Mark's Reading Place: To Infinity and Beyond...Take 7

Lucky 7! I've been knocking out a thread a month, which I'm very happy about. I remember my first Challenge, over on the 50, my 1st thread lasted just under a year. Movin' on up! Happy Summer!

Books read so far...

1) The White Rhino Hotel by Bartle Bull ****1/2
2) A Good Fall: Stories by Ha Jin ****
3) Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith ****1/2
4) A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore ***
5) Tear Down This Myth by Will Bunch ****1/2
6) Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Hurston ****1/2 (audio)
7) Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter ***1/2
8) World Without End by Ken Follett ****
9) The Dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell ****
10) Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson ****1/2 (audio)
11) Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro ****1/2
12) Open Season by C.J. Box ****
13) The Audacity to Win by David Plouffe ****1/2 (audio)
14) Spooner by Pete Dexter ****
15) Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro ****1/2
16) Small Island by Andrea Levy *****
17) The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley **** (audio)
18) Don't Look Back by Karin Fossum ****
19) Night Train by Martin Amis ****
20) Sleepless by Charlie Huston ****1/2 (audio)
21) Stitches by David Small **** (graphic)
22) Shanghai Girls by Lisa See **** (audio)
23) Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie ***
24) When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson ****1/2
25) Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving ****
26) The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein ***1/2 (audio)
27) The Magdalen Martyrs by Ken Bruen ****1/2
28) The Help by Kathryn Stockett ****1/2 (audio)
29) Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton ****1/2
30) Fade Away by Harlan Coben **** (audio)
31) The Plague by Albert Camus ****1/2
32) Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins ****
33) Horns by Joe Hill ***1/2 (audio)
34) Walking to Gatlinburg by Howard Frank Mosher *****
35) The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick ***** (graphic)
36) Eye of the Red Tsar by Sam Eastland ***1/2
37) Tinkers by Paul Harding ****
38) Maus I: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman ****1/2 (graphic)
39) Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman ****
40) Chess: A Novella by Stefan Zweig ****1/2
41) The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova ***1/2 (audio)
42) The Wrong Kind of Blood by Declan Hughes ****
43) The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery **** (audio)
44) Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami **** (Group Read)
45) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot ***** (audio)
46) Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow ****1/2
47) The Privileges by Jonathan Dee ***1/2
48) The Big Short by Michael Lewis ****1/2 (audio)
49) Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder *****
50) Columbine by Dave Cullen ***** (audio)
51) The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon ****1/2
52) The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson ***1/2
52) Drown by Junot Diaz ****1/2
53) Bonk by Mary Roach ***1/2 (audio)
54) WAR by Sebastian Junger ***** (audio)
55) The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King ****
56) American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell ****1/2
57) The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness **** (YA)
58) So Cold the River by Michael Koryta **** (audio)
59) Expiration Date by Duane Swierczynski ***1/2
60) Crashing Through by Robert Kurson **** (audio)
61) The Chicago Way by Michael Harvey ***1/2
62) Joker One by Donovan Campbell **** (audio)
63) The Mistress's Daughter: A Memoir by A.M. Homes ***1/2 (audio)
64) The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell *****

OMG I'm first!

ETA I'm never first at anything!

Nice new thread. :) My first thread was similar, Mark. I made a 50 book challenge in 2008, and the 1 thread lasted the whole year.

Well, so I guess I'm still only on my 2nd thread this year, but still! :)

I see your high rating of American Salvage. So many members of our challenge group rave about this book.

Found you .. i found you ... and starred you, Marky-Mark

Bonnie- You are always first, in my book!

Stephen- Your Challenge seems to be getting more and more popular! Pretty soon you'll be up there with RD & Stasia!

Linda- American Salvage is amazing! (I'm working on a review) I'm also thinking of bumping it up to 5 stars! It's worthy!

Caroline- Glad you found me, although I wasn't really hiding or lost!

I have to share this, for you fans or non-fans of the "Dragon Tattoo" books. This came from the New Yorker, (thanks to Ed over in the Crime Group for 1st posting it). It's a riot. Check it out: right here

LOL ... very funny... thanks for sharing, Mark

56 books already?? You should come over to the 100 Books Challenge (or whatever we're called now). :)

Just picked up Child 44 which I see you gave 4.5 stars to! I hope I like it that much!

And I'm glad I found this thread earlier rather than later. I seem to have to spend a lot of time skimming comments, just to find out there's a new thread, which is already ginormous...

Hi Mark, got you starred!

#7: Thanks for that link, Mark!

Hi Mark -- I'm ba-ack!

Wookie- I can't imagine you not enjoying Child 44. It's a white-knuckle ride, that's for sure! I recently picked up the sequel The Secret Speech. BTW- flying through The Knife of Never Letting Go. Very enjoyable, very original! I'm not sure about the YA tag though!

BIG waves to Joanne, Stasia & Anne!

The Once and Future King Read starts today! Crank them engines!

.
.
.
.
.

YO!!!!

;-}

>7 msf59: That New Yorker article is hysterical. Leave it to Nora Ephron to get it just right.

Hi Mark, I can't match you in number of threads, but I did just finish my 56th book last night. I guess that's why I'm so late posting on your new thread. Mine is a shiny new one as of this morning. Come see me!

#7..i heard about The New Yorker article on FaceBook...love Nora Ephron..i wish SHE would do an Alternate Series!

;-}

Hi Jude- How's my best buddy?

Bonnie- I had to share it! It's priceless! And like Jude said: "i wish SHE would do an Alternate Series". Right on!

Donna- You are doing great! And you don't do audiobooks, right? If I didn't my numbers would dwindle. Only so much time in a day...unless you're Stasia, of course!!

Sorry I'm getting behind on my reviews again...need to remedy that!

#18: I'm getting behind on my reviews again...need to remedy that

No you don't :) I am sure you are going to recommend something I am going to want to read now.

Hey Marky-Mark .... yes, we are waiting with bated breath for those reviews, my friend. ;-)

#20: Caroline, do not encourage him!

Just dropping by to say that I always read your threads, even though I don't post very often...sorry 'bout that! Many of my (non online) friends would be amazed at how 'quiet' I am around LT at times - I'm usually not quiet in my real life 'circle'.

Happy reading Mark!

Stasia & Caroline- Now now girls! Let's take a breather! My little mini-reviews are not that big a deal! Can't we just get along?

Angela- Thanks for posting and letting me know you are "always lurking"!

I took a long look at your list of books read. Do you like every book you read? I rarely rate a book at 4 and you have lots of them at that rating. Maybe I am just an old crank!

Mark, I know, The Knife of Never Letting Go is awfully dark YA! I've recommended it to friends with teenaged kids, but have said I feel it's only really suitable for older kids. (Although all kids are different...)

It's YA because of the age of the protagonists and sometimes things are resolved rather quickly and easily (as grown ups with experience, we know things don't always happen that way!), but it's got some serious Big Issues happening in it too.

I'd love it if my kids read and enjoyed them, but not for some years yet! (Miss Boo is still just squeaking excitedly over recognising her "sight" words; and Mr Bear is mostly enjoying Spongebob comics.)

Child 44 is a very gripping read! Just such an unhappy opening, and I don't think it's ever going to make me smile, or even laugh. I think I might go for something supremely silly after this one!

Hi Mark:

I thought I'd have to wait unsuccessfully a while to see if it would show up on Bookmooch then eventually buy So Cold the River, but last night we were volunteering at the local thrift store to earn money for daughter's band trip and I wandered over to one of the bookcases and THERE IT WAS, a beautiful uncorrected advance proof for $1.50.

I'm pretty excited. It's going to be next on the list, I think.

24: I rarely rate a book at 4

I'm the same way, my opinion is that 90 percent of the books on the planet are 3-star books, and they have to do something particularly amazing/terrible to deserve to be moved to the 2 or 4 star ratings. I can read a book that is great, that its fun to read, or inspiring and enlightening, and that I enjoy immensely, but that's how most books I read are, so it has to do something really big to deserve the extra star.

But I know other people consider 3 stars a "bad" rating. Some people might consider 3 stars Passable/Average/Boring, 4 stars Good, and 5 stars Great. Everyone's different I guess, and I don't think there is a right way or wrong way to rate books.

Ratings are difficult for me. So much of what I consider to be an above average book has to do with my feelings rather than literary merit.

Personally, I have many 4-star ratings which I consider my "good but not great" category. I know my likes and dislikes pretty well by now so my ratings tend to be on the high side. If I get a real "clunker," I simply quit reading and go on to something I know I will like better!

My 5-star rating is reserved for the best of the best and is given infrequently. So far this year I've read only 3 of those books that I would consider rescue-from-the-burning-house books.

I think my ratings are fairly inconsistent. When I start comparing all my 3-star books, I think many of them should be rated higher or lower...and the same with 4 stars. Some, I wonder why I rated them so highly, and others I wonder why I didn't give the full 5 stars.

And I know I have some 5 star books that DON'T deserve that high of a rating. It's definitely not an exact science.

