Sounds fun. Will definitely have to give it a look! Also, on the topic of dragons: If you haven't heard of this before I would strongly encourage you to check out The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede. I haven't read it myself in a long time, but it was one of my favorite series through highschool. Four books, first one is "Dealing with Dragons." -Cimorene is everything a princess is not supposed to be: headstrong, tomboyish, smart - and bored. So bored that she runs away to live with a dragon - and finds the family and excitement she's been looking for.
Omg. So my all time favorite series besides obviously Harry Potter (because who doesn't like Harry Potter), is The Woman Murder Mystery Series, written by James Patterson. On the other hand, if you are looking for something more mature and crazy, I strongly recommend Way of the Wolf or The Wolf of Wall Street (the book and movie ) both are written by the Wolf himself, Jordan Belfort. Very controversial, however I had a great time reading both books.
An amazing book that I finished recently is The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay. The book is set in the time period of when Adolf Hitler was rising and gaining power. If you're interested in books about the topic, it's a more mature read but it's a good one.
I keep forgetting to post here... and it looks like many others are, as the single bump yielded a lot of new posts! I read Pride and Prejudice, recently. I would've liked to read another book this vacation, but I thought I wouldn't finish it, and Pride and Prejudice wasn't returned to the library in the end, and my mother had to buy it. (it was mostly her choice, as after I finished it, she wanted to read it herself again) I suppose most people will have read this book already; is it true? Jane Austen is a very well-known author, I'm quite certain, and I think Pride and Prejudice is her most popular novel. Still, I won't do discussion on the characters, I think, as it'd be hard to do that without spoiling plot points. By the way: I read the Penguin Student's Edition, because that was the only English version available in our library, and I had to do my best to not get the plot spoiled for me... so try to avoid reading anything else than the actual story, until you've finished it. I really enjoyed Pride and Prejudice. There are lots of lovely characters, and I like it when the main character isn't perfect, and actually has got something to learn. Because I'll give you that: Elizabeth isn't quite flawless. For a big part of the novel, I did have issues remembering who was who, especially as many characters are referred to with different names, depending on the situation. But if you keep on reading, you'll probably get into it, and before you do, the book is so well-written (the first chapter's a really nice introduction to Jane Austen's humour and style, and it's cool that it doesn't even start talking about the main character) you'll probably enjoy it anyway.
I would highly suggest reading the Dragon Rider, if you are into dragons. I read that book so much that the back and front covers fell off... high quality book right there. Also, if you haven’t already, read the His Dark Materials books. They are currently my all time favourite books, and they kept me up reading for at least hours after I was supposed to be asleep... Edit: DEFINITELY read the Mysterious Benedict Society if you like mysteries. Granted, it’s targeted to kids, but it’s still immensely enjoyable for adults as well. I won’t reveal the plot at all; just go read it
So many books so little time. My favorite books series of all time is by C. S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia) I NEVER get tired of reading it. Took me 6 months to read Lord of the Rings but 3 days to read The Silmarillion and 5 days to read the Children of Hurin. I also enjoy reading The Outlander series and The Inheritence Cycle. I am also a HUGE fan of Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti. I enjoy books. Period. I don't care if they are aimed at adults/young adults or kids. I've read all of the Limony Snicket books, Percy Jackson books, and the Artemis Fowl series. At the moment I am reading (with my twins) the first book in a series called Swindle by Gordon Korman about a Doberman Pinscher (which happens to be my all time favorite dog breed).
As I've explained before, I love dragons. However, as much as I love reading about dragons, I talk small breaks between series to... not read about dragons. The following 3 books are my favorite 3 from my so called dragon breaks. Let us begin with the wonderful, The Last Dragonslayer. This is the first of the Kazam Chronicles, though, it can easily be read as a oneshot as well. It follows the story of Jennifer Strange, who runs a employment agency for wizards in a world where magic is being outpaced by machines. However, she starts to get visions of the death of the last dragon at the hands of a dragonslayer. If they come true, everything will change, and something known as big magic will revitalize the world's fading magic. Dungeoneers is the second book. A true one shot for middle-aged readers with a Dungeons and Dragonsesque vibe, plot twists, and plenty of humour. The story follows the son of a cobbler named Colm Cadorley. To make ends meet, he becomes a pickpocket and finds that he is very skilled at it. However, after he picks the wrong pocket he is given a chocie: Lose some important body parts, or become a rogue for the dungeoneering guild and perhaps earn some fame, fortune, and a break from his overbearing family. The final book is not for the faint of heart, it's very sad and heartbreaking. This book is, A Monster Calls. This tragic story tells the tale of Conor, who lives with his ill mother. One night, a monster arrives at his room, but not the one he expects, not the one from his nigntmares. This monster doesn't want to kill him, nor maim him, no, it wants the worst thing. It wants the truth. The one truth Conor refuses to tell. The Last Dragonslayer (Young Adult - Adult): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13316328-the-last-dragonslayer The Dungeoneers (Young Adult): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23315833-the-dungeoneers A Monster Calls (Young Adult - Adult): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8621462-a-monster-calls
Saw the movie of this one. Dunno how close it hews to the source material, but I'd say it captured the essence just fine. Also, Liam Neeson as a tree monster is pretty impressive. (Kinda makes me wish I had my own monster growing up, but I guess they only inhabit the UK. Pity.) Also, on an impulse I decided to buy the Kindle version of the Enchanted Forest books, and saved them as PDF so I could read them while doing data at work. ...Three pages in and already I remember exactly why I loved these books so very, very much. Absolutely a must-read, right up there with Terry Pratchett and Piers Anthony.
