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Doubleday Dilemma

  • May. 30th, 2005 at 10:24 PM
serious
banazir
A couple of years ago now, just before gondhir went to Mordor (and happily came back safely), I joined the Doubleday Book Club. They were offering a single hard-copy volume of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (at that time, The Two Towers was in theatres). I got six copies and sent them to the beardless dwarf, and he distributed them to friends.

Since then, I haven't had time or inclination to choose a single book towards fulfilling my obligation of "four books in two years". Therefore, a couple of months ago, they cancelled my membership, asked me for $67, and sent me four coupons for books from their "selection of popular titles".

Here's the list. What do you think I should get?


  • 01. The Broker by John Grisham

  • 02. Unexpected Blessings by Barbara Taylor Bradford

  • 03. Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz

  • 04. State of Fear by Michael Crichton

  • 05. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

  • 06. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

  • 07. The Rising by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

  • 08. Impossible by Danielle Steele

  • 09. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

  • 10. Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss

  • 11. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling

  • 12. The South Beach Diet by Arthur Agaston

  • 13. 101 Crafts Under $10 (it's a coffee table book)

  • 14. The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren

  • 15. The South Beach Diet Cookbook by Arthur Agaston

  • 16. The Perricone Promise by Nicholas Perricone

  • 17. Survivor in Death by Nora Roberts writing as J. D. Robb (why do famous authors use alternate pen names?)

  • 18. NASCAR for Dummies by Mark Martin (is-- no, not gonna say it)

  • 19. The Ultimate Weight Solution Cookbook by Phil McGraw (I've heard good and bad things about these books)

  • 20. Guiness World Records 2005 (a 50th anniversary edition)



--
Banazir
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  • Current Music:John Williams - Assassin / Chase Through Coruscant (AOTC)

Comments

( 9 comments — Leave a comment )
kauricat
Jun. 3rd, 2005 09:35 pm (UTC)
My .02
Oooh, Dan Brown books! I enjoy his books, but not everyone does. They are of the type of book that pretends to be factual but isn't really. My father is really into the Templars/Masons/Conspiracy stuff, so I have heard a lot of the theories in Dan's books already and I love them because they remind me of my father and the discussions we have had.

I liked the first few books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, but they felt stale to me after a while and I stopped reading them. If you haven't read anything by them before (any of the Left Behind series) it might be a good read.

I haven't read anything by Koontz or Crichton for years, though I used to like both of them (Koontz definitely went downhill after "Watchers," though).
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banazir
Jun. 3rd, 2005 10:57 pm (UTC)
Re: My .02
Oooh, Dan Brown books! I enjoy his books, but not everyone does. They are of the type of book that pretends to be factual but isn't really. My father is really into the Templars/Masons/Conspiracy stuff, so I have heard a lot of the theories in Dan's books already and I love them because they remind me of my father and the discussions we have had.
I'm a bit ambivalent about Templar conspiracy. The only book featuring Templars/Masons that I liked was the second of Katherine Kurtz's Adept series.

I liked the first few books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, but they felt stale to me after a while and I stopped reading them. If you haven't read anything by them before (any of the Left Behind series) it might be a good read.
I'm curious about Left Behind itself, which I've never read (nor seen the film). The rest I can believe are stale.

I haven't read anything by Koontz or Crichton for years, though I used to like both of them (Koontz definitely went downhill after "Watchers," though).
I did not like the parts I read of Congo and it's one of the few books I never finished. Jurassic Park looked all right, and I heard good things about Timeline.

Koontz's book covers look a little dumb to me.

Thanks for the advice,
Banazir
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angharad
Jun. 5th, 2005 12:02 am (UTC)
Re: My .02
The only book featuring Templars/Masons that I liked was the second of Katherine Kurtz's Adept series.

Have you read "Foucault's Pendulum" by Umberto Eco?
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dipping_sauce
Jun. 3rd, 2005 10:20 pm (UTC)
I have a soft spot for Dean Koontz' books. They're decent enough reads.

The Dan Brown stuff reads like Hollywood blockbuster screenplays turned into novels. Brainless and really only worth it if you want to see what all the fuss is about.

Danielle Steele and Barbara Taylor Bradford write romance novels. That's all I know.

I wouldn't touch the LaHaye/Jenkins book or the Albom book with a ten-foot pole.
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(Deleted comment)
banazir
Jun. 4th, 2005 08:19 am (UTC)
Grisham
I'm a fan of John Grisham books. Typically he does lawyer and law type stories, however he has strayed a few times with books like A Painted House. They are still a good read. I've never read The Broker but if its anything like his others, it should be pretty good.
OK, thanks.

I'm not much of a reader. I don't typically read any of the other authors listed.
I used to read more - mostly SF (Card, Asimov, May, Simmons, Brooks) and the occasional mystery (Christie, Sayers) or thriller. Through a book club accident I read Thomas Harris's Hannibal and liked it - it was more intriguing than the film.

FWIW, though, I've never read anything by any of the authors except Crichton.

--
Banazir
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(Deleted comment)
banazir
Jun. 4th, 2005 08:16 am (UTC)
Over 30 books
There are at least 30 books, maybe 40. I'm sure there are more eligible ones on the site, too. I just can't find any of it.

--
Banazir
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carida_46
Jun. 4th, 2005 08:00 am (UTC)
erk!
Too much 'light' in the reading. Even your Mum wouldn't like the Danielle Steele or Bradford woman's effort.. I read anything by John Grisham I can get my hands on.
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neadods
Jun. 4th, 2005 01:52 pm (UTC)
If you can't figure out what you want, maybe there are some books on the list that would be good presents for someone you know?
| Reply | Thread
banazir
Jun. 4th, 2005 03:35 pm (UTC)
Chacun a son gout
If you can't figure out what you want, maybe there are some books on the list that would be good presents for someone you know?
Good idea; I wish I knew my friends' and family's reading tastes better. I've just started to even get them to make Amazon wishlists.

--
Banazir
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( 9 comments — Leave a comment )

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banazir
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