# 28 Donna828

I agree with you about the 'bad" books. If I can't get into a book I just quit reading it. However, I rarely do that. Many people use the 50 page rule but often I read past that. I keep reading even when I dislike a book. For that reason I rarely give 2's. In the last year I finally gave up on Midnight's Children but that is the only one. I finished Foucault's Pendulum but wonder why. After so many years of anticipation the book was a real dud. However, I finished it and gave it a 3.

I tend to give lots of 3's and maybe the difference between me and Mark is that I am less enthusiastic about books. Something has to really stand out in order for me to give it a higher than 4. There are a few books that I give 4.5's to, but only rarely. Maybe I just don't see being average as bad.

I also find that after a period of time my opinion about a book will change. Books that I am still thinking about months later get a much higher rating. And I go in and change my previous ratings if I find that a book is still resonating after a period of time.

>26 karenmarie: $1.50 ain't bad.

There's a good reason why I don't have many 2 or 3 star books and that is because if a book is in that range I generally give up and drop it, with very few exceptions. Another reason is, I get so many excellent recommendations from LTers whose reading tastes match mine that I pretty much read mostly 4-5 star books. It's all good :)

Benita- As usual, you are very perceptive, (that's why I love having you on the G.R.s), even when you are pointing out my flawed rating system. I like what Stephen had to say: "But I know other people consider 3 stars a "bad" rating. Some people might consider 3 stars Passable/Average/Boring, 4 stars Good, and 5 stars Great". I guess that's me! Guilty as charged! Where do I have to hang up my LT badge, as I shuffle away in shame! I've been using this star rating system for 25 plus years and even though I rarely ever had any 1 or 2 star books, I decided to keep it because it worked for me.
Looking back at this years books, I probably wouldn't change anything. I generally like or love the books I read, maybe I'm just lucky, who knows! I don't even remember the last time I chucked a book because it was awful, including a self-published book a customer gave me. (It was abysmal, but I read it anyway because I felt guilty not completing it, after he signed it and mentioned how wonderful my mail-carrying abilities were!)
Maybe that's why I enjoy doing my mini-reviews, it gives me a better chance at expressing my opinion somewhat better.

Wookie- I'm nearly finished with The Knife of Never Letting Go, (sorry Benita I'll probably give it a 4) and it's been a fun ride. My problem with the YA classification is the strong language. The use of the term "effing", which sees ample use here, is still "effing" in my opinion. Maybe I'm being prudish but I don't think so. There is much in this book to admire though.

Karen- Great find on the So Called the River. I'm listening to it on audio, on the last 3rd,but I wish I had a copy to pass on to others. Unless it completely collapses in the last sections, this will be a solid summer thriller.

Mark, I understand the language - it's not prudishness on your part, but probably a cultural difference. They're English books, and as an Australian, it'd barely even dinged the edges of my consciousness that this was probably not an appropriate word.

You can give it a 3, if you like, I won't be offended. :)

Speaking of which, something was annoying me last night in Child 44. But I can't remember what it was today! Hopefully just tiredness on my part, but if it does come back to me next time I read, I'll make a better effort to remember it!!

Kind of quiet over here! Everyone gone for the weekend, or just ignoring my butt? I worked today! Any sympathy? It was another nice day though, sunny and a bit warmer. We are just taking it easy tonight though, busy day tomorrow. For later we have some good snacks, some quality beer, (any fans of Bohemia?) and the dvd of Shutter Island. I hope it's good! I love Scorcese but have a funny feeling about this one!
Speaking of dvds, I heard the Swedish version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo comes out this week. I missed it at the show! Looking forward to it!

Ummm.... ignoring your butt? Do you have a particularly large one that rarely gets ignored or is it the opposite and you're expecting more compliments from your coworkers and townfolk? ;-)

You have my sympathies for having to work today .... but take heart dear ... you're off for the next 2 days, right?

Oooh ooh... make sure you get hold of a copy of the DVD, I just know you're going to love it ..... I hear they're going to make an American version of the movie but filming it in Sweden. I doubt it'll be as good as the original Swedish one though.

No, my butt is small and flat, probably from all that walking! Thanks for the sympathies and yes I'm looking forward to 2 days off! Yipeee!
So did you see the Dragon Tattoo film? I'm just hoping they don't screw up the American version! We'll see!

I Know I was raving about WAR, but something I forgot to mention, Junger and another cameraman shot a documentary about their experiences. The film is called "Restrepo" and it opened in Chicago this weekend, to strong reviews.

Yes, I saw the Swedish Dragon Tattoo movie and it was really gripping. They casted it so well, and even if you've already read the book, it will still be a gripping movie.

Hi Mark, We watched Shutter Island last weekend and really liked it but I didn't read the book so I can't compare.

And you're right - you did have a bit of a quiet period here on your thread. Very unusual for Mr Popularity!! :)

I liked Shutter Island - I'd read the book the week before the movie came out! My husband hadn't read the book and really enjoyed the movie.

The reviewers liked it less, so we were out of step with them this time. :)

And I liked the adaptation of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo! Faithful, but a good editing job on the story (which it needed), with anything not required to the basic story gone.

Joanne & Wookie- I didn't care for Shutter Island, over-long and a bit over the top. I actually read the book a few years ago too and didn't care for it either and I love Dennis Lehane.

Wookie- Thanks for the rec' on The Knife of Never Letting Go. I really enjoyed it. I did not realize the 2nd book is all-ready out too! Have you tracked that one down?

Mark
You are a very popular guy. In just a few days since visiting your thread, there were 335 new messages. There are many good books and great conversations happening here!

#36: I worked today (or I guess I should say tonight) too, Mark, so you have my complete sympathy.

I just got The Knife of Letting Go the other day and am looking forward to giving it a read.

Hi Linda- You are always kind and add some sunshine when you pass through. Are you sure about the 335 messages? Those are Stasia numbers!

Stasia- Yes, the working stiffs! But I'm off 2 days! Yah! I hope you'll like The Knife of Letting Go. It's a completely original work and action galore.

#46: I have heard so many good things about The Knife of Letting Go that I am almost afraid to read it for fear it will not live up to my expectations!

You lucky dog having 2 days off. I am still a working stiff for the next couple of days.

>37 cameling:: LOL! Caroline, I was going to point out the "thread 7" in Mark's quest for infinity, but you said it better! Mark, the stories in American Salvage are not the happiest stories, are they? But they do feel very real, and I'm enjoying them. More importantly, I'm remembering and still thinking about them.

Mark...yikes. I meant to type 35 messages.

Stasia- It's hard-edged and quirky too! The only mild objection I had was I felt the language was a bit strong for a YA book, but hopefully that's just me.

Bonnie- You always come outta "the blue' and I love it. Just when I feel I haven't heard from you in awhile...bam your there! I loved American Salvage. I'm behind on my reviews but I'll get to them. Now, I need to find a copy of the Campbell book for my collection. It's a keeper!

Linda- Ha ha!

#50: If you feel that way, then I probably will too. Thanks for the heads up!

Enjoy the 2 days off. Hope you're doing something fun today, Marky-Mark.

55) The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King ****

“Three months after my fifteenth birthday Sherlock Holmes entered my life, to become my foremost friend, tutor, substitute father, and eventually confidant.” Meet Mary Russell the tall, brilliant and scrappy young heroine of this fresh, well-written tale. The first in a series and it’s a wonderful, exciting launching point. Looking forward to the others! Thanks to Donna & Stasia for this one!

Well here I am with the 11th message this morning on this sorry, unpopular thread;-). Sorry Mark, couldn't resist.

I think I'm near the top of the list for a copy of The Beekeeper's Apprentice from PBS. Sweet.

Hi Bonnie- Yes, it stinks being unpopular! I think you'll love "Beekeeper's". When are you leaving on your trip?

Later today, me and a couple of my buddies are heading to the American Music Festival in sunny Berwyn IL, it's a western suburb, for a long day of music, food and most likely a lot of beer, with an occasional water now and then, to keep hydrated of course. It's an intimate, family picnic atmosphere and the music runs the gamut of roots-rock, country, zydeco and blues. It's a great variety! Everyone else have a great 4th too!

The American Music Festival sounds wonderful. Bethlehem, PA has an event each August called Musikfest. Alas, I no longer attend. It began as a wonderful event containing local musicians as well as some headliners. There are different areas throughout our lovely city where music venues are heard. Alas, over the years it became very political and very crowded.

#53: I am glad you enjoyed it, Mark!

Hi Mark, I tracked down The Ask and the Answer within 24 hours of finishing The Knife of Never Letting Go.

Book 3 is also out (in Australia at least; I'm beginning to realise we're sometimes ahead of America with English books!), but my library hasn't got a copy yet. *sob*

Oh, I seem to be over my irritation with Child 44. I was having difficulties having a member of the Soviet secret police as a hero, but now we're getting less of his point-of-view, I'm back to the happy page-turning. Halfway through.

I'd love to read The Beekeeper's Apprentice, it does sound wonderful!

ref to previous thread....

The Sparrow is on my list of Top Ten Favorite Reads

I love the characters, and weirdly, think of them often. You have got to read it.
Stephen King ~ The Passage? I don't see it, but then I stopped reading King so long ago..

oh ... and starred!

