What are you reading now? vol. 6

I just started Napoleon's Pyramids by William Dietrich today. sometthin a little different from my usual mystery books. This is called a "historical thriller."
I will let you all know how I like it before I post it to my inventory.

In addition to Valor's Choice, I also started the Catherine Asaro novella The Spacetime Pool so I can try out my new Sony Reader, which I got last week. And I'm reading The Sims 2 University Prima Guide while I watch TV in the evening.

I'm having a slow start into God is not Great:How Religion Poisons everything by Christopher Hitchens. This is his experiences and pointing out facts that lead to "how religion poisons everything."

I plan on lending this to my sister when I'm done. This is highly wishlisted last time I checked, so if you want my copy and don't mind waiting a while, let me know and I'll reserve it for you.

I'm just cracking open Mary Roach's Packing for Mars, which I think I'll enjoy a lot, as I liked her other three books. I'm also trudging through William Trevor's Collected Stories, which I don't care much for... but I'm over two hundred pages into the thirteen hundred, so I do feel somewhat accomplished! Haha.

Oooo I will be interested in hearing what you think of Packing for Mars orangewords :)

I am still reading Adam Bede (Yes still! 50% done now!), and To Kill a Mockingbird as well as Nurtureshock. I am considering starting Something Missing as soon as I finish at least one of these :P

I finished Poison Study last night, my first completed book of the year!

Someone please explain to me why I only thought it was ok and otherwise have reservations about it. What is wrong with me? I see why everyone likes it. Heck, it said, "hey, here are some things Macs likes so lets put them all together in a book" but yet... it was really missing something. Maybe it's because some stuff just really didn't make any sense. I dunno - if anyone wants to discuss it, I'd love to.

This morning I started reading Holly Black's The Poison Eaters (hey, why not go with a title theme) which is a collection of YA supernatural short stories and it's really hitting the spot.

I am reading a slew of non-fiction books in parallel, of which the following 3 are worth mentioning:
- Climate Wars by Gwynne Dyer
- American Theocracy by Kevin Phillips
- The Age of Unthinkable by Joshua Copper Ramo

7: I thought Poison Study was the best of the series, and that it went down from there. I gave my copies of the series away on BM. They just didn't capture my attention fully as my 'must keep' pile does. Now her Glass series I found much much better. It's been a while since I read her Study Series, so I cannot discuss it in detail anymore, sorry.

My fiction books right now are: Crown in darkness by P.C. Doherty which I love, and Der Tote im Fleet by Boris Meyn, which is a crime novel set in 1846 (I think) Hamburg. I bought that one a week ago when I had missed a train and took a trip to the nearby shopping centre to pass the time. The fascinating thing about this book is that it it set in Hamburg (which is why a bought it). I live near Hamburg and I am studying at the university there, so reading something set in the city I know so well is fascinating, and I am learning a lot about the history of the place.

I'm reading The Hound of the Baskervilles which I'm pretty sure is a book I mooched years ago. I loved both the BBC Sherlock series and Robert Downey, Jr.'s Holmes interpretation so I thought I would re-try an original story. I haven't read a Sherlock Holmes story since elementary school.

>11 Jenson_AKA_DL:: I loved that book, and have a lot of fond memories of reading it in the middle of the night as a kid. My copy is totally battered-- the pages are dogeared, and the spine is all creased, but it's one of those books that will always grace my bookshelf, battered as it is. :) I hope you enjoy it!

I've just started to read The Storyteller of Marrakesh, which I received from LT early reviewers, and should have read a long time ago but never found the time. I *still* don't really have the time, since it's term paper writing time for me, but it's a treat to be able to read something without footnotes after a day spent reading academic books!

>8 qforce: The Age of Unthinkable sounds fascinating. I'm quite interested in complexity from the math and science perspective, but I admit to no head at all for politics or things relating to people.

>9 Mareofthesea: Good to know. I think I wanted it to be something it wasn't and couldn't look at it for what it was. I mean, I liked all the ingredients but the dish was lacking.

12> Oh, I love stories telling stories and storytellers in general. It turns out I've already got that one on my wishlist. I look forward to your review.

