Topic: Book Review Corner

[sunsoaker]

The only book I have read lately is my check book, and it is a sad sad story.

You crack me up Bonnie.  By the way, I know that story.

[landofoz]

I'm usually a true crime / mystery type reader myself.  The Icarus Girl is kinda a ghost story, which makes for good reading too. 

Yeah, I get all my books from the local library.  I started Tyrannosaur Canyon by Douglas Preston and I just can't get through it.  I find myself staring off into space or flat out tossing it aside, the writing irritates me (thus far) and the plot is incredibly dull, in my opinion anyway.  I think I'll go to my third stringer: Starfish by Peter Watts.  Futuristic sci-fi.  I read the sequel to this book on accident (which was pretty good) and figured I should probably know the first half of the story. 

[Triss]

I have been reading a lot lately, mostly fluff stuff, romances and some fun crime novels.  Fast stuff for me.  Dianna, the Twelve Houses books are up to number 4 so far but they are not one about each house but rather that "Twelve Houses" represents a part of the whole of the people the book is written about.

[duh]

Kellerman is a good author.  I've read some things he's done.

I am of course first and foremost a science fiction fan.

So who do I like you ask?

Anne MacCaffrey
Mercedies Lackey
Robert A. Heinlein

(my mind just went blank lol)

And then there is romance.

I read the prince regent historical romances like they are candy.  I don't read the bodice rippers at all so zebra is out.

I really love Elizabeth Lowell.  More the romances than the mystery romances but I'll read either.

Now that I never have to move again I'll be collecting books again.  I can't wait to have all my favorites at hand again.  That is going to be so great.  I've already started gathering them.  I started with Anne McCaffrey of course.  I'm currently reading White Dragon again for the oh I don't know 100th time maybe?

[duh]

After not doing well in Scrabble Blast it came to my attention that it was time to stretch my brain a bit.  So it's time to read some books that will make me use words I know but never use and learn words that I don't know and spell correctly the words that I do know.

So far I have read a biography of Thomas Gainsboro, An intro to anthropology, a book on lettering and am currently working on a book about Heinrich Schliemann's excavations in Greece.  The last one is harder than the others.  But I would really like some non-fiction book recomendations. 

I tried to find "A Day in the Life of a Gesha" but The libarian couldn't find it.  My interests are mainly Hard Sciences probably because I have such a hard time relating to people and social settings.  But a good biography or autobiography would be cool too.  I read alot when I'm not out in the garden.

Thank you for any help you can give.

[Triss]

I cannot help you there Tammy cuz I do not read biographys the hard sciences, my books tend to light and easy reading.

Right now I am reading some of the earlier Janet Evanovich romance books.  They are a lot of fun.

[duh]

I like some of Elizabeth Lowe's Romances

[Dianna]

Tammy, sounds like you do some very "heavy" reading...

I love to read crime drama books, fiction or nonfiction. Tammy Hoag, Patricia Cornwell, Karin Slaughter, James Patterson, John Sanford, etc...

[duh]

I've read some crime drama.  I like Anne Perry, and the author that wrote about the monk that solved crimes in medeival times.  I can't remember the name right now.  They were interesting.  I don't care for James Patterson he give me nightmares.

It's just sometimes I want to learn something as well as just read a well told story.  Do you ever get like that?

[duh]

Well I went to the library and turned in the books I had.  And of course then I went browsing.  I shouldn't probably do that.  This is what I came home with:

Herbs how to grow them and how to use them
Stained Galss Crafting
Your mobile home
Rose Windows

Since I don't know if I'll ever get my computer back I decided to reorganize my data files and start filling them in.  Just incase the unthinkable happens.  But I'm starting with new information so if I do get the files back I can just add this stuff to it.

[Triss]

Sounds like some great books.  My last run to the library netted me 2 books on behaviorism for my philosophy class paper, a book on the women of the Revolutionary war for my history class and a book on raising teens for my English class.  I tossed in a couple of romances so I would not go totally crazy.

[duh]

I know what you mean about that.  Since I bought all those books this summer at the library sale I have some fiction to reward myself with lol.

The mobile home book broke.  I hope I don't have to pay for the whole book.  It came apart and a huge chunk fell out.  That was strange. 

I have to say it has some interesting points about weatherization that I wasn't aware of from previous research. 

For one there are window films that can block solar heat up to 75%.  Of course they are mirrored so the house might look alittle funny wearing mirrored windows.  But 75% is a huge amount.

And then the asphalt roof coatings with aluminum particles that reflect about 60% of solar heat. 

