2008 Completed Books Tab

[quote name='fraggedbylaggers']Library booksales are great. Mine sometimes has really cool old PC games too. I got Starcraft and Broodwars expansion for $2 w/cases and manuals. I love the booksale but it sort of has started to suck because used book sellers are storming in and grabbing stacks of the most desirable books (Harry Potter hardcovers for $2, etc) before anyone else gets a chance. :bomb:[/QUOTE]

yes :(
the last two years were held at an abandoned Kmart, complete with buggies. So the ebayers and the booksellers ran through the aisles just dumping anything in good condition into their buggy. One person had at least 20 boxes, I saw another stack of 40 or so. Heard one guy saying to his seven year old kid "Only get the ones that are small and in good condition". The kid said something about a book "How's this one?" speaking of the author, the dad said "It doesn't matter, we're just going to resell it."
I'm all for capitalism, but you don't have to be an ass about it. I'll admit, for five bucks a box I'm willing to try lots of books, but I at least looked at each book I bought, if it was an author I knew or was an SF anthology or looked cool, I bought it, but still.
Ours doesn't have any games, and its media is limited to thinks like Lawrence Welk LPs.
 
Currently Reading: Atonement

On the list to read: The Golden Compass, The Amber Spyglass, The Subtle Knife

Completed: none so far
 
[quote name='dtcarson']Finished (the other day):
The Robots of Dawn - Isaac Asimov

Reading:
Random Acts of Senseless Violence - Jack Womack
Infinite Dreams - Joe Haldeman

Our county library had a book sale in November, so I have four boxes of books to read, including one crammed full of old pulpy SF paperbacks. In addition to the backlog from previous booksales.
Here's last two year's lists
http://www.kaboodle.com/dtcarson/books-ive-read-2006.html
http://www.kaboodle.com/dtcarson/books-ive-read--2007.html
I might have missed a few, and I didn't log things like game guides or graphic novels.[/quote]

Booksales at the library are great. My favorite finds last year was a copy of the Forever War and Forever Peace by Haldeman. Forever Peace had to be a brand new 1st edition hardcover, it was in perfect condition and had no stickers or marks in it. Forever War was of course well worn, but its fine.

The brand new Forever Peace was 50 cents and the Forever War was 25. I actually felt kind of bad taking it from the library since it I couldn't figure out why they were selling the brand new copy and for 50 cents.

I'm also a little ashamed to say I haven't had a chance to read Forever War yet. Forever Peace i read in a few days but I just kind of forgot about Forever War.
 
Nice. Forever War is a classic. Forever Peace is good and has a similar tone. Forever Free (the "sequel in spirit") was great for the first 2/3, but really fell apart in the last couple chapters IMHO. Haldeman's great (actually I enjoy both Joe and Jack.
 
January
Barefoot Gen by Keiji Nakazawa
Batman: Blind Justice by Sam Hamm
The Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam
Thor Visionaries: Walt Simonson, Vol. 1 by Walt Simonson
World War Z by Max Brooks

February
American Born Chinese by Gene Yang
Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi
Madman Adventures Collection by Mike Allred
Madman: The Oddity Odyssey by Mike Allred

March
Concrete, Vol. 1: Depths by Paul Chadwick
Concrete, Vol. 2: Heights by Paul Chadwick

April
The Best of the Spirit by Will Eisner
Good News about Injustice by Gary A. Haugen

Currently Reading
Concrete, Vol 3: Fragile Creature by Paul Chadwick
Celebration of Discipline by Robert Foster

Queue
The Complete Madman Comics, Vol. 2 by Mike Allred
The Complete Madman Comics, Vol. 3: The Exit of Dr. Boiffard by Mike Allred
The Complete Madman Comics, Vol. 4: Heaven and Hell by Mike Allred
The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel
The Old West by the Editors of Time-Life Books
The High Window by Raymond Chandler
Legends of the Fall by Jim Harrison
 
January

The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the road to 9/11

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

IV by Chuck Klosterman

The Blind Side by Michael Lewis

Jarhead by Anthony Swofford

The Night Stalkers by Durant

The Thunderbolt Kid By Bill Bryson

Total: 7


Currently Reading The World is Flat
 
My girlfriend is attempting a New Year's resolution to read one book a month. I thought it would be fun to join her and read the same book. I may read more books than her though. We'll see.

