Kylie's Reading List

[Kylie]

The Lightless Kindom (Book 2 of the Unbalanced Earth trilogy)

Jonathan Wylie (re-read)

 

Rating: 8/10

 

Published: 1989

Number of pages: 351

ISBN: 055328147X

 

Summary (taken from blurb):

After restoring the magical balance of the rocking stone, Gemma begins her search for the remarkable valley that she has saved - and longs to be reunited with Arden.

 

During their travels together, she had been shown the different futures which could exist for her world, and must now decide how to use her unreliable wizardry for the best. She knows that the Guild in Great Newport must be overthrown, and cannot bear to consider the alternative. But other, unforeseen forces are at play on the southern continent - and what is the Lightless Kingdom?

 

Comments:

Many years ago I randomly picked up the first book in this trilogy and was hooked from the first page. I've since re-read this trilogy many times. Outside of this author and Tolkien I've read few, if any, other fantasy novels; not because I have anything against the genre but because I wouldn't know where to start. I think it can be very hit and miss with fantasy (it irritates me when authors feel they have to use the strangest, most unpronounceable names for their characters and places - it feels like they're trying too hard).

 

Happily, this book is unpretentious and it's just a good, fun read - nothing too heavy. The heroine of the book is Gemma, who receives a calling to go the southern continent, where she discovers she has magical powers and must learn to use them to overthrow a powerful evil force. The characters are diverse and likeable (well, except for the evil ones of course).

 

I have a bit of a soft spot for these books; I guess they are 'comfort' books to me, and ones that I turn to every couple of years so I can revisit the characters and their adventures. I would recommend them if you can find them! I re-read the first book at the end of last year, and will re-read the third book shortly (probably won't have much of a review for that one - this review pretty much covers it all).

 

A funny anecdote regarding this story: in the first book, Gemma meets up with a tribe of meerkats (see my avatar) who become her familiar; she can communicate with them via thought. I was about 12 when I first read this book and I had no idea that meerkats actually existed. I thought they were just a cute animal made up by the author (it is a fantasy novel after all!) Imagine my surprise when I went to Taronga Zoo one day and walked up to an enclosure to find it full of real live meerkats! B) I was so happy! I think that's where my love of meerkats has come from - one moment they were a mythical creature to me and the next moment they were real!

 

 

Started: 29 April 2007

Finished: 4 May 2007

 

The Lightless Kingdom (at Fantasticfiction.co.uk)

[Kylie]

Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

Lewis Carroll (re-read)

 

Rating: 8/10

 

Published: 1865

Number of pages: 108

ISBN: 086112457X

 

Summary (taken from blurb):

When Alice follows the White Rabbit down the rabbit-hole, she finds herself in a wonderland of amazing characters where anything can happen. There is a Mad Hatter, a March Hare and a sleepy Dormouse who hold a never-ending tea-party; a Cheshire-cat who appears and disappears at will; a sad Mock Turtle who enjoys dancing with a Gryphon; a Caterpillar who gives invaluable advice on how to shrink and grow and a Queen of Hearts whose constant command is 'Off with their heads!'

 

Comments:

I got my edition of Alice's Adventures In Wonderland when I was quite young, and its illustrations of Alice are based on the original inspiration for the story, Alice Liddell. This is the first time in many years I've read this story - usually I just watch the Disney movie (one of my all-time favourite movies) - and I was interested to see the similarities and differences between the two.

 

Lewis Carroll has a wonderful way with words. I liked some parts (tea party, croquet game) more than others (Duchess and screaming baby - glad they left that out of the movie!), and the poems/songs were great. Alice is a terrific character and says some pretty amusing things; I like Carroll's play on words. I intend to read Through The Looking Glass soon, which I've never read before.

 

 

Started: 3 May 2007

Finished: 5 May 2007

 

Alice's Adventures In Wonderland (at Amazon.com)

[Kylie]

Night Shift

Stephen King (re-read)

 

Rating: 7/10

 

Published: 1978

Number of pages: 409

ISBN: 0450042685

 

Summary (taken from blurb):

A collection of terrifying stories that reveal a shudderingly detailed map of the dark places that lie behind our waking, rational world.

 

These are tales to invade and paralyse the mind as the safe light of day is infiltrated by the creeping, peopled shadows of night. As you read, the clutching fingers of terror brush lightly across the nape of the neck, reach round from behind to clutch and lock themselves, white-knuckled, around the throat.