Linda- The fest turned out just okay, it got very hot & muggy as the evening progressed. A couple musical highlights, including a rockin' gospel choir from the West-side of Chicago. They could have jammed all night!

Wookie- how did he knock these books out so fast? I think the 1st came out in '08. I'll be watching for your thoughts, since it'll probably be quite awhile before I get to the 2nd one. Glad you are enjoying Child 44. Intense fun!

Kath- I've been meaning to get to The Sparrow forever! Of course, I haven't read The Passage yet but some reviewers have made loose comparisons to The Stand.

56) American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell ****1/2

While reading this remarkable collection of stories, I thought of shopping for fresh fruit. How, when making your selection, you choose the healthiest, most robust piece, overlooking the mottled, unhealthy ones. The discards. This describes the people in these tales, with their bruised and damaged lives, living on the fringes, in this case rural or small town Michigan. Ex-cons, drug-dealers, struggling families and survivalists, to name a few. Campbell is an exceptional writer, with a fine ear for the rhythms of everyday life. She does not condemn or judge these characters, but gives them an honest, unflinching, sometimes heart-rending examination. Highly recommended!

Stopped by to say Hey...before the heat kicks in Big Time...

Great Review...as usual

Too bad that the Fest was rather-not..but gospel music is always a Hit in my life!

J
;-}

How am I supposed to keep up with you sneaky people?! Mark goes off and starts a new thread as often as Stasia and Darryl these days, and I have much more limited time...*woe*

Loved your American Salvage review! Thumbs up from me.

Hi Jude- Thanks, my friend! It's going to be another warm breezy day here! I'd like to just hang out and read but some yardwork is calling me! Oh joy!

Richard- Thanks bud! It means a lot coming from you! And my gratitude to you & Bonnie (Brenzi) for nudging me into picking it up. I will have to find a copy of American Salvage to own and share.

Loved the review you wrote for American Salvage .............. *sigh* so many books, so little time, so little space in the house!

Seventh thread! You monster!! (And I mean that in a good way of course.) Just leaving a little hello message. Now I have to go back and read all the words of wisdom that came before....

Mark, I loved your take on American Salvage. Well done my friend. I read it in February and the stories have stayed with me (especially The Burn and King Cole Salvage). Yes you need to get your own copy to keep and savor.

Caro- "so many books, so little time, so little space in the house!" This is our mantra! This is who we are! And I LOVE IT!!

Berly- It's so good to see you! Always enjoy your visits!

Bonnie- Thank you! The compliment means so much, especially when it comes from one of my favorite reviewers. I need to read more of Campbell's work. We all do!
BTW- I loved "King Cole Salvage" too!

Mark, Wookie- how did he knock these books out so fast? I think the 1st came out in '08.

I assume they were all written together, prior to publication. Or at least very well planned out. Which is my sort of author: I hate being left on cliffhangers for years, or series morphing into gazillion sprawling books.

Which happens a lot in fantasy novels, *coff*George R.R. Martin*coff*.

Nice review on American Salvage!

ETA: Will finish Child 44 tonight! Loving the plot, but I think the characterisation is weak at times (people flim-flamming all over the place with their attitudes). Still, a white-knuckled read, and it's gonna be at least 7/10. More if the ending is a scorcher.

Which is my sort of author: I hate being left on cliffhangers for years, or series morphing into gazillion sprawling books

AMEN!!

And, because my first cup of tea for the day still hasn't kicked in (doesn't help that I was up past midnight reading Child 44, at least the kids are on holidays and slept in until 8): I reviewed The Ask and the Answer some time ago (I'm *how* far behind on reviews??? Again???), but it was pretty quick.

Along the lines of "omigodjustasgoodasthefirst". :)

Thumbs up from me on your great review!

Wookie- I did not realize you had read & reviewed The Ask and the Answer all-ready! And you loved it! That's great! I loved your George R.R. Martin quip! It's so true! Have you read all the Song of Fire and Ice books? I've been biding my time too! I heard him in an interview, within the past couple of months, and he said he is moving along fine with Book 5. Yeah, right!

Linda- Thank you! I know you also enjoy YA books, you might want to give The Knife of Never Letting Go a shot!

BTW- We watched "Invictus"tonight on dvd! Very good film! I highly recommend it!

Nice review of American Salvage, Mark! One of these days I will get my hands on a copy!!

Hi Mark! I gave up on George RR Martin some years back. I do love the books, but I just can't remember what's happening between them as he writes so slowly. *sigh* I don't even think I started the third "Song of Ice and Fire", it was just all too long a wait between books, even back then. I'd like to read them all, but I'm now waiting until they're all finished!

Have moved on to Stephen Erikson for my epic fantasy now. Although his books are so intense that it does take a number of months to work up the nerve to start one, and then I have to read it in chunks with fluffy stuff in between the chunks!

I was admiring an older review of yours yesterday .. :)
( We Have Always Lived in the Castle) ...this one was good too :)

Stasia- It's a keeper, all-right! Did you check with your library?

wookie- I read and loved the 1st 4 Martin books. Waiting does stink though, although it's not like we don't have enough to read. I'm not familiar with Stephen Erikson. Where's a good starting point?

Hi Kath- We Have Always Lived in the Castle has been on the list! Hot and humid today! Oh well, it is July!

Mark..
(I also posted this on my thread and the thread of those with hot reviews)

Quick...go to the hot reviews and you will see that of the ten reviews, our group is 10/10. Every hot review this morning is from a member of our 75 challenge group. I'm not sure, but I think this is a first for us.

The hot reviews are

lindsacl
Mrstreme
Mckait
sjmccreary
elliepotten
donna828
msf59
blackdogbooks
brenzi
and me

What a hoot!

Linda-Thanks for posting that! We are a Red Hot Group!! RD must have been in between reviews! He's one of the masters!

Mark, Steven Erikson is the author of the "Malazan Book of the Fallen" series. The man is a machine, these are dense 1000(ish) pages of fantasy, coming out like clockwork. Gardens of the Moon is the first.

It's quite unlike anything else I've ever read. But they take a huge commitment for me, due to the size, the denseness, and the emotional toll (rivers of blood in one book which is still giving me nightmares). And the fact that there are 10 in the series (at least the first 8 are out, I've read the first 4).

#77: Yes, I have checked the local library.

oh my wookie! That would take a commitment!

Stay cool mark...~

Wookie, (or is it oh my wookie!)- As far as starting a mega-epic like that, I might have to mull that one over! It's all about the commitment! And I look around at all these books around me, signaling me for attention, it looks doubtful!

Stasia- Welcome back, friend! Did your library have it?

Kath- Thanks! It looks to be another sweltering one today! I'd like to sit right here, with my coffee, books and desktop. Well, whatever!

Ten thousand pages in the Erikson opus. Now really. Does it take that much paper to tell that story?

Sunscreen, Markus .. sunscreen!

checking in to make sure you are not a puddle....

57) The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness ****

“The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don’t got nothing much to say. About anything.”
This is the opening sentence, in what you might believe is just another Boy and his Dog tale. You would be dead wrong. Sure, Todd is just thirteen and Manchee is his faithful pooch but they also live in a town with no women, everyone can hear your thoughts, this incessant babble is called “Noise” and of course animals speak. Todd is also the last boy in town and in a month he will reach manhood, but he has suddenly stumbled on some very dark secrets and finds himself running for his life, followed by a malevolent posse, led by a deranged and relentless preacher, (echoes of Robert Mitchum in “Night of the Hunter”). Since everyone can hear your thoughts, where can you hide? This is the first book in a trilogy and it is a wildly creative, action-packed and thrilling nail-biter. Can Todd and Manchee defy these incredible odds? Only one way to find out!

#83: No, it does not.

Oooops, missed the new thread AGAIN. Starred as ever, Mark - I might even try to return twice in the space of one thread this time! Darn all these bloody customers, interrupting my precious LT/reading time... ;-)

Caroline & Kath- Thanks! I'm surviving! I've been doing this a long time, I've learned to roll with it! Mid-80s today, we'll see how that feels!

Stasia-Bummer! Do they do inter-library loans?

Ellie- Great to see you! I thought you may have forgot little old me!

A couple of things on The Knife of Never Letting Go. This is classified YA but I felt the language was a bit strong for that designation, maybe it's just me! And big thanks to Wookie for turning me on to this one! BTW- she's read the 2nd in the series and loved it!

Keep cool Mark :)

>90 msf59: Mark, I thought The Knife of Never Letting Go was a bit strong for a YA, too, but so, I suppose, was Hunger Games and its sequel. I'd take any of those over Lord of the Flies, which we were required to read when I was a YA.

#92> Ack, we had to read Lord of the Flies as well in High School. Can't say *any* of us liked it. But we've probably never forgotten it either.

Hanging out for book 3 of the "Chaos Walking" trilogy to become available at the library...

Yes, Stephen Erikson demands commitment. I started the series before joining LT and before being overwhelmed with so many great recommendations, so it was less daunting. Now it's hard to get back into it, because of the Mt TBR filled with so many (other) good reads!

