artie Male. CT, USA

I cannot comprehend the story until I realize it is about super natural power. The characters are vivid and twisted in personality. It was hard to make sense of it.

The three girls made a sin to seduce a priest when they were 13, which came back to haunt them after 20 years or so. In a sense, this is a religious based story that all the sins were paid off. But it seems giving more sympathy to the girls than to the set punishment. Even the priest himself felt helpless on his account. Strange!

This book has revised from the previous one with more Quantum Theory development. The human brain has developed based on its curiosity and wanting to predict future with a simple set of rules.

It seems the theories are getting more complex since Einstein had his General Theory of Relativity, which he wanted to find a unified theory and insisted the rules that guide the regulation of the Universe should be simple.

I have picked up this book at the same time while I was reading "A briefer History of Time." These two books make a good companion.

No doubt it is difficult to write Einstein's Biography with his most famous "Special and General Relativity Theories." Though these theories are famous, there are still few people can fully grasp the essence of them. Einstein has given us not just the theories that help us decipher the secret of the universe, it also enforces the philosophical meanings of fulfilling human's curiosity that differs our beings from others.

Issacson continued his comprehensive natural of his biographical works. A lot of information and materials are revealed in the book that support facts for Einstein's life. Like the one for Benjamin Franklin, I see a thick book with abundant information, but I cannot feel the soul of the person from the biographer tried to depict.

If you don't mind reading online, here is a free copy from http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/6133.

This is a French series constantly mentioned to be compared to Sherlock Holmes. On the contrary to Holmes, Lupin is on the other side of laws, which is tinted with some mystery regarding the identity and character of Arsene Lupin.

Of course, Arsene Lupin is no regular burglar, but a Gentleman-burglar. He had his own principles (usually quite noble) of dealing with injustice matters. The ways he rectified those inequity were to issue a preannouncement that the target owner should surrender the object without any protest, or he would remove it at certain time and place. Eventually he became a hero from acting on those social injustices.

One exciting moment is when Arsene Lupin met Sherlock Holmes. Of course, trying not to infringe the sacredness of Sherlock Holmes, there was no winner per se of their encounter, if it counted as one.

12th Century Mongolia on sea of grass, Temujin (aka Genghis Khan) was the first person to bring Mongolian together and out of Mongolia. Through their great skill of battle, they quickly conquered the territory that no one had done before.

There are a lot of fighting and battle that are quite entertaining, but I would like to see more on the sentimental side of the people to their heritage, ponies and belief.

Jodi Picoult used the first-person narrative style similar to Yukio Mishima's "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion." Each party has their own says, which collectively weave the story together. Every time, when the character is switched, a totally different landscape and perspective is shifted that creates strange sympathetic
sensation and, sometimes, confusion.

Like a lot of Crichton's fan had said, this book might be the best (not the most famous) book he has ever written. Though I still think Crichton's talent is more on entertaining readers with sci-fi thrillers, you can almost feel his enthusiasm to the historical legends.

The story is kind of lending itself to be a fascinating myth of “Great Train Robbery.” Crichton has used the leisure from a fiction, while he has added a lot of facts in the background, to cover up his speculations without getting reprimands of inaccuracy. Same technique is borrowed by other books, like State of Fear and other historical fictions.

Similar style of his recent sci-fi thriller, Prey. His sci-fi works were most of anti-science. Though he has done some research of the topic (computer), the story Crichton has provided somewhat extreme and in many ways that are against common senses. Through stirring the fear of the abuse of new scientific advancement, there aren't much persuasive facts but the crazy people that misuse the technology. Though it was written in 1972, it is still entertaining in a way that makes people have second thought about mind-control computer chip implant.

2005 Pulitzer Prize winner.

This is one of the book that needs to be read in great attention, and it often involves back and forth leafing to re-digest the words. I guess it is fair that it took Robinson 12 years to write this book, and it took me a few months to go through it.

This is a prose-like novel, which depicts a minister's life from a few generations' preacher family in a small town with declining in its population. Although with a high prestige from his job, John Ames could not escape from some personal prejudice, and those feelings seemingly ungodly towards his best friend's son and his god son.

By way of writing to his young-aged son for expecting to be a posthumous letter, the protagonist wrote out his true feelings towards people close to him and to god. Even the progress seems random and slow, you would be touched by his true reflections to people, to things and to god. People surrounding him come from different believes and attitudes towards god, life and other people. He, as a minister, need to play a neutral role to bridge people and god's gap, while he had his own doubt in his mind.

We don't see this kind of work everyday, so we don't have to finish it in haste. Following the pace of the author has given, it actually quite an enjoyable book to be slowly chewed on.

Weir's first novel, and she has executed relatively well besides some dialog details that she should have known better than any other history novel author. No sure those swearing words were existing in those age, but it has quite spicy up the temper of those characters, which could be rather dull.

She has written in a more sympathetic tone towards lady Jane Grey that has received different criticisms in the history.

Overall, it is quite entertaining, and I think she did not pass her achievement as a history researcher, which I do enjoy her Henry VIII alot.