I've been reading the Monster Hunters International Series by Larry Correia recently, and they are excellent - just thought I would share. Here is a short description (excerpt) from Mr. Correia's website: "It turns out that monsters are real. All the things from myth, legend, and B-Movies are out there, waiting in the shadows. Officially secret, some of them are evil, and some are just hungry. On the other side are the people who kill monsters for a living. Monster Hunter International is the premier eradication company in the business."
I finished the Odyssey, by Homeros. It's an amazing work! I read a Dutch, metrical translation (dactylic hexameter, the same as the original), by Aegidius W. Timmerman. I love his name, because 'Aegidius' sounds so high, and 'Timmerman' means 'Carpenter'. It is a very good and beautiful translation, and prefacing every book there are commentaries on each of the relevant characters, making for around 3 pages per book. Interesting about the Odyssey is that its titular hero, Odysseus, is not at all a pleasant person. He's very violent and grudgeful, and the only ones he ever shows compassion with are his dog and his father. There are more likeable characters, though: his wife Penelope, the innocent girl Nausikaa, and the swineherd, Eumaeus. The latter is also particularly bitter against the suitors, though. But this work is just so well-written... of course the style figures would come through best if you read the work in Ancient Greek, but even when translated you have at least still got the great lines-long similes. I would recommend reading a metrical translation instead of one that rhymes or is prose instead of poetry, to stay closer to the feel of the original.
Unlikely anyone will have any interest, but I thought I'd throw this recommendation out there anyway. Clement Attlee: The Inevitable Prime Minister by Michael Jago. For A Level history we're required to write a thesis on the subject of our choice - mine was the 1945-1951 British government. History lesson, for those that don't know: after the wartime coalition, a general election was called. Winston Churchill's campaign revolved around his success as the man who lead Britain to victory, and calling Clement Attlee and the Labour Party... well, Nazis. Given that everyone had just lost multiple people to fighting Nazis, I don't think they appreciated that. On top of that, Labour was in control of domestic affairs the entire time and the public thought they'd done a good job, and that Winston was useless without a war to fight. Despite there being no way he'd ever be elected, according to the polls and newspapers, Attlee and Labour managed to win the most seats a British party ever had. This book provided me with a lot of sources that I, ultimately, didn't use, but it definitely enthralled me with the thought of 'what was Clement Attlee like', and not just his government. It's just... very interesting to me. It's a journey through his middle class childhood in his family of ten, his discovery and turning to socialism, his service in World War I (he served under Winston Churchill in Gallipoli, Turkey), how he met his wife in a post-war trip to Italy, his election as a Member of Parliament, his trips to the British Raj and enlightenment on how it should have been decolonised, his tenure as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, his twenty year long service as Labour Party leader, his trips to Nazi Germany and hatred of fascism (he was a massive critic of appeasement and helped Winston Churchill get the Prime Ministership to help Britain win the war), his service as the first ever Deputy Prime Minister (1945 - 1951), and his Prime Ministership in which the government he lead implemented universal healthcare, had to help Britain rebuild as well as fix the crippled economy, began the process of ending the British Empire, attempted to stay neutral in the Cold War but went on to help found NATO anyway, his hatred of Communism, nationalised 20% of the British economy, and lost an election despite having the largest ever share of the popular vote. Oh, and he was also the PM that got us nuclear weapons! I don't know. It's all very fascinating to me. If any of what I wrote above sounds interesting, I recommend you get the book. It's well-written and has a bunch of cool old pictures and letters that Attlee wrote to his brother, and gives an insight to what a Prime Minister has to do even when away from the public eye, on top of being a full biography of Britain's best ever PM.
