Absolute Chaos Discussion Boards
Miscellaneous => Chatterbox => The AC Book Club => Topic started by: mare on July 27, 2009, 06:20:07 PM
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Use this thread to let us know what you're reading or a great book you'd recommend to everyone else to read :)
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I know we have a few other teachers on the board. This is a recommendation for all teachers, especially if you're elementary. "32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny" by Phillip Done. Great teaching memoir!! http://www.amazon.com/Third-Graders-One-Class-Bunny/dp/B000HEW0NO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1248744816&sr=8-1
I've read it like three times and will probably start reading it again in August... I always start reading it right before school's about to start up again, cause I get nervous and dread the end of my vacation, and that book helps remind me why I went into teaching and why I love it, even if I'd rather still be on summer break LOL.
It's laugh-out-loud funny, but touching too, and I think any elementary teacher can relate. Probably parents can too, with a lot of things, so I imagine it's a fun read even if you're not a teacher. It reminds me so much of my experience student teaching third grade - with a male teacher, even, like the author. Good memories!
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Great idea, Mare! You know I am always hitting you up for book ideas.
I just started reading some Jennifer Wiener, many friends had recommended her stuff to me. I finished Good in Bed (wonderful) and have started Certain Girls...everyo ne says In Her Shoes is the best of JW's stuff, and it is next.
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Right now I'm reading The Work And The Glory series by Gerald Lund. I'm on the second volume (out of nine) and I am honestly loving every minute of it!
It's a historical fiction novel that is kind of like Johnny Tremaine. (It follows one fictional family through actual historical events.) It tells the story of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and how the church came to be organized. So I don't know that anyone here would really enjoy it all that much because it is religious based. But if you've ever been curious about the story of Joseph Smith and the gold plates, and don't want to actually read the Book of Mormon, this is a much less intimidating, less preachy, more entertaining way to hear the basic story. It's very historically accurate, and yet still has a wonderful tale of family drama and romance. The series gets darker and darker as it progresses because the Mormon history is pretty gruesome, but I'm excited to read them all.
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I'm always reading something and lately this is what I've been reading , that I really enjoyed and couldn't put down:
All American Girl by Meg Cabot
All American Girl: Ready or Not by Meg Cabot
Airhead by Meg Cabot
Airhead:Being Nikki by Meg Cabot
Eye Of The World by Robert Jordan
I'm actually still in the process of reading Eye of The World, i've got about half of it left to read, but it's really pretty neat. If I think of anything more I'll be sure to mention it :-)
~*~ Minnie ~* ~
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aww Ready or Not is the only Meg book that I haven't liked. All American Girl kept my attention ok, but I thought Ready Or Not was kinda I dunno. Boring Maybe?
I do however LOVE the Airhead series. Runaway comes out in like June of next year. It's killing me that it's so far away!!! My favorite Cabot books are still the Mediator Series. You should check those ones out next if you haven't yet.
I read this one not that long ago that was kind of cute called Black Sheep by Yvonne Collins. About a girl who doesn't really fit in at home and gets sucked into this "wife swap" type reality show where two teenagers switch families for the summer.
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I have yet to read the Mediator ones, I should look for those. Yeah I know I can't wait that long for the next Airhead book, my cousin nearly had a heartattack when I told her that the next one wasn't due out til 2010. I'm in the middle of Avalon High right now. It's eh... lol. Hmm I'll hafta write that one down Black Sheep. Sounds like it's interesting. :-)
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aww, Avalon High is one of my faves by her. I still have to read most of her adult fiction. But she never disappoints.
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I'm reading "The Ruins" by Scott Smith and loving it. It's a great book for any horror/thriller fans. I saw the movie first, thankfully without knowing too much about the actual premise (because if I had, I probably would have been like WTF? and wouldn't have given it a chance), and I loved the movie. The book is equally great (perhaps better, but the movie was actually a great adaptation of the book, so it's hard to say). I think it would have been even better if I had read it without having seen the movie first, not knowing how it was going to turn out, because then it would be even more shocking and disturbing. As it is, it's still pretty disturbing, just not shocking because I already know the plot. It definitely rivals my favorite Stephen King books when it comes to gore, though. I picked the hardback up for $7 off the bargain book rack at Walden Books, and it's turned out to be a great choice!
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It's weird because I was going to bring this thread back today as well lol
I got The Hunger Games from Mike's parents for Christmas and at first I wasn't all that thrilled with reading it because it's a young adult book and i'm not really big into those, although The Book Theif proved me wrong by being incredible. Anyway, it's a great book. A real page turner and incredibly original. I think it's a series. I know there's a second book, but it's worth checking out. And yay to another great book changing my mind about young adult fiction. Maybe one more great young adult read will purge the Twilight series out of my system for good.
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I'm always reading something and lately this is what I've been reading , that I really enjoyed and couldn't put down:
All American Girl by Meg Cabot
All American Girl: Ready or Not by Meg Cabot
Airhead by Meg Cabot
Airhead:Being Nikki by Meg Cabot
Eye Of The World by Robert Jordan
I'm actually still in the process of reading Eye of The World, i've got about half of it left to read, but it's really pretty neat. If I think of anything more I'll be sure to mention it :-)
~*~ Minnie ~* ~
I've read All America Girl multiple times... love that book! It was my favorite Meg Cabot one until I read the Mediator Series. I'd def. recomment those books-- they're good if you like an easy, fun read with a bit of the supernatural (ghosts).
