(jealous of deb)

Random question: I need a make and model of a car I might rent if I go to London. What's a stereotypical British rental car?

I just finished reading Cornelia Funke's new book Inkheart and enjoyed it emensely - even more than her other book The Thief Lord. A few pages into the book I got that feeling that you get when you read a familiar, well loved book, so I know that I will be rereading this on often (so I may have to buy it!) Some reviewers felt it was too long but I can't imagine what could have been cut.

I just finished The Golden Compass, and I'm pissed I hadn't read this before. I'm still a little puzzled by some of the technicalities of the world he's built, but I love his cranky short-sighted big-hearted heroine, the instability of the world around her, and he had me really tense for the last couple chapters.

I just put Inkheart on my reserve list at the library yesterday

I was talking to my sister on Sunday and she asked me if I had read Inkheart yet. When I said I was half way through it she said "Me too!". My sister isn't a big YA, Fantasy fan but she's enjoying this one because of all the book references.

I love Inkheart. I read it a few months ago ( I guess before Christmas) and was enchanted by the references. I've been playing with how I can use pieces of it to teach allusion.

I just finished The Golden Compass, and I'm pissed I hadn't read this before. I'm still a little puzzled by some of the technicalities of the world he's built, but I love his cranky short-sighted big-hearted heroine, the instability of the world around her, and he had me really tense for the last couple chapters.

I love the next one in the trilogy, The Subtle Knife more, if that's possible.

I love the next one in the trilogy, The Subtle Knife more, if that's possible.

I am terribly excited to get back to the library and get the next one. It was such a involving read.

I've just finished Tracy Chevalier's Falling Angels (on books on tape) and enjoyed it well enough. I don't consider myself a fan of historial fiction but I enjoy her books alot and plan to read The Unicorn and the Tapestry. FA is set in turn of the century London and spans about 18 years covering the deaths of queens and kings, the start of women's suffrage in England, and some astronomy & observatory info. On this one, each character is read by a different character. Most are very good. Livinia's mother isn't very good, because the actress allows too great a range, too soft, then too loud in her voice. Then there's one character who speaks 2 sentences only at a pivotal point and I couldn't hear what was being said at all - had to rewind about 6 times and I'm still guessing. Books on tape have to stick a middle range so they can be heard over the car noise, dammit.

I'm half way through The Memory of Running, which Steven King said is the best novel you'll never read. It's only available on tape. I ran out of library time before and it just came in again today.

I've recruited one of my co-workers into the cult of commuting books-on-tape listeners, and promised I'd ask for some recommendations for her.

She likes science fiction. She loved The Doomsday Book, His Dark Materials, all the Harry Potters, Passage, and To Say Nothing of the Dog. (IIRC, she did not enjoy Bellwether.) She has a special love for anything involving time travel. (I can't remember if I rec'ed The Eyre Affair or not. )

She also likes historical fiction. Liked Master & Commander, found The Game of Kings to be too, too dense.

Suggestions?

Well, you can recommend more Patrick O'Brien, if she liked Master and Commander. Or Gillian Bradshaw, Judith Tarr, Mary Renault, Edith Pargeter -- all good historical novelists.