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September 2010 Book Challenge - Page 3

post #41 of 53
9/26/10 at 7:48pm
75. World Made By Hand by James Howard Kunstler

I liked The Long Emergency. Some of his predictions seem pretty irrefutable. I came across this one at the bookstore and wanted to see how he does writing a novel. It seems like he didn't know where he was going with the storyline and kept writing until he decided he was finished.

I just don't understand why he threw in some of the really crazy things into his story - like the hive with the queen bee - hard to explain but basically there is this cult that is building some sort of a hive for a fat lady that they worship who can somehow read minds or tell the future. I didn't really get it. There is also a preacher who has some sort of magical powers but that was unclear. If he had just stuck to the nitty gritty of his ideas about a post-oil world, he could have written a fascinating novel. There was no need for all the voodoo stuff.

All I can say is I'm puzzled and glad that is over!

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post #42 of 53
9/29/10 at 12:52am
Late Bloomer by Melissa Pritchard

I met this author at the writers' conference a couple of weeks ago and bought a few of her books. This one was a fun book that puts down romance novels and their readers but actually is a romance novel, after all. Ironic and funny--I enjoyed it.
post #43 of 53
9/29/10 at 9:53am
Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/...salt-roads.htm

The first book I read by Nalo Hopkinson was Girl in the Brown Ring and I loved it.
This one while it is also good, was not quite as engaging for me. I think it is because there were too many characters in it, Mer, a Haitian slave in the 17 hundreds, Jeanne Duval, a singer and mistress of the French poet Charles Baudelaire, Thais, a Nubian prostitute in the 3rd century in Alexandria and Ezili, an African Goddess, and each one was interesting enough to have a book of her own. The story jumps from one to the next leaving me with the feeling I wanted to stay more with each character.
I still recommend this book however.
post #44 of 53
9/29/10 at 11:04am
The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester by Barbara O'Connor

A young middle-grade novel about a boy who 1) catches and keeps the most beautiful bullfrog in the world and 2) finds a mysterious object that has fallen from a train. Good premise but unfortunately a pretty slow book.
post #45 of 53
9/29/10 at 12:51pm
#53 A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon

Another awesome book by Diana Gabaldon. Her characters really come to life and the books are always so long, I always feel like I actually know the characters in my own life. It's an amazing transportation into a book.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book, but still am working on my pile of books stacked up in the closet. I think I have about 35-40 left? It was 56 at the beginning, so not too bad!

And that was my 500 page book for the month, although, does it count as two? It was almost 1000 pages

Started reading Dreamers of the Day and thought it was really good, but I brought it with me to my 15 yr college reunion last weekend and now I can't find it. Oops. I picked up A Northern Light out of the pile to replace it, and it's pretty good too. Enjoying that one and feeling good about moving through the closet pile
post #46 of 53
9/30/10 at 12:14pm
The story of Edgar Sawtelle

Quote:
Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents on their farm in remote northern Wisconsin. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a fictional breed of dog whose thoughtful companionship is epitomized by Almondine. But with the unexpected return of Claude, Edgar's paternal uncle, turmoil consumes the Sawtelles' once peaceful home. When Edgar's father dies suddenly, Claude insinuates himself into the life of the farm. Grief-stricken, Edgar tries to prove Claude played a role in his father's death, but his plan backfires--spectacularly. Forced to flee into the vast wilderness lying beyond the farm, Edgar comes of age in the wild, But his need to face his father's murderer and his devotion to the Sawtelle dogs turn Edgar ever homeward.
Liked the first half of this a lot, but was really, really puzzled and disappointed in the ending -- I felt cheated after all the time spent with the characters.
post #47 of 53
9/30/10 at 4:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by fremontmama View Post
#51 Forest House by Marion Zimmer Bradley

I LOVE Marion Zimmer Bradley. This was a fantastic book, as always, she totally transports you into the world of the characters of the book. I couldn't put this one down.

I was hoping there would be other books that take place between this one and The Mists of Avalon, and it looks like maybe there are? Anyone know the order of the books if there are more?

Me too!!

Here is the series in series order (year published and notes in parentheses)

Fall of Atlantis (1987)
Ancestors of Avalon (2004) (written by Diana L. Paxson)
Sword of Avalon (2009) (written by Diana L. Paxson) (I think this goes there, based on what Amazon says about it)
Ravens of Avalon (2007) (written by Diana L. Paxson)
The Forest House (1993) (with Diana L. Paxson) (also now known as The Forests of Avalon)
Lady of Avalon (1997) (with Diana L. Paxson)
Priestess of Avalon (2000) (with Diana L. Paxson) (this one takes place within the Lady of Avalon stories)
The Mists of Avalon (1979)
post #48 of 53
9/30/10 at 7:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Teenytoona View Post
Me too!!

Here is the series in series order (year published and notes in parentheses)

Fall of Atlantis (1987)
Ancestors of Avalon (2004) (written by Diana L. Paxson)
Sword of Avalon (2009) (written by Diana L. Paxson) (I think this goes there, based on what Amazon says about it)
Ravens of Avalon (2007) (written by Diana L. Paxson)
The Forest House (1993) (with Diana L. Paxson) (also now known as The Forests of Avalon)
Lady of Avalon (1997) (with Diana L. Paxson)
Priestess of Avalon (2000) (with Diana L. Paxson) (this one takes place within the Lady of Avalon stories)
The Mists of Avalon (1979)
Wow! Thanks!!!!!!
post #49 of 53
9/30/10 at 9:50pm
#151 Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives by Thomas French
post #50 of 53
9/30/10 at 10:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kofduke View Post
The story of Edgar Sawtelle



Liked the first half of this a lot, but was really, really puzzled and disappointed in the ending -- I felt cheated after all the time spent with the characters.
Me too!
post #51 of 53
10/2/10 at 8:23pm
Random Family, LeBlanc

Quote:
Journalist LeBlanc spent some 10 years researching and interviewing one extended family-mother Lourdes, daughter Jessica, daughter-in-law Coco and all their boyfriends, children and in-laws-from the Bronx to Troy, N.Y., in and out of public housing, emergency rooms, prisons and courtrooms. LeBlanc's close listening produced this extraordinary book, a rare look at the world from the subjects' point of view... More than anything, LeBlanc shows how demanding poverty is. Her prose is plain and unsentimental, blessedly jargon-free, and includidng street talk only when one of her subjects wants to "conversate."
I felt like this could be an examination of the family history of many of my students. Really good, really insightful...and exposes a kernel of hope beneath the bitter realities of poverty.
post #52 of 53
10/3/10 at 12:23am
Thread Starter 
Here's October's Thread: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...php?p=15908406
post #53 of 53
10/24/10 at 7:53pm
Thread Starter 
Sorry, posted in the wrong forum. Moving it to October.

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Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › The Kitchen Sink › Books, Music and Other Media › September 2010 Book Challenge