Echo

Hi! I'm also new to the forum. Welcome!

That's great! I actually read Dracula about seven years ago. I've been thinking about re-reading it, so maybe I'll do that before I try out The Historian. Thanks for the advice!

I found this forum through somebody's blog...just followed the link!

I generally do the same thing with my books. If it's a paperback, I'll put it face down (gently) if I'm going to be coming back to it soon. If I'm through reading it for awhile, I'll find some sort of bookmark. Hardcovers are easier because I can use the flap of the cover, but those sometimes bother me. So, I'll sometimes take them off and still use a bookmark. But I never fold down pages anymore...not in about 10 years. I'm one of those people who purchases all of their books and plans to re-read every single one. I want to keep them all in as good condition as possible...they're like my best friends!

This is so funny! I thought I was the only one! I kept all of my Babysitters Club books for a really long time, until I finally took a deep breath and gave them all to my boyfriend's younger sister (she's 14 years younger than he). I also have a few old comics collections, like Bloom County, Outland, and Calvin and Hobbes. This is more embarrassing, but I've recently started collecting For Better Or For Worse collections. It never ends!

That book sounds pretty amazing. I'll add it to my list. It does sound a bit heavy for a children's book, but I've noticed that even the more recent Harry Potter books are becoming more and more serious, ever since Book 4. Maybe this is a new trend?

That sounds like a great book! It almost reminds me a little of The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, and I loved that book. I'll definitely be picking it up! Thanks for the great review.

There are a few titles on my TBR list that I'm curious about, if anyone can give me some insight. The Trouble With Magic by Madelyn Alt To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf Daniel Deronda by George Eliot The Professor by Charlotte Bronte The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel by Diane Setterfield By the way, I agree, this is a great idea for a thread!

I haven't read that exact Angela Carter, but I've read The Magic Toyshop, and The Bloody Chamber is next on my list. Her books are really interesting, and I read The Magic Toyshop in about two days. Definitely try it out! I believe that The Bloody Chamber is a re-telling of some traditional fairy tales. I haven't read any of your other choices, but I've heard really good things about Colette. I hope that helps!

Title: The Great and Secret Show Author: Clive Barker Date of Publication: 1989, Harper & Row ISBN: 0-06-016276-7 550 pages Down-and-outer Randolph Jaffe works in the dead-letter office in Omaha. Reading through the mass of mail, he finds clues to an alternative reality, the laws of which are called "the Art." Mastering these principles, he becomes powerful but evil, and presses into service a man named Fletcher, who synthesizes a transforming drug, the Nuncio. Later understanding the corrupting nature of his creation, Fletcher rebels against Jaffe, and the two, now demigods, engage in a cosmic struggle. To enlist allies, each sires offspring (using the seed of mortal men), and their spiritual children help to carry on the bizarre battle. This book is actually the first in a two-part series, ending with Everville, and is also called The First Book of the Art. Barker does an amazing job describing the alternative reality, and while reading, I would catch myself actually believing in it. He made it seem completely acceptable. The characters are very well developed; however, I would have liked it if Jaffe had remained as sinister as he started. But the book is not a simple story about Fletcher and Jaffe, but about their "children" and their effect on the fate of the world. Here are some quotes from the book. "There they met, in a confrontation as brutal as it was inconclusive. Fuelled by a passion for each other's destruction which had long ago escalated beyond the issue of the Art and its possessing, and was now as devoted and as intimate as love, they fought for five nights." pg. 46 "It was the Grove itself, however, which had borne the brunt of the night's magic. Its streets had seen horrors. Its citizens had been torched by spirits. Soon, war." pg. 241 I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Stephen King, Dean Koontz, John Saul, or any other horror fiction writer. Although this story is more fantasy than horror, it will appeal to anyone who appreciates the weirder side of life.

