"Every moment of this book I hoped it would be as good as its opening again. The unfurling of the dusky scene of a worn ship at rest on the Thames, the images of the Roman soldiers stationed out at the edge of the Empire, staring into the dark night, waiting for attack, and longing for home. I'm struggling with this. The writing is so wonderful. That first set of images -- but then the story is told again, like the Romans, the story of one man going out to the edge of the empire, into the unknown, and expecting attack at any moment. It's a spiral down and down, becoming more uncomfortable, more difficult, more crazy-making with every page. I think the book is supposed to do that, though, to make the reader crazy, just as crazy as everyone else. The point is to stir up the turmoil in oneself. It's to make us look at all those hateful things, the ones that make us hate ourselves, the ones we bury, the ones we don't want to admit to. There isn't a good reason for me to want to read about colonialism. There isn't a good reason why I'd want to ponder how people could lose (or never have?) their hearts. I was going to write "souls" there, instead of hearts, and then thought that might be a spoiler, so I wrote hearts, which, of course, is a terrible and unintentional play on the title and I hate that, but there's nothing else in this book. It's too short. It's stripped bare of everything else. It is driven, focused, intent on one thing, and if you can't focus in with it, it can be incredibly boring. I felt like that much of the time, like I was stumbling on behind Conrad and he's not looking back. He's just charging through this jungle of his own making and the path is hard; I'm getting smacked by branches as they snap back and I'm sinking in mud, and I hate that feeling. I hated a lot of this book. But the writing is wonderful and his purpose was achieved, even if I didn't always like him for it."

"Devasted over the death of an innocent on his last case, Burke takes a job that sees him in the Connecticut suburbs investigating a string of teen suicides. Burke's investigations take him into a web of S&M and blackmail that he may never escape... Andrew Vachss' Burke stories are so bleak that they make the apocalypse look inviting by comparison and this one is no exception. Like the previous tales, Burke's case takes him up against uncomfortable subjects like child abuse. This time, Vachss also throws S&M and blackmail into the mix for good measure. As I journey farther down Burke's dark path, I notice he continues to grow as a character, something that doesn't happen very much in a series of this kind. Burke shows a remarkable amount (for him) of patience with Randy and is actually nicer to some of the other players than he normally is. While I missed most of the usual supporting cast, Mama and The Prof were in fine form. The characters of Randy and Fancy were among the most interesting in the series so far, both in their backgrounds and the way they interacted with Burke. It's not very often you see a borderline sociopathic detective befriend a teenage boy or have a dominatrix as a sidekick but Vachss really makes it work. While I liked Down in the Zero, I didn't love it. The mystery seemed forgotten at times and was in no way solveable, and the side plot about the computer disk and the gems felt tacked on. It felt like a "rebuilding" sort of book so Burke would be ready for whatever gets vomited in his path in the next one. Other than that, it was a pretty enjoyable read. I now know more about S&M than I ever wanted to."

"I re-read this little book yesterday during my lunch hour. I think that it is an important story with valuable messages for young people, teaching not to be so concerned about appearances. When the little toy Rabbit is loved for a very long while, the boy to whom he belongs thinks of him as real. Later, when the boy has been ill and all of his belongings are to be destroyed because of germ theories of the time, the Nursery Fairy comes and turns the bunny into a real rabbit who plays in the woods. Yet, he still comes from time to time to watch over the little boy who loved him. I find a tear in my eye every time I read this book."

"Around the world in 80 days was first published in 1873 and was written during very difficult times for both France and Verne, during the Franco- Prussian war (1870-1871) and when technological advances & breakthroughs were occouring in 1869-70 that made this story so believable and relistic. It sparked the imagination on that anyone could sit down, draw up a schedule, by tickets and travel around the world, a feat that was previously reserved for only the most heroic and hardy of adventurers. It was a book that i apsolutely fell in love with as a child because of the fact that i adored adventurous stories with a lot of action and excitement, that was emphasised more so by a beautiful colour illustrated edition that i spent hours sitting & examining as a child delving into the depths of my imagination. I personally have never been abroad so this book was extremely magical and captivating, that wisked me off on a journey of discoery to the depths of the Amazon rainforest with its copious canopy of leafy boughs to then emerge into the dazzling searing heat of the Sahara desert with its crisp footing and relentlessly clear blue sky. It was such a gripping read that i was always so reluctant to put it down even for a second and one that every child will apsolutely love and delight in. I am a huge fan of novels that contain a lot of action, drama and mystery and 'Around the world in 80 days' has all of these qualities in abundance that should be an Acronym for 'around the world in 80 treasures'. From the outlandish and excentric, bold characters to the civilians and unusual places that you are presented with, it is a magnificent tale that takes you on a journey of discovery that is a sensory delight. It is also a heartwarming story of friendship & unity alongside conducting a lesson in self belief and determination. Many readers both young and old alike will not only be able to empathise and relate to much of what is in this novel, but will also fall in love with such a beautiful & symbolic read. "

