ClubCivic's Book Club

[42Steps]

This thread is made solely for the purpose of discussing books you have read.... Nothing should be said about how you have "heard" a book was good or otherwise, you must have read it or are in the process of reading it.....

And don't try to post about books you read a while ago, you can't fully review it with a vague memory of it....

Simple Guidelines:

• Post up the Title and Author
• Post up length (rough or exact)
• Post up difficulty of reading (vocabulary used and such)
• Post up thoughts on plot, but DO NOT put any spoilers within your review. If you do I will ask a mod to delete that post.
• Post up thoughts on character development and roundness
• Finally post if you would recommend it to us.

Happy Reading!

 

[42Steps]

I guess I'll go ahead and start, since Club Civic apparently hates books....

Angels & Demons
By: Dan Brown
710 p.

I'm only 200 pages in so far, but its definitely good thus far. It has its hooks and definitely doesn't sit too long in any given setting, so I'm compelled to read further. The vocabulary isn't that hard either, most people should know all of the words used, and the layout of the book doesn't jump tooo much. It does bounce back and forth between a few characters, but I haven't felt lost yet, so Brown does it well.

The characters seem pretty round thus far, as well. As some of you know this book is by the same author as The Da Vinci Code. It is actually the preceding story to that book and follows the same character, Robert Langdon, in his first "adventure." You get a good feel of how he thinks about things, and how you think he will react towards events. The other characters also have their own apparent drives and problems, which adds depth to the book.

Overall I'm looking forward to seeing how it will end, and how events will play out. When I finish it I will finish this review.


Thus far, I WOULD recommend it.

 

[42Steps]

Soooooo nobody reads books anymore.... Thats dissapointing...

 

[Genuine Rolla]

I think that this is a great thread. I'll post later some of the books i've read so far, just busy right now at the moment.

 

[itsmycookie]

Soooooo nobody reads books anymore.... Thats dissapointing...

i;m sorry joe butt the only books i;ve read since highschool are the harry potter books. what can i say man i play video games.

 

[Akiahara96]

i have read too many books to review!

but i love this thread. seriously. i read like a son of a b***h.

LOVE angels and demons. GREAT book. i liked it better than the da vinci code, simply because it was faster paced. i think dan browns next langdon novel is due out next year, and it's centered in washington DC. something about the architecture and all that.

okay, i'll put down what i'm reading right this moment, but it isn't my first time rereading. or even my second.



Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris (a Sookie Stackhouse, southern vampire book)

approx. 250pgs.

difficulty of reading... no, it's not terribly difficult. there are some words maybe not familiar to most. ex. "aplomb" i would say you'd need a decent imagination.

the plot: this is the second sookie stackhouse book. it's told in the first person from the POV of sookie, who happens to be a telepath working at a bar in bon temps, louisiana. she meets some interesting supernatural creatures along the way, her first being a soldier/farmer turned vampire. their introduction leads her into the world of preternatural creatures - vampires, shapeshifters, fey, wereanimals, and even queens of the damned.

charlaine is an excellent author. she also talks to her fans on message boards, and i love that. she's a great world builder, and is able to combine drama, comedy, and romance all into one package. i highly recommend these books. but... they're not super chicky, but i'd say not many men read them. but hey, if you're into a lighter view of vampires, this is it.

 

[Partizan]

Thus far, I WOULD recommend it.

so would I, but I haven't finished it yet.

 

[.blazed_ej8]

reading is for suckers...lol

 

[Partizan]

Haha, I am actually looking forward to some more reviews on here. I hate most books that I am forced to read, but some books that I have read, are just awesome.

 

[Akiahara96]

well then post 'em up!

 

[42Steps]

I'm a little over halfway through Angels & Demons now.... Really good book, still, I can't seem to put it down...

 

[JohnS.]

I know it's a cheesy book and some of you may not like it, but I found it quite inspiring and awesome to read and thought I'd pass the word on (for those who have never heard of it).

Tuesdays with Morrie
By: Mitch Albom
Approx: 210 p.

