Allison's comments (member since Dec 08, 2008)

Allison's comments from the College Students! group.

This is just beyond comprehension to me. I've never had anything nice to say about West, and this definitely doesn't help his cause in my eyes.
Ridiculous!

I'm reading The Last Dickens A Novel. I'm about 3/4 of the way through. It's a pretty good read, not a page turner really, but entertaining.

I'm looking into the Outlander series too.
I also have the first Gemma Doyle book, but haven't read it yet.
I'm really into mystery series, so I'm looking forward to getting into the Kathy Reich's series and Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz.

Jamie- There is a website for the Natural Harvest book where you can 'read' the book online.

I know it's so gross, but my boyfriend and I just had to look through it. OMG, it was the worst thing my eyes have ever been subjected to. I didn't bookmark the site or anything, but if you're curious, a google search would find it, I'm sure. Just be prepared to actually vomit..lol

Jessica wrote: "I just bought A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.
I've also got Oldest Confederate Widow Tells All,
The Historian, The Handmaid and the Carpenter, and Rhett Butler's People coming to me from pape..."

I bought A Walk in the Woods for my fiancee, who is about halfway through. He's really into outdoorsy type things, and he's enjoying it so far.

It's been about a year since I read this book, but I adored it. I thought it was such an interesting topic for a book, and I agree with most of you that the prologue really drew me in, and I read like a madwoman trying to figure out who killed him.

Some responses to others:

Animal cruelty: Although I didn't enjoy reading about it, I understood that it was common in that environment/time. I also attributed some of the behavior of the people mistreating the animals to showing their control over something- in a time in which they could control very little, this is something they could, and they did in their own twisted way. However, it was much harder for me to read about the animals because like Amanda said, humans can walk away. We have the power to make a choice and leave a situation if we really want to. Animals cannot. They were trapped in that situation and were helpless/choiceless to what was happening. I think that is why it was so powerful that Rosie actually killed August.

Jamie: I felt the same way after reading the author's note. I wanted to find beautiful old coffee table books of circus photographs.

R: What was the other circus book you read?

Book Parallels: Book Discussion
This link is a B&N book discussion where people discuss the parallels of WFE and the Bible. I didn't read through all the pages, but I think Sara Gruen may have been part of the discussion. I know that I read one where she did right after I finished the book, and I think it was this one.

I just finished The Secret Garden. I don't think that I had ever read the original version, and so it was nice to finally read it.
Now, I'm starting on White Nights by Ann Cleeves. It sounds like a kinda of mystery, so we'll see!

I went to Borders with some coupons (40%, birthday coupons, and online survey coupon) and came out with Sharp Objects A Novel, A Walk in the Woods Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, and some random book on the bargain shelf that my fiancee picked out.

I finished Deadliest Catch Desperate Hours. It was a very quick read, especially since my fiancee and I are huge fans of the show.

Just started Booked to Die, and I'm only a few pages in, but I think that I'm going to enjoy this book and the whole series.

The closest thing to chick lit I've ever read is the Sookie Stackhouse series. Which I'm recommending to everyone because I am in the middle of the series and loving it!

I finished Between Here and April and Living Dead in Dallas today.

Between Here and April was interesting. It was told from a different perspective and there was a different twist to the book than I had expected. I picked it up expecting it to read more like a mystery, so it was a bit of an adjustment when it wasn't, but I still enjoyed it.

Living Dead Until Dark was one of those books I just couldn't put down. I had finals today, so there were long breaks between tests, and I got a good chunk of this read. It's such a nice, fun and easy read.

Summer Challenge Categories

5 Points

1. Color: White Nights- Ann Cheeves

2. Child/animal narrartor: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time- Mark Haddon

3. May/June/July author birthday: Scarpetta- Patricia Cornwell (June)

4. Summer word in title:
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale- Jeanne Birdsall

5. Travel memoir: Neither Here Nor There- Bill Bryson

6. 5th/6th/7th grade reread: Sideways Stories from Wayside School- Louis Sachar

7. Favorite Movie Based on Book: Deja Dead- Kathy Reichs (Bones)

10 Points

1. Important Historical Event: Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer- James L. Swanson

2. Food in Title: Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot- Patricia C. Wrede

3. Owned the longest: How To Re-imagine the World- Anthony Weston

4. Parent/Child Relationship: Multiple Bles8ings- Jon and Kate Gosselin

5. Shakespeare Book & Movie: The Taming of the Shrew/10 Things I Hate About You

6. 150 pages of poetry/short stories: McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales- Michael Chabon (short stories- 480 pages)

15 Points

1. Recommendation: Three Cups of Tea- Greg Mortinsen (recommended from mother-in-law)

2. 5-stars from College Student w/ same initial: A Great and Terrible Beauty- Libba Bray (April)

3. France: The Stranger- Albert Camus

4. Nonfiction about Current Event: Reading Lolita in Tehran- Azar Nafasi

25 Points

1. Charitable Person: More Than A Dream- G.R. Kearney

2. Same Author's Names: Raven Black- Ann Cheeves and Ex Libris: Confessions of A Common Reader- Anne Fadiman

3. Read 2 books by Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion

Total Points: 20

Tami wrote: "I am prepared for the outrage, but I read The Giver back in either 5th or 6th grade and HATED it. I was young but I really didn't see why anyone would like the story, the characters, any of it. It..."

Although I didn't hate it the first time I read it, which was in 7th grade, reading now that I'm older, I am able to appreciate the utopian story, and am able to understand some of the commentary like I couldn't when I was 12.

Tahleen wrote: "Gah, spoiler Allison!! But yes I definitely felt the same way."

Ooops! I fixed the original post.
I was just checking in a few more minutes before class, and obviously wasn't thinking...lol

I went to Barnes & Noble the other day, and they had $2.99 carts (which they never have), so I had to check them out...
I came home with
The Barnum Museum
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
Grave Surprise

I love Lucky and Cosmo.

I'll have to check out BookMarks, it seems like one I'd love..

Tahleen wrote: "I was disappointed with the ending of In the Woods too. The sequel is about Cassie, but I don't think it's quite a continuation."

Well, that may be infuriating.
***SPOILER***





I was really hoping that the mystery of Adam's childhood would be solved, and I was so frustrated when it wasn't in In The Woods

Anna wrote: "In the Woods is fantastic. I read it over the summer last year, and I finished the whole thing in about a day, I just couldn't put it down. I hear there's a sequel, but I'm not sure what it's calle..."

The sequel is The Likeness A Novel
I'm glad to hear that you guys enjoyed it. I read it fairly quickly, but was quite disappointed with the ending. I have The Likeness sitting on my shelf, but I can't bring myself to read it quite yet, in case the end of it is as disappointing to me as In The Woods was.

Lori wrote: "Allison, Jamie and I have decided that you can use a book from your school year challenge list if you haven't already read it. I know what you mean because I didn't want to have two separate grou..."

sounds great.
i love participating in these challenges, because i always discover so many books, and i enjoy trying to fit books into different categories, but when you can't double up, it gets tedious and loses some of its fun.

what if you did the summer challenge, but let people use books they've read for summer for the school year, but not previously read books for summer?
that way, those of us who enjoy both challenges can feel like we're making headway on both, or those who just want to do one or the other can?
we don't necessarily have to do the same topics, but as we all have found out, some books can fit into multiple categories.