(I only rated it 7 out of 10 because I haven't read it again recent)

This was the "coming-of-age" book that I read growing up. I remember the day I stayed behind from a field trip and found this while wondering around my Middle School library. I was never the same.

I absolutely adore this book. Dickens just has a way with his writing that draws you close and pulls you into the lives of the characters he writes. Read it out if you haven't already ... then next year, read it again.

One caveat is that it does take a while to get into the mood of the language his characters speak ... but then again, it is one of the most endearing parts of the book. Enjoy.

A classic for every young reader, but still a continually valid observation on the propensities of man and his natural inclinations toward power, fear, hope and greed.

Worth the read, every time.

Although the title indicates that the book is geared specifically toward making horror movies, I would recommend this to anyone interested in making their way into film creation.

... chock full of great U2 history, discussions and photos, this felt much more like an rowdy after party hangout than a band anthology book. This is most likely due to the fact that the whole "stream-of-consciousness" aspect of it has been pieced together so well by McCormick.

Even though this might make an excellent gift for your favorite U2 fan, it is a bit pricey ... so I will recommend it as definitely a book to browse through at your local B&N.

My many thanks to whomever was the brilliant and intrepid person that first thought these two stories should be paired together into the same volume. My love for Shakespeare's classic tale of woe was only further resonated by the adverse tale of lovers thwarted by prejudice in West Side Story.

If I can offer a small recommendation for reading these together, I would suggest alternating between the two (i.e. read Act 1 of Romeo and Julia and then Act 1 of West Side Story and etc.). It quite effectively conjoins the stories and gives the reader a great sense of how the two time-lapsed worlds relate and intertwine.

Having never read it until now, but always holding it in a place of respect and iconic status (due to the popularity of it's name-dropping in so many mediums and genres), I feel somewhat disappointed with the actual work.

Intriguing? Yes. Life-changing? Undoubtably. Enjoyable? Eh. I really felt as though I was forcing myself to finish the entire book, just in desperate hope of finding purpose for the story and meaning in its message. It was frustrating in that aspect. Add to that the constant profanity, it really was a chore to finish the entire book, despite its brief length.

What it lost in respect in those areas, it found endearment in others. A relate-able story with as much room for interpretation as to the author's meaning and purpose as you choose to employ ... a chipped-tooth tale with callow emotion and truth.

... I thoroughly enjoyed every part of this book. The writing was loose, friendly and quite endearing. Having already seen the feature film of the same name, I was already familiar with the characters, but if I had begun my Lemony Snicket experience with the books, I still would have found them intriguing.

Perfect read for younger (and probably most older) audiences, especially if they enjoyed the movie.