Completed

(January 25, 2008) Five People You Meet in Heaven, The - Mitch Albom 5 out of 5
Eddie is a grizzled war veteran who feels trapped in a meaningless life of fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. As the park has changed over the years---from the Loop-the-Loop to the Pipeline Plunge---so, too, has Eddie changed, from optimistic youth to embittered old age. His days are a dull routine of work, loneliness, and regret.

Then, on his 83rd birthday, Eddie dies in a tragic accident, trying to save a little girl from a falling cart. With his final breath, he feels two small hands in his---and then nothing. He awakens in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a lush Garden of Eden, but a place where your earthly life is explained to you by five people who were in it. These people may have been loved ones or distant strangers. Yet each of them changed your path forever.

One by one, Eddie's five people illuminate the unseen connections of his earthly life. As the story builds to its stunning conclusion, Eddie desperately seeks redemption in the still-unknown last act of his life: Was it a heroic success or a devastating failure? The answer, which comes from the most unlikely of sources, is as inspirational as a glimpse of heaven itself.
(February 13, 2008) Da Vinci Code, The - Dan Brown 5 out of 5
A murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle. The duo become both suspects and detectives searching for not only Neveu's grandfather's murderer but also the stunning secret of the ages he was charged to protect. Mere steps ahead of the authorities and the deadly competition, the mystery leads Neveu and Langdon on a breathless flight through France, England, and history itself.
(March 06, 2008) Angels & Demons - Dan Brown 4 out of 5
Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is shocked to find proof that the legendary secret society, the Illuminati--dedicated since the time of Galileo to promoting the interests of science and condemning the blind faith of Catholicism--is alive, well, and murderously active. Brilliant physicist Leonardo Vetra has been murdered, his eyes plucked out, and the society's ancient symbol branded upon his chest. His final discovery, antimatter, the most powerful and dangerous energy source known to man, has disappeared--only to be hidden somewhere beneath Vatican City on the eve of the election of a new pope. Langdon and Vittoria, Vetra's daughter and colleague, embark on a frantic hunt through the streets, churches, and catacombs of Rome, following a 400-year-old trail to the lair of the Illuminati, to prevent the incineration of civilization.
(March 31, 2008) Golden Compass, The - Philip Pullman 3 out of 5
Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College, with her daemon familiar always by her side. But the arrival of her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, draws her to the heart of a terrible struggle---a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, witch clans and armored bears. And as she hurtles toward danger in the cold far North, young Lyra never suspects the shocking truth: she alone is destined to win, or to lose, this more-than-mortal battle.
(April 14, 2008) Heartsick - Chelsea Cain 2 out of 5
Damaged Portland Detective Archie Sheridan spent ten years tracking Gretchen Lowell, a beautiful serial killer, but in the end she was the one who caught him. Two years ago, Gretchen kidnapped Archie and tortured him for ten days, but instead of killing him, she mysteriously decided to let him go. She turned herself in, and now Gretchen has been locked away for the rest of her life, while Archie is in a prison of another kind---addicted to pain pills, unable to return to his old life, powerless to get those ten horrific days off his mind. Archie's a different person, his estranged wife says, and he knows she's right. He continues to visit Gretchen in prison once a week, saying that only he can get her to confess as to the whereabouts of more of her victims, but even he knows the truth---he can't stay away.

When another killer begins snatching teenage girls off the streets of Portland, Archie has to pull himself together enough to lead the new task force investigating the murders. A hungry young newspaper reporter, Susan Ward, begins profiling Archie and the investigation, which sparks a deadly game between Archie, Susan, the new killer, and even Gretchen. They need to catch a killer, and maybe somehow then Archie can free himself from Gretchen once and for all.
(April 18, 2008) Good Guy, The (Kill Me Instead) - Dean Koontz 3.5 out of 5
Timothy Carrier, having a beer after work at his friend's tavern, enjoys drawing eccentric customers into amusing conversations. But the jittery man who sits next to him tonight has mistaken Tim for someone very different---and passes to him a manila envelope full of cash. "Ten thousand now. You get the rest when she's gone."

The stranger walks out, leaving a photo of the pretty woman marked for death, and her address. But things are about to get worse. In minutes another stranger sits next to Tim. This one is a cold-blooded killer who believes Tim is the man who has hired him.

Thinking fast, Tim says, "I've had a change of heart. You get ten thousand---for doing nothing. Call it a no-kill fee." He keeps the photo and gives the money to the hired killer. And when Tim secretly follows the man out of the tavern, he gets a further shock; the hired killer is a cop.

