Scarlette

I remember reading To Kill A Mockingbird in my final year of highschool. I thought it was a very good book and have been thinking about rereading it. I also remember a book about a horse, set in WWII. I have forgotten its title, but I think my love for wartime novels began with that book.

Hello, and welcome to the forum.

I enjoy reading prologues. It's a glimpse into the rest of the novel. If the prologue is badly written, though, I feel apprehensive with continuing the rest of the novel. I think a prologue can make or break a novel.

I'll add it to my reading list and give it a try. Stephen King probably deserves another chance, before I give up on him entirely.

Stephen King can't seem to hold my interest... *waits to be stoned*... I've read Carrie - I liked it, but wasn't all that impressed. I've tried Dolores Claiborne - the same thing happened. I've heard that Salem's Lot is quite interesting...?

The reviews have convinced me to add this to my reading list. I've been intrigued by this novel for quite a while, but was unsure about whether I'd enjoy it.

Welcome to the forum!

That's very true, you know.

Was Professor Umbridge that very pink obsessed woman from the films...? I've never read the books, but if that is in fact her, I second your.. um.. seconds. I loved her because she scared me... He's been mentioned, but Lestat, dear Lestat, my favourite bad boy. Also, Dracula featured in Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian was both a terrible and yet strangely fascinating individual - both in history and in that novel.

I like your name. Welcome to the forum.

I despise those things. I have been forced to buy Atonement's film tie-in cover, simply because I had to have that book - NOW! I now hide it amongst my other novels on the bookshelf, hoping that no one will notice... I'll buy an edition with a proper cover sometime in the future and then take the dreaded film edition to the second hand bookstore.

I can't think of a single non-fiction book I've read... I guess I haven't. This surprises me, because I'm a bit of a history-freak, so I should (logic tells me) have at least a few non-fiction books together with my already owned historical fiction novels. Would anyone like to recommend good non-fiction with a WWII theme?

You wrote everything I wanted to. I'm glad, because I'm feeling lazy. Not only have I lost my mojo, but I am increasingly nervous of all the books I still want to read. That ever growing list is even more distressing, because where on earth will I find the time, the energy, the peace and quiet.... *falls apart*... I need a cookie, now...

I would like to give this novel a try, also. I'm a sucker for a good murder mystery.

Hello and welcome!

I have a bookmark with a cute, surprised baby face on it, together with the words "Insanity is hereditary, you can get it from your children" (Sam Levenson). It amuses me.

Is nothing sacred anymore... I'm not sure if I find this very appealing...

I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets car sick while reading in the car. I was starting to feel somewhat odd and thought something might be wrong with me, since almost everyone I know is capable of reading in the car without feeling like their head is swirling so much it might topple off their necks. I think I might be okay reading in a train, though, although I haven't been on a train ride in ages. I'd like to go on one again, soon, thinking of it now.

Hello! *moves a plate of welcome cookies towards you*

Agreed. But the book already felt overstuffed with information to me, so perhaps even if there was a , it would have felt like too much. I think some of the events in the final novel could have been left out entirely, though, and that there were other things that I would have liked to read about instead, also.

Alright... I am about midway with this book, now. I was planning on finishing it today and I would have if it wasn't for feeling somewhat sleep deprived and generally sluggish by mid-morning. But, I offer my thoughts none the less. First of, let me say that I'm not a big fantasy reader. I love Terry Pratchett for being laugh out loud funny and having created an entire fantasy world from scratch, that I would love to live in. And I've read my fair share of vampire novels, my favourite author being Anne Rice and I love her for having a sense of "realism" to her writing that has made me think on occasion "Hmmm, shouldn't I keep an eye on that pale guy that's been following me... I think I saw fangs when he smiled just now...". Other than that, though, I tend to prefer serious novels and you'd rather find me reading a piece set in WWII than a Harry Potter novel. So, Sunshine is my very first "fantasy in the real world" fantasy novel that is very fantastical and thus picking up on this early on, it has been difficult to enjoy this novel as much as I think it deserves to be enjoyed. Robin McKinley is a brilliant writer and she keeps you hooked, even when you're thinking "this could never, ever really happen, ever". This is a very well written novel, even though it's a bit repetitive in some places and the narrator tends to begin describing things that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with what's currently going on. So, it's worth paying attention to how the story's evolving, so that you don't find yourself going "say what?" once you realize that you've just lost the storyline a little. And if you're an avid science-fiction/fantasy reader, who doesn't mind playing mixed-doubles with their vampires and the rest of the underworld, I highly recommend this. What I'm not enjoying very much is simply that I thought I was buying a book about a girl and a vampire - Done - but thus far there has been talk of . That, I feel, has very little to do with what the story should be about according to the synopsis. And another thing I'm finding frustrating is that said things are mentioned in very long ramblings (for lack of a better word) and I'm still unsure if there is any point to it or if it's just filling up space. But, perhaps that's part of the keep-the-reader-guessing-game and I should just hold out and see what happens. Again, I'm not used to reading this kind of thing, so... I'm perhaps a bit prematurely frustrated. In short, I think this is a very good book, even though it doesn't seem to be my cup of tea.