Book Report for April

We've got a mix of NY Times bestsellers, Young Adult, and even a graphic novel this month. Some of you are bound to have read some of them before.

Atonement by Ian McEwan
This book begins in Great Britain before the second World War started, and the plot progresses into that war time period. The main plot in this book didn't move me as much as his descriptions of World War II. It's about a young dramatic girl who destroys someone's life by falsely accusing them of rape. She was young and naive at the time, and didn't understand really what she was doing. That plot line was interesting, but what I remember most from the book is the story of the man she accused. His story starts during the war when the retreat for Dunkirk happens. The descriptions of war are very compelling. It was messy, dirty, horrific, and surreal, and the author describes it well with out being completely overwhelming. It's got sex and violence, but not in a gratuitous way, more in a real life way. Good book.

Leven Thumps and the Eyes of Want by Obert Skye
I actually had to get this through inter-library loan. My library had the first two in the series, but for some reason didn't have the third one. I think I enjoyed this one the most out of the series, as far as plot goes. There wasn't much character development to do since it's already been done in the previous books.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki
I really enjoy Miyazaki's film work like Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, and My Neighbor Totoro, so when I heard he wrote a graphic novel (i.e. comic book for those worried how that sounds...) I wanted to read it. I wasn't disappointed at all. He wrote an epic story that inspired. The only hard part was that it was originally in Japanese, and they couldn't re-do where all the speech bubbles and frames are. It's in English, but you have to read it back to front, right to left. But once I got the hang of it, I didn't even notice it anymore.

I got the movie from the library, but didn't like it as much. I thought it was one of the poorer Miyazaki films, but maybe that's because I was hoping for it to be like the books, a dangerous hope to have.

Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones
You know, I just like Diana Wynne Jones. She writes good books. Not earth-shaking or anything, but I like them.

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
This one's a Newbery Award winner, and since I would like to read all Newbery Award books eventually, I got this one. I guess I shouldn't be, but I'm still surprised by how poignant a children's book can be to an adult. I liked this book in part because it was good, and the other part because it was set in the Chesapeake bay, where we would visit my great-grandfather. The talk about crabbing brought back memories of shelling and then yummy crab-cakes afterwards.

The Truthsayers Apprentice by Deborah Christian
This is a bona-fide nerdy fantasy book, and I unashamedly profess that it was just what I needed. I read this while Lindsay was sick, and I was sick, so it was a nice distraction. It was also pretty good.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
This one's for book club this month. It's another bestseller. For some reason I never read bestsellers. This book is set in the circus life during the Depression era. The author is a good story teller, and you never really want to put the book down because of it. It's also got a happy ending, which I appreciate getting every once in a while from that type of book. It's got some sex in it though.

Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
This is a retelling of a Grimm fairy tale, which I always thought were fun. She has smooth story telling skills, which makes for an easy read, but still quite entertaining. She puts enough humanity into the characters where you don't really feel like you're reading about caricatured fairy tale figures. This book I can recommend to anyone.

Until next month!

Book Report for March

I got through eight books this past month. I actually read a couple that were classics which I don't usually do. But it sure makes me look better to have read a Shakespeare, right? I'm so edumacated.

Leven Thumps and the Whispered Secret by Obert Skye
This is the second in the Leven Thumps series. It was very similar to the first one as far as writing style and plot. I got a few laughs out of it, and thought it was generally entertaining. But it wasn't so great that I was chomping at the bit to read the next one. Yet it wasn't so bad that I'm going to avoid the next one, either.

Confessions of a Slacker Mom by Muffy Mead-Ferro
I think the title to this book should actually be Super-moms Are Actually Bad Moms. I thought it was going to be about how a more hands-off approach to parenting was a fine alternative, but it was actually more about how the super-mom approach is a really bad thing to be scorned. Instead of feeling vindicated for my style, I was starting to feel bad for the moms being made fun of in the book. But I did appreciate the general ideas she was trying to get across: you don't need to save your children from all their mistakes, things will turn out okay if you don't do everything perfectly, your kids don't need all the latest gear to learn, stuff like that.

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
This was actually a Shakespeare Made Easy version of Twelfth Night, because I can't get through Shakespeare on my own to save my life. I was always baffled in high school when we were expected to understand the whole culture and euphemisms and jargon of Shakespeare. Because of that I have a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth for reading Shakespeare. The Made Easy version really helped because it said what the characters were doing onstage and translated words and phrases that don't mean now what they meant then.
Reading Shakespeare at this stage in my life did help me appreciate what a crafter of words he was. His poetry seemed so effortless. And the story of course was classic, too.

