Rate the last Book you read

[brewcrew4you]

In the last of week:

The Road - Cormac McLagun - 9.5/10
It won the Pulitzer (fiction) for a reason, even if Oprah put it in her bookclub.

Dexter in the Dark - Jeff Lindsay - 6/10
Not nearly as good as Darkly Dreaming Dexter or Dearly Departed Dexter.

Empire of Ivory - Naomi Novik - 7.5/10
I really like the Temeraire series, but this (book 4) is the weakest to date.

[J35J]

In the last of week:

The Road - Cormac McLagun - 9.5/10
It won the Pulitzer (fiction) for a reason, even if Oprah put it in her bookclub.

Dexter in the Dark - Jeff Lindsay - 6/10
Not nearly as good as Darkly Dreaming Dexter or Dearly Departed Dexter.

Empire of Ivory - Naomi Novik - 7.5/10
I really like the Temeraire series, but this (book 4) is the weakest to date.

Glad you liked "The Road". It is on my long list of books I want to read. I haven't heard of the other 2 books though...

[brewcrew4you]

In the last of week:

The Road - Cormac McLagun - 9.5/10
It won the Pulitzer (fiction) for a reason, even if Oprah put it in her bookclub.

Dexter in the Dark - Jeff Lindsay - 6/10
Not nearly as good as Darkly Dreaming Dexter or Dearly Departed Dexter.

Empire of Ivory - Naomi Novik - 7.5/10
I really like the Temeraire series, but this (book 4) is the weakest to date.

Glad you liked "The Road". It is on my long list of books I want to read. I haven't heard of the other 2 books though...

The Dexter series is about a sociopath that only kills other serial killers, it is the basis for the tv show Dexter on Showtime.

The Temeraire series is a mix of Fantasy/Historical fiction. It is set on an Earth with dragons, and it is a (loose)re-imagining of the Napoleanic Wars, and the Dragons are used as a primitive airforce.

[The Artful Dodger]

I'm rereading Good to Great, a book on common idealism between some of the strongest companies in America and how their philosophies differ from similar companies who can't reach or maintain the same type of success. I never really got into business books all that much but this is one that I did really enjoy. 8/10

Yeah, it's one of my favorite business books too; I mentioned it on another book thread around here. Built to Last is fairly good as well.

[Art Vandelay]

Speaking of books, has anyone read any of Dave Pelzer's work? He's the guy who wrote 'A Child Called It'. I'm curious because it turns out I'm interviewing him on Saturday and I've never read any of his work. Obviously I don't have time to read through his catalog in one day, so I'm wondering if anyone can give me any insight that I won't be able to find by reading an amazon.com review or the back of the book.

Any info is appreciated, sorry for the hijack.

[Tavish]

I thought the Shannara series was alright, certainly not my favorite of the genre. If you don't have a long list waiting after you finish TSOS Jason you should look into Donaldson's first Thomas Covenant series. Easily the best work of fantasy I've ever read.

I'm rereading Good to Great, a book on common idealism between some of the strongest companies in America and how their philosophies differ from similar companies who can't reach or maintain the same type of success. I never really got into business books all that much but this is one that I did really enjoy. 8/10

Hey Tav, are you talking about....

Lord Foul's Bane
The Illearth War
The Power that Preserves

I looked at some of the reviews on the first book and it sounds like you either love it or hate it. Let me know if this is the series you are talking about and if it is let me know what it was that made you like it so much!

Thanks!

That's the one. I can understand some of the criticism. Donaldson is one of those authors that you have to give a little time and effort to at the outset. He is prone to similes and metaphors which some people don't go for in abundance. And you add on top of that, Covenant's character is written in a way that it seems like Donaldson wants you to hate him. He is bitter, weak, and he despises and abuses the people around him who want nothing except for him to succeed and survive. He is given what appears to be an unlimited power but simply refuses to use it, often at his and his "friends" peril.

But as you get deeper into the story something strange happens. The more Covenant continues disappoint your expectations for a "hero" the more you pull for him to snap out of it and become a true hero. The more he fails his supporters you become more amazed at the strength (or perhaps ignorance) of those around him for continuing to have faith in Covenant and their willingness to sacrifice everything for him. Reading the series can be an utter drain mentally as you are fighting that constant battle of pulling for him and in the next chapter wishing he would just give up and die to save everyone around him the pain.

What keeps you going is the Land and how great Donaldson describes it, the great cast of characters that surround Covenant, and the expectation (right or wrong) that in the end he will not fail.

[J35J]

To Kill A Mocking Bird - Harper Lee

6.5-10

I can see why this book is a classic but its not my type of read. I read to be entertained....a good mystery, thriller, action, adventure is what I'm looking for and this isn't really any of that. And because of that this really wasn't a "page turner" for me but I am glad I read it because of the popularity and it being an American Classic.


Up next... The Sword of Shannara - Terry Brooks I read The First King of Shannara a while back and still have the other books in this series to read so thats what I'm going to do.

So I've finished....The Sword of Shannara...The Elfstones of Shannara and The Wishsong of Shannara. Overall a pretty solid series but I will say I am glad to be done with it so I can move onto something else......I'm currently reading the Swan Song....which so far is really good!

[Tavish]

I finished Confessor, the concluding book in the Sword of Truth series, by Terry Goodkind a couple weeks ago. Amazing now that I look back that I've been reading this series for almost half of my life so it is no surprise that I burned through the final chapter in the saga in about 6 hours. For all of the storylines having building for so long at some point I began to expect there to be no way for Goodkind to tie the story up neatly. But to my surprise this book actually does it well. It's not his best writing or most engaging story, but it is fulfillment which was probably more important for the series. Instead of dragging a few more novels out of the characters he puts it to rest while they still had life left. I won't give out any spoilers since I know there are at least a few other SoT fans here on the boards, but I will say Goodkind found a way to incorporate many of the side characters from the history of the series into at least cameo appearances for the finale.

Overall 7 / 10

[tuckerman85]

I had to read these last two books for my business ethics class:

The Prince
Machiavelli
6.5/10 - I would strongly recommend this book for any entrepreneur/manager/business man. A lot of the things he says a prince needs to do to maintain/hold his kingdom can be applied to how to run a successful business. It is a really dense book and despite being 100 pages or so is a fairly long read.

Conspiracy of Fools
Kurt Eichenwald
8/10 - Story about Enron and their collapse. He has done his research and gathered some very interesting facts and conversations around the company. It is amazing to see how inevitable their failure was after reading about all the things occurring in the organization. Definetely a page turner. If your not into accounting don't worry about fully understanding some of the schemes they used, just recognize how stupid they were.


Next Up:
Clapton
A Thousand Splendid Suns

[CheeseBeger]

Forgot about this thread... Well I finished the two I said I would

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 8.5/10 -> Very goofy, but very funny at points. It's the first in a series of 5 or 6 books. I read the second and third after this one and they left much to be desired. I recommend reading the original Hitchhiker and then stopping. It is certainly English humor, so if you are a fan of Monty Python you would probably enjoy this book also.

Crime and Punishment 9.5/10 -> Simply amazing! Should definitely be considered a classic; and it is enthralling and easy to follow. I would put this in my Top 3 books that I have read and it has inspired me to read The Brothers Karamazov next. It is the story about a student named Raskolnikov who feels he is above the moral law and decides to murder someone in order to prove it to himself. You then follow Raskolnikov's psychological journey following the murder.


Up Next:
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Watership Down by Richard Adams

I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert