Golden Deer Pub Community Forums

*looks over and see her nook* ... I don't think that would count for this experiment. Doesn't seem faithful... but all my other books are on my shelf... *turns and sees Count of Monte Cristo sitting on her dresser* .... ummm...

It starts in the middle of a sentence so I dunno if it counts? Maybe the next sentence. I will include both:

"... betrothed, belonged to one of the most influential families of the period, and furthermore had a dowry of fifty thousand crowns, besides the prospect of inheriting another half million.

At the door he met the commissary of police, who was waiting for him."

.... Either way, those are two very interesting sentences for this...

Mine is from Psycop:

"Some faggot wearing a Halloween costume in June."

ಠ_ಠ

I got some books for Christmas, but I haven't finished the first one yet. My work schedule's been busy, etc, and my reading time has been thin for a while.

I'm reading Downtime, and next I have Steelhands, The Bone Doll's Twin, and then the books already on my list: Dead Beat, Melusine, Fatal Revenant.

I also read The Farthest Shore by LeGuin. I pretty much agree with Kino; we both started reading it after seeing the Tales From Earthsea film and were like "aahhhhhh Arren."

I liked the book, such as it is, but it was pretty much the character interaction that I liked. It was something of a ponderous book with the feel of an epic or myth. It wasn't exactly the most conflict-driven book; she seems to focus a lot on tone. However, there were quite a few sweet moments.

Totally getting Psycop next. I saw it for sale earlier last year but I was hesitant to get it right out. I generally eat up that kind of stuff; psychics as the premier superpowered thingy, extrasensory detectives, modernish/sci-fi settings with a touch of supernatural. Nom nom nom. Love it. But I had quite a bit on my list already so I was going to wait and see if I wanted to give it a try.

With Kino's glowing review, and knowing how our tastes overlap, I'm sure enough to buy some volumes. Also that cyberpunky Angel book I saw; adding that to the list.

Damn... out of money for books and my agatha-obsession is suddenly starting to wane and I'm dieing for a good (scy would say cliche) 'chosen-one' fantasy book.

I wish someone else I knew had a nook and we could do the lend-me thing. I wanna read "The Wizard Heir" by Cindy Chima.

*sigh* I guess I'll just wait until this Thursday when I go to B&N and can read it... for an hour... and wait until I have money... and no bills... oh and school starts next week. x_x fudge

I bought Jame Patterson's Witches and Wizards for .99 so I have that, but I get a Hunger Games vibe from it. Not what I'm seeking... I never did finish that Nicholas Flammel book but they were starting to get tedious... or that The Squire's Tale... but it was kinda... I dunno... a bit on the stupid side. Didn't care for what I had read.

:[ I WANT SOMETHING STARRING A KID DAMMIT!!!!

So cliche.

I'm reading the Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. I'm on page 337 out of 1001, wish me luck.

Page 45 of Hamlet was the parallel text:

"You're still here?" So, um, lovely.

Decided to read Witch and Wizard by James Patterson. Ooooh, I was soooo wrong! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED TO READ!! *settles down with a good book... drooling*

o_O? What's to hate? I mean, no like spoilers or anything.

But I like the (non-)whit of the characters and the odd situation that they find themselves in. And I LOVE how they slowly are trying to figure out their magic.

Chapter 37:


I also love the sister/brother dynamic going on. ^_^; Might be, though, since I love my own siblings just as much and like any story that builds off of that sort of relationship.

Also, I mean, considering the only James Patterson book I've ever read was 1st to Die, this book is SOOOOO much better. I mean, there's actual character depth.

*shrugs* Each to his own. ^_^ We've already clearly discovered that my tastes are very different than the majority on this forum. *sigh*

Patterson's other books (i.e., the non-Alex Cross or Lindsay Boxer) are all fanciful and completely different from his by-the-numbers thrillers. I'll reiterate that the Cross series is a more tantalizing series of killers than the Women's Murder Club, but they all kind of fall into the pace of "the thrill ride is the most important thing."

I also don't know which he actually wrote and which are his ghostwriters, but considering his pace of releases, I wager it's fairly obvious the books with his name are a style and not necessarily himself (and if it wasn't obvious, I've now told you!).

Patterson's books--all of them, really--are more known for their pacing, the rollercoaster ride effect. It's why the chapters are brief, the pace is brisk, and the prose is rather utilitarian in it's brevity. Characters aren't necessarily at the forefront. Not to say that's always the case, some of the books do this far better, but it's a generalization I'd be safe in saying.

They're snack food. Easy to access and quick to devour. Complexity of flavor isn't there but it'll get you through where you need to go and satisfy those urges.

*nods* This book has the "rollercoaster" effect - which works for it. It doesn't leave me time to get bored with their rather repetitive situation and keeps the fun coming. I do not disapprove of this technique at all.

It's hard to get me to put down an author. Hell, I enjoy Dan Brown's writing a lot which you've mentioned that you don't really consider to be worthwhile writing especially in terms of characters (even though I LOVE all of the characters).

The only thing I just didn't like about 1st to Die is that I just felt some situations were pushed too fast in that book. I don't think the situation could never have happened, but I just felt the author's hand pushing the scene - like a bad cut job in a screenplay. Not that it was a bad book. I still enjoyed 1st to Die and plan on reading more. ^_^ And I'm dieing to get into the Alex Cross series.

However, no, I really am SERIOUSLY enjoying Witch and Wizard. My GOD this book is so good!!

Also: @frequency of books and ghostwriting: I've only read one book and this is my second, but meh, it's probably his writing in the way Erin Hunter writes for the Warrior series. It's a group of four women. Three write, one edits and comes up with basic idea. It's probably something like this for Patterson as well. He is the idea-machine and editor. Like a good bakery. The products have his name on them, but it's a team effort. But again, I've only read one of his books. It's too early for me to judge.

Packing for Mars.


AKA the wonders of space and the eventual trip to mars! And all the little things, like how does one deal with weeks of just sitting around with nothing to do, being in the same underwear, and the dreaded toilet broke situation. A interesting look in not just the takeoff or landing, but everything inbetween (and maybe before or after that).