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The Jeff Davis Zone
-Jeffrey Matthew Davis
NEW!!! Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire This author is a genius. One of his other books, Wicked, is on this list of my favorites, and though this novel is in the same genre of taking a familiar childhood tale and twisting it into something dark and profound, I actually think that Mirror Mirror has a faster pase than Wicked and uses a more interesting narritave technique than the other. Here we see the story told from all possible points of view, making it a very compelling and interesting read.
NEW!!! Angels and Deamons by Dan Brown This suspense novel is the first in the Robert Langdon series which includes the infamous Da Vinci Code and is, in my opinion, the better of the two. It's fast paced, intelligently written, and would be very intersting to read right now after a papal election.
Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow Even people who aren't history buffs will enjoy this story about race and class issues in a turn of the century America. Part historical fact, part fiction, this is one of the most powerful, poetic, and mesmerizing novels I've ever read.
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire I actually read this before the musical that's based upon it came out, and I couldn't put it down. It fills in a lot of the gaps about the Witch and Oz in general (ie. why there's a yellow brick road and what's with the Witche's weird obsession with the shoes), which is really fun to read, but it also has a lot to say about our world, terroism, and capatalism. Very well done and probably my favorite book.
Animal Farm by George Orwell Probably the only the-world's-going-to -hell kinda book that had me rolling on the floor with laughter. Orwell makes Communism look so ridiculous and this book is one of his best. Much better than his other masterpiece, 1984, in my opinion.
Amadeus by Peter Shaffer Hey, plays are books, too. And this play, about Mozart's forgotten rival, is probably my all-time favorite. Much better than the movie (though I loved the movie, too). The play is a must read, and the different versions that are published (the original and the revival edition) are both excellent, though slightly different. The ending to the revival version is paticularly haunting and brilliant.
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff Hoff explains the Chineese traditions and philosophies of Taoism with the help of the Winnie the Pooh characters. A charming book, and one of the few books of its kind that can enlighten the reader about religion while entertaining them as well.
Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom I know it's a very popular book, but it deserves to be. Very moving and uplifting. Highly reccomended.
The Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons I always thought that graphic novels were for nerds. But then I read this one, and though I still think gaphic novels are definately nerdy, I really enjoyed it. It's quite interesting to read a comic book where only one character out of all the super-heroes in it really has super powers.
Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper, Case Closed by Patricia Cornwell Biographies are usually boring, but here Cornwell paints a vivid picture of Jack the Ripper's life, both his true identity and his infamous criminal persona, and supports her claim as to who did it with modern ferensic evidence. Read it, but you will have trouble sleeping. The pictures in it will haunt you.
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux Much better than the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical or any of the movie incarnations. The book has lots of fun sub-plots that Leroux switches between, and he even lets some of his characters narrate certain chapters. Very inventive and entertaining.