And yes, Mr Derus, it does take 10,000 pages to tell this tale.

Do you never read a bad book, Marky-Mark? *sigh*

Joe- That's great you've read "The Knife of Never..."! Did you enjoy it? I liked Lord of the Flies when I read it in school, even though I didn't appreciate it as much, compared to my re-read years later.

Wookie- I'll probably take a pass on the Erikson for now! The mountain is calling!

Caroline- I avoid 'em like the plague!

Mark is a softee.... can't give a book a bad review..

*ducks*

Got to love an enthusiastic reader!

Yes, Mark, I liked The Knife of Never . . ., and was impressed with the creativity of the plot you describe. The next one, The Ask and the Answer, is similarly good.

The Lord of the Flies - can't imagine re-reading it. That dark, dark view of human nature combined with the scornful treatment and offing of characters we care about . . . Ack! as wookiebender said.

Hello! Mark dearest, how could I forget about you?

I have Lord of the Flies waiting on Mount TBR - sounds like one to leave until a 'feeling happy, feeling strong' kinda time... Yikes.

Ok Mark, I did it. I gave a book 4 and a half stars. you are a bad influence on me, but I don't think I lowered my standards. I think I just found a book that was that good. As much as I liked Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Girl Who Played With Fire I didn't give them 4 and a half stars.

I finished The Sparrow today at lunch. This was a great book. I loved it and hated it. I couldn't wait to find out how it happened and yet I didn't want to find out the end as I knew it was horrible. It was, but the book was still wonderful.

I had never read one of Russell's books even though I have Thread of Grace in the house. Now I have to go out and find a copy of the sequel to The Sparrow, Children of God and read that. I wonder if I should do that before or after Fingersmith? Anyway next, up is to finish Sepulchre. I started that so long ago that I will need to restart it.

One other thing about Sparrow. The cover. Almost everybody that saw me with this book made some kind of comment about the cover. They thought it was very pretty and wondered what it was about. Then of course, I had to tell them about the book. That tells me that dust jackets to sell the books. People do notice them. They are the first point of contact. (And that's a pun on the book!)

Kath- You might be right about me being a softie, on my star rating! Who knows! Bottom line: I enjoy most of the books I read. Maybe I'm lucky or I have a good "literary radar", whatever it, is it works for me!

Joe- Thanks for the support sir! I think LT has helped in book selection too! If your pals here are loving something, there's a pretty good chance you will too! As far as dark books go, like Lord of the Flies, I like them, just not a steady diet.

Ellie- It's always good to see you! Yes, Lord of the Flies is not for everyone but I highly recommend it!

Benita- Please let's call it a good influence! It sounds better! And hooray for you! I've been bumping The Sparrow back for over a year now, with no explanation. Time to stop bumping and pick the damn thing up!

I have my dvd copy of Dragon Tattoo. We are going to try watching it tomorrow night. I see that the Swedish version of The Girl Who Played With Fire opens in US theaters today, with the dvd coming out in October, the same time Hornet's Nest debuts at the show. I'm looking forward to them!

Time to stopping bumping and pick the damn thing up

get busy, would ya? that one is a five star read!

I agree with Kath! Pick up The Sparrow and get it read!!

Have a nice weekend, Mark!

Joining the finger-wagging to get Mark-a-doodle-do off his reading duff and into The Sparrow!

Stasia & Richard- Now all the big guns are involved! I have to pick The Sparrow as my next read! A wonderful LT friend sent it to me over a year ago, time to get busy!

* tries to make my gun look bigger*

*FAIL*

* tries to make my gun look bigger*

*FAIL*

I know the feeling!

...err...

Hi Mark! :)

Kath- You do not have to make your gun bigger! It's just the right size, ma'am!

Stephen- I'm not saying anything about your gun size! No thanks! Glad you dropped in, I was starting to wonder if I was on your "avoid" list!

Mark: Certainly not! I've been reading, but I guess I haven't had much to add. Sorry!

Stephen- Just messin' with you! Don't worry about it!

*(I'd respond to that, but I'm avoiding you. Shhhh.)*

59) Expiration Date by Duane Swierczynski ***1/2

Take an unemployed journalist, place him in a rough old Philadelphia neighborhood, give him a tainted bottle of Tylenol (remember the 80s scare?), beat this together and you end up with a heady mix of time-travel, murder and self-discovery. Mickey Wade, the writer, quickly finds himself entangled with his own past, including his parents and grandparents, a radical scientist and a serial killer. Swierczynski has a fast-paced writing style, both hard-boiled and quirky, a perfect recipe for a quick summer read.

*stepping in to wave hello* .... but then got caught reading the thread and dodging all these guns coming into play.

Expiration Date sounds fun .. I have it in my TBR Tower .. may have to consider this as one of my plane reads next week.

>113 msf59:: You've got a bad touchstone there, Mark. It sends you to the Tim Powers book. This should get people to the correct one: Expiration Date.

That said, it looks fun. Thanks.

Caroline- Good to see you, my friend! You always brighten the room when you drop in!

Tad- Thanks for the heads-up! I wasn't even paying attention! This was my 3rd Swierczynski, his books are fun and inventive.

I know we all like to complain, (and rightfully so) about films made from books, but every so often there's an adaptation that nails it and that's the way I felt after watching the Swedish version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Terrific film! Nearly everything is perfect and Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth is an absolute knock-out!
I have complained, somewhat, of Larsson's bloated style but here, everything is streamlined and straight to the point! Do yourself a favor and check it out and be forewarned there is a brutal rape scene, that had my wife flee the room. She did return and did love the film!

So you haven't yet read Erikson? I'm enjoying book 1 quite a bit. On page 238 of 703. Keep interrupting myself :)

Expiration Date sounds very sporadic!

Susan- I'm not sure I'm ready to tackle Erikson and his mammoth series. Maybe sometime down the road but I'll be looking forward to your thoughts on it!

Stephen- Sporadic??

Mark: Errr, maybe sporadic was the wrong word... random? Time-travel, radical scientist, serial killer? Dunno, just sounded all over the place. Looks like a good book though, wish my library had a copy! :)

60) Crashing Through by Robert Kurson ****

Mike May was blinded at the age of three but it never diminished his youthful spirit or his immense drive to explore and revel in the joys of life. He continued to play sports, attempted to drive a car and a motorcycle, went to college and as an adult he took up downhill skiing, racking up a couple world records along the way. Later, he became an entrepreneur, an inventor and raised a family. Life was wonderful for May!
After a chance meeting in 1999, May, now in his mid-forties, was given the opportunity to try a new eye-surgery, involving a stem-cell transplant. This could give him vision but it also held many risks. Since, May loved his current life, this made it a particularly difficult decision. The key was, he appreciated a challenge, another chance to “crash through”.
This is a terrific story, impeccably researched and presenting the reader with a glimpse into the life of the blind and introduces us to a daring, fascinating man.

Nice review, Mark; I'll have to look out for this one.

Stephen- See if your library has any of Swierczynski's books. They are all a lot of fun! He's also has a few graphics out too!

Darryl- Thanks, sir! I appreciate the drive-by! And yes, the book is excellent!

Mark: My library has 1 of his books, The Blonde. *shrug*

that one sounds really good, mark. I am adding it to my list :)

Mark, I just needed to tell you that I really liked Vargas's Have Mercy on Us All a lot! Thank you for that, buddy!

Thumbed your review of Crashing Through ... sounds like a good book.

Stephen- Check out The Blonde. It was my first by the author. He can be a bit over the top but they are fast enjoyable reads!

Kath- Thanks! It was very informative!

Caroline- Your welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Fred can WRITE! Now, I need to read her other books!
Funny, just as I was typing a stack of books fell over, thankfully there were no injuries and please don't tell my wife! Are we nuts or what?

Thanks to the love and general enthusiasm of it's fans, I finally started The Sparrow. I'm so impressed at how intelligently written it is. Russell grabs you by the lapels, of course in a friendly manner, and makes you pay attention. I also love the alternating narratives! Thanks guys, you da best!

oh.............The tbr pile is never, never, never going to be read...

I visit here and add more and more and more.

Mark..I'll be curious to learn your comments when you finish The Sparrow. It is a book that haunts me still, lo these years after I read it as an advanced readers copy.

hoooray!!!!!! finally.. Now make sure that you line up Children of God, it isn't as good as The Sparrow but, it is good in a different way.

I am excited that you will be reading Sparrow finally :)

Glad you're liking The Sparrow so far, Mark. It is haunting, like whisper1 says.

Funny, I have Children of God on my shelves, but haven't read it yet. Maybe it's time.

If it has been a while you might want to skim Sparrow first, if not re-read. I think you will enjoy catching up with CoG, but it lacks ... something that Sparrow has...still, worth reading if you liked Sparrow.

Mark: I've added The Blonde to my wishlist!

(It's not the first blonde I've added to my wishlist, I suppose!)

...

>131 karenmarie:: Karen, I'm with you in thinking it's about time I read Children of God. My son has my copy of The Sparrow so I can't skim it as Kath suggests, but I think I remember it well enough. As you know, it's the kind of book that stays with you!

Mark, maybe we should wait until you read the sequel and do a 3-way read?

