false 20 1774 1612 true 5634598 read 1 true 2552018 currently-reading 161 true 2552017 to-read 394 false 2584112 literature 368 false 2584116 fantasy 328 false 3569765 books-made-into-movies 318 false 2584122 classic 230 false 2584117 humor 189 false 2584103 non-fiction 182 false 2584119 children-s-book 133 false 2584169 horror 123 false 2584179 mystery 106 false 2584115 sci-fi 101 false 2584145 theatre 99 false 2584123 favorites 64 false 2584168 art 62 false 2584118 graphic-novel 61 false 2584197 poetry 60 false 2585730 adventure 49 false 2791794 short-stories 48 false 2585727 awful 40 false 2658420 other 39 false 5390077 history 32 false 2584138 religion 18 false 2633226 roleplaying http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81237500 An Acceptable Time (Time, Book 5) by Madeleine L'Engle
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/50637176 to: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Paperback) by Seth Grahame-Smith
bookshelves: adventure, humor
Cute. By inserting a few scenes and altering about half the dialog, Mr Grahame-Smith has turned a romantic, classical, comedy of manners into a kung-fu zombie action-movie.

Once can't help but feel that he really, really hated his source material.

But, ignoring that, it's a clever, well put together, and very funny book. I laughed out loud at one section in particular where Elizabeth daydreams about beheading her obnoxious, shallow, talky sister Lydia via a round-house kick.

I would recommend it. If you're in to this sort of thing. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81188858 Let the Right One In (Hardcover) by John Ajvide Lindqvist
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77997502 to: Gentlemen of the Road: A Tale of Adventure (Hardcover) by Michael Chabon
bookshelves: adventure, literature
A delightful adventure story. There are con artists and lost royalty and perilous journeys and sword-fighting and all the things that make an adventure story great. But, because it's a Michael Chabon book, it's also sad, sweet, well written, surprising, and Jewish.

Such is life.

I'd write a better review, and still might later, but it's so cold in here that it hurts my fingers to type. Is is also life.

Recommended. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24410720 to: The Lunatic Cafe (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #4) by Laurell K. Hamilton
bookshelves: awful
You know what? You wanna know why I hate these books? The cheep, poorly-written, totally unedited, badly researched, juvenile, pedestrian sex-fest, rape-fantasy-laiden garbage-liners that have stopped even trying to pretend they were urban fantasy novels? You want to know why I bother even mentioning them at all, especially in such passionate terms, instead of ignoring them like they so justly deserve to be ignored?

Because it wasn't always like this.

The first book was recommended by a friend when I was looking for something harmless and easy to read on the bus. Nothing that involved thought. Brain candy. And it was! And the lead was a woman who was neither of the common fantasy novel stereotypes: the hard, man-like bad ass or the sex-dripping whore who needs rescued. There were morals and politics and people tried to think about things before acting. There was an interesting take on zombies and religion.

And then the whole damn series fell apart. The main character managed to become a stupid whore and the plot vanished and the spelling errors became egregious and the author started touting herself as the inventor of the vampire sub-genre and writing about how those of us who liked the first part of the series and not what it became as prudes and vicious hags and it all happened so fast.

Ugh. Just ugh.

Not recommended. For anyone. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24214330 to: Titus Andronicus - Arden Shakespeare (Arden Shakespeare Third Series) by Jonathan Bate
bookshelves: books-made-into-movies, classic, favorites, theatre
This is a dark, dark, angry play about revenge and war and why people should at least try to be civil to each other.

Spoiler Alert: people get fed their children. Women get their hands and tongue ripped out on stage so that they can't say who it was that gang-raped them. Nobody wins. Rivers of blood. Insanity and hallucinations.

Great stuff.

Recommended. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23722858 to: Persuasion (Oxford World's Classics) by Jane Austen
bookshelves: books-made-into-movies, classic, favorites, literature
This is probably my favorite of the works of Jane Austin. It's a love story as well as a comedy of manners (like all her other novels,) but this story is an adult love story, where people have messed-up and chosen poorly and are pretty much resigned to it, though perfectly willing to forgive and hope. Like adults. The protagonist is almost thirty (ancient of days for the time and unheard of for a heroine) and part of a falling aristocracy who was being replaced by the middle-class who were growing richer and officers of the Navy and Army who were growing in prominence thanks to the war. Well generally. Anne's family in specific were falling mostly due to the extravagance, vanity and buffoonery of her father and older sister.

Anyhoo, this is the last book Jane finished before she died, and, in my opinion, is an excellent example of an author's growth throughout their career.

Recommended. Of course. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77997108 to: User Friendly (Mass Market Paperback) by Spider Robinson
bookshelves: fantasy, humor, sci-fi, short-stories
An occasionally self-indulgent series of short stories, essays, and transcripts of speeches, this book is cute and cuddly in a way that only Spider seems capable of. It's also angry, chiding, and sad. But always hopeful. I especially recommend the speech he gave on reading in America (or possibly on the dumbining of America, depending on how you look at it.)

Flawed, but lovely.

Recommended. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24728626 to: The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain (Mass Market Paperback) by Mark Twain
bookshelves: classic, humor, literature, short-stories
For wit, satire, or acute observations of human nature, you could do much worse than Mark Twain. I highly recommend everything he's ever written. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/27857607 to: Murder Mysteries (Hardcover) by Neil Gaiman
bookshelves: fantasy, mystery, theatre
A wonderful, wonderful story about angels and death and possibly crazy people. It reminds me of both classic Noir stories and Paradise Lost all at the same time. I have only read this once, but I have the audio book on my MP3 player at all times. A delicious, sad, scary story that makes me think about things I have not thought of in ages. It's the best sort of Urban Fantasy/Speculative fiction. It's literate and entertaining. I highly recommend it. ]]>