I just started James Patterson's "Gone" a few days ago. (It's the latest in his Michael Bennett series.) I haven't had to chance to read more than the first 50 pages, but so far, so good.

I've heard some people say their first criteria for purchasing a book is the cover ("I won't pick it up unless the cover interests me"), while others pay it little or no heed. What about you? How important is the appearance of the cover when you're buying a book? Do you think the environme...

Thanks - I'm glad to be here amoung the fellow readers!

It doesn't seem like "too dismal" is even the question we should be asking. Rather, the question is "is it still relevant?" This novel warned against the crushing impact a totalitarian government has on individual freedoms. If you look around the world, such governments are thriv...

I can't comment on Lulu (having not used it), but my experience with CreateSpace has been positive.

Has anyone else read Ruth Downie's Medicus series? The series features a Roman doctor (Ruso) stationed in the boondocks of the Roman Empire (modern Britain). He employs his forestic skills and keen mind to (reluctantly) solve mysteries. Along the way, he rescues a native slave girl (Tila) and strive...

I too like both formats, my reasons coinciding with Cattleman's. I travel fairly often for work, and the Kindle is convenient. But I also enjoy the tactile feel of a paperback, which--after I return from the beach with it--still carries the aroma of the ocean. I write myself, so I'm hoping someone w...

Who has read Steven Pinker's works? What did you think? I liked "How the Mind Works" but felt a bit as if I were back in college: the first few chapters in particular are pretty heavy lifting. The payoff in the later chapters, however, justifies in the investment of mental energy. I enjoye...

I liked Bleak House a lot. It's not one of the Dickens book one hears about very much and as such was a pleasant surprise. Several years after I read it, I saw a the "top five" Dickens books as picked by literary experts and saw Bleak House on almost all of their lists, so I guess I'm not ...

I discovered James Rollins last year and have enjoyed his works quite a bit. I've now finished three of his novels and am preparing to begin The Doomsday Key . I like the fact that his books generally incorporate cutting-edge scientific and technological advancements. I also like their fast-paced pl...