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Page 1 of 2michael chrichton died a few days ago. kinda weird\sad i guess
Right now I'm reading a book called "The Know it All" (or something like that) written by a guy who reads the entire Encyclopedia Britanica. It's somewhat interesting, but I'm looking forward to his other book, about his quest to live entirely by the bible for one year. I've picked up the book already from the library, I just gotta find time to sit down and read it.
I've also been reading a book called "The Secret History of Star Wars", which is about all the places George Lucas stole stuff from. It's an free online-book only, but I downloaded the PDF, unlocked it, and have been reading it on my iPod Touch using iSilo. Reading on an iPod Touch is kind of a strange experience, but it's nice to read any time I have a spare 5 minutes or so.
i read the book about the encyclopedia and i loved it. especially the section dedicated to small words to make everyone win at scrabble. i've used them to much hatred of my opponents. i just love all the random facts. and how seriously he takes it. so good. and i didn't know about this bible sequel. i'm gonna look into that.
i thought it was good - not great. at some points, I was somewhat annoyed by his writing style. i liked reading about how he went back to 4th grade, met Alex Trebek, and went on "Who Wants to be a Millionare".
I'm going to try and start Living Biblically this weekend.
so i read living biblically today. and the whole time i was just thinking of if he was gonna talk to some j-dubs and i was so pumped when he did. what'd you think?
some christopher moore
i just finished
Kite Runner - very good and very sad. I felt like crying through most of it.
Playing for Pizza - John Grisham - It was "eh". Not as good as Skipping Christmas
Next - Michael Crichton - somehow I missed this one previously. Very good. Read in the 2.5 hour plane ride home from Florida, and finished it in the car coming home from the airport. (Note, Lauren was driving).
Still waiting on my Taylor Max book from the library.
Also trying to track down a copy of Truth in Translation without buying it, because that book is mad expensive. It rates a bunch of different bible translations and gives the NWT the best marks.
seems like a lot of michael crichton's books are pretty short reads, it's nice not having a 500 page book once in a while. i'm still reading congo, i'm only a few chapters in tho
just finished a few john grisham books, the street lawyer and the testament... eh... they were just ok. i think i'm done with grisham for a while. i also just read the andromeda strain by michael crichton, that was pretty good. just started reading congo
if you like Crichton, did you read Airframe yet? That will make you never want to get a plane again, but it was good
Congo was a great book. Have you read Sphere?
Too bad the movie sucked for both.
yeah i read it a while back, i remember liking it but i don't remember it all
grisham is very formulated. if you've read one book, you've read them all.
I read the street lawyer a few years back, and i agree, it's pretty "eh".
I started reading over the summer middlesex by jeffrey eugenidies, because it won the pulitzer prize, and it's on oprah's book club list, and yea, i still haven't finished it. It's pretty boring, and creepy, but not good creepy, gross creepy.
i would agree that the Street Lawyer is not one of his better books... I recommend The Partner it has some real action in it
that's the best Grisham book, in my opinion. i devoured it.
which one? The street lawyer or the partner?
i deflowered it
you like deflowering, eh? i'm noticing a trend here, lol.
ha... it was a line from STELLA
ahhh, good good
finally finished congo, i really liked it
gonna crush your skull with some stone paddles
The Giver
Dystopian type novel but on the young adult lit level. I really enjoyed it! It's like 1984 for young people.
I read that a few years ago and really liked it.
um I read that book in like seventh grade, but I do agree its an awesome book!! Its actually my number 1 favorite book of all time!
That's why I said it's on the 'young adult level'"
Summer had it so I read it last night. Dystopian stories are my favourite.
green eggs and ham.
that is a little to heavy for me
green eggs and grapefruit?
hahahaha that actually made me giggle.
hahhaha, cleaverific.
not funny... this morning i threw grapefruit peels out my car window and with it, my old retainer that i had recently found and had been wearing to re-straighten my bottom teeth
HAHAHA! that's great. but, uh, sorry 'bout the retainer, bro.
haha... it actually is kind of funny. i ended up going to the office of my old orthodontist, he had retired like 10 years ago, but i was able to get a new impression taken and so i'll get a new retainer next week
isnt that a little expensive?
$250... which sucks. but hopefully insurance will cover $200 of it.
i know this much is true by wally lamb
horrible. i've heard such amazing things about it. i feel someone somewhere is always talking about this book. especially after oprah put it on the bookclub. but i gotta say its like 1000 pages and at the end i still felt like i didn't really know or care about the characters. it does have an interesxting tale about two boys that are twins and one has schizophrenia but a lot of psycho analysis of how each brother feels. don't waste the time.
Read: Invisible Man
This book was awful. I hated it. There was some interesting parts in the middle regarding race riots in Harlem but then it got all stupid again at the end. 600+ pages of awful.
Reading: My Antonia
This book is just great. It kind of reminds me of Little House on the Prairie, only for adults. That doesn't really make it sound that appealing but I can't put it down.
Does O Pioneers go along with that or are they just by the same author?
Probably just by the same author.
I hated my antonia! I've never liked those 'sarah plain and tall' type of books about a girl overcoming her environment. The american pioneer stuff bugs me.
i've been reading tons when i go away, in january i went to belize and i read 3 books: Bourne Identity - Robert Ludlum, The Legacy - Stephen Frey, and another i can't remember now...
before my wedding i read another book, and on my honeymoon I read 6 books, most in the action/suspense genre, I'll rate them out of 5 stars:
Digital Fortress - Dan Brown (3 out of 5)
The Broker - John Grisham (4)
i robot - Isaac Asimov (3)
Killer Instinct - Joseph Finder (3)
The Chairman - Stephen Frey (2.5)
Guide to Guys - Dave Barry (not the same kind of book as the rest, humor and it's funny)
Wow, you're a fast reader. Unless those are all 250-350 page books.
Actually, I read Digital Fortress super fast. I, Robot took me longer I think. Love Asimov's books.
I'm reading a book right now that is so good, I can hardly put it down. But, it's like 900 pages so I've been reading it for so long now...
i read them pretty quick, most were 450-500 pages
what book ru reading?
i just finished digital fortress. i liked it a lot, but it's not like it's real quality literature. definitely not poorly written, but you kind of always know what to expect from dan brown. every book of his is like this: some guy that has some really important information to pass on, dies right before he can pass it on, because some assassin kills him. then the main character and his really hot girl friend have to figure out what that information was by following a string of clues, and deciphering codes, and running away from bad guys.
yeah def i agree.
just finished the dacinci code and angels and demons by dan brown. angels and demons was an awesome awesome book all the way through. davinci code started out awesome, then about 3/4 of the way through it started sucking.
Survivor - Chuck P. Everyones life is a joke. The punchline is death
have this on my shelf as a recommend. should i read it?
It was pretty funny too me.
I was hoping for a better ending.. but it was good the way it was I suppose.
Leaves it open.. I know some people like that. I HATE THAT.
But the actual read was good
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
Really amazing book. I've been really upset lately because I haven't enjoyed reading (being an English Major kind of killed it for me) but I couldn't put this book down once I started it. Several different narrators and you don't really get how they're connected at first (so it's interesting to figure out).
isnt she part of the duo that wrote the Nanny Diaries? What is this book about?
I'm currently reading the LL Cool J workout book, because HAVE YOU SEEN SWAT? Sheesh, this guy's muscles have muscles.
The book is somewhat written for people who are ... less educated, but so far it takes a really deep approach to eating better, working out harder, and creating time for working out.
My favorite tip so far - all the good food at the supermarkets is on the ends and directly in the middle. Everything else in the store is bad. (Eggs on one end, meat on the other end, fruits/veggies in the middle).
so in Northern NJ do they have fruits/veggies in the middle of supermarkets?
no i dont know whats hes talking about... maybe in the back woods of new milford, but not generally up here
ok, just curious about foreign lands
at my pathmark in ramsey, they do. also in the shop-rite in new milford. and also in the pathmark in river edge.
all of these are in north jersey. ian, you live in west jersey. accept it and move on.
any place where the Delaware water gap is close, that's west jersey
i've always heard to stay on the outskirts of the supermarket..thats where dairy, meat & fruits & veggies are. Never in the middle.
Those itmes are located on the "Perimeter" of the supermarkets. So you are correct, the dairy, deli & produce in NJ are most often never in the middle. (I know because its my profession :D) haha
what is your profession?
