Wow, Ithilwen. You're amazing! I love a good puzzle (not the jig-saw variety though) but I don't know if I'd have the patience to work through all those clues, or even know where to look for the clues to decipher them. Excellent work! I have great respect for your detective skills. I guess there is much more to the series than I first suspected - a lot more!

Wow...Ith, that is so interesting! I love how you figured out the "keys" that meant something important and possibly in code was to follow. And the bit about Ramona was wayyyyy too weird. I'm really really curious now as to what other connections in other books you discovered?? Please do post more

It kinda of reminds me a year or so ago when I was REALLY into reading Agatha Christie books and watching mystery movies, crime shows, etc. And I figured out some helpful formulas for figuring out "who done it". For example, in a TV show where "who did it" isn't obvious from the beginning (often Castle, Criminal Minds, and The Mentalist do this...the bad guy is on the show, but you aren't supposed to know who he is. Shows like CSI don't usually do that), I figured out that by the half-hour mark, you'll have already met the villian. Then you have to figure out who is the person the show wants you to think is the killer. You can eliminate that person. I noticed that usually it's not the first suspect they meet, but it's not the last either. They need to make enough of an impression that when they announce it's them at the end of the show you actually remember who they are, but they also need to have less screen time then the other suspects so you forget about the real villian for a little while. Ususally goes meet suspect 1, meet suspect 2 and 3 (the villian is one of these), meet suspect 4...suspect 4 is usually quite suspicious and they will spend a lot of time with them, often looping back to suspect 1 but coming around eventually to the middle one/ones.
For fans of the TV show the Office, during an episode where the characters put on a murder mystery game during office hours with everyone playing different parts, my favorite character Dwight makes the statement: "It's never the person you most suspect. It's never the person you least suspect. It's always the person you most medium suspect." And I've found this surprisingly true! Especially on those types of TV shows!

Murder mystery books are harder, I find, cause they can get away with having the "least suspecting" person be the bad guy without it seeming really obvious. I've found it helpful though to think of the show/book from the eyes of the producer/writer, and to try to figure out how they want the show to go...different characters as the villian will effect all the other characters and effect the ending...so how does the show feel like it going, toward what end is it moving?

ahem. anyways, I seem to have forgotten for a moment that this is the books thread and not the TV one perhaps I'll copy this post into there too...

I found it really enjoyable to read you post, Val.
I have a whole lot of books on my list, and they're all sitting waiting for me. I admit, I have a weakness for comic books, and I love Pearls before Swine, so I have 4 of those to read. And then I got three more Unfortunate Event's books. And I just finished FotR, so I have to read the two others. And Betsie just loaned us The King of Attolia, so I have to read through all that series. Some serious reading here, and I can't wait!!

I recently read Leaving by Karen Kingsbury. My opinion of it is . It was very disappointing, and a waste of my afternoon. I will read the three other books in the series, but probably not until they have all been released.

On Monday, one of my friends loan me Wives and Daughter by Elizabeth Gaskell, Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris, and To Have and To Hold by Mary Johnston.

I started Wives and Daughters yesterday and I'm just 16 pages into 644. I would like to finish it before she returns of a trip in a couple of weeks, but I'm not sure if I can. So far it's good, but it's so long and I'm not a big fan of loooooooooong books.

I started Do Hard Things as well. It's really good so far. Although my parents have a higher expectations for me than most parents do, I know I can still learn from the book. When I finish it, I'm going to pass it on to my siblings.

SnowAngel

Has anyone read the Alex Rider books? I was wondering what age group they are intended for. Are they for pre- teens or can older teenager enjoy them as well?

A few months ago I got into the Redwall series by Brian Jacques(RIP). I remember watching the three season TV show with my brother only because he was a fan of the books. I adored the show, and now I adore the books. They have a perfect blend of action, adventure, character, emotion, mystery, and sometimes even a little romance.

The main synopsis of the series is of personified animals in their own unnamed world in a woods known as Mossflower, such as badgers, mice, squirrels, hares, moles, hedgehogs, who in some of the books have to defend the abbey(Redwall abbey) from enemies, such as rats, weasels, stoats, ferrets, lizards. In other books, it is a prequel setting. Throughout the series, many of the books feature Martin the Warrior, the first abbey warrior who saved Mossflower, appears in visions or dreams to help the characters fight the enemy.

The books I've read so far are Redwall, Mattimeo, Mossflower, Pearls of Lutra, Martin the Warrior, and I'm currently reading The Legend of Luke. If you haven't read them, I would really recommend so.

Got around to finishing Emma by Jane Austen recently. I'm afraid it has set the bar for good romance stories even higher than my previous Austen excursion, Pride and Prejudice, did... and that one set the bar really high as it is! Of course, I find the book to be in many ways much more than just a romance novel, and it really seems to be more about a girl who, though well-meaning in all she does, causes much mischief and pain and learns through it all (something that I think really needs to be in more books).

It's also a good lesson on why shipping in real life is a Bad Idea.

I'll probably be reading Mansfield Park next; I already started it sometime ago, and it's good so far, though a bit sad because goodness, poor Fanny Price never gets a break...

*files away The Man Born to Be King for future seeking* Wasn't that the name of a Dorothy Sayers play? Or it was something very similar.

Was The Sable Quean (odd spelling; must look that up) a Redwall book, or is it a stand-alone? I need to read the Brian Jacques' books I haven't got to yet. How odd about the rabbet spelling. I'd assume it had something to do with quean...