I just finished Lady Susan by Jane Austen-- I'm not usually into epistolary novels (written in letters), but I really liked this one. Austen is wonderful at characterizati on. Currently, I'm reading the first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and I really like it so far. :)
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aww Ready or Not is the only Meg book that I haven't liked. All American Girl kept my attention ok, but I thought Ready Or Not was kinda I dunno. Boring Maybe?
I do however LOVE the Airhead series. Runaway comes out in like June of next year. It's killing me that it's so far away!!! My favorite Cabot books are still the Mediator Series. You should check those ones out next if you haven't yet.
I read this one not that long ago that was kind of cute called Black Sheep by Yvonne Collins. About a girl who doesn't really fit in at home and gets sucked into this "wife swap" type reality show where two teenagers switch families for the summer.
I should have read this entire thread before I posted! Yes, I wish she would write more books in that series. They apparently didn't do well when they were initially published, as she hadn't made it "big" as an author yet, but they've sold well since.
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Hunger Games is on my to-read list. I hear such wonderful things about it. And then if I like it there's Catching Fire.
But I just finished reading the House Of Night series by P.C. and Kristen Cast. (Marked, Betrayed, Chosen, Untamed, Hunted and Tempted)
Love-love-loved this series!! I'm eternally addicted to it now and am dying for the next book to come out. Anyone else read this series?
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Hunger Games is on my to-read list. I hear such wonderful things about it. And then if I like it there's Catching Fire.
But I just finished reading the House Of Night series by P.C. and Kristen Cast. (Marked, Betrayed, Chosen, Untamed, Hunted and Tempted)
Love-love-loved this series!! I'm eternally addicted to it now and am dying for the next book to come out. Anyone else read this series?
I've got the first book in the House of Night series waiting to be read. But at the moment I'm reading The Vampire Diaries by L J Smith and really loving it. It's a little Twilight like, but as I adore those Twilight books, I don't mind one little bit!
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i haven' t picked up a book not having to do with school in Months, I forgot what the fun ones look like.
*~*~* Minnie ~*~*~
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The Adrian Mole Diaries series by Sue Townsend. Seriously some of the funniest books I've ever read. They start out when Adrian is 13 1/2 years old and each novel is a different set of years in his life (the most recent one he's in his late 30s). They're written as if it's his diary, and though he takes himself completely seriously (too seriously) the events he relays are just incredibly absurd and you feel sorry for everyone in his life that actually has to live with him, his worries, his self-absorption, and horrendous poetry (which he continually sends to the BBC despite the fact that they've rejected it many times and have pleaded with him to STOP lol).
I swear I can be in the worst moods and pick up one of these books and they never fail to get me laughing within a few pages.
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^ Sounds interesting. I'll have to check it out.
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The Adrian Mole Diaries series by Sue Townsend. Seriously some of the funniest books I've ever read. They start out when Adrian is 13 1/2 years old and each novel is a different set of years in his life (the most recent one he's in his late 30s). They're written as if it's his diary, and though he takes himself completely seriously (too seriously) the events he relays are just incredibly absurd and you feel sorry for everyone in his life that actually has to live with him, his worries, his self-absorption, and horrendous poetry (which he continually sends to the BBC despite the fact that they've rejected it many times and have pleaded with him to STOP lol).
I swear I can be in the worst moods and pick up one of these books and they never fail to get me laughing within a few pages.
I read those books back when I was in school and they were really funny! There was even a TV series back in the 80s which was good at the time, but probably looks really dated now.
I've not read the latest one though, where he's in his 30s, might have to check that out :)
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My book group picked Hunger Games this month. I'm excited to finally read it. I've been meaning to for months. I also just finished one called "Hush, Hush". It's fairly new by a first time author. It's about a fallen angel. Very very good book! I loved it.
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As a Librarian, I have tons of reading suggestions that span ALL age groups.
Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley - it's a children's series but it's really cute. If you ever enjoyed fairy tales, you'll love it. Plus, it has some romance in it!
Heather Wells series by Meg Cabot. Size 12 is not Fat and so on. I love the whole retired pop star thing mixed into the mystery genre. Whoda thunkit?
Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich - Only up to about book twelve though. The series has gotten very stagnant. I do love these for their humor though!
As for classics, I just read Dracula and I LOVED it. Even though the rest of my lit class hated it, I also enjoyed Wuthering Heights. If you give it a chance there's a wonderful love triangle with very deep characters that can be dissected layer by layer.
I know I've read tons more, but those are the ones in my mind at the moment!
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^ Wuthering Heights was one of the only classics I was forced to read in high school that I actually kinda liked, once I got into it. The characters were all so dysfunctional, but it was interesting. I can't say I read much classic literature for fun, though; I just find them so wordy that they're hard for me to get into and get through. They're just written in a different style.
I'm reading "Plain Truth" by Jodi Picoult right now and liking that. I'm almost done with it, and then I have another of her books, "Change of Heart," waiting in the wings.
