Awesome. That sounds like a lot of fun! Your bridge dream is not weird; when architecture and literature come together, it is a beautiful thing. I loved my Shakespeare classes; they were so much fun. My prof was amazing, so that might've helped. I had a class like your "book club" one; it was called Modern Novel. I should've taken some-other-era novel, but I took Modern. Didn't enjoy it as much because I was forced to read stuff I normally wouldn't have chosen. I loved being an English major. So much fun.

I don't like The Hobbit nearly as much as I do LOTR, but I do enjoy it. I've noticed that it's a lighter writing style (since it was written for children) and that overwhelming sense of detail (like in LOTR) is missing. But it's still fun to flip through. Maybe you should pick it up again.

I just read "World War Z, an oral history of the zombie war". An excellent book about a world wide "night of the living dead" scenario. They're supposed to be making a movie out of it.

I've heard about that. It was good? Was it graphic? I didn't know they were making a movie; they should be pretty cool!

My friends love this book and actually carry the Zombie Survival Handguide (or something like that). They'll read passages at dinner and we have a plan all laid out should we ever actually need it. My roommate keeps telling me to read it and one of these days I will. But first I need to get through all my other to read books in addition to school ones.

Now, for school I'm reading Things Fall Apart (it was pretty good the first time around) and Titus Andronicus (I love Shakespeare no matter how bloody he gets), both of which I've alread read. Maybe now I'll have some time to read for fun (I did get to read some of Murder on the Orient Express last night but fell asleep before I got to read too much). I'm in the middle of two other "pleasure" books but I just want them to be done so I can read Atonement before the movie comes out. I went out and bought it last week and am so tempted to blow off homework and the other books.

I liked Things Fall Apart. I haven't read it in years, so I don't remember much of it, but I do remember that I liked it. I didn't have to read Titus Andronicus for my Shakespeare classes. I'm rather glad I didn't. Macbeth is still, by far, my favorite Shakespeare play. I've gotten to see it performed professionally and it was amazing.

If you don't mind my asking, what are the other books you're reading?

Macbeth is definitely my favorite (I've read it at least three times and have seen it performed, though a high school teacher did a number on it, it remains my favorite). One book that I'm really looking forward to reading is Lolita. It's one of those where I've wanted to get it but I haven't been able to justify it with all the ones I already have. My dad is glad that I'm finally going to be reading Richard III.

It was excellent and parts of it are indeed pretty graphic. Considering that the subject matter is a world wide plauge of flesh-eating zombies it pretty much has to be. That's not really the focus of the book though. The book is constructed as a series of interviews. Each chapter is some person, from generals and leaders of nations to ordinary soldiers and suburban housewives telling their own personal story of their experiences of the zombie war. Some parts are very action oriented. One chapter about a female air force pilot who's plane goes down over louisiana and has to navigate through miles of zombie infested territory to reach a rescue helicopter is particularly thrilling. Other parts though are more like social and political commentary. There's a chapter about a sleazy pharmecutical company owner who made millions by selling a phony vaccine for the virus that caused the plauge. While each person tells their own story, the stories interconnect and paint a broad picture of the whole story. As far as the movie, I hear the rights to the movie have been bought by some production company that Bradd Pitt is affiliated with and is supposed to come out sometime next year. From reading the book I can tell you it would have to be a pretty big budget picture. I'm crossing my fingers that it turns out good.



Ha ha, I have the zombie survival guide too (written by the same author, Max Brooks, who is Mel Brook's son) but I don't carry it around with me.

Yeah, I really want to read Lolita too especially that new paperback version that came out last year with the pretty cover. I'm a sucker for pretty covers. I should add it to my Wish List. I haven't read Richard III, but I did see the Ian McKellen movie which I remember confused me. Let me know how it is.

I just picked up The Return of the Native from the library. I'm really excited! I haven't read it yet!

Great Philanderer -- great s/n! The book sounds interesting, but I don't think I could make it through it. I'm a wuss.

I'm reading The Return of the Native. So far, so good. I think Hardy is in love with Eustacia Vye though.

I read Lolita in college and words of caution: Pay attention. It' sone of those books with clues all over the place. When we had our in class discussion I kept thinking to myself, wait, I missed that. I went back and re-read it and then things fell into place. It was a very good book.

I started reading Suite Francaise the other night. It's really good so far!

^^^Ya, it looks good! Are you reading it in french?

I'm reading To a God Unknown by John Steinbeck--my favorite --and it's really good!

Thanks for the advice. I have a special note pad for that one class and take tons of freakishly detailed notes but I've still missed some things in the books we've read so far. Right now it's Things Fall Apart, which I read in high school but I only remember how it ends (of course, more and more pieces are coming back to me as I reread it).