Suddenly, Tim carrier, an ordinary guy, is at the center of a mystery of extraordinary proportions, the one man who can save an innocent life and stop a killer far more powerful than any cop...and as relentless as evil incarnate. But first Tim must discover within himself the capacity for selflessness, endurance, and courage that can turn even an ordinary man into a hero, inner resources that will transform his idea of who he is and what it takes to be The Good Guy.
(July 13, 2008) Time Traveler's Wife, The - Audrey Niffenegger 5 out of 5
Clare, a beautiful art student, and Henry, an adventuresome librarian, who have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-three and Henry thirty-one. Impossible but true, because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: periodically his genetic clock resets and he finds himself misplaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity from his life, past and future. His disappearances are spontaneous, his experiences unpredictable, alternately harrowing and amusing.

The Time Traveler's Wife depicts the effects of time travel on Henry and Clare's marriage and their passionate love for each other, as the story unfolds from both points of view. Clare and Henry attempt to live normal lives, pursuing familiar goals---steady jobs, good friends, children of their own. All of this is threatened by something they can neither prevent nor control, making their story intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.
(July 21, 2008) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1) - J.K. Rowling 4 out of 5
Harry Potter has never played a sport while flying on a broomstick. He's never worn a cloak of invisibility, befriended a giant, or helped hatch a dragon. All Harry knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley. Harry's room is a tiny closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in eleven years.

But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to a wonderful place he never dreamed existed. There he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic around every corner, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him...if Harry can survive the encounter.
(July 22, 2008) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) - J.K. Rowling 3.5 out of 5
The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.

And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls' bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny.

But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone---or something---starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects...Harry Potter himself!
(July 24, 2008) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) - J.K. Rowling 4 out of 5
For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort.

Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter's defeat of You-Know-Who was Black's downfall as well. And the Azkaban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, "He's at Hogwarts...he's at Hogwarts."

Harry Potter isn't safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by his friends. Because on top of it all, there may well be a traitor in their midst.
(July 28, 2008) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) - J.K. Rowling 4 out of 5
You have in your hands the pivotal fourth novel in the seven-part tale of Harry Potter's training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup with Hermione, Ron, and the Weasleys. He wants to dream about Cho Chang, his crush (and maybe do more than dream). He wants to find out about the mysterious event that's supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. Unfortunately for Harry Potter, he's not normal---even by wizarding standards. And in his case, different can be deadly.
(August 01, 2008) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) - J. K. Rowling 4 out of 5
There is a door at the end of a silent corridor. And it's haunting Harry POtter's dreams. Why else would he be waking in the middle of the night, screaming in terror?

Here are just a few things on Harry's mind:
- A Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher with a personality like poisoned honey
- A venomous, disgruntled house-elf
- Ron as keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch team
- The looming terror of the end-of-term Ordinary Wizarding Level exams

... and of course, the growing threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. In the richest installment yet of J. K. Rowling's seven-part story, Harry POtter is faced with the unreliability of the very government of the magical world and the impotence of the authorities at Hogwarts.

Despite this (or perhaps because of it), he finds depth and strength in his friends, beyond what even he knew; boundless loyalty, and unbearable sacrifice.

Though thick runs the plot (as well as the spine), readers will race through these pages and leave Hogwarts, like Harry, wishing only for the next train back.
(August 05, 2008) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6) - J. K. Rowling 4 out of 5
The war against Voldemort is not going well; even Muggle governments are noticing. Ron scans the obituary pages of the Daily Prophet, looking for familiar names. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses. And yet...

As in all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate --- and lose a few eyebrows in the process. The Weasley twins expand their business. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, though Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.

So it's the home front that makes center stage in the multilayered sixth installment of the story of Harry Potter. Here at Hogwarts, Harry will search for the full and complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort --- and thereby find what may be his only vulnerability.
(August 11, 2008) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) - J. K. Rowling 4 out of 5
This was written on the inside cover..."We now present the seventh and final installment in the epic tale of Harry Potter". Great description. *roll eyes*
(August 14, 2008) Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The - Mark Haddon 2 out of 5
Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, Christopher is autistic. Everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. Routine, order, and predictability shelter him from the messy wider world. Then, at fifteen, Christopher's carefully constructed world falls apart when he finds his neighbor's dog, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork, and he is initially blamed for the killing.

