy Thompson has a complex life, juggling two werewolf lovers and a job working for a fae mechanic; things get even more hectic when her boss and mentor is arrested for killing a citizen of the fae reservation. As the fae seem content to let him rot, Thompson takes it on herself to clear her friend's name, beginning an investigation that may cost her life. – From Amazon - I liked it and will definitely read the next book - (4/5) post comment

[20 Aug 2008|03:29pm] 50bookchallenge [noachoc] I was a bit late jumping on the Stephanie Meyer bandwagon. I'd been turned off by the idea of yet another vampire romance novel and ignored most of the reviews on here (though I noted their number) until, at some point, I heard that Ms. Meyer was a Mormon. The religious affiliation of an author hardly ever sways me one way or another on a book, but the idea of a Mormon lady writing about vampire romance sort of boggled the mind and I figured I'd give it a shot. Because of my delay, I ended up reviewing her previous books a good deal after the glut of reviews here, so I'm kind of shy, now that I've caught up to everybody else, about reviewing a book that everybody else is reviewing. Everybody, it seems, either loves the Twilight series or hates it. Me, I find myself sort of stuck in the middle. I love to hate it, or hate to love it. I have had a marvelous time cussing out the characters when they're being stupid (I'm pretty sure these are the only books I've ever actually yelled at). I tend to hate Bella and not think much better of Edward, but I have a hell of a good time reading about them. I've proposed in the past that the Twilight series is a romance novel gateway drug, and I stand by that now. There's no actual sex and it's geared towards young teens but, other than that, it's pretty indistinguishable. All of this makes me think (and this is a theory only) that a person's reaction to a romance novel is about what their reaction would be to Ms. Meyer's work. That is to say, if you're the Liberated Female sort, who thinks romance novels are degrading and shallow, you'll think any one of the Twilight books is degrading and shallow (or just plain stupid). If you're of the soppy variety who loves nothing more than to crawl under a comforter with a romance novel and a mug of cocoa, you'll be in love with Edward. If you're like me and are stuck somewhere between disapproving of romance novels for having little literary merit, and still having a grand time reading the funny bits out loud to friends, or giggling quietly about them to yourself, you'll feel basically the same way about Twilight, etc. I may be wrong, but that's the trend I've noticed. So, on to Breaking Dawn. Bella falls over a lot less in this one, which made me like her a good deal more. Edward starts out the book by freaking out and smacking himself in the face (metaphorically) a whole lot, which made me hate him with a renewed passion, but it calms down as the book progresses and so, eventually, did I. However, when he was seething with inner self-directed fury about giving Bella a BRUISE while having sex, I honestly wanted to shoot him in the face. So did Bella, though, so that was alright, I guess. Lots of people get bruises while having sex, they're called HICKIES. A few select people with more interesting urges get bigger bruises on PURPOSE while having sex but our Edward, of course, insists that everything's about him. It's a good thing he wasn't dating a masochist. The ending, I thought, was weak. I'm not sure what I'd have wanted Ms. Meyers to do differently, since a not-weak ending probably would have included a lot of wholesale slaughter, and that's not her style. Still, though, I can't help but feel that it could have been handled better. His Dark Materials... now THERE was an ENDING. 67/75. 4 comments|post comment

