Libri's Library

[libri vermis]

I have never kept a list of books I have read and that I plan to read before, so I am not sure how this is going to work.

 

Books I have read in September/October and my star rating, one being lowest, five highest:

 

Into The Green by Charles De Lint ***

Dark Rivers of the Heart by Dean Koontz ****

Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb *****

Cold Fire by Dean Koontz ****

A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving *****

A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin *****

 

The next five books I am planning to read:

 

The Book of Lost Things by John Connelly

The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz

Memory and Dream by Charles De Lint

The Birthday of the World and Other Stories by Ursula Le Guin

Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad

 

Can I review a book in this thread if I want to? Not that my reviews are anything special.

Edited October 27, 2009 by libri vermis

[Kylie]

I hope you enjoy The Book of Lost Things; it has a lot of fans here (myself included).

 

You can indeed write reviews here. You can set your reading thread up any way you like. And I for one will definitely be reading your reviews, because I've already enjoyed your thoughts on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and Flowers for Algernon.

[libri vermis]

I hope you enjoy The Book of Lost Things; it has a lot of fans here (myself included).

 

You can indeed write reviews here. You can set your reading thread up any way you like. And I for one will definitely be reading your reviews, because I've already enjoyed your thoughts on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and Flowers for Algernon.

Thank you!

 

I am sure I will enjoy The Book of Lost Things. It sounds right up my alley.

 

Well, now that I know, here is the only real review I have ever attempted. It's for Angels of Destruction by Keith Donohue.

 

This book says much about the human condition, especially about the relationship between parent and child. The author paints so well in words the way we interact only on the surface, and fail to truly communicate our deepest hopes, loves, and fears. At moments, the book is heart-wrenching, not so much for what is said, but for what is unsaid. The characters are drawn so realistically, that when I was finished reading, I wanted to know what the future held for these people. The fantasy aspect to this book leaves much for one to question, but again, is that not part of the human condition?

 

I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys the fantastic, the painful, the hopeful, and the thoughtful. It grabs you by the heart from page one and does not let go. For those that have read The Stolen Child, I found this book to be superior, especially in terms of character development.

I would also like to add that there are some things in this book that are left unanswered or unexplained. Some may have a problem with that. I didn't, as it seemed to be the author's intent. I don't think he wanted everything to be black and white and clearly defined.

 

I think I will enjoy doing more reviews.

[Nightwish]

Fantastic review there!

 

Wow, The Birthday of the World and Other Stories is on your list. I quite like Ursula Le Guin so let me know what you think of it as it is one that I have not yet read.

[libri vermis]

Fantastic review there!

 

Wow, The Birthday of the World and Other Stories is on your list. I quite like Ursula Le Guin so let me know what you think of it as it is one that I have not yet read.

Thank you.

 

And I certainly will.

[libri vermis]

Once a week, I will recommend a book that I have read in the past that I think is a highly worthy read. I will try to make selections that may have not been read by most of you on this forum. If it looks interesting to you, find some time to read it.

 

Today's selection is A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin. Here is the synopsis:

 

For Alessandro Giuliani, the son of a prosperous Roman lawyer, trees shimmer in the sun beneath a sky of perfect blue, and at night the moon is amber as Rome seethes with light. He races horses across country to the sea, climbs the Alps, and is a student of painting and aesthetics. And he falls in love, deeply and eternally. Then the Great War intervenes. Half a century later, in August of 1964, Alessandro, a white-haired professor, finds himself unexpectedly on the road with an illiterate young factory worker. During a walk over days and nights, the old man tells the story of his life. How he was a soldier, a hero, a prisoner, and a deserter. And how he tragically lost one family and gained another. Dazzled by the action and envious of the richness and color of the story, the boy realizes that the old man's magnificent tale of love and war is more that just a tale. It is the recapitulation of his life, his reckoning with mortality, and above all, a love song for his family.

 

I have nothing to add, except this was one of my favorite books. It made me laugh, weep, ache from it's beauty, and think. If anyone does decide to pick it up and read it, please give me your thoughts. I would love to hear them.

[~Andrea~]

Hi Libri

 

Did you finish The Book of Lost Things? I wasn't that blown away by it but a lot of people loved it. I'd be interested to read your thoughts.

[libri vermis]

Hi Libri

 

Did you finish The Book of Lost Things? I wasn't that blown away by it but a lot of people loved it. I'd be interested to read your thoughts.

Hi Andrea.

 

Yes, I finished it and I thought it was very good. I wouldn't give it 5 stars, but definitely 4. I thought what was there was excellent, but I thought the author could have added more, gone more in depth. It is definitely a book I will read again someday, though, so it stays on my bookshelf.

[~Andrea~]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I think I'm somewhat alone in my opinion lol. Perhaps I suffered from 'over-hyping syndrome'.

[libri vermis]

Never listen to the hype, that is my motto.

 

I know what you mean, though. There have been books that I read because of the hype, and my reaction was to shrug my shoulder and scratch my head in bewilderment.

[chesilbeach]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I think I'm somewhat alone in my opinion lol. Perhaps I suffered from 'over-hyping syndrome'.

 

No, you're not alone Andrea. I was ambivalent about it, as I didn't find it particularly original, and just felt I'd read or seen it all before in other books and films. However, I can understand why people do love it, it just wasn't that great for me.