Bagger
I work for a food company. You probably have had some of our products. We sell to grocery stores & supermarkets. So I would know a little bit about how they are set up...
if it makes you feel better Dan-- the vedgies are in the middle of my supermarket. and the meat and dairy are on the edges. nevermind all these contrarians.
What supermarket do you shop at?!
the one where me and your mother meet
My mother is dead, but thanks for reminding me of the pain...
if i meant harm, i'd feel bad. sorry to hear about your mom though.
his mom's not dead, she called me at 2 AM last night
No my mom isnt dead, Dan is right, and the reason she called you at 2 AM was to let you know that Lauren just left my house....
BAHAHAHAHA!
and steroids!! lots of steroids!!!!
I am almost finished reading "the 12 day hunt for lincolns killer".
It is all true facts about the days leading up to and the hunt for John Wilkes Booth.
If you love history this book is really good.
I really really like it. I love history, especially war history.
It was amaizing how prejudice this charecture JWB was.
& he had a tattoo of his initials on his wriste. I thought that was funny for some reason.
& all the people that helped the assasin get away and hide him and all that stuff.
Good Read
Edit: the Book title is : MANHUNT the 12-dDay Chase for Lincoln's Killer
it's being made into a movie, i understand.
sounds cool. i'm going to read it on vacay next month.
Oh man, the whole time I am reading it I am going 'man I wish they would have this on the history channel or a movie of it. That would be great.
The Last Juror
Well written, but never really went anywhere. overall, kind of a letdown. 4 out of 10 stars
which one is that? i cant remember if i read it or not
john grisham... young guy buys a newspaper in a small town and this other guy in corrupt family is being tried for rape
no i dont think i read that. aside from an innocent man, is that his latest?
the namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
so i saw the previews for the movie and i just thought it looked like a deeply involved story that the book would be a much better way to go with the story. its about this indian-american boy and how he has this weird name. and the story is this deeply integrated story about how much names mean and the really important reason involving his father of why he has this name. and why is he always trying to run from it to be more american? definetely a story about first generation immigrant child but so seamlessly links into his story is the stories of this man's mother, father, girlfriends just changing points of view for a general consciencousness of the world he's living it. i literally sat down in the bookstore and read it in one seating and didn't go to my class. good. thoughtful. and now all i wanna do is see the movie.
I didn't get to read this yet but I had to read her Interpreter of Maladies (book of short stories) for my one class and I really enjoyed it.
see it mentioned on the book how she won a nobel prize for that book and i wanted to read it, but i wasnt sure whether or not it was short stories.
Yeah, it's a bunch of short stories but I really liked them all!
I know you'll -love- "This Blessed House" if you read them.
i've always tried to get into short stories but i just always hate them. like i want more of the story.
i was sitting at Barnes and Noble waiting for a client recently and I picked up this book and got totally involved in the first few pages - and then the client arrived and I didn't want to stop reading
I have to buy this book methinks
I recently read: "A staggering work of heartbreaking genius" by Dave Eggers. Overall, I give it a C.
On the positive side, it's written in an interesting way. It's officially a non-fiction book, a memoir, so it takes place over a specific period of time, but flashes back to other periods constantly, so it has a very stream-of-conciousness feel. That's good and bad; it's an interesting style, but it can be exasperating. It's almost 400 pages, and by about page 230, I wanted it to be over. There was a lot of stuff about the writer's magazine, his interview with MTV for the Real World San Francisco, and other completely uninteresting stuff. Also, thoughts don't segway at all, which I understand is probably what the author wanted, because it makes it seem like it was very much what he was thinking, but there aren't even paragraph breaks where new thoughts begin - sometimes it's just mid-sentence.
I generally consider a book good if I can't wait to finish it; I forced myself to finish this one. It was an interesting story, written in an interesting way, but it could've been half as long. That was the major flaw.
*Disclaimer: I wasn't prepared for the amount of bad language in this book. In fact, it turned me off. I think that could've been toned down as well. Some of the vocabulary is very intelligent, then there are pages where he uses the F word like 20 times! I think that might have been to make himself feel more like a real person who curses and gets upset, but it only made him unappealing to me.
Also, I must have dropped it off my nightstand at some point, and the plastic cover the library put on is now ripped. In addition to my returning it like 6 weeks late. So now I've got to duplicate the cover before the library police levy fines.