#13: You would enjoy The Age of Unthinkable. The world, and its geopolitics, are complexe systems but the leaders and influencers of the world seem not to understand the concept of complexity or the behaviours of such systems, leading to counter-productive decisions on national security and foreign policies, to name a few.

I'm almost done with The Dream of Scipio by Iain Pears, and I've just begun R.H. Dana's Two Years Before the Mast. The first was a mooch, and the second has been sitting on my shelf as a "save-for-later" treat for a year now. I think it's "later."

@6 Bcteagirl, I hate to admit it, but I didn't like it at all! I loved both Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife and Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex. I didn't have strong feelings either way for her first book, Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, and I honestly found Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void to be boring. Ah, well. Two out of four ain't bad, I guess!

Now it's on to V for Vendetta because my sister says I should read it, and it looks fun.

Edit: For some reason not all of my touchstones are working, despite multiple edits! Sorry, guys.

Oh... haha. There we go! I'd edit out my edit, but I fear I'll break my post! Anyway...

Good to know, thanks orangewords!

>16 orangewords:: Your sister is right about V for Vendetta. Watchmen is better if you ask me - i've rarely read a more impressive and engaging book, regardless of format - but Vendetta is very, very good.

In a move to find some zen, I am about to log off the computer (or try, anyway!) and start Rob Thurman's Moonshine. It's the second book in a series, and a few days ago I stumbled upon the third and fourth books on Amazon for super cheap (mmm, bargain books), so I am feeling pretty cheerful about that!

I tried to read the first Rob Thurman book but couldn't get into it. I will try again some day. :)

I am reading Zombies vs Unicorns edited by Holly Black and it is just what I needed. After the emotional roller coaster of awesome that is The Hunger Games Trilogy it is light, funny and short stories are always good palate cleansers.

Finished How to Make Yourself Miserable for the Rest of the Century & sent it on to Israel.

Next up: 74 Seaside Avenue by Debbie Macomber. Something light after all this drama!

I'm reading The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin. I'm finding it a bit slow for now, but I am enjoying it.

Finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird. Still working on everything else. I will add in The Birth House either today or tomorrow, depending on how the marking goes. I should get back to work really!

I can never seem to stay with just one book, so I'm working through:

Commodore Perry and the Opening of Japan as my Big Thick Heavy book to read at home,

A Guide to the Japanese Sword Arts, which is a collection of Wikipedia articles I pulled together through Pediapress. (You'll see it in my library if you're interested.)

and 172686::Tales of Old Japan on my ipod (Stanza) for when I'm commuting.

On a Japan kick at the moment...

I'm reading What Animals Can Teach Us About Spirituality: Inspiring Lessons from Wild and Tame Creatures by Diana L Guerrero.

I am reading A Most Improper Magick by Stephanie Burgis. It always scares me when books are described as "Jane Austen with Magic". We will see how it goes.

I'm slogging through Salt: A World History, for which a more accurate title would have been "Salt: A Bunch of Anecdotes." Yeesh.

28: Good to know. *Crosses off list of potentials*

Well, maybe don't cross it off just yet. It depends what you're looking for. I was expecting / hoping for a look at the political economy of salt in historical perspective. Yeah, no. It actually comes across as more of a foodie book. There's interesting information in there for sure, but so far it's kind of disjointed and uncritical. I should mention however that i'm only about a third of the way through!

I'm reading 74 Seaside Avenue by Debbie Macomber, which I'm enjoying as a light-weight diversion. I like this series. :-)

>28 I-_-I:

Good to know. I'll reconsider.

Edited to add: Maybe I should actually finish reading all the posts first :)

>29 Bcteagirl:, 32

I'll follow up when i'm done. I do hope it gets better. :/

I'm reading Raum by Carl Sherrell. I read this book and the second in the Raum series, Skraelings, when I was 14 or 15, like 15 years ago (!). After years of searching for the third part, which was only published in German and Spanish and was out of print, I finally found the Spanish version :)

I don't know if it's the translation or the original but now it seems that the writing style is a bit amateur-ish, too many adjectives thrown everywhere.