i see pink things [20 Aug 2008|03:32pm] diamondfight [cendrille] post comment

Books 42-44 [20 Aug 2008|11:49am] 50bookchallenge [nytetyger] 42. Golden Fool (Fantasy) – Robin Hobb Rating:8 The second book in the "Tawny Man" portion of the Farseer universe opens well, but I'm a bit less enamored of it this time around. Fitz is getting whiny, refusing to see past his own needs and wants, and blaming himself for everything even with everyone tells him to stop. Chade has gone from a character I really loved to one I want to just... well, to just go off, fall over and be out of the series. And damnit, if SOMEONE doesn't give Fool a huge hug and tell him that it'll somehow someday be OK, I will implode. Fitz manages to screw up the ONE relationship where he was treated as honestly as possible (Fool needed to use Fitz, but always told him so, and felt bad for it, at the very least, unlike EVERYONE else). And if I hear Fitz whine one more time that the Fool talks in riddles when all he freaking has to do is LISTEN I will throttle Fitz. I'm getting slowly tired of Fitz stubbornly held loyalties to people who don't deserve it (HELLO-- Burrich and Molly? I don't CARE if she needed help, it was as if your father falls for and marries your ex wife. Kettriken AND Chade both holding Nettle as a threat to make Fitz do whatever they want, all the while piously telling Fitz how screwed up he is while screwing things up themselves. Dutiful being anything BUT and Fitz even having to swallow himself to deal with Thick, making pleasing someone who was betraying the royals more important than Fitz himself) and the stupid things Fitz is forced to accept with a smile on his face (Anyone else want to cheerfully throttle Starling the bard? I've hated her since the first time we met her, but apparently Fitz has to let that nasty tongued bitch say and do whatever she wishes as 'making a bard angry is baaaaad' :P). And don't forget the people who pretend to be nice and who end up being nasty remoras who back stab the second they are away from the guiding influence of Martyr Fitz-- his adopted son who goes from a strong, confident, kind man to a sneaky lazy weasel. Or Jinna who went from an open, sweet kind woman to a overtly possessive, angry and judgment oriented snot. It seems like everyone in the universe is just waiting to turn on Fitz; it's all just a matter of time. And my final rant: *Everyone* hating Witted... oh BOO -- not all farmers are superstitious fools, and just because you live in wealth does not guarantee that you will be able to overcome ignorance better; even in the Dark Ages, some towns did accept their 'wise women'... they were practical; she knows herbs, more of us survive illness, so caring for her and hers means we do better as a community. Yet somehow you say the word WIT and every SINGLE human (save the usually either dimwitted, or snarky Witted) in the Farseer universe ever turns into a slavering bigot who is just waiting to draw, quarter, and burn their neighbors. Let's say I'm taking a break before finishing the series with the last book... 43. Safe Harbor (Par. Romance) – Christine Feehan Rating: 6 Fifth Drake sisters book. Basically, take any of the last few, and edit the names. I'm stubborn and WILL finish the series... that is the ONLY reason I'm continuing. Even the sex is getting rote, and that is a truly sad thing to type. 44. The Last Guardian (Fantasy) – Jeff Grubb Rating: 8 If you, like me, play Word of Warcraft, you will enjoy the book, set mostly in Karazhan. If you don't, well, it is a semi interesting fantasy novel and there are so many better out there. But those of us in WoW will hiss at Moroes, and scream, as I did "NO! NOT THERE -- IT'S JUST TRASH MOBS DOWN THERE!" which made it a really fun read. :) 44 / 50 (88.0%) 1 comment|post comment

Book 19: Loyal in Love [20 Aug 2008|01:33pm] 50bookchallenge [mhleigh] Title: Loyal in Love Author: Jean Plaidy Genre: Historical novel Plot: Princess Henrietta Maria of France is arranged a marriage with Charles I of England. It is a match fraught with difficulties because England is by this point staunchly Protestant and Henrietta is dedicated to Catholicism. A marriage treaty is created which both sides have to know will never be enforced (including that Henrietta will have sole charge of the religious instruction of any offspring until they reach the age of 13). Henrietta goes to England believing the country to be open to her raising her children to be Catholics, but in fact the people and the leaders would never allow heirs to the throne to be taught contrary to the Church of England. Despite their differences, however, Henrietta and Charles fall very deeply in love and relish in their private lives together. They are unprepared for the change in feeling that is sweeping the nation, and seem to run headstrong towards disaster. Quote: "'Oh Charles,' I cried, 'I have destroyed your plan! I, who would give my life for you, have destroyed you." Grade: A Review: Finally, a queen and king who are madly in love and totally devoted to each other! Of course, we have to know it's too good to last. The author does a very good job with making the reader understand that although the king and queen make what seem to be unbelievably foolish choices, raised as they were to believe as they believe, it would not occur to them to act differently and they can't be judged from twenty-first century eyes. To admit that the king is not given his office by God? Insanity! To rule with help from Parliament instead of absolutely? Who are you kidding? To renounce the faith you were promised the freedom to practice, even to possibly save your husband's kingdom? Bowing to the masses? Not a realistic possibility. The characters are painted well, their good qualities and their faults, and the book makes for a very entertaining read. Currently reading: Murder Most Royal On the list: Managing Your Classroom with Heart 2 comments|post comment