Well my favourite book series is called The Raven Cycle and book #1 is called The Raven Boys, I highly suggest the book for people who like adventure, fantasy and a little bit of romance. "'There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,' Neeve said. 'Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.'It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive. Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble. But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he's looking for much more than that. He is on a quest to find Glendower that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little. For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she isn't so sure anymore." There is some strong language in the book (just a slight warning if you decide to start the series, but don't like foul language ), but overall it is a really good series and I hope at least one of you decide to give it a try
Just finished Becky Chamber's Record of a Spaceborn Few. Wow. I don't think I've ever read a story quite like it. Starts out a bit choppy, but sucks you in and gets so touching. Kindness and hope. Highly recommend! Also, I can't go into more detail because Keph hasn't started reading it yet, and I'm not allowed to spoil it for him. Fear the wrath of the tiger
It's getting close to that time of year again, when fear and horror are a wonderful thing to read! So here's 4 great horror stories you can give a read and finish before the end of October. The Dunwich Horror By H.P. Lovecraft A horror classic that tells the tale of Wilbur Whateley, the child of an albino woman and a mysterious man, who matures at an abnormal rate. As he grows older, many mysterious occurrences happen in the town of Dunwich, ranging from disappearances to remains of fiendish rituals, ending with a conclusion of unforeseen consequences and terror. The Black Cat By Edgar Allan Poe A terrible tale told by an animal-loving man on death row relating to a priest how he ended up in such a circumstance. The tale tells of how the man comes home one night, drunk and angry at his failing business ventures and kills his beloved black cat, yet as he faces more trials tribulations, he realizes that something is causing him ill, something wants vengeance at any cost. Uzumaki (Spiral Into Horror) By Junji Itou For those more interested in manga and graphic novels, there is Uzumaki from a esteemed master of horror, Junji Itou. Uzumaki tells the tale of Kirie and Shuichi from the coastal village of Kurozu-Cho as they witness the town spiral into madness from an ancient curse of spirals, afflicting people in strange ways and causing people to change and morph as they are consumed by the curse until an epic conclusion of horrifying truths. Coraline By Neil Gaiman A well-known children's horror novel and amazing stop-motion film, Coraline is a must read (or see) for everyone this season if they haven't read it before. Coraline is about am adventurous girl named Coraline. In it, Coraline moves to a new house full of quirky neighbors and interesting secrets and after discovering one of these secrets she must find out how to escape it and stop it from ever weaving more into their terrible web. Be warned that many of the stories listed can greatly disturb the reader, especially Uzumaki. Uzumaki has many... interesting scenes as a Junji Itou manga and is certainly for a more mature audience, but is suitable for teens as well. The Dunwich Horror and The Black Cat are certainly frightening to an extent, but are fine for a teenage audience. Coraline is a great read for almost all ages however.
Ah, I should write now! I don't know what to do otherwise anyway, because of the stress. So I read David Copperfield! It took me 4 or 5 months, I think. It might be the best book I've ever read, but I'm not sure, as often the book I've read last feels like the best I've ever read. In any case, it is the most hefty book I've read, as well as the longest. This commentary will be spoiler-free, as I assume many of you might not have read the book yet. So far, the only other novels by Dickens I've read are Oliver Twist and Great Expectations, so those are the only I can draw comparisons to. The most remarkable thing right from the start, is that this is not a novel written about the main character: it's a novel written by the main character. Of course David Copperfield wasn't really written by David Copperfield, as he never existed. However, the entire novel is written like it is. And it is quite believable, too! Copperfield has got quite extraordinary memory, but so did Dickens, and so have I. When taking some liberties filling in some gaps, I'm sure I might be able to write an autobiography with as much detail. And there are in fact some uncertainties added in as well, which is really nice. There are also four chapters with 'Retrospect' in the title, where instead of writing about the events that happened in detail and in order, there is more of a general overview of a specific period. There is a handful of moments of foreshadowing. This was nice, as it gave you some things to wonder about, and as the moments were very sporadic, you would think back to a specific moment of foreshadowing for, in some cases, hundreds of pages. The novel is very long, but it's certainly one whole. As is the case with Great Expectations, David's child years seem a bit divided from the rest of his life, but that's realistic. Once he's adult, he goes to various periods, but things are certainly tied together. And events from his childhood are referenced from time to time as well. I would like to read an analysis of the book still, I'll probably look at Sparknotes. When reading the Wikipedia page, which has a non-chronological plot overview, I read about two things I didn't know. So there might very well be more I missed. There was one entire chapter I didn't understand, so I'm looking forward to getting that. Of course I would certainly recommend this book, as it is great. It is Dickens, and Dickens is a great writer, and this was his favourite work of his. While reading, I also looked for funny quotes I could share here without spoiling anything about the plot, and I did find two! [Heep] had a way of writhing when he wanted to express enthusiasm, which was very ugly; and which diverted my attention from the compliment he had paid my relation, to the snaky twistings of his throat and body. ‘A sweet lady, Master Copperfield!’ said Uriah Heep. ‘She has a great admiration for Miss Agnes, Master Copperfield, I believe?’ I said, ‘Yes,’ boldly; not that I knew anything about it, Heaven forgive me! ‘I hope you have, too, Master Copperfield,’ said Uriah. ‘But I am sure you must have.’ ‘Everybody must have,’ I returned. ‘Oh, thank you, Master Copperfield,’ said Uriah Heep, ‘for that remark! It is so true! Umble as I am, I know it is so true! Oh, thank you, Master Copperfield!’ He writhed himself quite off his stool in the excitement of his feelings, and, being off, began to make arrangements for going home. ‘What must be done,’ said Traddles, ‘is this. First, the deed of relinquishment, that we have heard of, must be given over to me now—here.’ ‘Suppose I haven’t got it,’ he interrupted. ‘But you have,’ said Traddles; ‘therefore, you know, we won’t suppose so.’ Actually, writing that greatly reduced my level of stress.
