Ape's 2010 Challenge

Considering I read 80 books last year and am on pace to read well over 50 again this year, plus the fact that I like the atmosphere here, I've decided to make the big move from the 50 book challenge group! My first thread can be found here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/80777#1686958.

Books: 38
Pages: 12,018

January:
1. Plague by Wendy Orent
2. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
3. Mulengro by Charles de Lint
4. Inferno by Dante Aligheiri
5. The Iliad by Homer
6. The Fall of Rome by Michael Curtis Ford

February
7. The Snow Lion's Turquoise Mane by Surya Das
8. The Coming Plague by Laurie Garrett
9. Brave the Betrayal by K. A. Applegate
10. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
11. Scourge by Jonathan B. Tucker

March
12. Whitechapel Gods by S.M. Peters
13. Ghost Ocean by S.M. Peters
14. Frieze by Cecile Pineda
15. Fell Cargo by Dan Abnett
16. Lab 257 by Michael Christopher Carroll
17. Pluto, Animal Lover by Laren Stover
18. Pandemic by Daniel Kalla
19. Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis
20. Farhenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
21. Escaping Tornado Season by Julie Williams
22. Nighttime is My Time by Mary Higgins Clark

April
23. The Passage by Justin Cronin
24. When Elephants Weep by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson
25. Jubilant Thicket by Jonathan Williams
26. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
27. Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn
28. Blood Lies by Daniel Kalla
29. The Dream Room by Marcel Moring

May
30. Blood, Tin, Straw by Sharon Olds
31. The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen
32. The Black Sun by James Twining
33. From the Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury
34. The Future of Ice by Gretel Ehrlich
35. In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje
36. Bonk by Mary Roach

June
37. The Aeneid by Virgil
38. Spook by Mary Roach

Welcome to the group!

Welcome! Nice batch of books there...

Howdy! Following you across the big 7-5, good to see you over here...

Welcome to our friendly, well read and chatty group.

Welcome to the group!

Thanks for the welcome, everyone! I was browsing the group, and wow, you guys post a lot! I approve. :) Going to take me awhile to catch up with everyone though...

#7: Trust me when I say, you will never catch up to this group! I read every post every single day and that is the only way I can do it, lol.

Welcome! Do I notice a certain interest in plague themed books?

Welcome to the group. It is quite difficult to keep up with everyone, I've sort of given up on that. Wow Stasia, do you read every single post? Do you have any limitations at all? I'm deeply impressed!:)

9: Indeed. Last year I discovered Richard Preston, when I read The Cobra Event and The Demon in the Freezer. I was intrigued by the subject, so I looked into more books on the topic (The Ghost Map, The Hot Zone) and have been hooked ever since. I have Pox Americana, The Speckled Monster, and Lab 257 all on my immediate TBR list.

Of course, "immediate TBR list" equates to I'll probably read it in the next several months or so, but still... :)

#10: Yes, I read every single post, with the exception of group reads where I am not doing the book.

But I read even those...Ok, maybe I skim them. 8^}

#13: You're a better man than I, Charlie Brown!

14. Frieze by Cecile Pineda



Pages: 224
Rating: 3/5
It should first be noted that I hated this book at first. I didn't like the format, basically this small 220 page novel (with HUGE spacing) is composed of 120 chapters, chapters are anywhere from a lone paragraph to a page or 2. This certainly makes the book read faster, but could get a little annoying as well. I also didn't like the writing style (she, put lots of commas, for, basically, no reason, in every place, imaginable) and I really didn't know what was going on with the story, which seemed nonexistent in the beginning.

Bored with it I read the summary on the back of the book because I didn't feel like starting another chapter, and then it all made sense. You see, the story is about a stonecutter who is recruited to design and execute 120 friezes for a massive temple dedicated to buddha. So, the book is supposed to imitate the 120 friezes with each chapter being a sort of snapshot of the main character's life. After I realized what the author was trying to do, it made a lot more sense. At that point, I started to actually enjoy the novel a bit more. At the end of each chapter, I found myself pausing and imagining the events that took place in that chapter/paragraph as a carving in stone. Or I'd imagine the author was looking at a wall of friezes and inventing the story by examining the depictions. This definitely made the novel more enjoyable to read.

However, it doesn't always work well. Some times, it felt like the author just typed up a couple pages, and then chopped them up into 5-6 chapters for really no apparent reason, except perhaps to simply hit 120 chapters. This lessened my enjoyment because, when 2-3 chapters are all a single conversation, my imaginings of the friezes became obsolete, because each frieze was the same.

Ultimately, I'd label it as interesting.

I'm lucky I decided to read the summary or I never would have liked it. I usually don't like to read summaries because they spoil parts of the story too often.

15. Fell Cargo by Dan Abnett



Pages: 254
Rating: 2/5
I got this for one reason only. I was browsing the library shelves and the spine caught my eye, and I pulled out and read the little blurb on the bottom of the front cover: "Zombies, Pirates, and dark fantasy adventure on the high seas"

Zombies...Pirates...I'M IN! Of course, I knew it wasn't going to be good. How could it be? A generic warhammer fantasy novel about pirates and zombies? But c'mon, I couldn't resist!

Well, it wasn't that great. I really don't need to elaborate do I? It was a loose collectin of fight/battle scenes with a shoddy story to hold it together. The characters were mostly flat until late in the book, and most of the story was predictable.

But on the bright side, it did have zombies and pirates fighting. =D ...

#16: But on the bright side, it did have zombies and pirates fighting.

Well, at least there was something good about it!

Yea, I mean, just think of all the books out there that could have been made even better with zombie/pirate battles! Imagine if Huck Finn had been attacked by zombies while boating down the Mississippi. Or if Captain Ahab said 'AARRRRR!' while being swamped by a zombified sperm whale. You just can't go wrong with zombies and pirates.

#18: You just can't go wrong with zombies and pirates.

Evidently you can if Fell Cargo is any indication. Of course, the zombies and the pirates sound like they were the only good things about the book.

16. Lab 257 by Michael C. Carroll



Pages: 289
Rating: 1/5

Review posted:

This is terrible. Really, really terrible. Michael C. Carroll has written a book about Plum Island, an island just off the coast of Massachusetts. It harbors an animal disease research facility and it has a long history of polluting the surrounding waters and releasing toxic chemicals and potentially harmful biological diseases into surrounding area.

This sounds like it would make a great book, wouldn't it? Unfortunately, the author doesn't have a clue what he's talking about, and this is evident to even the most unenlightened person of the microbiological field. Here, let me give you a couple of examples.

In part one, Mr. Carroll accuses Plum Island for causing an Outbreak of Lyme disease, and he quotes Jerry Callis as he comments on the experiments done on ticks in the laboratory.

Dr. Callis gave a surprising answer ... "We had a tick colony, where you take them and feed them on virus, and breed the ticks to see how many generations it would last, on and on, until it's diluted. Recently, they reinstated the tick colony."
Tick colony.

Note how he emphasizes the word colony. Ohhhh! A colony. CREEPY. It's like, you know, something straight out of ALIEN. I tick COLONY. Ugh, yes Mr. Michael Christopher Carroll, it's called a colony. Would you prefer it be called a flock of ticks? A troop? A gaggle of ticks?

Please...

Another good example of Carroll's stupidity is in the picture section. There is a picture of a scientist examining a cow. The scientist is leaning in front of the cow and shining a flashlight in the cows snout, looking for symptoms of disease. The caption reads as follows:

An examination into exotic animal germs by a Plum Island scientist wielding, of all things, a flashlight

Oh, yes Mr. Carroll. When scientists need to see into dark places, they use flashlights. Oh no, they don't have some super-ultra-secret mega-powerful technology that banishes all darkness within a 1-mile radius (and if they did, you'd probably think it gave everyone cancer and various tropical diseases.) No, they use flashlights like the rest of us...

Ugh, what a moron. This could have been a good book. If the author could have stuck with the facts, he would have been much better off. The hard facts a really are quite concerning. There is definitely enough evidence to raise suspicion about what is really happening on Plum Island. There is definitely shady business and the island is without a doubt a health risk to any humans and animals living within the area. There was really no reason for the author to do more than present the facts, they are terrifying enough already. Unfortunately, his excessive speculation and blind accusations are far too prominent, and his dim-witted commentary is nothing more than annoying.

The subject is definitely one worth looking into, as there is definitely some intriguing and frightening aspects of this mysterious Plum Island research facility, but this book just feels like a sad attempt to cultivate fear and raise alarm amongst those who are susceptible to conspiracy theories, and not much else.

I would definitely recommend readers interested in the topic to look into what is really happening on Plum Island, but I would recommend finding a book written by a more competent author.

1 star.

You have not had any luck (except bad) with your last couple of reads. I hope your next one is much better!

If you want a better book about disease research, you could try Hot Zone and The Demon in the Freezer. The first one gives you a glimpse into tracking reports of ebola. Scarier and ickier than some of Stephen King's books.

21: I've noticed, but so far I'm LOVING my current read! :)

22: Yea, I've read both of those and they are great. Richard Preston is one of my favorite authors. He's good at really capturing your attention and then scaring your pants off with facts you almost wish you didn't know.

I also really liked The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson.

#23: That is very good news!

17. Pluto, Animal Lover by Laren Stover



Pages: 164
Rating: 5/5

I loved this little novel! It's a short little book that tells the dark and disturbing tale of Pluto who is, as the title suggests, an animal lover. He loves animals so much, he values them more than humans. He loves them so much, he's willing to...put them out of their misery when they are mistreated by humans. If you haven't caught on by now, Pluto is plum crazy.

Pluto, Animal Lover delves deep into the mind of a madman, who's thought process is so twisted and mangled it's almost logical at times. I would be reading it with wide eyes as I read some of the horrible thoughts that entered this disturbed man's mind...but, most scary, on occasions I would read something he was thinking and find myself nodding. I'd realize my head was bobbing and I'd think "NO! Did I just agree with that guy!?" He's so crazy he's almost more sane than the rest of us.

The book was a little hard to read at times. There are scenes that feature animal cruelty and abuse that, as an animal lover, I found a little hard to stomach. I think many of my fellow readers will feel the same but I would still highly recommend this one. It's a quick read and, although it is dark and a tad morbid, I found the book incredibly enlightening.

Another eerie aspect of the book for me: I actually adopted a dog from the pound 2 days before reading it. Kind of a strange coincidence!

Review posted.

I am so glad to see that your streak of bad reads is over! I bet you are too.

Definitely, I've been on a slow and steady decline for a couple weeks now.

I took pictures of the dog I recently adopted. Here it is (posting a link because it's a little big)

Picture

I'm not supposed to go near the pound. It's off limits for me. I can't possibly go by without feeling terrible for all the poor little dogs in there. But I find myself driving by all the time anyways. When I saw her, my heart just melted. She's just a puppy, and those eyes! They captured my attention and I couldn't bear the thought of leaving the poor girl in there.

#27: She's a cutie all right!

Glad you broke your bad streak - and, er, acquired a dog (!) - I've got The Hot Zone on Mount TBR myself and all your reading is steadily pushing it up towards the summit...

The Hot Zone is definitely worth reading. I actually liked The Demon in the Freezer a bit more, but I gave them both 5 stars, both are great reads. :)

And this is actually my third dog. Sometimes, I think I'm too compasionate for my own good. I'm being overrun here! :)

Much as the prospect appeals to me, I could never work at an animal shelter. First of all, no allergy meds would be strong enough, and second, I'd be running a zoo at my house because I'd want to rescue them all!
Your new pup is adorable!

Those eyes are amazing! What did you name her?