No My French is very limited- I only took a year and a half of it in middle school. They didn't offer French at my high school I think I'm going to take it again next semester though so I can remember some of it. (My limited French did help a bit to read menus and things when I went to Paris)

You went to Paris! That is awesome , I'd love to go one day! My mother tongue is french, and although I lost some of my fluidity when I switched to english immersion, I still have a solid base and can understand it better than I can speak it. Also, I like in Quebec so I have to speak it most everywhere else--although I hate the quebec frech *shudders*. Je peu vous aidez si vous en avez besoin !

I haven't even reached page 100 yet (there's 298) & I'm already extremely fasanated by what I read. I didn't become a Bette Davis fan until I watched her film "Of Human Bondage" by my goodness, I never realized how interesting her life story is. I had no idea that it took her so much trouble to become a Hollywood star, & the family troubles that she had to endure with her dad. I'm personally interesting in learning about her feud with Joan Crawford, but I imagine that will be covered much later in the book. Before I just assumed she was this vicious actress judging but what I heard but she seemed quite nice with a unique personality. She's definitely one of the more interesting Hollywood starlets out there, & a popular one at that. Ther personal photos added a great special touch, like the readers were actually a part of her life. A definite must read for any Bette Davis fan.

I bought this a-w-e-s-o-m-e coffee table book/encyclopedia on world archeology. It cover the UK(Stonehenge), Mexico, Incas, Romans, Egyptians and others! This book is a good 500 pages and takes up my entire lap and then some.

I also bought for myself and my girls this coffee table edition of Jane Austens stories with black & white and colored illustrations.

I books

I'm rereading "The Shipping News" which is one of my favorite books.

Okay, I did a search on Jodi Picoult and I saw posts from two people. I read the descriptions and the reviews of her books and I look forward to reading them. I have read two so far, Mercy and Salem Falls. They are older ones. I have My Sister's Keeper and Nineteen Minutes to still read.

I was disappointed with the two that I read. I guess I expected more. It seemed pretty contrived how things were going to turn out and I didn't like the stupidity of the characters. I cannot stand when two people meet on page six and by page 10 they are in love. That doesn't happen in real life. I don't want to ruin the books for anyone, but has anyone (Lenny?) read these two? And am I missing something? I feel a little let down.

I have Salem Falls but haven't read it yet. Mercy was only okay but I loved My Sister's Keeper. Nineteen Minutes is her latest one and I haven't read it (not until it's in paperback and I have more time). I also really liked Keeping Faith and Harvest of the Heart. You can't read them one after the other or they can feel repetitive (the court cases become redundant when they're all criminal cases). I actually have a signed copy of My Sister's Keeper.

Take a break. Read something else, then read My Sister's Keeper. PM me if you want to go into more plot centered discussion.

I went through my box of books while unpacking, and chose to re-read The Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman - better known as the PC in the Mac commercials, and the resident expert on The Daily Show.

Fans of weird, deadpan humor (like Flight of the Conchords, which Hodgman has also appeared on) should love this book. My favorite chapter is the list of 700 hobo names, some of which include:

Giant Bat Wings Roland
Cheesequake O'Lennox
Cleats Onionpocket
Sticklegs McOhio
Turkeyballs Paco
Zipgun Gloucester Gluck
No-Shoulders Smalltooth Jones
Dora the Explorer
Abelard "Sunken Treasure" Lowtrousers
Feminine Forearms Rosengarten
Mister Torso, the Legless Wonder
Nick Nolte
Reynaldo Reynaldoson, Who Will One Day Kill His Father
Achilles Snail-Hair the Buddha
Fatman and the Creature (note: there was no creature)

Hodgman reads the complete list on the website for the book, accompanied by a banjo.

Far From The Madding Crowd
Frankenstein
The Time Traveler's Wife

And I have so many others to read...

I give up. Congratulations, Pride and Prejudice, you win. There is no way I am reading any more of you tonight.

I started reading a book series by Stephanie Meyer, I'm about halfway through the first book "Twilight" and I just barely started it a couple days ago! I've been reading it at work when I have down time. I read over 100 pages today at work ... that's how slow it was today.

They're really good books. I can read 20 pages and it feels like only 5 minutes have gone by! But they're definitely girl books. Males need not apply.

Just finished the 3rd book of Stephenie Meyers's Twilight series. Oh my gosh ... I love Edward! Jacob can just go away. Can't wait ... literally, cannot wait for the next book to come out next year. I was discussing this with The Great One, I told him that I'm going to be one of those nerds at the bookstore at midnight, waiting for the new book to go on sale. He laughed at me. I'll probably take the day off of work so I can read it. EEEEkkkkkkk!!!! I don't think I'll be able to wait. I may spontaneously combust.