Was it very sarcastic?
It wasn't dripping with sarcasm - I'd say it was average for a writer under 30.
So I just finally finished Wicked. Fabulous to the end! took me forever cause I didn't have much time to read it. I really want to see the play.
NOW , I need a new book.
I'm reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and I think it's one of the best books I've ever read.
that's one of my favourites!! there is actually a movie that i've been trying to track down. we should watch it together.
What is it about?
Right now, Im reading The Time Traveler's Wife which is absolutely incredible!! I can hardly put it down!
great book. that was one that had me thinking about it for days after i had finished it
the movie is coming!
funny i just finished the pilot's wife. all these wives and their books
was that good? i heard it was really boring... also, someone at work mentioned "the doctor's wife" to me, i dont know anything about it, but its another wife book
i gotta say it was suspensful and and interesting read good for the beach but i was majorly dissapointed by the ending. maybe it was just me thought cuz i hear oprah put it in her book club and you know oprah is never wrong.
nigger an autobiography by dick gregory. interesting story. it was actually written back in the sixties and really ends with his involvement with civil rights issue. funny at some points but oh so sad at others. it always amazes me of the people who have the ability to make you cry when all ur doing is reading a book.
hrm
hahahahaha
what's hrm mean?
I believe this a sound made by gameboy to subtly show dismay over a certain posting.
But that is just my guess... because JP, Chris Rock your not. :-P
hahahaha
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time.
awesome
really? im beginning to think me and you have exact opposite tastes in books cuz i have this book and i did not like it at all.
Well.. then... there it is.
You clearly have the worst taste in books.
How does that feel?...
I want to taste your emotions!
... Seriously though..
We better have different tastes.. otherwise.. We'd be boring.
PLus you're a girl.. and like cats..
and I like guns and stuff.. and like.. balls
We were supposed to read this for Book Club once and I have it upstairs..I got maybe twenty pages in and never finished it.
some of us did read it! we even had a phone-in participant haha
i read that, i sort of enjoyed it, but sort of felt bad for the kid
Definitely agree. I just read this book this morning and it was great.
I just finished:
The Godfather
Amazing!
I read Reading Lolita in Tehran and hated it. Has anyone else ever read and share my sentiments?
I can not get over how weird and amazing Wicked is. I LOVE IT. I really want to see the play.
yeah me too but apparently they are sold out for quite a while (did you read the sequel Son of a Witch? Thats on my list)
Its not sold out. Just most weekends are taken till Novemeber. But they still have some openenings during the week. We are going. I am so excited.
I saw that book , but I want to finish reading this book before I buy another one. It's taken me forever cuase I am so busy right now. But I am almost done.
how would one go about getting tickets?
try broadway.com
I picked up:
THe wisdom of our fathers - russert
and
The TIpping point - goldwell
almost done with the tipping point..
it's an ok book.. with a rather interesting perspective..
but i want to rean FREAKANOMICS before i can declare it better or worse
song of solomon by maya angelou. very weird. i like the way she writes cuz it's so descriptive and even when you read it out loud the way it sounds is so amazing. but unfortunately this book i just kept waiting and waiting for it to get better. and then i felt it abruptly ended. a story about love but really about these crazy women driven mad by love. i wouldnt really reccommend it.
Psalms 52-59....good stuff...
Diary - was alright... i laughed.
Velocity - dean koontz - good... read it in like 2 hours... i expected a sad ending.. but.. nope
I went chuck P crazy.. they had the whole.. buy 3 get the 4th free..
get Haunted. so awesome.
i just finished diary and choke and i didnt really like either of them.
you got thru them? you're a trooper.
nothing is static. everything is falling apart
did you get Survivor? i have that on my shelf, but haven't gotten to it yet.
The Pearl - Steinbeck : great lines in it from noble and pulitzer winner
Andromeda Strain - Crichton : read this in like 2 hours quick easy read
Decption Point - Brown : good.. just like every other dan brown novel
Bag of Bones - King : had ghosts in it. stupid book. really dumb
Sports Illustrated : every week
that was junes list
upnext some classics:
Frankenstein : mary shelley
Farewell to Arms: hemmingway
and I plan on picking up 2 chuck palanuik books for july.
Hemingway is overrated. If you're doing the classics, did you ever read Beowulf? It would play into your Shelley section.
