I just realized I previously added the "edit" to the wrong post... I meant to add that in the film thread where I mentioned seeing the 1992 adaptation of "Wuthering Heights", hahaha. Ooops!

Yesterday, for the first time since I moved this wretched town ( ) I visited the Elmwood Park library. It was amazing! Shelves and shelves of books and movies, no limit to how much stuff I could take out (as long as they were fiction books), a room dedicated to picture books... Wow, it was amazing. It made the River Forest library seem so small in comparison... So, doing a little report for college on Mitsumasa Anno, I checked out about ten or more of his picture books, and some other books for my reading enjoyment. It was grand. I'll try and find the book you recommended here, Sue.

I just finished reading The High King, the last of the Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander and it was fantastic. The ending was bittersweet and almost heart-breaking, but I guess good and unexpected. I simply cannot stand so many farewells, especially after so many adventures. Yes, I'm very emotional, because fictional characters grow on me. :cry:

Next, I'll be reading The Giver by Lois Lowry. This is a requirement for college, so I hope it's enjoyable. I enjoyed the author's Number the Stars, so I hope this one will be just as good.

Well, at least you found an upside to the new place--a good library.

I"m finally getting to read The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. I know it's a whole series of books, with a movie and miniseries/TV series coming out soon. I can't wait to start it. :arrow:

Yes, the library's definitely a great thing about this town. I'm looking forward to going there again (since I have to return many of the books I checked out, as I've read them or no longer need them for school assignments), now if only I could get rid of the neighbors upstairs, the ones next door tossing litter all over theirs as well as our lawn and sidewalk, and the crazy old man who talks to himself and comes to smoke by our front door and leaves cigarette butts and a terrible stench all over... :roll:

Anyways, since for class I'm expected to read a good number of children's books of all kinds and levels, I recently finished The House Where Nobody Lived by Brad Strickland, and I regret to say, Mr. Strickland may have been praised, but he simply does not live up to John Bellairs, his stories are a bit too predictable. Now I'm about to finish The Turret, the third in the series of "The Rescuers" books by Margery Sharp which inspired our beloved Disney film.

Ehem, since reading The Turret, I've read Lassie Come-Home by Eric Knight, Miss Bianca in the Salt Mines by Margery Sharp and Celia en el mundo by Elena Fortún. Tonight I'll dig right into The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.

I just finished A Storm of Swords (A Song of Fire and Ice, Book 3) by George R. R. Martin and have started A Feast for Crows (A Song of Fire and Ice, Book 4). The reviews are not that good, although I have a tendency to ignore most reviews.

I was beginning to fear I was the only one who continued reading through the spring and summer. Best time for reading outdoors under the sun. 8)

Last night I finished The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. I have three books that I brought from the library on my waiting list, they are P. L. Travers' Mary Poppins, Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island and Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quijote de La Mancha. The last one I'm leaving for last, because it is a very long book and I plan on spending the summer with it. Tonight I'll start one of the first two, I think I'll go with Treasure Island first. To this point, I have never read that book. Shame on me.

Tonight I'll start one of the first two, I think I'll go with Treasure Island first. To this point, I have never read that book. Shame on me.That is a GREAT book!! You will enjoy it. The beginning is a little tedious but stick with it and it will just take off.

I was beginning to fear I was the only one who continued reading through the spring and summer. Best time for reading outdoors under the sun. 8)

Last night I finished The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. I have three books that I brought from the library on my waiting list, they are P. L. Travers' Mary Poppins, Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island and Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quijote de La Mancha. The last one I'm leaving for last, because it is a very long book and I plan on spending the summer with it. Tonight I'll start one of the first two, I think I'll go with Treasure Island first. To this point, I have never read that book. Shame on me.



How did you like Tom Sawyer? that's a true piece of Americana. I really like Mark Twain. I loved the book.

I loved Treasure Island too. Good story. It does start of slow, but really picks up.

I also have the complete Mary Poppins set. Haven't read them yet, :oops: :oops: :oops: but hopefully will this summer.

