Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Book #2) by J. R. R. Tolkien

Whereas the first book in the trilogy set the story and introduced the characters, this second installment just amazed.  The party was split and much of the time in confusion and worry and as a reader you are drawn right in.  I could not stop reading.  There is less action than the prior but much more character development and bonding; in particular Sam and Frodo, and Gimli and Legolas.  The tone of the novel was also more somber which goes to show Tolkien's mastery of writing.  By simply removing songs it went to show how dire times were and how characters had more important items to tend to.  Simply amazing.

A Storm of Swords (A Song of Fire and Ice #3) by George R. R. Martin

Of the first three books of the Game of Thrones legend I have read thus far, A Storm of Swords (Song of Fire and Ice #3) is by far the fastest paced, most exciting, and contains the most jaw dropping moments.  If you thought you had any notion of where George R.R. Martin was taking the tale, you would definitely reconsider after everything is uprooted.  Wow and fantastic are the best way to describe this masterpiece.  Also, for those who like to compare the book and the television show, the first two books and the first two seasons parallel each other pretty well, but season three and book three start to diverge.  Characters missing, or there events being replaced by others, people at different places in the realm, and the most surprising is that where season three of the television show ends, there is still about another half or full season worth of story left in the book.  I would not be surprised if the television show starts to drag out and make multiple seasons out of the books, perhaps to make more money, but more than likely (in my opinion), to allow George R.R. Martin time to finish writing and releasing book 6 and 7 before the show catches up.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Quite amusing indeed.  The story was somewhat random, but that was all part of its charm.  The characters, and the scenarios were original, and it is clear that Douglas Adams was half part genius, and half part insane.  I think everyone should at least give this book a shot to see if it suits their fancy.

Deception Point by Dan Brown

Before I have read any Dan Brown books I have only heard good things about his writting. I decided to see what all the hub-bub was about, but I figured I should not start with the Robert Langdon series because I may be biased due to how much I enjoyed the movie adaptations (you can do no wrong with Tom Hanks). So my Dan Brown choices for a first read were limited and Deception Point was the winner, and after I read it, I think I became the winner; the book was amazing. The amount of research/scientific knowledge/detail that went into the well thought out plot are awe inspiring. Dan Brown crafts a suspenseful story that literally can not be put down without wanting to pick it back up moments later. The characters in the book are fantastic and so diverse, from the sleazy politician, to the masculine yet vulnerable explorer, to the intelligent and independent female lead, to the comic relief of the quirky scientist; this book has it all.

The book was about a group of scientists/researchers who are being hunted down after they think they have uncovered a fatal flaw in the most historic find to all of mankind. THe great part about the book is that the mystery stays alive for the duration of the book. Although there were some aspects of the plot that you could figure out before they happened, this just lulled you into a false sense of security when you were hit with something out of the blue turning everything you thought you knew upside down. I must say I was impressed with Dan Brown, his writting, and his ability to tell a thrilling story. I was made a fan and I will definitley continue reading whatever he puts out.

Nation by Terry Pretchett

I was somewhat amazed at how good this book was. Knowing little about it before diving into it, other than familiarity with Terry Practhett's Discworld series, I gave it a chance, and it turned out to be a perfect story of survival, friendship, acceptance, and humor all rolled into one fantastically told tale. Everything about the plot is so clever and well thought out, everything about the characters were so believable, including their flaws and language barriers, and everything about the book in general was great. I can now honestly say, if I was monsooned and stuck on an island, I would definitely want to be stuck on an island like this and with Mau and Erma...I mean Daphne. Although, Nation is classified for Young Adults, readers of all ages will enjoy it.

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) by George R.R. Martin

As a fan of the television series, I figured I would hop on the band wagon and read the books, at least for no other reason than to be able to look down upon those who just watch television (joking). Now that I have read it I can completely see why this was made into a more than popular show, and why it has such success; the book is amazing; to the point where nothing substantial was changed in the television adaptation. This book had such great visualizations, great characters, great dialogue, and such a complex and interesting story. Now I can say that this book will not be for everyone, because it can get a little gory, and can also go into some other scenes in a little too much detail, but for those with stronger stomachs I say have at it. Also, for those who are already fans of the show, reading the book will give you some more insight into the characters and back story that may have been glazed over on the screen, and in some cases, the book was more suspenseful.