Palahniuk is the man
i saw a book of his the other day but it's not a fiction one. it's supposedly some of the true things he has seen that inspires the crazy stories that he writes. i reade the first chapter and it was pretty good. i'm gonna hafta go back and get it.
Stranger than fiction.
pretty good book.. though sometimes dull
so i just heard will ferrell talking in an interview about how he is going to be in the movie version of this book. him and dustin hoffman.
most definately NOT the chuck P book.
chuck p's stranger than fiction is Non-fiction and is abunch of letters.
I saw that preview too - about how a writer is writing things that are actually happening to this man. The movie seemed really interesting, but I don't know how you'd make it a book - it would be very confusing.
I liked andromeda strain.
crying baby, hyperventilation
old man drinking turpentine.
the ending was a little unfulfilling though...
" ohh it just mutated.. it's harmless now.. bye bye. end game. POOF"
though the old movie is on my Netflixx queue..
yeah. I read it a long long time ago. actually it was summer of '95...
I haven't seen the movie yet. gotta do that.
I just read Frankenstein (1818 version) three times this past semester. I really enjoyed it though I was kind of tired of it by the end.
I forgot about The Pearl! I made a cool movie about that.
okay, i'm gonna tell everyone this...and you can't make fun! i'm not finished with this book, cuz it's a "how to" and kind of a reference...but the book is called "HOME COMFORTS, The Art and Science of Keeping House"
i absolutely love it. it tells you everything, from how to care for different kinds of fabrics to the proper way to set a formal table.
it tells you how often certain chores should be done...daily, weekly, monthy, yearly.
it is just so informative, and keeps you motivated for getting chores done....i especially like the "broken window rule" which basically is when a window in a neighborhood is broken, and left unfixed, it slowly causes the breakdown of the whole neighborhood because people get the feeling it's not a place to take care of......
the same applies to just one dish left in the sink...others come along, and don't feel bad leaving things a mess, because they didnt start it.
interesting.
anyways...if you are into this kind of stuff...get this book! it's great!
I just read Wicked. I recommend it! I was a little skeptical at first because its about a witch, but if you watched the Wizard of Oz and didnt have a problem with it, this will be fine (its basically the prologue to the Wizard of Oz). Definitly a good read, and it reads pretty fast too.
Ahhhh Yes, i forgot about this book, i hear the play is good too!.. Thanks for reminding me on this.
So i have started wicked.. VERY VERY WEIRD in the begining so far. Kind of interesting kind of not, I hope it gets better, I hope it goes into explain why she was born like that and all. That whole part of her being born and afterward part SOOO WEIRD.
well it kind of does, but thats not really the point...
I recently read Shopgirl by Steve Martin.
I borrowed it from the library on a Tuesday and finished it Wednesday afternoon. Granted, I took Wednesday off sick, but still, it was a quick, really engrossing read.
I should add a disclaimer: The movie was rated R, and the book has some language and "adult situations" as well, so if that bothers you, it's not something you'd want to read.
The story was really good; basically about a depressed, lonely girl who gets romantically stuck between a man who's younger than her and acts like a moron, and a man who's twice her age, rich, and treats her like gold.
The writing style was good - for the first few chapters, I couldn't forget that it was Steve Martin writing, so I found nuances in words that were similar to the way he delivers comedy. At that point, I thought his writing could have been a little more refined, but it was still enjoyable. But by about page 30 or 40, I forgot the writer was famous comedian and really enjoyed his style. It seemed to get less colloquial as the book continued, almost like the last chapters were edited more than the first, or that he hit is stride at a certain point. In any event, it was a very pleasant read.
he wrote at least one other book right? you're the 2nd person whose taste i trust to mention this book as a good read...it's going on my list.
The bio in the book mentioned Martin wrote a couple other books, but I can't recall the names.
I also started that Eggers book that you recommended, and it's pretty good so far; it's very funny. I'm only in the preface right now, but there was a "disclaimer" before the preface saying, 'The preface is way too long. Don't read it. If you've already read it, I apologize.' It's sarcastic without being stupid, you know. I'm liking it.
ohhh i have to see if my library has Eggers stuff cos i can't buy right now...books are expensive!