31: I know what you mean. It would definitely be difficult working in a place like that!

32: I actually haven't decided yet. I wanted her name to have something to do with her eyes, and because I thought they looked moon-ish, I tossed around the name Luna. I've told her to "don't chew on that!" enough times I think she probably thinks that's her name. =P

LOL!

>31 BookAngel_a:: The animal shelter in our town is only 5 minutes away from our house, and I've LOVE to go volunteer there... but for the same reasons, my husband says "No WAY." I'd be bringing home a new pet every day and think nothing of it... I'd love to live in a zoo... *sigh* I'd also never make it as a "foster" home for rescued animals, as I'd get attached and never be willing to give them up...

>33 Ape:: Luna is a pretty name! Let us know what you decide on!

>33 Ape: Luna is a marvelous name. The best test is shouting it loudly..... and Luna sounds great! And I think it goes with those eyes. Have a wonderful time with her.

As it turns out, she already has a name! The guy at the shelter didn't tell me when I adopted her but as I was skimming over he papers I saw it had a name listed already, Shyanne. I tested it and, sure enough, she responds to it. I think it sounds a little old-fasioned, but if that's what she knows then I suppose that's what I'll be calling her. :)

It definitely helps when I catch her chewing on stuff. Strange things I've caught her chewing on include:
1. My computer chair (the wheels and the little knob that raises and lowers it)
2. The toy basket. She threw all the toys out of it, didn't find one she liked, and decided to chew on the basket instead.
3. The doorknob to the front door, while standing on the back on the couch...

It's a good thing your chair doesn't have a lever to adjust the height. I could see you sitting there, typing away, and all of a sudden, dropping down six inches. It gave me a mental laugh.

> 37: I guess Shyanne is trying to tell you a few things:
1 - you spent too much time behind the computer, you should spend it with her
2 - she likes baskets to play with, not the toys you had in mind
3 - I guess tha is sign for "walking time!"

Anita
who has two very communicative Chow Chows ;-)

18. Pandemic by Daniel Kalla



Pages: 407
Rating: 4/5
A fast-paced page-turner about a terrorist group who releases a mutated strain of influenza across the globe. Very well researched (the author is an "emergency room physician" according to the biography) and realistic (most of the time). A guilt-free thriller that I really enjoyed. I'll probably be looking more into this author in the future. I'd type more, but my forearm is being gnawed on at the moment. :)

#40: That looks like one I would enjoy. I will have to look for it. Thanks for the recommendation.

I've been reading like a madman lately.

19. Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis



Pages: 280
Rating: 4/5

(review posted)

This was a surprisingly enjoyable novel. At first, I wasn't sure. It's one of those crude/dark humor novels with lots of drug reference and EXTREMELY weird sex jokes. You can't get more odd than a "woman" named bob who designs dolphin-shaped strap-ons and has nipple hair transplants...

Well, anyway, I would definitely not recommend this for everyone. This style of humor will be hit and miss for most people. You'll either love it or find it repulsive. The great part is, the book isn't just vulgar for vulgarity's sake. It actually goes on to prove an interesting point. You see, the story follows a detective who is charged by a (cocaine addicted) Chief of State of the United States to find a hidden 2nd Constitution. It was written to be implemented as an emergency if the moral fabric of society began to fade and the citizens of the country began to slip into depravity.

The question is, what is the proper choice? To force everyone to be conservative or allow people to explore themselves and be who they want to be? Yes, a "woman" named bob who designs dolphin-shaped strapons and has hair transplants on her nipples is definitely strange, but whose business is it, and why should such activities be scrutinized by people who it doesn't affect? Yes, it's odd, but isn't forcing morals on them immoralistic in itself?

The most interesting part is how, if you actually find this book funny, then it shows how far we have come as a society. The humor is vile, vulgar, and disgusting. How could anyone laugh at this garbage? I don't know, BUT I DID! Ah well...

Certainly an interesting read. You won't find me recommending it to many people, but I enjoyed it and if the descriptions sound like something you like then I would definitely encourage you to give it a try.

#42: I think I will have to pass on that one. I think it sounds a little too 'out there' for me to enjoy. I am glad you liked it though!

Another one finished already...

20. Farhenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury



Pages: 179
Rating: 5/5
Ok so, I have a little problem. Maybe not a problem, but an issue. Is that the same thing? I'm not sure.

You see...I don't like to read what people tell me to. I know what you are thinking, "but that's a GOOD thing!" Maybe you are right. I refuse to read something just because everyone says it's good. I don't care what the new york times tells me is the best selling books. That whole 1001 books to read before you die list is atrocious. Like I'm really going to read a book because some guy says it's good.

I'm certainly not going to read a book because it was made into a movie. Look at all the people reading that Percy Jackson series. Why? What makes it so more appealing this month over last month? Just because a movie was released? I'm not going to read a book just because a movie studio is trying to emulate it for profit.

I guess I'm just free spirited in my book choices. It's not that I avoid these books. I don't stroll down the aisle and see a book and say "ohh! That was on the 1001 list, I'm totally avoiding it!" But, at the same time, I will definitely not say "ohh! That was on the 1001 list, I'm totally going to read it!" I don't care what the lists say, I'll read what and want and when I want, and I just don't care what other people are reading.

Sometimes, this notion comes back to bite me in the ass.

This was GREAT. And dammit, I should have read it a long time ago. Bah! I loathe to say it, but after this, I think I'll have to try to read more classics in the future. I always hated when people guilt themselves into reading certain kinds of books. READ WHATEVER YOU WANT. But...after this, yes, I'm one of those people. I feel guilty. I need to read more classics. :)

ETA: I am glad I didn't read it in high school though. I think I appreciated it more reading it now.

#44: I am also a fan of Fahrenheit 451, the first Bradbury I ever read and I did not get to it until about 5 years or so ago.

I guess I'm just free spirited in my book choices. It's not that I avoid these books. I don't stroll down the aisle and see a book and say "ohh! That was on the 1001 list, I'm totally avoiding it!" But, at the same time, I will definitely not say "ohh! That was on the 1001 list, I'm totally going to read it!" I don't care what the lists say, I'll read what and want and when I want, and I just don't care what other people are reading.

I hear you! I am a very moody reader, so it does not matter what it is, if I am not in the mood to read it, I am not going to. I pretty much read all over the place (with the exception of horror, I just cannot read those.)

21. Escaping Tornado Season by Julie Williams



Pages: 262
Rating: 3/5
A touching tale of a young girl who loses her twin brother when she's 7 and her father when she's 13, and dealing with a grieving mother who doesn't seem to be taking it well, told in verse.

I used to write a little when I was younger, but I have actually never read a book of poetry. The poems weren't as deep and intricate as I usually imagine poems as being. However, unlike most poems, since this all came together to form an entire novel my connection to the characters strengthened what would normally be somewhat insignificant lines.

I really liked it, the story told was great and there were some truly heartwrenching moments. But in the future I think I'll stick to books of inidividual poems, isntead of this "story in verse" format.

22. Nighttime is My Time by Mary Higgins Clark



Pages: 370
Rating: 2/5

(review posted)
Nighttime is My Time is your standard murder mystery novel. There is a mysterious murder committed by a mysterious murderer and a group of people trying to figure out which one of them did it. If you've read a few mysteries, you know what you are getting from this.

I had a really hard time enjoying this novel in the beginning. All the characters are so alike it's hard to differentiate between them. One guy had a crush on a girl in high school but was kind of nerdy and got picked on a lot. The 2nd guy had a crush on the same girl and was kind of nerdy and got picked on a lot. The 3rd guy also had a crush on the girl and was kind of nerdy and got picked on a lot, etc. I found it hard to remember who was who in the beginning because they were all so similar.

This problem is further emphasized by how the author constantly switches perspective. Not only does the perspective switch from character to character a lot, but also switches from first and third-person point of view mid-sentence. This is a quick-paced book, but sometimes I'd find myself disoriented when the viewpoint shifted, especially when I was still trying to figure out which nerdy kid was which in the beginning.

Was the novel enjoyable? Sure. It was a fun novel that kept me turning pages late into the night. But ultimately it's an average, run-of-the-mill mystery with a few problems early on. There are countless other mysteries you could read that would be a better choice than this one. Not recommended.

------

Kind of disappointing. This was a member's giveaway book, which required a review, and it kind of sucks that some nice person gave away a book and I didn't enjoy it. Ah well. I know plenty of people who like mysteries and I'll find someone who will like it!

Oh, and another thing. This is the 2nd mystery novel I've read this year (the other was Hound of the Baskervilles) and in both of them, I predicted who the killer was the very page they appeared in the book. Hopefully both of these novels were both just predictable...

Oh, and another thing. This is the 2nd mystery novel I've read this year (the other was Hound of the Baskervilles) and in both of them, I predicted who the killer was the very page they appeared in the book. Hopefully both of these novels were both just predictable...

Or maybe the genre isn't for you, Stephen. I can't ABIDE fantasy novels because magic that works and kings who're also elves and dragons that talk (outside the works of Anne McCaffrey and NOT her son!) make me itch. And so I avoid them until someone yodels the praises of one or another of the little marvies, then I pick it up and read it.

But will I shop that section of the Buns and Nubile Booksellers? Nay, nay, I say unto thee.

So how's about you try an experiment: Ask for recommendations from a few people for mysteries that have good puzzles in 'em, or mysteries that feature whatever it is that you're reader's tooth is looking for just now, and try those. Maybe you'll be surprised at how much you like/love/loathe them. (The books, not the people. I hope.)

But Richard, that would require me to read more mysteries! ...

I know what you mean about fantasy novels like that. High Fantasy is ok, but I usually prefer dark fantasy or urban fantasy. For example, look at the 3 fantasy books I've read this year; Fell Cargo, Ghost Ocean, and Mulengro, none of which feature kingly elves or talking dragons. :)

23. The Passage by Justin Cronin



Pages: 766
Rating: 4/5
It's not too uncommon for post-apocalyptic fiction to be compared to Stephen King's The Stand. Any books that deal with a disease outbreak, the (near) eradication of the human species, and the attempt to rebuild society, is apparently the next incarnation of The Stand. So it's no surprise that on the back of the ARC I got there is a blurb by Stephen King and a comparison to his book in the introduction. The question is, is it a fair comparison? I'm going to say, not quite, but it's pretty close! And even if you don't like it, fans of The Stand will find plenty of references to it as the author pays homage to King's legendary work.

The Passage is a post-apocalyptic novel taking place in, where else, the United States. The United States military is up to their usual tricks (in terms of apocalypse lit) and fooling around with a deadly virus. Unlike most virus' that turn people into mindless zombies or simply wipes them out, this one actually gives them super-human strength. They can rip doors of their hinges and flip military vehicles on their sides. They are also nearly immortal. On the flip side, the infected begin craving blood and are extremely sensitive to sunlight. Sound familiar? The diseased individuals certainly do share a lot of similarities with vampires. It's definitely not a vampire novel, but it makes for a more interesting monster than your traditional undead brain-eating zombies.

As for character development, I thought the author did a great job. I don't know if I've been this attached to characters in quite some time. The author does make a crucial mistake though. Part-way through the book, the author jumps 90 years forward in time, abandoning all the characters you've grown so attached to. After this happened, there was a 50-page section where I just didn't really enjoy the novel. I was just disappointed that all my favorite characters were gone. It would have been like following Fran, Harold, and Stuart as they survived the disease outbreak and then switching to a new cast of characters when they all try to rebuild the city in Colorado. I just wanted the old characters back. However, after about 50 pages, I found myself loving the new set of characters just as much as the old. So, yes, there were 50 pages that I didn't enjoy...but the other 716 were fantastic! It was a small speed bump in an otherwise thrilling adventure.