I'm currently reading The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley because you all (or, as a NYer might say, 'Youse all') told me I should :)

#35: I just lent my copy to an older friend who normally reads just mystery & history. I explained why I thought she would enjoy it, but if she didn't like it, she could stop it & I wouldn't be offended.

I expect her to love it, but I'm biased.

Aww That makes ME want to re-read The Blue Sword. I love Robin McKinley!

I just started reading The Book of Awesome and so far I'm enjoying the humour.

I just started Portnoy's Complaint, which has got to be the... strangest.... book I have ever read. And, while the thought of eating liver has always grossed me out, after reading this book, now I'm *really* grossed out.

And, I never read only one book at once, so the other book on the table is a history book, Nature, Empire, and Nation. But, it's slow going on that book :/

>36 skittles:, 37

"Youse all" may very well have been directed at youse guys specifically :)

So far I'm liking it a lot and I hope I get to use my 'Dux femina facti' tag.

@jfThing: I'm also eager to hear your thoughts!

I've *finally* finished my ambitious collection of William Trevor stories, and am now moving on to a course book called "Masters of English Literature" which, god help me, looks like a lot of fun, and While I Was Gone by Sue Miller because it's the book on my shelf closest to the edge. Haha.

Finished 74 Seaside Avenue, & sending it on to the UK.

Now reading Gracefully Insane by Alex Beam.

Ok, so The Blue Sword was totally awesome and now I have the need for a new tag, 'hurler of mountains', because apparently I like that sort of thing.

So, now what? Do I move on to The Hero and the Crown immediately or mix it up a little first? Was thinking maybe The Curse Workers by Holly Black...

44> I KNEW you would love it!! I would go ahead and read White Cat by Holly Black (which is also full of awesome) and then read The Hero and the Crown after that. But, that's just me. :)

Go right to Hero & the Crown!!!

immediately!!

>45 Belladonna1975:, 46
AAAGH! Does not compute!

I finished reading The Birth House and Nurtureshock in January, yay!!

I started reading Oranges are not the only Fruit last night for the Stephen Harper Reading challenge :) A member here was kind enough to find me a copy in 2010 when I posted in the 'find a book' thread.

#47: Hero & the Crown!

Aside from stuff for class (ugh), I had just started Alexander: Child of a Dream today when I finally found The Twilight Streets. It's for my book club, so I guess Alexander takes a back seat for now.

>48 Bcteagirl: Did you like The Birth House? I just got it and the like-o-meter says it's very confident I won't like it. Not sure why. I think I will because my mother grew up in Nova Scotia and I think it is set there.

Yeah...the like-o-meter (love that name!) is mostly fun for seeing how wrong it is about things. What it's saying, and all it's saying, is that people who have libraries like yours mostly don't have that book. It has confidently predicted that I won't like some of my favorite books, and that I'll love some I could barely finish. About as trustworthy as a Magic 8 Ball. Fun, but not something to base your reading on.

51: I would give it a solid B-plus. It is an interesting book with a good sense of time/place. Some of the characters could have been developed a bit more, etc. I think it is a reasonably good book that has too much hype to live up to. It is an easy read.

I am now halfway through The Hero and the Crown and it is just too awesome for words.

told ya!!

and you haven't even gotten to the good parts yet!!

oh, yes, it is ALL GOOD!!

I have had The Blue Sword and the 2 sequels in my TBR pile for a long time, but if both macbrains and belladonna loooooove it, I'm guessing I'll looooove it too. :) I'm smack in the middle of Tir Alainn trilogy right now, though.
I've been eying The Devouring, YA horror that my daughter said was nicely creepy.
And Spousonomics arrived today and looks like it might be amusing.

>56 ealaindraoi:

They have earned Macs' "strong-willed-lady-knight-works-hard-and-can-totally-PWN-you" seal of approval.

Two sequels? The Hero and the Crown is actually an earlier story...I don't want to call it a prequel, it's a separate story arc, but same place and some overlapping characters. What's the other? There's a short story in Water, but not all of them are Damar...

OK... The Hero and the Crown has been in my TBR for a while -- and I've got a "snow day" today (I work for the school board & schools are closed because of weather)

I think that I'll just curl up, put on the fireplace, and see what all the talk is about! ;-}

#58 I'm unsure of the order, but I have The Hero and the Crown, The Blue Sword and Spindle's End and I thought they were all part of the same series. Am I wrong?
Now what order should I read them in? I think someone told me to read Sword first......

Yes, read Blue Sword first, then Hero. Spindle's End is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. It is still good but not connected to the other 2 books at all.

According to the series page, there's some mention in Spindle's End of Damar as a place. But no, not really related at all.

Yes - The Blue Sword is later in Damar's history, but this is one of the very few series where I _don't_ read it in chronological order. Aerin is much more interesting after you've seen Harry dealing with Damar-later...

#60

Yes, like all of the above have said, The Blue Sword is first by publication, though not chronologically, but it should still be read first. I really really liked The Blue Sword, but I LOVED The Hero and the Crown (having just finished it on the way home today and having spammed peoples profiles with comments expressing my effusive exuberance).

Oh, thank you everyone SO much! I'll just move Spindle's End down next to Beauty and Dearskin then. None of which I've read yet.
Hmmm, maybe February should be McKinley catch-up month??? :)
(but I have read, and LOVED Pegasus!)

How about Sunshine? It is one of my favorite Mckinley books. It is very different than all of her other books but I think it is wonderful. (other Mckinley lovers may disagree)

I forgot about Sunshine - yeah I love that one too. It's a perfect non-sparkly vampire novel. But it's way too gritty for Twilight lovers.

Well, I've got a weird bunch I'm working on now! I've just started House of Leaves, am going to start The Treasured Writings of Kahilil Gibran, which a friend loaned to me, and I'm finishing up The Five People You Meet in Heaven.

Started reading Something Missing which so far is just hilarious.

I am reading Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly and The Poison Diaries by Marywood Rose. I have had a wonderful run of books on BM lately. :)

Just started The Tentmaker by Michelle Blake.

I finally finished Salt: A World History. It became a bit more interesting about 200 pages in, but it was still rather painful - overly long and totally lacking a narrative thread. It was informative but also extraordinarily repetitive, and the author really made very little attempt to be analytical or reflective or even to just to tie some of his facts together. Maybe that descriptive approach would have been just fine if the book was, say, 150 pages long, but it's a whopping 450.

I'd be curious to hear from people who liked it. Looking at the reviews, it seemed that people who tend to be foodies found it to be engaging, while those intrigued by the history piece were disappointed. It may just depend on where you're coming from and what drew you to the book. For me though, i thought the idea was brilliant but the execution was crap.

Actually my last few reads have mostly been disappointing. There's Salt, but then i read Neil Gaiman's Black Orchid today and found it just ok. Last week i also read Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll's A Book of Nonsense, which sounded great but wasn't particularly. An exception was Snakes and Earrings by Hitomi Kanehara, which was fun in that weird graphic/violent yet awkward/sweet way that seems characteristic of a lot of young Japanese authors.

Next up is Dune... hopefully it will live up to its hype!

>72 I-_-I: I seem to recall Snakes and Earrings being somewhat terrifying. It is possible that it is not the best book for people with a horror of needles or issues surrounding body modification. Quite good, though!

I just finished Mirror, Mirror by Nancy Butcher. I love fairy tale retellings and that one was rather good. I am now reading The Coven's Daughter by Lucy Jago.

>72 I-_-I:

I kind of love Dune from the depths of my little nerdy heart. Personally, I think you need to add books 2-4 to get a better picture of it all, but some people just like the first one and not the rest. Oh, it has so many things to say, all abstracted into a story and I like my sci-fi like that. Oh, and it's PRETTY.

I reread it recently as part of my must-reread-Dune-every-couple-years-or-so. I must have read the series 5 or 6 times already and I still am surprised by it.

YMMV though :) My bf just read the first two and is not sure why I'm so enamored with it. (Well, it's obvious why I'm enamored with it, but he wasn't.)

Finished Gracefully Insane. Interesting!

Now reading Rogue Queen by L. Sprague De Camp for a sci-fi fix.

I just finished Alice in Wonderland for an adults who like young readers bookclub. I hadn't ever read it although of course new all about it and have seen animated versions of course as a child. I have yet to see the latest cinematic attempt however. I really enjoyed myself, and really look forward to reading it with my child someday.