All this Sparrowing about has me wondering if I should add it to my obese wish list as well ... maybe I'll hold out until I read your review, Mark.

I can't believe that you are reading The Sparrow! I hope that my falling off the wagon and giving it a 4 and a half star rating didn't push you over the edge on this one. :-) It was an excellent book, but will you like it as much? I face that question with trepidation.

As for me, I'm not waiting any longer. I will be stopping by the library tonight to get Children of God. I figured that since I had read the first book I should read the sequel. I know it is a completely different kind of story, but I also have Thread of Grace in my huge TBR pile which lot of LT'ers have recommended. Fortunately, I will be going on vacation soon so will have these two books to take with me. Maybe it is going to be a Mary Doria Russell summer? The bad thing about this is that I had just pulled Fingersmith out of the pile and laid it on top. Those of you who are fans of Sarah Waters are going to have to wait a little longer for me to read that book.

So, you don't trust me Caro?? My opinion is not good enough.. mine and the zillion others? Why oh why??

ok, I am a huge Sarah Waters fan too..... Love all of her books except the most recent. Tipping the Velvet, being my fave of hers..

Linda- "The tbr pile is never, never, never going to be read...". Amen sister! Why do we continue to look past the stacks and greedily keep piling on, like literary fiends! Wow!
Linda, Karen & Kath- Thanks for all the thoughts on The Sparrow. I'm at the 100 page mark and it's amazing. I love these characters! Tomorrow, I need to get back to the Group Read! It's not gonna' be easy!

Stephen- I have a couple of blondes on my WL too and a couple redheads and a ....

Donna- A three-way sounds great! Hold on.. that sounded inappropriate! Maybe in a couple of months?

Caroline- I thought I was one of the last hold-outs on The Sparrow. I have a long way to go but I can tell right now you will love it!

Benita- Yes, I have to give you credit for kick-starting me on the Russell book. Thank you! A lot of my other friends here tried to no avail but something triggered it....maybe the 4 1/2 star rating??

Yes, I've been dragging my feet on Sarah Waters too! I need to remedy that! I don't have Fingersmith but I do have Night Watch.

Caro...read The Sparrow on the plane. To or from, doesn't matter. They sell it in Australia. You Must Read It Now. It is too fascinating and too gloriously right a story not to be part of your mental furniture!

I liked all of Sarah Waters' books, but agree that the earlier Victorian pastiche ones are the most fun to read, by a long shot. I think her later ones are perfectly good interesting books, but they suffer in comparison to what she was originally writing.

Must... resist... The Sparrow...

The tbr pile is never, never, never going to be read...

Have decided to not buy any more books for 3 months (exceptions include library books, so I'm not going totally cold turkey), to try and save some money and to also get Mt TBR under control. A workmate pointed out that I'm never going to read 366 books in three months (at last count, I had 366 books in my to-be-read collection here - and I haven't catalogued all the books in my house!). Spoilsport. But it's rather fun dusting off the old books.

I have a couple of blondes on my WL too and a couple redheads and a ....

Haha! And isn't a shame, my library never offers anything I have on that list. ;)

Hey Mark! It's my good fortune to have your thread on my first 5 threads this morning. I love your remarks about American Salvage, the fresh nice looking fruit vs the bruised and overlooked analogy offers a great idea of what the book is about. BTW already on my wishlist. All this The Sparrow talk has me wishlisting it as well. Last but not least, not a great YA reader but The Knife of Never Letting Go sounds to intriguing to pass up.

#141 Lots of blondes and redheads at my library, however, under age 12. But lots of greys which may fit the criteria.

#140 wookiebender - Only 366? I have over 700 books in my TBR pile. And last night I went to the library and got Children of God simply because I wanted to find out what happened to Sandoz. I know that most of the LT group thinks that the sequel isn't as strong as the original but I do want to know if and how he worked things out.

Mark - I am now truly sorry that I gave that book a high rating and tempted you. You are doing good work with the group reads and this has distracted you. So sorry. I will curb my enthusiasm and keep my ratings down in the future so as not to tempt any more readers and lead them astray.

143:

#143> Well, I've got 363 right now listed as TBR (hey, the number's getting smaller!!), but of course I haven't catalogued the whole house. (Hit catalogue exhaustion about halfway through.) And I definitely haven't catalogued all the bookcrossing books filling one particular shelf (http://www.bookcrossing.com if you're not aware of it) because I often just end up re-releasing those books unread in an effort to keep it all under control. (Got rid of eight the other night, only to come home with another four. *sigh* At least I came out ahead...)

Wow though to 700. That's some serious reading commitment you have there. :)

And my count is going to creep up again this weekend with a library visit - Mark has already suggested a new author that is on the shelves at the local branch! Plus that Richard Kapuscinsky can't *still* be on loan... Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle. Just checked the library's online catalogue and it appears that it can still be checked out!!

Wookie- Stop resisting! You will have to READ The Sparrow! End of discussion. Thank you.
I'm not counting the books in my tbr! No way! Ignorance is bliss!

Lynda - It's a pleasure to have you stop by! Thanks for your comments. Yes, American Salvage is a keeper! Give it a try! I thought I was one of the only ones, who had not read The Sparrow, now it looks like I will be one of it's fiercest proponents.

Benita- No apology necessary, my friend! I have a strong feeling I will be hugging you instead! This is an amazing book! I'm about a 150 pages in. Book 3 of The Once and Future King has been terrific too! Finally introducing us to Lancelot! Wonderful character!

Time for a spot of whining: Yesterday was brutal! Very hot and humid! I came home, completely wiped. More of the same today! Oh joy! Wish me cool thoughts!

Adding Crashing Through to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation of that one, Mark.

I quit thinking of it as my TBR, and started thinking of it as Books I Might Read Sometime. Less stress.

Hi Mark, trying to catch up. I read The Sparrow earlier this year and thought that possibly all the hype about it here on LT made it impossible to live up to. It ended up being a 3.5 star read for me and had the most ghastly last 50 pages of any book I've ever read.

Stasia- I think you would love Crashing Through! It's worth looking for!

Jennifer- Thanks for popping in! "Books I Might Read Sometime" is a great way to put it!

Bonnie- Welcome back! So The Sparrow fell a bit short for you, huh? There is no question a book can get over-hyped and your expectations go through the roof but in this case, I'm nearly at the half-way point and it looks to be shaping up as a 5 star. We'll see!

I've pretty much established a rule that, once a book passes some vaguely-defined limit of "over-hyped", I put it aside if I haven't read it already. Otherwise, it invariably disappoints. It's why I haven't read The Graveyard Book. I'll pick it up someday once the mental build-up has died away.

That said, The Sparrow was a good read, though I don't think it landed in my pantheon of all-time greats.

>151 TadAD: -- I haven't established a rule, but that's always in the back of my mind. Likewise, I'm a bit anxious when someone reads something I've gushed to them about (probably fearing they'll think, "this is the worst book in the history of books -- what's wrong with her?!") Having said that, I did read (and love) The Graveyard Book, but I've not read The Sparrow.

Yay! I like a few dissenting voices on book recommendations. :) I will keep my eyes open for The Sparrow but now I'm no longer being told by "everyone" that it's the Best Book Ever, the pressure to love it has diminished. Which will probably give it a better chance to be loved.

My local branch of the library doesn't have a copy, but the other ones do. Will ask for it to be transferred over into my hot little hands sometime rsn.

Hoping the weather cools down for you, Mark! The temperature in Sydney has suddenly become slightly less cold (and the rain has stopped, which means we're having glorious winter days full of sunshine), but the wind has started. Can't seem to win! (But at least it's brilliant drying weather.)

In general I agree with all of you about over hyping a book. I haven't read any of the Harry Potter books for that reason. I would have felt that same way about the Larsson books except that I bought my copies years ago (even though I didn't read them until this summer) and now feel sorry for all those johnny-come-lately's. In my own defense I had never heard of The Sparrow until this summer and didn't realize when Thread of Grace was nominated for a Pulitzer that the author was well known for this other book. I am not sure what planet I was on (ugh - I can hear all of you groaning) but I can tell you that even though I was reading books back in 1996 I didn't read, or hear about, this one.

As was already stated I don't usually give books a 4 and a half. This one was exceptional because I thought it did a great job of talking about tough philosophical and theological questions by using metaphor, or should I say parable? (There are those groans again. I hear you.) There are weakness and implausibilities in the plot, which I recognize, but it really is a vehicle for discussion about other things. I also agree with the #149 about the last 50 pages. I dreaded reading it, and found it traumatizing. I don't like to read books that are that emotionally and psychologically graphic, but I couldn't stop reading either. I needed to find out if the hero finds some kind of peace. That is why I will start the sequel this weekend. I think that is the same reason why people keep reading the Larsson books. They want to know if Lisbeth can ever find happiness and what happened to make her the way she is.

I feel for you Mark. The weather here has been miserable as well. High humidity, high heat. If it weren't for bug spray and air conditioning there wouldn't be a soul living in the American south!

Just waving as I catch up on threads, Mark!

