Stardust October 30, 2007
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy.Tags: Neil Gaiman, Stardust
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—4—
Stardust was my second attempt at Neil Gaiman. And I’m glad I attempted! Stardust is a fairy tale, with witches and princes and damsels in distress. So how could you go wrong? Tristan Thorn enters the magical land of Faerie to retrieve a fallen star for the woman he is smitten with. Thorn, being a good English lad, is surprised and awed by the wonders of this world. He finds that his star is not a rock, but a young lady. He and the star must battle witches and live with pirates, and by the end he finds he may not be as in love with the woman from home as he thought, and that a star might be his true destiny.
Stardust is smart and fun, sometimes frightening, and almost always thrilling. It is being compared to The Princess Bride, which I think is a fair comparison. The Princess Bride has more wit perhaps, but Stardust still has all the heart.
4/5
New York Times Bestsellers 10.27.07 October 27, 2007
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HARDCOVER FICTION
Top 5
1. PLAYING FOR PIZZA, by John Grisham
2. THE ALMOST MOON, by Alice Sebold
3. WORLD WITHOUT END, by Ken Follett
4. THE CHOICE, by Nicholas Sparks
5. A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS, by Khaled Hosseini
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
Top 5
1. I AM AMERICA (AND SO CAN YOU!), by Stephen Colbert, Richard Dahm, Paul Dinello and Allison Silverman
2. CLAPTON, by Eric Clapton
3. MY GRANDFATHER’S SON, by Clarence Thomas
4. THE AGE OF TURBULENCE, by Alan Greenspan
5. IF I DID IT, by the Goldman Family
Digital Fortress October 26, 2007
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction.Tags: Dan Brown, Digital Fortress
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—3—
Digital Fortress is Dan Brown’s thriller for geeks. The NSA has a unstoppable code-breaking machine used to protect the US. When an unbreakable code comes along, Susan Fletcher is called in. Fletcher is not only a beautiful mathematician, but also the head cryptographer for the NSA. She finds that the NSA is a hostage, and her fiance is in danger.
While exciting at times, Digital Fortress is pretty nerdy. A couple good surprises help the story along. But overall, Digital Fortress is not the thriller I hoped it would be.
3/5
Hell House October 18, 2007
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction, Holiday Reviews.Tags: Hell House, Richard Matheson
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Another Spooky Halloween Read…
Hell House…
—3.5—
Richard Matheson’s Hell House begins much the same as The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. The premise is similar, a spooky old house attracts a group of people to investigate a possible haunting. Hell House is different in that there are much more disturbances and dangers in this house. In The Haunting of Hill House the scares are psychological, while Hell House comes out and screams Boo!
If you’re a fan of the horror genre, don’t miss Hell House. There were plenty of surprises, and a few chilling scenes that will make you cower under the covers at night. I enjoyed The Haunting of Hill House a bit more due to its scary subtlety and bizarre characters.
3.5/5
Try Hell House if you enjoyed the scary story The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
New York Times Bestsellers 10.18.07 October 18, 2007
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HARDCOVER FICTION
Top 5
1. PLAYING FOR PIZZA, by John Grisham
2. THE CHOICE, by Nicholas Sparks
3. DARK OF THE MOON, by John Sandford
4. A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS, by Khaled Hosseini
5. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED, by James Patterson and Howard Roughan
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
Top 5
1. MY GRANDFATHER’S SON, by Clarence Thomas
2. THE AGE OF TURBULENCE, by Alan Greenspan
3. IF DEMOCRATS HAD ANY BRAINS, THEY’D BE REPUBLICANS, by Ann Coulter
4. THE NINE, by Jeffrey Toobin
5. LOUDER THAN WORDS, by Jenny McCarthy
The Ruins October 14, 2007
Posted by sadiejean in Best Sellers, Book Reviews, General Fiction.Tags: Scott Smith, The Ruins
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—2—
I’ll start of by saying that Scott Smith’s The Ruins was incredibly disappointing. About a year ago there was a lot of buzz surrounding this novel. When I finally got around to reading it I was very excited. But, it’s a dud. Two college-age couples head to Mexico for some R&R. There they pair up with a German and a Greek, and head off on an adventure to find the German’s brother who has disappeared with a girl. In the jungle, they become trapped on a hill by local Mayans, who for some unknown reason will not let them leave. Then they begin to find bodies and find out why the are being held hostage. Trapped, starving, injured, and scared they are subject to the mysteries of the hill and the influence of each other.
I just wished these kids would stopped whining! The girls especially were snivelling; I just wanted them to get off their butts and do something! There was minimal suspense, and the graphic nature did not add to the horror. Overall, a very ridiculous book.
2/5
March October 14, 2007
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction.Tags: Geraldine Brooks, March
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—4—
Geraldine Brooks’ March tells the story of Mr. March, the mostly absent father in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. During the classic novel, Mr. March is away in the Civil War, while at home we see the March girls maturing. Brooks’ uses her imagination to describe the missing part of the story. Intertwining information from Little Women, March goes from his home in Concord to a southern plantation, teaching newly freed slaves. Throughout the novel the young adult life of March is described, including meeting his wife, and the influence of some famous historical figures, such as Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
March is rich and passionate. I did not enjoy Little Women myself; it was pretty dull. However, I did know the story well, and March adds depth to the characters and events. I really enjoyed the retelling; Brooks provides an original voice that I believe will satisfy lovers of the original story.
4/5
Try March if you liked Geraldine Brooks’ other work Year of Wonders.
Neverwhere October 8, 2007
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy.Tags: Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere
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—3—
In Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere Richard Mayhew saves a injured young woman, and finds himself invisible to the world in which he lived. His girlfriend doesn’t remember him, he no longer has a job, and his landlord rents his apartment to a woman as he sits in the tub. By helping the young lady, Door, he has become part of London Below, the hidden world that exist under London’s streets. On his quest to return to the above world, he follows Door in her attempt to discover the secrets of her family’s murder.
Neverwhere is exciting and original. It often reminded me of a twisted version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. While I liked the characters, much of the plot, and the ingenuity overall, I think that this SciFi/Fantasy genre is too out there for me. I suppose I don’t have enough of an imagination, because sometimes I couldn’t stretch as far as Neverwhere required. But for fans of this type of book, I say, go for it!
3/5
New York Times Bestsellers 10.3.07 October 3, 2007
Posted by sadiejean in Randomness.add a comment
HARDCOVER FICTION
Top 5
1. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED, by James Patterson and Howard Roughan
2. A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS, by Khaled Hosseini
3. DEAD HEAT, by Dick Francis and Felix Francis
4. MAKING MONEY, by Terry Pratchett
5. PONTOON, by Garrison Keillor
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
Top 5
1. THE AGE OF TURBULENCE, by Alan Greenspan
2. IF I DID IT, by the Goldman family
3. GIVING, by Bill Clinton
4. LOUDER THAN WORDS, by Jenny McCarthy
5. THE NINE, by Jeffrey Toobin
Intro: Stardust October 22, 2007
Posted by sadiejean in Current Read Comments.Tags: Neil Gaiman, Stardust
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“There was once a young man who wished to gain his Heart’s Desire.
And while that is, as beginnings go, not entirely novel (for every tale about every young man there ever was or will be could start in a similar manner) there was much about this young man and what happened to him that was unusual, although even he never knew the whole of it.”
Stardust by Neil Gaiman