This is an interesting concept to do a research and see how the nature takes over all the artificial artifacts. In another sense, this would tell us how human destructs the nature; if we don't consider ourselves is part of it. There are many places in the world where are absent of human traces that supply for this research. There will always be species that eventually dominates the ego system, sometimes at the cost of others.

The book doesn't make any suggestion how we should learn from this research, besides I am starting worrying my house for the speed of eroding.

This book has connected to the previous book tightly. A lot of plots were trying to explain why things were going so unexpectedly, and they ended up with some, though reasonable, entertaining arguments.

Overall the book was pretty boring for the three quarters, and it comes to an end like most of the detective story: reveal everything to make sense of it.

The epilogue is a good one that tries to prevent anyone to write a sequel of HP.

This is a (too) serious book about Benjamin Franklin. The author has used a very conservative perspective (though very comprehensive) to write about Franklin's life. There are so many speculations about Franklin's love affairs, which were discredited by the author with lacking of evidence.

I thought it was quite a boring book comparing to the Franklin's exciting and interesting life.

Though this is more like an anti-war commentary, I found it was quite entertaining to read. The comments to the war of Iraq is more true than the time Smiley wrote this book. I also was amazed (not in a offensive way) that Smiley could write so much about this (p.449 page.) I don't think it was persuasive enough for her point of view on war of Iraq, especially she was using the characters from Hollywood. But, I enjoyed it bashing through the Bush administration's rushing to a wrong war.

I thought Kava got a good publisher to get her all the blobs she needs. The plot is predictable and not very exciting. She hid some minor schemes not to reveal until the very late chapters, like "Mr. Vice President's" chief staff's position. The characters are lack of depth, and Kava just hid all their history from the readers and thought she can surprise everyone.

Maybe her previous books are much better to win her fame of various credentials and New York Times' best seller title, but I don't see the laudable quality from this one.

The author has gracefully portrayed the characters in these spellbound stories. Without the emotion overflow from her previous novel "the Memory Keeper's Daughter", these short stories have the right touch of sensations.

With different time, place and culture settings, the stories interwove a mixed feeling towards these melancholy characters with a tinge of exotics.

This is like a companion book of the "Da Vinci Code." But this has given more detail research and background of how the "Last Supper" was painted. It was amazing the way the Roman church controlled how people thought about their religion, and created different kind of Taboos based on their "best interests."

Javier had certainly done his research, used his imagination to the extreme and conjured this interesting story. Dan Brown had talked the same story in a different way (more Hollywood way) that stirred enough attention to help these other books with similar topic to sell. Though these evidences are all based on the really fragile facts, it would give enough headache to the Vatican.

There are a few interesting facts and manuscripts that intrigues our imagination to the so called, bi-location. It doesn't make much sense besides from a few manuscripts that described the phenomenon caused the native American from South-central United States swarming to convert themselves to Christianity.

Don Maddox is an undercover cop that a case finally brought him back to his hometown he left 15 years ago, which he has some responsibility to fulfill.

Though the story plot isn't too attractive, I like the narrative style from the author. A normal scene can be described as vivid as a camera closeup, and the feelings from the characters are related to things we are familiar to.

It is a little strange that the story makes a sharp turn and refocus on the different target after two thirds of the book. It is like reading two totally different stories. Anyway, the first two thirds are pretty boring in terms of the story plot. It becomes page turner after it.

The background for this book is around late 1700s and the poet and painter William Blake. Chevalier sketched the time in London from a few kids (Jem Kellaway who just moved from the Country side and Maggie Butterfield, a life long resident of London who knew all the bits and pieces of the City.)

The story isn't really too interesting, and you can see the trace that the author was trying to chain all her clues together from Blake's painting and poem. I think she can a lot better than this book.

Unlike most of his shorter stories. This is a big case got blown out with details and Dr. Watson took charge of most investigation, and found himself being "played" by Homles as a camouflage to the criminal. It is fascinated to read a story more than a century ago, and it can still catch your breath and surprise you in many different ways.

The story is dragging too long that spoils a good plot.

If this book is cut in half, even to a third, it will be a breeze. The writing is good, the flow is fluent, and the plot is interesting, but the ending is predictable, the characters is soap-opera-alike, and the ending is pathetically illogical.

It's like a soap opera full of peculiar drama. Black frenzy characters plus flashy motorcycles generate a unique group of species. The book is very entertaining while not much credible plot has to offer. Almost everyone has connected to everyone in some way, and they did not converge as I have expected.

The first Zuckerman book. The young Zuckerman was visiting his idol - a recluse write, E. I. Lonoff, and the stories were streaming out from all his encountering, the writer, and wife, and ex-student/lover.

Roth has habitually mixed the reality and imagination together into the story. The reader could foresee an inevitable crashed from his wildest dream to real life.

A spice-up story about a NFL quarterback and a wife of an obsessive entrepreneur.

Griff Brukett was a Cowboy's rising star, who cheated a game on the gambling and got caught for a prison term. The Foster couple came up a proposal to impregnate the wife, Laura, from a "natural" way.

It sounds absurd, and Brown managed to make it interesting.

