Don’t worry, you’ve bought the book you intended to buy. It looks as though the title got changed for later editions.
I picked up a copy when there was nothing else to read, and found it surprisingly (yes, I did initially judge the copy I had by its pastel, chick-lit cover) well written and subtle. Enjoy.
Surok, thanks for the clarification!
AuntiePam … you know, this book is relatively new so I’m going to put this in spoilers, even though it’s very mild …
I loved those darn grasshoppers! I was really, really emotionally invested in them, especially after the priest gave them German names. Obviously German, because that’s what they speak in the village, but I was SO tickled by the grasshopper aliens running around (hopping around?) with names like Hans and Gerd.
I also love Robertson Davies, the Cornish trilogy in particular. The second book, What’s Bred in the Bone (the one that comes after Rebel Angels) is my favorite Davies ever despite (or because of?) its grotesque themes.
I’m still laughing out loud at this Amazon review of a J. F. Freedman thriller and had to share:
“I MADE THE DOUBLE MISTAKE OF READING THIS BOOK TWICE HOPING IT WOULD GET BETTER, IT DIDN’T.”
Now the cats are looking at me funny.
Delphica, I think I have the other two Cornish books. I do like grotesque.
I took the kidlets to Borders yesterday and found that a book that had been on my Amazon wishlist from Amazon.uk, which was too costly to buy and ship too me, and then no longer available, is now available here in the US.
So, I broke my New Year’s 2007 resolution and bought Tunnels .
I’ll probably start it after the superbowl tonight, if I finish Prep today.
(Which is an excellent read. Sittfeild really captures what being in a teen girls brain is like.)
Continuing minor spoiler for Eifelheim:
I got attached to them, too. I don’t know any German, so I looked up a lot of words while reading that book. I couldn’t find the meaning of the word “Gschert” which he names one of the grasshoppers and was obviously a joke. I was glad that eventually it was explained.
“Lifeline” by Kevin J. Anderson & Doug Beason.
I found it in a “discard shelf” at the library. (Books that are falling apart and/or out of date are placed on this shelf in the garage lobby. Patrons are welcome to take what they’d like.)
It’s about several space station colonies and a moon colony that are “stranded” when WWIII breaks out on Earth. Each station takes various actions to help insure their survival. Only when one reaches out to selflessly help the others do the others start to realize what they can do to unite the colonies to not only survive, but thrive.
A couple of the darker bits of the book:
Since they’re at a LaGrange Point in the Moon’s orbit, the bodies keep a close pace with Orbitech I, haunting key characters who happen to look out the portholes.
Just started The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perotta.
Just finished A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. It was a selection for my book club, one I’ve been meaning to pick up for a while, so hooray. We meet Tuesday so I’ll have another one to start (the host picks the next book so we don’t know what it is until the meeting is ending).
I finished these two in late January but enjoyed them both immensely:
Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’Nan
One of my favorite books of the last 10 years. When you finish that check out The Yiddish Policemen’s Union.
The Hidden Worlds, by Kristin Landon. It’s an excellent scifi read.
And, what’s more, I know the author and am proud to recommend this book. It is intended to be the first in a trilogy, the second one, The Cold Minds, is due out this summer.
I feel like a complete turkey - I just this minute figured out how to read the “spoiler” thingies. insert embarassed face here
I’m about halfway through Paradiso right now, and yeah, it’s definitely not as interesting as Inferno or Purgatorio–there’s some beautiful language going on, but (it feels like) not a whole lot else.
I admit I skipped ahead really quick to the ending to see what Dante meeting / seeing God would be like…
danceswithcats just loaned me No Country For Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy, so I’m reading that as well as The Kite Runner.
We saw the movie around Christmas and decided we needed to read the book.
Still on Louise de la Valliere, by Alexandre Dumas. It’s a long story and my reading time is rather limited right now, but I should finish it soon.
I picked up L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume XXI for a buck at Dollar General. It’s a “best of” compilation of new and promising Sci-fi and Fantasy Writers. I live, at present, near Scientology Headquarters. I think Galaxy and other Scientology Publishing entitites, here near Sea Org, have a Gideon’s relationship with some book stores and wholesale outlets. I haven’t read any yet, let you know how it is.
I don’t know how LRH could present anything at this point and time, however.
I gave up before that point - can you save me the experience of having to re-read it and tell me how it works out?
I’m trying to finish A Canticle for Leibowitz now. It was suggested several times as a very good post-apocolypse book. To say I’m un-impressed is an understatement. One of a handfull of books that I have to force myself to finish. Only because it came so highly recommended by the dopers. After that I think I’ll give some classics a try for a while. There’s nothing new coming out that I’m really looking forward to. So I’ll start with Robinson Crueso, then move onto The Count of Monte Cristo…then I’ll give Don Quixote a try again. I started it a couple of years ago, but couldn’t get past the first 50 pages. Although that’s farther than I got with Inferno…that made it about 2 pages before I gave up.
I finished reading **Prep ** and thought it ended a little uneven, but my expectations were a bit high after such a well written read.
Finished Round Trip to Deadsville in a day and it was like reading some continuing story peice out of the Sunday Section. A nice read, but missing something meatier. Glad I didn’t buy the book.
I’m trying to decide if I should start Tunnels or persuasion.
Finished “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” & loved it. I will be following your suggestion and looking for more of Chabon’s books. 
Presently reading Sunshine which isn’t a genre I usually choose but liking it so far.
I’ll probably jump on the “Don Quixote” bandwagon too. It’s sitting there taunting me & it’ll be nice knowing I’m not the only one reading it.
I love that book. The only other Robin McKinley I’ve read was Beauty, which was ok. I’m meaning to try some more of her stuff.
I finished the second Flashman book, Royal Flash, and it was a fun read. Now I’m waiting on my third Saylor mystery, Catilina’s Riddle, which should come in today.
Meanwhile I’m still making my way slowly through the Connie Willis short story collection, The Winds of Marble Arch. Her stories are either hilarious or shoot-me-now depressing. I do love her fascination with The Blitz.
So fat this month, I’ve read
*Mr. Murder
Cold Fire
Strangers
Life Expectancy
Yea, I know, its 4 books in 6 days, what can I say? I have no life.
I do enjoy T. Jefferson Parker’s books; all so far set in Orange County. I am currently reading The Triggerman’s Dance, and while it was a bit slow getting off the mark, it is turning into one of ther best books I have read recently.
Actually despite the unsavory reputation of the anthology’s founder the Writers of the Future is a fairly well regarded writing contest. It used have a very loose connection to scientology as the publishing house that printed the book was connected to them but that’s no longer the case. Now the only thing they have in common is Hubbard’s name.