May. 10th, 2008

55-57

May. 10th, 2008 04:38 pm
blue_ant: (daniel [bookstore superstar])
[personal profile] blue_ant
55. Singularity's Ring by Paul Melko
This was one of the best SF books I have read in ages. Melko tells the story of pods, or rather one pod. The pod is a group of five children (though they are not children, but not yet adults either, sort of teenagers) who form this pod. The story, when you ignore everything SF about it, is basically about individuality vs collectivism and where the two coincide. The story is how this pod (Apollo) must work together and separately to save it's/their lives. The story is well written and engaging and the plot is fantastic. Melko does an excellent job of dealing with ethical and moral issues, relating to individuals, the pods and collectivism. I highly recommend this book.

56. Detective Inspector Huss by Helene Tursten
I've read Tursten's other books that have been translated into English, they were excellent and this first book in the series is no exception. It is longer than the others, but it does start out Tursten's DI Huss books. We learn about her family, about her work, her history and so on. I found this book to be engaging, not just the plot (I really do love a good mystery), but also the characters and descriptions. Probably one of the best scenes takes place with Huss' partner, Tommy, and her family (two daughters and husband), relating to the Holocaust and neo-Nazis. Again, I highly recommend this book (and her whole series).

57. Tomorrow, When The War Began by John Marsden
I read about this book, just briefly, on a blog (Westerfeld/Doctrow/Scalzi, can't remember which). It's a realistic fiction YA book that deals with an extremely scary prospect. What would happen if you went out into the woods for a camping trip, and when you came back, there was no one left? That's what happened to the seven kids in the novel. It's a story of survival, of fighting back, and of coming to terms with the fact that their lives have changed. Yes, it is a coming of age novel, but it's also so much more. It's also the beginning of a series of books, which I will keep reading. If you liked realistic fiction and books such as Life as We Know It, you'll probably like this one, too.


57 / 120 new reads. 48% read!

52-53

May. 10th, 2008 06:15 pm
fiveforsilver: (Books [Hot cocoa])
[personal profile] fiveforsilver
52. *Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (247)

Having recently seen and read The Jane Austen Book Club, I've decided to quit wasting time and read Austen's books myself. I've only read Pride & Prejudice previously and not very thoroughly, either.

I liked Catherine immediately. I can relate to her (and I can't usually relate to characters in books) - I often don't know quite how to act in social situations, and there are many things about social interaction that confuse me, so her general confusion and naivate was endearing and understandable. Most of the other characters were irritating - they told half-truths or just made things up, waffled and chattered about unimportant things when there were important issues to discuss, and were altogether frustrating. Only the Tilneys (and only the Henry and Eleanor; not the father) were genuine; not even Catherine's brother was.

53. ^*The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies by John Scalzi (296)

A fun overview of the history and evolution of science fiction movies. It is entertainingly written and Scalzi isn't shy about saying this is a good movie and that isn't, this worked, that didn't, and these are so bad they're still worth watching just for laughs. "Sci-fi" is rather loosely defined, with quite a few fantasy (usually darker fantasy) movies included.


53 / 110 books. 48% done!

21 / 75 *new books. 28% done!

3 / 10 ^non-fiction. 30% done!

16136 / 33000 pages. 49% done!

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