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It was very easy to read - I like non-fiction history, but sometimes it takes a lot of concentration - 1776 was quite different. McCullough relies on quotes quite heavily, but they flow with the text in a really nice way, they actually moved the story along, instead of obstructing it (as quotes...

Finished: 1776 - David McCullough David Copperfield - Charles Dickens Mirror Mirror - Gregory Maguire The Constant Princess - Philippa Gregory Freddy and Fredericka - Mark Helprin Wicked - Gregory Maguire The Borgia Bride - Jeanne Kalogridis So close but not quite: The Exiled -...

I don't know if I can call myself a Dickens "fan" as I've only read David Copperfield - but I loved it. For me, the detail of the characters and the individual scenes is what makes the book, rather than the over-arching plot. The scene with Aunt Betsey and the donkeys is priceless! By...

I read Mirror Mirror (just last week, in fact) and enjoyed it, although I thought the characters were a bit underdeveloped. The plot was a bit thin in some places too, but when you're working within the constraints of Snow White, I guess that's to be expected!

A Lesser Evil - Lesley Pearce

In the Skin of the Lion - Michael Ondaatje

The Stone Diaries - Carol Shields

The Eight, Katherine Neville

I haven't read this one, but I did read both A Conspiracy of Paper and A Spectacle of Corruption - both of which were excellent. I believe some of the characters cross over between The Coffee Trader and these two, but they take place about 20-30 years into the future and are set in England...

Let's see - Stef goes back to the Forest, right? Of all the Valdemar series, this one has the most satisfactory conclusion. However, there are threads of these books that run through several of the other Valdemar books. I don't want to give anything away for you, but I will say that the end...

Yes, they are some of my favorites. The entire series is huge (and well worth reading, although these are probably my favorite), but if you're feeling depressed about Vanyl, I would suggest working your way up to the Mage Winds Series. You should probably read the Arrows series first, to keep...

But how can you know what information will or won't be relevant at some point in your life? It's an impossibility to plan out every aspect of your life, it's a changing, fluid thing. I think the exact opposite of this is true. The more we know about all different cultures, the more we can...

I love to learn and one of the main ways I do that is through reading. To my mind, there is no irrelevant knowledge as long as there is room in my mind to hold it. The more I can learn about other places, other cultures, other people, the better I am able to interact with the world and with...

Good point.

For those who are interested in the Canadian list, you can find it here: http://www.freedomtoread.ca/censorship_in_canada/challenged_books.asp I found the differences in the lists quite interesting. Roald Dahl and Judy Blume aren't on this list; Harry Potter is, though. This lists also...

Also, for those who want to see the "reasoning" behind banning Harry Potter, check out this link: http://www.exposingsatanism.org/harrypotter2.htm

I've read 28 of them, many at the encouragement of my parents (thanks parents!) I understand why many of them are on the the list (I think it's wrong, but I can see the twisted logic). However, can someone tell me why number 88 - Where's Waldo is on the list? Are we talking about the same...

I just finished reading two books by David Liss - A Conspiracy of Paper and A Spectacle of Corruption. The main character in both is a retired Jewish boxer who works as a "thieftaker" and of cource, attracts his own amount of trouble along the way. They are set in the early 1700's in London. In...

The best I've read are the Camolud Chronicles (also called A Dream of Eagles depending on where you are) by Jack Whyte.

I personally believe that it is possible to gain knowledge from every book. Even the trashiest romance or thriller has the potential to teach something via its setting, its characters or even by the simple fact that you as the reader may not like it. However, if you mean knowledge in terms...