I just read an excerpt out of the Smithsonian Magazine, (I love this magazine) about Lincoln's Assasin. It is from a book called " An Assasin's Final Hours" _ I want this book,, this little 7 page excerpt was interesting.
I recently read my Glamour magazine.....cover to cover......it was very informative.
And that is the sad state of my existence as of now.....because school is out, and my work schedule isn't as hectic.....and sitting on the couch while Tyler watches "Code Name: Kids Next Door" is what I fill my days with.
i just read this when i got a pedicure yesterday. but i think it was an old glamour. still informative tho.
ha ha code name kids next door, that is an interesting cartoon.::
ANYWAY.. _ i need some more suggestions on a book to read. I am plumb out.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
what is it about?
Hunter S. Thompson's seminal psychedelic classic about his road trip across Western America as he and his large Samoan lawyer searched desperately for the "American dream"... they were helped in large part by the huge amount of drugs and alcohol kept in their convertible, The Red Shark.
I recently read Ape and Essence by Aldous Huxley.
Seriously, Huxley can do no wrong in my mind; I love all of his stuff that I've read.
This book is an allegory, but it's basically about the world in 2108, after WWIII and a nuclear fallout. There's a group of scientists from New Zealand (the only place in the world not affected by radiation) who sail to California to research the life there, if any, about 50 years after the nuclear explosions.
They encounter life, but I don't want to ruin it and say much more.
One spoiler, though, because I'm not sure if some people would be offended by the book (I wasn't; it's all supposed to be a statement about the human condition), but it won't ruin the story at all, it'll just decrease one twist in the plot.
The californian (presumably mutated) survivors believe the mutations occur because of the devil, and they use the name "Belial" a lot. It doesn't bother me because I think Huxley was trying to say that people overlook the most logical and scientific explanation and turn to religion, even if they don't worship God. But seriously, I'm sorry if that offends anyone, but I didn't want to post this without saying something about that part of the story.
i've only read brave new world. the others are worth checking out huh?
I think I've read maybe 7 of his other books and I've liked em all. He's got the same kind of "people are only animals" freundian type themes to all of his books, but he relays them all very well and he writes interesting characters.
ooh, i think i like the sound of that. i may check it out. when was it published?
1948. I think Huxley published like 10 books that year.
whew
So odd, I was just musing in my head earlier today about how amazing Aldous Huxley is and how much I would love to teach Brave New World to a HS class.
As it is, thats the only one I read (I have the Island, I think its called, at home but I only got a few pages into it ever) and I actually brought it to Switzerland with me and reread it for the third time in the first two days. Amazing book, I'll have to pick up Ape and Essence.
Oh man, my HS english teacher (I think it was in 9th or 10th grade) refused to teach it. She said it had too many sexual connotations. But that's the point of the book - it would be so perfect for a fruendian phsychology class, because that's basically what it's propounding.
So dumb, I think its one of the most amazing novels especially considering when it was written. I love dystopia novels in general. For my final project in US history junior year I read three dystopia books and then wrote a paper on which I thought was the most likely to happen in the US. I could have watched a movie and read two books but I ended up re-reading 1984 and then reading Brave New World and A Clockwork Orange.
Ben insists that the only reason I like Brave New World is because its all about sex; and that is a major reason why I do like it but not for the reasons he thinks. I think looking at the sexual practices of a society are so revealing and thats why Huxley uses that and its so amazingly perverse.
I really like Huxley's symbolism too. I was really freaked out by Clockwork Orange, though. Especially when I was living alone; even though I'd read it years earlier, I still thought someone was going to burst through my front door and beat me up. It just freaked me out.
this sounds really cool... i read brave new world in school and i know people were offended by that book.. but i liked it
How were people offended by Brave New World?
Because of all the promiscuity.
yeah, exactly, but to me it was like, there was a point to writing about that it wasn't just blatant, pointless promiscuity
i don't know, it was a great book
Oh yea, it was a total analogy, but schools are sometimes weird about that. I remember my step mother was all cappusted because there's a hooker in "Catcher in the Rye", even though it's not x-rated. Literature needs to be viewed on a very different plane.
cappusted. hm, i think you just made up a new word!