149: brenzi
I read The Sparrow earlier this year and thought that possibly all the hype about it here on LT made it impossible to live up to.

Sometimes hype is because it is good.. sometimes not..this one was imo good.
But even the best books are disliked by some..

benitastrnad, I agree Sparrow is not an easy book to read.. but it is compelling, or was for me.

Wow! am I ever late!

The Sparrow? i was going to say I didn't own it..but looking at the big Notebook, I guess I do..and someone has "borrowed" it for almost 6 months now...I didn't miss it, so....guess it never made an impression. Sorry, all..Those who loved it, I am happy for you. Those who didn't..I'm happy for you, too..For me, I have way too many books that I want to read....don't want to jump on any bandwagons for books about which I feel neutral.. Art is long and Life is short....

and what's all this talk about wish listed blondes and redheads....jeesh, you old horn-dog, you!

;-}

ok ok ok .. I succumb .. I have added The Sparrow to my obese wish list. The only thing stopping me from getting it now is that I'm in Tokyo.. I guess I'll just have to wait until I get back next week to go hunt this down.

Tad- Thanks for your thoughts on "over-hyped" books. I just use my own radar for books. LT has helped in this regard. I take my LT friends very seriously, in their book recommendations and if they are raving about a book, I'm checking it out! Period! I've been very seldom ever let down and if I am, well Whatever!
As far as books like Harry Potter or the Steig Larsson trilogy go, I like those "hyped" books and I'm glad I read 'em when every one else was.
I guess The Sparrow kicked off this conversation. Funny, less than 2 years ago, I had never even heard of it before. I'm only half-way through it and even if it doesn't make the "great" level, I'm very glad I picked it up.
To clarify myself, if for example, Caroline ( just a random pick, don't get huffy) mentioned that the latest James Patterson was outstanding. I would probably still be very skeptical.

I agree. Reading is always a matter of personal preference and likes. I don't normally like Sci. Fi. but this one was different. I only mentioned it to Mark because we had been having that conversation about rating books. I rarely rate one above four, but I thought this one tackled some difficult subjects in a way that made them understandable in a fictionalized setting. Or if not understandable, at least it brought up basic questions about man's existence in a way that made it possible to have an internal debate with the author through the characters. That makes this a good work of fiction in my book.

That being said, I don't always want fiction to challenge my reading ability or my philosophy of life, or my mind. Sometimes I just want to be entertained. For that reason I am now listening to book four in the Percy Jackson series Battle of the Labyrinth in the car. It isn't The Odyssey. It is just good plain fun.

Anne- I'd like to read The Graveyard Book somewhere down the road! Just please don't tell RD or it's coronary time!

Wookie- I hope you are enjoying your winter! I could use a bit of that now! It looks like we are stuck in the mucky 90s, through next week! Sad face!

Benita- Thanks for your thoughts! And remember, I'll probably be sending you a hug, when I wrap up The Sparrow.

Jude- It's always a pleasure, late or not. It's not what time you get here but what you bring to the table!

Caroline- Yes, please add it to the WL. Hope the trip is going well! Sorry about using you as an example in #160. Still friends?

I think there is definitely a big difference between prerelease and publisher-generated hype, and actual reader hype. If a book is released normally, without any expectations, and it catches fire in the reading community, then it can be worth looking into most of the time.

But when a book is hyped up prior to its release, or when a publisher creates a lot of financially driven hype, it usually spells disaster for me.

Hype is hype though, it's important to go into every book objectively. The problem is I usually go into a hyped book thinking it's going to be great, and if it's just 'really good' it can still seem disappointing.

It can be hard to overcome that temptation to raise one's expectations just because other people have liked a book.

Benita- Very well said!

Stephen- I think a good example of advanced hype, is The Passage. I know you read an arc and really enjoyed it. We had been hearing strong buzz on that one, since early in the year and for the most part it seems to be living up to it. I know I have my copy and will be reading it shortly.

Indeed, the great thing about The Passage is I had no idea about the hype, so I didn't go into it with any expectations. Honestly, I only requested it because it sounded cool. I got the book with no idea what it was, and was half way through it before I realized everyone was all abuzz over it. Now as it is being released I'm seing how huge it really is. I guess I'm doubly lucky, for winning it through ER and for not knowing what I won exactly! :)

Mark : I would never recommend James Paterson! - the guy doesn't even write his own books but puts together outlines and has about 8 writers on staff to write his formulaic garbage out for him. *stomping off in an indignant huff mumbling about insults before breakfast ... my breakfast that is*

Caroline- I needed a good laugh, after humping the route in this heat today! And you supplied it! I'm so glad I picked you! Enjoy your breakfast, my friend!

I feel for you on your route when it's 100 out there ... I'm going to see if I can crash a wedding or 2 today at an old Japanese shrine later on, but my enthusiasm to take photos is tempered by the humidity I seem to feel even through the window of my hotel room. Glad I managed to make you break a giggle at the end of your work day ....... *aaahhhhh....big stretch and bow!*

#160: Whew! You had me worried there when you said Caroline had recommended the latest James Patterson book. I just finished The 9th Judgement as was not all that impressed :)

Stasia- Yes, I was kidding around and I used Caroline as a prop but she played along perfectly.! Not to many Patterson fans around here! Have you read many of his?

*WAAAIIILLLLL* Look what you did, Mark .... even Stas, the most rational thinker in this group thought you meant it about me recommending James Patterson ......... (going in search of a weekend samurai with a sharpened katana to cleave Mark in 2)....

#170: Yes, I have read a bunch of his brain candy books. Some of them are halfway decent, especially the early ones.

caro ...lolol..keep me posted on how you like The Sparrow.. or should I say love it?

So last year we had a wonderful G/R hosted by msf59, the Markster entitled: The Pillars of the Earth by Follett. Just wondering if any of you are going to try to catch the STARZ production of the mini-series beginning soon on that network. I think it is an 8 parter. I am going to catch it. Looking forward to it.
I am enjoying The Once and Future King but it is slow going as I am doing a lot of fetching and carrying for a couple of lay-a-beds these days. But I had a hell of a year of reading last year so I can't complain if I am only about up to 50 thus far this year.
I miss you all. Watch out for I will be joining you next year. I can't handle not having a regular thread. I have missed out on so much.
Well, good reads all,
hugs,
belva

#174: Belva, glad to see you!

Glad to hear that you will have a "regular" thread next time , Belva. So much easier to keep up with you .

Just popping in to make sure Mark has not melted away..............

Holy Cannolli, so many good and varied conversations on your thread, Mark.
#149 & 154: Now I really have to push The Sparrow up on my reading list. GOT TO find out what is in the last 50 pages!
#164: I just heard about The Passage yesterday when I took an Oprah's Summer Reading Quiz and it popped up as a must read, sounds really interesting. I left a link to the quiz in the kitchen if you're interested in giving it a try.
#166: Yuck, pitoui etc, etc. I enjoyed Patterson many, many years ago. But, the book mill that's chugging out new books every few months took away my enthusiasm, Too much of a good thing is.....too much.

Caroline- Please don't cleave me! (Sounds like a song). I thought we were pals!

Belva- It's great to see you! Your sudden appearance has quickly brightened my day! Yes, I heard about the Pillars mini-series and thanks for sharing. I don't have Starz but I might try to track it down somehow. Glad to hear you are enjoying the Group Read. I'm well into Book 3 and loving it! Hooray to you, for starting back up your regular thread. We have MISSED YOU!

Kath- Yes, I survived the week, with only partial melting. Day off today to re-charge the batteries. More heat this coming week! Thanks for checking in on me!

Lynda- The Sparrow has been wonderful! About 150 pages left. Launch day for The Passage is the 1st week of August.

I finally added a few pictures from my Oregon trip! They can be found on my Profile page. There is a photo of me standing in front of a Lewis & Clark statue, taken in Seaside Oregon. I still have not attempted to add a picture to my thread. It looks tricky, I guess. All thumbs!

Great pictures Mark! The Pacific Northwest is an area of the country that I have yet to visit. It looks beautiful. Whose adorable puppy is that? I just uploaded my vacation pics last night and was thinking of adding a few to my profile as well.

I'll be interested in your final thoughts on The Sparrow. It is one I own but haven't read yet.

Hi Joanne- Thanks! I should add a few more. The puppy belongs to my niece. It's a cute little pitbull, which I appreciate at that age! I should be done with The Sparrow in a few days!

I was thinking of hosting a Group Read of Blindness by Jose Saramago ,which I would start in September. Anyone interested?

Love the pics mark, that waterfall is beautiful!

I voted "Undecided" on the group read of Blindness, only because I've already read it, and because I have several other Saramago novels that I haven't read, especially The Gospel According to Jesus Christ, Baltasar and Blimunda, and The History of the Siege of Lisbon. I loved Blindness (hmm, maybe not the right word) though, and I may join you anyway.

If you need to know who voted which way - I voted yes....just won't be able to do much posting about it until mid=September (family wedding in Calif is getting in the way. HMPH)

Hi Mark, I'm a frequent lurker on your thread and I also voted "Yes" for the group read of Blindness. I haven't read anything by Saramago but have always wanted to.