This isn't as good as the first book. It is almost like trying to compare apple and orange. The Work and Happiness do not come together, if we follow the western definition of Work.

The author has spent a tremendous effort to rectify the concept of Work to the western, so he can relate "Work" to happiness. But it is for me becoming very superficial and for sake of doing this book. The conclusion should be "this is not a good topic for Dalai Lama to elaborate on, since he has totally different perception of Work from the western's definition. His work is his life, and the two are inseparable, that is how you make your work Happy-able.

Roth's old man saga is kept going. The number one issue for an aged man is health. He cannot do all the things he took it for granted in the past that has big mental impact and adjustment to make.

With his atheism and self-conscious sex-addicted behavior, the solitary surroundings have haunted him for his evening of life.

Azirel is a powerful spirit from an ancient Babylon. He was awakened after thousand years masterless and witnessed the murder of a girl who recognized him as the "Servant of the bones." Through a revenge, Azirel had become a new form.

If I have read this book before "Interview with the Vampire", it would be easier for me to understand better what he can or cannot do as a Vampire.

A lot of characters that are put in the story to confuse the readers, and the unlikely one was pulled out to be the culprit.

Virgil Flowers is a shadow of Devenport, and his style is similar but more sentimental than his boss. This gave the author to extend his character building from his popular series, though the basic plot structure has not much difference. Overall, this is an interesting suspense.

There are three parts from the story. The three parts look separated from the outset, but it all comes together in the end intertwined with E. I. Lonoff's story. I was kind of bored in the beginning of the book, but it took me by surprise that all the threads were magically emerged together. The message from the author is amazingly strong and resonant with all different parts of the plot.

If this is a true story, I would say it has some tension to catch one's eyes. Author has this idea to elaborate on "one more day" with the one you love, but he wasn't doing a good job to really make reader think about how you would like to spend this precious day with your love one.

The protagonist had spent most of "his day" with her mom to reflect what they had been through. Not until the last minute that he would say "sorry" about his conduct to cause himself pain for the rest of his life. The revelation has little merit besides to give himself a closure on his absence of her mom's death. He only need one minute but one full day for his purpose.

As for so many other books, the idea is revealed for your reflection, and the story is started and ended on the title.

I felt like Mr. Culter was consuming Dalai Lama's good will to produce this book. From a western psychologist's point of view to decipher the Buddhism's wisdom to make western people's lives happier? It does not sound adequate. But I have admired the effort from the author and Dalai Lama for this difficult task.

There are some good points being pointed out by the Dalai Lama, like pursuing "High" (glory moment) is not happiness. It is not sustainable. Once all highs are tapering off, we are not happier than we used to be.

A sad story that depicts the post-war Germany's sentimental feelings towards to the people who danced along with the Nazi.

Hanna had an unsettled soul was tormented by her limited channel to acquire the background knowledge of her horrible past. A comment in the court, "What would you do?" has spelled out the dilemma for what she had been through.

This is a very unique Vampire story that put the Vampires with flesh and blood that they cannot escape. Their sufferings are aggravated through ages and compounded from their immortality.

Rice has redefined the Vampire's characters mixed with love and hate. Each one of them has inherited his/her own pre-vampire life as a baggage and been struggling to adjust the status quo.

This book has brilliantly explored sex from a very special angle. An aged professor, David Kepesh (the protagonist and first person narrator); a 24-year-old decorous (in Kepesh's view) and voluptuous (more in reality) from a Cuban exile family, Consuela Castillo. The contrast of the young-and-old, teacher-and-student and America-and-Cuba culture spark clashes throughout the book.

Though it's a little bit cliche that the aged professor could not overcome his feeling beyond the erotic sensation and towards Consuela's illness, Roth has dealt well to end it at the right place.

A pretty sad story about two women in Kabu, Afghanistan. The plot wasn't as exciting as Kite Runner, but the style of writing and emotion has improved much from the first one.

Mariam and Laila were coming from totally different background, and yet their fate and lives were brought together by an unworthy man, somehow protected them from the warlords that came and went. Though their rebellion instinct produced many wretched beating from their husband, the same stubbornness that brought them back to Kabu to rebuild their home.

I am not a girl and far from teenage, but I was curious what makes this book such a big hit among teenage girls. Here is my two cents,

(Bella) Beautiful girl who does not think she is beautiful, dangerously clumsy (that could hurt anyone including herself), and ridiculously stubborn, especially to her lover.

(Edward) Incredibly beautiful (not just handsome), even more attractive than the beautiful girls, physically strong but look fragile emotionally.

Relationship (Bella + Edward) - the physical attraction is so strong that make it ridiculous to have any guard up between their desires, but (this is a crucial point) they could not have any physical satisfaction (advancement) without some serious (fatal) consequences. That makes their affections stronger and easier to be perceived. All the teenage girls could easily relay the sensations and thirst about the feelings without the burden of the consequence/risk of physical relationship.

The Vampire has helped creating the critical elements of the formula. It makes the relationship venturous and exciting. I can imagine (like other sequels, e.g. Harry Potter) that there are a lot of explanations to be made to satisfy the readers' curiosity.