Books I've read and favorite authors (book corner)

[Cindy]

Yes, sometimes asking the libarian for a new author is the best bet. Sometimes she is way off, but most times they get it right. The problem with reading so many books is, I tend to forget how many authors I have actually read, so they easily get forgotten if I haven't read 2-3 books by them. I started keeping a list in Word..but eventually stopped adding people.

Dean Koontz would scare the crap out of me..lol I've yet to pick up a Plum book but I think I'm getting there because I'm running out of stuff and I want to see what the fuss is about. I'm getting fickle in my older age though, so if it sucks, I move on:-)

[gingerbird]

Cindy, start with the oldest books first, like the Stephanie Plum number series, start with "one!" "Watchers" was the first Koontz book I read, and loved it, it hooked me on him as an author. I also liked his "Odd Thomas" books. I believe there are two with Thomas as lead character.

The Plum books are fun and totally NOT scary!

I've asked my librarians to help me pick books before, and they've always been spot on. I read book reviews, but then forget what I've read about. I should make a list. Eh, yeah, right! I agree, it is easy to just pick up the newest book by a known author, even though you know it won't be up-to-par (Nora Roberts! Dean Koontz! Janet Evanovich!).

[gingerbird]

I have a policy of reading no abridged books, which I broke yesterday when I picked up the sixth Jason Bourne book, The Bourne Sanction, on CD to keep me company on my travels. This is the third Bourne book written by Lustbader since the incredible Robert Ludlum has passed on. I have to say, it was way too much with the Russian names and everyone killing/shooting/stabbing everyone every two minutes. But perhaps it was the abridgment. I must stand by my resolve to never get one ever again. I mourn the passing of Mr. Ludlum, whose Tristan books are my very favorites.

The library did have UNabridged HP and the Deathly Hallows, nearly 30 CDs. Holy cow! I could drive the entire length of the U.S. and back and still not have that one finished! (But never fear, I will be checking it out soon ...)

Where is our wee peanut, and what have you been reading lately, my dear?

[Cindy]

30 cds? Are you kidding me? You'd have to go across the country TWICE LOL. And what if you hate the voice rading the book??? Oh dear! Honestly? I hate being read to so that would annoy the crap out of me:-)

There's 6 Jason Bourne books? You mean the series with 3 movies out, right? I had enough after 3 movies..lol

[gingerbird]

Cindy, Jim Dale is the reader of all the HP books and he is fantastic. He has a different voice for every character and has won numerous awards for his talents. They are wonderful when driving in 20-hour stretches; I've listened to each HP book that way! I have absolutely not one complaint ... so unlike me!

After Robert Ludlum wrote the three Bourne books (all MARVELOUS!), he passed away and Lustader has taken over the task of writing more. He does write in the style of Ludlum, although the abridgments s*ck, just like the abridgments of all books, regardless of author.

The Bourne movies are my absolute favorites. Matt Damon ... gah! Gotta love a man who can take care of himself, especially since I'm so used to the other kind! I could watch them over and over.

[peanut]

I went into book over-drive recently. After watching the Twilight movie for the first time recently I just had to know what happens next so bought all four books. I was still reading The Lost Symbol at the time so when I finished it I started on the Twilight saga.

I thought The Lost Symbol was excellent and really enjoyed it. Is there plans for Dan Brown to continue writing the character Robert Langdon into his books does anyone know?

I then got stuck into the Twilight books. I read them all pretty much in a week. I really enjoyed them and am all set to see New Moon this weekend.

Not sure which book out of my stash to start next. I got the old series of V in the post yesterday and started watching it last night so I'm probably gonna be watching it in my spare time as opposed to reading for now.