Pat

Hi Mark,

I voted yes... sounds interesting.
Yet another reason to look forward to September... Bye Bye heat, pests (winged and 2 legged), and weeds! Hello cold, crisp Canadian air masses, bright blue skies and empty beaches. Oh dear, I am wishing my life away. Well, maybe just the summer.

I just hope I can keep up. You all make my head spin :-)

I plugged in "undecided' because I don't want to read Blindness again, but it will be interesting to hear other people's comments *as* they're reading it, and I might even have a thing or two to say.

Simply stopping by to say I've been lurking, but not posting. Hello to you.

The Sparrow...oh my, I still get shivers thinking about it.

Hi Mark! I'm the "no" vote. I'd love to join you, but realistically I don't think I'll be able to.

Thanks everyone for the input on Blindness. I'm getting more interest than I thought, (mainly because I figured many of you have all-ready read it). It looks like a done deal.
Tina, Pat & Darryl- I appreciate you stopping by!

Claudia- I like your way of thinking. September=cooler weather=happy people! Nice!

Bonnie- Thanks for chiming in! I've missed your visits!

Linda- I wasn't able to read The Sparrow much over the weekend, but I do plan on getting caught up and finishing it in a few days.

Anne- If you change your mind, you know where to find us. Glad you are enjoying The Once and Future King. It has been alot of fun!

I hope you are continuing to enjoy The Sparrow, Mark! Stay cool today, my friend.

Mark, I watched the movie Blindness several times this year (love it!) so I want to wait a few years to read the novel until the story is not so vivid to me and the book will feel fresh.

189 re: The Sparrow

I understand why you get the shivers... but for me, I loved the characters so much...they are what I remember, think about. That tempered the horror, and made it worse as well. I was in love with Anne Edwards, still am I think?

This is giving the me the urge to read it again..

Hi Mark - I voted yes for Blindness. I bought it and a group read would give me the incentive to actually read it. Most importantly, I actually know exactly where it is.

Great observations on American Salvage. I adored that book. Definitely one of my favorites of the year perhaps of all-time.

I voted yes, checked Blindness out from the library haven't got a chance to read it. Will take it back and hope it will be there in September.

Jenny- Thanks for stopping in! Wow, you watched the film version of Blindness several times this year! That's incredible! I have not seen it yet, fortunately. BTW- I checked your profile and we share a lot of books! That's great!

Nancy- I'm getting some impressive figures for the Group Read, far surpassing my expectations. I WILL be hosting Blindness! Yes, I loved American Salvage and look forward to reading her other work. Have you tried any of her others?

Cindy- It's great to see you and I hope you have your copy for September. I'll probably kick it off on the 15th.

Stasia & Kath- I'm loving The Sparrow. I think I might have to put the Group Read aside for a couple days so I can finish it, uninterrupted. Funny, the first thing I thought of, after they reach Rakhat, is the movie Avatar. Have you seen the film yet? It felt like a very similar world!

{/lurk}

Yo dude.

{lurk}

#197: I have not seen Avatar, Mark, so I cannot compare them. I am glad to hear you are still loving The Sparrow!

Richard- Good to see you sir! Keep on lurkin'!!

Stasia- You should check out Avatar. It's a good, entertaining, very inventive film.

It's my day off today, which is good since storms will be heading into the area and it's still warm & humid. I plan on picking up another bookshelf because the wife is getting tired of the loose stacks. I might have to buy two and this is all for the tbr books. They are taking over...ahhhhhhh!

Have a great day off, Mark!

Today is Mark's birthday! Happy Birthday, Mark!!

I will chime in with a 'Happy Birthday' too!

Happy Birthday, Mark! Have a great one!

Wow, words pale in comparison, alcottacre!!

Richard, Yo dude.

Oh boy, Kath makes one 'bong' joke on her thread and Richard goes all psychedelic on us...

Happy birthday Mark!!! It seems for you birthday I have given you two posts in one day! Errr...happy birthday? No re-gifting now, y'hear? ;)

Happy Birthday, Mark!

Shelves for a birthday present - how cool! That's going on my list. I just need to know, where do you put the shelves once you get them?

I'm thinkin' I need a library room. *thinking to self... if I close up the back deck (nah)... take over the guest room (who needs guests?)... maybe do floor to ceiling shelves in the laundry room (no one will bother me in there)...hmmmm*

Have a great day! :)

Claudia

Happy Birthday, Mark! Glad you have the day off. Happy bookshelf buying too.

Happy birthday

Wait, wait wait! It's not until Sunday the 25th but I will take all these wonderful wishes anyway! You guys are the best!

It's my fault! Can't even read my own writing. That is 25, not 20...so we have five days to celebrate!

Well, happy birthday in advance!

No problem Irene! It's the thought that counts and like you said, it can now be a week long celebration!

Any fans of A.M. Homes? I have not read any of her fiction, sad to say but I've been listening to her memoir The Mistress's Daughter, about her search for her biological parents and it's been very good. Actually, I have This Book Will Save Your Life buried in my tbr.

#214: I know that Linda (Whisper) read The Mistress's Daughter and liked it, Mark. She sent me a copy but I have not read it yet (bad Stasia!)

Mark-a-doodle-do: Go here!

The last book I read was so good I gave it four-and-a-half stars. I just finished Dream of Perpetual Motion and it was so bad I had trouble giving it one star. I literally slogged through it. I did finish it only because I felt so guilty. I got an ARC at the library conference and promised the sales rep, who I have known for years, that I would read it. She talked of it in glowing terms and I really wanted to like this one, but it was offal. If you see it in the stores just walk on by. For steampunk it doesn't belong in the same league as Leviathan or Glass Books of the Dream Eaters. I went from really good The Sparrow to really horrible.

Enough whining. On to better things. When I get home I am going to start Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. It will be a relief to read something worthwhile.

Well, um, jeepers I was all set to yell Happy Birthday and then the annoying truth is told so I'll hold myself back until Sunday I guess so um, er, Hi Mark!

Stasia- Thanks! I'll have to ask Linda about that one!

Benita- Sorry you had to slog through an awful book but at least you picked a potential winner with Hornet's Nest. I won't be reading my copy until later in the year. Hope you enjoy it!

Bonnie- Sorry they pulled the rug on you! I'll be looking forward to your birthday wishes this weekend!

Thanks again everyone, for the early wishes! Remember I'll be expecting them again Sunday...just kidding!

Happy Birthday Mark!! ( I think we are using the Mardi Gras approach now...why not celebrate for a week?!) I loved The Sparrow. Just finished Child 44, which as I remember was also a favorite of yours. Great recommendation. Loved it!

Have a great day, Mark! Stay cool.

Hey Berly- Thank you! It's always good to hear from you! Yes, I'm on the home-stretch of The Sparrow and like Kath mentioned I'm starting to feel apprehensive as I hurtle toward the end! I loved Child 44, glad you did too!

Stasia- Cute, my friend! Now you'll have to do another one this Sunday! Hee hee!

#222: Will do! A BIG one! lol

Happy 4-days-until-your-real-birthday birthday, Mark! ;)

De-lurking to say happy birthday!!!

Sparrow / Avatar

nope.

For one thing I read Sparrow years ago... and for another, I only liked the last two minutes of Avatar, did NOT like that movie..

Waiting anxiously for your comments on the books.

Stephen- Am I getting a countdown? Okay, dude!

Suzanne- Thank you!

Kath- OMG! I have just over 20 pages left. I think I'll hold off and finish it tomorrow! If I can! This is a stunning work!
So you only liked the closing credits of Avatar? I enjoyed the film and I liked the world that he created, which reminded me of the one in The Sparrow, but of course a much more superficial one compared to Russell's dense and intelligent vision.

#226 Glad to hear that Avatar and The Sparrow are dissimilar.

I know I want to read The Sparrow (it is waiting patiently) and I really did not like Avatar.

>227 msf59: Isn't The Sparrow amazing? And if you really want to get blown away, read the sequel, Children of God. It isn't as good as The Sparrow, IMHO, but it turns everything you thought you knew at the end of The Sparrow on its head. I think I saw that you have read Russell's Thread of Grace, but have you read Dreamers of the Day? It's about the creation of the modern Middle East, and features a fictional female character who meets Lawrence of Arabia, Churchill, and Gertrude Bell. Very different from The Sparrow, but interesting, and it inspired me to read other books on the Middle East.

I agree, 229. Children of God isn't as good as The Sparrow, but well worth the read. I am longing to read The Sparrow again, but have promised to loan it to a friend, since all of this Sparrow talk has me thinking/ talking about it.
I have read all of her books, and liked them all.. LOVED The Sparrow.

Lisa- Thanks for commenting on my thread! BTW-I love your lab!

Kath- I will have to put Children of God on my BM WL immediately!
And yes, I do not want to distract anyone from reading The Sparrow, because I mentioned Avatar. Lets block it from our brains! There gone!

Happy b-day, Mark, whenever it is. Did you receive any good birthday book gifts?

I would love to do a group read of Blindness but I'm still entrenched in The Count of Monte Cristo.

Happy 3-days-until-your-real-birthday birthday, Mark!

