Book Reviews - Page 5

**Belowen** · 02-04-2011

^ They're actually making a film version of the book starring Daniel Radcliffe & the promotional stills look amazing and very eerie...

bunburyist · 03-04-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrissyM

^^i'm not even particularly a big fan of the horror genre (i actually kind of hate horror movies), but you've kind of made me want to read that B!

i think horror/thriller can be much easier to digest in book form because you're not so assaulted by all the gruesome visuals

If you want to check out some classic-style horror you should read Frankenstein, it's very good.

**ChrissyM** · 03-04-2011

amazon.com

The Percy Jackson & The Olympians series... [4/5]

Just finished reading the last book in the series late last night...
I think overall I found this series to be an enjoyable, quick, absorbing read.
Similar to the Harry Potter series in that there's a dark lord type who is trying to regain his power and basically destroy the world, but it is the destiny of one young boy to defeat him and save the world (with the help of his friends, of course).
The series relies heavily on drawing from mythical creatures/hero stories that we've all heard before and reinterpreting them in a more modern way. It's written in a very contemporary, youthful way that I expect young adults would respond well to, but that shouldn't necessarily alienate an older reader (references to pop culture etc).

I would recommend it for readers who are looking for a sort of fun way to refamiliarize themselves with some Greek mythology, and for readers who like to read series.

bunburyist · 05-04-2011

tumblr.com/firstfloormetaphor

Vladimir Nabokov - Invitation to a Beheading

The second Nabokov I've read after Lolita and he's just such an incredibly gifted writer, technically. This is about a man, Cincinattus C, who is sentenced for a crime but doesn't know when he'll be executed (in this respect it's sometimes compared to Kafka and the Trial, which he notes himself in the foreword, but it's actually quite different) and spends his time in incarceration fretting over the impending execution and suffering the surreal world and people around him.

It felt like a bit of a slow starter but it picks up and becomes more engrossing later on, suffused with his wonderful wit and powers of description. The very last page and a bit is quite beautiful.

**Belowen** · 09-04-2011

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins [4/5]

I had rather high expectations of this book after reading an endless amount of positive reviews on the internet. Also, when a book is made into a film within the first few years of it being written there is usually something pretty likeable about it. I really liked The Hunger Games, and probably a little bit more than I'd expected to. It's a young adult book, but the female protagonist didn't annoy me in the slightest, which is unusual for YA fiction (normally I find the female characters in YA fiction whiny and annoying). The storyline was interesting, and right up my alley. Basically the book is about a future society where the world is split into various districts - all of which have to randomly select 2 teenagers each year to participate in the 'Hunger Games'. The Hunger Games are a gladiator type event where the children all have to fight for their lives, and basically be the last one standing in the arena in order to survive. I already have the second book sitting on my shelf waiting to be read, and I can't wait to see what happens next...

Recommended for: Those who enjoy dystopian fiction, and aren't afraid of young adult fiction

cover source: bookdepository.co.uk

mint condish · 09-04-2011

^ Thanks for your review, what do you think about the casting of Jennifer Lawrence? I read the announcement in Entertainment Weekly. Seems like some fans are pretty upset (which I'm sure happens for any literary casting).

**Belowen** · 09-04-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by mint condish

^ Thanks for your review, what do you think about the casting of Jennifer Lawrence? I read the announcement in Entertainment Weekly. Seems like some fans are pretty upset (which I'm sure happens for any literary casting).