I should state that this is the first book in a series. The story is mostly wrapped up well enough momentarily, but after reading 766 pages I kind of wish there was a more definitive ending. It's not that the book is any less enjoyable because of it, it just leaves you wishing the next novel was out right now! (and as I'm writing this, technically the first book isn't even out yet.)

This is post-apocalypse on a grand scale. Anyone whose a fan of the genre should definitely check into it immediately. I admittedly would also recommend it to anyone who enjoyed The Stand. It's a great book and, although it's not 100 percent perfect, it's definitely a highly enjoyable novel.

>23 Ape:: The only Justin Cronin I have read is The Summer Guest, which I enjoyed. I'd sort of forgotten about him, but should try something else. I'll wait to see what you have to say and perhaps I'll pick up The Passage.

Finished the review already. I didn't think I'd finish that fast, or type that much. It's kind of big and don't have time to proof read, will probably be editted a little tonight when I re-read it.

Wow, very different from the subject matter of The Summer Guest. I'll try it when it's released.

If you like that subject of book, perhaps try Jonathan Maberry's Patient Zero...similar plot concept. I've got the sequel, The Dragon Factory, on the shelf for later this summer.

#50: Nice review, Stephen. Into the BlackHole it goes!

I liked the review, Stephen! I'm over post-apocalyptic stuff for now. I think a break will help me enjoy it more when I come back to it.

55: I know what you mean. I'm the same way with apocalypse lit. Also, with microbiology/virology nonfiction. Sometimes you just need a little break.

It kind of scares me...my love for microbiology and apocalypse lit. I promise I don't desire to end the world with deadly virus'! 0.0

53: I've heard of Patient Zero and it is on one or another of my wishlists. Do you know how long the series is? Atleast with trilogies, I usually like to wait until the whole series is released before starting it. For the same reason I was disappointed about The Passage ending...I'm just impatient and can't wait years for the next installment! :(

There are only two so far—Patient Zero came out last year and The Dragon Factory this year. I can't speak for the second, but the first was relatively stand-alone...i.e., that particular story ended though you knew the characters would have new adventures later.

Nice review, Stephen! The Passage is definitely going on my list.

Thanks for the feedback guys! I'm usually terrible with words, I always find myself frustrated with my inability to express what I want to say. So whenever I write a review and get a thumbs up or 2, I'm always quite surprised by it!

I've been kind of busy the past couple days, not a lot of reading getting done. 3 days of reading my current book and I'm 50 pages in. On the bright side, I got to destroy an entire trailer with an axe. =D Hurray violent destruction! ...

24. When Elephants Weep



Pages: 236
Rating: 3/5
(Review posted...it's HUGE and might have lots of spelling/grammar mistakes. My apologies!)

First off, let me say that I am not an animal rights activist. I eat meat regularly, probably daily or close to it, and I think animal experimentation for the advancement of the human race is a positive thing for the most part, unless the experimentation might be considered "cruel."

I am, however, a young man who has spent most of his life surrounded by animals. Growing up in small-town Ohio, I haven't spent a day without a dog by my side since I was about 7 years old. I currently live between a corn field and a cow pasture. I've owned dogs, cats, gerbils, even a goat and a ferret once. As a result, I am a firm believer in animal emotions. Anyone who denies the emotions of animals clearly has probably never spent any time around them and thus, has no valid opinion.

But enough about my history with animals, I'm here to review When Animals Weep. If you haven't guessed, it's about the emotions of animals. The authors are clearly passionate about the topic, and fiercely want to demonstrate that animals have emotions. Anyone who has ever owned a dog will immediately agree. From the tail-wagging joy of a dog excited by an owner recently returned from work, to the droopy-eyed sadness of a dog scolded, clearly animals feel at least basic emotions.

The problem with the book, and the authors admit it, is the lack of science behind it. Our only proof of animal emotions is casual observation. You would think that would be plentiful, but the authors also admit that you cannot know what someone or something is feeling just by looking at it/them. If you see a woman on a train with slumping shoulders and a grim look on her face, staring at the floor and sighing, what is she feeling? You might say sadness, but how do you know? Maybe she is disappointed after not getting a promotion at work, or maybe she is lonely. You can't look at her and say "that woman is sad, she must not like to ride trains" and you can't look at a wolf who sticks with his mate to raise his offspring and say he is experiencing "romantic love."

While it's obvious that animals are emotional beings, I don't think you can just look at them and assume the emotion you wish to apply to them. This book uses lots of single events with animals doing odd, out-of-the-ordinary things and applies anthropomorphism to try to convey an emotion, with no way of knowing whether or not that is how the animal is actually feeling. So, while I do agree that animals demonstrate a wide variety of emotions, I didn't always find the authors' examples as relevant or reasonable.

With all that said, I still found the book to be an enjoyable read and I did feel like I left it with a lot more knowledge. Many of the stories were touching and I thoroughly enjoyed reading them. I especially liked the stories describing elephants and apes. I was also captivated but the section about animals that like to draw. While the book lacks a scientific backbone, there is still a lot to be gained from reading this book.

So what's the verdict? While I doubt I would recommend this to people who don't like animals because I don't know if it would do a well enough job of convincing them to believe otherwise, I would certainly recommend this book to just about everyone else!

Of course animals have emotions! We can only use the same techniques we use on humans to assign meaning to them, but since that's really all we've had to go on for people since time began, I don't see the problem with that.

Thumbs-upped you.

#60: Nice review! I gave you a thumbs up too.

And now it's a HOT Review! You go, Stephen!

Is it really? Awesome! Never had one of those before. =D

25. Jubilant Thicket by Jonathan Williams



Pages: 304
Rating: 2/5
I have mixed emotions on this one, mostly because Mr. Williams is all over the place with his writing. He's crazy and absurd on 1 page and intricate and complex on another (although the latter appears very infrequently.) Mostly I thought the poetry was odd and strange and really not all that poetic. He did, however, keep my attention...if not only for the simple fact that I was curious just what on earth he'd say next. Not recommended...but not exactly a complete was of time either.

ETA: I should note that, while I may have written a little in high school, I am not an expert on poetry.

Stephen- I liked your review of When Elephants Weep. Another good one! Are you a fan of Haruki Murakami? We are doing a Group Read of Norwegian Wood on May 1st, over on the 75 Book Challenge. Think about it!

I'll have to consider it, but I usually struggle with group reads. Usually everyone tries to read at the certain pace so that everyone can discuss the book while they read... but since I completely lack self-restraint I wind up finishing the book in a few days! :(

I've never read anything by Murakami. I checked my library's card catalog and they only carry 1 of his books, After Dark

Murakami is an amazing author and I highly recommend you give him a try. After Dark might be a good place to start. It's a short story collection, with linking characters. As far as the Group Reads go, you could try starting later into it, like a week or 2.

26. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley



Pages: 279
Rating: 5/5
So I'm sitting here, on my 75 book challenge thread, with my little picture code and touchstone linking to Aldous Huxley's book, trying to formulate my thoughts. I'm thinking things like "Wow, that was amazing" and "If this look into a potential dystopian society of the future was scary when it was written, it's even more so now with the potential of cloning humans realized and the depths of psychology always being excavated." I have plenty of one-liners to describe how absolutely dumbfounded I was with Brave New World. Yet, as I try to form them into cohesive paragraphs, I just can't seem to do it. I have no words to describe how much wisdom I found within these pages, yet none of it is helping me articulate how great I thought this book was. So all I want to say is how much I loved it, and that everyone should go give it a try!

So what can I say? I loved it! And I'm glad Richard made me decide to read it sooner rather than later. I don't know how he did it, maybe he whispered it in my ear while I was sleeping... !!

Whisper, hell! I shouted at you, and you wisely took that to mean I was serious. It's one helluva book. It's timely as ever...and you know what my personal definition of "Utopia" has been since I read it? A society in which Brave New World is almost incomprehensible because the ideas are so outrageously outside the mainstream.

Side rumination: I wonder what wonders the $%()^*()&! Jesuits who burned the Mayan codices destroyed...what would Mayan fiction have looked like?

Mark: I've added After Dark to my list of things to check out from the library, which is magnificently huge, but I tried to put it as close to the top as possible.

Richard: Indeed! And Huxley's take on dystopian society was so...unique. I mean, I've read other mass-cloning-to-form-civilization books, but his was so deep and intricate. I don't know how he managed to cram so much information in so few pages but, it seemed like at the end of each chapter I just had to put the book down and consider what I just read. Aside from John's conversation with Mustapha Mond on religion, there wasn't a moment when I wasn't completely infatuated with what the characters were saying. :)

>69 Ape:: That's about as good a review as I've seen as far as making me want to read a book that I've sadly overlooked these many years of reading. Sometimes it's not so much what you say about a book as the emotion you communicate.

Stephen- Enthusiastic review of Brave New! It's been many years since I read it, so I'm due a serious re-read!
Good news about After Dark, bad news they don't have Norwegian Wood!

I am with Mark - it has been years since I read Brave New World so a re-read is definitely in order.

I sold my copy on eBay after I read it. I rate Orwell's 1984 very highly, but Brave New World I didn't like at all.

Bloody hell Stephen - about fifty messages to catch up on since I last stopped by, and practically every other post has thrown something onto my wishlist! Lots of belated thumbs coming your way for your brilliant reviews as well, though I hope that when I'm sitting drinking rainwater in my cardboard box because I've spent all my money buying all these books on your recommendation... well, I hope you'll feel very pleased with yourself! ;-)

P.S. I have Brave New World on my shelves already, so you may continue to wax lyrical on that one knowing that you are simply boosting it steadily up TBR Mountain without making me poor.

27. Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn



Pages: 347
Rating: 4/5

(review posted)

I won't deny it. I was browsing the poetry section at my local library and the only reason I picked this title up is because the name on the spine caught my eye. Another Bullshit Night in Suck City? I thought, what on earth could that be?.

As it turns out, it's a memoir about a man's struggle with his father's homelessness. At first the concept seemed a bit...conceited? This "poet" was going to try to make me feel sorry for him for his fathers homelessness? This wasn't the only problem with the novel at first. In the beginning, the story jumps around in time a lot and I had a hard time enjoying it. One chapter his father would be homeless, and then the next he'd be in jail. Was he in jail and then after being released became homeless, or was he homeless and then got hauled off to jail? It was easy to get mixed up at first.

However, I stuck with it, and as I read I became sympathetic towards the author. Having myself mostly grown up with an absent father (through divorce) I could understand how the author felt as a teenager whose only father figure was whoever his mother is dating at the time. While I never turned to drugs or alcohol, I found myself relating to the authors struggles to keep himself on track during his teenage years.

I think this is what put the book over the top to me. That, and my general (and perhaps somewhat morbid) fascination with addiction and mental illnesses. Reading Flynn's descriptions of his fathers addiction to alcohol, his fathers crazy antics, and Nick's own struggle with drugs, were very satisfying for my twisted little brain to consume, and I eagerly devoured the pages to see what the "characters" would get themselves into next.

Both Nick and his father's stories are sad and eye-opening, but their valiant attempts to make it out of the dark places they have found themselves in is full of hope and inspiration. I really enjoyed Another Bullshit Night in Suck City and am glad my eyes didn't overlook that odd title.

