Nah, guys in pink shirts are never cool!

 

I recently read The Hunger and The Last Vampire, wasn't overly impressed

In the middle of Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett. Loving every minute of it too.

Finished the Half Blood Prince yesterday, very different from the previous one's.

 

I didn't enjoy it the same way as the others as I'm not excited for the 7th one anymore, I just know that I have to read it....

 

Not going to give anything away as that would be un-fair to anyone planning to read it but not got round to it yet.

But the end left me hollow inside, I know that's extremely dramatic as it's only a book but the end was quite shocking, and I don't care how many people say it but there is no way you would beleive that was going to happen and I dont care how obvious people think it is as you still dont beleive after the fact.

 

Another point I'd like to make is that these are definately not childrens books anymore, they started their but have now moved on, some of the sillyness is still their but what else is going to make you laugh???

 

I did enjoy this book but it's now irrelavent untill I've read the final one...

 

[ July 18, 2005, 03:50 AM: Message edited by: The Helm ]

About a third of the way through the Half-Blood Prince. But I cheated, I know who dies and who kills this being and why. (no worries, not gonna say)

 

If anything, so far I'm wishing I could find the other 5 books! A bit ago I was looking for them so I could reread them before this came out and couldn't find the box they're in! Dern move... Maybe when I start packing for the coming move I'll find them.

 

[ July 18, 2005, 01:11 PM: Message edited by: nightshade ]

I read the Half Blood Prince and though it might not have been as good as some of the previous books, I still enjoyed it..... TWICE!

Funny thing about the Harry Potter books....

Everyone notice that the author gives hints in the current book about the next?

In Sorcer's Stone she mentions a hidden secret room?, In Chamber of Secrets it talks about Azkaban prison, in PA it talks briefly about the supposed existence of other wizard schools and so on.

But anyways....

Has anyone read The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova? A Dracula book that I'm reading now. I was curious of people thoughts on it.

I discovered in Waterstones the other day they have "I am legend" on the shelf. I promptly went and purchased it and I loved it!

Just finished reading Magician by Raymond E Feist, liked it but didn't like the way it was written.

I'm kind of confused by my thoughts on this one and really don't know if I can be bothered with the others in the Rift War saga........

 

Anyone else have any opinions on these particular books??????

Sorry Helm, never heard of them.

 

Over half-way through DaVinci Code and moderately amused. Hey, it's a borrowed book, perhaps it'll get better.

 

I'm wondering how they'll have Hanks as Langdon though. Langdon's supposed to be late-30s/early-40s and moderately handsome. Hanks is obviously 50+ and has never been handsome. Oh well.

 

Finished Pratchett's Interesting Times recently, again, another hilarious tale. Haven't found a boring Pratchett book yet.

Pete,

 

I've read most of his books and I must say i enjoy them. The later ones are definately the better ones but as there are recuring characters and plots it's better to read them in order.

 

If your not sure pick them up at a secondhand book shop, theres always some of his wherever I go.

the rift war saga according to Richard is brilliant, really orginal story, not cliché. though he did mention that the first book is the slowest of the lot of them. I haven't got round to reading them yet.

got to agree with the ineffable gentlman on that one, Feist is the modern master of high fantasy, Magician (the first one) does take some patience but that patience is well rewarded by a mass of charecter development.

Nice bloke too, meet him a few years ago.

Gonna be getting the rest of the Rift War saga for crimbo....

 

Currently reading 2 books at the mo, Lord Of The Rings for the hundreth time and Bernard Cornwells latest The Pale Horseman which is pretty dam good (fast becoming one of my fave authors)

 

Re read The Hobbit as well before starting the rings again, enjoyed it a lot although it's not as well written as LOTR it's a charming little read all the same....

I just finished Angels and Demons (finally) - it was a bag of poo.

 

Then read the new Jack book Infernal by FPW - well worth a read if you are a fan of Repairman Jack

 

And now starting Khai of Ancient Khem for the second time. Been a bit slack in finishing that as I had a bit of a block where it comes to this book.

Read a few books myself since my last post here but mostly back issue magazines and a bunch of chapbooks

Finished the Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell, truly brilliant writer but leaves you begging for more and now I'll have to wait....wait dam it!!!