[~Andrea~]

Ah good. I'm not totally alone then

[libri vermis]

Next ten books on my reading list:

 

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

False Memory by Dean Koontz

Memory and Dream by Charles De Lint

Birthday of the World and Other Stories by Ursula Le Guin

Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad

The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz

The Ivory and the Horn by Charles De Lint

Solaris by Stanislaw Lem

I am almost done with Jane Eyre and will give a few thoughts about it when I am finished.

[Peacefield]

Watch out, Libri, if you enjoy The Eyre Affair you might be off on finding the following books of the Thursday Next series! They're addictive for sure .

[libri vermis]

Part of me does not want to enjoy it then.

I find, all too often, that if I like one book by an author, I want to collect everything else by him or her.

 

You should see my Ray Bradbury, Patricia McKillip, Dean Koontz, Charles De Lint, and Robert J. Sawyer collections! They are huge, and every single one of them is still publishing new books.

[Vanwa]

I'm just about to get into bed with Eyre Affair Libri, I read the first page this afternoon, and I've been dying to get back to it properly since then. I shall be MIA for a few hours methinks

[Chrissy]

It's wonderful, and the series just gets better and better - sorry Libri!

[Vanwa]

In that case Chrissy, Do Not Disturb sign on the door, phone off, and I'll speak to you all later! Tata for now

[Peacefield]

Ditto to what Chrissy said! And just think, after you finish with Thursday Next you can read Fforde's 'Nursery Crime' series and then his new one 'Shades of Grey!'

[libri vermis]

I'm just about to get into bed with Eyre Affair Libri, I read the first page this afternoon, and I've been dying to get back to it properly since then. I shall be MIA for a few hours methinks

I wish I could read that fast. It will take me a few days.

 

It's wonderful, and the series just gets better and better - sorry Libri!

:(

And soon I will be reading my first Terry Pratchett book as well.

[Chrissy]

It's best described as quirky and ingenious, and is suprisingly easy to really get into, especially as the plot, the setting and the details are often either beyond the bounds of possibility and totally 'out there'. Fforde writes in such a way that makes it all so believable.

 

Your first Sir Terry? Oh my, Libri, oh dear.

[Kylie]

Part of me does not want to enjoy it then.

I find, all too often, that if I like one book by an author, I want to collect everything else by him or her.

 

You should see my Ray Bradbury, Patricia McKillip, Dean Koontz, Charles De Lint, and Robert J. Sawyer collections! They are huge, and every single one of them is still publishing new books.

 

Oh dear, and you're starting three new series (Fforde, Pratchett and Evanovich). I think you'll be buying a lot of new books soon!

 

Bradbury is certainly a prolific writer, isn't he? I have quite a few of his books but there's many more I don't have. Happy reading Libri Vermis!

[libri vermis]

Ditto to what Chrissy said! And just think, after you finish with Thursday Next you can read Fforde's 'Nursery Crime' series and then his new one 'Shades of Grey!'

You are all diabolical, tempting me with more books. You should be punished accordingly, with a life sentence devoted to the reading of more books.

 

Oh dear, and you're starting three new series (Fforde, Pratchett and Evanovich). I think you'll be buying a lot of new books soon!

 

Bradbury is certainly a prolific writer, isn't he? I have quite a few of his books but there's many more I don't have. Happy reading Libri Vermis!

Yes, I may have to pass on Evanovich for the time being. We will see.

And yes, my Bradbury library is quite large. Happy reading to you as well.

It's best described as quirky and ingenious, and is suprisingly easy to really get into, especially as the plot, the setting and the details are often either beyond the bounds of possibility and totally 'out there'. Fforde writes in such a way that makes it all so believable.

 

Now I am really intrigued. I can't wait to start on this book.

 

Just a few thoughts on Jane Eyre. The writing is simply gorgeous. I thought I would find it intimidating, but I fell into the book and the beautiful language almost instantly. It did drag a bit for me towards the middle, but once it got interesting again I had difficulty putting it down. A wonderful romance and tragedy, with a few unexpected twists.

 

I don't plan to write a real review for this novel, as I will be discussing it with others in a few short weeks.

[BookJumper]

Just a few thoughts on Jane Eyre. The writing is simply gorgeous. I thought I would find it intimidating, but I fell into the book and the beautiful language almost instantly. It did drag a bit for me towards the middle, but once it got interesting again I had difficulty putting it down. A wonderful romance and tragedy, with a few unexpected twists.

Can't wait to get stuck into Jane Eyre once Amazon re-delivers a new, unmarred copy to my door; I already know and love the story and look forward to savouring it in its original format .

 

May you fall in love with Jasper Fforde as much as I did! Even though he can't spell my name (he is so putting that right during his promotional tour of Shades of Grey...), he remains a shining beacon of erudite awesomeness - in a nutshell, he is to the classics what Douglas Adams is to science fiction and Terry Pratchett is to fantasy. Can't go wrong from there, now can you?

[Vanwa]

Regarding Fforde, I just about managed to limit myself to 200 pages, but it was hard to do this. I want to savour it, so I've reluctantly left the rest for tonight.

 

I'm glad you're enjoying Jane Eyre so Libri, it's probably my favourite novel of all time.