What are you reading the week of December 24, 2011?

Continuing a now established tradition, spot the error in the thread title and win acclaim!

December 24:

George Crabbe
Matthew Arnold
Juan Ramon Jimenez
Fritz Leiber
Mary Higgins Clark

Christmas:

William Collins
William Demby
Carlos Castaneda

December 26:

Thomas Gray
Henry Miller
Jean Toomer

December 27:

Louis Bromfield
Wilfrid Sheed

December 28:

Pio Baroja y Nessi
Mortimer Adler
Rod Serling
Manuel Puig

December 29:

Robert Ruark

December 30:

Rudyard Kipling
Paul Bowles
Mercer Mayer

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Robert

Last night I read the substantial introduction to The Novel by Steven Moore and think that I will keep on in it. The book covers the history of the novel through 1600. The author's interest emphasizes unique forms.

Robert

Thanks Robert!

Finished The Portrait by Iain Pears, a darkly engaging monologue about the art world, art critics, and the moral ambiguity of revenge/resolution. I really liked it! I have started listening to Nightwoods by Charles Frazier and I can barely take a break from it! I continue reading Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter as well.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it!!

That sounds interesting, Robert. Thanks for starting off our holiday week!

I'm reading The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. Our son is visiting for Christmas, so even though it's a children's book, it's going to take me a while. This is one of the few instances when I'm very happy that my reading pace is slow!

Thanks for kicking off our holiday week, Robert.

Last night I started The Lake Shore Limited by Sue Miller. Only about 20 pages in, but so far, so good. :)

To all my Library Thing friends - May the joy and peace of the Holiday season be with you all through 2012!

Still on the trail in Lonesome Dove and I'm in no particular hurry for it to be over.

I am trying to find time for a read, not easy over the xmas break!!!

I should finish The Girl in the Blue Beret by Bobbie Ann Mason tonight. After I return home from our family Christmas celebration, I believe I'll begin Zeke and Ned by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana.

#8,
Hi Molly, I am sure that you will enjoy Zeke and Ned.

I started The day of the Triffids yesterday.

Finished City of Glass by Cassandra Clare and am now on The Winner by David Baldacci. I've been enjoying a quiet Christmas Eve of reading!

I am reading my early reviewer, Big Miracle by Tom Rose. It's good so far but I can tell it was written by a conservative with his little digs at the government.

Needing something less serious after my recent run of non-fiction, I've started Dragons at the Gate, a CIA spy thriller first published in 1975, written by Robert Duncan.

I just finished The Clutter-Busting Handbook by Rita Emmett. Still working on The Winnerby David Baldacci.

Thanks for the week's start, Robert. I'm listening to World and Town which so far is a very interesting combination of Chinese, Cambodian and American characters and New England academia. I'm having a hard time getting into my reading, Pack of Two. It's pretty serious, and there are so many distractions right now.

Gave up on the PD James mystery Death Comes to Pemberley due to poor writing, a ridiculous murder premise and the shrinking of dear Elizabeth and Darcy to mere overly-mannered caricatures. A huge disappointment, especially considering the New York Times' inexplicable rave review.

King's Fool by Margaret Campbell Barnes
All of the other novels I've read by her, this is one is in the 1st person. Here, Will Somers.

I am suffering from reader's block, nothing seems to grab me!! lots'of put asides. The older I get the harder I am to please!!

I shall try Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy, the first paragraph describing Farmer Oak has me very interested.

I'm reading David Finch's Journal of Best Practices.

^16 That is disappointing news, NarratorLady. I was looking forward to reading it. I'll leave it on my TBR list but won't be in a rush to get to it.

Not in the mood just now for anything that would make me actually think, so I'm reading a couple of dark fantasies: Graceling by Kristin Cashore on the Kindle and Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare on the iPod.

Happy Holidays (that should cover everything anyone could possibly celebrate at this time of year) and best wishes for a happy, healthy and good-book-filled New Year!

Read Celebrated cases of Judge Dee, an 18th century Chinese detective novel translated by Robert van Gulik, who went on to write several novels about Judge Dee.

I am reading Professor Munakata's British Museum Adventure by Hosino Yukinobu.

