Literature By Character

      In this post I'll list out some of the characters I've loved the most throughout my readings. They won't be in any particular order, just a general list of my favorites.

• Eddie Dean (Dark Tower series, Stephen King)- I really like Eddie for millions of reasons, but mainly because he has such a dark past to him, yet he's such a purely awesome and hilarious person... and I feel like if I would have acted much like he did had I been put in all the bizarre situations that Roland put him through. 
• Samwise Gamgee (The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien)- He's such a great, loyal friend who never leaves Frodo's side. Of all the characters in LotR, I've always identified with him the most, with all the motivations that drive him.
• Johannes Verne (The Lonesome Gods, Louis L'Amour)- He's well-read, he's sure of himself, and there's something definite about him that I identify with. I genuinely wanted to see what he would do next.

       Yeah, it's a short list... I'll make another post when I think of more.

Long days and pleasant nights,
Neal

So Far This Year....

I've read:

1. The Gunslinger, Stephen King
2. The Drawing of the Three, Stephen King
3. The Wastelands, Stephen King
4. Wizard and Glass, Stephen King
5. Full Dark, No Stars, Stephen King
6. Coming of the Third Reich, Richard Evans
7. The U.P. Trail, Zane Grey
8. Riders of the Purple Sage, Zane Grey
9. The Lonesome Gods, Louis L'Amour
10. Wolves of the Calla, Stephen King
11. Song of Susannah, Stephen King
12. Salem's Lot, Stephen King

      It seems like ages ago since I started The Gunslinger, the first installment of Stephen King's Dark Tower series. I'd gladly review all of these books, but alas, that would entail me reading them again. That would take another year, give or take a few weeks. I will post a review of The Dark Tower, the final installment of King's series, once I finish, which should take a couple weeks among school and other things.

      Coming of the Third Reich stands out as the only non-fiction work I've read this year. That admittedly took quite an amount of effort to stave through, much to my surprise. As you can see, as I've mentioned several times in other posts, I'm a big Stephen King fan. What I'm also really into (I don't think I've mentioned this yet) is the Western genre, particularly Zane Grey and Louis L'Amour. I have a couple L'Amour books in my shelf yet unread.

Long days and pleasant nights,
Neal

My Shelved, Yet Unread Books

      There are, of course, many books that I want to read. But first, as I naturally would do, I have quite a few books on the shelf yet to read. Half-Price Books will be the death of me.

      What do I have to read? The next three Dune Books, and a couple Louis L'Amour books (on the bottom of the picture). Right now, I'm reading Empire of the Sun, The Dark Tower #7, and the first Dune (top of the picture).

      Although only four of these books actually belong to me, you can see how much of a bookworm I am. Also, you can see the genres and styles of literature I'm into right now. Science-fiction, a genre I haven't explored much beyond Star Wars, is one that I'm very slowly stepping into. It's very much like walking into a cold pool- you have to take a while to get used to it. Post-apocalyptic fiction is one of my favorites- I Am Legend (the book, not the movie) is a prime example, and one I liked quite a bit. The Dark Tower series is part Western, part science-fiction, and part post-apocalyptic fiction- it's an amazing series with great characters, ideas, and a great plot. I've been living it since spring break earlier this year, and I almost can't bear the thought of being on the final book.

      Empire of the Sun, a Historical Fiction novel, revolves around the experiences of a young kid in Shanghai after the Japanese invade in the late 1930's. I find it to be a very emotional book, and it is based off the author's own experiences.

      Anyway, that's what I have on the shelf now- at least until I go to another bookstore.

Long days and pleasant nights,
Neal