It's easy reading. Like I said, some of you may find it cheesy, but I loved it. The movie was pretty corny but it was still okay. I haven't read this book in a real long time but I have read it a few times so I'll try to explain the book as best as I can. Here it goes:

It's about this old professor, Morrie, and a student of his, Mitch. He and the professer were good friends in college and Mitch had all these things he wanted to accomplish when he grew up (one of them being a good pianist). But after he graduated college, he got caught up the very opposites of what he planned on doing in college, the main thing being work. Then one day, he flips throught the T.V. and sees his professor on a channel. I don't wanna say too much other then the fact that the professer had a few months to live at that point. So Mitch and Morrie meet every Tuesday where Mitch would be taught lessons on life.

Overall good book and I'd recommend it to everyone and anyone. I'd read it right now but I forgot it at home (250 miles away). Will be home next week though for a month so I'm sure I'll pick it up again.

 

[x007den]

angels and demons is so much better than the da vinci code. can't wait for the film to come out.

since we're on dan brown. i'll go ahead and talk about one of his other books, Deception Point

i have it in paperback, about 700 pages. regular vocab. this one had nothing to do with robert langdon, instead the lead character is a female, Rachel Sexton. a lot more sci-fi compared to the religious connections of a & d and the da vinci code. politics, science, romance, murder; it has it all. if you like dan brown's plot twists, you'll like this book.

i'm going to start reading dan brown's digital fortress if anyone knows anything.

another book that i read last year was mitch albom's the five people you meet in heaven. amej8 if you like albom, you'll like this book. i think he wrote it right after tuesdays with morrie.

 

[flora]

< yay for angels and demons! my fave out of all the others--i've read all of his books have fun with it! dan brown is good, but if he could add a taaaaad more depth to his fast paced books, that'd be great. i'd read an extra 100 pages for more "stuff" to read. >

1. The Historian
Author: Elizabeth Kostova
Pages: 688 (they are huge pages with tiny words. feels more like a 800-pager)

Reading Difficulty: Actually, it varies from medium to hard. A lot of history/letters/old documents to read though. Some of the book is fast paced, other times it's slow (not boring, but the pace is slower).

Plot: Excellent plot idea. All in all, this book is about history nerds through 3 generations (early 1900s to the 1970s). Here's a good synopsis:
"Late one night, exploring her father's library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters. The letters are all addressed to "My dear and unfortunate successor," and they plunge her into a world she never dreamed of --- a labyrinth where the secrets of her father's past and her mother's mysterious fate connect to an inconceivable evil hidden in the depths of history.

The letters provide links to one of the darkest powers that humanity has ever known --- and to a centuries-long quest to find the source of that darkness and wipe it out. It is a quest for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the legend of Dracula. Generations of historians have risked their reputations, their sanity, and even their lives to learn the truth about Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. Now one young woman must decide whether to take up this quest herself --- to follow her father in a hunt that nearly brought him to ruin years ago, when he was a vibrant young scholar and her mother was still alive. "

You really get to know the characters--but at times they seem like a mystery. Pretty good job.

Recommendation : I'd totally recommend it--but not for everyone. Lots of great detail, but to some it may seem trying to some. Excellent book--and currently at target (15% or 20% off regualr price )

Loved the history about vlad. a bit eerie and creepy.

 

[Akiahara96]

hmm.. i've thought of picking up the historian. of course, i have a bit of a vampire obsession. i've researched a lot about vlad tepes, and i think he's a great historical figure to bring into fiction.. since his deeds are somewhat unbelievable. i love long books, but i'm afraid this one will be slow.

so... i guess i'll throw this up there, though i won't have much more to say about it. just finished it tonight. i'd be halfway through definitely dead, which is the next in the series, as well as the newest, but i can't frickin' find it. i'm going to turn this place upside down looking for that book.


Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
approx. 300 pgs.

difficulty: like i said before, it's definitely adult. adult for its content mostly, but has some advanced vocabulary.

this is the fifth installment of charlaine's sookie stackhouse series (a southern vampire series, and yes, i reread them in succession, if you're wondering). sookie the telepath gets thrown even deeper into the supernatural world. she learns some new things about the other 'supes' (as they call themselves) and gets into a bit of trouble, as usual. this time, it's really not her fault. her relationships get more complicated in this book, too. new characters are here to stay, as well.

of course, i recommend it. the sookies are one of my favorite series. these books do nothing if not improve with every addition. so, it's not for everyone. they are sorta girlish (it's written in the first person, and that person is sookie) and full of the supernatural. i still think a man could enjoy this series, even if it's only to laugh at sookies mishaps.