One recommendation I can throw out there for any horror fans is "The Ruins" by Scott Smith. I read that earlier this year and absolutely loved it; one of the best scary books I've ever read. I'm a Stephen King fan, and he gave it rave reviews too. I had seen the movie before I read the book, and I love the movie too, but one thing that was nice about reading the book after I saw the movie was that, even though the premise is the same, the book was a lot different, down to what happened to each character, so it was unpredictable, and I didn't really know how it was going to turn out because it was so different. It kept me in suspense. I couldn't put it down!
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Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley - it's a children's series but it's really cute. If you ever enjoyed fairy tales, you'll love it. Plus, it has some romance in it!
I love that series! :-D
Has anyone read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Don't let the movie deter you, the books are fantastic especially if you like Greek mythology.
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I read the first one after seeing the movie. It was pretty good. Not Harry Potter good, though, to me.
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I have actually wanted to check those out but haven't yet. I just saw the movie and was all , eh? lol But I know how movies vs books go sometimes.
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"Confessions of an Ex-Girlfriend" by Lynda Curnyn
I think it's out of print now, it was a chick-lit type label from Harlequin, which had some pretty good books. This book, however, is really good. It's probably my favorite besides "Good In Bed" by Jennifer Wiener.
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I have actually wanted to check those out but haven't yet. I just saw the movie and was all , eh? lol But I know how movies vs books go sometimes.
I liked the movie, but there was a lot changed from the book.
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^ I read that he sold the rights to the book for the movie before the book was even finished so he had little to no say in the movie.
Read the books, they are fantastic. I love Greek mythology so I probably like them a teensy bit more than the HP books. I love the Rick Riordian is writing more about Camp Half-Blood but not expanding on the story of Percy Jackson more. Also he's writing a series taking place in Egypt... haven't read it yet, but LOVE that he's writing about 2 of my absolute fave eras to read about. Now if he writes anything about the Tudor era.. ;)
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If you're into nonfiction I suggest Picking Cotton by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton.
Jennifer was raped in college and accused Ronald of the crime. He was sent to prison and twelve years later, DNA proved it wasn't him and he was released. Afterwards, the two met and forged a bond. The memoir is told in both POVs so you really get a feel to how each was feeling and their reactions to everything.
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I am almost done reading "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." My grandma loaned me her copy and insisted that I read it... which I find hilarious now that I'm almost done with it, because it's quite dark and graphic, and I'm like, "My GRANDMOTHER liked this book??" She said she couldn't put it down! I thought it started out really slow, and if I hadn't told her I'd read it, I probably would have abandoned it, but I kept with it, and it did get good in the middle. I love the character of Lisbeth Salander; she made the book. I didn't get interested in the book until she was introduced; great example of a kick-ass female lead.
Anyway, has anyone read the sequels? Are they good, or better?
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If you're into nonfiction I suggest Picking Cotton by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton.
Jennifer was raped in college and accused Ronald of the crime. He was sent to prison and twelve years later, DNA proved it wasn't him and he was released. Afterwards, the two met and forged a bond. The memoir is told in both POVs so you really get a feel to how each was feeling and their reactions to everything.
That sounds like an interesting story.
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That sounds like an interesting story.
It is. I was a little skeptical at first because...it just sounded so depressing, but it was well told and in the end, I couldn't even comprehend how they could be such good friends afterward. No one else understood either, but together, let did something great and made a lot of people aware of The Innocence Project.
On a different note, another nonfiction recommendation . I suggest reading anything by Bill Bryson. I just finished his book, A Walk in the Woods, which is his memoir about hiking the Appalachain Trail. A lot of his books are about his travels and experiences but his writing is just so quick and witty, each book goes by quick and you have a great time reading too. His new book At Home, is about his house in London, but he has an uncanny way of making things such as doors and chair rails completely fascinating.
Haha, I tend to get a little enthusiastic about the authors I love. Sorry.
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Anyone read any of Tess Gerrittsen's books? I've read one so far called 'Call After Midnight' and couldn't put it down. It was full of action and suspense, so I've got two others which I'm going to read. I also just finished 'The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud' and really loved that from start to finish.
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I loved the Death & Life of Charlie St. Clous - the movie, not so much but I'd totally recommend that book as well!
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I've not seen the film yet as the films are usually a bit of a disappointment, but I'll get around to watching it one day.
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I loved the Death & Life of Charlie St. Clous - the movie, not so much but I'd totally recommend that book as well!
I read that book a long time ago and loved it.
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Is that the one that was made into a movie with Zac Efron? That actually looked like a good movie; I kinda wanted to see it, but never got around to it. Did not know it was a book... maybe I'll have to check that out.
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Is that the one that was made into a movie with Zac Efron? That actually looked like a good movie; I kinda wanted to see it, but never got around to it. Did not know it was a book... maybe I'll have to check that out.
Haha yeah, it's the Zac Efron movie. I mean, the movie wasn't bad but when you've read the book beforehand...t here was just no comparison, like it usually is when they translate into film.
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I don't know if anyone did already, but I definitely recommend The Hunger Games series. I bought the first book and finished reading it a few days ago. I'm so hooked. ;D I am dying to buy the 2nd and 3rd book as well but I have to wait till November 1st before I can spend any more money. :( lol
I was considering to buy the English book first but I couldn't find a website where I could order it without having to pay a lot of shipping costs. So I ordered the Dutch translation anyway.
