Books

[lotusbiosm]

OK, so, I just got directions to the local branch of the DC public library, which is like 5 blocks maximum from my house. And it being summer, I have time to read for fun. I read all of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on Saturday, and I'm speeding along through Order of the Phoenix too. (I'm refreshing for when Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince comes out) I'm certain to get some books for my birthday, but as that isn't until July, I need something to tide me over until then. I got two books at Easter, but they're not really "sit down and read" books, so much as "throw in your bag to have in case you get stuck somewhere with nothing to do" books. Which is fine, but I want something I can sink my teeth into. Which is where you, dear readers, come in. Recommend me some books. Old classics, new favorites, long, short, romantic, comedic, tragic, whatever. Feel free to ask questions before making rec's, and my userinfo should give you some sense of what I like.

Comments

[bluemoonshark.livejournal.com]

I heartily recommend the Crown of Stars series by Kate Elliott, starting with King's Dragon. They're weighty, both in length and in tone, but are set in an intriguing world that's based on an egalitarian feudal Europe. They're fascinating and satisfying to read if you've got mondo blocks of time on your hands.

She's the same author who wrote Jaran, who then viciously betrayed me in its sequels.

Recommended Reading

[eredien]

I'm currently reading Alfred Bester's "The Stars My Destination." I quite like it. Try it!

Also, I enjoyed "Stalking the Wild Asparagus" (about foraging for food in the wild), "Labyrinths of Iron" (on the history of subways), and "The Autumn Castle" (decent fantasy fiction 'beach reading' with a truly wonderfully scary villian, the best I've seen in recent years). Oh, and that Creole folktale book I reviewed on my journal a week or so ago.

Can you tell that I, too, have been making use of my local library?

[sleepingtree.livejournal.com]

I'm interviewing (it's a phone interview) for a job I'm barely qualified for in DC this week. Should the miracle occur and I get the job--any suggestions where I can live for cheap?

[lotusbiosm.livejournal.com]

I'm assuming you know about Craig's List (http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/). The City Paper (http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/class/classifieds.html) also has good listings, as does The Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/rentals/index.html?g=1). "Cheap" in DC's going to mean something radically different than cheap in Maine. Within the District proper, some cheaper neighborhoods are Columbia Heights and Petworth. Adams Morgan's considered kind of hip, and I think you might be able to find some decent prices there. I've seen decent rates in Capitol Hill too. Georgetown, Foggy Bottom and Dupont Circle are all likely to be well out of your price range, although I'm sure you have a bit more to spend than I do. There are others too. Also, the suburbs (in Virginia and Maryland) are often cheaper than the city, but then you have a longer commute, and may need a car to go shopping and whatnot (but I think you have a car, so that might not be a problem). If you have a roommate, you can split costs, of course. I pay $615 for one room in a house, which covers rent, all utilities, cable and wireless internet (though the new tenant is paying $650 I think).
Some links:
http://www.livejournal.com/community/washingtondc/755686.html (DC neighborhoods)
http://www.livejournal.com/community/washingtondc/164623.html (Safe Places to live)

Books! ::beams::

[(Anonymous)]

Well, I read your info. Hope it helps.

So far this summer the best books I've read have been Newberys--::giggles::--if you want a listing of every Newbery there is, it's on my school website...

...if you'd like something a little more grown-up, so to speak, the best book I read last semester was probably Paris to the Moon, by Adam Gopnik. I read this for an English project on Gopnik because I think his writing is simply amazing (if a little snobby once in a while) and this's the only book he's put out so far. It's nonfiction, about five years he spent in Paris with his family. Some of the book is about French government, some about his thoughts on French culture (art, food, other stuff), and quite a bit is about his family. It's pretty long, but the themes he draws are really universal, and anyway, it's interesting.

If you want something historical that reads like fiction, there's an autobiography of the Air Force soldier who got shot down in Bosnia and then rescued, Scott O'Grady, called Return With Honor. It's been a few years since I read it, but I remember liking it.

That's all I've got. If you try any of them, I hope you like them. :)

-Kellie

[(Anonymous)]

(Return With Honor goes into O'Grady's Christian faith, by the way--I'm not trying to be all super-moral in my book-listing; it's just the way it runs, and since you used to go to Jude's sometimes with Kristin, I didn't figure it bothered you any.)