I've not actually seen Jennifer in anything before, but considering the fact that she's already received an Oscar nomination I think she'll do well to take on the character of Katniss. Mostly I was annoyed at the casting of Peeta & Gale, but we can discuss this more in the Hunger Games thread

ParadEyes · 16-04-2011

What do you guys think about The Great Gatsby?

purplethistle · 16-04-2011

^ I had to read it for class, so it wasn't really my kind of book so what I've got to say about it is negatively biased. I found all of the characters really annoying, even the the main character. But it was about the old rich against the new rich people of society, love affairs and more which I can't remember now. But at the end of it I was left wondering why is this book a classic and all what not?

mint condish · 17-04-2011

^ I got halfway through and I was feeling similarly. Nothing particularly wrong for it for me, it just wasn't catching my interest. Hate to admit this because I only hear the most glowing things about this book.

kate_is_goddess · 18-04-2011

Slapstick or Lonesome No More by Kurt Vonnegut (4/5)

davidnice.blogspot.com

It starts off like an autobiography but soon turns into a dystopian story about twins, who can sort of combine their intelligence to form a single genius mind when they're close enough together. Their parents keep them locked away in a mansion because they are so ugly and presumably stupid (they act that way because they think everyone wants them to be idiots). When they finally tell the truth about their intelligence, they are being seperated and thereby become less intelligent. The brother makes his way through school and med school and finally becomes President of the United States. He writes down this story while sitting in the middle of a deserted Manhattan, where almost everybody was killed by a mysterious disease.

I hope I didn't give too much away. It's hard to summarize the story in a few sentences, because there is a lot going on and it's only abot 180 pages long...
I wish it was longer, there some storylines which could have been explored a little bit more. All in all it's a very quick and easy read. It's not 'laugh out loud' funny but very witty in an imaginative and 'outside the box' kinda way. If that makes sense...

Alvedansen · 20-04-2011

goodreads

Ark by Stephen Baxter 4/5

It's the sequel to "Flood" (which i haven't read, but you don't really need to, to understand this book). A huge flood drowns our whole world and this book is about the mission to send out 80 people into space to find "Earth II" so mankind can survive, build a new colony and inhabit that new planet. i sometimes felt a little claustrophobic reading this, i couldn't imagine living in a tiny spaceship for 40(!) years, and it made me realize once again how special our planet is and how badly we treat it.

**Belowen** · 21-04-2011

Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal [2/5]

As a giant Sweet Valley High nerd, I was VERY excited about the release of a new book from the Sweet Valley collection; this time we meet up with the twins '10 years later'. My fall from SUPER EXCITED to utter devastation was fast and painful. This book was one of the worst books I've ever read. Not only does it seem like Francine Pascal actively hates all of the characters that she created, but the writing style is terrible. It's almost like they used a random generator to place the words "like" and "so" into the dialogue.

Recommended for: Die hard Sweet Valley fans who don't mind being disappointed...

cover source: bookdepository.co.uk

**Belowen** · 07-05-2011

Cloudstreet by Tim Winton [5/5]

I loved this book. It's a story about 2 families (the lambs and the pickles) living together in a crazy household "Cloudstreet" set in my home town of Perth, Western Australia that spans the years from the 1920's onwards. Tim Winton has a very unique style of writing, and this is only the second book of his that I've read but now I can't wait to read more. His character development is second to none, and I love the quintessentially 'Australian' way that he writes about Australia and it's people.

Recommended for: Those who like sprawling family sagas, or are interested in good Australian literature.

cover source: bookdepository.co.uk

FelipeV · 07-05-2011

The Halloween Tree, by Ray Bradbury
4.5/5

iupui.edu

This book takes us a walk, in a poetic way, to the different meanings of death and the origins of Halloween around the world. A group of children are willing to spend an unforgettable night for Halloween but they realize that their leader is gone, then they come to a haunted house where found a particular man that takes them on a journey through time to find him, they travel to the pyramids of Egypt, England druid, medieval Europe and the cemeteries of Mexico. Is a short novel, a little dark sometimes but the narrative is full of magic.