The series will be a perfect addition to my Harry Potter and Twilight books. They're all in my bookcase, I can't wait till I have The Hunger Games series complete as well. :) Besides, my Harry Potter and Twilight books are in Dutch as well so I guess it's not that much of a problem that I will buy the Dutch translations of these series.
They are gonna make movies of the series and the first movie will be out in late 2011. I hope they can make the movie look good but, as Sevily said above, most of the time the books are better than the movies. I'm very curious anyway. I'm definitely gonna watch it once it's released. :)
There's one thing I don't understand. A lot of people compare The Hunger Games to the Twilight series. They aren't similar in any way. :/ They're both fantasy books but that's the only similarity..
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I've just looked The Hunger Games up on Amazon and it looks really good. I might have to give it a read :)
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I've got to say, I saw Charlie St Cloud last night and really enjoyed it! Obviously it wasn't as good as the book because books are always better (more details, etc) but I thought they'd done a good job of it. Also, Zac Efron is gorgeous :) (can't believe I'm admitting that, lol)
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I recommend a book called "Sarah's Key." It's about a woman named Julia who lives in Paris but was born in America. She discovers that the house she lives in used to be owned by a Jewish family in 1942, and were captured and sent off to Auschwitz. She researches the family and finds that Sarah was the only one to survive out of her family. The research leads to discover other secrets about her husband, who is an ass, and herself.
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My grandma was just telling me about that book! She's reading it for her book club. She said she'd let me borrow it after she finishes it. She made me read "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" last, and I liked that one too, but this one actually sounds more up my alley. I've never been a huge fan of historical fiction, but I do love history, so the fact that part of it is told in the present makes it more appealing. I find the Holocaust stuff interesting anyway, though. I'll definitely have to read it.
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Sounds like an interesting book, I like those kind of stories too.
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I recommend a book called "Sarah's Key." It's about a woman named Julia who lives in Paris but was born in America. She discovers that the house she lives in used to be owned by a Jewish family in 1942, and were captured and sent off to Auschwitz. She researches the family and finds that Sarah was the only one to survive out of her family. The research leads to discover other secrets about her husband, who is an ass, and herself.
I guess I'll have to read it if only because they stole my name! :O
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Name thieves. :D
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I heard The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is really graphic. While it does sound interesting, I'm a little weary to read it.
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It does get pretty graphic. Once I got into it, I was shocked that my grandmother had read it and enjoyed it and wanted me to read it LOL. But it was good, if you like mystery/thrillers. I thought it started out slow, but it got a lot better; overall, I enjoyed it.
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Two more nonfiction recommendation s:
1) Left to Tell - Immaculée Ilibagiza - a true account of how she and 7 other women cramped themselves into a tiny bathroom for 91 days during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. She was home from college visiting her family when the genocide broke out and she explains the brutal murders of her family and how her faith kept her alive. It's unbelievable.
2) Devil in the White City - Erik Larson - (for those who like serial killers) this is the real thing. In 1893 during the Chicago World Fair a man lured his victims there and then murders them in what he calls the "Murder Castle." It's in novel form which makes it more accessible to those who don't like to read nonficiton.
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I have to recommend House Rules by Jodi Picoult. YOu know i'm a huge fan but this one is almost right up there wth Nineteen Minutes for me. I really enjoyed it!
It's about a boy who has Asperger's and is accused of murdering his social skills teacher and just like all her books it's told from multiple POVs.
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Sounds interesting. I really like the books of hers that I've read; the premises are always interesting, they make you think, there's always a twist ending, and you can tell she really does her research.
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Sounds like an interesting read, especially since both my sister and one of my friends have sons with Aspergers. I might have to buy that once I've got through the books I've already got.
I've just finished The Hunger Games and really enjoyed it.
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I have to recommend House Rules by Jodi Picoult. YOu know i'm a huge fan but this one is almost right up there wth Nineteen Minutes for me. I really enjoyed it!
It's about a boy who has Asperger's and is accused of murdering his social skills teacher and just like all her books it's told from multiple POVs.
Have you read Tenth Circle? I bought that yesterday. I'm trying to decide whether to give it to my sister for Xmas or keep it for myself lol I like how it's a mix of writing and comics.
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That was one of my least favorite ones by her actually. LOL That one and Mercy are the oly two novels of hers I didn't like.
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I am going to recommend The Doctor's Daughter by Amy Blizzard.
It's a historical romance which you know isn't something I'd normally recommend, but it's incredibly well written and by an old fanfic writer we're all familiar with.
Amy was an old school fanfic writer. Co-wrote Can You Keep a Secret with Kat as well as On the Outside and she also co-wrote a few stories with Marly. I'm so happy for her! You can find her book everywhere :)
YAY Amy!!
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Aww, Amy published a book too? That's awesome! Good for her! We should start a site just for former and current fanfic writers who have published; that's at least three now in our little circle.
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Did she really? I agree with Julie, we need like a list for this :).
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Yup, this is acctually her second book she's gotten published. The first one was her On the Outside which she unfanficed shortly after Mel's got published.
