The Official SHH Literature Thread

[Jolie_Desastre]

Just got done reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

This one I would strongly, strongly recommend. I have never read anything like it. It kept me glued to it until the very end. And of course, by the end I threw it since the end had a cliffhanger in a way and in bold read, End of Book One. It also makes you think about what would you do in that type of situation?

Here's a short summary. It's North America, in the future. After a brutal war. Instead of states, there are twelve districts. The government is called the Capitol. Every year, they select one boy and one girl from each district from the ages of 12-18 to participate in the hunger games by drawing their names. They are all selected to fight to the death until only one of them is left standing on live television.

 

[Special Bear]

Get to work. Now.

Oh, I will... after I'm done with all these books.

So what are some good Christmas books?

The Hogfather comes immediately to mind.

Just got done reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

This one I would strongly, strongly recommend. I have never read anything like it. It kept me glued to it until the very end. And of course, by the end I threw it since the end had a cliffhanger in a way and in bold read, End of Book One. It also makes you think about what would you do in that type of situation?

Here's a short summary. It's North America, in the future. After a brutal war. Instead of states, there are twelve districts. The government is called the Capitol. Every year, they select one boy and one girl from each district from the ages of 12-18 to participate in the hunger games by drawing their names. They are all selected to fight to the death until only one of them is left standing on live television.

Color me intrigued. I'll be sure to check it out, if only for that summary.

I finished reading Jurassic Park yesterday (bought it on Thursday, read it in two sittings). I was utterly unsurprised that it was better than the movie, but I was absolutely blown away by just how much. It pulled me in from the first page. The descriptions were vivid, easy to conjure, the action abundant--but I wasn't reading it for the action. I wanted the characterizations and philosophical arguments and suchlike, and most of all, the dinosaurs (!), and I wasn't disappointed. Ian Malcolm in particular was my favourite character to read (his spontaneous speeches were not only entertaining, but insightful). Crichton--bless his soul--wrote a great book here. I could literally see the dinosaurs lurking in the future pages as I turned the page. They're there, first fully exposed in page one hundred or so, but the anticipation of it all was what counted and Crichton did so with panache. So good was it that I had to buy the sequel, which I did, today. Just started on it, in fact.

So, currently, I'm reading The Lost World, and Witches Abroad (am up to the part where Greebo got the bat), but mainly The Lost World. Hopefully, it won't be as mediocre as the movie. Crikey. Oh, I also got A Short History of Nearly Everything, my first Bill Bryson book--and I plan to buy more (have been reading excerpts of some of his books online and they made me ).

 

[stardust]

Currently reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. It's about a woman living in Scotland in 1945 with her husband. After being separated for nearly 6 years because of the war, she was a nurse and he was a soldier, they decide to go on a second honeymoon. When she comes upon a structure of boulders, she touches one, then finds herself springing into the year 1743.

It's a bit slow the first 100 pages but now it's starting to get pretty good. These books are pretty long btw.

Good God, I received that book from a friend so now I have to read it but it's killing me. I'm less than 100 pages into the book and I can't relate to the main character at all. In fact I can't stand her. I usually enjoy sarcasm and use it often, but her particular type of sarcasm is putting me off. I reckon it will take me a long time to finish it.

 

[Jolie_Desastre]

Good God, I received that book from a friend so now I have to read it but it's killing me. I'm less than 100 pages into the book and I can't relate to the main character at all. In fact I can't stand her. I usually enjoy sarcasm and use it often, but her particular type of sarcasm is putting me off. I reckon it will take me a long time to finish it.

yeah i didn't relate to her either. but after you get past the first 100 pages the book will become easier to read. then after 200 pages you'll be flying through it. i rarely relate to main protagonists in books.

 

[stardust]

yeah i didn't relate to her either. but after you get past the first 100 pages the book will become easier to read. then after 200 pages you'll be flying through it. i rarely relate to main protagonists in books.

Dunno, we'll see, I'm not ready to give up on it... mainly because my friend will quiz me on it later. But it's really hard to read especially right after The Host and The Appeal.

 

[BlackLantern]

trying to finish The Gypsy Morph by Terry Brooks - was a big fan of the Knight and the Word series and did not know this connected to Shannara....it's still good though

 

[Jolie_Desastre]

Dunno, we'll see, I'm not ready to give up on it... mainly because my friend will quiz me on it later. But it's really hard to read especially right after The Host and The Appeal.

Yeah it's a lot to take in, but after awhile it will get much, much easier. In my opinion, the beginning just dragged completely. Oh man, your friend do that to you much?

I read The Host and liked it a lot but I haven't read The Appeal yet, any good?

 

[Arcturus]

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

- Carl Sagan

 

[ComicChick]

just wondering, do any of yall have Shelfari pages?

 

[stardust]

Yeah it's a lot to take in, but after awhile it will get much, much easier. In my opinion, the beginning just dragged completely. Oh man, your friend do that to you much?

Not this one. But I've got another one who got me through the first books of the True Blood series, and I'm really not into vampires. I was almost relieved when that friend went abroad before the next book in the series got translated here.

I read The Host and liked it a lot but I haven't read The Appeal yet, any good?

