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I recently read Lord of the Flies for the first time. It was quite good (if such an adjective may be applied), though much shorter than I thought it would be. The people, relationships, and end result felt very natural and aptly sinister.

Oh, and I posted a good bit on Bonnie Prince Charlie on the last thread before it was closed, so if anyone was looking for that, it's still there.

I've been looking for some good books about the Arthurian legend. Does anyone have suggestions???

Alyosha: Ok, thanks! I'll have to see if my school library has them.

Speaking of school libraries, I put in an ILL request fo Smith of Wootten Major and it should be waiting for me when I arrive! i'm really looking forward to it. It sounds like just my cup of tea.

Smiley: Would you like me to send the list that Lysander and Gandalf's_beard gave me when I asked the same question via PM? It's very thorough.

I've finished Return to Alastair and The Scarlet Trefoil. Yes, I like them better than I liked Tahn. What age group were these written for, YA or adult? And
Did Tahn ever actually laugh? It was made to seem important enough that I expected a laughing scene. *grumble grumble*

from the last thread... 220chrisTian wrote...

Glenstorm: I've read only the first part of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy -- the Inferno. I admit it was really depressing [being a vivid portrait of Dante's version of hell] and, personally, theologically questionable. But I admired his numeric symbolism.

i grabbed it because my mom said it would be a good theological read- i've had alot of those lately

mel: return to alastair is definetly my favorite book of the three. although i love the redemptive and forgiving qulaities in all of them. and i think he did laugh. i don't exactly remember when- i haven't read any of the books in months...

Glenstorm, I think I liked Return best of the three too. I loved the tapestry-like descriptions at the end of Scarlet Trefoil though. I distinctly remember near the end when Tahn is at the picnic site and is thinking about the Jarel's comment, but if there was a time when he laughed after that, it's well hid among other events. Which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, but because of where it was introduced, the fact that it was brought up again, AND the additional fact that I don't remember a scene where there was laughter from having a good time...

I think my favorite two authors are George MacDonald and Edward Payson Roe. My favorite MacDonald novel is hard to pick, but it would probably be Thomas Wingfold. The edited version is called The Curates Awakening .

My favorite EP Roe book would be Barriers Burned Away or Driven Back to Eden . There again it's hard to choose.

For those unfamiliar with EP Roe, he was a chaplain during the Civil War. After the war, he turned to writing and produced several historically accurate books. Several he had the authorities directly involved in the plots of his story (The Chicago Fire, or the New York Draft Riots) read his manuscript to check for accuracy before he published the books.

Peregrin

I am reading lord of the rings the fellow ship of the ring at the moment.

It is a really good book. I would give it 9.5/10. I would of gave it 10 if gandolf didn't go on so much in that discussion they had. I got a bit bored of him goign on and i felt like skipping a couple of pages but i didn't.

Last night I stayed up to finish reading The Rise of the Wyrm Lord. It's such a good book. I love fantasy stories.

I read Dragonfire by Donita K. Paul a couple weeks ago. Has anyone ever read any books from her series, the Dragon Keeper Chronicles?

Kate: Thanks! Please do send me the list.

Peregrin wrote:I think my favorite two authors are George MacDonald and Edward Payson Roe. My favorite MacDonald novel is hard to pick, but it would probably be Thomas Wingfold. The edited version is called The Curates Awakening

Which ones have you read by George MacDonald? I love his books...it's hard for me to pick a favorite, but I really think my top favorite is "The Shepherd's Castle".

Narnia Girl wrote:I read Dragonfire by Donita K. Paul a couple weeks ago. Has anyone ever read any books from her series, the Dragon Keeper Chronicles?

I read about half of the first one (I can't remember what it was called). The writing style was really good, but the plot (or what I read of it) was pretty cliche. It reminded me a lot of Eragon, for which I didn't care. But I don't know whether or not the plot ever got any more interesting, because my life became complicated by college soon after starting them, and I had to stop so that I could get better grades. I plan on picking them up one of these days and rereading the first book (Dragonspell I think) but I've got too many other books waiting to be read right now, to merit putting another one on my holds list at the library

My review for the second book in the Legends of the Guardian King series:

It has a few spoilers for the first book, so I'm sticking it in spoiler tags.

In the second book in the Legends of the Guardian King, The Shadow Within, Abramm Kalladorne has returned to take his throne. Kiriath is under seige from the Shadow. A kracken has taken up residence in the bay, Gillard is a fopish regent, and the Mataians are pushing their agenda.

Abramm comes home to face his past. When he was sold into slavery, he was looked upon as the family "weakling." Now, as the former White Pretender he must show his people and the lords of his kingdom that he is no longer a weakling and is a capable king. Terstans are being persecuted so in addition to his political challenges, Abramm must keep his shield a secret.

