Cathy:
Re The Book Thief. And that is what makes our book conversations more fun - our different opinions!

Cathy (Catsluvbooks) wrote: "I am one of the few people on the planet who didn't care for this book. I thought it was a "ho hum" and ditched it about halfway through. "

Mary:
Sure, I can see your point, especially about the ending of Relentless A Novel.
Some of Dean Koontz's work is more subtle regarding what we sometimes call the woo woo factor / paranormal themes, and some are more overt. For Relentless, the paranormal was a bit more subtle for parts of the book and a straight ending (while violent) could have been an alternative. This one veered more into the territory of the endings of From The Corner Of His Eye, One Door Away From Heaven, By the Light of the Moon and others, such as the Christopher Snow books.
an aside to other former AOL MT Board regulars - I miss Margie! She would comment on how angry she is with Koontz for leaving Chris Snow "dangling".

Mary/Quite Contrary wrote: "Ann,
I see you read Dean Koontz, Relentless. His writing is so good, characters well developed, I almost felt like the "paranormal" ending was a cheat, that the story was so plausable he could have written a reality based ending just as well. I'm not saying this very well...does this make any sense at all? "

Ann,
I see you read Dean Koontz, Relentless. His writing is so good, characters well developed, I almost felt like the "paranormal" ending was a cheat, that the story was so plausable he could have written a reality based ending just as well. I'm not saying this very well...does this make any sense at all?

Marcy wrote: "Ann wrote: "I had an ok July, with forty-seven books so far this year, not a bad count.
[Zusak, Markus The Book Thief read 7/9/2009, Audio 10 of 10 this was such a thought provoking book full of h..."

I am one of the few people on the planet who didn't care for this book. I thought it was a "ho hum" and ditched it about halfway through.

Carol: Thanks! The same can go for books, escapism at its best can be far fetched!

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "I hadn't read the book before I saw the movie and I enjoyed it. The scenario is a treat, it reminded me of my trip to Rome in 2006 I think. The cast is a treat a well, Mr. Hanks is entertaining. The plot is pretty far-fetched, but that never stopped me from enjoying a movie ..."

Ann wrote: "I did enjoy the inside look at the Vatican and hope to see the visuals of that in the movie soon. I usually enjoy Ron Howard's films and like Tom Hanks, so expect to enjoy Angels and Demons the movie.
..."

Ann, I hadn't read the book before I saw the movie and I enjoyed it. The scenario is a treat, it reminded me of my trip to Rome in 2006 I think. The cast is a treat a well, Mr. Hanks is entertaining. The plot is pretty far-fetched, but that never stopped me from enjoying a movie...

Thanks for the cautions, but I think I could accept the literary license taken for the death narrator. I'll report back after I read it.

Marcy:
I was listening to the audio book of The Book Thief, and I don't lightly put an audio down with fewer immediate alternatives, if I am not immediatley wowed by a book. I don't remember my initial reaction. I think I had already heard I needed to give it a chance, and you yourself Ms. O'Cat cautioned me about "Death's" voice.

JanOMalleycat wrote: "Shomeret said: "Death is the narrator of The Book Thief, Marcy. That would be my only caution for you about this book. Do you think you can deal with that or would you find it too far-fetched?"
and Jan said "For me it's not so much that the idea of Death as narrator, as it is the odd, arch tone Death takes in the beginning of the book. Later on it didn't seem so bad, but I found it hard going at the beginning and put the book down for several weeks. "

Fo..."

I'm adding THE BOOK THIEF to my list. Since Ann & Shom loved it, I've got to give it a try. We all I know I love having some "woo woo" in my books!

Shomeret said: "Death is the narrator of The Book Thief, Marcy. That would be my only caution for you about this book. Do you think you can deal with that or would you find it too far-fetched?"

For me it's not so much that the idea of Death as narrator, as it is the odd, arch tone Death takes in the beginning of the book. Later on it didn't seem so bad, but I found it hard going at the beginning and put the book down for several weeks. I'm not sure if I got used to the tone, got so caught up in the story, or if Zusak cooled it after a while. That archness was the only thing that ever made me realize this is supposed to be a YA book. It seemed very teenagerish, but the rest of the book isn't.

Marcy, you can't go wrong by trying it!

Jan O'Cat

Marcy wrote: "Ann wrote: "I had an ok July, with forty-seven books so far this year, not a bad count.
[Zusak, Markus The Book Thief read 7/9/2009, Audio 10 of 10 this was such a thought provoking book full of h..."

Death is the narrator of The Book Thief, Marcy. That would be my only caution for you about this book. Do you think you can deal with that or would you find it too far-fetched?

Shomeret

Marcy:
I think you would like The Book Thief! I still think about it.

Marcy wrote: "I've heard so many good things about this book. I think your review just helped move it up on my TBR list. "

Yes, exactly, Ms. O'AstuteCat!
I did enjoy the inside look at the Vatican and hope to see the visuals of that in the movie soon. I usually enjoy Ron Howard's films and like Tom Hanks, so expect to enjoy Angels and Demons the movie.

JanOMalleycat wrote: "I didn't like A&D much, probably because I read it too shortly after TDC and they were too similar. But one of the things I really liked about the book was the inside look at the Vatican and I look forward to seeing that in the movie.."

Ann wrote: "I had an ok July, with forty-seven books so far this year, not a bad count.
[Zusak, Markus The Book Thief read 7/9/2009, Audio 10 of 10 this was such a thought provoking book full of human spirit

I've heard so many good things about this book. I think your review just helped move it up on my TBR list.

Ann said: "Brown, Dan Angels and Demons read 7/9/2009, Audio and PB, 8+ of 10 I put a lot of space between this one and The DaVinci Code, but wanted to read it before seeing the movie which I do look forward to seeing, especially the scenery. "

Ann, I didn't like A&D much, probably because I read it too shortly after TDC and they were too similar. But one of the things I really liked about the book was the inside look at the Vatican and I look forward to seeing that in the movie.

Jan O'Cat

I had an ok July, with forty-seven books so far this year, not a bad count.
A Good Yarn Debbie Macomber
Laurie R King Justice Hall
The Book Thief Markus Zusak
Greg Rucka Walking Dead
Angels & Demons Dan Brown
Dean Koontz Relentless A Novel
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

Macomber, Debbie A Good Yarn read 7/19/2009, 8+of 10 read with Mom these books always make me want to learn to knit. Socks this time.
King, Laurie R Justice Hall read 7/15/2009, 9+ of 10 Russell and Holmes catching up with the series in anticipation of this years release
Zusak, Markus The Book Thief read 7/9/2009, Audio 10 of 10 this was such a thought provoking book full of human spirit. I love audio books where you become immersed in the world in the book. While not always a happy place, Liesel's world is an important place to understand.
Rucka, Greg Walking Dead read 7/26/2009, 9 of 10 good to see Atticus again, his world is not mine, it is a violent and different place from when we first met him, but it is important to not forget that places and events like this do happen.
Brown, Dan Angels and Demons read 7/9/2009, Audio and PB, 8+ of 10 I put a lot of space between this one and The DaVinci Code, but wanted to read it before seeing the movie which I do look forward to seeing, especially the scenery.
Koontz, Dean Relentless read 7/20/2009, Audio 9 of 10 interesting premise with standard Koontz touches. just enough wow, scary contemporary parallels, intelligent characters and literary references.
Maxwell, John C. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership read 7/13/2009, 9 of 10 read for work, thought provoking.