Yep, The Host was great. As for The Appeal, if you like Grisham's style, like I do, then it's alright. Not his best book, though. It leaves you with a bit of a depressing feeling in the end.

 

[Eggyman]

just wondering, do any of yall have Shelfari pages?

Yes!

I've not updated it though in about a month.

http://www.shelfari.com/o1518050474

 

[[A]]

hey, there's another on-line-library thing I cannot remember the name of.. uhm, librarything, something like that? I like keeping these records of what I read, listen to, watch, etc

 

[ComicChick]

yay i'm glad i'm not the only one who has one. I had one a longtime ago but i deleted it. i made a new one tonight

sending you an add

i can't wait to go through my book case (my real one) and add the books i've got and read, but it's almost 7am and i have been up since yesterday. so goodnight/good morning

 

[SLVRSR4]

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

- Carl Sagan

The intro to that book was excellent

 

[Jolie_Desastre]

Not this one. But I've got another one who got me through the first books of the True Blood series, and I'm really not into vampires. I was almost relieved when that friend went abroad before the next book in the series got translated here.

haha, well i particularly enjoyed the true blood books but i can see how they aren't for everyone.
that must've been good timing t:

Yep, The Host was great. As for The Appeal, if you like Grisham's style, like I do, then it's alright. Not his best book, though. It leaves you with a bit of a depressing feeling in the end.

I haven't read any Grisham novels yet but I'm trying to find the best one to start with first, since The Appeal is his newest one I decided not to go there yet.

 

[Special Bear]

The Lost World, done. I liked it. The book gained points from me by not having a rammaging T-rex in San Diego, at least--I hated that. I especially loved the carnotaurus, the chameleons. There were a few parts I felt like dragging through, and some of the characters' naivetés irked me, but on the whole, I found it fine. Sarah Harding was much better than her movie counterpart and I loved Thorne--Brendan Gleeson would fit the character like a glove, I think.

Almost done with Witches Abroad. Granny Weatherwax continues to crack me up (I'd hate to play with her in any imaginable game ).

 

[stardust]

I haven't read any Grisham novels yet but I'm trying to find the best one to start with first, since The Appeal is his newest one I decided not to go there yet.

I pretty much enjoyed reading them more or less chronologically, since I've discovered him by the time The Firm was published here, but that's just me.

 

[Jolie_Desastre]

I might just try that

Just finished the first book in The Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Pretty addictive. It also gives a little bit of a different take on the vampire genre. Probably picking up the next book in the series today.

 

[Star]

I MUST check out Jurrasic Park. I actually think I'm going to buy it today.

Currently I'm reading Animal Liberation by Peter Singer. A human rights prof I had last year recommended it to us but said it's hard to read it without becoming a vegetarian but since I already am one it's not really a big issue haha.

I'm also re-reading the Harry Potter series. I forgot how boring the fifth one is :

 

[Star]

Double post

 

[BlackLantern]

I might just try that

Just finished the first book in The Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Pretty addictive. It also gives a little bit of a different take on the vampire genre. Probably picking up the next book in the series today.

I think we've all seen enough "takes" on the vampire genre...between the cliche laden Twilight and the utter smut of the Anita Blake series, I have had enough of vampires for a bit...

 

[CHEZ]

I am going back and forth reading two books.

"The Chess Machine" by Robert Lohr. A novel that is based on a true story and takes place in the late Eighteenth Century about a man named Baron von Kempelen, who invents an incredible chess machine he calls the Mechanical Turk. He travels the world challenging Chess champions to beat his machine and they always lose, but the catch is that no one knows the device isn't a real machine at all. It is secretly operated on the inside by an Italian dwarf named Tibor.
It's all a big hoax and Kempelen basks in fame until...
A little slow, but so far it's been pretty enjoyable.

The other book I am reading is "The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero".
Pretty obvious what this is about. So far it's the most thorough bio of Houdini I've ever read. It ties in his personal diary as part of the story, so you're also reading Houdini in his own words as certain tricks and feats are performed.
It's a terrific book.

 

[squeekness]

I'm just about finished with The Shack by Wm. Paul Young. It's a fictional account of man who whose daughter was killed by a serial killer and he takes it quite badly (who wouldn't?). He returns to the shack where his daughter was murdered and then has a vision of sorts where he converses with the three persons of God and they cover a whole range of subjects including how the Trinity works, forgiveness, grace and looking at how we treat people. I can't say that I agree with all of it, but it gives sharp insight into the Trinity and how God works and the beauty of forgivness. It's very well written and I would recommend it to anyone curious about the faith and the healing power of love.

 

[Star]

Sounds kind of interesting, but I really couldn't see myself reading a book with such strong religious undertones. Does it 'preach'?

 

[squeekness]

Sounds kind of interesting, but I really couldn't see myself reading a book with such strong religious undertones. Does it 'preach'?

I didn't think so but it is probably geared more for those who already believe but don't have an established denomination. It goes a long way towards promoting the view (that I share) that God is more of a loving father and less of a biogted tyrant. It doesn't go on about saving souls or saying how you have to drop what you're doing and believe in Jesus like other books I've read. So I didn't find it preachy, but I do read these sort of things from time to time so I just might be numb to all that. I would be interested to hear the opinion of a "fence sitting, not quite sure they believe just yet type person".