 

This is the horror of ordinary people and everyday objects that become strangely altered; a world where nothing is ever quite what it seems, where the familiar and friendly lure and deceive. A world where madness and blind panic become the only reality.

 

Comments:

This is a collection of King's short stories, first published in the late 70s. This is the first and only Stephen King book I have read. I borrowed it once off my brother quite a few years ago, and decided to read it again before I get started on any others (I have The Stand, and also borrowed Different Seasons from my brother).

 

The stories are pretty varied and some are a bit gruesome (Graveyard Shift, The Mangler), while others aren't too scary. The Children of the Corn and Trucks are two stories that I always remembered from the first time I read it. Overall, a pretty good read. I'm looking forward to reading more of his work.

 

 

Started: 5 May 2007

Finished: 10 May 2007

 

Night Shift (at Amazon.com)

[Kylie]

Anthem

Ayn Rand (ebook on iPod)

 

Rating: 7/10

 

Published: 1938

Number of pages: 147

ISBN: 0452281253

 

Summary (taken from Wikipedia):

Anthem is a dystopic science fiction story taking place at some unspecified future date. Mankind has entered another dark age as a result of what Rand saw as the weaknesses of socialistic thinking and economics. Technological advancement is now carefully planned (when it is allowed to occur at all) and the concept of individuality has been eliminated (for example, the word "I" has disappeared from the language).

 

Comments:

Anthem is an interesting dystopian novella in which the word 'I' (and individuality, by extension) does not exist. As most dystopian novels, it gets you thinking about the future of society and humankind. My first impression was that the book could have been made full-length, but in retrospect, Rand manages to say all she needs to in a short amount of space, which I guess enables it to pack a more powerful punch than if it had been drawn out.

 

I don't feel like I absorbed this book as much as I could have; maybe because I was reading it on my iPod and rushing a bit to get it finished that day. I look forward to re-reading it in the future so I can analyse it a bit better. If you like dystopian novels, you should definitely read this.

 

 

Started: 11 May 2007

Finished: 12 May 2007

 

Anthem (at Wikipedia.org)

[Liz]

Hi, Kylie B)

 

I see you've just re-read Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. I recently read both that one and Through The Looking Glass, and I think I actually prefered ...Looking Glass.

Everybody else I know who has read both say they prefer ...Wonderland.

 

It would be interesting to see whether you enjoy one more than the other.

 

xx

[Kell]

... I think I actually prefered ...Looking Glass.

Everybody else I know who has read both say they prefer ...Wonderland.

I prefer Looking Glass myself - I adore Jabberwocky - it's my favourite poem ever!

[Liz]

I love Jabberwocky, as well. It's a wonderful poem.

I used to have an illustrated copy of it somewhere and it had some beautiful pictures for it.

[Kylie]

Thanks Liz and Kell on your views of Looking Glass. After I read Of Mice And Men and A Clockwork Orange, I might get into Looking Glass.

 

I just had a quick look at the Jabberwocky poem but didn't read it all the way through. The words 'tulgey wood' and 'mome raths' jumped at out me - in the Disney movie, Alice winds up in Tulgey Wood and I do believe the mome raths were the little critters that pointed the way for her. I never knew they incorporated part of Looking Glass into the movie! That's cool B)

[Kylie]

Dracula

Bram Stoker

 

Rating: 10/10

 

Published: 1897

Number of pages: 402

ISBN: 0141024976

 

Summary (taken from blurb):

Count Dracula's castle is a hellish world where night is day, pleasure is pain and the blood of the innocent is prized above all. Young Jonathan Harker approaches the gloomy gates with no idea of what he is about to face...

 

And back in England eerie incidents are unfolding as strange puncture marks appear on a young woman's neck...Can Harker's fiancee be saved? And where is the evil Dracula?

 

Comments:

This is a wonderfully told story and Stoker certainly knows how to build tension; I was hooked from the beginning. This novel has stood the test of time well, and it's no wonder that it's still one of the greatest horror novels ever written. The characters are lovely and the dialogue is beautifully written.

 

When I started reading Dracula, I realised that I never actually knew much about the story, other than that Dracula is a blood-sucking vampire. The book was quite different to what I was expecting, and in a good way. Not being much into the horror genre, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I very highly recommend it.

