Books 9 & 10
Book #9 was "The Golden City" by John Twelve Hawks. It's the third in his "Fourth Realm" trilogy. I read "The Traveler" several years ago and had to immediately get the sequel, "The Dark River" and devoured them both quickly. The supernatural/mystical parts don't interest me that much, but I do like how he explores privacy-invading technology and the ways different resistance groups fight against "The Vast Machine." These books are full of pretty much nonstop action and they're hard to put down once you get into them- the third book was no exception. I had a minor beef with the way the main female character was treated, particularly at the end, but overall, an extremely entertaining read.
Book #10 was "The Scarlet Pimpernel" by the Baroness Emmuska Orczy. This would be a good companion book to read around the same time you read "Tale of Two Cities" since they're both set in the French Revolution. This book has a different set of characters and a more biased (in favor of royalty/aristocracy) viewpoint than "Tale," though. It's much more of a romance with some action/adventure thrown in. I listened to this via a Librivox.org recording, and the reader is fantastic, one of the best I've heard- amateur or professional. She does several different British accents and French-accented English as well and is a lively reader. Highly recommended to other Librivox.org fans!
1. Kiss of the Spiderwoman [fiction]- Manuel Puig
2. The Garlic Ballads [fiction]- Mo Yan
3. The Botany of Desire: A Plant's Eye View of the World [non-fiction]- Michael Pollan
4. Devil in the Details: Scenes from an Obsessive Girlhood [non-fiction/memoir]- Jennifer Traig
5. Bleeding Kansas [fiction]- Sara Paretsky
6. The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas [non-fiction]- Jerry Dennis
7. The Last of Mr. Noris [fiction]- Christopher Isherwood
8. Goodbye to Berlin [fiction]- Christopher Isherwood
Book #10 was "The Scarlet Pimpernel" by the Baroness Emmuska Orczy. This would be a good companion book to read around the same time you read "Tale of Two Cities" since they're both set in the French Revolution. This book has a different set of characters and a more biased (in favor of royalty/aristocracy) viewpoint than "Tale," though. It's much more of a romance with some action/adventure thrown in. I listened to this via a Librivox.org recording, and the reader is fantastic, one of the best I've heard- amateur or professional. She does several different British accents and French-accented English as well and is a lively reader. Highly recommended to other Librivox.org fans!
1. Kiss of the Spiderwoman [fiction]- Manuel Puig
2. The Garlic Ballads [fiction]- Mo Yan
3. The Botany of Desire: A Plant's Eye View of the World [non-fiction]- Michael Pollan
4. Devil in the Details: Scenes from an Obsessive Girlhood [non-fiction/memoir]- Jennifer Traig
5. Bleeding Kansas [fiction]- Sara Paretsky
6. The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas [non-fiction]- Jerry Dennis
7. The Last of Mr. Noris [fiction]- Christopher Isherwood
8. Goodbye to Berlin [fiction]- Christopher Isherwood