I finished Life of Pi last night. Wow. What a bizarre story. If you are bored with the same old stories and you love great writing, I suggest you give this a try. A few observations I had about the book that may help you decide if it's for you:

1. It's not horror in any way, shape or form, but there is gross stuff. I can't go into detail about the kind of gross it is without giving something away. Suffice it to say that I ate my lunch while reading it all but the very end, when I took it home this weekend to finish it, and there were times when I was a little queasy but I never had to put it down because I was too grossed out to eat.

2. There are parts of the first third of the book that were, for me, very boring and I found it hard to keep going, but it was WELL worth it to keep going.

3. The writing is simply beautiful. He has ways of describing and representing things that take your breath away--at least if you are a person who truly loves and appreciates good writing like I am.

4. The ending was, for me, tremendously disappointing--especially after a story of such adventure and vigor. OTOH, this is a VERY odd story and it's hard to say what a more satisfying ending would have been.

5. The story definitely requires suspension of disbelief...it is odd...and it gets more odd the further along you go. But if you just release yourself to it and go along for the ride, I think you will be greatly charmed!

OK, In the last 3 weeks I have read all the Stephanie Plum books except #5 which I haven't been able to find (maybe it is hiding out with Johnny 5 ).

I may try Sue Grafton. My sister likes her books so I am sure I can borrow a few.

quote:

Originally posted by Tayhudson:
I'm reading "J is for Judgement" by Sue Grafton. This is the first Sue Grafton I have read. Honestly, so far it is ok, but not super great.

I thought the same thing when I read my one and only Grafton...can't remember for sure which it was but I seem to think it was O. Perhaps it just wasn't my "thing" but I expected to like it based on recommendations from people who know I like Deaver, Cornwell and Sanford.

I'm reading "J is for Judgement" by Sue Grafton. This is the first Sue Grafton I have read. Honestly, so far it is ok, but not super great.

Dawn

Messages to:

Judy: o.k., I guess, I should stop looking for follow-up volumes for you. I'm glad you're enjoying them. Pretty soon, I'll be able to make my comment to you after you've read #12.

Jill: I re-read Mockingbird a year ago. Still my favorite book of all time. I was surprised how much I had forgotten though. I recently re-read Little Women. I found that one amazing reading through a 55-year-olds eyes rather than a 15-year old's.

Brie: You'll get there. If nothing else, I read the cereal boxes!

I just finished John Hodgman's The Areas of My Expertise. He is the PC in the Macintosh commercials. The book is 226 pages of his dry humor. It could have stopped at 150!

I started Dan Brown's Digital Fortress. This was his first book. I'll see if it has the intensity of the two Robert Langdon books.

Linda

I'm living vicariously through you guys - the only thing I've read lately is closet installation guides and moving worksheets.

Some day at the end of next month I plan on taking an afternoon and sitting in my settee in my new bedroom in the bay window watching the leaves turn with a good book.

There are so many great recommendations here that I don't know what I'm going to choose : )

I am reading "To Kill A Mockingbird" for the 100th time. I LOVE this book! For anyone who has never read it-I HIGHLY recommmend it! It is a great book. I know others have read it here, and it is a "feel good" book for me. Even though this book has its "not so nice parts", I still love it. It takes you back to a time when life was simple and the South was a slow, nice, relaxed life. The book has some parts where life is not so good but it is a great read and I can read it over and over again! I totally love this book. I have an old copy and have thought about gettting a newer version but there is something about my beat up old copy that I love. If you have not read it pick up a copy-it truly is a great book!
Jill

quote:

Originally posted by BrenauMom:
I got the first three Stephanie Plum mysteries from Linda on Tuesday evening and started reading them Wednesday morning. I just finished reading #3 and I guess I am hooked. What can I say, I told you I had nothing to do all day
Thanks Linda!

I like Grandma - she's a hoot . She reminds me of Sophia on Golden Girls.

Update:

Ok, I have finished #'s 4, 6, 7, 8, & 9

I haven't been able to find #5 & I think I will probably get #'s 10 & 11 at B&N tomorrow so I should be through with them by next week

I'm about halfway through two books--one I'm reading at work and one at home:

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel. I heard a lot about this book in my book chat a few years ago and just got around to buying it earlier this year and finally started reading it. It is a strange book in story, but gloriously written. If you are a writer or you like good writing, it literally makes you stop and gasp sometimes because of how he expresses things so beautifully and differently.