I hope everyone had a great holiday! I finished War Horse, it was a good read. I'm FINALLY starting Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which I've had on the shelf forever. Should be my last book of the year. On the graphic side, I've been reading and enjoying Habibi.

I read War Horse this week too. I can't wait to see the movie now!

Finished my holiday reading, I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, which was fun, and have moved on to something much more serious Blue Nights by Joan Didion. My travel book, which I'll get back to tomorrow is A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar.

I just finished The Winner by David Baldacci and I must say it was one terrific story! I know it's only his third novel but they just keep getting better and better. I'll get to his fourth probably in January. Meanwhile, it's a toss up whether to start a re-read of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, or start The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson. What shall I pick....

I'm halfway through The Winter Sea, which I'm thoroughly enjoying! And this morning, I started Dakota: A Spiritual Geography - I have high hopes, but it's early yet.

Finished Jonathan Livingston Seagull...a very short, but thought-provoking book by Richard Bach. Now on to The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson.

I finished and reviewed Vita Sackville-West's novel All Passion Spent. Now I've moved on to my ER book Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, death, and hope in a Mumbai undercity.

I've just started reading an old classic western, The Virginian by Owen Wister.

I'm halfway through Dicey's Song and have figured out why it is soooo familiar, but I know I haven't read it before. I've read A Solitary Blue which is set in the same time and place, but it follows a different character.

#31 cammykitty -- It's called the Tillerman cycle -- it begins with Homecoming, then Dicey's Song, A Solitary Blue, The Runner, Come a Stranger, Sons from Afar, and Seventeen Against the Dealer. I think that's all of them. Dicey's Song won the Newbery Medal.

I've finished James Patterson's The Christmas Wedding. Very light reading, but a fun and entertaining story. Just trying to decide what's next now. Possibly Hope Rising by Kim Meeder.

Confused and inaccurate ideas about a book can cause one to miss a great one. For some reason I thought Revolutionary Road was a sappy variety of historical fiction.
Way way off. After being told repeatedly to read Richard Yates, I decided to go ahead and read it. I'm a third of the way and it's excellent.

I'm just starting to settle into The Arabian Nights by Anonymous. I'm reading the BN edition, which has some lovely woodcut illustrations. Very enjoyable and entertaining, so far. I'm only on pg. 20, though.

I've read a children's version long ago, but never the complete, adult version.

I started The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett but can't focus due to my husband's being in the hospital for the 4th time in as many weeks and being tired all the time

(30) marell, I recently picked up The Virginian at a thrift shop, but have not yet read it.

I have heard that it is very good.

(36) I hope your husband gets better soon. The Secret Garden is a good book, I've reread it more than once.

I thought I was settling into The Arabian Nights, but there's a good chance that I'll be going with A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World by Anthony Horwitz....or The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy. Lol! I really can't quite make up my mind! Another possibility is The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, although, right now, it seems a bit less likely.

This morning I read The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie and correctly guessed the murderer for the first time ever in one of her books. I'm now starting an early copy of These Girls by Sarah Pekkanen, which is out in April.

I just finished The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley, which I loved! Now off to start The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr for a work group read.

Half way through Republic of Words: The Atlantic Monthly and Its Writers, 1857-1925 by Susan Goodman — a wonderful collection of essays revolving around The Atlantic but featuring the movers and shakers of the 19th and early 20th centuries in American science, politics and the arts.

Wallowing in a gift from Santa, 11.22.63 and loving every word. So wonderful to have Mr King properly back on form at last. I never lost faith.

#42: I'm reading same Booksloth. After the disappointment of Death Comes to Pemberley my faith is reaffirmed. I have never read a Steven King book before but I'm loving this one.

Cdyankeefan, sorry to hear about your husband again. It's so hard to read when you're under that much stress. Our thoughts are with you.
I'm almost finished with Pack of Two. Caroline Knapp is one of those people who throws her whole being into everything she does, and caring for her dog is no exception. It's a little overwhelming. My dogs wish I were that involved in their lives.

Over the holidays I read The Spy Who Came in From the Cold for the first time. I really enjoyed how the author wove his intricate and twisting tale, but was not appreciative of the ending. Don't let my impression keep you from trying this one...I will probably read another of his books in the future.