Tonight I'm going to start What They Wanted by Donna Morrissey for the cross-Canada challenge group. I think once i'm finished the challenge, most of the books I will have obtained will go on bookmooch unless i'm really attached to any of them of course.

Finished the lengthy The Distant Hours. Castle, moat, twins, little spookiness, secrets, writers, book lovers, what's not to love? It was great. Finished Water For Elephants a few weeks back so I've just read the first chapter in Ape House.

78> I have an ARC of The Distant Hours. I have to admit, it frightens me. It is a behemoth. Not to mention the potential for carpel tunnel or a wrist sprain at the very least. Add to that, the fact that The Forgotten Garden was one of my favorite reads from last year and I am trying to put some more space between the reading of the two so I don't compare it too much. I am glad that you liked it though and will most likely get to it later this year. :)

Finished Holly Black's White Cat, but overall I thought it wasn't up to par with her other work. I wasn't surprised by any of the plot turns, and even though I didn't know the specifics, I figured most of it out very early on and was a bit impatient with it. I'll read the sequel though, because in general I like the author.

I am now reading Going Out With Peacocks and Other Poems by Ursula K. LeGuin while I decide which book to pick up next. I am heavily leaning toward Sunshine by Robin McKinley because that's where I'm at right now.

I'm now reading Runaways and also Skraelings which is YA with a lot of blood and gore, I loved it when I was a teenager and was all for Conan and the like.

80> I read Sunshine a couple of years ago and I really enjoyed it. It was fun and not so bland as what is being written lately.

Speaking of vampires, has anyone read Necroscope? It's been on my tbr for quite some time...

>75 macsbrains: That's exciting about Dune. 20 pages in, i'm intrigued, and also very grateful for the glossary at the back.

Finished Rogue Queen - a quick read that I enjoyed.

Just starting Psychology's Sanction for Selfishness by Michael Wallach.
(Funny, I went to school with a guy named Mike Wallach.)

Should finish Belong to Me tonite. Starting home safe.

Well, I'm supposed to be reading Focus Groups as Qualitative Research and Qualitative Research Methods of Anthropology. Instead, I'm reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Robert Ludlum's The Ambler Warning.

Reading Coping with Toxic Managers, Subordinates ... and Other Difficult People:… by Roy H. Lubit It would be very interesting if the advice he gave wasn't ultimately that if you have a toxic manager you should play along or get another job. LOL

Finished all the Tir Alainn books. Very good, are all of the Anne Bishop books that good?
Now reading The Blue Sword, I think it's the desert but it really kinda reminds me of Dune. But it's early yet.

#87: keep going with Blue Sword!!! very worth the read!!!

Stepped aside from Psychology's Sanction for Selfishness. It's interesting enough, but I decided to read The Poet by Michael Connelly instead.

I'm slowly working on Bleak House by Charles Dickens. Slowly being the key word. Somehow everything and anything but this book can capture and keep my attention tonite. lol

87> I loved the Tir Alainn books but I liked the Dark Jewels books even more. If you like Anne Bishop, you should read Patrica Briggs too. Hob's Bargain, Dragon blood duo-logy, and Masques especially are all excellent.

Finished Going Out With Peacocks and Other Poems by Le Guin and Sunshine by McKinley. Started Chalice (also by McKinley) this morning because I am on a roll!

92> I haven't read Chalice or Dragonhaven yet. I need to get to those this year, I think.

#91 - Added Briggs books to WL, looks like they come up once in a while, so THAT'S good! :)
#93 - February is I (heart) McKinley month! :D

87> Funny, it reminds me (very strongly) of Kipling - the first few chapters, anyway, before she leaves the settlement. As I love Kipling, this is what hooked me into the book - that was my first McKinley.

91> And vice versa? I love Briggs, especially her earlier fantasy (vs her current urban fantasy). I'll have to look up Anne Bishop.

95> Very much vice versa! I prefer Brigg's earlier fantasy vs the current stuff. I think you will love Anne Bishop. You should give her a try!

I threw up my hands in despair the other night and grabbed a lighthearted murder mystery off the pile. I'll get back to the three books I was in the middle of reading once I've finished it, but Heads You Lose is exactly what I needed.