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My SIL recommended The Glass Castle...have any of you read it?
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Nope, who wrote it, do you know?
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Nope, who wrote it, do you know?
The Glass Castle is written by Jeannette Walls - it is based on the true story of what her and her siblings grew up dealing with. Apparently, her mother was from a really wealthy family but her family was homeless on and off, etc. when at any time they could have gone to some big bucks ranch where her mother's family was...
Another that she recommended was The Late, Lamented Molly Marx by Sally Koslow.
She read both for her book club.
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Yup, this is acctually her second book she's gotten published. The first one was her On the Outside which she unfanficed shortly after Mel's got published.
Oh wow, I didn't know that either. I liked that story. I haven't heard from Amy in years.
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The Glass Castle is written by Jeannette Walls - it is based on the true story of what her and her siblings grew up dealing with. Apparently, her mother was from a really wealthy family but her family was homeless on and off, etc. when at any time they could have gone to some big bucks ranch where her mother's family was...
Another that she recommended was The Late, Lamented Molly Marx by Sally Koslow.
She read both for her book club.
That sounds interesting. My book club just read Crooked Letter Crooked Letter, which was good but I wasn't that much of a fan. I don't remmeber who wrote it though lol
I'm excited because I convinced them to read Nineteen Minutes so somewhere down the line we get to read that one.
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Oh wow, I didn't know that either. I liked that story. I haven't heard from Amy in years.
Yeah, Amy stopped writing fanfic a long time ago. Now she makes her living writing small articles for magazines and greeting cards etc... She's doing well :)
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I recommend Monster High. ;D
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I'm currently reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson and once I'd got past the first few pages, I began to start really enjoying it. Has anyone else read it?
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I read it over the summer. I found it hard to get into at first, but like you said, once you get further into it, it gets good. I liked it. Haven't gotten around to reading the second one yet, though.
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I'm currently reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson and once I'd got past the first few pages, I began to start really enjoying it. Has anyone else read it?
OMG I am almost finished with The girl Who Played with Fire. I agree it had a slow start but then I couldn't put it down. I felt the same way about the second book. I rented the Swedish version of the film after reading Dragon and it was great! It did the book justice!
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I'm thinking of getting the DVD of it too, I've heard it's excellent.
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My book club is having a dinner and a movie night for Water for Elephants. They read it before I joined the book club and i'm
SO glad I decided to read the book before this movie because after getting more than halfway through it, there is NO way I would go see this movie. No way!! It's not a bad book, it's actually pretty good and very well written but good lord the amount of animal cruelty in it makes me wwant to go nowhere near a move theater to see it on the big screen. Did anyone else read this book? I'm actually thinking of not finishing it because seriously, that's the one thing I can't really stand to read or see, animal stories. If they kill Rosie I might have to jump off a bridge lol
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I was thinking of getting the book as a friend has recommended it. I'm not really into animal stories, especially if there's cruelty involved. But I must admit to fancying the film because Robert Pattinson is gorgeous in it and the trailer looks good, and I like the old fashioned look of it.
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The movie looks really good; I want to see it. I'll probably end up waiting till it's out on DVD, though. I've heard the book is really good, but I'll cry at the drop of a hat over anything to do with animals, so thanks for the warning.
When I was in college, in one of my English classes for elementary education majors, the professor put us in groups and gave each group a children's book to read and discuss together, then share with the rest of the class. We got a book called Faithful Elephants, which I had never heard of before. It's the (true) story of what happened to the elephants in a zoo in Tokyo during World War II. The zookeepers were mandated to put down their large and dangerous animals because everyone was afraid of what would happen if the city was bombed and the animals got out, so they started poisoning the animals. But the elephants were smart and wouldn't eat poisoned food, and they didn't have needles strong enough to penetrate their skin, so they couldn't inject them with anything. So they let them starve to death instead. This is a children's book, complete with painted illustrations, and it's horribly, horribly sad. I sat on the hallway floor in a circle with this group of girls in my class, and one of them read the book out loud, and by the end, we were all crying. We came back into the classroom all teary-eyed, and the other groups looked at us, like, WTF? It's possibly the saddest book I've ever read LOL.
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Oh my God! WTF? That's horrible!! And yes, that's pretty much all of Water of Elephants. It's kind of all aww that's great and then this animal dies a horrible death and then aww that's cute and then this animal dies a horrible death and so on and so forth. I know in a movie every once ina while they might skip something like that but plot wise it's pretty impossible and like I said, there's no way I could sit through it. None of them were elephants lol yet! But I even had trouble reading the author's notes because she had to mention gruesome things about killing of elephants in that one too. I'm surprised she didn't just hang herselof after writing this story. lol
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Has anyone read the Glass Castle? I've heard a lot about it and it sounds like it would be a good one for book club.
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The Help is another I've heard a lot about...
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The Help is the next one I plan on reading. I have heard great things about that book.