The Barbed Coil by J.V. Jones
Someone recommended J.V. Jones... who was that? I liked this book. I also liked that it was a stand-alone so I didn't have to read the next 8 books in a series or whatever. (Actually, I'm not against that, but I wasn't in the mood this time.) This fantasy novel had a refreshing modern element to it.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
This was my attempt to become more well-read. This book was freaky! From the beginning where they start describing how people are raised in test tubes, to how the babies and children are trained to the caste system and ideology through shock therapy and , to how no one ever had any challenges in their lives, all very unsettling. The story illustrated the interesting balance between social harmony and individual nonconformity. The two don't mix at all. And I still don't know which is more important: suppression of individual wants so there's less pain in the world, or freedom of the individual which brings with it conflict and war.

Into the Minds of Babes: How Screen Time Affects Children From Birth to Age Five by Lisa Guernsey
I would recommend this book to any and every parent. You know the rule: no TV before age 2. This book provides a more nuanced view to that statement. The author cites a myriad of studies done on the effect of TV on children, and other applicable studies as well. She gives the three C's approach to watching TV--content, context and child. She also points out that TV hasn't definitively been shown to harm child development. TV out of moderation has though. The important thing to keep in mind is that children need interaction with parents, and need time to play. It was a really, really interesting read.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
I read this for a book club, and really enjoyed it. It's a biblical fiction of the story of Jacob and his family. It's told from the perspective of his daughter, Dinah. The author is Jewish, but the story is told from the cultural perspective of the women, who didn't necessarily follow the God of Jacob. In all, the story is a celebration of women and their camaraderie in childbirth, marriage, motherhood, and womanhood.

Behind the Curtain by Peter Abrahams
I read the predecessor of this book last time, and I enjoyed the writing overall, so I picked up the next one. The story wasn't quite so compelling as it wasn't a murder mystery, but it was still fun.

Until next time...

Book Report for February

Finally I'm doing a book report on time! The round-up this month includes fifteen books, but two of them I forgot to include last time, so I didn't actually read them during February.

Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkein, Christopher Tolkein ed.
I received this book as a gift for my last birthday and only recently got around to reading it. I'm a fan of his writing for his inspiring story arcs and Thoreau-esque love of nature. I also like how I feel like I'm reading historical mythology, but actually he just made it all up. J.R.R. Tolkein's son, Christopher Tolkein, did a good job of staying true to his father's writings. It felt like an extension of other Middle Earth books. The story was actually quite tragic, but in a cathartic sort of way.

Daring Book for Girls by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz
This I actually read over Christmas break, but forgot to include it last time. This book was published as a companion to the previously successful Dangerous Book for Boys. They're both pretty cute. They have lots of interesting activities that don't use any technology. The history bits they have on famous women are educational and engaging. I don't quite understand the hype around the books, though. Maybe because I'm a tom-boy at heart and the stuff that's in the book is run of the mill. Except for the sparkly cover.

Dalemark Quartet by Diana Wynne Jones, including Cart and Cwidder, Drowned Ammet, The Spellcoats, and Crown of Dalemark
I borrowed these books from my sister's book collection back home with out her permission, but hopefully she doesn't mind. It's a fun YA series with memorable characters. The stories didn't blow me away, but they've stuck with me which leads me to believe that Diana Wynne Jones really is a good writer.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel
I rarely read bestseller books (if you don't count Harry Potter) but this one was recommended so I picked it up. It's a sea survival story of a boy and a tiger. In one boat. On the jacket it says that this book will make you believe in God. I already believe in God, and I don't think the book affected that belief one way or another, so don't set your religious expectations very high. But the story is inspiring in the way that survival against all odds is. It's a good fictional biography.

Thief, Queen of Attolia, and King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
Chris recommended these last book report, so I decided to give them a try. Trying out Newbery Honor award winners is always a good idea. I really enjoyed the series. It starts out so simple and childlike, but later takes on a darker tone. I love it when Young Adult books are good enough to appeal to even adults. This series definitely kept me guessing where the plot was going to turn. I might buy these.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster; Illustrations by Jules Feiffer
I've never read this book before, but I do have fond memories of watching it in elementary school. I actually checked out the movie from the library, too, and it was fun seeing and reading it back to back. I like books that don't feel like they have to themselves seriously and have a good time playing with words. And this one's educational, too!