 

 

Started: 16 May 2007

Finished: 27 May 2007

 

Dracula (at Penguin.co.uk)

[JudyB]

Dracula

Bram Stoker

 

Rating: 10/10

 

Dracula (at Penguin.co.uk)

 

My daughter is reading this at the moment. She loves vampires and has read loads of Anne Rice and other vampire writers. I teased her about not reading the definitive vampire book to which she replied 'I know, I know!' so now she's reading it. I read it years ago while camping and totally got into it. I was still reading it when I returned home to my Edwardian house with sash windows it was then that I started to get spooked - funny how environment can have such an effect!

[Kylie]

My daughter is reading this at the moment. She loves vampires and has read loads of Anne Rice and other vampire writers. I teased her about not reading the definitive vampire book to which she replied 'I know, I know!' so now she's reading it. I read it years ago while camping and totally got into it. I was still reading it when I returned home to my Edwardian house with sash windows it was then that I started to get spooked - funny how environment can have such an effect!

 

I hope your daughter enjoys it as much as we did Judy! I woke up at night a couple of times at the wrong end of my bed and all disorientated. I don't know if it was because of the book or because I was really tired at the time but it was definitely freaking me out a little bit. And I don't even live in an Edwardian house! B)

[Kylie]

Of Mice And Men

John Steinbeck

 

Rating: 9/10

 

Published: 1937

Number of pages: 121

ISBN: 0141023570

 

Summary (taken from blurb):

Streetwise George and his big, childlike friend Lennie are drifters, searching for work in the fields and valleys of California. They have nothing except the clothes on their back, and a hope that one day they'll find a place of their own and live the American dream. But dreams come at a price. Gentle giant Lennie doesn't know his own strength, and when they find work at a ranch he gets into trouble with the boss's daughter-in-law. Trouble so bad that even his protector George may not be able to save him...

 

Comments:

I read a lot of rave reviews beforehand but still wasn't sure what to expect from such a short book. By the end I was bawling my eyes out B) Steinbeck goes a great job of building up the relationship between these two characters so that by the end you come to feel very deeply for them. The rest of the characters are also portrayed very vividly. What a heartbreakenly emotional read. Highly recommended.

 

 

Started: 28 May 2007

Finished: 28 May 2007

 

Of Mice And Men (at Penguin.co.uk)

[Kell]

Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck

I read this one years ago when I was at school (although it was off my own bat, rather than us being told to read it) and absolutely loved it. Like you, I bawled my eyes out. I've read it several times since and looking back, I can't believe I've never read any other books by Steinbeck... yet! Glad to hear you enjoyed it so much. B)

[Kylie]

I have The Grapes Of Wrath and East Of Eden on my shelf to be read (I actually bought them before Of Mice And Men). I've gotten into a couple of discussions about Steinbeck in the last couple of days and The Grapes Of Wrath has been very highly recommended, so I guess I'll read that one next (well, after I get through a few others on my TBR pile!).

 

Can you get through re-reads without crying Kell? I can't imagine it getting any easier to read - in fact, I'd probably start crying earlier on because I'd know what was coming B)

[Kell]

Can you get through re-reads without crying Kell? I can't imagine it getting any easier to read - in fact, I'd probably start crying earlier on because I'd know what was coming B)

No - I cry very easily if I'm involved in a good book, and re-reading makes not one jot of difference - I still bawl my eyes out - sometimes even more than I did before!

[Kylie]

A Clockwork Orange

Anthony Burgess

 

Rating: 10/10

 

Published: 1962

Number of pages: 141

ISBN: 0141182605

 

Summary (taken from blurb):

Fifteen-year-old Alex doesn't just like ultra-violence - he also enjoys rape, drugs and Beethoven's Ninth. He and his gang rampage through a dystopian future, hunting for terrible thrills. But when Alex finds himself at the mercy of the state and subject to the ministrations of Dr Brodsky, the government psychologist, he discovers that fun is no longer the order of the day...

 

The basis for one of the most notorious films ever made, A Clockwork Orange is both a virtuoso performance from an electrifying prose stylist and a serious exploration of the morality of free will.

 

Comments:

A Clockwork Orange is a frightening and sad look at a future society in which gangs are rife and no one can be trusted. Not being one that can stomach much in the way of violence and rape, I was a bit wary about reading this book; but my desire to read another dystopian classic won out. There were a couple of disturbing scenes, but it wasn't too bad overall.

