57 replies to this topic

[Vampchick21]

Working my way through Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. (note, LOTS of violence and sex.)

[Vampchick21]

cmraposa, on Apr 30 2007, 09:03 AM, said:

I am reading "The Constant Princess" by Philippa Gregory. A story about Katherine of Aragon, the queen who washed pushed off her throne by Anne Boleyn. Her best book, "The Other Boleyn Sister" was one of my favorites. I absolutely love these books. They are extremely well written non-fiction based on fiction stories and you just can't put them down.

I picked up The Other Boleyn Sister a few months back. I enjoy Tudor history and historical fiction, but for some reason I couldn't get past the first few chapters. I suspect it's the way she potrayed Mary Boleyn.....I'm sure I'll pick it back up sooner or later....

[Redhead]

My book club's selection for this month is "Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral" by Kris Radish. The author is a Wisconsin resident, and a talented writer. I am enjoying this book - serious and funny all at the same time, and the characters are people I can relate to. I'm about a third of the way in, and enjoying it very much. I'm also looking forward to our next meeting to discuss this great book! There is some rough language in it.

[aloha_spirit]

I'm currently reading Outbound Flight, one of 7 Star Wars books by Timothy Zahn. It has most of the standard elements of the Extended Universe (some sci-fi violence, a little romance, etc) plus the technical descriptions common to Timothy Zahn's writings, so I'd say save it for Star Wars fans at least 11 years old (the Young Jedi Series are perfectly suited for kids as young as 8).

Time Frame: As can be seen by the sheer number of works published in the Extended Universe, we aren't confined to the lifetime of Anakin Skywalker. Indeed, since the Extended Universe is still expanding we can't use one of the books or battles as our "absolute beginning point." Instead, it is custom to record dates in relationship to the Battle of Yavin (the biggest battle in A New Hope). Anakin Skywalker is 14 in Outbound Flight - 4 or 5 years after The Phantom Menace and 5 or 6 years before Attack of the Clones - approximately 27 years before the Battle of Yavin.

During this time, Anakin is still Padawan to Obiwan Kenobe. Another Master / Padawan relationship central to this book is that of Master Jorus C'baoth and Padawan Lorana Jinzler. This is also the earliest we are introduced to Commander Thrawn - who plays a pivotal role in the Thrawn Trilogy (9 ABY) and the Hand of Thrawn Duology (19 ABY).

The Outbound Project has as a goal exploration beyond the Outer Rim - the edge of the "known" galaxy. Darth Sidious, however, is planning to use this project as a means of destroying the Jedi.

[Redhead]

I just finished reading "Angry Housewives Eating BonBons" for my book club. It's about a group of women who start a book club and follows their lives over the course of forty years. I found it confusing and hard to keep straight which woman was which since each chapter was about someone different. Some of the story was too implausible and hard to swallow, but it was ok for the most part. I'm glad it's almost summer and I can stop reading such silly stuff for awile...

[DukeofBoogie]

I just finished Sword Of Lincoln: The Army of the Potomac, by Jeffery D. Wert.

I'm currently working on The Recollections and Letters of Robert E. Lee.

[Corey]

I just finished Dr. Jeff Meldrum's book SASQUATCH-LEGEND MEETS SCIENCE. Its the companion piece to the documentary of the same name. It's an excellent book and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the Sasquatch. Dr. Meldrum brings up some very interesting points, and uses a strictly scientific approach to the evidence. It would be a great book for anyone who has their doubts about this creatures existence to read.

[Redhead]

I am currently re-reading the Harry Potter series in preparation for the new movie that is coming out very soon. I think these are wonderful books. One of the things I like is that the characters age normally and as they get older, the books become more adult and more complicated. Much like life in general. I find the word play to be fun and appreciate how Ms. Rowlings manages to weave folklore and mythology into her story - I really hope that it inspires young readers to explore these stories as well as popular fiction. The classics are well worth the time.

[Moonstruck]

I am reading "The Thunderbolt Kid" by Bill Bryson. I had to drive to South Carolina recently and needed a read to bring. Not bad. Light and funny. It's about the author growing up during the fifties and some parts had me laughing out loud. He is also the author of "A Walk in the Woods". I enjoyed that one as well in part because I have an unusual fear of bears.

[Moonstruck]

Vampchick21, on May 2 2007, 12:24 PM, said:

cmraposa, on Apr 30 2007, 09:03 AM, said:

I am reading "The Constant Princess" by Philippa Gregory. A story about Katherine of Aragon, the queen who washed pushed off her throne by Anne Boleyn. Her best book, "The Other Boleyn Sister" was one of my favorites. I absolutely love these books. They are extremely well written non-fiction based on fiction stories and you just can't put them down.

I picked up The Other Boleyn Sister a few months back. I enjoy Tudor history and historical fiction, but for some reason I couldn't get past the first few chapters. I suspect it's the way she potrayed Mary Boleyn.....I'm sure I'll pick it back up sooner or later....

The Constant Princess wasn't that great. I kept putting it down.

[gaia227]

I just finished Mila 18 by Leon Uris (guy who wrote Exodus) and I loved it. It is about the Warsaw Ghetto Jewish uprising. This rag-tag group of literally starving, beaten-down people were able to form a resistance so strong through the use of homemade weapons, organization and ultimately sheer passion that they fought off the German Army (who was coming into the ghetto to completely liquidate it and ship everyone to death camps) for 42 days! This army was not just men it included tanks and air support.
This is amazing to me. It says a lot about how far belief in something can get you. It is obviously a very sad book and we know what ultimately happened to these people but it is also uplifting at the same time. I was so into their struggle and their fight that anytime they had a victory I wanted to like jump up and down and cheer.

I also just finished Noam Chomsky new book: Hegemony or Survival and I enjoyed that quite a bit too.

[Puti]

I've recently read Annie Wilder's "House of Spirits and Whispers". Couldn't put it down. This is her first book, and her true story of moving into a 100 year old Victorian House. A very haunted house.

at www.llewellyn.com you can see a short bio of the author.




Also re-reading "Someone Else's Yesterday". A facinating story of a Westport Connecticut assistant fire chief who has a strange experience while on a vacation trip with his wife. This leads him to much research into Civil War times. I learned more about the civil war than I ever wanted to know!
The evidence is so compelling that this man, Jeff Keene is the re-incarnated Confederate General John B. Gordon. They even look alike!

[Redhead]

I picked up "The Mermaid Chair" by Sue Monk Kidd at the library the other day. I enjoyed her book "The Secret Lives of Bees" a couple of years ago, so thought this would be good too. It's pretty good - good story line, and believable characters. The plot is a little waivery - hooked me good in the beginning, and is now lagging along without much action for a few chapters. I'm hoping it'll get better soon...

I bet I can guess what Aloha has been reading since the weekend...

[earth_spirit]

All Soul's Day by the Dutch writer Cees Nooteboom . . . about halfway through it now.

[GiaCat21]

I've been reading "In Her Shoes" by Jennifer Weiner (someone must've been teased as a kid...) everyday while doing traction. It's so good that I keep upping the amount of time I'm "hanging". It's so much better than the movie (with Toni Collette and Cameron Diaz) and I really loved the movie. Parts of the book have me laughing out loud. Sp far I give it an 8. I type up the synopsis when I'm awake awake (after noon)...