Not a very enjoyable read, as it is somewhat dry and hard to maintain focus, yet for me it was still worth working through. It stayed in my mind after reading. Abe touches on aspects of humanity through choice and freedom. A small part mystery and a larger part science fiction prophecy with implications of choice. The redeeming factors for Inter Ice Age 4 are the search for a viable candidate for "the machine" and the projected progression (and implied retrogression) of the young Aquan back to land. The full circle nature of the ending made this novel worth 3 stars, while the rest was very distant and antiseptic. The main characters' individualistic drives are their strengths, as well as their flaws that initially lead them to growth and ultimately hasten their destruction.

Before I read this, I did not believe Steinbeck could write with so much humor. A very enjoyable and quick read.

I loved this book. Very funny Steinbeck. The characters are unforgettable in this continuation to Cannery Row.

A slower read for me, as far as Steinbeck is concerned. The characters were not as fleshed out as in most other works by Steinbeck. The story, I felt, could have been paced a little more quickly as well. Yet overall, a very enjoyable read.

A tragic tale of friendship, love and loss, that I read in elementary school, that continues to resonate and remain vivid with me these many years later.

Laugh-out-loud funny in many parts for me. The characters are real; they will take up physical space (one of Steinbeck's gifts to his readers). Anyone who has friends, faithfully-flawed and honestly-opportunistic or otherwise, will be able to appreciate the subtlety displayed in the interaction between the inhabitants of Tortilla Flat.

In my top 5; an astounding book with amazingly-rendered and realistic characters, a living and breathing physical description of the Salinas Valley, and a tale rooted in love and loss. I have read this novel 3 times and I continue to discover new insight and am continually blown away by its power and beauty with each new read. A very moving and affecting tale for me. A story that is immersing and contains more of Steinbeck wit/wisdom then any other I have read by him. This book can change/tweak the way you look at life.

Almost as engaging as the first novel, but somewhat more focused on the day to day life of these new societies as they prepare for war and settle the lands that surround them. The novel is more based on skirmish warfare between The protectorate and those in the Willamette Valley. The inclusion of the Lorings and John Hordle was very enjoyable. Also, the development of the Dunedain was interesting as well. A good read, but not as entertaining as Dies The Fire.

Very fun and exciting read. In essence, a chronicle of what happens when the use of new-age technologies cease to function. The development of the Bear Killers, The Protectorate, and The Mackenzies in a new age of eaters and the re-emergence of a more agrarian lifestyle and violent lifestyle is very engaging.

A beautiful and thoroughly engaging read. Moments of random violence and moments of random kindness make this novel a memorable and affecting. The final chapter has a lyrical beauty to it. I especially liked these late lines, "I lean back in the sun and think about nothing in particular until my champagne bomb explodes. So little lasts. Mountains, classic songs, friendships, perhaps, and nut much else."

This novel really surprised me. I must say I was not expecting to enjoy Clans of The Alphane Moon because I have heard that many of Dick's lesser known works can be unreadably bad. I loved the interplay between the colonies and there caste system style divisions based on their particular mental afflictions. But, the most fascinating part of the novel, for me, was the development of the story-line dealing with the failed relationship between the Ritersdorf's. The novel continued to thrill through the inclusion of crazy characters and wild events that really added to my enjoyment of this story. One of Philip K. Dick's better efforts, as good as Time out of Joint, and better than DADES.

The concept of covering the occurrences,random happenings and intersections between lives in one tokyo night is interesting, but this novel is not as fully formed as other work I have read by Murakami. I do, however, enjoy the random strands that Murakami offers the reader and also enjoy the fact that many of these scenarios are not fully played out and therefore are left to the reader to conclude. The novel concludes with many story strands left often to chance and future possibilities. All in all, an interesting read, but not up to the level of works like Hard-boiled Wonderland, or The Windup Bird Chronicle.

Laking the usual shock-factor, slow-moving, and not very engaging. Was thoroughly unimpressed with this Palahniuk novel.

Mitchell completely shocked me with this novel. I have never read anything quite like it. The structure is genius. The different writing styles, and distinct voices represented in the novellas, are quite varied and nearly flawless in their execution. Cloud Atlas is a haunting and memorable narrative.

Jim Thompson is a good writer. He writes hard-boiled style fiction that tends to feature dark and reprehensible characters. A Hell of a Woman was a decent read with a great ending. Thompson's ability to transfer paranoia from his protagonist to the reader is commendable, but the true shinning light of the novel occurs at final pages of the novel. The ending offers the reader multiple realities as the main character suffers from a nervous breakdown, leaving the reader to decipher the underlying truth for himself.

This memoir-style novel is shocking, irreverent, hilarious, tragic, and (bare your soul in all it's faults) real. I love an underdog. This is the novel of a self-aspiring underdog with few aspirations and even less means to make something of himself. Some portions of the novel will deeply disturb readers, but I found that these sections added authenticity to the Chinaski character and served to reinforce the flow and general direction of the novel. I found this novel to be deeply touching; it can resonate on many levels with an individual's battle to overcome the multitude of obstacles that can be found in life.

I enjoyed this fast-paced pulp read. Parker is able to create a far-out, and funny thrill ride that keeps you glued to the pages. Lasting and affecting moments are tied to the backstory of Vietnam, but the novel is enjoyable overall and a page turner. The characters are somewhat forgettable, but the plot twists make for a fun ride.

In Greybeard, Aldiss relates the waning years of mankind with a poetic-like prose. The story is most enjoyable when seen through the flashbacks of Greybeard, because they are so revelatory. the ending gives hope for the future of humanity, but not those who made the mistakes. The future lies in the hands of a new generation, one filled with hope and thankfully disconnected from society, and therefore hopefully not plagued with the mistakes of the past.

I especially enjoyed Murakami's hard-boiled wonderland sections of this novel. The end of the world sections were interesting at first, yet seemed to become less engaging as I progressed through the novel. The INKlings, unicorn skulls, and sexual undercurrents made for an interesting and highly entertaining, unpredictable read.

The novel is surreal and, from the beginning, exudes an undercurrent of violence. Occurrences seem to happen at random, and the book seems slightly scattered and lost at moments; yet, I find this to be a positive of the book, because the reader will find it impossible to know where Murakami will go next. Murakami has the ability to make a scene come alive, as evidenced in the descriptions of Mackerel's actions and the skinning of a soldier.

Fun, super-fast paced read. Many laugh out loud critiques on our society: BMW drivers, children's safety pajama choices, and TP pool protocols. Very engaging read; hard to put down. Hiro is pretty BADASS

Detailed prose, somewhat slow to catch onto at first, but book becomes pretty engaging. Although, I did not feel completely immersed, due to the length of the reading.

Thoroughly funny, raucous, engaging, and fun read. Believable, and likable, characters.

I enjoyed this more than DADES. I found the final chapter particularly moving. Dick has the ability to convey through his prose a feeling of uneasiness and surreality equal to the best authors of magical realism.