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Well, that was 2014. Thanks to everyone who shared their books with us during the year - as always, it was fascinating and fun.  Here are the details of how this works So, let's get on with 2015! And, talking of which: Famous - Blake CrouchAn entertaining look into the obsessive and pychopathic mind of a celebrity stalker who only wants to be famous. This seemed to be very short, so I think it may have been a novella rather than a novel, but I did like the ironic twist at the end. LabRat 
Last edited by LabRat; 01/02/15 05:59 PM.
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
Aramis: Yes, sorry.
Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Perfect Little Town - Blake CrouchFeeling really ticked off with this one. It was an excellent little horror story - but I believed I was paying for a novel. It ended at 50% and the remainder of the 'book' was taken up with an author interview and reviews of other books. Feeling pretty cheated right now. LabRat
Last edited by LabRat; 01/03/15 01:29 PM.
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
Aramis: Yes, sorry.
Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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Top Banana
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1. Revival, by Stephen King
A former minister loses his faith and seeks to find out what lies beyond death. The answer is horrifying.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Merriwether
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1. Driving with the Top Down by Beth Harbison
Three women on a road trip grow closer and help each other deal with life issues.
"Revival" sounds like a good one, Annie B. That's definitely on my list for this year.
Joan
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Abandon - Blake CrouchI greatly enjoyed this rollercoaster thriller. More twists and turns than...a twisty, turny thing, as Blackadder might say. Over a century ago, the entire population of the town of Abandon vanished without trace. Now, a small party are going back to find out why. They'll wish they hadn't. The solution to the disappearance was quite ingenious. My only irritation was that the author's attempts to make the Old West language of the town's characters authentic often left me struggling to understand their meaning. A case of being too clever by half.  LabRat
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
Aramis: Yes, sorry.
Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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Top Banana
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2. The Hunger Games Tribute Guide, by Emily Seife
This book gives a brief overview of the novel/movie The Hunger Games. It was worth the twenty-minute read, though it would not have been worth spending money on. (Fortunately, I got it for free with another book I ordered from a book trading site, due to the fact that the trader was offering a 2-for-1 deal.)
3. Falling in Love, by Shirl Henke
A beautiful young con artist, Chastity O'Roarke, poses as a wealthy widow in order to find a rich husband. Meanwhile, an English earl, Ian Warfield, poses as a stable hand in order to avoid marriage. They fall for each other -- and fall, and fall, and fall: off a trellis, into a pond, off a horse, out of a tree, down a mineshaft ... always accompanied by his dog, Samson, and her cat, Delilah.
The book was supposed to be humorous, but I think this kind of physical humor is better as a visual than as text. Shirl Henke has written some excellent historical romantic thrillers, but she's not so good at writing humor.
4. Song of the Magdalene, by Donna Jo Napoli
A young adult novel about Mary Magdalene's childhood and teenage years, before she met Jesus.
Last edited by Annie B.; 01/16/15 08:08 PM. Reason: Added a couple of titles
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Top Banana
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5. How I Got This Way, by Patrick F. McManus
A collection of humorous essays by outdoor writer Patrick McManus, describing his grandmother, who cooked for a logging camp, his schoolteacher mother, and his aptly named dog, Strange.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
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#1 The Revenge of Seven by Pittacus Lore
Latest installment in the "I am Number Four" series. It's an interesting concept, kids sent from a dying planet to Earth where they learn to use their powers (sound familiar??). There's lots of action. The characters are likeable but sometimes blend together. When the author switches POV it can be difficult to figure out who is talking. It ended with a big revelation.
#2 Joss Whedon: The Biography by Amy Pascale
I'm a huge Buffy fan so I was excited to read this. I was aware of many of Joss' accomplishments and this book revealed even more.
Joan
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Pulitzer
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The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way by Bill Bryson.
Readable, entertaining overview of well, yes, English and how it got that way. English is kind of a "sweep it all up and throw it together" kind of language, with words, spelling, and grammar often borrowed from other languages. Bryson explains some of these.
Maisie Dobbs
Birds of a Feather
Pardonable Lies
A Lesson In Secrets
Among The Mad
Messenger Of Truth all by Jacqueline Winspear.
Series of mysteries set in the 1930's involving Maisie Dobbs, Psychologist and Investigator. Maisie, daughter of a London costermonger, becomes a nurse in Flanders in WWI, and also becomes a detective. Excellent series detailing the changes in post-war England, a decade or more after the Great War.
Year Of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks.
Anna Frith's village, in 1665-1666, is stricken by the Plague. How does she cope when all seems lost?
Masques of Gold by Roberta Gellis.