Christopher decides that he will track down the real killer and turns to his favorite fictional character, the impeccably logical Sherlock Holmes, for inspiration. But the investigation leads him down some unexpected paths and ultimately brings him face to face with the dissolution of his parents' marriage. As he tries to deal with the crisis within his own family, we are drawn into the workings of Christopher's mind.
(September 12, 2008) Animal Farm - George Orwell 4 out of 5

Reading
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West - Gregory Maquire

Book List
1984 - George Orwell
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - Dave Eggers
A Million Little Pieces - James Frey
Alexander Hamilton - Ron Chernow
Beloved - Toni Morrison
Blasphemy - Douglas Preston
Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister - Gregory Maquire
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim - David Sedaris
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Fight Club: A Novel - Chuck Palahniuk
Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes
For One More Day - Mitch Albom
Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food, The - Jennifer 8 Lee
Inheritance - Eragon (Book 1) - Christopher Paolini
Inheritance - Eldest (Book 2) - Christopher Paolini
Inheritance - Brisingr (Book 3) - Christopher Paolini
Kite Runner, The - Khaled Hosseini
Life of Pi - Yann Martel
Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
Middlesex: A Novel - Jeffrey Eugenides
Naked - David Sedaris
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
Running with Scissors: A Memoir - Augusten Burroughs
Secret Life of Bees, The - Sue Kidd

Books (16)
 
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January


1)The Road by Cormac McCarthey
2)The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

February


1)Books of Magic by Neil Gaiman
2)All-Star Superman Vol. 1 by Grant Morrison
3)Watchmen by Alan Moore
4)Batman:The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
5)Fables:Legends in Exile Vol. 1 by Bill Willingham
6)DMZ Vol. 1 by Brian Wood
7)The Sandman:preludes and Nocturnes Vol. 1 by Neil Gaiman
8)Invincible: Family Matters Vol. 1 by Robert Kirkman
9)The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye Vol. 1 by Robert Kirkman
10)Nextwave:Agents of H.A.T.E. by Warren Ellis

March


1)The Magicians Nephew by C.S. Lewis
2)Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
3)No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
4)Y: The Last Man:Unmanned Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughn
5)DC: The New Frontier Vol. 1 by Darwyn Cooke
6)Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk
7)Batman: Hush Vol. 1 by Jeph Loeb
8)Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
9)Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E Vol. 2 by Warren Ellis
10)Lullaby by Chuck Palanhiuk
11)A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
12)Bone Vol. 1 by Jeff Smith
13)Bone Vol. 2 by Jeff Smith
14)A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
15)Samurai Champloo Vol. 1

April


1) Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin
2)A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
3)Monster Vol. 7 by Naoki Urasawa
4)Monster Vol. 8 by Naoki Urasawa
5)Monster Vol. 9 by Naoki Urasawa
6)Monster Vol. 10 by Naoki Urasawa
7)Monster Vol. 11 by Naoki Urasawa
8)Monster Vol. 12 by Naoki Urasawa
9)Monster Vol. 13 by Naoki Urasawa
10)Monster Vol. 14 by Naoki Urasawa
11)The Rage by Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
12)Absolute Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross

May:


1)On Writing by Stephen King
2)Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
3)DC The New Frontier Vol. 2 by Darwyn Cooke
4)The Hedge Knight by George R. R. Martin
5)Iron Man: Extremis by Warren Ellis
6)Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
7)Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis
8)The Long Walk by Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
9)Roadwork by Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
10)The Running Man by Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
11)Blaze by Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
12)Samurai Champloo Vol. 2
13)The Shining by Stephen King
14)It by Stephen King

June:


1)Vector Prime by R. A. Salvatore
2)Dark Tide 1 by Micheal A. Stackpole
3)D. Gray-Man Vol. 1 by Katsura Noshino
4)D. Gray-Man Vol. 2 by Katsura Noshino
5)D. Gray-Man Vol. 3 by Katsura Noshino
6)D. Gray-Man Vol. 4 by Katsura Noshino
7)Eyeshield 21 Vol. 10
8)Eyeshield 21 Vol. 11
9)Eyeshield 21 Vol. 12
10)Eyeshield 21 Vol. 13
11)Eyeshield 21 Vol. 14
12)Dark Tide 2 by Micheal A. Stackpole
13)Agents of Chaos 1 by James Luceno
14)Agents of Chaos 2 by James Luceno
15)D.Gray-Man Vol. 5
16)D.Gray-Man Vol. 6
17)D.Gray-Man Vol. 7
18)D.Gray-Man Vol. 8
19)Claymore Vol. 1
20)Claymore Vol. 2
21)Claymore Vol. 3
22)Claymore Vol. 4
23)Claymore Vol. 5
24)Claymore Vol. 6
25)Claymore Vol. 7
26)Claymore Vol. 8
27)Eyeshield 21 Vol. 15
28)Eyeshield 21 Vol. 16
29)Eyeshield 21 Vol. 17
30)Eyeshield 21 Vol. 18
31)Eyeshield 21 Vol. 19
32)Eyeshield 21 Vol. 20