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
I actually didn't know this book was a graphic novel (comic book) when I checked it out, but I liked it anyway. It's a story of a kid who's Chinese trying to fit into his new American life. It refers back to some classic Chinese mythology that I was pleased to be familiar with. The book is humorous but makes some good points about being different from everyone else.

Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams
Pretend that Miss Marple is 13 and doesn't knit yet, and you've got the herione for this book. I had a hard time believing someone in middle school had this much motivation and success solving a murder mystery, but if you pretend she's a little older, or assume you have a social and mental genius then you should be good. The story is good, the plot is good, the prose is good. I recommend this book.

Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo by Obert Skye
Can't remember who recommended this one to me, but thanks! It's a classic boy saves the world story set in the present. There's another dimension that's actually where human dreams and imagination exist, and it's being threatened by the Bad Guy. There's a lot of humor, slapstick and wittiness. I'm reading the next book in the series right now.

Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer
I have to admit I'm not in love with the books in this series, but they're nice and easy and entertaining, which keeps me happy for a day or two. New characters are introduced in this fifth installment, including a possible love interest for young Artemis. Eh, I can't think of anything else to say. Has anyone else read this or the series?

Another Book Report

It's time for the next (long procrastinated) book report. The last one I did was in November, so I've got some catching up to do. So here we go with the books I've read since then.

Air Apparent by Piers Anthony
I always like to catch Piers Anthony book here and there. His Xanth books are so light-hearted and don't take themselves seriously at all. They use cringe-worthy puns unabashedly. This one didn't fail to disappoint. If I tried to explain the plot, I don't think anyone would understand it, so I won't attempt. It's just a nice rollicky adventure and you feel happy when it's done.

Spindle's End by Robin McKinley
Robin McKinley is quickly becoming a favorite young adult author of mine. This book was her take on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. The story had just the right amount of conflict, character development, adventure, and romance. I think most people would like this story even if they don't really read Fantasy just because McKinley is such a good writer.

Beast by Donna Jo Napoli and Rafal Olbinski
I can't remember why I picked up this book from the library. I think it was recommended by someone or some internet site. This book tells the story of Beauty and the Beast from the perspective of the Beast. He actually starts out as a Persian prince and migrates to provincial France where he ends up with Beauty. I really liked reading this fairy tale from the perspective of the Beast.

The Very Small Home: Japanese Ideas for Living Well in Limited Space by Azby Brown

I definitely remember the reason I picked up this book: it's because we live in a stinkin' small space. We have to be careful when we invite over families with more than one child so there's enough room. The solutions they had for small living were mostly very expensive, so I couldn't use any of the ideas, but the pictures were really nice and beautiful.

The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde
I started reading Jasper Fforde books with The Eyre Affair, which I highly recommend. This new series of books follows Jack Spratt, a detective in the Nursery Crime division in an alternate universe in England. Fforde writes a hilarious novel giving the true backstory to why Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall. There are laugh out loud moments, folks. Which is why I read next...

The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde
This is the sequel to The Big Over Easy. You get to learn more about the Jack Spratt protagonist and his family. Oh, the situations Fforde puts them into. It's so ridiculous, but Fforde writes it that way on purpose, and you just accept it. I think I want to own these. I like funny clever books. I think there's another on the way.

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
This was recommended strongly by reviews and by people, but I guess it just wasn't my type of book. The story is set in an alternate universe where the United States has degenerated into self-governing city-states. And actually self-governing neighborhoods, too. There's also a kind of virtual world where people hang out because real life is pretty sucky. It's very gritty. Anyway, some powerful person is trying to take over the world with a computer virus that affects humans somehow. The protagonist (actually named Hiro Protagonist) and his sidekick save the world. Very grittily. The rhythm of the prose took me a while to get used to. Plus there was a ton of swearing, so much so that it lost its usefulness. The story was interesting, but I wished it didn't take so long to get to it. I don't know; I feel like the book needed some more editing and taking parts out. It felt cluttery. But other people loved it, so what do I know.

Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse all by Stephanie Meyer
These books were pretty fun. They are all the rage right now, and a movie is coming out. I liked them with some caveats. The good: suspense, character development, overall plot, and narrative. The bad: sappiness, unbelievable relationship between the two main characters.

As a friend of mine said, "How many times do we have to hear how stunning his topaz eyes are!?" It seems like every other page has a description about how beautiful a man the love interest is. I thought it detracted from other important character traits. And I'm still trying to figure out why a being over a century old would be interested in a 17 year old. He says she's different from all the other teenagers, and smart, but the actions she took weren't really that mature. Also, their undying love seemed awfully like a big crush, and not a stable long-lasting relationship based on mutual respect and knowing the other person well. It could develop into that, but you're not fooling me yet.