Lissa de Flael, apothecary, is married to goldsmith Peter. Why should he want to marry her when she is not trained to his craft? Why is Peter murdered six weeks later? And how will Lissa deal with her attraction to Sir Justin FitzAilwin, the lord of the London Watch, who is investigating Peter's murder? Set in London of 1215 with the rumblings of baronial dissatisfaction which will lead to the signing of the Magna Carta.
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Beat Reporter
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Beat Reporter
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Wood Sprites by Wen Spencer. Latest in the Tinker series. Spheres of Influence by Ryk Spoor. Classic space opera with a twist. Rolemaster RPG rules.
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Top Banana
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6. Forrest Gump, by Winston Groom
The book is quite a bit different from the movie, with a lot of things that weren't in the film and quite a bit of profanity. That said, it was also pretty funny, and Forrest comes across as being smarter than most people around him. It's a good story, and I like both the original book and the film interpretation.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362
Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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OP
Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362 |
The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett
World Without End - Ken Follett I'd caught the TV adaptations of these on Netflix last year so thought I'd try the books. These being richer and more complex in plot and character, I enjoyed them even more and the wealth of detail on medieval life was fascinating without ever overwhelming the plot. Easy to see why these are considered classics of the genre. LabRat
Last edited by LabRat; 01/29/15 03:03 AM. Reason: spelling error
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
Aramis: Yes, sorry.
Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,114
Top Banana
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Top Banana
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7. Peter and the Secret of Rundoon, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.
This is a prequel to Peter Pan, the third of five books in a trilogy (yes, you read that right). The story reveals how Peter came to be orphaned and how it is that no one ever ages on the island where Peter and the lost boys live. It also has Hook in a temporarily heroic position and shows how the crocodile swallowed the clock. Though Dave Barry is one of the authors, the book doesn't have his usual humor, so I think Ridley Pearson was the main author -- although one scene definitely shows Barry's influence, where a camel, given the ability to fly via starstuff, helps defeat the bad guys by doing its business all over them.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Top Banana
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8. Gump & Co., by Winston Groom
The sequel to Forrest Gump, in which Forrest accidentally becomes involved in many of the major historical events of the 80s and early 90s, including New Coke, the Iran Contra scandal, the insider trading scandal, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Gulf War, and Whitewater.
I found this book funnier than the first book, possibly because I can remember a lot of these events.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
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#3 The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty
A hypnotist starts a relationship with a man who has a stalker. Entertaining story about relationships. I've enjoyed other books by this author as well.
Joan
Last edited by scifiJoan; 01/31/15 03:11 PM.
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Posts: 9,362 |
Furnace - Muriel GrayI've been a long-time fan of Gray's irreverant wit on TV so when I learned she'd become an author of horror novels I was intrigued. I did enjoy this. Loved the ironic twists - my favourite thing in a horror novel - and the steadily building air of the bizarre and sinister she created. LabRat
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
Aramis: Yes, sorry.
Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,114
Top Banana
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Top Banana
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9. Huggly and the Toy Monster, by Tedd Arnold
Huggly is mistaken for a toy called Ugzilla, wrapped up, and given as a birthday gift.
10. Oh, No!, by Candace Fleming
Various creatures fall into a deep hole and can't get out. Tiger comes to eat them, but Elephant saves the day.
11. Charlie Goes to the Doctor, by Ree Drummond
Charlie the ranch dog wakes up feeling sick. His owner takes him to the vet, where he finds out that the vet isn't as scary as he thought. (I wish my dog would learn this lesson. She has to be muzzled at the vet so she won't bite anyone.)
I was baby-sitting for my 3-year-old niece and she wanted me to read some stories to her. These children's books are actually pretty interesting (at least the first couple of times you read them).
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362
Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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OP
Boards Chief Administrator Emeritus Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 9,362 |
Interesting, Annie. My little nephew was born on December 25th so I tend to buy him toys for Christmas and books for his birthday - best of both worlds. <g> So I'm always looking for good, interesting book recommendations for his age group. I'll keep these in mind for next year. LabRat
Athos: If you'd told us what you were doing, we might have been able to plan this properly.
Aramis: Yes, sorry.
Athos: No, no, by all means, let's keep things suicidal.
The Musketeers
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,114
Top Banana
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Top Banana
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Interesting, Annie. My little nephew was born on December 25th so I tend to buy him toys for Christmas and books for his birthday - best of both worlds. <g> So I'm always looking for good, interesting book recommendations for his age group. I'll keep these in mind for next year. LabRat I recommend 'The Gunniwolf', by Wilhelmina Harper. That's a good one.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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Posts: 1,114
Top Banana
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12. The Stepford Wives, by Ira Levin
This is one of the few books that I really, really did not like. It's creepy, disturbing, and unpleasant.
That said, I had to laugh a little at the idea that the animatronics at Disneyland (the supposed inspiration for the perfect wives) were so realistic they could fool anybody. I've seen those things, and they are definitely in the uncanny valley.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
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