#97 : )
just what I like a lighthearted murder!

Seriously I understand. I too picked up a light one. A Dog Named Slugger. And I even made comfort food to go with it. Shepherd's Pie from scratch. Aaah, much better!

I'm finally reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I didn't like the first 80 pages or so, but now I'm about halfway done and really enjoying it.

And I'm listening to Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.

Just finished Home Safe - stalking tbr pile for next victim . . .

Just started The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I've got this down to a science now, reading a book in bed at night, listening to another in the car Final Theory and reading my Kindle The Mystery of 31 New Inn waiting in offices. Woo Hoo!

I have finished The Blue Sword and Hero's Crown. You were all soooo right. Sword was good, but Hero's was better. And you really do need to read them in that order, because Sword described Damar better. :) Thanks for the recommendations!
Continuing the McKinley month, I'm now reading Deerskin - it's engrossing, but ick, ick, ick. (can you guess what part I've just read?)
Next is either Beauty or Spindle's End.

#102: yeah, Deerskin has some ickky parts & it isn't my favorite.

Read Beauty!! Read Beauty!!!

#103 But I AM loving the dog, Ash! :)
Ok, you've been right so far, so I'll read Beauty next, or maybe sooner if I find Deerskin tooooo icky.

I am halfway through Cue the Easter Bunny by Liz Evans - a broke PI woman investigates in a small English seaside town (incidentally, it is v. good, lots of humour).

Just closed up Left Neglected. As I just stated to my husband, what makes Lisa Genova's books so interesting is the fact she is educating her readers in neurological syndromes through her fictional books. She holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard. So not only do I find her stories well developed and entertaining, I also appreciate the ability to learn of these conditions.

>105 soniaandree: OMG Another author for me to add to my TBR. The Like-O-Meter says I will just LOVE Liz Evans. So... I just ordered the only book in the series on PBS Barking by Liz Evans.

I just finished reading Lost in a Good Book. It sucked me in and I think The Well of Lost Plots will probably be next :)

Just finished Joy School - starting Where You Once Belonged. I love Kent Haruf!!

@107 - Wow! This is quite an enthusiastic response! Ok, then, you asked for it! Here's another one:

Thraxas and the Sorcerers by Martin Scott - This PI is investigating in a Fantasy antique Rome (the author invented the 'fantasy noir' genre!). There is lots of British humour too!

Closed up Under The Mercy Trees just did not care for this book a bit. Dysfunction does not scare me off, love it when a "special character" can see dead people walking about. Adore that each chapter was a different character. Just didn't fancy the story.

Opened Room, what a different start up here. The 5 yr. old see things as nouns. Oh please, don't get to far off and get dark and ugly.

Finished Where You Once Belonged, starting Dry.

Finished Deerskin. Right again! I was disappointed. I wanted more poetic justice, or something. I wanted the 'bad' guy to suffer!
Just started Beauty.

*Finally* finished my latest Early Reviewer book, so now I'm free to read whatever I want. lol Started Look Me in the Eye today; Hopefully this will be better then the last autism book I read.
(and apparently I'm now thought of when people run across books about autism. .... Is that good or bad? I don't know. I don't have it, but know someone who does, and I tend to love researching any/all mental disorders)

Just finished Dry, starting The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society.

>114 Heather19: My mother said she wasn't so thrilled with Look Me in the Eye, but who knows.

Currently I am switching back and forth between The Warrior Heir (good but I'm just not quite feeling it) and Queen of Kings by Maria Dahvana Headley, which does not currently have a touchstone. As far as I can tell it is about Cleopatra becoming a vampire. Or something? Next time I will actually flip the book open in addition to skimming the back cover, because for now I am just confused.

... Cleopatra as a vampire sounds pretty dang awesome.

I concur!

You would think so, but so far you would be wrong! Though I'm only about fifty pages in, so I guess we'll see.

119> LOL

I just finished reading Haunted Waters by Mary Pope Osborne and I waffling between starting Red Moon Rising by Peter Moore or The Marsh Hawk by Dawn Mactavish. Vampire high school or straight up historical romance complete with a masked highwayman? Decisions....decisions...