It's a really hard book to describe, especially when I'm only halfway through, but it is about a zookeeper and his family who live in India and decide to move to Canada, but something huge happens in the transition. I'm really enjoying it so far, though there are parts (like when he goes into mind-numbing detail about various religions) when I wanted to tune out and had a hard time staying connected to the story.

The Vanished Man by Jeffery Deaver. Deaver is probably my favorite author in the mystery/thriller genre. He can almost always be counted on for a good and entertaining story, especially in the Lincoln Rhyme series, of which this book is a part. In this book, Rhyme, a paraplegic criminologist, faces a serial murderer they call The Conjurer, because he "performs" and stages his murders like famous magic acts and using magic skills.

It's pretty good so far. Wouldn't say it's my favorite of the Deavers but definitely not the worst either. I'm curious to see how it's all going to come out in the end.

Just finished My Siter's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. An excellent and very emotional read- especially for parents.

I read The Heart is a Lonely Hunter when Oprah chose it for her book club selection I did really enjoy it

I just finished Scott Smith's newest book The Ruins. I read Smith's first and only other book A Simple Plan because Smith grew up in northwest Ohio like I did. I really enjoyed that book. One of a handful of books that I can recall the experience of reading it.

Because of the first book, I picked up this one. I was concerned after reading the dust jacket blurb. This one wasn't a mystery. It was going to be more like a Stephen King book. In fact, the laudatory remarks were started by King.

I finished the book in about 3 days. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

I recommend it.

Now, I'm reading John Hodgman's book The Area of My Expertise. Hodgman is the person playing the PC on the Apple Computer commercials. He is hilarious.

Linda

A sample of "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter".

"One by one they would come to Singer's room to spend the evening with him. The mute was always thoughtful and composed. His many-tinted gentle eyes were grave as a sorcerer's. Mick Kelly and Jake Blout and Doctor Copeland would come and talk in the silent room -- for they felt the mute would always understand whatever they wanted to say to him. And maybe even more than that."

(The mute can read lips, and write.)

I'm reading "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell. It's really interesting.. It's about the decision making process.

also, the Jan 2006 issue of the Harvard business review. It has alot of articles about the decision making process. I was looking at it for one article on analytics, but it has several other good articles.

I have to make two comments.

1. Jill, Tuesdays with Morrie is the book I am most likely to recommend (#2 is The Time Traveler's Wife. Albom's book literally saved my life. I read it at a really, really, rough time in my life.

2. Sheltieguy, I'll own up to reading with post-it notes. When I find something that I want to reference later - for discussion or to look-up (dictionary) or reference, I put a post-it at the appropriate point in the book. It allows for easy reference, no pen necessary, and I just make sure they all get pulled before I take the book back to the library. The post-its can be used a couple of times before they loose their stick.

Linda

P.S. Oh, and Mitch Albom's newest fiction book comes out on September 12. It's called For One More Day

lmj

Speaking of fiction reading in general, am I the only one neurotic enough to jot down character information on note cards, as the characters are introduced?

On some books it's not necessary, but on others I would be lost without it.

I am reading Tuesdays With Morrie. I've had the book for a long time but never read it. I have an aversion to movies/books that will make me sad. But I am really enjoying it so far.

Jill

quote:

Originally posted by BrenauMom:
Yes, I met Lula in #3 when she thought Ranger was a superhero and was stalking him.

WOW! I'd forgotten that Steph meets Lula that early on, but then she comes back in another light (i.e., not in her current "occupation")and is a regular in later books.

quote:

Originally posted by SheriaVa:
Wait til you get up a few more books in the series and the character of Lula gets added.

Yes, I met Lula in #3 when she thought Ranger was a superhero and was stalking him.

quote:

Originally posted by BrenauMom:
I like Grandma - she's a hoot . She reminds me of Sophia on Golden Girls.

Wait til you get up a few more books in the series and the character of Lula gets added. I get more laughs out of Lula than even Grandma Mazur. There was one book, #9 I think, that I thought was one of the weakest in the series. The only thing that saved it was Lula and her all-meat diet.

Stephanie Plum mysteries ....Great Books..I got hook on them beginning of this year and read all that was available at the time in about a week and a half!

Another good Series is the the Hannah Swensen Mysteries by Joanne Fluke