I'm still quite new here, and this may be a dumb question, but I was wondering whether anyone enjoyed other genres besides fiction? I've seen a thread dealing with biographies, but are there any others? History, new age, or science books? Myself, I enjoy history books about Ireland and England (I'm American, but most of my ancenstors are Irish and English). I also love books about fairies and fairy tales, decorating books, and books about books. That last category sounds confusing, I know. A good example is "What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist-The Facts of Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England" by Daniel Pool. It's a great resource for those of us "across the pond" who love Dickens, Thackeray, Eliot, and all the rest. Another great "book about books" is "The Rough Guide to Cult Fiction", which is a reference book that give readers an introduction to cult authors like Kerouac, Thompson, and a ton of others. This was a required text book for my advanced essay writing class last winter.

The Natural

My reading list is going to seem a bit strange, beause they are all old books that I've mostly read before. This is partly because I can't afford any new books, but I also want to get myself into shape for my classes this fall. After looking at my list, if you want to make suggestions, please do so! There is a great used bookstore nearby, and I can pick up a few new ones if you highly recommend them. Night by Elie Wiesel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Orlando by Virginia Woolf Damnation Game by Clive Barker Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Middlemarch by George Eliot That's probably all I can handle for the next two months. I tend to be a lazy reader, and by that I mean that I don't often expose myself to new authors. I love to re-read books, and explore one author until I've read everything they've written. I'll update my list as soon as I make a dent in it.

I'm entering my junior year this fall as an English Major, and two of the classes I'm taking are English Romantic Literature and The American Novel to 1900. My reading lists are so HUGE, I'm not going to be able to get to my own to-read list. I'm trying to cram as much as possible in this summer! Good luck with yours!

It may be more available here in the States...I think I just picked it up at a book store, or I got it on Amazon. I honestly don't remember! but if you can find anything by Marianne Friedrickson, read it! I've read Hannah's Daughters (excellent) and Two Women (also excellent). I'll put some reviews up soon.

Thanks, Gyre! I will try to get a review done for Everville this week. I read it last year, but I wanted to skim through it again anyway. Here's a preliminary rating for it: 4 out of 5 stars! A great read!

Thank you, Poppy! It's a drawing of Luthien Tinuviel by Alan Lee. I love it because she and I are almost identical. It kind of scared me at first, that a painting done by someone I'd never met, of a famous character in one of my favorite books (The Silmarillion) would have a face so much like my own!

Jude the Obscure is on my to-read list. Another one that I want to finish is Middlemarch. I started that about three years ago, but for some reason, I just couldn't finish it.

I don't know if this would fit, but Simon's Family by Marianne Friedrickson is partly set during WWII in Sweden. And the rest of the book deals with the fallout of the war.

I don't mind some predictability. Sometimes it can be comforting, that feeling that things are happening as they should. If writing is too formulaic, however, it can feel a bit stale. For instance, the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice became so formulaic, I can't read them anymore. Each book was almost the same story, over and over. On the other hand, though, writing that breaks every rule doesn't appeal to me. I find authors like Rick Moody to be almost distressing in their unpredictability. As a reader, I want to have at least an idea of what's going on. So, it's really a balance that I'm looking for.

I recently read a fantastic biography of Coco Chanel, and one of Queen Victoria. I'd like to read more, but there's never enough time! I'd like to read some biographies of my favorite authors, I think that would be fascinating!

Greetings to everyone. I just want to take a moment to say how happy I am that I found this forum! I love to read just about anything, and if I could get paid to read everyday, I would!! I'm currently finishing up "The Great and Secret Show" by Clive Barker. I made the mistake of reading the sequel, "Everville" first....because I didn't know it was a sequel! I'm really looking forward to the discussions here and to getting new ideas for great books to read! Thanks!

The Stand is on my list as one of my all-time favorites. I also loved Rose Madder, The Dark Half, Dreamcatcher, and Talisman.

One book that always makes me cry is "And the Band Played On" by Randy Shilts. For those who haven't read it, it's a non-fiction account of the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the U.S., and it has heart-wrenching descriptions of horrible deaths.

I have a couch that my boyfriend calls "The Nap Couch", which is where I read (and sometimes will fall asleep). When I'm settling down to read something, I half lie down/sit up with a quilt over my legs, the lamp on behind me, and the book in my lap. I always make sure that I have a drink nearby, and for some reason, I sometimes will turn the TV on. This is where I read everything from my books to my magazines.