[gingerbird]

I am going to have to check out the Twilight books. Did you read HP, Peanut? Are they as good/better? I very much enjoyed all the HP, I liked the in-depth character development. But vampire love is pretty hot, maybe the characters don't need to be that developed! *evil laughter*

I finished James Grippando's Intent to Kill last week. It was okay, nicely written and kept my attention, although the Russian hit-man was way over the top for believability. The protagonist has Asperger's, which seems to be the new "in" syndrome. This is the third book I've read where a character is afflicted by it. Side note: I heard a radio comedian who said "Asperger" is one of those words, when said aloud, makes you laugh, even though it shouldn't. Go ahead: Say it, you'll have to agree that it's funny. Not PC to laugh, but still ...

www.jamesgrippando.com/books/intenttokill.html

I am currently three-fourths through Nicholas Sparks' The Last Song. It's entertaining as are most of his books, and keeps my interest, although writers who do not check facts bug the heck out of me. I worked years for the rental industry, and one just does not just loosen tent "pegs" or get tangled in tent ropes and make a party tent fall, especially one erected for a majorly huge wedding for an extremely wealthy family. Those tent stakes are put in by machine, and the tents put up/taken down by crews of men, they don't/won't just "fall" down, they are STRUCTURES, secure buildings with fabric attached. But I digress. I imagine The Last Song will end leaving me wondering why I wasted my time, just like every Sparks book has made me feel at the finish. But at least the ride is usually good, even if the endings stink.

www.nicholassparks.com/LearnMore.asp?BookID=15

I'm also reading the seventh Diana Gabaldon book in her Outlander series, An Echo in the Bone. It's more than 800 pages, so I've been trying to read a few chapters each day. The other Outlander books were just as large, but I managed those by reading non-stop through the night as I could not put them down, finished each of them within three days. Er, nights. Heh.

[Cindy]

It's funny how that happens eh Peanut? I can read books straight for a month, then I just burn out. Most seem to have enjoyed Twilight New Moon Movie but I didn't care for Jake in that book so I'll just rent it.

I FINALLY have another book to recommend.

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. AMAZING. My librarian recommend it and it didn't disappoint.

It's about a futuristic society where the govt watches everything these people do. They live in Districts 1-12 (12 being the poorest) and every yr 2 young people from each district are forced to go to a thing called "the hunger games" the object being to be the last one standing--you must kill everyone else off. These "games" are designed to remind the people how their society came to be (North America has been destroyed--this is the replacement society) and it's no holds barred. If your name is drawn, you're it. You have to hunt, kill, maime ect...

It sounds bad, but it focuses on this one girl who is forced to go and how inspirational she is despite her tough circumstances. It's a quick read because it's a small book. I couldn't put it down and finished in 2 days.

Peanut, I'm not sure about Dan Brown. I'll goggle and see if I can find anything. The symbol was very good.

[Cindy]

Ginger: I'll have to get back to Sparks. I've missed a few as some were quite sad and I took a break from it. I admire him for making a career of it, I remember when he wrote the notebook, he seemed pretty overwhelmed by it all and I wondered if he would continue but he found other ways to rip my heart out, so good for him:-)

Peanut--not finding the next book for Dan Brown but you can go to his website

DanBrown.com --you need the latest adobe flasher as it's got some fancy crap and that's why I couldn't get in :-) Apparently, "The Symbol" will soon become a movie, that's all I managed to find out.

800 pages? How do you hold that up ?? yikes!

[gingerbird]

Only 20 pages left for me to finish in the 818-page Echo In The Bone. The author (Diana Gabaldon) has set the plot up for yet another novel, so that will be the EIGHTH (8th!) in the Jamie/Claire saga. Of course I'll read it, having made it through more than 6,000 pages of their saga already.

Meanwhile, I think I'll check out a Stephen King when I take Bone back to the library. I'm sort of behind in reading him.

[Cindy]

818 pages...oh my!

Here's an easier one for you. A couple of years ago, I read "Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls. She was a big time ABC reporter, and this was her life story growing up with bizarre parents giving a whole ne w meaning to "dirt" poor. Anyway, it was a really good book, and now, she has written the story of her Grandmother called "Half Broke Horses" I'm in the middle of it, and it's proving to be interesting too.

Also, I just finished Diane Chamberlain "The secrets she left behind" it's actually the follow up to "Calm before the storm" both were really good, and worth the read. She's a decent storyteller but I will say, she does try to sneak up on you with these "bombshells" throughout, and she never quite seems to pull it off. I've usually figured out it's coming well before it does but overall, a solid author who likes a good family story.