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Oh my God! WTF? That's horrible!! And yes, that's pretty much all of Water of Elephants. It's kind of all aww that's great and then this animal dies a horrible death and then aww that's cute and then this animal dies a horrible death and so on and so forth. I know in a movie every once ina while they might skip something like that but plot wise it's pretty impossible and like I said, there's no way I could sit through it. None of them were elephants lol yet! But I even had trouble reading the author's notes because she had to mention gruesome things about killing of elephants in that one too. I'm surprised she didn't just hang herselof after writing this story. lol
I know, and aww... :( Yeah, I'm definitely glad I didn't see the movie in theaters then. I'll probably still watch it at some point, but at home by myself, where I can weep shamelessly LOL. Animal deaths are the worst... I was even a sobbing mess in the theater watching the new version of King Kong LOL.
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The Help is the next one I plan on reading. I have heard great things about that book.
A friend loaned me The Help so I have it too. Do we have a book club book for May/June?
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We haven't done that in a long time but wwe can always start it up again. The Help would be an excellent choice.
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Works for me!!! I'll start it after I finish the book I'm reading!
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Julie, I'm a blubbering mess over sad animal films too. I cried in Marley & Me and when me and Holly saw Princess and the Frog, she cried her eyes out when the firefly died and she almost set me off!
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I cried at the end of Marley & Me too. I haven't seen Princess and the Frog all the way through, but other Disney movies involving animals - Dumbo, Bambi, Fox & the Hound, Lion King - still make me cry.
I do love a good tearjerker, though.
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I wouldn't even watch Marley and Me lol
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Well, I did suck it up and finish "Water for Elephants." It was a good book overall but like I said, too much animal cruelty for my liking. I would recommend it to people though, especially if you liked the Notebook because it's very Notebook-like minus the sucking lol although i'm just going by the movie on that one. Never read that book. I know, you're all shocked about that one! :P I can't see how Robert Pattison will do Jacob justice but I can totally picture Reese as Marlena.
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I've downloaded it to read on my iPod, so hopefully I'll enjoy it when I get around to reading. I've not read The Notebook but I do love the film. I've read a few reviews of the film Water For Elephants and it seems to have had good reviews.
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OK, I watched Water For Elephants today and really loved the film. I can see what you mean about it being a bit like The Notebook in some ways. I wanted to shoot the circus master for the way he treated those animals! And I thought Rob Pattinson was great!
Once I've finished reading Beastly then I'm going to read this book.
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So did they show a lot of the animal cruelty?
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Once I've finished reading Beastly then I'm going to read this book.
Are you liking Beastly, Steph? I just read it a few weeks ago. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite, as far as Disney movie fairy tales go, so I figured I had to check out the book/movie. I really liked it at the beginning, thought it was quite clever, the way it was modernized, but oddly enough, once it got into the romance stuff, I got bored with it. I didn't think the second half was nearly as good as the first. Oh well. I stuck it in my classroom library for my kids to read; I do a big unit on fractured fairy tales, and it's the perfect example of a young adult fracture fairy tale. I still might check out the movie when it comes out on DVD; just from the previews, it looks quite a bit different from the book.
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Are you liking Beastly, Steph? I just read it a few weeks ago. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite, as far as Disney movie fairy tales go, so I figured I had to check out the book/movie. I really liked it at the beginning, thought it was quite clever, the way it was modernized, but oddly enough, once it got into the romance stuff, I got bored with it. I didn't think the second half was nearly as good as the first. Oh well. I stuck it in my classroom library for my kids to read; I do a big unit on fractured fairy tales, and it's the perfect example of a young adult fracture fairy tale. I still might check out the movie when it comes out on DVD; just from the previews, it looks quite a bit different from the book.
Beauty & The Beast is my favourite Disney film too (along with The Hunchback of Notre Dame). I saw the film Beastly with my daughter and we both enjoyed it, although I think they could've done more with it, made him more of a beast. The book was different to the film and like you say, the first half was better than the second half. Still enjoyable though if you like that kind of thing.
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So did they show a lot of the animal cruelty?
Some. I don't know how much is in the book as I've only just started reading it, but in the film there was enough to make you hate that character and wish nasty things upon him.
I really recommend the movie, even if you don't like Rob Pattinson, you'll love Rosie!
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Beauty & The Beast is my favourite Disney film too (along with The Hunchback of Notre Dame). I saw the film Beastly with my daughter and we both enjoyed it, although I think they could've done more with it, made him more of a beast. The book was different to the film and like you say, the first half was better than the second half. Still enjoyable though if you like that kind of thing.
I was confused about that when I was reading the book, because he's very much a "beast" in the book, like in the Disney movie, and from the previews of the movie, it looked like they just made him look like a burn victim or something LOL. I could have seen the book going that route too, where it was more metaphorical than literal animalistic BEAST, but since the book did make him that way, I wonder why the movie didn't too. Maybe it would have been too hard to do and have it look realistic or something... I hate bad CGI.
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Some. I don't know how much is in the book as I've only just started reading it, but in the film there was enough to make you hate that character and wish nasty things upon him.
I really recommend the movie, even if you don't like Rob Pattinson, you'll love Rosie!
I don't think i'll be able to watch it. I'm a complete wuss when it comes to animals and c onsidering I could barely read the book because of all the abuse, I doubt i'd be able to watch it. Rosie or no Rosie. Thanks Steph!