But like I said above, there was lots of good stuff, too. She wrote the story so that at the end of every chapter you wanted to go on to see what would happen next. The characters, though annoying at time, weren't two dimensional in the least. The story was good and memorable. And her writing skills improve as she moves through the series. All that makes up for the bad, in my humble opinion. So I'm definitely reading the next one when it comes out.

Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
I usually have a hate/hate relationship with classics, probably stemming from being forced to read pretentious books in high school English class. This was picked for a book club I'm in, though, so I decided to give it a try. Plus, I knew it would look good on this list. :) I ended up really liking the story, and I just had to put up with the 19th century writing style. The scene in the woods near the end of the story was very powerful. The story is kind of like a fable, where there's a moral at the end, except the whole thing is a moral. I can tell why it's a classic.

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
When I put down this book after finishing it, I decided I didn't like it at all. But now that I'm thinking back to it writing this post, I have to admit that it's a very good book. It's a bit depressing. Every character is very flawed (I hated most of them), everything goes wrong, and there's no happy ending. But how Faulkner tells the story is intriguing and vivid and potent. He's very into stream of consciousness, which is fun to try and follow. The book left a bad taste in my mouth, but the taste mellowed into... I'm not sure. Something that I can appreciate even if it's not my favorite. I know it was made by a master.

Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones
After all that heavy educational reading, I needed a break, so here we are back at YA lit. Jones wrote the book Howl's Moving Castle, which as you may know was made into a Miyazaki film of the same title. I wanted to check out more of her stuff after I read that book, so I got this one. It's a cute story about a girl who has forgotten part of her life, and the book is her remembering everything that happened. It's a little bit of fantasy, though it's set it boring old England, and a little bit of romance. I had never heard of the book, so I was surprised how much I liked it.

And by the way, you can't make fun of me for reading Sci-Fi/Fantasy because smart people read that stuff. :)

Until next time... Happy Reading!

10 Books in or around October

I really ought to do these book reports more often so I don't end up with 10 at a time. And I think it's more because I know I forgot to write a couple down, but I already returned them to the library so I'll never remember now. Lucky for you! But here's what I do have written down.

Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
I read the prequel to this children's novel a couple of months ago and it was good enough that I was interested in reading this sequel. Still very amusing, which is not surprising since Dave Barry is involved, and still just enough adult themes to keep me interested. Peter matures (but doesn't grow up!) in this novel and tries to figure out the balance between having fun and taking care of the people around him.

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
I need to read more Newbery Award books, so I picked this one up, and I found that Robin McKinley is a great writer. She weaves her story well, and I like her prose. This is also a Coming of Age type book, but I liked it because the Hero is a Heroine. And she has red hair. What's not to love?

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
This was written before The Hero and the Crown, but is actually a sequel as far as story timeline goes. It has also won the Newbery award, as well as several other awards. This story read less like a fairy tale like the prequel. The characters' motivations were more developed and explained, and the story was also more modern. Reading these two books side by side was really interesting. The first felt like a narrator telling the story, and the second, this one, felt like hearing the story from the heroine's experiences. It seemed appropriate because the fairy tale style often accompanies stories from the medieval era, and character driven stories are more modern.

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett is a hoot. His humour is very British (imagine that!). Don't expect to be moved by the plot or really deep characters, but do expect to come out of it with some new jokes and more appreciation for dry and/or fatalistic humor. I mean humour.

A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
This is the third book in a series that started with A Game of Thrones. Expertly interwoven plot, but don't get too attached to the characters. Your favorite will die, or have some body part hacked off. It's like morbid soap opera set in realistic fantasy. I have a love/hate relationship with these books. I'd only recommend them if you're a die hard fantasy fan. I don't think they have wide appeal, but he is a good writer.

The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
Let's group these together. I liked this series okay. I liked the first one the best, the second one less, and the third one least of all. Which isn't to say I didn't like it, but I thought the story and characters became too spread as he went on. Also, in the last one he forced his atheistic outlook a little too unsubtly for me. I appreciate learning about different outlooks through stories, but the preaching towards the end needed a little more suave. That said, I loved his main heroine character and her male counterpart that was introduced in the second book. If those two characters hadn't been strong, the whole thing would have totally fallen apart.
The Golden Compass is coming out as a movie this holiday season. I'll probably see it at some point. I think I'll write a post later on about all the controversy surrounding this movie and the series.