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02-04-2011	61
Belowen ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Mod Squad Member Design Team Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Australia Gender: femme Posts: 25,778	^ They're actually making a film version of the book starring Daniel Radcliffe & the promotional stills look amazing and very eerie... __________________ {the belle lumiere}

03-04-2011	63
ChrissyM girl who fell to earth Mod Squad Leader Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Boston Gender: femme Posts: 18,338	amazon.com The Percy Jackson & The Olympians series... [4/5] Just finished reading the last book in the series late last night... I think overall I found this series to be an enjoyable, quick, absorbing read. Similar to the Harry Potter series in that there's a dark lord type who is trying to regain his power and basically destroy the world, but it is the destiny of one young boy to defeat him and save the world (with the help of his friends, of course). The series relies heavily on drawing from mythical creatures/hero stories that we've all heard before and reinterpreting them in a more modern way. It's written in a very contemporary, youthful way that I expect young adults would respond well to, but that shouldn't necessarily alienate an older reader (references to pop culture etc). I would recommend it for readers who are looking for a sort of fun way to refamiliarize themselves with some Greek mythology, and for readers who like to read series. __________________ ♥ tFS 2013 READING CHALLENGE ♥┃CURRENTLY READING ▸ The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach┃COMPLETED ▶ 5 of 25┃

05-04-2011	64
bunburyist scenester Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: ADL, Aus Gender: homme Posts: 67	tumblr.com/firstfloormetaphor Vladimir Nabokov - Invitation to a Beheading The second Nabokov I've read after Lolita and he's just such an incredibly gifted writer, technically. This is about a man, Cincinattus C, who is sentenced for a crime but doesn't know when he'll be executed (in this respect it's sometimes compared to Kafka and the Trial, which he notes himself in the foreword, but it's actually quite different) and spends his time in incarceration fretting over the impending execution and suffering the surreal world and people around him. It felt like a bit of a slow starter but it picks up and becomes more engrossing later on, suffused with his wonderful wit and powers of description. The very last page and a bit is quite beautiful. __________________ tumblr / bons mots

09-04-2011	65
Belowen ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Mod Squad Member Design Team Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Australia Gender: femme Posts: 25,778	The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins [4/5] I had rather high expectations of this book after reading an endless amount of positive reviews on the internet. Also, when a book is made into a film within the first few years of it being written there is usually something pretty likeable about it. I really liked The Hunger Games, and probably a little bit more than I'd expected to. It's a young adult book, but the female protagonist didn't annoy me in the slightest, which is unusual for YA fiction (normally I find the female characters in YA fiction whiny and annoying). The storyline was interesting, and right up my alley. Basically the book is about a future society where the world is split into various districts - all of which have to randomly select 2 teenagers each year to participate in the 'Hunger Games'. The Hunger Games are a gladiator type event where the children all have to fight for their lives, and basically be the last one standing in the arena in order to survive. I already have the second book sitting on my shelf waiting to be read, and I can't wait to see what happens next... Recommended for: Those who enjoy dystopian fiction, and aren't afraid of young adult fiction cover source: bookdepository.co.uk __________________ {the belle lumiere}

09-04-2011	66
mint condish fashion elite Join Date: Dec 2005 Gender: femme Posts: 2,570	^ Thanks for your review, what do you think about the casting of Jennifer Lawrence? I read the announcement in Entertainment Weekly. Seems like some fans are pretty upset (which I'm sure happens for any literary casting).

16-04-2011	68
ParadEyes Spring of Córdoba Join Date: May 2005 Gender: femme Posts: 3,107	What do you guys think about The Great Gatsby? __________________ Nostalgia is a seductive liar.

16-04-2011	69
purplethistle fashion elite Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: under the sun Gender: femme Posts: 2,863	^ I had to read it for class, so it wasn't really my kind of book so what I've got to say about it is negatively biased. I found all of the characters really annoying, even the the main character. But it was about the old rich against the new rich people of society, love affairs and more which I can't remember now. But at the end of it I was left wondering why is this book a classic and all what not?

17-04-2011	70
mint condish fashion elite Join Date: Dec 2005 Gender: femme Posts: 2,570	^ I got halfway through and I was feeling similarly. Nothing particularly wrong for it for me, it just wasn't catching my interest. Hate to admit this because I only hear the most glowing things about this book.