After that, I picked up something lighter, Crystal Line by Anne McCaffrey. I'd read the first two books in the Crystal Singer series, but did not realize there was a third until recently (thank you, LT!). It wasn't up to par with the first two, but was still worth a read, possibly a reread in the future.

Now I have to decide what to read next....

I have just finished reading the book Accidental Billionaires by author Ben Mezrich

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Blue Heaven by C.J. Box was a good, standalone thriller, although it had a few implausibilities. Crossover by Joel Shepherd was pretty good sci-fi, although bloated in parts. Now I'm reading Ghost Ship by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, set in the Liaden Universe.

I'm almost finished with Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. Not sure what my next book will be...

Today I'll be starting A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson.

>46 Erick - I recently finished that one as well. I wasn't impressed.

Last night, I finished The Lost by Daniel Mendelsohn. I occasionally had some problems with the somewhat circular storytelling, but overall I enjoyed it. And I learned a lot - not just about WWII but also Genesis, the Aeneid, and Jewish history stretching back through the ages. (Kind of dovetailed with People of the Book in that way, which I also recently read.)

Now I'm reading What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Murakami. It's going to be a super-quick one, I can tell, and very enjoyable.

@45: Glad you liked The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, even if the ending was frustrating. (And if you plan to see the movie, the ending lives up to the source text.) Le Carré is indeed a very good storyteller.

Meanwhile I am still reading The Honourable Schoolboy and will now likely be picturing the characters as they appear in the recent movie version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which I saw yesterday and which was pretty good considering how streamlined the story had to be to fit into a two-hour film.

Still reading The Lake Shore Limited by Sue Miller and quite liking it. I'm on vacation this week and have a quiet day planned today so hope to make good headway this afternoon.

#23 & #24 - My son and his girlfriend went to see War Horse yesterday and both really enjoyed it.

I'm reading Footprints: an Early History of Fort Bragg, California and the Pomo Indians by Bonni Grapp. This is a very short volume, almost a pamphlet I guess, but part of my ongoing project to read as much as I can about the history of Mendocino County, CA, where my wife and I have lived since 2008.

(51) I have heard that the movie Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was pretty good, and am considering going to see it.

I also am intrigued by War Horse, but perhaps I should read the book first?

#37 and #44- fuzzi and citizenjoyce- thank you for your kind words- what's frustrating is that i call his doctors- they don't call back- when i call the hospital- they can't say much because of confidentiality- when i go to see him at night he's depressed because he's just so tired of not feeling good

34> Good choice, snash; the film adaptation was better than most, as well.

51, 54> My wife and I are going to see War Horse in February. We've got the book, but will wait until after the play before we read it.

Am now 400 pages into The Time Traveler's Wife and hope to finish it before the New Year. It could just be the best work of fiction I read in 2011.

Yesterday evening I finally finished the collection of Mecklenburg's legens Mecklenburgs Volkssagen. It was quite enjoyable, but since the book was written some 150 years ago, it is hard tot ell if any of the legendary points and markers in landscape are still there.

Currently reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and enjyoing it immensely!

54 fuzzi
War Horse is a short, enjoyable young adult story. I read it in 2 days so if you care to read it before seeing the movie you won't have a problem.

I just finished reading The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen. I started getting bogged down by my other book so I picked something light and easy. I love this author!

I'm just starting The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder. I'm only on pg. 15, but I'm loving it! It seems there's going to be a lot packed into tihis little book.

#48 (DMO) - I am also reading Neverwhere! I just started it, but am completely entranced. Neil Gaiman is amazing - I loved American Gods on audio and The Graveyard Book. I fervently hope he has a very long and productive life and that he is taking care of his health. ;-)

I just finished Pack of Two: The Intricate Bond Between People and Dogs, and I would share your wish, Callen, that Caroline Knapp live a long and productive life. Unfortunately, while her life was very productive, it was not very long. In fact this is one of the few books about dogs in which the dog lives longer than the author. I'm again impressed by Knapp's ability to talk about the world and our place in it by focusing on an aspect of her own life. Now I start on my last dog book of the month, recommended by you, Carolyn, A Small Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life by Steven Kotler.