> 114 My mother also loved Look me in the Eye and has given it to me to read. Have you read House Rules by Jodi Picoult? It is fiction but she did a lot of research for the book and interviewed a lot of people. I thought it was excellent. I have a family member with autism.

#121 & #114 I am one of the minority that have read hardly anything by Picoult by I did enjoy House Rules. I felt the emotions of being that mother just overwhelm me.

For anyone on the fence about reading Room, I just finished it. My review is posted without any spoilers if you want to give it a glance. I left it on my bedside for a month trying to decide and now I am glad that others urged me to read it.

Yay...maybe some Robin McKinley this week-end...that ole TBR pile will wait for me!

>81 ghilbrae: Necroscope was a mixed bag for me, I found the writing very bare but still effective at conjuring a rather interesting paranormal thriller (a genre I don't usually read) & vampires setting. "Real" vampires of the dangerous, alien & disgusting type, yet with a surprising amount of the usual vampire "lore" enmeshed in.

Read it up to Book 5 in the series, IIRC there were many more.

Now reading a literary UFO, Freïa la magicienne, looks like the kind of chivalric romance the Don Quijote lampooned more or less to its death. Knew the genre had had something of a resurgence in the 18th century but this one was published in 1970.

I finished house rules and really enjoyed it (Picoult's books are hit and miss for me). Does anyone want a paperback copy that was floating around in my bag for two days and got a bit creased?

I would love House Rules if you would send it overseas....

> 125 I will definitely send overseas! I'm adding it to my inventory now...

Just started The Birth House and am listening to Case Histories in the car.

I just finished The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean -- very cool, if you're into science for the lay person.

(and there's even a video of a disappearing spoon on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaJ_Yxj9bG8 )

128 - It's so hard to find pop sci books that focus on chemistry so I am intrigued. Is it too much for the lay person or is it meaty enough for mad scientist wannabe?

128: I am also curious!

>129 macsbrains: - 130

Well, I enjoyed it, and I don't have a science background, but I do read a lot of popular science.

I would say the both the educated lay person and the mad scientist wannabe would like this one. It can be read straight through, but it is extensively footnoted for anyone that wants to get deeper into it.

However, I doubt it's going to be on Bookmooch anytime soon. It's fairly new (2010), and it's a moderately heavy hardcover. I got the copy I read from the public library.

>131 geophile: It's been given a few times, I think. It came up on my RSS feed a bit ago, but I missed it!

A nice demonstration of the fact that even new stuff shows up sometimes. :)

>131 geophile:

I heart footnotes. Onto the wishlist it goes. I have 1001 nerd books still waiting to be read in the meantime, so it's fine if I have to wait ages for it.

>132 chelonianmobile:

Speaking of rarities, I managed to mooch a graphic novel for my bf the other day from a newbie. Sometimes you really can luck out.

Has anyone here read Native Tongue by Suzette Haden Elgin? I'm mildly interested because it's linguistics and sort of sci-fi, but I don't know if it will be a little too feminist for casual reading pleasure.

Currently reading Solitaire by Kelley Eskridge, which is my most recent Early Reviewer book. I'm always on board for dystopian sci-fi with a lesbian main character! She is framed for a horrible crime and imprisioned for 10 months experiencing a time-dilated 8 years of solitary confinement in virtual reality cell within her own mind. I really hope it goes somewhere interesting with the effects of solitude, both during and after, and lives up to the potential of its premise.

Just finished Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. Starting The Tie that Binds

#135 nctwila I enjoyed Guernsey and I'm not sure why exactly.

I started Sarah's Key for book club.

Bons - I loved Guernsey & Sarah's Key too!! i want to read other books by Tatiana de Rosnay.
Loving The Tie That Binds - I love anything Kent Haruf.

135: I loved the Guernsey Literary an Potato Peel Pie Society! One of my best reads in 2009. Did you enjoy it?

I am going to start The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields

Touchstones finicky today!

I've had a lot of work to do lately, so my reading has really slowed down. But I finished Beauty and it was rather funny. I kept thinking, oh she took a LOT from the movie, then I thought to check the publication date! 'Duh, it was before the movie! I liked it but it was a little simple and didn't seem to bring much new to the fairy tale. But very good for a first novel!

