Without further ado, here is the April book list:
Anne's House of Dreams: I enjoyed this book. It's all about Anne and Gilbert's first years as a married couple. Anne is charming as always, but the end is a little sad. I liked it because she gets a little sorrow, so she's more believable. On the whole, good chick book.
Tricked: This is a graphic novel about a former rock star falling in love with an average girl and how his whole life is changed. And it's about the waitress who waits on his table. And it's about the guy she falls in love with. And it's about the guy in the office who's rapidly going crazy. It's about a lot of people and how their stories all come together at one point. I liked it. The artwork was fantastic.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell: I would say this is the best book I have read all year. A friend accurately described it as "A fairy tale for grown-ups." I would say this is true. It is about England's two foremost magicians and how they are attempting to bring magic back. It's fantastic. It's everything I like in a book--adventure, mystery, suspense, fantasy, love, and a killer ending--, and it is exceptionally well-written.
The Astonishing X-Men "Dangerous": This is the second volume graphic novel of the X-Men that Joss Whedon is working on. It was pretty awesome, too. I don't really remember what happened in the first volume, so I was a little lost, but it has all the great one-liners that we know and love Whedon for. I enjoyed it even though some of the humor fell flat at times. (Some of Whedon's stuff is just better in the medium of motion pictures.) On the whole, I love the new artwork, and I love the story line. And I don't hate Kitty Pride in this one, either, which helps. :)
Well, that's it, kids. Pretty slim pickings, but seriously, I read like two pages a night before falling asleep all month. It's all I had time for. Feel free to share your own picks in the comments.
Posted by LoWriter at May 4, 2006 07:59 AMso last month i did enjoy posting my reading list on my blog. i got to include links and pix and go on and on about everything i wanted to. and i even got a hit from an author along w/ an inquiry as to where i got my hands on his book (no one at my old job knew i kept a blog, so this mystery took a while to solve, and was quite fun to hear about afterwards).
but there is something satisfying about posting my books on here too. it's like we can still share our lives, our literary selves, even though we're so far away from each other. i do miss regularly bitching about bad books, and raving about good ones over coffee, but this is a nice way to keep things going, even if it's a bit impersonal.
so i think i'll do a compromise. let me know what you think, lo....
April picks:
Wolverine: Origins #1
Daniel Way & Steve Dillion
Amazing book about how Wolverine came to be. its gorgeous and a nice short read. Lo, i know you'd like this one a lot.
A Dirty Job
Christopher Moore
i wrote a huge synopsis on my blog about this one, b/c i loved it. Moore is my current favorite author b/c he's hi-larious, self-destructive and totally off the wall. if you need a break from reality, this is the perfect book.
Hangover Square
Patrick Hamilton
to continue with my flirtation with noir fiction, i picked up this book about a guy w/ split personality disorder in pre-war London. it drags a bit in parts, but i think this is only my perception b/c i'm of the MTV generation where things should move along at a good clip. nice and chewy to read and mull over, and a spectacular ending.
V for Vendetta
Alan Moore
Not the strongest graphic novel out there. i'd recommend seeing the movie first or you'll be confused. the artwork is also pretty bad and makes for more confusion. but it was another side to my current need-for-noir.
ok, i posted more abut all these books (including pix) on my site. so if anyone wants MORE info on them, go there. otherwise, it was more than fun sharing here. :o) Lo, just cuz we look at picture books doesnt mean we're not literary! heheh...
Posted by: dr gonzo at May 4, 2006 10:48 AMThis was April (I think):
"The Wind-up Bird Chronicle" by Haruki Murakami.
This book is amazing; I don't know where to begin. It's like...like...I don't know, part mystery, part fantasy, part existential quandry, part history. But it's all good.
"Diary" by Chuck Palahniuk.
Palahniuk wrote "Fight Club", so you know it's pretty fucked up. Take one part predestination (c'mon, Bethel taught you how to take that!), add some "Art=Suffering", a dash of mystery, some great one liners, and a Jungian test of the subconscious, and you've got a fun little book.
People either love it or hate it. I happen to be in the first camp.
Currently finishing "South of the Border, West of the Sun" also by Haruki Murakami.
Also good, but not as thrilling as "Wind-up Bird"; a love story about an only child who meets his first love again after 25 years. Sounds boring, but Murakami is a masterful artist.
I haven't read much recently, unfortunately. sigh.
Well, looks like some good picks.
Dr. G-- I'm not cool enough to figure out how to insert pics, and I'm not patient enough to put in links (even though I do now have that beautiful little bit of code memorized. finally). I do envy your mad skills and energy.
Posted by: Lo at May 5, 2006 02:48 PMMy books of the months are mostly re-reads. I am also endevoring to ensure all the books I own I have read. This is very difficult for me as I find that I like books I don't own better; just like how I like clothes I don't own better.
Silas Marner by George Eliot. I think I officially read this last month, but it was a great book and I really enjoyed it. It's about the power of love and making the right choices.
Redeeming Love by Francine River. Ok, it's a Christian book, but Francine is one of the better writers in the genre. I liked it, it is a retelling of the story of Hosea so it is supposed to illustrate how much God loves us and that he never stops waiting for us.
The Glasswright's Journeyman by Mindy Klasky. SciFi, she is a great author and even though the later books in this series get conveluted (and the last one she basically gave up on) it is still a decent read, if I owned the book that came after this one I would have read it.
Ever After by Rebecca Lickiss. SciFi again, but a fairy tell take. It is a mosh of fairy tails and, now that I have read a few of these, probably not the most original. But it does have fun characters and if a easy read.
Angelica & Archangel by Sharon Shinn. SciFi, and of course amazing is the only way I can describe them. Reading the triology is great (archangel, jovah's angel, the alleluia files) because it reaches a conclusion (even though they give away what that conclusion is in the first book synopsis). It is so interesting because Sharon is character driven and you may not understand always Rachel and Alleluia is a little milktoast, she knows them and she makes you care about them. Amazing. Anyway - Angel Seeker and Archangel are the best with Angelica a close third.
And that's my list, I'll read more original reads next month instead of re-reads... if I get around to it...
Posted by: 10lees at May 6, 2006 12:02 PM