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
I read this for a book club that I just joined, and I'm so glad they picked this. It's about an author who decides to hike the 2100 or so mile Appalachian Trail. He recruits an old high school buddy with issues of his own, and hilarity ensues. Besides being a good laugh, Bryson also cleverly sticks in educational parts about the areas he hiked through and about the environment. You don't even mind learning things. It also made me want to hike the Trail, but only in theory because it takes like 5-6 months. Maybe when I'm 40. Or I could do a week every year and it would only take like 20 years...

Big Fish by Daniel Wallace
I should always, always, always read the book before I see the movie, but I didn't know there was a book first, but I wish I had known. The story is pretty much the same as on the big screen, so there weren't any surprises there. I felt I was better able to understand the father in this book than the one in the movie. Also, I really liked the writing style and chapter divisions. They felt good.

Colic Solved by Bryan Vartabedian
I picked this book up yesterday not because Lindsay's colicky (thank goodness that doesn't last this long!) but because I think it's one of the first books to discuss infant reflux disease in depth. Lindsay had silent reflux and the only information I could find about it was online. I was really happy to see a new release book that would help other parents figure out why their baby is screaming all the time. I hope it gets more babies help from their doctors who won't dismiss their crying as just colic and tell parents to suffer through it. This doctor posits that there's no such thing as colic, and he hasn't met a case yet. There's always something physical that's bothering the baby. He discusses primary infant reflux and allergies, but he touches on a couple other issues, too. It's such a good feeling to know that you can do something.

Until next time...
Happy reading.

12 Books and 4 Short Stories

The last book report post went pretty well, so here's another of books that I've read since the last one. It's a lot. You don't have to read them all. In fact, you don't have to read any of them. I probably waste too much time reading, but it's a lot more interesting to read about books reviews than house cleaning which is what I would be doing instead. Like srubbing the shower, or filing and dealing with bills, or the many, many times of picking up all the food that Lindsay drops on the floor and having to mop.

Many Waters by Madeline L'Engle
This is the last book in the Time Quartet. This one follows the twin boys in the Murry family. They get stuck in Noah's time before the flood. I like reading Madeline L'Engle write about religious stuff, because it's not really mainstream. She references evolution and talks about it from a more scientific perspective, which makes it not droll like a lot of religion fantasy stuff.

The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer
Peter wrote a review on this series a little while back. I like these books because I don't really have to think. The characters are all stereotypical of their roles, but their roles are pretty awesome, so it's fun guessing what they're going to do because it'll probably be crazy. It's irreverant, and I can also appreciate that.

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
I saw this movie when I was young and I didn't realize that it was a book first. It's originally written in German (Die unendliche Geschichte), and was translated by Ralph Manheim. I read this from the perspective of seeing the movies first, but I wished that I had read the book first. The book basically comprises the first and second movies. It had some good story telling, but seemed a little choppy through some of the plot transitions. Could be cultural or because of the translation. I also enjoyed the A-Z illumination at the beginning of each chapter.

Grace by Howell Conant
This was a photograph biography of Grace Kelly, Philadelphia girl turned successful Hollywood actress turned European princess. The author, Howell Conant, was her personal photographer throughout her career and life. They had a very good relationship, and she let him take all the important and more intimate photographs of her. I liked hearing about Grace from a friend of hers. The photographs in the books were amazing as well.

Queen Elizabeth I and II Robert Green
These were actually two separate books, but they were in a kids biographical series and written by the same guy, so they get to go under one heading. I picked these up from the library because I didn't want to read a whole novel, I just wanted a nice overview. Both of Queen Elizabeths ruled during a time of great social and political change. Queen Elizabeth I liked her Sea Dog, and Queen Elizabeth II likes her corgies. I already knew a lot about Elizabeth I from history class, but I didn't know about all the struggles surrounding Elizabeth II. Quite informative, but written for children, and not very well at that.

Troubling a Star
This is the book that I finished the same night that Madeline L'Engle died. I must admit that I enjoyed the books from the Time Quartet better, but this one wasn't bad. There was a mystery and some adventure in the Antarctic. It made me want to visit the Antarctic because it would be really cool to say you've visited Antarctica. Also, it made me wonder if playing a musical instrument would really make penguins and seals gather around you and sway and sing.

Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix, books 1-5 including Mister Monday, Grim Tuesday, Drowned Wednesday, Sir Thursday, and Lady Friday
I've read another Young Adult series by Nix called Old Kingdom, and I enjoyed so I picked up the first of this series to see what it was like and then had to get the next ones. I'd classify it firmly in YA because none of the themes are that complex or adult, but then there's some scary violence (like tick-tock robots hacking out eyes and chasing you) and stressful situations. I like that the hero in the books was just randomly chosen to be the hero. He isn't anything special. In fact, he's kind of a weakling, but he rises to the occasion. I can appreciate that because most books have a gifted person as the hero and it's their destiny to save the universe. This guy just wants to go home. Admission: I'm still not done with Lady Friday, but almost. Superior Saturday and Lord Sunday books are to be written.

Selected short stories from Vintage Science Fiction edited by Peter Haining
This book is a collection of short stories that popular movies or TV shows were based on.

Total Recall
Based on "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" by Philip K. Dick
We caught this on TV a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to read the story it was based on so that's actually the reason I got the book from the library. I thought the story was pretty good, but I also thought it was funny how the movie turned it into a huge action flick. The short story was actually pretty esoteric.

The Lawnmower Man
Based on the same title by Stephen King
I've never seen this movie, and probably never will. If the movie is anything like the story, then it's not very good. Maybe the story would have been better as a novel, because nothing was really developed. No characters, plots, or themes. Here's a synopsis: A guy calls a company to mow his lawn. A fat guy shows up, takes off all of his clothes and telekinetically makes the lawn mower mow the lawn while he walks behind and eats the grass. First guy calls the police to report indecent exposure, and eating grass guy walks in and makes the lawnmower run over him in the house because he shouldn't have called the police. The end. Weird.

Candyman
Based on "The Forbidden" by Clive Barker
Never seen this movie either, and I definitely never will. The short story was about as creepy as I can take. But it was very well written with very good imagery. That's what made it scary. The Candyman character didn't end up that scary to me, because of his motivations, but the things he did were terrifying. I think that would make more sense if you read the story.

Discworld
Based on "Final Reward" by Terry Pratchett
I don't think this planned TV show adaptation ever made it, but the book said it was in production. This story is a good romp, as are all Terry Pratchett works. It's about an author who kills off his main character, and then the character somehow ends up living with him because that's where his afterlife is. Very humorous and clever.

Did you read them all? Wow! Kudos.

Libri

Since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has come out, I've read:

Rendezvouz with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
I've read this before, but I'd forgotten what a straightforward writer he is. I'm used to more character development, but he is truly a science fiction writer. The plot revolves around the science that is fiction. Nice book for when you don't really feel like dealing with other people's problems. Or your own, for that matter.

Phantom by Terry Goodkind
I must admit I sometimes get bored with books set in reality. I like to get past banality and explore other people's imagination of what they think reality could be like somewhere else. So I've read the Sword of Truth series. Kind of turns into a soap opera, though, where it's hard to keep track of all the plots and subplots. And sometimes the author gets a little preachy. But I still like reading them for some reason.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
I loved the story. I liked how the author presented the story. I cried a little because I loved the characters. But man, do these characters like to have sex (and let you know about it). I mean, I'm glad for them, and it wasn't like a paperback romance, but I think it detracted a little from the love story and turned it into a how many times can we have sex, talk about sex, reminisce about sex in 536 pages story. Also, naughty language alert.

Wicked by Gregory Maguire
I liked it. It was a fun read. If only we knew the whole story behind every evil villain. I didn't like how at the end the author started referring to Elphaba as the Witch. I guess he was trying to show how she was the Wicked Witch at this time and not so much Elphaba, but I'm interested in Elphaba. She should have stayed Elphaba to the end.

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
A nice, quick, and fun read. Kind of like Wicked in that it fills in unexplained backstory of a classic novel, but unlike Wicked in that it is written for children. It was fun to see Dave Barry humor woven into a story. I think there's another one the authors have written together. I'll probably check it out sometime.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madelene L'Engle
This is a childhood favorite of mine. I agree with the philosophies that she presents in this book. I like the characters she's created. It makes me feel smarter reading about those characters just because they're so smart and I'm interacting with them. I also like how she gets esoteric about existence. And the best part of all? Diagrams in the book.

A Wind in the Door by Madelene L'Engle
The next in the Time Quartet series that started with A Wrinkle in Time. My favorite idea from this book is that Good creates because it loves and Evil annihilates and wants nothing to exist because it hates. The storyline was very similar to the first one, though. Still, I like her writing.

I've just started A Swiftly Tilting Planet because I think I want to finish up that series.

Then I'll have to decide what to read next.