42. The Peace War by Vernor Vinge [20 Aug 2008|12:47pm] 50bookchallenge [krinek] Title: The Peace War Author: Vernor Vinge Year: 1984 # of Pages: 317 Date read: 7/2/2008 Rating: 3*/5 = good Description: "Hoehler was a man with an idea that would change the world forever... Paul Hoehler, mathematician of genius, had devised spherical force fields that allowed nothing -- people, objects, light, air, radiation -- in or out. The ultimate defence initiative and supreme survival technology, it offered total power and the opportunity was not lost on Livermore Electronics Laboratories. Suddenly anyone in the vicinity of a government compound or a defence installation was 'bobbled', locked into a force field and lost to sight forever. The new Peace Authority had global power in a world where war was obsolete. But outside the impregnable 'bobbles', mysterious plagues began their epic devastation. And outside the 'bobbles', Hoehler, the man who had created the technology for total power, had become The Peace Authority's most feared enemy, the holder of the long-lost key of hope for a world dominated by soul-numbing repression..." -- from the back cover My thoughts: This was a thought-provoking look at how technology doesn't always make the world better for everyone. I liked the interactions between Wili, Paul and Alison as they work together to defeat the Peace Authority. post comment

Fairy tales of various nations [20 Aug 2008|06:14pm] storybookland [midare_shinami] Forgive me for posting two posts in a row, but I'm on the "OH MY GOD, NEW COMMUNITY TO SPAM UP" high. These are illustrations from a book, collecting fairy tales from all around the world. This is one damn good book, I loved it when I was younger. And the art, done by Artur Łobuś, is great! I don't think I'll be able to translate all titles, but I'll try at least telling what country the given fairy tale comes from. ( Watch out! Many big pictures under the cut ) I really hope this dude was paid A LOT for these illustrations. 21 comments|post comment

[20 Aug 2008|12:19pm] printfactory It's chilly in my home, I expect fall to wrap us in warm colours very soon. Though I already long for summer when it's not yet completely gone. Standing still right in between the seasons. Would really like to be here, (Marie Claire Maison)

[20 Aug 2008|10:39am] 50bookchallenge [gwynraven] Book #88 -- Richard Ellis, Monsters of the Sea, 388 pages An interesting book examining the legends and supposed sightings of 'sea monsters' from as far back as are known and speculating on possible scientific explanations. Much attention is given to 'sea monsters' that have been proven to exist, particularly whales, sharks, and the giant squid, comparing the stories to what is actually known about the species today. As a history of marine cryptozoology, this is certainly an interesting read. Progress toward goals: 233/366 = 63.7% Books: 88/150 = 58.7% Pages: 24373/50000 = 48.7% 2008 Book List cross-posted to 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven post comment

[20 Aug 2008|07:05am] 50bookchallenge [mycroftca] I finished another book, yesterday, called The Kitchen Readings: Untold Stories of Hunter S. Thompson which, except for the final tale of his ashes being spread, didn't add much to what I read earlier. This book of anecdotes written by an acquaintance of Thompson's and the local sheriff didn't try to analyze him at all, as opposed to the book by Wenner, his editor at Rolling Stone. It might be a good first approximation for anyone who hasn't read anything else by the author, but I wouldn't recommend the book at all. post comment

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