Duma Key by Stephen King

A very interesting book with some great characters. Duma Key is very long, drawn out, and slow moving, but with some great moments of suspense. As you read along you actually start to get to know the main character, Edgar, pretty well and start to feel his pain, and fear his fears. This may not be one of King's scariest novels, but that does not mean it is not fantastic in and of itself (plus I do not like horror novels so there are many King books I will not read, luckily this was not one of them).

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Who would have thought it would be so entertaining to read about a man whose soul is slowly corrupted through temptation and vanity? Truly a masterpiece of literature and the dialogue is this book has no equal. It is safe to say, I am Wilde about this novel.

Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

It is clear that James Patterson can really do any genre. Paired up with Gabrielle Charbonnet, these two authors create a magical and corrupt world where the line between right and wrong has been smudged and grayed. The two main characters, siblings Whisty and Whit, discover how special they are and learn of a prophecy that they happen to be caught in the middle of as main players. Clever, charming, suspenseful, and just an utter joy to read for all ages.

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

What Gregory Maguire has done here is nothing short of remarkable. Taking one of the most well known villains in literature/cinema and having the reader genuinely like and root for her. Even though I knew how the tale would undoubtedly end, I hoped it would not happen, and that is not to say that this book was a disappointment, it was far from that. The whole perspective change of the story was flawlessly done and by doing so made some of the most dynamic characters I have read, and oddly at the same time the characters actions make the original story of Oz make a little more sense. I would recommend this to anyone who has seen or read The Wizard of Oz, but perhaps not someone who loves it for its wholesome goodness.

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

Wow; I think that pretty much sums it up. The tale of the last unaffected man surviving the vampire bacterial outbreak is absolutely amazing. We read as he slowly loses his mind, yet still manages to skeptically find hope from time to time. This book has fantastic rationalizations and explanations to why certain details of vampire lore exist, and also has a completely original take on the genre. This kept me deeply invested in the story and I could not wait to read on.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was another surprising treat. I have been having great luck with ready books that my friends recommend, but I know absolutely nothing about the story. Turns out that the story is murder mystery, but for a murder that had taken place forty years prior to the story. The story revolves around the main male lead, Mikael Blomkvist, being hired to look into the murder at the request of an old man whose one last request in life is find justice for his beloved grandniece, Harriet. The trail of break crumbs leads him all over the place, and it is not until he joins forces with the gifted researcher, Lisbeth Salander (who happens to be the main female lead as well as the girl with the dragon tattoo), does his adventure really gain traction.

What I liked best about this book, besides the unique take on a murder mystery, and exciting plot, was that all the characters were so believable. Each character was so flawed that they seemed so genuine. Mikael was somewhat of a womanizer, but also a guy who tried to do the right thing, with the limitations he knew he had, and Lisbeth had a troubled path, a history of mental illness, apparent trust issues, and at points seemed borderline schizophrenic. Together though, the characters play off one another, and are build up by each others strengths into an unstoppable duo. Also, a highly interesting aspect of this book, was that it was written in another language (then translated to English), and as such I was able to get insight into the mind of a whole new culture (the story took place in Sweden). I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a great (not so easy to figure out) mystery, and/or someone who loves amazing character development. I must warn you however, that some parts of the book were a little odd, for lack of a better word. Not exactly a deal breaker, but the scenes did help to make the characters a little more interesting as well, albeit deter me from wanting to see the film adaptation of the book.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

It become clear just a few pages into this book what it means to be a classic. The Count of Monte Cristo is the definition of absolutely amazing. It has the perfect combination of adventure, excitement, mystery, humor, love, loss, sorrow, and I can go on and on, but I will spare you. Throughout the book you want Edmond to succeed and to get insight into his mind as his plan unfolds is spectacular. Some of the pieces I could only put together as they were happening, to which I find myself in the "now I see" moment. Such a clever book, and such a great writer. I have already began to use some of the dialogue of this book in my everyday life, which my dog does not appreciate because she claims the term "wretched scoundrel" does not truly capture her essence. All in all, if I were someone who liked reading, then you would enjoy this book.

Also, just a little disclaimer: regardless of whether you saw the movie adaptation of the book (which was a great movie), or whether or not you enjoyed the movie, the book is far better and much much different.

Under the Dome by Stephen King

By far my favorite King book to date. An amazing and plentiful cast of characters will keep anyone turning pages through the telling of their parallel stories. What's going on? Why is there a dome? Can one man really be that evil? Is this a clustermug or what? SO many questions and so much time to answer them as this book was quite lengthy, but as they say.."with great length comes great responsibility", and Under the Dome stood up to the challenge and provided a great read with great flow. I love this book, and I think others will too.