 

Burgess has done a great job with the language in this book; the narrator, Alex, and his friends ('droogies') speak a slang language referred to as 'nadsat'. If this had a been a made-up language, it probably would have detracted from the story, but Burgess, a linguist, has based a lot of these words in Russian or Cockney rhyming slang. It took a while to get used to (a bit distracting early on) but I found a good translation of nadsat on the web which I referred to when needed. By the end of the book, nadsat had become almost second nature and it was a lot of fun to read.

 

You would think that Alex would be a very unsympathetic character, and he certainly is, at first. By the middle of the book, however, I found myself feeling very sorry for him, which I suppose can only be understood when you read the book. This is a terrific read and quite touching in some places, and funny in others. Very highly recommended. Now to decide whether I can stomach the movie...

 

 

Started: 29 May 2007

Finished: 4 June 2007

 

A Clockwork Orange (at librarything.com)

[Kylie]

The Age Of Chaos (Book 3 of the Unbalanced Earth trilogy)

Jonathan Wylie

 

Rating: 8/10

 

Published: 1989

Number of pages: 352

ISBN: 055213418X

 

Summary (taken from blurb):

On the southern continent, history has reached a turning point, and the struggle for the future is reaching its climax.

 

Now that Gemma has at last come to terms with the powers within her, and the role she has to play, she believes that it is possible for her to change what is to come, and thus avert the terrible devastation threatened by the Age of Chaos.

 

With Arden at her side once more, and aided by a force that includes the meyrkats, the people of the Lightless Kingdom and the Undergound, Gemma faces her ultimate battle.

 

Comments:

Another good read. See the review of Book 2 for my comments about this trilogy.

 

 

Started: 4 June 2007

Finished: 10 June 2007

 

The Age Of Chaos (at librarything.com)

[Kylie]

Through The Looking-Glass

Lewis Carroll (ebook on iPod)

 

Rating: 8/10

 

Published: 1871

Number of pages: 224

ISBN: 0486408787

 

Summary (taken from Wikipedia and slightly altered by me):

Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There is the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, although it makes no reference to its events. In it, there are many mirror themes, including opposites, time running backwards, and so on.

 

Whereas the first book has the deck of cards as a theme, this book is loosely based on a game of chess, played on a giant chessboard with fields for squares. Most main characters met in the story are represented by a chess piece, with Alice herself being a pawn. The looking-glass world is divided into sections by brooks, with the crossing of each brook usually signifying a notable change in the scene and action of the story.

 

Comments:

It's a close call, but I think I enjoyed the sequel more than I did the original. Whereas in Alice's Adventures In Wonderland I found a couple of the characters to be irritating, in the sequel I found the characters to be more likeable and interesting to read.

 

The humour is still present, as is Carroll's wonderful play on words. I enjoyed the poetry more in this one as well - in particular, The Walrus And The Carpenter. A very good read and highly recommended if you've read (and enjoyed) Alice's Adventures In Wonderland.

 

 

Started: 10 June 2007

Finished: 10 June 2007

 

Through The Looking-Glass (at librarything.com)

[Kylie]

Well, I almost lasted a month without buying any books! And just when I was starting to get my TBR pile down a bit I just about cleaned all the Ray Bradbury's out of my local second-hand bookshop. I did originally intend on getting more, but I was strict with myself and only got 4 of his books instead of 7. Don't know I bothered - I'll probably go back and get the others soon enough

 

Pierre Boulle: The Planet Of The Apes

Ray Bradbury: Dandelion Wine

Ray Bradbury: The Golden Apples Of The Sun

Ray Bradbury: S Is For Space

Ray Bradbury: Something Wicked This Way Comes

Daphne du Maurier: Jamaica Inn

John Wyndham: The Kraken Wakes

John Wyndham: Stowaway To Mars

[Kylie]

I was just having a look at my ever-expanding TBR pile and thought I would post a note to remind myself what I consider to be my 'essential' reading for the rest of the year, because obviously I'm not going to get through the entire pile!

 

I guess you could say that I'm setting myself a goal, and this being around the middle of the year, it seems like a good time to stop and take stock of the reading situation

 

The lucky books to make it onto my short-list are: (drum roll, please...)