18-04-2011	71
kate_is_goddess V.I.P. Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Vienna Gender: femme Posts: 3,674	Slapstick or Lonesome No More by Kurt Vonnegut (4/5) davidnice.blogspot.com It starts off like an autobiography but soon turns into a dystopian story about twins, who can sort of combine their intelligence to form a single genius mind when they're close enough together. Their parents keep them locked away in a mansion because they are so ugly and presumably stupid (they act that way because they think everyone wants them to be idiots). When they finally tell the truth about their intelligence, they are being seperated and thereby become less intelligent. The brother makes his way through school and med school and finally becomes President of the United States. He writes down this story while sitting in the middle of a deserted Manhattan, where almost everybody was killed by a mysterious disease. I hope I didn't give too much away. It's hard to summarize the story in a few sentences, because there is a lot going on and it's only abot 180 pages long... I wish it was longer, there some storylines which could have been explored a little bit more. All in all it's a very quick and easy read. It's not 'laugh out loud' funny but very witty in an imaginative and 'outside the box' kinda way. If that makes sense... __________________ you are as gorgeous as ever

20-04-2011	72
Alvedansen V.I.P. Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Ravenclaw's Common Room Gender: femme Posts: 27,657	goodreads Ark by Stephen Baxter 4/5 It's the sequel to "Flood" (which i haven't read, but you don't really need to, to understand this book). A huge flood drowns our whole world and this book is about the mission to send out 80 people into space to find "Earth II" so mankind can survive, build a new colony and inhabit that new planet. i sometimes felt a little claustrophobic reading this, i couldn't imagine living in a tiny spaceship for 40(!) years, and it made me realize once again how special our planet is and how badly we treat it. __________________ \| 2013 book challenge \| reading ▸ Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden\| completed 15/30 \|

21-04-2011	73
Belowen ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Mod Squad Member Design Team Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Australia Gender: femme Posts: 25,778	Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal [2/5] As a giant Sweet Valley High nerd, I was VERY excited about the release of a new book from the Sweet Valley collection; this time we meet up with the twins '10 years later'. My fall from SUPER EXCITED to utter devastation was fast and painful. This book was one of the worst books I've ever read. Not only does it seem like Francine Pascal actively hates all of the characters that she created, but the writing style is terrible. It's almost like they used a random generator to place the words "like" and "so" into the dialogue. Recommended for: Die hard Sweet Valley fans who don't mind being disappointed... cover source: bookdepository.co.uk __________________ {the belle lumiere}

07-05-2011	74
Belowen ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Mod Squad Member Design Team Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Australia Gender: femme Posts: 25,778	Cloudstreet by Tim Winton [5/5] I loved this book. It's a story about 2 families (the lambs and the pickles) living together in a crazy household "Cloudstreet" set in my home town of Perth, Western Australia that spans the years from the 1920's onwards. Tim Winton has a very unique style of writing, and this is only the second book of his that I've read but now I can't wait to read more. His character development is second to none, and I love the quintessentially 'Australian' way that he writes about Australia and it's people. Recommended for: Those who like sprawling family sagas, or are interested in good Australian literature. cover source: bookdepository.co.uk __________________ {the belle lumiere}

07-05-2011	75
FelipeV front row Join Date: Jul 2010 Gender: homme Posts: 214	The Halloween Tree, by Ray Bradbury 4.5/5 iupui.edu This book takes us a walk, in a poetic way, to the different meanings of death and the origins of Halloween around the world. A group of children are willing to spend an unforgettable night for Halloween but they realize that their leader is gone, then they come to a haunted house where found a particular man that takes them on a journey through time to find him, they travel to the pyramids of Egypt, England druid, medieval Europe and the cemeteries of Mexico. Is a short novel, a little dark sometimes but the narrative is full of magic. Last edited by FelipeV; 07-05-2011 at 12:59 AM.

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