Jumping on the

Chatterbox: Blab About Books

Books that I liked, Part 1 (Yes, I don't just insult books!)
Jumping on the...

Jumping on the bandwagon here. Self-explanitory title.No apparent order.

1. Harry Potter (SS-DH), J.K. Rowling- Loved these books. Brilliant writing.No time to gush now.

2. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkein- A bit wordy, but an enduring saga.

3. Shift, Jennifer Bradbury- A great mystery/coming-of age story. Loved this book. Refrences the above.

4. The True Meaning of Smekday, Adam Rex- Bizarre sci-fi, but sh, so funny. Wherefore you knowing it???

5. Alcatraz vs (multiple enemies throughout series), Brandon Sanderson- Weird, hilarious parody. Fun with alternite universes.

6. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, books 1-3, Douglas Adams- Good, thought-provoking sci-fi, but 4-5 were horrible.

7. Watership Down- A much-ripped-off masterpiece of animal fantasy. 

8. H.I.V.E. series, Mark Walden- If you're going to write a book fueled by HP-craze, this is how to do it.

9. The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster- For younger readers, but very clever.

More to come.

submitted by Reuben
(August 9, 2009 - 9:30 am)

back to the Blab about Books

*rejoices* And I thought that I was the only one who'd read HIVE and Alcatraz.

1. HP- Yes. Naturally.

2. LotR- Still reading it. I agree about the wordiness, but nevertheless good.

3. Shift- What is it about?

4. The True Meaning of Smekday- I've heard of it, but never read it.

5. Alcatraz series- As I said above, I was convinced that I was the only person on Earth who'd read this. It's reassuring to hear otherwise... Are there sequels? I didn't know. As soon as I've posted, then, I'll check the library website.

6. The Hitchhiker Trilogy with five books- I'm technically done with the first book, except that I haven't read the last chapter because I'm savouring it... Yes, go ahead and look at me weirdly... Are the last two that bad?

7. Watership Down- Coincidental, I just got it from the library but haven't started it yet.

8. HIVE- Again, so glad to see that someone else has read it... the second book deteriorated a bit (see pages 243-244: "You!" "Yes, Max... me. ...Don't even think about it, Max. Back away from the desk." "Why, Maria?" I mean, really... everyone uses those lines)) but there were some moments that made up for this: "Oh, I wasn't cheap." *smiles evilly* "When all this is over, Cyoher has promised me a continent. I'm not sure which one to choose at the moment, but I'll worry about that later." Win.

9. The Phantom Tollbooth- I agree for exactly the same reasons.

Other than TNO's (umlaut) and possibly Lena's, yours is probably the best favourite books list on here. *nod*

submitted by Mary W., age 11.63, NJ
(August 9, 2009 - 12:55 pm)

And front...

submitted by Mary W.
(August 9, 2009 - 6:13 pm)

I love H.I.V.E. Haven't gotten around to reading the second one, but I will. Soon. Once I finish... um... everything else...

submitted by TNÖ, age 16, Deep Space
(August 9, 2009 - 10:58 pm)

Wow, I also thought I was alone with Alcatraz and H.I.V.E. There is an Alcatraz book 2: "Alcatraz vs. the Scriviner's Bones". Possibly better than book 1, though it left out Sing and Quinten.

Shift is about two boys who go on a bike trip across the country and one disappears. The other goes to college, has to endure lots of questioning, and eventually goes to find the first. The timing in this story is wonderful. The whole thing is a lot better then I'm making it sound.

submitted by Reuben
(August 10, 2009 - 8:20 am)

Wow., thanks! :)

I haven't read any of your books except Harry
Potter (awesome) and Phantom Tollbooth (OK), but, like Mary W, I've
heard of some of them.

Off topic - I'm on my parents' PC - Mac plug broke, so we have to get a new one) and I'm starting camp today, so I might not be on as much. :( Sorry!!!

submitted by Lena
(August 10, 2009 - 8:21 am)

I'm back on a Mac! Yayayay! Umlauts galore! ¨¨¨¨¨

Sorry.... 

submitted by Lena
(August 10, 2009 - 5:41 pm)

What is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy about? I've heard good reviews but not a description.

submitted by Allison
(August 10, 2009 - 8:27 am)

It's, uh, hard to describe.

Ehm... the earth gets blown up, and Arthur Dent and Ford Perfect hitch a ride off the planet with the aliens who blew it up. Then they get picked up by the Heart of Gold spaceship and proceed to have... um... very random adventures involving the answer (or more accurately the question) of life, the universe, and everything (the answer is 42), genocidal aliens, the earth getting rebuilt and subsequently destroyed (multiple times), and... yeah... It's difficult to describe.

submitted by TNÖ, age 16, Deep Space
(August 10, 2009 - 12:57 pm)

All things considered, that's not a bad description.

Regarding the Phantom Tollbooth: I finally persauded Maggie to read it. *victory dance*

submitted by Mary W., age 11.63, NJ
(August 10, 2009 - 1:55 pm)

I've read 1, 2, and 7 - all great!

submitted by Ima
(August 10, 2009 - 1:17 pm)

Oh, just remembered a warning. Shift and Hitchhiker's Guide both contain inapropriatte language/themes. Hitchhiker's is worse. Just a warning.

Another addition to the original list:

10. The Looking Glass Wars-Frank Beddor. A reimagining of Wonderland that is better than the original Lewis Carrol.

submitted by Reuben
(August 11, 2009 - 7:35 am)