 

Jane Austen: Emma

So far, the only Austen I've read is Pride and Prejudice, which I absolutely loved. I haven't yet gotten around to reading any more of her work this year, :eek2: and I want to read this one the most. At this rate (setting myself a target of one book per year), it'll only take me 5 years to read them all!

 

Ray Bradbury: The Small Assassin

I bought several of his books recently, and it's been a while since I've read any of his work (actually, I've only ever read Fahrenheit 451, which I love). I chose this particular book solely because I've had it the longest

 

Bill Bryson: A Walk In The Woods

Again, I haven't read any of his books this year. I like to throw a funny, 'light' read in among the 'heavy' classics.

 

Charles Dickens: Great Expectations

I read my first Dickens last year (A Tale of Two Cities) and loved it. I think I'll enjoy this one too.

 

Thomas Hardy: Far From The Madding Crowd

I've been wanting to read this for so long! It'll be my first Hardy.

 

Jack Kerouac: The Town And The City

It's been over 18 months since I read my first (and last) Kerouac. He's a very unique writer and I'm really looking forward to reading this.

 

Ken Kesey: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

I've been stubbornly refusing to watch the movie until I read this book! It'll probably be top of the list after I get through the Harry Potter books.

 

JK Rowling: Harry Potter (Books 1-7)

Does this really need an explanation? I want to re-read the first 6 books before the 7th comes out. I'm looking forward to getting stuck into them again after my current book (which seems never-ending, despite how much I'm enjoying it!) Bring on Harry Potter!

 

John Wyndham: The Midwich Cuckoos

I was going to go for The Chrysalids (being a dystopian novel - my favourite type of book ) but I think I should spread my dystopians out a bit more (I've already read 3 this year!) This sounds like a really good book, and I've been hankering to read more of his work since I read The Day Of The Triffids last year.

 

 

I would really like to have put Jane Eyre on there, (I can't read The Eyre Affair until I've read this), but I think I'll run out of time. Poor old Vanity Fair has been put back again and again for so long, and I really want to read it A Confederacy Of Dunces will also be added to the list if I have time.

[wrathofkublakhan]

Ken Kesey: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

I've been stubbornly refusing to watch the movie until I read this book! It'll probably be top of the list after I get through the Harry Potter books.

 

 

OooooKaaaaay! The movie came out 32 years ago, prolly time to tackle this beast. The movie won five Oscars and well worth the ticket price -- and yes, the book is even better. Put on your reading glasses, brew a pot of tea and settle in for a wonderful experience.

[Kylie]

OooooKaaaaay! The movie came out 32 years ago, prolly time to tackle this beast. The movie won five Oscars and well worth the ticket price -- and yes, the book is even better. Put on your reading glasses, brew a pot of tea and settle in for a wonderful experience.

 

I should probably have mentioned that I've only been interested in seeing the movie for a couple of years (it came out 7 years before I was born, after all!) Still, I know there is no excuse for not having watched the movie/read the book.

 

I promise I'll get to it right after Harry Potter! In fact, if it looks like I'll be finishing up the 6 books with time to spare before the 7th comes out, I'll start reading it then (you've inspired me!)

[Kell]

Jane Austen: Emma

You should definitely try Northanger Abbey - it's excellent (and far better, in my opinion, than Emma!).

 

Ken Kesey: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

I agree with Wrath - excellent book - and brilliant film. Both are an absolute must!

 

John Wyndham: The Midwich Cuckoos

If you enjoyed Triffids, you should enjoy this one just as much. And f you haven't already, think about reading Chocky too - it's not just a kids' book...

 

I would really like to have put Jane Eyre on there, but I think I'll run out of time, and I still want to read The Eyre Affair first (which I don't even own as of yet!)

I would recommend reading Jane Eyre first - you'd still probably enjoy The Eyre Affair without it, but you'd get so much more out of it if you now all the intricacies of Jane Eyre before coming to it. And it's a wonderful book on it's own anyway, so I heartily recommend it. Actually, I highly recommending following the Bronte with the Fforde - it's what I did and I adored both of them!

[JudyB]

 

Thomas Hardy: Far From The Madding Crowd

I've been wanting to read this for so long! It'll be my first Hardy.

 

 

An excellent first Hardy.

[Michelle]

In the early days of the forum, I bought an old box set of John Wyndham books from Kell. I wanted to read The Crysalids again, because I loved it at school.. but I really enjoyed all the books.