The Physics of the Buffyverse sort of a follow up to Quantum Cats



Jennifer Ouelltte

This is a VERY good book. It can be a little confusing because there's a lot of, well...time traveling, but it's such a sweet story. I hope you like it!

I'm glad you liked it! I had to give up. I couldn't get into it. I don't know. I started out interested then, it just went downhill. Maybe I'll wait a while and try it again.

I did finish Far From The Madding Crowd. Good, but I prefer The Return of the Native.

Next I'll start Middlemarch...

This is what I'm reading, this book is like 2 inches thick which is really hard to hold:



and my boyfriend is reading this, which I might read after him:

Right now, Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin for Lit. Studies, just finished Richard III for Shakespeare, and working on Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

I'm still reading To A God Unknown, which absofruitely wonderful! I just bought this book called Water For Elephants, which looks really good, and even if it ain't a Steinbeck, I can''t wait to read it!

I almost bought Water for Elephants when I was at Barnes & Noble last week. You'll have to let me know what you think.

^^^Awesome! Sure, I need to get reading then! I still have to read The Moon is Down which is part of my mini Steinbeck collection. Oh and I have to order Pastures of Heaven!

Ok, I started Middlemarch, but then I got Edith Wharton from the library. It's a bio by Hermione Lee. So far, so good. And I'm still reading Frankenstein.

Currently: Lolita by Nabakov, As You Like It by Shakespeare, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and I'm going to start on Atonement by Ian McEwan (so I'll have finished it by the time the movie comes out in December).

Attention all you historical fiction fans:

I've just finished:
The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant
(about 15th-century Florence)
It was fabulous. Very sensual and so interesting.

I have bought, but not started to read yet, her next book:
In the Company of the Courtesan: A Novel
(about 16th century Venice)

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Bmac your dog is soooooo cute!



I'm reading

Thr3e by Ted Dekker

It's awesome.

Just finished, World War Z, The Zombie Survival Guide, and I am Legend.
It was sort of a Zombie/end of the world kind of week for me...so it worked out.

Isn't that the one from Paul Lieberstein's book title club?

I'm reading The Book Thief, which is supposed to be amazing.

I just finished Animal Farm (I partialy read it before, but this time, I read it the whole way through cause we're doing something on it in english class) and I loved it! What a fantastic book!

I'm also reading Grapes of Wrath, and I love it! I have a whole list of Steinbeck books I want to read after that.

I had to read that in high school and I loved it. I hope you're not confused by all the repetition of the names. Most of them come with a family tree which helps. I tried to get my dad to read it last summer but he got confused and couldn't finish. I might get Love in the Time of Cholera since the movie is coming out sometime soon. I like his style but I'm reading so many things right now.

Various books on Greeks, Romans and american history.

I Amazon

I bought that as well. Definitely want to read it before the movie comes out.

Yeah....A Hundred Years is a little tough, but if I can get some quiet time and focus, I'm ok. It's hard to shift gears after reading "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" 12 times last week!

Here's a hint: keep a close eye on the use of the color yellow when reading.

I love that book. It is an amazing read.



Amazon Where would we be without Amazon?

I'm reading Middlemarch which is good so far and The Alchemist. I'm about to give up on the Edith Wharton bio. I just don't have enough time for it.

Searching For God Knows What by Donald Miller (author of Blue Like Jazz).

I've been meaning to read Blue Like Jazz...

I'm an avid John Steinbeck fan, and at the moment I'm half way thought my fifth book of his, called To A God Unknown. I must say it is an excellent book, I highly recommend it! The descriptions are, as usual, fantastic, and I feel as if I were there! It's different from his other books I have read, it has an air of mystery and magic of something, just below the surface, which is compelling, intriguing and captivating!

My second favorite of his, after The Grapes of Wrath--which is my all-time fav--is In Dubious Battle. It's about Communism in the States, but he wrote it in such a way that it was not bias or one sided at all. This book was thrilling and exciting, a real page turner! Plus, the main characters name is Jim!

I also would recommend Of Mice and Men. It's almost like a short story, very touching and deep, even though it's only 180 pages. For those of you haven't read it or read it, you should, and for those of you that read it a long time ago, you should reread it!

Cannery Row, although not my favorite, was a very good book, one which I shall never forget.

I still want to read The Moon Is Down, The Winter Of Our Discontent and Pastures Of Heaven--which has yet to be ordered/bought--and of course some other books of different authors!

Wow, sorry for my enthusiasm/passion/blabbing! Just wanted to recommend a few books of his.

Carnivale - you've definitely renewed my interest in Steinbeck, it's been too long since I've read him. Ah, Of Mice and Men, such a GREAT book! There are a lot of his books that I haven't read yet. I need to get myself a library card and get reading!