33)Scott Pilgrim Vol. 1
34)Scott Pilgrim Vol. 2
35)Scott Pilgrim Vol. 3
36)D.Gray-Man Vol. 9
37)Monster Vol. 15
38)Full Metal Alchemist Vol. 1
39)Death Note Vol. 1
40)Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

Novels - 35

GN/Manga - 59

Total: 94
 
Not sure if this would be appropriate to post here or not but if anyone might be looking for something to read , I've got two books I'm looking to sell or trade if anyone is interested :

Stephen King - Salem's Lot
Stephen King - The Dark Tower Book 3 - The Wasteland
 
The future English teacher will weigh in...:lol:

January


Halo: Contact Harvest by Joseph Staten (***)
This is the story of Sargeant Johnson from the Halo universe. It also details the human's first contact with the Covenant on the planet Harvest. I thought this was the best Halo novel since the very first one. It was written very well and like the others have both a Covenant and UNSC viewpoint. Recommened to anyone interested in the story of Halo.
One Child by Torey Hayden (****)
This story is told from the viewpoint of a teacher in a resource room. She talks about how her new student, who was supposed to be impossible to get along with, is just a bit misunderstood. The little girl was raped by her uncle and neglected by her father, left to die by her mother, so she has a lot to overcome. However, with the help of her teacher, she progresses through the school year and winds up being ready for the next grade by the end of the year, even though she doesn't want to leave her new best friend, her teacher.
Someone Elses Kids by Torey Hayden (****)
This book was exactly like "One Child" but it instead profiled Torey's helping with 4 other children, all of whom have unique situations. One is a pregnant teen, another is a child with autism who cannot communicate, another is a girl who cannot read, and the last is a boy who still believes his dead father is with him and is a bit mentally disturbed. All of the storylines are wrapped up nicely and it makes you feel good to know that there are good people out there like Torey, and that any child can be helped if we just give them the time.
In Progress: Democratic Schools by Michael Apple and James Beane, Ordinary Resurrections by John Kozol, The World Without Us by Alan Weisman



February

Democratic Schools by Apple and Beane (***)
Story that profiles many different types of schools and the effect that a democratic mindset has on them. Pretty cool book if interested in education.
Push by Saphire (**1/2)
Story of a girl who has had a child at age 12 and another one on the way now at age 16. She has been kicked out of highschool by a school system that does not care about her. her home life is a mess; the father of both of her children is her actual biological father. The story follows her journey from her lowest time to getting her life back on track. Very graphic and is told from the girls point of view so the language used is full of slang and curse words. very eye opening, I was glad to find out this was a fictional story, but I'm sure it does happen. I thought it was too short, only 140 pages, ended kind of abruptly.
Animal Farm by George Orwell (****)
Sadly enough, this is the first time I have ever read this book. This book is different from anything else I have ever read. It tells the tale of an animal uprising on a farm of animals that is sick and tired of obeying their human overseer. The story progresses from the uprising, to the animals running a nice, utopian like societ, to its bitter downfall because of the greed of a few pigs. I thought it was interesting and thought provoking, really makes you think about our own government.
Literacy in American Lives by Brandt (*1/2)
First of all, I was forced into reading this book for an education/english class that I am taking. The book starts off really slow and Brandt drones on and on about what she wants to do with the book. Her overall goal is to showcase several different people's use of literacy and how it has affected their lives. However, she states that she is not going to be interviewing a very culturally diverse group. This is where she completely lost my attention because I feel that to have a good gauge on the study of literacy, you need to panel a diverse audience. While her studies are interesting, the lack of diversity and the seemingly same story told again and again just did not do much for me.