"The winter king is the first novel in the acclaimed Warlord chronicles trilogy that is set around the myths & legends of King Arthur and Merlin from the Dark Ages. It is a book that sheds new light on the Arthurian legend which combines myth with historical accuracy and the brutal action of the battlefield with such spellbinding realism. You can tell that this book is going to be good just by basing it on the background of the author and how utterly sucsessfull he was with the no.1 bestselling Sharpe novels, so from a readers perspective i was already put at ease. It is convinsing, fast moving and extremely readable, that is a powerful and drematic retelling of this particular legend. The old-world magic of Merlin is brought vividly to life as you are swept away into a lost world of bloody battles, treachury and betrail that is gripping to read. This trilogy was by far my apsolute favourite books by Bernard Cornwell which left me breathless and wanting more, and as a fan of not only historical fiction but also the Arthurian legends and Celtic myths i was truly mesmirised by his work. For those readers who love authors such as Conn Iggulden, Robyn Young or Micheal Jecks i can imagine that you will apsolutely fall in love with Bernard Cornwell's style and all the intensly moving drama, compelling action and character-driven plot that this particular book embodies. If you have already read literature based upon the Merlin & Arthur legends such as by writers like Jack Whyte (Camuloid chronicles), MK Hume or many others then Bernard Cornwell's Warlord trilogy will take it to a whole new and interesting level of development that is truly remarkable and most enjoyable. "

" <i>hand in glove, the sun shines out of our behinds. no, it's not like any other love, this one is different because</i>...of puppets.and nazis.and so many oversized t-shirts. i was told to read this because it was terrible. and it is, but there is still an unexpected charm to it. it's like opening a time capsule to the 80's, with its reeboks and its tab soda, and its phil collins in the car's tape deck (which means a character is listening to phil collins by <i>choice</i>) and its pageboy haircuts... which i always thought was this: <img src="http://www.ukhairdressers.com/style/hairstyles/12004/2.jpg"/> but apparently, it is some kind of hairstyle that is long enough to braid. sexily. if you have it in you to track down a harlequin intrigue from 1987, (# 59 ), then you should probably not read this review because i am operating under the belief that series romances; the numbered ones that come out monthly, and which women will align their menstrual cycle with, and which are out of print in six months, are not the kind of thing one reads except during that six-month window. these are short, disposable, escapist nothings that have no lasting allure, so i'm just going to pretend we have all read it, although i will refrain from giving away the super duper big ending.just in case. so this is our heroine: <img src="http://blog.michebag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/grace-kelly.jpg"/> who may look and dress like grace kelly, but she rebuilds cars in her spare time, and gets hired at the puppet factory (which is FIVE-STORIES!! for like nine employees!!) after she fixes the AC, getting her linen suit all greasy-lube-y in front of the boss. he admires her greasy face, mmmmm yeah. and our hero is a hot puppeteer. hang on, let me GIS "hot puppeteer." <img src="http://ourqueanbeyan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/image-not-found.gif"/> yeah. pretty much what i thought. so she's a trilingual former gymnast bryn mawr graduate who comes from money and social standing, full of poise, whose occupation is... writing a fix-it column in <i>the philadelphia mirror</i>. kay. and one night she receives a call from her formerly close friend lacey, from whom she has grown apart, mostly because her friend is kind of slutty and insane with the married men and the irritating drama. and she's all, "ryan smith is trying to killlll me!!" and judith is all, "dude, it's three in the morning" and lacey is all "no but killing me! scary puppet factory!!!" and judith is all "you are bonkers, seriously." and then lacey dies. at the puppet factory. so judith decides to go all investigative girl reporter on the situation and singlehandedly find out who murdered this girl she doesn't even really care about anymore. and she may be able to fix any machine ever invented, but she's a really shitty detective. who gets out of the pool and starts snooping around someone's house in their bathing suit, not noticing what must be sheets of water sluicing off of her in order to so clearly mark her passage through the house in about twenty minutes time?? who repeatedly goes off on solitary walks and "business trips" with the main suspect, unarmed?? she is terrible at this. as a mystery novel, it is pretty unsatisfying because, really, anyone can figure out who the naughty person is from the beginning. as a romance novel, it is perplexing because the first kiss isn't even until page 156/253, and most of the time, the two romantic leads are largely avoiding each other suspiciously; without even any of the slow sexual tension buildup that would be expected in a book like this.and so when they do decide to fall in love, it's a big "who cares..." but also - "why?" here's a fun game: Q: what is, "<i>one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind...</i>"?? A: this is what the gentleman says after he climaxes when they have sexual intercourse for the first time. (p. 191) gross, right? but considering a lot of the courtship is enabled through puppets in this book, this is oddly less creepy just by comparison. yup. puppets. there is a lecherous dragon puppet who talks about the things he wants to do to all the ladies in the book, and a young boy puppet who "falls in love" with the ladies and flirts with them. but whoooo could be operating the puppets?? because it changes; no one knows who is behind the puppet's woooooords. but no matter whose hand is shoved up in the body cavity, it is still creepy and gross and wrong. and people just have conversations with the puppets like it is a normal thing and not batshit crazy.but it is. it is batshit to casually talk about sex with a purple dragon puppet while you are scratching it on the head and its human operator is unseen and you aren't even positive who it is at the time. and if the dragon puppet on the cover of this book is supposed to be the actual puppet from this book, there is no way that dude is a billionaire with his puppets in museums and a ton of merchandising rights. that is one shitty puppet. <img src="http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1155/555384162_b092e8a161.jpg"/> not sexy. this book also has nazis.and MPD. and a complete waste of real estate, both residential and industrial. please, property owners, make better choices... there is so much wrong with this book, but it is not as hilariously wrong as i had hoped. it was just...blandly bizarre. i know i shouldn't hold these monthly releases to any sort of literary expectations, but at the very least i would like that characters to make sense and be consistent. it's dumb. but harmless dumb. and it was only a dollar. but <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/8035193-sarah-montambo"/>sarah montambo</a> probably wouldn't like it!"