 

Still reading LOTR, forgot how boring the start was and I'm struggling through about 4 pages a day at the moment which is way below my normally frantic pace...

has any one read ' the iron dragons daughter' by Micheal swanwick? its a good read if ur into sc/fi

Valfierno and the Mona Lisa: The Theft, Con and Recovery (My sister knows the author, Ashton Harris so I got me the book for Xmas)

 

The Assassini by Thomas Gifford

 

The Eleventh Plague by John S Marr

 

And I think I'll follow Tops and do Khai again since I know I'll pick up more that I missed the first time. Also might have to go through my LoTR trilogy I got from Jase here a few years back.. lost (erm methinks in one of the many boxes donated to library during move) the Hobbit, so will have to pick that one up again too soon.

 

I've read The Winter King by Cornwell.. really, imho, the best book I have read on Arthur as it was more of who he was & not some romantic Camelot theme. I'll have to get more of his works too.

yeah finished Khai. This book I've been avoiding for 4 years. well since I broke my ankle, and couldn't read it coz of the memories!!!

 

Moving on to Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clark. About 200 pages in, and it's good, if not a bit odd... I don't actually like it, but I am compelled to read it, there is something about it that makes me want to read it... weird. Jase told me it was a good book, so I will continue till I finish, but at 1000 pages, it's a hefty book.

 

When I've finished that (god knows when), I'll move back to Weird Shadows Over Innsmouth. It has a new Lumley Mythos story, so I am very much looking froward to getting through that book.

Em, the Winter King is part of Corwell's Arthur triology with Enemy of God and Excalibur follwing it, and although I haven't got round to them it has come highly recomended by a few of my friends.

 

Other books of his I would say are brilliant are his grail quest series (Harlequin/Vagabond/Heretic) about a young boy/man called Thomas of Hookton which is set in and sround the 100 years war between Britain and France, truly brilliant story.

 

Others of his that are good are his Saxon Stories and as a stand alone novel Stonhenge.

 

As for me, well I'm still only 2 thirds of the way through The Fellowship of the Ring....

right now i'm reading Fountain Society by Wes Craven. i thought i would give his first time as a novelist a shot. it's holding my interest.

 

Lots of unread books on the shelf....

Al Sarrantonio, Orange-Field series

China Nieville, King Rat

James A. Moore, Blood Red

And many more

 

and i still need to pick up Wierd Shadows

you should pick up weird shadows, like all F&B books it's beautiful

 

I read the intro and lovecraft bit so far, but went away, and didn't want to take it with me, so that's why I swapped.

 

I have a feeling I'll have to read the davinci code this year, even thought I thought angels and demons was a bag of poo.

I will.

I'm also waiting for Dark Delicacies with a new story by Brian.

Can't remember if I posted this before, but what the hey...

 

I've been reading the 'Blood...' series of books by Tanya Huff (Blood Price, Trail, Lines, Pact and Debt) and have enjoyed them muchly. Wouldn't really describe them as vampire books (although there are vampires in the books... as well as werewolves and zombies!) but very readable. Blood Pact especially, I couldn't put it down!

 

Still waiting for further offerings by Laurell K Hamilton (has she got one of the worst websites ever!) and of course, The Touch!

Been busy with the real world for the last few years, but I have managed to keep up-to-date on the H. Potter series. Read "'Prince" in two days while I was on vacation last summer. Also read F. Herbert's "Dune" for the first time. Great story. When I find time, I've got "'Children of Dune" waiting to read. Wish I could find the extended version of David Lynch's interpretation on DVD... If you've never read it, sit down, read the publication dates and get ready to be blown away.

 

Other than that, the last thing that sticks out is William Gibson's portfolio ("Neuromancer", Count Zero", Burning Chrome", "Mona Lisa Overdrive", "Johnny Mnemonic", "Virtual Light", etc.) I petered out during "Johnny Mnemonic" (most likely because I'd seen the movie years before) and never started the last few in his portfolio. I realize that they are older titles, but they really were ground-breaking works that still draw a firm, gritty picture in the mind. Some of his writing is choppy and hard to read, but it also helps create the mood and environment.

More on Gibson and his works: http://www.voidspace.org.uk/cyberpunk/gibson_index.shtml

Read Magician by Feist a few months ago and liked it but wasn't blown away, finally got round to Silverthorn the second in his rift war triology and was absolutely hooked. I couldn't put it down and devoured it within two days, about to start the final book as I write this which is A Darkness at Sethanon...

 

Would really recomend these books to anyone, there really fantastic, love em.........