Hurrah on your finds, wolfloversk! I do love getting more books.

Land of Dreams sounds interesting but a bit dark for me... Would you suggest it, shastastwin?

It's also a good lesson on why shipping in real life is a Bad Idea.

Hahaha, indeed. That made me laugh.

I've briefly thought of trying to read the SOUE books since I've only read the first one and found it okay (the writing is the best thing about the books), but I have so many books to get to... That hidden code stuff is freaking me out, though, so maybe I won't.

Speaking of snarky takes on Old-Fashioned Literature For Children, I read Lois Lowry's The Willoughbys, which I somewhat liked but not as much as I thought I would. I felt like a certain insufferable character didn't get the comeuppance he deserved, although at least he did change and his main victim became very assertive. Still, it was clever and somewhat enjoyable and everybody gets what they want in the end. There are plenty of references to Old-Fashioned Stories throughout; there was one quip about Peter the Goatherd from Heidi that made me laugh for about five minutes straight.
I read The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan and Peter Sís, which was very poetic and sad and rather lovely but a bit slow. I did like it though, but it didn't quite reach my expectations. I also would have liked to know more about what happened to the protagonist, but I suppose I could read a more standard biography for that. It was a good book, though, and the drawings fit in well and added to the story. Rather a unique book.
I also read a Royal Diaries book about a Mayan princess, the Lady of Palenque. It was actually surprisingly dull, and the writing was stilted. Oh well. I do like learning about Mayan and early Mesoamerican cultures.
My inner twelve-year-old also begged me to read The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittany Ryan, whom I've never heard of. It's about Santa's daughter who must break a curse placed on her by an evil wizard and save the land of Forever, which is where all the mythological figures and creatures live. It sounds a lot like Fairyland/Faerie crossed with heaven, except that people have to earn their way there with good works. :/ I found the mythology the most interesting part of the book. Ryan's worldbuilding is fairly good but she wasn't able to hold my interest on the whole "princess with a curse" thing; one always knows how that will go. It was a bit formulaic and Holly is a bit flat (all beautiful, angelic lady with invisible flaws. You know the drill). It was somewhat interesting, the romance the least so, but I would have enjoyed it more if I were younger (and if I'd read less, since one can't help but think of other books that did it better). The illustrations were old-fashioned and lovely; easily the best part.
And today I read The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selzncik. Ahh, such a fantastic book with such lovely illustrations (it won the Caldecott Award, which caused a bit of an uproar since those are given to picture books, and some argued TIOHC doesn't count since it's a novel. But the pictures are just as important to the story as the words are, so I think it definitely deserves it). It's well plotted and paced, although the splitting of the book into Book I and Book II is somewhat unnecessary, since Book II picks up immediately after Book I left off. Still, I really liked it. It involves secrets and machines and movies and it's wonderful. A movie of the book is coming out soon, I think.

Book links!
Make your laptop look like pretty books!
The best library-related postcards I've ever read.
Weird Writing Habits of Famous Authors. A lot of them involve alcohol.
11 Literary Holidays
Harry Potter stuff:
Harry Potter in comic book form
10 great and not-so-great things about the HP books and movies
This one is rather silly and more movie-based, but: Rock Stars Who Look Like Wizards
Similarly, which CEOs would be which HP wizards?
This Hogwarts House comedy YouTube video made me laugh harder than anything. As with anything YouTube, beware the comments and other video titles.

Bless, me if I haven't left the point out altogether! Wasn't William Morris in some way associated with Christina Rosetti, and a whole romantic moviement in literature and art?

Yes, I believe he was, at least on the romantic movement in lit and art. I'm not sure about the Rosetti connection (maybe Dante Rosetti?), because I think I've run across his name more frequently in conjunction with... Edward Burne-Jones? *is having memory fail*

Was The Sable Quean (odd spelling; must look that up) a Redwall book, or is it a stand-alone? I need to read the Brian Jacques' books I haven't got to yet. How odd about the rabbet spelling. I'd assume it had something to do with quean...

It's a Redwall book, and the main villains reminded me a bit of Anthony and Cleopatra. I wish he'd done a bit more with that. I'm with you in that there should be a connection, but I can't find one.

The illustrations in The Legend of Holly Claus WERE the best part.

I'm currently re-reading the Prydain Chronicles, and am now debating whether to skip Taran Wanderer because I don't have a copy... or if I should make a point to get it from the library and wait weeks to read The High King. What to do?!!

That's funny, because I'm rereading the Prydain Chronicles, too.
I also finished rereading The Robe. Love that book--the atmosphere, the characters, the story. All of it.
Also still rereading The Iron Ring and The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha. And finished I Shall Wear Midnight.

Land of Dreams sounds interesting but a bit dark for me... Would you suggest it, shastastwin?

Yeah, I would recommend it. It's a very interesting foray into speculative fiction, and while it's not the most compelling plot that I've read in years it is well worth a read.

I'm rereading the Iliad. I'll probably reread the Odyssey after. Its one of my favorite pieces of liiterature! I love Greek mythology, so reading the Iliad is always a treat for me.

Currently rereading The Hero and the Crown. Going to reread The Blue Sword as well. Unfortunately I do not have time to reread The Lord of the Rings before I go back to school.

I was just re-reading a few Willo Davis Roberts books - and then I found out that she died 6 years ago
and I was wondering why she hadn't written anything recently.....

Oh, like The Girl with the Silver Eyes? I've read that. It was very very cool. It's always sad when authors I like die