"I must be a masochist. Why else would I pick this book up in the first place, let alone finish it? And it was so NOT worth it. To sum up my impressions of this story - <b><i>WAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! WHYYYYYYY???</i></b> <b>*</b><blockquote> <b>*</b> This refers to the pointless waste of an entire tropical forest on the printing of this 600+ pager in which <b>NOTHING</b> happens. I kid you not. <b>**</b> <b>**</b> Well, what else did I expect from a woman who created sparkly virgin vampires??? Hanging my head in shame. <b>***</b> <b>***</b> In my defense, I here is the quote from this <s>trainwreck</s> book: <i>"Perhaps without the lows, the highs could not be reached." </i> Maybe I expected the highs (just teeny-tiny highs) after <i><s>Twilight</s></i> the sparkly book I don't speak of? <b>****</b> <b>****</b> This definitely had the aforementioned lows, but also a conspicuous absence of highs. And it didn't even have the unintentional hilarity of <i><s>Twilight</s> sparkly</i> series. <i>WAAAHHHHHH!!!!!</i> </blockquote> Alright, enough of the silliness. Let's get to business. This book COULD HAVE HAD potential. The premise can be interesting - our planet overtaken by mind-controlling <s>centipedes</s> souls, it takes people a while to realize that the invasion had happened, and the resistance emerges. Add to it that the invaders are apparently looking for little more than world peace - and this has the beginnings of a fun sci-fi-ish story. Alas, that didn't happen. <img src="http://i570.photobucket.com/albums/ss141/nataliya_carlson/images-1.jpg" width="300" height="200"/> <i>Our protagonist, ladies and gentlemen! (My vision)</i> <b>Let's immediately clarify - this "sci-fi romance" (as I have seen it described) is neither sci-fi nor romance.</b> Instead we have a watered-down story of sometimes angry overprotective men pushing around and ordering around the helpless, meek, anxious, and "selfless" heroine - and occasionally carrying "their women" around (as all men are prone to doing in Ms. Meyer's books). There is a lot of brooding, glaring, staring, whispering, and murmuring (was Ms. Meyer paid extra for every instance of "murmur" in the book? It would seem so). The narration is weak, lazy, and overly dramatic. The characters are caricatures. Pages and pages go by without <b>ANYTHING</b> happening. Boring. YAWN. This book deserves <b>ZERO stars</b>. It is to literature what <i>Gigli</i> was to movies <i>(Anyone remember that awfulness? Probably not, as I was likely the only sane human so saw it. Again - masochism)</i>. Your time is precious; please don't waste it on <i>The Host.</i> Do anything else instead - like watching paint dry, which still would be more enjoyable. ----- Edited to add (in bewilderment): <b>This "book" has a 3.86 rating on GR. Am I reading the same thing as everyone else? Was my copy of this book defective in any way?</b>"