[gingerbird]

Well, no one has been reading lately I see. I finished "The Last Song" a week before I saw the movie promos for it, starring *gag* Miley Cyrus. Then I heard Nicholas Sparks wrote the book with her in mind, obviously writing it so it could be turned into a movie, just like his "Dear John" which was out just a few months before. I swear, I hate Nicholas Sparks, his writing is so predictable, and now that (I realize) he's cranking them out to be made into movies, he's turned into a mass-media-romance-novel Stephen King.

Speaking of, I read King's "Duma Key" a month or so ago. Interesting, an easy read like all his books. Took a bit to get into it since the main character was rather unlikeable for the first few chapters. It was another hefty book, maybe 600 pages or so.

I am now reading "Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman." Also hard to get into at the start since the main character is all waffle-y and namby-pamby when her husband of 20-some years tells her he is leaving her for her 20-something size-four assistant. But it is better now that she is starting to realize that her self-esteem doesn't revolve around some jerk-faced husband, although I'm thinking in real life finding that "revenge" isn't so conveniently easy.

[Cindy]

Yes, it certainly seems that Sparks has gone the way of the cheque doesn't it? Writing a book with Miley in mind, that's right up there with having her as a "mentor" on American Idol--please.

Actually, I read the follow-up to Hunger Games (see post above) called Catching Fire. Another easy read but so interesting. The final book comes out in August. No match for your 600 pagers but great for a summer day on a swing:-)

King is an easy read? I wouldn't have thought that, guess I'm too busy knowing he will give me nightmares:-) It's good he's back writing.

Your current book sounds a bit like Bridget Jones' Diary?

[Cindy]

Ginger, so with you on "The Last Song" His title pretty much gave away the farm --another cheery ending there! :-)

Then you read that he let Miley C NAME his character? <Gag> is right. Naming characters is one of the most personal things an author can do and he takes input from her? Again, <gag>

I need to start reading different authors again, because I'm getting bored of all these slow/predictable books.

[gingerbird]

Hey Cindy, I can't believe you read The Last Song after I panned it here! Too funny. I hate when writers don't fact-check what they write about. The scene where the rich sister is getting married and there is a tent on the family estate for the wedding party and the "bad boy" loosens the tent pegs so the tent will fall down when one rope is tripped over? I worked for nearly a decade in the rental industry, including writing about the party-rental side. A tent that would handle a wealthy wedding party has stakes PUT IN BY A PILE DRIVER and those huge stakes are removed by a machine as well. No person, even Arnold himself, could pull/loosen a tent stake by hand. The insurance liability if that ever happened would be STAGGERING. I know of one event where part of a tent fell during a storm and an elderly woman injured; that turned into an insurance nightmare. Tents also can be taken down by tornadoes/high-wind storms. But never by one person. That scene was as bogus and un-researched as the X-Files movie where the BEES were POLLINATING CORN! Gah. Corn is self-pollinating, that's why corn cobs have that silk tassel stuff, bees have nothing to do with it. One simple call to a Midwestern farmer could have fixed that movie just as one simple call to a party-rental company could have fixed (that part of) The Last Song. *gah*

I've read two Patricia Cornwall books and been disappointed in both.The Scarpetta Factor is the last one I remember. She writes in fabulous detail and the stories are really engrossing, then she just ENDS them, *bam* they're done. Just like Stephen King's It, a great story, then it just ENDS. You suffer through 800 pages and it's like the writer can't write any more so he/she just stops. THE END.

I tried a new author, Elizabeth Berg. I read The Last Time I Saw You, about a 40th high-school reunion. It was pretty good and summed up why I've never been to any of my reunions and never will. Although it, too, just sort of ended, all too wrapped up.

Next I got Jamie Ford's The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, which is about Japanese/Chinese/American relations during WWII, jumping between the '40s and the same characters in the '80s. Now THAT was a good book, and the librarian was all excited when I checked it out as she loved it as well.

Now I have another Elizabeth Berg, Home Safe. Just half-way through that one, about a woman writer, sort of washed up, who is now a widow who doesn't have that million-dollar retirement fund she THOUGHT her husband provided for her. Surprise!