Avalon High, by Meg Cabot

Summary: What starts out as a high school soap opera takes a turn for the fantastic. King Arthur, anyone?

Comments: I'm not sure creepy is quite the word I'm looking for, altho given that ending... I'm not sure what to think. It's complicated. On another subject, romance in books seems to bear no relation to how things happen in real life. Does that kind of thing really happen? Ignoring all fantastical elements, I mean. The book was well written and suspenseful and I was amazed how things came together in the end. On a completely random note, this book made me think of Perelanda, or maybe one of the other books in that trilogy, whichever is the third book, and now I really want to read it again. Not that I didn't before on account of having been discussing it with a friend and not remembering anything, but now I want to be reminded of the details.

5 People Who Died During Sex, and 100 Other Terribly Tasteless Lists, by Karl Shaw

I think the second half of the title sums it up pretty well. I'm pretty sure no book I've ever read uses the word 'anal' as much as this one does. Lots of "Not sure I actually wanted to know that". On the other hand, they are rather amusing lists. And random stuff unlikely to be found in the usual kinds of sources.

The Tuesday Club Murders, by Agatha Christie

Summary: A series of short mysteries in which Miss Marple manages to guess whodunnit.

Comments: Yay mysteries! I'm not sure what else to say other than the stories were well written and it tended to be hard to guess who the culprit really was.

Through a Glass, Darkly, by Jostein Gaarder

Summary: When Cecilia is sick, she meets the angel Ariel who gives her an idea what it is to be human and what it's like in heaven.

Thoughts: I think this is a book to be savoured and carefully considered. Unfortunately, I didn't bother to do either. Still, there are things to consider.

Breakfast at Tiffany's: A short novel and three Stories, by Truman Capote

I'm not sure what to say. Short stories are a far different medium than full novels, and it's weird reading a book when I already know what happens thanks to the movie. Reading Breakfast At Tiffany's, I kept imagining the scenes in the movie. And I'm not sure the story made any more sense than the moive did. I'd say all the stories are basically fluff that distracts one from life for a brief moment. They're glimpses into the life of someone else who has a far different life than you've ever known.

Vita Brevis, by Jostein Gaarder

Summary: A letter to Saint Augustine from the woman he lived with for years prior to his conversion to Christianity.

Comments: I don't know what to think. On one level, it's an intriguing narrative, his words contrasted with her responses. Reflections on the value of abstinence versus the value of enjoying God's creation, which of these paths is more pleasing to God. On another level, is this a real letter or not? It appers to be based on real events, but given that it's Gaarder's book, it wouldn't surprise me if it isn't (after Maya, I'm not sure I can trust anything he says with regards to whether or not something actually happened). Regardless, this book once again brought to the forefront my musings on God and what is expected of us as human beings.

Sunstorm, by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter

Summary: An immense pulse of solar energy is going to be directed at the earth, enough energy to destroy all life on the planet and render it uninhabitable. Can various characters manage to save life on Earth?

Response: A gripping story of humankind's attempt to overcome a challenge of immense proportions. And they still don't answer half the questions I had left over from the last book! (They just distracted me from them.) The technology involved in this book is amazing. I don't know how they could possibly have thought up some of the stuff involved. It'll be interesting to see if any of it becomes a reality. Who knows how 2037-2042 as imagined from ~25 years before will compare to 2037-2042 as they really happen.

Comment: It's rather strange to take a break from reading a book and find out that one of the authors of said book just died.

Wish You Were Here, by Nick Webb

biography of Douglas Adams... enlightening, but I found it hard to get interested in reading it at times. Maybe if I'd been able to spread it out over awhile instead of going "omg i have to finish it before it's due (ie today)". Regardless, it was a pretty good book.

Time's Eye, by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter

Summary: Something happens to the world, and Bisesa, Kolya, Josh, and their respective companions find themselves on/near an unfamiliar Earth made up of slices of the Earth from throughout history.

Comments: Okay, seriously, what the hell happened? If I didn't know this was the first book in a series, I'd be pissed that they didn't bother explaining why everything went wierd and what the Eyes are there for and so on.

Other than that, it was a great book and I really enjoyed it. High adventure in the "what if" style. But still, there's loose ends left for the next books (although the book does have a defined ending with tying up of simpler points).