76: Haha, what a funny coincidence Ellie. Not only was I typing up another review for you while you posted that, but it's about homelessness - so you can read that while you're in that aforementioned cardboard box! :)

For anyone who was interested in my review for When Elephants Weep: I just saw an advertisement for a TV show on the science channel called Sci-Trek: What Animals Think that sounds interesting. It's in the same vein as the book I reviewed, looking at animal intelligence and emotion. Hopefully I'll be able to catch it on. It's on Monday at 9 pm, and re-run various other times throughout the week.

>78 Ape: - Oh shut up. If I'm homeless you won't be able to be my Nice Internet Guy any more because I'LL BE TOO POOR TO GO ON THE INTERNET! Not even a library because they'll know I'm a tramp and ask me very politely to leave please because I'm frightening the other patrons.

And don't think you can distract me with a helpful post about elephants right after you've mentally furnished my cardboard box for me... :-)

Well, Ellie, for what it's worth, I think you'll have the best furnished cardboard box in all of England!

And at least you'll have company, I'm sure many an LTer are on the verge of cardboardbox-dom thanks to our book buying addictions. I think the ultimate plan is to have so many books shelves throughout the house that you can knock down the walls and leave the books to support the roof. And then, no more house payment!

Funny you should say that - we have a photo up in the shop where someone actually DID build a house out of books. The roof isn't complete but it's pretty impressive. The same bloke also built a lighthouse-esque tower, complete with staircase, out of yet more books... But you can guarantee that as soon as you'd finished building you'd get a hankering to read one from right at the bottom of the wall!

28. Blood Lies by Daniel Kalla



Pages: 314
Rating: 3/5

Review posted(will proof-read later, BUSY!)

"What on earth is this author thinking?" is what I thought as I began to read this book. Daniel Kalla has written a thriller/murder mystery utilizing the good ol' EVIL TWIN routine. I just couldn't imagine this novel could be that great, centering around such an eye-rolling, forehead-slapping cliche.

Fortunately, Daniel Kalla is an emergency room physician whose medical experience allows him to take this age-old trope and make it more believable. With DNA evidence (which is a perfect match among twins) and other pleasant little bits of medical knowledge, the story premise becomes much less far-fetched.

Add to that some likable characters, an intriguing mystery, and an addicting plot; and you get what turns out to be a very well-written thriller. This is my 2nd novel written by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed both of them.

(Warning: Reading the Amazon plot summary spoils the ending of the book)

Ugh. Evil twin = soap opera. Ix-nay from ee-may. Thanks for the warn-off.

i reed it. it is brilliant.

29. The Dream Room by Marcel Moring



Pages: 113
Rating: 4/5

Review posted:

The Dream Room is one of those pleasant little novels about a quaint little family and a simple little storyline with big ideas behind it. David is a 12-year-old boy who likes to cook. He cooks for his parents every chance he gets, and he reads cookbooks as if they were novels. His father was a pilot in the big one and his mother was a nurse. Surprise surprise, they meet and fall in love when the father crashes and the mother takes care of him. At the novels start, the father is unemployed and the mother loses her job. With no source of income, the boy comes up with an idea. Living above a toy shop, he decides they should buy model airplanes, build them together, and sell them for profit. What follows is a touching story of a family coming together to make it through a tough time in their lives.

Unfortunately, towards the end of the novel I think the author gets a little too philosophical for his own good. The story is left incomplete after a "mysterious event" and the reader is left wondering what on earth just happened. The final chapter is very cryptic and even after mulling it over for awhile I'm still not 100 percent sure if I've wrapped my head around it properly.

Still, I really enjoyed this little book. It has given me a lot to think about and, had I read it with a group of people, would probably have created a lot of discussion. Definitely a book I would recommend to others.

*grumble* Wishlisted, you blasted monkey.

ETA your touchstone is wrong, ha ha ha

That's what I get for fixing spelling mistakes!

I'm wishlisting... I second Ricardo's *grumble*.

84(Richard): Indeed. I was grumbling myself when I saw it mentioned on the back cover. Fortunately it's a lot more complex than that, plus Kalla seems like a pretty good writer(at least when it comes to thrillers) so it turned out to be rather enjoyable.

>90 Ape: ...mmmaaaybeee...

30. Blood, Tin, Straw by Sharon Olds



Pages: 125
Rating: 3/5

Undoubtedly the best book of poetry I've ever read. Oh, ok ok, so I've only read 3 books of poetry, but still! Unlike the other 2, I would actually consider this poetry, not sentences broken up into fragments that form a poem-like shape. It was good.

-----

I've been making it a point lately to read slow. I'm nearing the 200-book limit here on LT and with a broken down car that (oh dear) may need a new transmission (ie car=scrap metal) money is tight. I even cancled my bookcloseout order after I found out how bad of shape it was in.

Sorry to hear about the car troubles, Stephen!

What are you gonna do when you hit 200? Just keep a list of books you've read for a while and do a basic update sometime? Just title, author, rating, tags maybe? Or are you going to (gasp) do an LT book cull to make some space?

I fell in love with LT so fast that I think I paid up for a lifetime membership straight away - and with the exchange rate it was only just over £9! Bargain... May your automotive difficulties be resolved soon so you can dive back into literary indulgence with a vengeance!

I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I hit 200. I figure at my current speed my free account will last 3 more months, and if I read less often/more slowly I can stretch it out to 4 or 5. If my car isn't fixed by that time then all is hopeless anyway!

Of course, reading less is out of the question, so I'll just have to read bigger books instead. It'll slow down my 75 book challenge, but I'm ahead of schedule anyway.

If I don't get my car fixed in the next few months (which is unfortunately possible) then a cull may be in order. I have a couple video game strategy guides (one of which I've reviewed) that can go, and I'm sick of going to the "Talk - your books" page and seeing a flood of Harry Potter references, so those can definitely go! That alone would probably give me another month. So I can definitely make this last awhile longer.

I was going to buy a membership for myself for my birthday, as I always treat myself with something small each year, but I wound up "treating myself" to a new car battery, which costs me the price of 3 memberships and only heralded the news that my transmission might be bad. :(

31. The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen



Pages: 392
Rating: 5/5
I'm a little worn out right now and I don't think I can concentrate on a review, but I promise I'll write one tomorrow morning! For now, I'll say I really enjoyed The Last Town on Earth and thought it was a fantastic blend of historical and epidemic fiction.

ETA: Ok ok, so I opened up Wordpad to jot down a few streams of thought before retiring to bed early for the night and I accidently wrote the whole thing. However, it is drowsy-induced nonsense and I plan on revising it in the morning. Consider this a "temporary" review...

Somewhere deep in the forests of Washington, a man disgruntled with the way his brothers treat the workers in their sawmills decides to build his own mill in his own town on a plot of land that the rest of the owners deem valueless. What this man builds is a modest logging village with no church, no police station, and a single undertaker who digs so few graves he's practically useless. And then the 1918 flu epidemic comes to town.

The Last Town on Earth is one of those historical novels that captures the time period so well that it is easy to become fully immersed in a world long past. If I wasn't reading too much into the author's notes, the novel was originally intended to be a non-fiction. However, because there was so little information available about the 1918 flu epidemic, he decided to make a create a fictional town and cast of characters to apply his research to. The result is a wonderfully well-written historical fiction that you will walk away from feeling like you truly learned a lot from it.

I did have a few issues with it in the beginning. The author frequently jumps back in time to recount a (usually lengthy) event of one of the main characters. This is a poorly disguised way to describe an important event of the time period. For example, one character is a mill worker for a town who took part in the Everett Massacre. It's clear that the author wanted to describe the event but had no better way to put it into the story than to say one of the characters was a part of it in the past. These little snippets were a little annoying at first, but once I realized the author's intention I began to appreciate them a bit more. This is only an "problem" early on though, as once the main plot gets rolling the author solely focuses on it for the rest of the novel.

Ultimately, I was immensely satisfied reading The Last Town on Earth. I would recommend it to anyone who even remotely enjoys...well, reading in general!

"Temporary" review added to the post above!

#96: That one looks terrific! I will have to track down a copy. Thanks for the review and recommendation.

Stephen- Temporary review or not, terrific job! I'm glad I have this one in the stacks. Have you heard much about his latest, The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers? It's supposed to be another gem!

I re-read the review this morning and have decided it is "good enough," which I believe is usually what I strive for! :P Added an extra sentence in the final paragraph because I don't think I did a great job of describing how great it was. :)

99: I haven't. Actually, I hadn't even heard of The Last Town On Earth until I saw it in that BookCloseouts sale. But after reading this one, I checked my library's website and saw they have The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers, and it has been added to the near-top of my library wishlist. :)

Go check your gmail.

Richard! ...check your comments.

You're welcome, lifetime member, and now unchain your reading passion! You got the room at last!
{{{Stephen}}}

Just to copy/paste what I posted on Richard's own thread:

I just wanted to say that Richard is the kindest and most generous person ever who is completely full of awesomeness and amazingment, and who deserves some kind of medal for being the coolest person on the planet. That's all. :)

(Note: You will have noticed some odd words like "awesomeness" in this post. This is an attempt to appeal to a wide demographic. If a 15 year old boy reads this, he needs to understand how great Richard is and "full of awesomeness" will best convey the intended message to this particular age group.)

Though, I'm sure all of you already knew that. :)

#104: I completely concur (even though I am not, nor ever have been, a 15-yo boy.)

More book reviews, less unwarranted praise-singing. Not a patient man, I.

I'm trying! I'm reading a 400-pager that is decent but isn't doing a great job of capturing my attention. :(

Awww, I got the most almighty wave of the warm and fuzzies when I realised what was going on over here! Ricardo, you softie you... and Stephen, good to know you can carry on at full throttle now without having to rein it in, or have to part with anything you'd rather not lose!

*dances away in the happy glow of Richard's awesomeness and amazingment*

Indeed, isn't he the awesomest? If his intention was to make me infinitely grateful and forever in his debt, so that I will always praise him for his awesomeness, then he has succeeded. :)

Oh, I know Richard, less praise and more reviews, I've finished my current book and I'm about to start writing it right now. :)

*pats foot*

That message was posted three minutes ago and I see no review....

*checks watch*

Steady on there sunshine - he's not Stasia, after all!

Hey, it's not my fault, you're distracting me!

And besides, it was a terribly generic thriller with nothing much more to say about except to point out how bland it was...

32. The Black Sun by James Twining.



Pages: 418
Rating: 3/5

Review posted:

Nazis. Secrets. Art theft. Hidden Treasures. Thrilling adventure. Does that count as a review? If you haven't read this novel a hundred times, you must not read a lot of thrillers.

The Black Sun is your typical thriller novel, rife with the usual cliches and stereotypes. As Tom Kirk, a former art thief, goes on a little treasure hunt to find buried Nazi treasure, he predictably stumbles on some of the most absurdly obscure clues that always lead him in the right direction. He is accompanied by a cast of characters equally stereotypical. Americans are fat. Russians drink and smoke a lot. When women are introduced to the story they are described by what clothes they are wearing. If the characters were any flatter I could use them as a bookmark (which would never find their way into another James Twining thriller.) I think the only cliche not found in The Black Sun is the lack of a character with a missing hand or leg or an eye-patch or something. OH WAIT! There is one of those...well, shoot.

The novel starts off slow (like many thrillers) as the author feebly attempts to introduce his characters and story, but it does pick up about a third of the way through. After the author gets the ball rolling, he does do a great job with his action scenes. There is plenty of heart-pounding moments that can get the blood flowing. As the characters begin stumbling upon there ridiculously unlikely clues I can't deny the author did have me gripping my novel a little tighter, eagerly anticipating what would happen next. In that regard, The Black Sun does it's job well, creating suspense and tension with a story that will have you devouring pages to uncover what kind of crazy treasure the Nazis could have hidden, as the characters dodge bullets and participate in car chases and whatnot. It's prone to cause lots of eye-rolling, but it can suck you in it you don't watch your step!