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I was confused about that when I was reading the book, because he's very much a "beast" in the book, like in the Disney movie, and from the previews of the movie, it looked like they just made him look like a burn victim or something LOL. I could have seen the book going that route too, where it was more metaphorical than literal animalistic BEAST, but since the book did make him that way, I wonder why the movie didn't too. Maybe it would have been too hard to do and have it look realistic or something... I hate bad CGI.
Yeah, in the film he's covered in scars and tattoos and stuff and does look more like a burns victim, which is what I expected in the book to be honest. Still enjoyable though! Oh yes, I don't like bad CGI either.
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I don't think i'll be able to watch it. I'm a complete wuss when it comes to animals and c onsidering I could barely read the book because of all the abuse, I doubt i'd be able to watch it. Rosie or no Rosie. Thanks Steph!
I'm quite a wimp when it comes to sad films too, especially where children and animals are concerned. I watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button yesterday and cried so much at the end.
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Yes, me too. Now people in general can die all they want but leave the babies and animals alone!
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Yes, me too. Now people in general can die all they want but leave the babies and animals alone!
Agreed!
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I'm halfway through Water For Elephants and I have to say, the cruelty in the book is just awful! The way those poor animals are starved and deprived of water in the heat :( The film has nothing compared to the book.
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I know! :( It was disturbing. I almost didn't get through it. I couldn't even get through her author's notes. Glad to know the movie isn't that bad. now you see why I kept asking about it lol
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Yeah, and I think you'd be OK with the film. Nowhere near the amount as in the book.
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I just finished "Water for Elephants" the other day. I liked it, and I was pleasantly surprised with how it ended. I was expecting a tragic ending; it just seemed like it was going to be the kind of book that would make me cry, but it didn't. I enjoyed the happy ending, though I would have loved a good tearjerker, too. I really wanna see the movie now; I never did see it when it was in theaters. Reading the book made me want to watch Dumbo, too - now there's a tearjerker LOL.
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I am in the middle of Sarah's Key right now and it's one of the most depressing books I have ever read. You want to cry, try that one lol
I also love the mystery element of it. I'm hooked!
This is the first book i've read about the time of the Holocaust that I was actually overcome with so much hatred I actually had to stop reading for a little bit. The Book Theif, was a very different feel and is one of my all time favorite books. This one is just heartbreaking.
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Glad you enjoyed Water for Elephants Julie, I loved it too. The film is great :)
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I've heard of Sarah's Key, and it sounded good, but I haven't read it yet. I'd probably like it; I love sad books, and the Holocaust stuff, although incredibly sad, is interesting. I'll definitely have to check it out sometime. I think there's a movie of it coming out at some point soon, too; I seem to remember seeing a trailer for it in the theater one time.
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I love all the Holocaust stuff too. One of my all time favourite films is The Pianist. I'll have to look out for that.
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The movie is out now actually. I don't want to see it until after I finish the book. Have either of your read The Book Theif? Excellent book that takes place during the Holocaust as well.
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I've not read it, but will have to look out for it.
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Oh cool, didn't know the movie was already out. I'll have to catch it on DVD then; I wanna read the book first.
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I'm going to have to check those two books out. The only Halocaust books I've read were the ones from high school "Night" by Eli Wiesel and "The Diary of Anne Frank".
Do you guys watch any of the Halocaust/Natzi movies on Netflix?
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I sometimes watch specials about it on the History channel but i'm not big on the movies. Another great but highly disturbing book/movie taking place during the Holocaust is "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas." I've actually never read "Night"
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I've seen that movie Mare, it was so tragic but a good film.
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Finally finished Sarah's Key. It took me a long time to read it mainly because it's that sad and depressing but a great book. Extremely intense read but well worth it. Don't read it if you have somewhere to be lol or students coming and going.
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I've downloaded a sample of it for my Kindle app on my phone, if I like it, I'll buy the book. I won't read in work though, not if it's going to bring on the tears.
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It'll definitely bring on tears lol
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You guys probably already saw my Twitterpation over this book but I'm more than halfway through it and already added it to my favorite all time list --- "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green.
Anyone read any others of his books? Is he always amazing or did I happen to stumble into his "one-hit wonder" book?
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I've not heard of it, so I just had a look on Amazon and it looks really good.
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I just finished a really good book called A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly. It's set in 1906 in the state of New York and focuses on a girl called Mattie. She wants to go to college and be a writer someday but family commitments get in the way and she is torn over what to do, does she stay and live a life of drudgery or follow her dreams? There is a little bit of romance, murder mystery and drama in the book and I couldn't put it down.
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Has anyone read that new Stephen King book, then one about JFK? I kind of adored it, it wasn't as sci-fi as I expected considering it was including Time Travel but I really loved where he went with it.
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Not heard of it, but might have to get it from the library some day if it's good.
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It looked interesting; I'll have to check it out! I love Stephen King, but haven't read a lot of his newer ones. The most recent one I've read was Cell, and I didn't like it as well as his older stuff.
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I read Under The Dome, which was okay, but kinda eh. It was more about what happens when you cut people off from society and then random alien mentions to explain how the Dome around the town got there LOL. His JFK book was superior.
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I read a ton over Christmas after my grandmother passed away and I had a few weeks off work -- so I've got a lot of books - some good, some not so much. I really enjoyed these three though;
The Help = I'm sure you've all heard of it and many have read it, but it really was good - definitely something I got into easily and was able to read over the course of a few days!
