This read quickly and had an interesting take on the whole "coming of age" story, but I felt like there was more to the book that somehow got edited out. I can't speak to specific gaps, but I just felt like there needed to be more non-character development. Also there were a few points where the timing of the story seemed to go a bit off and made things a little more confusing.

Finished 5/20/07.

Intellectually provocative and absolutely addictive, Susan Hubbard's The Society of S is an intelligent work of fiction that entertains and stimulates the senses! A modern thriller that brilliantly combines an ingenious and intricately layered plot with a haunting portrait of a young girl faced with the realization that everything she knows about her family is a well fabricated lie.

A beautiful, Victorian mansion, in the heart of Saratoga Spings, New York is home to Ariella Montero and her over-protective, eccentric father. Ariella had been content living in semi-seclusion until she was exposed to life outside the mansion by the housekeeper. As Arie's friendship with the housekeeper's daughter grows, so also do the questions about her life and her place in it. The deeper she delves into her family history she discovers everything she held as truth to be lies. Her father was a vampire, her mother, a mortal...what did this mean? Disappearing after Arie was born, her mother had taken the answers she so desperately needed with her and now Arie had to find her. We follow the young Arie as she journeys throughout the south trying to put this new information about the Society of S into perspective within the confines of her own life. These are not typical vampires, they are seamlessly integrated into mainstream life, day walkers, that are as comfortable with vitamin tonics as the historic counterparts were with sinking fangs into flesh.

While twisting the plot into great knots of emotional complexity, Hubbard has crafted a perfect mix of fascinating detail and provocative dilemma. The lyrical voice utilized throughout adds an exceptional quality to this beautifully written, coming of age story that goes inside the questions that have plagued humanity since the dawn of the world. Hubbard explores these with a refreshing eye for detail and patiently allows the character to fulfill her destiny without rushing the story, nor dragging it out with unnecessary wording. Gorgeous settings immerse the reader in a three dimensional environment, populated by believable, well rounded characters that are filled with the emotion and passion that makes mythology so enticing. The indefinable quality within Hubbard's writing that gives it that extra special zing is simply the fluidity with which the characters interact and how easily the reader becomes a part of their world. Ariella's pursuit of knowledge captures the imagination on a basic human level and takes us on a riveting journey that remains in the heart and mind of the reader long after the book has been closed.

This is a wonderful book, don't miss it! The characters and the story have been shaped with just enough mystery in the clues to allow for a sequel! I hope for at least one more installment from Hubbard revolving around these characters.

Happy Reading!
- RJ

5/08

I must admit, I had higher expectations for this book. It turned into more of a teen novel than I thought. Hubbard does her high points though, great imagery and very well thought out. However compared to all the other vampire novels out there, this one just doesn't cut it.

Everyone by now knows what The Lord of the Rings is and what's it basically about. Well this is the book before the amazing trilogy, and since the movies have came out, it seems that this book has become shadowed. I strongly believe that this book is very close to being just as good as the others. The people I know that have read the books, tend to remember The Hobbit better. As we have come to know Tolkien, most start to realize (like him or not) he is a literary genius. Creating his own langagues and world. I believe that anyone intrested in the Lord of the Rings should read this book, and even those who weren't crazy about them should. I would say that this book is more addicting then the others seem to be.

Well I finally did it. Ever since I first read The Hobbit back in elementary school I had been meaning to read J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings but I never did get around to it...until now.

It took me virtually forever to finish this thing. I started in January and it's May now. Yikes, have I become a slow reader. However, it's not just my speed at reading that made this novel slow, there were many parts to it that I just found outright slow going as well.

The Hobbit was an excellent read, hence the reason I wished to always read this novel. Heck, I've read The Hobbit twice! The Lord Of The Rings I doubt I will ever read again.

I'm one of those weird people that like to read the actual stories that so many modern writers have taken inspiration and their ideas from. The Lord Of The Rings is just such a novel. Back in the day apparently, this was one, if not the first big successful 'Epic Fantasy' novel.

The story is one where the entire world (called middle-Earth) is threatened by an ancient evil lord named Sauron. Many side with him and many side with the 'good guys'. There is one group of characters that the novel mainly concentrates on though, four hobbits, an elf, a dwarf, and a few men.