There is also some historical truth and fascinating information about the Hungarian Gold Train to be found here, so it's not all for naught. This does help the over-the-top story to become a bit more conceivable, but it only helps so much. Plus in order to get to this you have to suffer through 400 pages of Twining bland writing, and I can't really say it's worth it. While the novel wasn't a complete waste of time and I didn't necessarily dislike it, it's not one I would recommend too highly. Unless, of course, you are a huge Dan Brown fan...then maybe you should go out and buy this immediately.

Average, 3 stars.

Man, it takes me a long time to write reviews. Never pay attention to the time until Richard pointed it out. 45 minutes! Slow poke is me!

>113 Ape: Well said. Thumbs up.

>114 Ape: You want tougher challenges? Do a 150-word review. Takes *hours* to do at all, sometimes days to do well.

#114: Now you know why I do not do reviews. It takes entirely too long!

Nice review, Stephen. I may look for that one when I need a BC fix.

I've read some other reviews for the book and I saw a couple people mention it's the worst book of the series. So maybe the Tom Kirk books are worth looking into. My library has a copy of The Double Eagle, maybe I'll add it to my wishlist...but it'll be down at the bottom, not really a high priority right now. :)

I should mention the only reason I checked the book out in the first place is because I liked the cover. I tend to do that from time to time...

If we're honest, so do we all!

It's definitely fun to wander about the library shelves with no idea what you'll find. Even though my wishlist is so huge I'll probably never get around to reading half of it, I make it a point to only go into the library with 3 or 4 "wanted" books in mind, so that the other 2 or 3 I get will be completely spontaneous.

Sometimes after I grab my wishlist books, I decide "I want a thick paperback" or "I want a science fiction novel." Without any particular book in mind, I get to browse the shelves, pulling random books out and judging them almost COMPLETELY by what's on the cover.

It's always difficult trying to find a balance between picking books from my wishlist and impulse grabs. I think most of the time I have more fun browsing the shelves so I wind up grabbing things I wasn't supposed more often than not! :(

33. From the Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury



Rating: 4/5
Pages: 204

Review posted:

From the Dust Returned is an interesting little novel, partially about a young human boy who is adopted by a house haunted by a family of immortal beings. Some have wings and can fly, some can send their minds into other living things and experience life through them, and some just like to sleep all day in coffins in the basement. It is frequently compared to The Addams Family - of course due in part because Charles Addams did the art for the cover - but it's not an unfair comparison. It's pleasantly macabre, with cousins who sleep in coffins, uncles who have wings, and women rising from their graves to give advice on life and death to a 10 year old. I suppose you could say it's mysterious and spooky (and altogether ooky?) and to say it is similar to The Addams Family or A Nightmare Before Christmas is perfectly reasonable.

I say it's "partially" about the adopted boy because it is also, to some extent, a collection of short stories, dipping out of the main storyline frequently to give you a little snippet of one of the family member's lives. These portions of the novel were a bit of a drag, unfortunately. When Bradbury focuses on the main story, on the house and it's occupants (Timmy, Cecy, and their parents) I found the story and the writing to be absolutely riveting. The characters are memorable and full of personality, and the same can be said for every individual sentence. The prose is lyrical and infinitely quotable. Each sentence was like tangible brilliance for my synapses. I didn't want to read too fast so I could soak up every word of it. It was magnificent, I only wish this could have been maintained throughout the novel.

Unfortunately this is only the case for the first 80 pages or so, after that the storyline and writing become a little spotty. Within the following 90 pages or so there are inklings of the brilliance of the first 80, but they are mixed in with bland and sub-par ghost stories. While the stories are okay, I found myself not caring and eagerly anticipating the return of Tim and Cecy. Fortunately, the final 30 pages or so return to the house and the story is tied up nicely. I suppose this is the result of how the book is written, over a 50 year period. You can tell what parts were written slowly over time with so many years of dedication and attention, and which parts were copy and pasted from old magazines. The book definitely would have benefited, for the most part, without the old short stories.

Overall, I highly enjoyed the novel. The worst parts aren't bad, they just aren't as mind-meltingly great as the more well-written chapters. While this can seem like a hindrance while it's being read, ultimately I found it well worth my time and I'm glad I gave the book a chance.

---------------

Note 1: I want to say that I wouldn't have read this if it weren't for Richard! It's short and I was pepared to haul it off back to the library because it would have filled my LT collection too fast, so thanks again Richard! =D

Note 2: Now no one can say I don't have a pink and purple book cover in my library!!! ...

#120: Adding that one to the BlackHole as that is one of Bradbury's that I have missed. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Stephen.

>120 Ape: Hmmm

*ponders*

Does this sound slightly familiar a conceit? Like, maybe, The Graveyard Book?

Hmmmmmm

I've never read The Graveyard Book, but the description sounds eerily similar to From the Dust Returned...

Yeah, it sure does. It sounds a little *too* much like the (earlier, unfamous) Bradbury books for my suspicious mind's ease.

Hi Stephen. Delurking to say I like your reviews! I haven't read From the Dust Returned but I agree the storyline sounds very similar to The Graveyard Book (which I would recommend if you haven't read it).

I haven't read anything by Neil Gaiman actually. I guess I'm not exactly up-to-date on current popular authors. :(

Oh, and "delurking" is an awesome word! I need to delurk myself more often! But it's hard enough to keep track of so many threads, let alone actually post. :)

Update: I've finished my current read and should be writing a review tonight, but I'm a little scatterbrained right now so it may wait until morning.

34. The Future of Ice by Gretel Ehrlich



Rating: 3/5
Pages: 200

Review posted:

Oh, I think I may have spoiled a wonderful book by reading it at the wrong time of the year. Everything about this book was wonderful. It's a memoir/travelogue written by Gretel Ehrlich, who is positively obsessed with cold climate and nature. While I can't fully agree with her opinions, Gretel's love for winter shines through on every page and is absolutely charming. She describes her love for nature in the most poetic and beautiful ways, and I was enchanted by everything she had to say. The topic aside, I definitely think the author is a terrific writer.

So why didn't I enjoy it? I don't know! I really don't have a lot of negative things to say about it...but, I just couldn't get into it! Whenever I wasn't reading it, I just didn't have that irresistible urge to get back to reading it as I usually do with books. It wasn't something I was eager to pick up again when I was away from it and I didn't have to try hard to put it down. The only reason I can imagine why I didn't like it was because I read it in spring, and the thought of cold weather just wasn't something I wanted to think about!

So I really don't know what to think about this book. All I can say is I'm fascinated by the authors writing ability and, having read in her biography that she has written poetry, I'll undoubtedly be looking into those as soon as possible.

#127: I read Ehrlich's A Match to the Heart last year and enjoyed it, so I think I will give The Future of Ice a shot. Thanks for letting me know about the book, Stephen.

Maybe if I read books about cold during the summer, it will make the Texas heat more bearable :)

#126 I don't think you're particularly far behind, I only read my first Neil Gaiman this year after seeing lots of recommendations for his books on people's threads! Since joining this group I feel permanently behind on books, even if I miraculously managed to get up to date on the latest authors there would be all those fabulous older books to read!

And I know what you mean about keeping up with threads, I don't know how Stasia manages it :-)

I am so late ton this party (but i'm decked out in head-to-toe black plus my trusty Fedora)

From the Dust Returned..i loved...Dysfunctional Family...with a sense of Wonder! ..What's not to love? I read this one many years ago.. Regardless of RICHARD I read DANDELION WINE when I was 11 (1962!)...other titles later..
Duh.....J

In 1962 I was dribbling milk from my very own big-boy cup. When I was 11, I was reading Bradbury as well, only it was new then. Stephen is young enough to be my son with no effort of imagination (yours too, Jude) so it's always a jolt when I realize just how many years he doesn't have and still has managed to be interesting. Odd!

You guys! I was born in the late 80's - two years short of the 90's! - and all this talk about the 60's is making me dizzy! :)

But Richard has a point. In fact, my parents are younger than both of you. Sometimes I feel like a wide-eyed child around here on LT, bumbling around and trying to talk with the "grown ups."

Oh, and Richard, I think you got your words mixed up. I think the common consensus is:

it's always a jolt when I realize just how many years he doesn't have and still has managed to be odd. Interesting!

:)

Jeebus. My *grandchildren* are closer to you in age than I am.

*hopeless sobs*

As for odd...you could easily be considered odd there in...wherever it is you are, but here on LT you're about average. Smart, funny, capable of analytical thinking, and a passionate reader = LT's profile user. Which is why I think it's so great that this Interweb thingie is available to us all, since finding people like ourselves in...places like you are is really, really, really hard.

Hmmmm, that's very insightful. And to think most people only use the Interweb thingie for the exchange of pornographic images and computer viruses...

Don't mistake me, I am ALL for porn, though viruses can go hang...but I see a lot of social use of the Web among people my age and slightly older. Say 40-60. We're not savvy like y'all younguns, but we know enough about how the computer works to use it effectively and to find others like us on it.

You will be *amazed* at how hard it is to date when you're old. They're married, they're crazy, they're religious nuts who want to convert you in the afterglow (no lie, this has happened to me)...the Web is a great way to winnow at least some of the nutjobs out, and there is simply NO hiding the fact of being married to anyone who's been on this thing for more than a week.

And then there are places like this, where a person can come and be just another book-lover, dealt with on his/er merits and not subject to idiot expectations! If the 2012 kooks are right and the electronics all go *flooey* on 12/21, I will sit at my desk, sobbing, pounding on the keyboard, begging for just one more hit of LT.

I will be here in Texas sobbing, pounding, etc. I go nuts if LT is down for an hour!

You will be *amazed* at how hard it is to date when you're old.

Don't tell me that! I have a tough enough time already. It seems everyone in southern Ohio think they have to be married and pregnant before they turn 20...

Stasia: Indeed! It's terrible, hitting my LT bookmark and seeing the site is down. I obviously loved reading before I found LT a couple years ago but this website has taken my favorite thing to do and somehow actually intensified it! I'd still have books without LT, but there would be that little something missing. :(

#137: It does seem like something is missing when LT is down, doesn't it? Scary how dependent I have become on this website, lol.

Wow, this thread's taken a turn for the whimsical since I was last here!

On the topic of judging a book by its cover
I've found some wonderful books when I've been casting around for 'third books' in a 3-for-2 offer and picked something up on a whim. Gold by Dan Rhodes was picked up because it had a different shape - curvy corners instead of square ones - and was so striking. And I'd never heard of A.M. Homes when I picked up This Book Will Save Your Life - because it had donuts on the cover and they looked really yummy! Both books are now amongst those I look back on with real fondness because I had such a lovely time reading them!

On Gretel Ehrlich
I have A Match to the Heart on my wishlist - after I read Alice Hoffman's The Ice Queen, I was really eager to find out more about the mysterious things that can happen when someone is struck by lightning. Now I have another book to add to the pile, thanks Stephen!

On Neil Gaiman
I haven't read any of his books yet, except Good Omens which only half counts! So I'm well behind the rest of the universe on that one.

On dating in your 20s
I've given up! (For the time being anyway - obviously if the right person fell through tht door of the shop I might un-give up!). My old school friends seem to be increasingly engaged or married, or parents, or a mixture of the above... It doesn't really mix with being a business owner working six days a week!