March

The Summons by John Grisham (***1/2)
The Summons was a book that I did not know anything about going into reading it. As with all Grisham novels, I figured that it was about a lawyer and a twist-turning plot so I was happy to be reading this for fun for a change. The story starts out with a lawyer who goes to visit his father. Upon arriving at his dad's house, he discovers him dead and also about 3 million dollars in a couple of boxes. The son does not know what to do and decides to take all the money and load it up into his car. He starts to get harrassed and is even threatened a few times. He eventually finds out that the money was given to his father by a lawyer as a thank you for winning a big payoff verdict. The people who are trying to get the money back are the same people that originally delivered it. That problem is taken care of by the lawyer that gave the money originally, but the problem remains as to how Forrest, the other son fits in. Forrest actually knew about the money the whole time, but like his brother, did not know what to do with it so he put it back where he found it to see what his brother would do with it. The book ends with Forrest telling his brother to talk to him again in a year when he gets done with rehab. Pretty lame ending and it brought my rating down at least half a star.
The Bretheren by John Grisham (***)
This story was very confusing at first with the vast number of characters that was introduced within the first 10 or so pages of the book. The story follows two different sets of main characters. The first set is the actual bretheren, which is made up of three judges who are in a federal penetentary because of some various falls from grace. The second set is made up of some people surrounding one man's bid to become the next President. Aaron Lake seems to be the perfect candidate but he has a secret that might wind up costing him more than he could imagine. The bretheren have set up a scam to hook in well-to-do gay men into a scandal and threaten to expose their identitiy unless they pay them hansomely. Eventually, the bretheren figure out that it is the president to be Aaron Lake who they are communicating with in one of their operations and they immediately devise a plan to be handsomely paid. In the end, the bretheren wind up out of prison, with 2 million, and banished from the US for a period of 2 years. Aaron Lake is convinced that he needs to pick up a wife and fast and then to immediately shoot out some kids.



April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December
 
January:

Pendragon: The Quillian Games (DJ Machale)
Pendragon: The Pilgrims of Rayne (" ")
Cat Of Nine Tales (Jeffrey Archer)
 
Great thread...one of my New Years resolutions was to get back to reading novels on a regular basis. In the past year it seems like when I had reading time, I would pick up a magazine instead of a good book. My goal is to read at least one book a month this year.

JANUARY
Cell- Stephen King (completed)

FEBRUARY
(currently reading) The Summons- John Grisham
 
January
Tuesdays With Morrie
The Five People You Meet In Heaven
The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey

February
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
 
The Robots of Dawn - Asimov
Random Acts of Senseless Violence - Jack Womack
The Stainless Steel Rat For President
The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted
The Stainless Steel Rat Joins The Circus
A Treasury of Science Fiction (ed. Groff Conklin)
The Stainless Steel Rat Goes to Hell
all the SSRats are Harry Harrison
The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster. Love this one. It's been my boy's bedtime reading for about a month. I know some of the concepts and puns are over his head (he's 5) but there's no harm in stretching the brain.
here's last two years
http://www.kaboodle.com/dtcarson/books-ive-read--2007.html
http://www.kaboodle.com/dtcarson/books-ive-read-2006.html
 
January: 4
  • American Gods - Neil Gaiman
  • Heroes: The Graphic Novel Volume 1 (GN)
  • On Writing - Stephen King
  • The Stand - Stephen King
Febuary: 2

  • The Darkness: Ultimate Collection (GN)
  • I Am Legend - Richard Matheson
March: 1
  • Duma Key - Stephen King
 
January 2008

Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Fury
by Aaron Allston

Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports
by James Patterson

Mortal Fear
by Robin Cook

Outbreak
by Robin Cook

Mutation
By Robin Cook

Tropical Storm
by Melissa Good

Enders Game
by Osron Scott Card

I Am Legend w/ other short stories
by Richard Matheson

Feburary 2008

Currently Reading: Mind fuck by Manna Francis
 
Does anyone have any other good recommendations for what to read? I'm running out of things that I know of and when I randomly pick a novel it sucks 99% of the time.
 
[quote name='wolverinefactor']Does anyone have any other good recommendations for what to read? I'm running out of things that I know of and when I randomly pick a novel it sucks 99% of the time.[/quote]
If you like space opera Sci-Fi I highly recommend The Saga of the Seven Suns novels by Kevin J. Anderson. Also just about anything by Robert A. Heinlein.
 
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