Erin's Comments (member since Nov 15, 2007)

Erin's comments from the The Rory Gilmore Book Club group.

I'll definitely see the movie - I read the book last year in anticipation of what was supposed to be the December release of the movie. I might even read it again before May, not because I love it so much but because I want to be able to ID any departures that the movie takes from the novel!

Doreen - I know exactly what you mean. I always miss Hogwarts when I come to the end of the HP series.

And I'm also reading A Study in Scarlet. This is my first Sherlock Holmes. I read Laurie R. King's The Beekeeper's Apprentice and enjoyed it so much that I thought I should try out the originals!

You may also want to check out "The House on the Strand" - it's by du Maurier, as well.

Has anyone else read Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go? The two books have similar themes in their looks at biomedical ethics: science creates a supply of organs and medical ethics struggles to keep up with the implications for an individual's rights.

As I read My Sister's Keeper, I felt like it was warning us to consider the moral questions that will flow out of an opened Pandora's Box: Sara and Brian really hadn't thought about the impossibly wrenching questions they'd be faced with once they had the resource of Anna's body available. But then Kate's survival seemed to fly in the face of that warning and justify Sara's choices?

Finally finished! Was really interested to try to understand what made the characters tick; was pulled along by the storyline and wondering how the various conflicts would be resolved. I got bogged down by the philosophical monologues though, and felt like I learned as much (maybe more) from what Rand showed us as by what she told us.

As I read, I discovered integrity as a strong theme throughout the novel, particularly each main characters' different relationship with it. Did anyone else see it this way?

I'm very impressed with Rand's ability to weave such a complex story - each character's back story shed light on who they were and how they got there. Did you notice that we never seemed to learn as much about Howard's background as we did about everyone else's?

I'm just past page 300, and will wait to weigh in, too.

1• Quattrocento by James McKean
2• The Opposite of Fate by Amy Tan
3• The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander
4• Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand
5• Brick Lane by Monica Ali
6• Fat Land by Greg Critser

Thanks Alison!

1• The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
2• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3• The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
4• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
5• David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
6• Complete Tales & Poems by Edgar Allan Poe

Sorry to be chiming in so late, but this book is so beautifully written that I had to add my two cents. I got goosebumps reading specific passages. And then would feel compelled to read them out loud to my dh.

Strangely, though, it took me two months to finish it. I'm hard pressed to tell you why. I didn't feel any real sense of momentum until I neared the end - and that's not what I was expecting from a novel about a mass kidnapping. Maybe the vignettes about various characters were so self-sufficient that it was like reading a series of short stories; I could completely enjoy reading about one character without feeling the need to go on to the next. Maybe I secretly feared that I knew how this story would end up, and I didn't want to get there. But gradually, I was pulled more and more into learning how things would turn out. By the end, the library was sending me threatneing messages to bring it back, but I couldn't let it go.

And I'm so glad I didn't. I loved this book. Would have given it 4.5 stars if I could. I'll need to buy it now, so that I can have it on my shelf when the compulsion hits to read it again.

I'm so impressed with you all! Have enjoyed checking out each of your blogs - thanks for sharing!

thanks Moderators - for re-vamping our nomination and voting process & for computing our selections to produce this great list! There are books on here that I've been wanting to get to for years and others I probably would have never considered if it were not for this group. Happy New Year!

Welcome Melanie! It's gerat to have you here. I've recently discovered how much I love scifi/fantasy, too.

Barbara and Michele - thank you for your suggestions! I've read and enjoyed Room with a View. (perhaps should re-read with this trip in mind so that I can catalogue the intersections between my sightseeing and literary milestones!)

Michele - I'd love your suggestions on pizza, people watching, gelato, but I'm not sure I'll have much say in our itenerary. you see, this is a really a painting trip for my husband and 2 other artists, so I expect to spend lots of time tagging along in the countryside, looking at gorgeous vistas... reading ... maybe with a little picnic basket and a bottle of wine in tow! we'll be based in Diecimo, taking daytrips to Florence, Piza, the coast, and random picturesque spots that lend themselves to being captured on canvas!

we are very fortunate to be traveling with friends who know the area well, but that probably means we'll wind up at the places that they think are best - which is really fine with me, since Italy has always been a place that caused me a little trepidation in terms of driving, language, etc. They are taking care of all the things that worried me, freeing me up to fall in love with the place, right?!

Barabara - I'm headed to Tuscany next week and would love your recomendation on your favorite fiction relating to that region!

I voed - GR is currently in 2nd place in a fairly tight race.

Kathryn - after reading your recommendation, I checked it out of the library and had nearly begun reading it. But THEN the library called to say the The Girl with the Dragoon Tattoo had finally come in. Since it's new to my library, I only have it for 2 weeks, and it's long so I had to put Excellent Women aside - but only temporarily. I'll catch up with you before too long and join in your discussion!

Dini - in America a person who likes to read a lot is called a 'book worm' - sort of similar!

My avatar is a pic of my dog, who is a terrific reading companion. I made her sit with Deathly Hallows while I snapped away. It was my fave read at the time. The numbers of pics I forced her to sit through accounts for the long-suffering expression on her face. Poor doggie.

1. Time and Again
2. The Great Gatsby
3. Vanity Fair

Lori - I laughed when I saw that you have a special section for books that would get me kicked out of the English department!!

Jack's Back and, yes, I'll be happily tuning in to 24 this weekend!