On LT being down again
*crosses fingers and hopes this message isn't going to disappear into the ether...*

139 on dating: Hmmm, with divorce rates so high and whatnot I'm curious to know if there are more singles in their 40s/50s than there are in their 20s. Maybe in 20-30 years there will be a flood of singles for the both of us. =P

And I know what you mean about finding great books by covers. Looking up through my thread, I picked up numerous books on cover or size alone, such as Pluto, Animal Lover purely because it was small (I already had a huge stack of books I was checking out and I wanted to add 1 more small book because...well, I just didn't feel like leaving the library yet! :D) and it's one of the best books I've read this year.

35. In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondattjue



Pages: 244
Rating: 3/5

(Review posted: It's rather large and bound to have lots of grammar issues...I'll fix it eventually!)

Before you read my actual review, I want you to see the review I was formulating in my head as I was reading this. Normally, I don't really consider my review as I'm reading a book, but if the book is bad and I have nothing more important to think about, it's inevitable to happen. Here is an idea of what was going on in my head as I was reading this.

Wow, what an absolutely dreadful book! The story is non-existent, the characters behave completely unrealistically, and the writing is convoluted as hell. Ondaatje doesn't seem to know how to differentiate between past and present, and this makes his book terribly confusing. Even if you manage to follow the story, the characters are flat and bland, and I wasn't interested in them in the least bit. There is absolutely no reason anyone should read this book.

Well, let me tell you, that has changed completely. About half-way through the book everything started clicking. The character's unrealistic actions began to make sense, the non-existent story began to exist, and the convoluted writing became clear. It all made sense, and I was so happy! While I was buzzing with euphoric understanding, the author intensified this feeling by writing this:

"The first sentence of every novel should be: 'Trust me, this will take time but there is order here, very faint, very human.' Meander if you want to get to town."
(page 141)

How unbelievably perfect does that describe my feelings as I began to unravel this novel. So many people will give up on a book if it doesn't capture their attention in the first 50 pages. Oh, and what a great book I would have missed out on if I had been one of those people. Sometimes you have to give a book time. Not every book is set up to get you addicted to a pathetically simple plot on page 3. Sometimes the author needs time to develop a novel much more complicated, and ultimately much more satisfying, than your average thriller...

Although, I still think some of the character's actions were quite a bit unrealistic. All the women in the book seem to lack any ability to control themselves and eagerly "jump the bones" of every man they meet, even when they are married women or nuns. Maybe the author is challenging the common belief that pre-1960's/70's humans were all perfectly innocent and true to their spouses...or maybe the author just has some strange prejudice towards women. Also the format of the book, jumping around time without giving any indication of doing so, can still be confusing and can sort of create a distance between the reader and the characters. You don't feel like you are experiencing their emotions but viewing them from afar. I found myself caring about the characters significantly less than I should have.

I still felt satisfied at the end of the novel though. It's rewarding and you feel great after reading the final page, so despite it's flaws I still liked the novel. I don't know if I've ever had such opposing feelings for a book before, despising it for the first half and thinking it was fantastic during the second. Even now, I have a hard time figuring out what I should rate it. All I can say is, if you do find yourself reading this, don't give up on it too early!

Huh! What a turn-around, and what a strong case you make for Ondaatje's "Meander if you want to get to town" line!

Stephen- Very good job on the review! The only book of his, I have read is The English Patient and it was excellent. Coincidentally, I just picked up the audio of Divisadero. I've had the book buried in my tbr forever, so I thought I could get to it quicker this way.

I have never read any of Ondaatje's books and it does not appear that In the Skin of a Lion would be a good place to begin. Maybe I will try The English Patient instead, although I hated the film version of it.

I might have enjoyed In the Skin of a Lion more had I already read The English Patient. Apparently there is some overlapping storylines or characters or something like that, so maybe reading The English Patient helps the reader better understand the character's behavior...that might have been one of my problems.

36. Bonk by Mary Roach



Pages: 306
Rating: 5/5

(Review posted)

In December of 2009, I read Stiff by Mary Roach. It was putridly grotesque, a nonfiction about the scientific studies upon dead bodies. Yet, despite the subject, Mary Roach managed to make it hilarious. I didn't think "humor" and "cadavers" could go together, but she managed it. Not only that, but it was incredibly enlightening and I walked away from it feeling like I had learned a lot, more than most books I've read in recent memory. I immediately put Bonk on my wish list. My biggest regret is that it took me 5 months to finally get around to reading it.

Bonk is a scientific look at sex. Plain and simple. From female arousal to erectile dysfunction - from women who can have orgasms by thought and men who need balloons surgically inserted in their penis' to get erections - Mary Roach wants everyone to know the how's and why's people enjoy (or don't enjoy) having sex. The book is undoubtedly not for the prudish, but it is very professional and the author's witty humor definitely helps to lighten the mood. I will say that in some ways this book can be just as grotesque as Stiff. Not that I am fazed by detailed descriptions of human genitalia, but the chapter about the inflatable penile implant (with the air pump inserted in the scrotum) was a bit much and left me cringing and crossing my legs while I read through it - a much worse reaction than anything I read in the book about corpses. Some one has kindly added the quotation here on LT. Men: read at your own risk.

Not only does the book cover the scientific research being done (and having been done in the past) but also the social taboo of the research itself. How do you get people to have sex in an MRI? How do you get women to insert camera's into their vaginas? How do you publish your research on how far men ejaculate without being criticized? And how do you convince people your discoveries will help understand the human body, and will lead to new ways to fix old problems. This is something that the scientific community has been struggling with for hundreds of years. I take comfort in the fact that a book of this nature can be so highly regarded amongst a public audience, and hope it only bodes will for such research in the future.

I can't recommend Bonk highly enough. Mary Roach is witty, funny, and is terrific at both entertaining and educating; I can't get enough of her and will be eagerly awaiting anything she publishes in the future. 5 stars!

I feel confident that I've just read a "rave" here. Something I didn't expect from your cynical, world-weary self, either. Keep surprising me!

Late to the party, as usual!

Michael Ondaatje? Haven't read this one..but his style is convoluted, for sure. All the better once a reader accepts that fact. I've only read Anil's Ghost..pretty straghtforward, in hindsight. The one you must seek out, though, is Coming Through Slaughter....convoluted as hell.....wonderful, scary, and a bit depressing. The life of Buddy Bolden, the "Mystery Man" of Dixieland jazz. No recordings of him exist...but his "legend" does.

Mary Roach? I read and loved Stiff. Hilariously grotesque? You bet...now i gotta get me some Bonk!

;-}

147: Cynical and world-weary? Pah! I prefer "enthusiastically negative" and "hopelessly pessimistic!" :)

148: I might try Ondaatje again. I liked his writing and, now that I understand how he formats his books, I might be able to enjoy him in the future. I just checked my library's website and they have lots of his books, so we'll see. Unfortunately no Coming Through Slaughter...but Anil's Ghost is there, plus 2 books of poetry.

As for Bonk, DEFINITELY! If you liked Stiff even a little bit then you'll definitely like Bonk as well. I'm hoping Spook will be good too, but I'm a little weary about that one. I'm not sure I'll like the subject matter (I'm a fiercely "rational" thinker) so we'll see...

Stephen- Very good review! I have never read Roach! That might have to change!

I have not even read Stiff yet! I am hopelessly behind . . .

I haven't read Stiff or Bonk, but they're both on the TBR list... they sound fascinating. I like my science with a dash of humor, so I'm looking forward to finding them one of these days :)

Mark, Stasia, and Faith: Yes, go read Roach, all of you!! :)