Hahahaha - the spelling nazi doesn't know how to spell jewish colloquialisms. :)
yeah i love Catcher in the Rye, again some people are offended at that book
i remember i got in trouble for reading Lord of the Flies
like, i got talked to about it
oof
But the whole point was that the society of Brave New World was a _dystopia_. If it were encouraging promiscuity I could see people being offended, but it'e exactly the opposite.
It wasn't encouraging promiscuity, but it was definitely there. For face value, that's probably why a school wouldn't feature it.
i never get where schools draw the line on offensive things. we read black boy in h.s. and that was out of control, but controversy can lead to such great discussions.
K so i just finished reading Harpo Speaks, great book very comedic.
ONLY thing that annoyed me about it, is there was no real timeline of these things it was 1920 and then all of a sudden it would be 1939.. I like timelines.
They had an interesting life, I definatly would liked to have hung out with him, but not on one of his drop cloths excersions, he loved to do that it seemed. ha
But over all good read. I am now going to read groucho & me, I hope its just as funny.
Did anyone read "Thank you for Smoking"? Its a movie thats out now, but first it was a book.... I'm thinking about reading it, but I havent yet.
you are SO corporate
I want to see the movie, it is playing near my house, but the R rating is slightly discouraging.
For my Jane Austen seminar I just finished Sense and Sensibility. I totally loved it! Of course, I'm obviously a fan of Austen's work in general, but I enjoyed S&S because I wasn't sure how it was going to end which caused me to stay up all night to finish it.
Can anyone recomend a good read for me.I generally like biographys of interesting people that endured hard times. or weird storys like the wizard of oz chonicls, but not scary weird, just like what the that makes no sence weird.
I am desperatly in need of something to read.
I have started reading the 06 year book which is always interesting but i will be done with that in no time.
Crap..I hit reply and instantly forgot what I was gonna say.
Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul books!
a funnt biography i liked was harpo speaks. by harpo marx. its hysterical but they had some really hard times in the beginnings. the library probably has it, bu it only really works if you know or like the marx brothers. and any story about groucho is just extremely sad. what a horrible life he had compared to his brothers.
I am going to try out this book it sounds interesting. I can pik that up at a book store you think? Id rather purchase books then rent them. I'd end up keeping it anyway.
hmm. depends cuz its kinda an older book. i know its on amazon and you can just buy it used for $12 or $13 for new. just hysterical stories in this book that he really did. sometimes i see myself doing them. once you are done you gotta share with me abiut if you liked it and your favorite parts. i'd tell some of mine that would make you wanna read it even more but then it might spoil it. good reading!
actually when i looked on amazon to answer your question i saw a book that groucho actually wroe abbout himself and how you can look in the books and read the first few pages it seems hysterical and exactly the way he appeared on scren (which i love) his life is sad but this noncoherant rambling is stuff i love. i'll let ya know when i finish. just ordered it!
so got to read it. still very funny but not very personal and in no particular chronological order. harpo's book is 20x better i feel. enjoy!
I just purchased the book!! I AM SO EXCITED.ha ha. I also got groucho & me along with it. it looked pretty funny. I can't wait to start reading them. THANK YOU
haha ur welcome. i hope ur gonna love it!!
I read a bio of Byron a long time ago. He lead a really wild, weird life.
sex, drugs, and cocoa puffs. by chuck klosterman. pretty much just the raved rantings of this kinda geeky but really funny guy that works for ny times and spin magazine. crazy links between oddities that he noticed and then wrote chapters on. very entertaining to read. the first chapter discussing how no woman will ever make him happy. even though when he gets married and 15 yrs down the line he's asked about being happy,.he'll say yes but totally not mean it. and who's to blame for this? the fact that movies give such a untrue expression of love.so you can blame everyone for this (kinda pointless) or no one (kinda cowardly.) so he chooses to blame john cusack. to learn why ya gotta read this book. hysterical.
i am currently halfway thru fight club again. Read it and i'm going back through it. Kinda like 60% of the way through the book it grabs you and i finished it in a flurry..
ezabel is calm as hindu cows
drones can leave the nest
Even worker bees can leave
The queen is their slave
I'm currently reading "State of Fear" by Michael Crichton - last week I read "3rd Degree" by James Patterson and the week before that I read "Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town" by Cory Doctorow.