Karen Hancock has turned out a fantasic sequal to the first book in the series. The story flows well and shows the intracacies of wearing a crown. Her old characters and new mesh well together. The second daughter of the Chesden king offers a great foil for Abramm.


I've read all of the Dragon Keeper books. I think DragonFire and DragonLight were the best of the bunch. The first two were good too, but there was a lot of character development in them. The last two are more plot driven.

I've read the second book in the Dragon Keeper Chronicles, Narnia Girl. (It didn't remind me of Eragon at all, DiGs, so the plot might have improved a bit. I thought of it as a cross between Gilbert Morris and David Eddings' work with a cast of characters from a Star Wars set. ) I never went back to read book one even though I did read at least one of the following books... probably DragonFire?

Amira Tair, on the old forum, wrote:I'd be interested to know if you like Trade Wind, it was quite different from what I expected, but, well, it was my first Kaye's historical book, I had only read her mystery ones.

I imagine it's a bit like Shadow of the Moon... which was like Rosemary Sutcliff's Blood and Sand and Mark of the Horselord--only more so. I was pleasantly surprised by how large a book Trade Wind is, and I'm looking forward to starting it.

I'm glad you all like my opening quote. So true, isn't it?

From the old thread: Amira, you make some excellent points about Breaking Dawn. I was actually wondering if, in the film version,

they would have the vampires battle in the end after all, just because of all the build-up to it.

AitB, regarding Jane Eyre:

I think Rochester is just trying to make Jane jealous with his attitude toward Miss Ingram

I do love the new spoiler feature!

I read the first two Inkheart books and found them engaging, though definitely in need of some trimming. They both seemed a little bloated and over-written for their plots. But having said that, I did enjoy them and plan on rereading the first two so I can read the third one (which I recently acquired via PBS).

Good thoughts on Silas Marner, FF. I think you can learn to appreciate both complex and simple works if you make it a point to toggle back and forth between them. I find that it's fun to read a classic book and then jump into something completely different for my next book, and vice versa. It keeps my reading fresh

FF wrote:I decided to do a rather impromptu re-read of Persuasion today, as I recently re-watched the '95 version.

I love impromptu rereads! You just pick something up on the spur of the moment. Fun. (And I adore the 1995 adaptation! Hmm, maybe I need to reread Persuasion...)

Nice reviews, starkat! The only thing I would suggest is ending with your reaction/thoughts about the book rather than plot summary. Plot summaries are great and certainly necessary, but I find myself wanting to know why you like the book and why I might too. Just a suggestion

Alyosha wrote:Finally dived into BookMooch...it's great

See what patient, long-suffering peer pressure can accomplish?

Fauny wrote:I would like to announce that I talked my twelve-year-old sister into reading Pride & Prejudice. She wanted to try Les Miserables (she's very ambitious) but I thought she had better start with a slightly less heavy classic.

Hey, welcome back Fauny! I agree that P&P is probably a better place to start with "classics" than Les Misérables! I would hate for someone to develop a dislike for classic books just because they read them too early. We were sort of discussing that in the old thread when the forum changed... Let us know how she likes P&P. Is she familiar with the story from movie versions?

Welcome to the Books thread, Peregrin! I need to read more MacDonald; I think I have only read his book The Wise Woman (and that because a friend gave it to me, because of my username). I always hear what an influence he was on Lewis.

ILF wrote:I got a bit bored of him goign on and i felt like skipping a couple of pages but i didn't.

Yay, I'm proud you stuck it out!

I am continuing in my audiobook of The Mystery of the Yellow Room. I always have to leave off at the most interesting/tense moments!

Hello all.

I wanted to say that I love the quote by WW. Great job. I also love the new forum. The layout is wonderful, and the new parts, like the spoiler tags, are neat. Quick question: are the spoiler tags done the same way as the spoiler boxes were before? Great job on the layout and rollout, mods and admins.

I'm going to be starting on The Hobbit and LOTR in the next few days. I'll also be reading The Queen of Attolia. I will have reviews for Alice in Wonderland and Fahrenheit 451 in the next few days, as soon as I get caught up on my homework. One of the drawbacks of graduate school.

arabesque, I'm glad that you found The Ranger's Apprentice series. It is not the best writing, in my opinion, but it is good, and the characterization and mythology are top-notch. Also, as a former military guy I really enjoy the spot-on descriptions of the tactics, rank structure, military atmosphere, and military life in general, in the books.

How have you fared so far on BookMooch, Alyosha? What's your username on there?

Anyways, I'm off for now. God bless all.

I bid you all adieu.