I've added her to my list of favorite authors. I try to keep that list as small as possible so it seems more elite, but I didn't give a second thought to adding her. Definitely not for the squeamish though!

~~~~Drive-By Wave...no Guns~~~~

;-}

*Pictures Jude hanging out of a lowrider hot rod, wearing sunglasses and a backwards cap, waving delicately* 8-)

........and i lied about the "no Guns" biznesssss...

;-}

Have a good weekend, Stephen!

Eeek! From Ellie wanting to throw encyclopedias at me on her thread to Judith goin' all gangsta on me on my own, I'm thinking I'm going to need to wear a helmet around here...

I need words of encouragement! While I liked it at first, The Aeneid is really starting to bog down. It's taken me this long to get only halfway through it, and it's just not grabbing my attention. Can't read more than a few pages at a time and as I read it I just feel nit picky and want to pick apart every little thing I see wrong with it. Tell me it gets better after book 6! :(

The Aeneid does lose a certain "zip" after a while. Sorry! Imagine what it was like to read the damned thing in Latin! Horrors! The Iliad and The Odyssey are both "better" in that they don't start to lag as rapidly...if I remember right. And I read the latter two in English..much mo' better that way. Soldier on, if you must, with The Dreaded/Dratted "A"

;-}

Sorry Stephen, but I did not care for The Aeneid when I read it years ago and have never had any desire to re-read it, so I am not going to be very encouraging.

On the other hand, I am not threatening you with either battering by encyclopedia or shooting, so that has to count for something, right?

Jude: Yep, it's definitely losing it's zip. After the first book I was so excited, it sounded great! But by the time I was on book 4 I was beginning to despair. :( Maybe if I push through it a bit more I'll start liking it again...

Stasia: Yes yes, while you can't comfort me in my reading choice, the fact that you don't wish me bodily harm is definitely a source of ease... *pats down Stasia's pockets to check for weapons* Phew.

#160: So why are you patting me down then? lol

Paranoia! But don't worry, whenever you are around I feel perfectly safe... *subtly searches the room for every available exit*

=)

#162: Ah well then, I understand paranoia :)

I'm not one for roasting marshamallows, was never much of an outdoorsy "cook food over fire and camp in the woods" kind of person...I guess it all loses it's spark after childhood. But for Memorial Day we had a big family cookout/barbeque, and there were strawberry (and vanilla) marshmallows. *gasp* Roasted strawberry marshmallows!? I eagerly roasted a couple over a fire like I was a child again. It was delicious. :)

The only time I toast marshmallows is when my boyfriend and I clear out all the dead brush, trim bushes, burn excess trash..in the Fall (as in...Big Bonfire!).. I make a big tub of cole slaw, some baked beans...we cook hot dogs, on sticks, over the embers..and have marshmallows for dessert (S'mores too, if i remember to buy graham crackers!).Too true...seriously delish!!!

;-}

The Aeneid isn't the thrill ride that The Iliad is, but it's got something to tell you. Take a deep breath, read only what you can comfortably process, and soldier on through the whole thing.

Marshmallows? In flavors? Of this I am never hearing.

I've been beating my head against it for 2 days now. I'm almost finished with it but unfortunately I'm just not enjoying it at all. All I want to do is get it over with and move on. Maybe in the (DISTANT) future I'll try it again. Part of the reason I'm hating it is because I don't like the translator...but I'm not all that thrilled with Virgil's story either.

Ah well. =(

37. The Aeneid by Virgil



Pages: 338
Rating: 2/5

(review posted)

It's hard to review a book like The Aeneid. It has been translated so many times, in so many different ways by so many different people, that unless you can read the original Latin version it's hard to know exactly what you are reading. Translators interpret. They take a work and try to convey it's original meaning in a different language, and it doesn't always translate over well. It takes a good translator to understand the deeper meaning of an ancient story and convey it to a modern audience, it takes a great translator to do it well and seamlessly.

W.F. Jackson Knight is not a great translator.

My first hint that something was off with the translation was in the first book. Aeneas and his companions are sailing in a vicious storm, with whipping winds and disastrous waves. These storms were described in the book as hurricanes. The first time I read the word I stopped dead in my tracks. "Hurricanes?" I thought, "Was that even a word when this was written?" With a little research, I found out that no, it wasn't. In fact, the word wasn't created until the 1500's. From book 1, I began to feel distanced from the characters and story as a result of this. As I read, words would pop up at me that just didn't sound natural, and I began to become highly critical of the book. This heightened state of judgement would never let up throughout the novel, and would become distracting and undoubtedly lessen my enjoyment of The Aeneid.

I wish I could give Virgil the benefit of the doubt. I wish I could say that W.F. Jackson Knight is simply a bad translator, and that Virgil's story was still one worth experiencing. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I the format of the book was annoying in the beginning, you get a little snippet of the current story and then pages and pages of backtracking. While I enjoyed Aeneas experiences at the Battle of Troy, I was already enamored with what was happening at the present time and forcing me to spend 2 books reading history was bit of a letdown. As soon as the story picked up again, Virgil did the ever-dreaded thing that annoyed me with The Iliad. Funeral Games! Ach! Anything but funeral games! Why!? Well, I skimmed it. Unfortunately, this "skimming" occurrence would not be singular. With the frustrating format and the bad translation, I just wasn't enthusiastic about The Aeneid, and I would find myself skimming frequently.

I'm disappointed. My expectations were high, and I couldn't have been more unsatisfied. I'm just glad it's over and I can get on with my reading endeavors.

#168: I'm just glad it's over and I can get on with my reading endeavors.

That pretty much sums up my view of reading The Aeneid too.

Oh dear, that's a thoroughgoing rejection if ever I heard one. Too bad! I wissh for you that your next read is vastly better.

Stasia: Yea, the last page was definitely accompanied by a huge sigh of relief. :)

Richard: Indeed. I went from happy glowy enthusiasm with Bonk to BAH GRUMBLE YECH! with The Aeneid. I'll be returning to the works of Mary Roach with Spook next, so my hopes are high for something postivie.

ETA: Errr, for some reason I thought Stasia was Jude. Sorry!

Well, hmmm, I guess maybe my desire to join that Aeneid group read may have just fizzled.......

Congrats on slogging through, Ape. Onto better things!

Ah, yes, I saw that yesterday. Well, I read a Fagles translation of The Iliad and it was very good, so it still may be worth joining. The Iliad had funeral games too (*cringe gag*) but I still thought it was great, so maybe he can make The Aeneid readable as well. *shrug*

Stephen- Due to your enthusiasm! I picked up the audio of Bonk today. I may not get to it for a couple of weeks but I got it!
Also pre-ordered The Passage. Very excited about that one, as well!

I hope you like both of them! I can't imagine what an audio version of Bonk could be like...I hope there aren't any sound effects!! :D

Ah, Latin literature... vastly inferior to the Greek epics, *mua-hahaha*!!!

I'm not a big fan of the Aeneid, but I'll defend Homer in the original Greek until my dying day.

However... your translation also sounds absolutely abhorrent. I'm so sorry you had to suffer through it with such a terrible translation!!!

Faith: I agree, I loved Homer's stuff. The Iliad and Odyssey were great. On the flip side, I hated both The Aeneid and Dante's Inferno.

I have The Orestia on my library wishlist but now I'm not sure how eager I am to get to it. Have you read it?

Now, how can you confuse Stasia and Moi???? I don't get it.

The Oresteia..i own the Penguin Classics edition...translated by Fagles...have NOT read this one. But have read the three plays...and enjoyed them immensely. I did my senior project, in High school, on Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra...a modern take on these plays (i think)...anyway, that's another side to Aeschylus....

;-}

Stephen...oh dear...I am about to pull age-and-experience rank on you...that always feels creepy, but here goes: Hating the classics is perfectly fine, since it's your opinion and it's therefore always right. But please leave a little mental room for the chance that something you hated *might* not be so hideous if read at a different time.

I ***abhor*** Lord of the Rings entire, root and branch and awkward stilted sentence by awkward stilted sentence. I've watched the dreary, endless movies. I started hating them when I read the first one in 1973, the absolute pinnacle of their popularity. My various friends over the years have cajoled and exhorted me to reevaluate them, so I have. Every five years, I take another run at the first or third book, since not even the ardent fans think The Two Towers will win converts.

2008 marked the last, and final, run. Seven tries is enough. No more, not now, not ever!

About The Divine Comedy, I'd encourage you to take that attitude, and to give a whirl in five or so years to the John Ciardi translation.

PS...Faith is completely correct about Latin-vs-Greek lit...stick to Greek, my lad, you'll never go wrong.

That sounded dirty coming from me, didn't it?

Stasia, errrr, I mean Jude: I don't know how I got you confused! =P I'm not sure what edition my library has, but if it's a W.F. Jackson Knight translation I'll definitely be avoiding The Orestia.

Richard: Oh, I quite agree with you about trying books again at a later date. But I won't set a specific number of years to wait to try it again. I'll try it again the next time I get the urge to read it, whether it's next month or 10 years from now. I'm definitely in no hurry to read it again any time soon though.

Dirty? Ohhh, well, you see...I'm so perfectly innocent and pure, that dirty-sounding remarks go right over my head.
*childish snickering*

#180: Stasia, errrr, I mean Jude: I don't know how I got you confused!

Obviously, it is our droll humor and dry wit :)

.........and our utter, complete Brilliance...no?

You with me, Stasia?

;-}

To the ends of the earth, Jude!

Note to self: Contrary to popular belief amongst forgetful men, getting two women's names mixed up can have a miraculously positive effect. Strange phenomenon. More scientific research required.

#185: I do not recommend that you try it too often :)

...and remain HIGHLY sensitive to the circumstances when conducting the research, or ghastly, painful consequences could immediately ensue.

#185: Me, neither...remember.."I got guns"

*snicker...snort*

J

#187: ".....or ghastly, painful consequences could immediately ensue"..........You wish!!!!

;-}

Oh dear, how does the subject always come back around to inflicting pain on poor little ol' me? *puppy dog eyes*

>189 Ape: Why ever not? You're obnoxiously young, you're precociously smart, that's a recipe for gettin' beat up.

Hmmm, I think if I were precociously smart I could talk myself out of getting beat up in the first place! But "obnixiously young" I'll take. =D

>177 Ape:: Oh, the Oresteia... well, I'll tell you that it's a brilliant slog in the original Greek, very very clever, especially the trial in The Eumenides (book 3). HOWEVER... they're not my favorite (then again, I'm partial to Euripides), but as the only surviving example of a trilogy of Greek plays, they're very important for Greek lit.

I'd say, get a good translation with historical notes -- which will be crucial for the enjoyment of the third play -- and you might be pleasantly surprised how much you like the trilogy as a whole. There's a lot there, and it's very well crafted.

Hmmm, my library only has 1 copy and it doesn't list the translator on their website. Whenever I do pick it up it'll have to be on blind faith.

146: You've sparked an interest in Mary Roach for me! I knew she did Stiff but had no idea she tackled a variety of interesting topics. I think I'll go add her to my wishlist as I have a soft spot for humorous non-fiction. Looks like you've been doing some good reading!

How did I manage to stay away long enough to have to catch up on 54 posts?! Excellent discussions, by the way. A few thumbs have come your way, and I am again reminded of why I didn't fancy trying Virgil anytime soon. I've heard rumour that Mary Roach has a new book coming out soon, about space I think. Which should be good. And having been 'out-squeamished' by Stiff (definitely not one to read at mealtimes, oops) but having loved Bonk, I'll be awaiting your verdict on Spook...

Marie: I hope you like her stuff! I'm nearing the end of the third book of hers I've read and I have the same thing to say about each one. Witty, funny, and charming! Yes, charming, even if the topic does involve corpses. :)

Ellie: Yes! I'm already eagerly looking forward to Mary Roach's new book. It's listed here on LT, Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void. I can't wait! I hope my library buys a copy when it's released.

And the verdict is good on Spook, provided you aren't prone to superstitious or religious beliefs. This is a "scientific" look at the afterlife so, of course, most of it is disproven. Which mean I'm loving it, of course. :) I'll probably have it finished later tonight or tomorrow morning.

38. Spook by Mary Roach.



Pages: 298
Rating: 4/5

(Review posted: I'll proofread it...ummm, later)

I have read 3 of Mary Roach's books, and I bear the unfortunate news that this is my least favorite one. It wasn't as funny and informative as either Bonk or Stiff. I wasn't as enthralled with the science or enamored by Mary Roach's charm. It just didn't capture my attention as much as her other books. But was it bad? No! It's still a 4-star book and I really enjoyed it!

If you've read Mary Roach before you know what you are getting here. Light and simple science that is easy to digest yet deep in it's enlightenment, sprinkled with snarky commentary and goofy humor. She has it down to a formula, and if you've enjoyed it before there is no reason you won't like it here. Unfortunately the book has two major pitfalls: her lack of respect for a couple of the people she interviews and the topic itself.

Let's start with the topic. Paranormal activity and spiritualism is nearly impossible to look at scientifically. The problem is that most people are either/or on the topic. You either believe in it or you don't, and it's very difficult to remain neutral. Mary attempts it, but her skepticism shines through early and often, and you will have no doubt that she is arguing in favor of science. This of course, brings another problem to the table. You can't, ever, disprove spirituality. You just can't. Whenever science disproves religion, ghosts, psychic ability, whatever; people will always be able to invent new reasons to continue believing. Disprove hauntings with definitive proof of electromagnetic interference? Doesn't matter. Disprove near-death experiences with conclusive scientific study? Doesn't matter. People will believe what they believe and I doubt any individual book will ever change that. If you believe in such things I don't know if you will be as riveted with the book as I was. I'm very fortunate that my views coincided with the authors, so this was not an issue for me and I was able to fully enjoy the topics and her opinions on them.

That does not, however, excuse the way she treats some of the people she interviewed for the book. She has a sarcastic and snarky style of humor, but in her other books she mostly directed it towards the topic at hand, not the people she was discussing. In this book, she frequently takes potshots and makes unfair or downright disrespectful comments about the people who are helping her research the very book she is writing about them in. Of course, this might all be due to the poor sad souls she is making fun of. In her other books, she made jokes about the scientists who were experimenting in odd ways, and the jokes didn't seem the least bit disrespectful. But when she makes fun of a poor girl who thinks she has foresight, or a man who wanders around a park teaching people how to record disembodied voices with audio cassette recorders... Maybe I am no better than her and thought less of them just as she did. Maybe I was sympathetic...

Regardless, I still loved the book. Unlike her other books, I wouldn't recommend this to everyone. Not everyone will like Spook, but I certainly would recommend it to anyone who isn't prone to superstitious or spiritual beliefs. Mary Roach has delivered another book full of humor, wit, and interesting science. If you are curious about the feeble attempts to prove/disprove the afterlife, or if you are simply a fan of the author, this is a must read!

Good review! Now get to work proofreading. Quite shocking the mistakes you've made. Shocking!

ETA including the fact that the touchstone goes to some William Gibson crap, not Mary Roach's (NOTE PROPER POSSESSIVE FORM) book at all.

Awww, why'd you have to say that? Now I can't resist checking it! ...

...

...

"science that is easily digest" *slaps forehead* Ok, let me get on this....

*pats cyberfoot*

Ok, hopefully that's a little better. I found several mistakes. Science easily digest, Roaches, don't', and I used the completely wrong word at one point ("objectional" ...what's the word I'm thinking of? I've substituted "neutral" for now but that's not it...) Hmmmm, one thing is for certain, I am NOT a good editor.

ETA: Ok, found a couple more. I really need to start proofreading BEFORE I post...

deep in it's enlightenment...it is enlightenment? Or do you mean its, the possessive form?

coincided with the authors ...the multiple authors of what? Or did you mean "author's", the possessive form?

Maybe I am no better than her ...than her what? An object needs to follow her. Perhaps it's "...than she is..."?

And I think the word you were reaching for was "objective."

There are so many pitfalls to being one's own editor! Mistakes are one of them. I make them all the time, and go back and correct them. There are things that can be done differently than you've done them, too, but I can't see the advantage to you in pointing up academic quibbles.

And it's still a very good review!

Ach, thank you Richard. The first two should have been obvious, I just read right over them. The third was an error in my grammatical knowledge. There are many pitfalls in that too! :(

There are things that can be done differently than you've done them

That may have something with my seeming inability to form sentences that flow well. Or maybe it has to do with my inability to form PARAGRAPHS that flow well. I really don't think ahead when I'm writing, I go word to word, sentence to sentence without thinking ahead, and this usually leads to awkwardly written reviews and posts. Ah well.
ETA: The final paragraph is a clear example of this...

Oh, and OBJECTIVE!! Of course. Gah, that was getting on my nerves. The word totally slipped my mind. The medium must have greased it with ectoplasm during that last séance.

The medium must have greased it with ectoplasm during that last séance

ROFL

my seeming inability to form sentences that flow well No, it doesn't. Your sentences flow perfectly well. Your paragraphs have no absence of flow. There are things that I do, suc as setting off clauses with commas, and using the "proper" series comma in complex sentences, that aren't required any more. I think it's a bad thing because, in the end, punctuation is about conveying precise meanings and offering layered ideas. Like cursive writing, it's just not considered necessary to teach these things anymore, so they will gradually fade to black.

The world, however, will still spin, and happiness shall burst forth like the lark's song, and I'll be dead as a haddock, so what the hell should I care?!

Stephen - I'm happy to have read your review of The Aeneid, I have the exact same book and had considered joining the group read even though they will use a different translation. I've definitely shelved that idea and will go back to my 19th century classic instead, I will will will read Les Miserables this year.

Great review! I haven't read Bonk yet, but I agree that this one wasn't as good as Stiff. Still pretty good, though.

BTW, you guys made have clean soda off the new iPad screen...:)

Richard: Ahhh, yea, to hell with commas! :)

Kerry: Oh dear! I'm afraid I read and posted a negative review for The Aeneid at the perfectly wrong time. I hope the group read doesn't suffer because I had a bad translation. Richard! You need to post a positively delightful post about how wonderful The Aeneid is to balance out my negative review.

Jim: Well then, I would definitely encourage you to read Bonk as it was my personal favorite.

I've never been one for trendy technology. Never got into iPhones or iPods. I had cheep piece-of-crap phones and mp3 players because I didn't really care. But I must admit, the iPad looks pretty cool. :)

*wanders into the middle of the review/grammar/spelling commotion, freezes like a rabbit caught in headlights, and backs slowly away mouthing to Stephen that she'll come back later*

Haha, what is it with all the odd happenings in our two threads that keep scaring everyone off?

Wow, we have a ton of books in common! Particularly the pandemic themed ones, I can't get enough of them. I'll have to go through and look up the rest of your books that I don't have, I'm sure I'll find some things I'll enjoy :)

Hi Sarah. You shouldn't have told me that! My wishlist is nearly endless already, the last thing I need is to find someone else who likes to read about disease outbreaks! :)

Do you have a 75 book challenge thread? If you do it'll be the death of me, of course. I've only looked at 1 book in your library, the one you're reading now(Asleep) and guess what? I want to read it!

Oh Shit..the entire Kerfuffle w/Richard...vis a vis Wiliam Gibson...hopefully the Author I love..All Tomorrow's Parties Virtual Light...Idoru...I love them all..for their language...and the fact..when they were published..their entire premise was still "HUH?"

Stephen..read the damned books for yourself!!!

*rant over*

I don't have a thread - #211 was actually my first post here :) Today is the first time I've ventured beyond adding things to my catalog on LT.

I'm really enjoying Asleep. I got sidetracked by a sudden desire for fiction for a few days, but I'm starting it back up again today. It's wonderfully written, everything flows well while still providing tons of detail, which I'm sure you've discovered can be a bit of a rarity with disease books ;) Because the war caused such a problem with doctor communication the disease was discovered and studied alone in different areas, so the book is broken up into sections, each focusing on those areas. So much easier to read than jumping back and forth all the time.

Jude: I actually really do want to read William Gibson. I absolutely LOVED Michael Marshal Smith's cyberpunk novels (Only Forward, Spares, and One of Us). Aside from the ending of One of Us, they are all absolutely amazing...but unfortunately I never got around to trying other authors in the genre. I keep saying I'm going to read some William Gibson but...just haven't gotten there yet! I'll probably wind up re-reading all of Smith's novels before I get to Gibson. Bah!

Sarah: Well then, WELCOME TO THE FORUMS! :) You should definitely consider making a thread here. There's no pressure to actually read 75 books, or to review the books you do read...it's just fun to keep track of what your reading and connect with other people who have similar tastes. Or, connect to people who have completely different tastes! :)

The format of Asleep sounds really cool. It would be interesting to see the different methods people would use to cure the same disease. Hmmm. Unfortunately my library doesn't have it, but I'm definitely adding it to my long-term wishlist. :)

I saw Mary Roach interviewed on C-Span Book TV yesterday, and she has a new book out called Packing for Mars, about space travel. It sounded like it will be as interesting and clever as her earlier two books.

delete double post

Awww, it's too bad I missed the interview, I would have liked to have seen it. But yea, I'm definitely looking forward to Packing for Mars.

So, I have finally found your page...and the only books I recognize are Brave new World and the Iliad. I have read neither (in whole), though I am interested in Brave. I believe I have only read excerpts of the Iliad. I have read Homers The Odyssey though, and it was ok, you’d probably really like it. ….even though odysseus was a man whore.

#216: I will have to look for Packing for Mars. Sounds right up my alley. Thanks for the mention, Deborah.

Beth: Thanks for stopping by! :) I read The Odyssey a couple years ago and I definitely enjoyed it. It was a good story, and the translation I read had a very straightforward prose so it read like a simple adventure story which I think was appropriate.

If my library doesn't buy a copy of Packing for Mars the day it's released I think I'll have to harass them over the phone. =P

Stephen- Do you listen to podcasts? You should give "Sword & Laser" a try. It's an excellent program. I'm not a big sci-fi fan but I love their discussions.

Mark: I have a dial-up connection, so my internet is too slow for stuff like that most of the time. :(

>223 Ape: Dial-up? Seriously? Is there no cable internet...wherever it is that you are?

Nope, no cable internet. I think satellite is possible but it costs a fortune and the connection would be shaky and inconsistent. I live out in the middle of nowhere, "in the woods and hills" of Ohio. It's a 15-20 minute drive to the town I "live in" and the town itself is so small it's not worth mentioning.

I haven't actually looked into this stuff in awhile though. It was early last year I was looking into better internet connections but right now it's not at the top of my priority list. So long as I have LT I'm fine!! :)

Did you go to the web-site and just click on it and try to listen that way?

*marvels* Dial-up...didn't know they still had that. Back of the beyond places don't get cable? Why not? Shouldn't the gummint be doing something about this? Don't care much about the TV part, but high-speed internet is really a minimum requirement in today's work world.

*light bulb* THAT's why there's so much rural unemployment! Duh!

Mark: I haven't yet, but usually stuff like that won't load in the first place. I've tried online radio sites and, even if I let my computer sit for an hour or so to load everything up, I just get little snippets of sound every few seconds.

My connection is around 2-3kbps. It's...pretty slow. My download speed is something like 5mb...per hour. Seriously...

Richard: Indeed. It's like traveling through time when going through rural areas. We even have a couple dirt/gravel roads out near my place. I also live right beside an amish community, which means you'll get stuck behind horse 'n' buggies from time to time.

Growing up in South Texas, we lived on a caliche road off a two-lane Farm-to-Market road. I remember the sound of tires on the roadbed...*scruuunchwhapching*...and the smell of caliche dust...and the heat-wavies coming up from the road and the sorghum fields.

The house faced a shallow ox-bow lake, and we had water moccasins on the porch all the time. Mean mo-fos, those snakes!

Get struck behind a harvester moving fields, and you could pretty much just go home for an hour while it ponderously squooshed the asphalt into pancakes, rather than sit behind it and smell the fumes.

I ***LOVE*** life in leafy, well-paved suburbia! And NYC is 35min away. *contented sigh*

OH MY GOODNESS! Packing for Mars by Mary Roach is in current batch of ER books!!! *tries and fails to not get hopes up*

HA! Betcha I get it and YOU don't!

I saw that! Best of luck...to us both (mwaha)!

Oh, this is so not fair. This month of books has featured more "Oh, I want to read that!" moments than any I have known. I counted 18 books I want. 18. Usually it's 3 or 4...5 on a good month. 18!! But of course, requesting other books will decrease my already meager chances at winning Packing for Mars, so I won't be requesting any of them!

Not getting my hopes up though. Absolutely not. Besdies, someone at my library really likes Mary Roach considering they bought all her other books, so I'm rather confident they'll get a copy in. Having my very own ARC would be nice though... :)

231/232: You're both goin' down! >:)

>232 RosyLibrarian:, 233: Sorry youngsters, age and guile beat youth and honesty every time...I've already sacrificed a Christian baby to The Unholy Algorithm.

Stephen, I'll dedicate the review to you.

*slithers off to find favorite apple tree*

Richard, my friend, I think all your "age and guile" is making you a little senile. :)

Richard, sacrificing a baby won't help. What the Algorithm wants is snicker doodles. And I've cornered the market...:)

*Sacrifices Jim's iPad to the Algorithm*

I have always been perplexed that snickerdoodles have no snickers in them. And they don't normally have doodling on them either.

No, I don't think about these discrepancies of the world at length, not me...............

*drool*

Snickerdoodles...yum...I'm with the Algorithm on this one.

Ohhh. I see, we have to sacrifice snickerdoodles. Well, ok. *sacrifices Richard*
;-P

*shocked silence*

You...you'd sacrifice poor, old, innocent, harmless me for a Mary Roach book?!

Good man. Keep those priorities straight!

Innocent? Harmless? Aren't you the same man that sacrificed a Christian baby to the unholy algorithm? :)

Well, yes...of course. Thus *proving* that I am innocent and harmless.

*slithers back to the Kitchen for rhubarb muffins*

Hmmm, interesting. Public baby sacrifices as proof of innocence. I'll keep that in mind if I'm ever accused of a crime.

richard, I'd probably sacrifice you for a twinkie (nothing personal, twinkies taste good)

>244 Ape: Works every time! Look at Rush Limbaugh!

>245 ty1997: Tom, it's not the first time I've been thrown over for a twinkie. Oh wait...you mean the pastryoid Twinkie! That'd be a first.

Oh dear. I'm afraid to think about where this conversation could be leading. Good thing it can only go on for 3 more posts before I make a new thread. Better make them count!

*raises shield*

>247 Ape: Sorry, what was that, Twinkie?

Sticks and stones may break my bones but twinkies will never hurt me.

...errr, unless you count clogged arteries/heart attacks, but that's just a technicality.

Actually, Twinkies aren't that bad for you. Not health food, by any standard, but not gonna kill you.

I still don't want one, of *either* kind...I'm partial to big, manly men who can discuss baseball and cars, but also like to read. I can hear girl-talk just by going downstairs and listening to my wife.

Baseball and cars? What kind of a manly man talks about baseball and cars? Richard, your "age and guile" are showing. The manly men of today talk about football and pornography. Get with the times man! =P

Fancy new thread HERE