It's incredibly detailed.
The author did an amazing amount of research in order to set the plot up just right. And the work really shows.

Kostova's major flaw is in creating her characters - You really won't find yourself getting attached to them, or thinking of them as actual human beings. They're a bit one dimensional and they make predictable decisions. But the rest of her writing makes this okay. You get more wrapped up in the history of the manuscript and Dracula that you won't mind slogging through some action scenes.

I haven't read the book in about 3 or 4 years, but some of the scenes still stick out in my mind.

A historical Fiction book I found to be interesting is Girl in a Cage by Robert J. Harris and Jane Yolen. Its about Marjorie, the daughter of the King of Scots, Robert the Bruce. Its very interesting because the authors researched a lot before writing this book, and they put their own little twist on how Marjorie was treated during those times.

Wow, awesome challenge *_* I can read pretty fast when I need to, but I probably won't start this until summer. *itching to read*

I'm planning on giving the Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy a re-read. I rather enjoyed that book.

Gah, if I had all the time I wanted, I could read 50 books in 100 days! DX (that would depend on the length of the book, or course).

Before I start reading, are there any recommendations?

I'll take part in the challenge. I love to read anyways, but lately I havn't been sure about what to read. I'm going to be going to the library in my town later this week, so I'm sure I'll find at leas one or two books to start off with. I will add my list as soon as I begin my first few books.

Yeah, I felt like I was going to throw up when the started picking out the guts. >.>
I love Captain Shakespeare! He was very funny and that whole scene with the heart on his face and him dancing and playing dress up when Septimus comes in is strange but hilarious. xD

Ohh, I'm going to have to see if my library has that. It's sounds really interesting.

That's the scene I was thinking of when I said some of the funniest bits didn't need any scripting. xD Their expressions and the whole scenario was enough. My entire family was in peals of laughter at that point.

It's a sequel to Chocolat, which was made in to a movie with Johny Depp. ^ ^

That's the author talking about it on her website. I just love her so much because she's shown herself to be quite versatile in her writing style. She published a collection of short stories that gave evidence enough of that. xD The one thing that never changes is how rich in detail and description her prose is. Sumptuous. x3

But if there's anything sinister about it, it's the ideas rather than any particular gore. I finished reading Beyond Black, which has lots of severed bits and pieces. I think when I'm reading, though, I can just tune it out and not think about it. On film, you kind of have things shoved in your face. x__x

I have The Historian waiting on my bookshelf. xD Now that I've actually read Dracula, I might be able to approach it without feeling guilty.

@Platinum - You've done Hitchhikers, but have you done Dirk Gently? : D

>~< I'm going to borrow the CDs to listen to off my friend again.

OH, I haven't read that one yet >w< *jots it down*

Any others? I wanna make a pre-list of sorts XD

Originally Posted by PlatinumChild

Wow, awesome challenge *_* I can read pretty fast when I need to, but I probably won't start this until summer. *itching to read*

I'm planning on giving the Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy a re-read. I rather enjoyed that book.

Gah, if I had all the time I wanted, I could read 50 books in 100 days! DX (that would depend on the length of the book, or course).

Before I start reading, are there any recommendations?

If you can handle a bit of sexual stuff, I'd recommend "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen. ^^ I think that just about anyone would enjoy it greatly.
But your profile doesn't say how old you are, so I can't guess as to whether you'd be able to handle the content or not.

I've read sexual stuff before. It sort of surprised me because I was NOT expecting it (bought the book at the airport because I was bored) and it ended up having some surprising content. Still, I enjoyed it XD

I'm 17, by the way XD

I should really edit my profile...

Originally Posted by PlatinumChild

I've read sexual stuff before. It sort of surprised me because I was NOT expecting it (bought the book at the airport because I was bored) and it ended up having some surprising content. Still, I enjoyed it XD

I'm 17, by the way XD

I should really edit my profile...

Oh. Yeah. Then you can definitely handle it. XD I'm a year younger than you. XD
The things it describes are a bit... graphic, but it's not like, a pr0nz novel. It's tasteful in that it's very relevant to the overall story, and isn't just put in there for sex appeal.

I do think that SOME scenes in the book I read were put in for relevance, but others really threw me off. The book ends in a scene that I did not see coming D8;

@PlatinumChild: If you like Hitchhiker's Guide, have you ever read the entire trilogy? It's fun stuff.

Originally Posted by Bergamot

That's the scene I was thinking of when I said some of the funniest bits didn't need any scripting. xD Their expressions and the whole scenario was enough. My entire family was in peals of laughter at that point.

It's a sequel to Chocolat, which was made in to a movie with Johny Depp. ^ ^

That's the author talking about it on her website. I just love her so much because she's shown herself to be quite versatile in her writing style. She published a collection of short stories that gave evidence enough of that. xD The one thing that never changes is how rich in detail and description her prose is. Sumptuous. x3

But if there's anything sinister about it, it's the ideas rather than any particular gore. I finished reading Beyond Black, which has lots of severed bits and pieces. I think when I'm reading, though, I can just tune it out and not think about it. On film, you kind of have things shoved in your face. x__x

I have The Historian waiting on my bookshelf. xD Now that I've actually read Dracula, I might be able to approach it without feeling guilty.

Robert Deniro was pretty amazing. His character definitely helped the movie along.

Was Chocolat good?

Reading is better for me too because the mental images that come into my mind while reading can be what I want them to be although some are involuntary and can be worse than if it was a gory scene in a movie but by the time I go onto the next section of the story I'm getting new images that can at least blur out previous ones.

Hmm, I guess I should read Dracula first as well but it'll be awhile before I start on it because I have a whole list of books to get to first.

@Knerd: I do hope the lack of characterization will be made up by the extensive research.

Should I read Dracula first? If it says, "I vant to suck vor blood" once it's probably not going to be my kind of book unless there are really good characters.

@Knerd, I've only read the first two. I should probably re-read those and then read the third one XD

One thing I've never done was read a Stephen King book... but I'm not really good with horror D8;

I've never read Stephen King but last summer my boyfriend was obsessed with the Gunslinger Series.
From what he told me it wasn't that bad, gory wise. But he is a boy, his and my views are different.

Gore doesn't bother me. I reading Laurell K. Hamilton. All she writes is gore and sex. Haha.

Oooh yeah. Updated my list and added Danse Macabre.

I hate running around practically naked. >_< I'm not even technically a newbie anymore, I just rarely get on. But this challenge sounds really fun. Lemme see if I can remember my list so far.

1. The Faerie Path
2. Chosen
3. The Undead Next Door
4. Wicked Lovely
5. HP 7 (again, but I still love it)
6. Vampire, Interrupted
7. Swimming Without a Net
8. Lover Awakened
9. Dark Lover
10. High School Bites
11. Sleeping With The Fishes
12. The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and the Struggle
13. The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and the Dark Reunion