Frodo Baggins (an adopted relative of Bilbo from The Hobbit) is given a massive quest. It is he who must save the world by destroying a ring that can give the Lord Sauron all the power he needs to conquer middle-Earth. The rest of the characters set out with him to assist him in his quest.

The novel tells the story of each character at times but mainly the stars of the novel are the four hobbits. Their stories and activities are told in detail.

At first I have to admit, I hated these whiny little hobbits that slept and ate all the time. It drove me bonkers! All the other types of characters seemed so hard working and noble, how could I like these little guys? Eventually though, Tolkien concentrates almost solely on the hobbits so you really begin to have no choice but to like them. While I never could stand Frodo throughout the novel (I can't remember how many times when he looked like he would die, I actually wished he would!), the other two, Merry and Pippin became favorites. They were these goofy two guys that eventually became the noblest of creatures in the end. They both fought hard and went through great pains to try to save those they loved. The other hobbit was Sam. Who the heck is this slave? I swear, many times throughout the novel I thought Sam and Frodo would fall in love and finally both of them would get out of the closet. If this was written today, these guys couldn't possibly have passed for being straight.

Many have seen the movie, many have seen the cartoon, I have. I can't believe what a wonderful job the film has done to cut out all the tedious bits of this novel (and let me tell you...there are many tedious bits). If they cut three major things down a little out of this story, the eating (eating, wishing for food, preparing food, etc. etc.), the sleeping, and the little scared hungry hobbits walking around getting more scared, then this novel may have kicked some serious butt! It doesn't though.

The above three things are what really dragged this novel down. Hundreds upon hundreds of pages of scared hungry hobbits. I could barely take it. The base story itself is a really good one. Perhaps I am a child of the MTV generation and need action upon action. I doubt it though, I like a little atmosphere but The Lord Of The Rings borders on the ridiculous. There were countless times I'd really get into the story only to have it switch to people eating for the next eighty or so pages (is this story called The Lord Of The Rings, or Cooking With Hobbits?). I just don't understand why there was so much about nothing written in this story. Heck, even when you think the story should be over, it drags on for yet three or four more chapters..end it!

I am happy I finally read this huge thing though. I now can see where many a fantasy writer has gotten their ideas and expanded or refined them. Nowadays fantasy novels are everywhere. They are a dime a dozen one might say, some great, some very poor. Even though Tolkien may have set the standard for Epic Fantasy fiction as we know it, I find I didn't really enjoy The Lord Of The Rings that much. If it had less of the stuff I mentioned earlier the story may have flowed better and had been more enjoyable. Heck, the quest and all was interesting. It just wasn't rewarding enough of a read to have to sift through endless idle hobbit lore. If I ever read Tolkien again, I think I'll stick to The Hobbit.

The Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite epic sagas!! I was given a copy of the Collector's Edition hardcover containing the three books of the trilogy by my kids as a birthday gift. By Far one of the greatest stories of all time!

I have a different edition.

I picked this book up with few expectations. Though a fan of Gaiman's other, smaller books (such as Coraline), somehow the book description didn't particularly grab me. Luckily, I was very pleasantly surprised. The book is funny and fantastical; the characters are endearing, the plot original. It's now one of my favorite fantasy-esque reads, and a quirky book that I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys a little magic in their lives now and then.

sometimes a witch living next door changes the life.
a boy does not miss his loss, because he does not remember.
sometimes i think that he wanted to loose that part of a god-spider.

BLURB

Fat Charlie Nancy is not actually fat. He was fat once but he is definitely not fat now. No, right now Fat Charlie Nancy is angry, confused and more than a little scared ndash; right now his life is spinning out of control, and it is all his dad's fault. If his rotter of an estranged father hadn't dropped dead at a karaoke night, Charlie would still be blissfully unaware that his dad was Anansi the spider god. He would have no idea that he has a brother called Spider, who is also a god. And there would be no chance that said brother would be trying to take over his life, flat and fiancegrave;e, or, to make matters worse, be doing a much better job of it than him. Desperate to reclaim his life, Charlie enlists the help of four more-than-slightly eccentric old ladies and their unique brand of voodoo ndash; and between them they unleash a bitter and twisted force to get rid of Spider. But as darkness descends and badness begins is Fat Charlie Nancy going to get his life back in one piece or is he about to enter a whole netherworld of pain?

REVIEW