Little Bee -- I definitely recommend this one! I really loved it, but bring your tissues to bed with you if you decide to read it because :'(
Sing You Home -- Jodi Picoult -- probably one of my favorites by Jodi. I don't know why, but it just seemed more real and raw than a lot of her stories that all sound the same.
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Has anyone seen "One for the Money?" I think it came out this past weekend, but I haven't heard anything about it.
I read that book years ago, and I have friends who love that series and were always excited about the possibility of a movie. I'm wondering if it at all lives up to the book.
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Haven't seen it. But I looked up the review on ew.com aka My Bible and they gave it a D. Ouch! I read the book and wasn't impressed. I'll probably wait until it comes out on DVD to see it.
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I enjoyed the movie. It had been so long since I read the books... the books are like my junk food of reading heh. The movie wasn't bad as long as you separate the two (which is the case with most all books/movies) I like Katherine Heigel though. I enjoyed the movie for what it was...
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I've read the first couple of books but not seen the movie yet, I will wait for DVD.
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Hmm... ok, thanks. This is one I'll probably rent/netflix when it comes out. :) Yeah, Katherine H. does some good movies. I haven't read the book it so long it'll be easy to separate the two because I don't really remember what happened. lol
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I loved the book but Sherri Shepherd is enough to keep me away lol
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Just saw Water for Elephants and HATED the movie. I wasn't a huge fan of the book because of all the animal cruelty but the book club decided to watch the movie and sadly there was a lot of animal cruelty in the movie as well. If I was in a real theater and not someone's home I would have walked out. The acting was subpar as well except for the old Jake and Rosie. Also the evil guy was good. I normally love Reese but Not in this one.
On a side note, the host had her own movie theater in her basement!
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The home theater is cool! Wish I had one LOL.
I actually thought the Water for Elephants movie was a pretty good adaptation of the book. I enjoyed both, and the animal cruelty actually didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. Go figure... I bawl like a baby at Dumbo, but didn't shed a tear over Water for Elephants. I'm weird.
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Wow lol I couldn't get past it. Maybe if I was more enthralled with the plot or something, but by the time Rosie came in I was already annoyed with the slow pace of the film.
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I really enjoyed the film too, it didn't have quite as much cruelty as the book, which was good.
Wow, a movie theatre in the basement sounds great!
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Thanks for the recommendation Mare, I'm now reading 11.22.63 by Stephen King. I've got to the part where I think it's all going to start happening, where he's just got to Al's diner and been faced with something impossible to believe (won't give any more away in here). I've just got the sample on my phone, but will download the whole thing when the sample comes to an end :)
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Yay! I hope you'll like it & yup, the fun is about to begin :)
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I'm up to the part where Jake just got back from his first trip and the sample finished, grrrrrrr. I need to buy the rest of it now, even though it costs £10 on Kindle, which is expensive for a book.
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Yeah I guess it's pretty pricey. The actual book was about $20 but because my students know I love to read I usually get a ton of B&N gift cards so I used one of those. I'm buying a few more books this week since I'm almost done with this one. I'll be using some more gift cards for this too! I haven't had to use money for books in a long time lol
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That's really nice of your students to get you gift cards. I usually get my books from the sharing shelf in work, car boot sales or the library. The Kindle ones I usually read are the free ones or the cheap 77p ones. This Stephen King book is one I'm going to have to pay out for :)
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Like I told Lore, it's worth the money. I hope you both like it lol I'll feel bad if you don't!
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I can tell from what I've read so far that I'll love it. I've read Stephen King books in the past and always enjoyed them.
My friend in work has recommended Fluke by James Herbert. Looks good!
Product Description
He was a stringy mongrel, wandering the streets of the city, driven by a ravenous hunger and hunting a quarry he could not define. But he was something more. Somewhere in the depths of his consciousness was a memory clawing its way to the surface, tormenting him, refusing to let him rest. The memory of what he had once been. A man...
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Sounds interesting. A werewolf tale.
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I'm buying a book called The Fault in Our Stars by John Green I don't know much about it but sounds great. It's about two kids going through cancer and become friends.
Also buying Calico Joe by Grisham because I love baseball lol
I'll let you guys know how they are. I have about 150 or so pages to go for 11/22/63
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Sounds interesting. A werewolf tale.
My friends says it's about re-incarnation, which sounds quite interesting :)
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Ooh, that's neat! It completely sounded very werewolf like from the summary lol
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My friends says it's about re-incarnation, which sounds quite interesting :)
ooh re-incarnation... I love good re-incarnation books. If you want a really good one I would suggest The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan...
on 11/22/63 I just got to the part where Jake is at Al's Diner and Al is trying to tell him about something... I have not read an actual SK book before so I have to get used to his style
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Aww excellent. I'm surprised you haven't read his Dark Tower series, Lore. I think you'd love that too.
I'm going to start a 11/22/63 thread now lol or maybe I'll just make it a SK thread.
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Yay Lore, you'll love it. I've read his books in the past, but it was a loooong time ago when I was a teenager (I was really into horror back then).
I've downloaded the whole book now, so I shall be glued to it I think :)