Jeannette

I started my copy last night in bed, but was so tired that I only got to page 12. I think it's going to be a good one, though. I was wondering about what the forward says: did Freud actually go to the states and have some kind of traumatic experience which gave the author the idea for this book, or did he just make that up to set the scene?

I'm on the last 20 pages of Cell right now.....the tension is rising.....gotta run!

I recently read this one and found it a disturbing yet fascinating book. I think that people who like bleak novels like The Handmaiden's Tale will also like this one. I didn't find it as well-written as The Handmaiden's Tale (which I consider a true classic), but I do think they will appeal to the same audience.

Yes, that's classic Bill Bryson!!

OOOOH, I love Billy Bryson! It might have to do with the fact that I'm an american living in Europe who has travelled quite a bit. I really relate to the jokes he makes about both europeans and about himself as an american. I also enjoy the fact that while he makes fun of others, he makes the most fun of himself. It's all in good fun. If anybody wants to read a "typical" Bill Bryson book first, then I would say to go for "A Walk in the Woods". And while "A Short History of Nearly Everything" is an interesting read, it's not a humorous book, and therefore not typical Bryson.

The title itself is a spoiler! Actually, I've only read the first one in the series so far...I really should read the rest.

I have no idea!

I had high hopes for this book, but have to give it a rating of just "OK". The story itself was kind of clever...but it could have been so much better! It is a very forgettable book, unfortunately.

I think I'm one of the last people on this earth that has never read a Terry Pratchett book!

Has anybody else read "Shantaram" yet? I recently finished it and loved it. It's a huge novel based on a true story. I think I read somewhere that it's 85% true, but don't quote me on that. What made my jaw drop after reading it was the fact that the author had to write it three times. I'm not talking drafts, I mean beginning from scratch. He wrote it (in longhand!) in prison and the guards destroyed the finished manuscript twice.

I LOVE cookbooks and I love to cook. I also use epicurious.com alot when I'm looking for inspiration. For example, I can take or leave brussel sprouts, but my husband likes them. I made this recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/105810 (substituting the chicken broth with vegetable broth and the "real" cream for low-fat low-cholesterol cream substitute) and it was AMAZING. I cook fairly european-style, but if I'm going to bake it's gotta be american with a ton of sugar and fat and a gazillion calories. I get alot of use out of the Betty Crocker's Cookie Cookbook and the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook that I got from my mother. It's from the early sixties and the pictures are hilarious. But the desserts are incredible.

Wow, interesting thread! I'll need to set aside a few hours to read it all, though. I live in Hamburg, although I'm actually american. My (german) husband and I moved here from N