Those two things I plan to look into.

The landscaping I already knew about for the most part.

I've got about 3 chapters left to go on that one and then it's on to the herb book.  That's a reward type book to read too.  I love reading about herbs.  This combines gardening with cooking to things I love to read about.

[Triss]

Lots of great ideas.  I bet the savings would be well worth having mirrored windows!

[duh]

I think your right if I can afford the materials.  But right now I'm very broke and it's going to stay that way for awhile so future projects are on hold.

I've started on the how to stained glass book and it is very well written.  But it is really for the person who is right at the point of designing the window and buying the glass.  I'm still in the researching stage.  But I'll keep this book in mind for when the day comes I can afford to start.  I had no idea there were so many different techniques for doing stained glass.  It really gives me the itch to start but it has to wait.

The rose window book is next and I'll have to check it out again to finish it.  The holidays kind of got in the way of my reading.

[duh]

Since I was waiting for the computer to be fixed I picked up Dragonsblood by Todd MacCaffrey the other day.  i'm already halfway through it.  He writes well.  He jumps in time from here to there which I don't like but other than that his writting is very good.  And his characters seem to be right on to me. 

[Triss]

I have not read anything by him.  Will have to put him on my list.  I picked up a bunch of stuff today.  My typical romances by Nora Roberts and Debbie Macomber, a couple from Janet Evanovich and the newest one out by Nicholas Sparks called The Lucky One.  I also picked up one by Mary Doria Russell for Dan.

[Bonnie]

My reading seems to be on the light side. I recently reread Dawn by V.C. Andrews. Her stories make me wonder if she actually lived through some of the stuff that she wrote about because most all of stories have a common theme.

I am currently reading Angels Watching Over Me by Michael Phillips.

[duh]

I finally figured out what Todd was doing.  It's a writting technique that I deplore but there it is.  He wrote two stories that converge at the end.  And not very well either.  Plus the ending was sad to my way of thinking.  I don't do the time travel themes well.  All of them that I have run into seem trite to me. 

He could have written two books one from the one perspective and one from the other and created two good books instead of combining them.  And like more male writers I've read he could have spent more time on filling out his characters so it wasn't so easy to confuse or forget them.  Just because they are supporting characters doesn't mean they should be forgettable.

I'm going to see about ordering some Mercedes Lackey from the other libraries.  She is another writter that I can read over and over again.

[Triss]

A REALLY good time travel one is The Time Travelers wife by Audrey Niffenegger.  AWESOME book!

[duh]

I've started another Anne Perry.  It's caled Angels in the gloom.  it's about world war two.  I'm just getting into it but I'm liking it so far.  The library has a bunch of her books so I thought i would just start at the beginning and read them all.  I do that with authors.

[duh]

The thrift store is having a half off sale on there books because they are way overstocked.  So I decided that I just had to increase my library. 
Here is what I came home with.

Secretary's Handbook (I'm a sucker for anything about my past jobs.)
We'll meet again, Mary Higgins Clark
The Eye of the Lion, Lael Tucker Wertenbaker
Handbook for Writers
The book of cacti and other succulents
Sound and Sense in spelling
Japanese Garden and Floral Art
Principles of Cost Accounting
Shorthand for colleges
Theatre Art in Action
Beautiful Wedding Crafts

I may go back in January and get a bunch more.  I saw that they had an encyclopedia set of crafts.  Those were hard to pass up but I would have had to give up everything I'd already gotten.

[Tonya]

Anyone want a bunch of paperback love stories? I don't do love stories and a friend of mine keeps giving them to me. I take them because I can't stand the thought of a book being thrown away, but... I have more books than I need now that I do read. All I would ask is that you reimburse for shipping since they were given to me! I'll try to get a list together and post it!

[duh]

If you have any by Elizabeth Lowell I might be interested.  I'd like to have all of hers but I just have a few at this time.  If you sent it book rate I could reimburse you.  That's the cheapest way to send them that I know of.

[Tonya]

I would definitely use book rate- the cheapest way for me is the best way

I am still working on my bedroom right now, but will get the list up today(I hope)

[landofoz]

A good "heavy" author is Michio Kaku.  He has some fabulous thoughts and informed opinions on quantum physics, dark matter, variable gravity, and of course string theory (which is currently becoming modified into M-Theory).  I think he recently got some job on Science Channel 'cause I see him there every so often. 

I can't ever seem to make it to the library anymore.  I think the last good book I read was Duck Soup and it was the girls' bedtime story!