227: Yep! :)

I read Blindness several years ago....and am still processing it...Sad to say, I don't do Group Reads (but I might lurk)

Jeesh, all the peeps jumping the gun..trying to make you old(er)...ahem

;-}

Leonine roarings of birthday happiness this Sunday, in case I forget again.

Lynda- Thank you! The only book I got so far is The Beatles Anthology, which is quite the door-stopper. My sister sent it. I saw the documentary many moons ago and it was very good. I hope you can join us for Blindness. You have nearly 2 months.

Stephen- Thanks bud! How do you find the time to drop by, when your own Thread is taking off like a bat outta hell? We may have a male Stasia in the making!

Jude- I'll take your visits anyway I can, my friend! Lurk away, Lurk away!

Richard- I appreciate it sir! It's always good to hear from my favorite LT Lion!

It was pretty uncomfortable today, with the heat & humidity, with more of the same tomorrow but I managed to wrap up the audio of The Mistress's Daughter, which was a nice little introduction to Homes. I also completed The Sparrow. It was amazing! More to follow...Last but not least, I am on the home-stretch of The Once and Future King.
Keep sending cool thoughts everyone! Maybe it'll knock a few degrees off!

Well, it was hot (by my standards: in the 80's) yesterday, but cool again today. Perfect summer weather for me. Maybe ya' better come back to the NW, Mark! Glad you loved The Sparrow, it's one of my favorites. Not necessarily great literature, but a super read. I loved the main characters too; I so wanted to be their friend as they were planning their trip. Love the way the story unfolds/goes back in time--so much more intriguing/exciting. I've been off LT for more than a few days, and have 150+ threads to catch up on, so will say Happy Birthday Week! At our age, we have to stretch it out for as long as we can.

Mark

Happy almost birthday! I'll be thinking of you on Sunday and sending birthday hugs your way.

I found a copy of The Mistress's Daughter at Barnes and Noble one lazy rainy Sunday afternoon. I sat in a comfortable chair and read away. I liked it so much that I bought a copy and finished it at home.

As a mother of an adopted child, I related to the story. So often adopted children seek their parents, or in the author's case, the parents come looking for them years after they gave the child up for adoption.

The Sparrow and The Once and Future King at the same time. Too much goodness at once. These are two of my all time favorite books.

Thanks bud! How do you find the time to drop by, when your own Thread is taking off like a bat outta hell?

Unemployment! :D :(

We may have a male Stasia in the making!

Oh, sure, I just need to figure out how to read books, literally, 7x faster than I already do...

Oh, and happy 2-days-until-your-real-birthday birthday, Mark! ;)

>237 msf59:: Our heat wave has broken for the last few days...we've climbed down out of the high 90s and low 100s to the 80s and I'm very thankful. However, with you guys getting hot temperatures now, I guess they'll move our way eventually. :-(

#241: What is the male version of Stasia? Stasio?

Bonnie- It's always great to hear from you! Nice thoughts on The Sparrow. I hope to work on a review sometime this weekend, if my brain isn't fried to mush!

Linda- I liked the 1st half of The Mistress's Daughter the best but it ended strongly too! Have you read any of her other work?

Kath- I love those 1-2 punches!

Stephen (or is it yo Stasio)-Thanks bud! You are making my week!

Tad- I don't know which direction this heat is heading but I've had enough of it!

Stasia- I like Stasio! Sounds Chicago-like!

I do not want to got to work! Waaaahhhhh!

Stay cool, Mark!

Oh dear, no no Stasio. Stephen and Stasia are close enough already, thank you!

#246: Stephen and Stasia are close enough already, thank you!

Now, how can you say that, Stephen, when you live in Ohio and I live in Texas?

I think Stasio suits you :)

#242: It's supposed to hit 94 degrees in Philadelphia today, and 99 degrees on Saturday, so I assume that you'll have similar weather in nearby NJ.

A belated Happy Birthday to you, Marky-Mark!

We're muggy today but not too hot .... bracing for the 90s to hit us tomorrow and over the weekend. I think we're being promised a thunderstorm for Sunday though.

Stasia- Thanks! I survived! It's storming out there right now! We could use the rain! It keeps missing us! Funny, southern Wisconsin got nearly 8 inches recently!

Caro- There was a goof-up! My birthday is not until Sunday, so you are not belated at all!

I started the audio of The Other Wes Moore today and it begins wonderfully. I remember, Darryl praising this one a couple months ago and as usual he has impeccable taste! This has been an outstanding year for non-fiction and we are only in July. Anyone else concur?

I was putting off stopping here Mark because I saw your 5 star rating for The Sparrow and I didn't want to read a stellar review and bump it up in the tbr pile since everything seems to be wanting to be bumped to the top lately! Such troubles!

Currently 91 here in the little D, 14% humidity. WI is a mess - wow. My hubby had a connection through there tonight but instead is now going through Dallas (and its subsequent thunderstorm delays).

Happy 3-and-a-half-hours-until-the-day-before-your-real-birthday birthday Mark...

... ;-P

Boy Mark, you're really milking this whole birthday thing this year, aren't you?!! Jeesh!

Actually Stephen, 4 1/2 hrs, central time...but I guess LT time is the "real" time here, isn't it.

Just teasing ;)

Ah, but I am from the future you see. I'll be celebrating Mark's brithday an hour before the birthday boy himself will. >:)

254 ~ good plan

Joanne- Yes, The Sparrow is a keeper, all-right! I cannot imagine you not liking it! All this birthday stuff is not my idea, I just happened to be born that day! No milking here!

Stephen- Tomorrow is Saturday, correct? The b'day is Sunday! Sorry I'm messing with your countdown! Maybe you are still stuck in Mr Hyde mode?

So when are you going to read Children of God, Mark? My son in Dallas has my copy of The Sparrow. I may have to grab it back from him for skimming purposes before I read the sequel.

I just tossed a few leftover pieces of birthday cake in the trash. I'd have sent them up to you, but hopefully, you will have a fresh cake made to your specifications. Are you having a big party? Have fun on Sunday, your "real" birthday!

Mark: Yep! That last post was 3 or 4 and a half hours before today, the day before your real birthday. See: 3-and-a-half-hours-until-the-day-before-your-real-birthday

:)

Have a happy 1-day-before-your-real-birthday birthday, Mark! :)

Happy Saturday!

I do not see a review, Mark. This is a book that I failed to review. I couldn't find words to describe it without spoiling it. And also, I would sound like some sort of drooling, stalker loony.

I am about to purchase a new copy of it for myself. When loaning my copy, I noticed how brown and crackly it was getting. Can't have that.

Stephen- Great explanation, my friend!

Kath- Review forthcoming! And yes, I'll try to describe it with out giving much away!
"some sort of drooling, stalker loony". Sounds like a few of us, right?

Donna- Sorry, did not mean to skip you! First, I'll start looking for a copy of Children of God and then it'll probably be awhile before I get to it. I am curious to see where the story goes. We are having the family over tomorrow! It should be nice!

The storms and heavy rain have been very bad! I couldn't make it into work. The suburb I work in, is flooded! This is the first time this has happened to me in over 24 years and that's a big deal considering the snow storms we can get.
I guess I'll just hang out here and then go back to my book and then...I think my wife has other plans for me! Thwarted again!

would love some rain....

would love some rain...would really love a Semi full of that snow from last winter...sure, it would melt..but for a few minutes...Such Bliss!!

maybe some of your hellacious storm will find its way here....minus the flooding, of course

;-}

It's forecasted to be 95 with a heat index of 105, in OHIO. Y'know, that state that shares a great lake with Canada!?

...no fun.

It's no fun to share the lake? Aww, and here we thought we were being all nice and Canadian-esque by sharing with you... ;)

I'd prefer you shared some of your cold weather with us. I mean, isn't canada like, some giant ice ball thing? You're clearly keeping all the cold air for yourselves! :)

I was able to make it into work, Mark, but got pretty well soaked, especially my feet from negotiating the unavoidable curbside puddles.

We've got more than enough rain for those like Kathleen and Jude who want it - wish there was some way to share it!

It's supposed to be moving East, but I'm not sure how far it will extend. Be careful what you wish for, just yesterday I was hoping for a good rain and now some areas around here have got over 7 inches in less than 24 hours.

#268: Stay safe, Mark!

Hi Joe- I made it 2/3rds of the way in and Roosevelt Road was closed and the State Police had everyone turn around. I saw on the news, that the main intersection in Westchester, near the post office, had 3 feet of water.

Hi, Mark - yes, it's really high in some places. I probably could've canoed to and from the El. I am, however, seeing some sunlight peek through the clouds now, so maybe we're getting on the far side of the storm.

We're hiking in the Indiana dunes tomorrow, and assuming everything dries out, it's supposed to be a beautiful day.

Mark! Thread!

It's already 99F at 11:15a EDT. I ****HATE**** summer.

Joe- Have a great time at the dunes! Tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful!

Richard- I was creating the Thread as you were typing! I've been dealing with phone calls from friends & family wondering if I was under water!

The new Thread: right here

LOL @ 264

Okay, I'm LOL @ 272!

Karen O.