State of Fear is definitely the best of the 3 - all Michael Crichton's books are excellent (well except "A Case of Need"). This one has to do with things we learn from the media that are not true - in this case, Global Warming, and how things really havne't gotten hotter at all - the media is just hyping everything up. Definitely excellent reading.
For those who are geeky (like me) i'm reading it on my Treo using an E-Book reader - the book I got from the New York Public Library's online database, using Adam Pepitone's library card. Thanks Adam! (PS - with the NY public library's online books, you can't return things late, they are automatically deleted after 21 days.)
i want to read that. haven't picked up a Crichton book since . . . well, the one before Timeline. but THIS book looks neat. i DID read the afterward in the book store. looks good. MC has a way of explaining technical things in way that doesn't make you feel dumb.
Memoirs of a Geisha.. Good Read, but I wished it was real it would have made it even more.
Isn't it real?
I'm bad with getting the facts straight, but I think this was a fictionalized story written by an American man?
Yah..but I think it is historical fiction, or I thought it was. I thought the author acurately described the life style of a Geisha.
i can agree with that.
yeah...i saw an interview with the two stars: michelle yeoh and what's-her-name. they were saying how surprised they were to meet the author after having been impressed with the screenplay
I thought he was Japanese and someone translated it for him.... Did anyone see the movie?? I really want to see it, but I've heard that they play up the child prostitution aspect of it more than in the book... any thoughts?
they did a pretty good job with the movie, too. you should go check it out if you liked the book.
incorrect..... i read the book and LOVED it and saw the movie friday and it was AWFUL!! I had heard bad things about the movie but saw it with high hopes that were dashed to pieces! it was a sad day.
HA!
oh you be quiet!
what would you have done differently?
i think that the movie didnt explain certain things...... If i hadnt read the book i would have had very little understanding.... for instance, that first scene was soooooo different from the book. I had trouble understanding what was going on.
It's a fictional story. You get it in the fictional section. The book says it's fictional. I was sad to read that. I so wanted it to be real. ha
Now the movie I dont really have an opinion on becuasue I read the book first MUCH to my NOT wanting to. But i did. LOVED the book. Saw the movie and was entertained by it even though there were alot of parts that were over dramatized especially when they took her away from her father, that first scene. But then again it is a movie. I didn't mind it but my opinion on it is blank. That is why i wanted to watch it first and THEN read the book. but everyone was like no one does that, thats weird. people usually read the book first. So i was like oookay, I'll give it a whurl, & i wish I didn't, I think I'd have an opinion on the movie.
(btw i totlaly forgot i put this in here so sorry for not responding to anyones questions ealier)
When i was cool: My life at the Jack Kerouac school of disembodied poetry by Sam Kashner. a biography of a guy who became the only student at the beats poets college before it was accredited. classes were typing allen ginsberg's poems. trying to keep gregory corso from doing drugs. assignements on life rather than reports. good book. very sad at the end in how all of them die. just cuz they were old men but like still so alive. if you're really interested in beat poetry its a good book but i doubt other people would be so intruiged by it as i was.
There was this book called The Nanny Murders by Merry Jones
Excellent read, really captivating. It definately gets the wheels turning.
The plot was somewhat complex, there were several subplots (like four), so it took a lot of unexpected twists and turns. I liked the subtleties sprinkled throughout, details you'd remember reading, really couldn't appreciate how they could even be remotely related, but then Jones ties it all together. Good stuff.
I'm now reading Without Consent by Frances Fyfield...
has anyone ever read empire falls? i have been teetering on buying this book for weeks now. every time i go into the bookstore but i always walk out with other stuff. and now its a miniseries on hbo and i cant deciede whether to watch it first or read it first. if i watch the movie first itll motivate me to read the book and i wont be mad about them leaving stuff out like they always have to.and deciede if it a good book to read. i dont know. anyone read it?
I read skinny dipping, the novel from the guy from FL and all his novels are based in FL..
I am in the middle of reading .. Wizard of Oz Chronicles, WOOWW, its crazy that they even made it a movie.. Its crazy infact how any of disney movies are kids movies, they are all so dark! but interesting!
I just finished Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy,, It is SOOOO CUTE, I really liked it, it's very honest and witty and cute, I loved it! I Read it in a day! Its about being pregnant and stuff, really funny.
I Finished her Second book a couple days ago, "Baby Laughs",, Eh, stokay. not as good and funny as the first.