Oh, I had to read Don Quixote in 10th grade. Parts were good. The version we read was abridged. Apparently, it's extremely long if you read the unabridged version, original text.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was much to read, I liked the book at last and I'm glad I can finally say that I have read it. Treasure Island has a good story, but it's somewhat hard for me to read (I also keep picturing the guys from Disney's Treasure Planet (2002) as I read), sometimes I have to re-read to comprehend and sometimes I feel a bit lost, but I'm picking up the main storyline nicely. I haven't touched Mary Poppins yet and I might have to renew it before I get to read it, but I will read it eventually. The copy of Don Quijote de La Mancha that I have is not the original text, it's an English translation, but it's complete and unabriged, so it'll take a while to read.

I'm currently reading Gorgeously Green, 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life by Sophie Uliano. I really like the way she presents things in this book.

I'm currently reading 'Orpheus Rising' by Colin Bateman. He's an author from my home town, but the book is mostly set in Florida.

Cool. What part of Florida?

Brevard County. He is a great writer IMO, very funny.

Finally finished Ladies Detective Agency. And just in time for the TV series version too. I highly recommend it. I'ts a very nice, easy read. It's the first in a series and I know sometime I'll be reading the next books in the series. I really enjoyed it.

Now I'm onto Ragtime, by E. L. Doctorow. So far I"m really enjoying it. It's about America at the turn of the century. It's a mixture of real people and fictional characters all intermingling together. A mesh of fiction and nonfiction. I'm pretty sure this is the book the stage play and movie are based upon too, but I'm not sure.

I am currently reading Whistling in the Dark by Lesley Kagen. It's an okay book and interesting enough, though I'm eager to finish it so I can move on to something else.

I'm currently reading and enjoying Celia, lo que dice by Elena Fortún. The first in the series of timeless Spanish children's classics.

I recently started and quickly finished Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters by Dick Winters and just started Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier.

While lying under the sun (is it 'laying,' 'lying' or what is it?), and though I've not finished reading Celia, lo que dice by Elena Fortún quite yet, I've managed to find some relaxing time to enjoy Julio Verne's (Jules Verne) La escuela de Robinsones, the Spanish version of School for Robinsons (1882), also known as Godfrey Morgan.

I'm reading The Wizard of Oz.

It really is quite different from the movie.

Finished Ragtime, which I really liked. I want to read World's Fair next. I'm really getting into Doctorow. I quickly read and finished a book to help motivate you to clean all the clutter out of your house. It's all Too Much. CAn't think of the guy's name but he's on TLC and he helps people clean up their houses. It was good motivation to get me to clean up the clutter around my house. And there's still so more to get rid of. Ugh! But the house is looking better.

Okay, now I'm on Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers. Just like Wizard, it's different from the movie. Some of the scenes are the same, like going into the chalk drawing (only Mary goes in the book) and laughing with Uncle Albert on the ceiling. there are also twins along with Michael and Jane, and the parents are hardly mentioned at all. The book is just about the children's adventures with Mary, who seems kinda like she doesn't even like children in the book. There's no under lying oh she's gruff but she really adores children. Nope, in the book, she's just gruff with them, but does take them on adventures. But it's a quick read. I have the other books in the series too so I'll be reading those next.

I recently started and quickly finished Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters by Dick Winters and just started Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier.Ok...so I quit Cold Mountain. I know it is suppose to be good, but it reads as slow as Dickens (my apologies to any Dicken's fans) and all dialogue lacks quotation marks which makes it difficult to read. I started The Summons by John Grisham.

I'm currently reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.

I'm on Mary Poppins Comes Back.

I've never read Huckleberry Finn, but I've read Tom Sawyer. Did you know, Taran, that Huckleberry Finn has been banned in several places in the US throughout history? And even still some time today? We're a very odd, repressive, strange country at times. :roll:

I've never read Huckleberry Finn, but I've read Tom Sawyer. Did you know, Taran, that Huckleberry Finn has been banned in several places in the US throughout history? And even still some time today? We're a very odd, repressive, strange country at times. :roll:

I didn't know it had been banned, but I do know that both books were challenged at some point. Both books do feature language that today, and really always, has been severely politically incorrect. I'm just surprised that Puffin Classics has actually released the books complete and unaltered. :?

I had to read Huckleberry Finn for school. I thought it was pretty interesting.