24> I haven't read War Horse yet, but we saw War Horse the movie the day after Christmas. It was a great movie!!!! The theatre was completely full and everyone loved the movie. I found myself holding my breath and at times I had to close my eyes ........ if you can't stand to see an animal hurt then some scenes might be intolerable. Outstanding performances by many English performers. Again, I would recommend the movie to everyone, and i will put War Horse the book on my wish list.

>59 PaperbackPirate

Sarah Addison Allen has become one of my favourite authors, and The Sugar Queen is my favourite of her books. I hope you are enjoying it.

I am sooo enjoying Romulus, My Father by Raimond Gaita.

Lots of War Horse talk! I recently finished the book, (it's less than 200 pages). It's a good read. We are planning to see the film over the weekend.

I'm listening to Ender's Game and The Twelve Caesars (at work) and about a third of the way through The Family by Mario Puzo.

I read Dreamland by Kevin Baker at the moment. It waited for me for years in my rack and I always ignored it. That was a fault. Very good book.

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Today, I'm going to start Thank You For Smoking. I enjoyed the movie and I'm looking forward to the book.

>>59, 64 I'm another Sarah Addison Allen fan. My favorite of the three I've read is Garden Spells, and I'm looking forward to The Peach Keeper coming out in paperback.

I just finished Sister by Rosamund Lupton. This was a mystery that explored the bond between sisters. Not too heavy, but well-written and enjoyable.

I've started listening to The Leftovers which seems to be a take off on the Left Behind books in which some sort of "rapture" has occurred but all sorts of random people have disappeared: christians, jews, moslems, homosexuals, atheists. It's made the christians quite angry.

Haven't been on here in a few weeks...I guess I've been too caught up in the holiday festivities. Anyway, I tried reading A Dark Matter by Peter Straub, but I couldn't get more than 30 pages into the book. It had such promise, but I felt like I was slogging through a tempestuous sea of backstory, so I put it down. Currently, then, I'm (still) reading Dracula on my Nook, and I'm about 350 pages into my billionth reading of It, which is entertaining as always. (A side note...I splurged and bought myself a Christmas present - a limited 25th anniversary edition of It from Cemetery Dance, including a slip cover, new afterword by Stephen King, and pages of full-color illustrations. I AM GEEKING OUT SO MUCH!!)

Then after that, I'll probably start reading a book a friend got for me for Christmas: You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried, by Susannah Gora. It's about the John Hughes/Brat Pack movies of the 80's, which I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller, The Breakfast Club, Say Anything...I'm so excited to jump into that one, but first I'm going to immerse myself in the movies, just to make sure I fully understand the book!

I've started Houdini Heart by Ki Longfellow (one of my favourite authors). It is so different than her previous work but it is so well written. Very hard to put down.

>72 Citizenjoyce, My husband just finished The Leftovers. It left him with a lot of unanswered questions, but I think he still liked it. I was going to read it after hearing the author interviewed on NPR, but now I'm not so sure. On the other hand, I just saw The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo today and have ordered that book.

Thanks, Callen. I'll have to look for that interview. Have you seen the Swedish Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? If so, how does the American one compare? I loved the first one.

I'm reading Petals of Blood by Ngugi wa Thiong'o. Its great.

Legend by Marie Lu was a good YA title. Not sure I'd put it at the heights some have, but it's a good one. I'll definitely read the next one.

Reading The Bones of Avalon by Phil Rickman and loving it. It's historical fiction taking place during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, with a touch of King Arthur and suspected witchcraft. A winner...

New thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/129561

>76 Citizenjoyce - I haven't seen the Swedish Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but I notice that it's available on Netflix as an Instant Play. I'll have to check it out!

After Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander she has stuck in my head as perfect. It will be interesting to see someone else do her. From the previews I have to think that the Rooney Mara's dragon tattoo is more like the one I had imagined, but the Swedish one is more beautiful.

Citizenjoyce: I just finished watching the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - both were extremely similar, but I enjoyed the Trent Resner soundtrack on the American version a lot more. Of course, Daniel Craig is pretty easy on the eyes as well but still convincing (to me anyway) as a Swede.

Funny you should say that, my library just got a copy of the sound track. I guess I should see the movie to hear what's so good about it.