I also finished Spindle's End and I loved that. I just loved the whole idea of a place where there is almost too much magic in the air. It meandered a bit, but I like meanderings that I find interesting.

McKinley month is over, and I'm reading a quick YA book The Devouring whilst I wait for the next theme/series to strike me. Maybe I'll finally read The Thirteenth Tale .. or House of Leaves

>138 Bcteagirl: I'd like to hear your thoughts on The Stone Diaries when you're done!

My last two were On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan and Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson. Neither one treads new ground in terms of subject matter but both writers are so talented. Winterson in particular has such a way with language. Both were really great reads.

Next up is The Unbearable Lightness of Being, which is one of the oldest books in my TBR pile.

>135 nctwila: - I loved Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. I hated to finish it. I want to visit the characters and the island. We talked it about knit night tonight and the ones of us that had read it all felt the same way.
On the plus side, I am almost finished with The Tie that Binds and I borrowed a book at knit night for my next read (like I don't have a very massive TBR pile of my own!) "My Reading Life" by Pat Conroy. (can't get touchstone to work!)

I'm sort of in the middle of a few things (The Wordy Shipmates: enjoyable in doses), but I started Shadowcry by Jenna Burtenshaw last night. I think it was published in the UK under a different title. Sort of standard YA fantasy-type thing, but I found myself really sucked in. For one thing, there are massive steam engines! Who doesn't love a good train, eh?

142 > OOO steam engines!! I am reading Secret Society by Tom Dolby.

Guernsey is absolutely one of my favorite books of all time. It was perfect!

I've just started The Silver Chair. Can't remember if I read it as a child, but I've been mening to read the Narnia series properly for about 3 years. I've had a 2 year gap since reading the previous book....

Just started Earth Has No Sorrow by Michelle Blake.

Finished The Tie That Binds - think maybe Losing Mum and Pup will be next

I'm reading Water For Elephants. I'm really enjoying it so far!

Currently reading Betrayed, Second Touch, and Minding Ben which I got from Early Reviewers. Having a really hard time getting into Second Touch, it is very disjointed, but my mother says I will love it, so I'm trying to press on.

#148. Weelass Water For Elephants was one I had to read and listen too. This audio was ecellent.

I set aside Sarah's Key so I could finish The Forgotten Garden. I was just in that kind of mood for a Englisg, fairy tale mystery. I loved it!

Back to France, this is a tough story in Sarah's Key.

> 150 I'm looking forward to seeing the movie when it comes out. I hope it's as good as the book is!!

I just started The Red Pyramid this morning. I am looking forward to it. A friend of mine recommended it, just as I was finishing Final Friends 3: The Graduation.

150> but worth it . . .

151> a movie?? will have to watch for it

yes several movies are in production now. The Help , Water For Elephants, Odd Thomas are ones I know of.

Getting ready to start The Good Psychologist. This is a book that I didn't win as an Early Reviewer but I thought looked so interesting I found a copy.

Sarah's Key is finished, enjoyed and a review posted.

Time to review Emily And Einstein

Right now I'm in the middle of Les Liasons Dangereuses, (in English, as I unfortunately don't read French), and Gone with the Wind.

>153 nctwila:, >154 BONS:

Water For Elephants comes out on April 22 and The Help is out on August 12th. I'll have to read The Help next!!

#158 I think One Day by David Nicholls (no touchstone) is also on its way to film.

I stayed up until 2 am this morning reading One Good Dog. Surprising since I wasn't caring for it until about halfway in, but it turned out to be really enjoyable. I think I'm going to go for something fun next - maybe The Art of Destruction.

#160: is the second book subtitled One Bad Dog??

Just started my ER One Was a Soldier: A Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mystery (Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries). It seems like Julia Spencer-Fleming's writing is really maturing in this one. I really like it so far especially the way she recaps in the beginning her characters from previous novels in the series.

I'm reading about twelve things, but what I've invested energy in over the past few days: Strange Brew which is short stories in a whole bunch of established paranormal universes that I mostly don't know about, Twisted Symmetry by Benjamin J. Myers which is the start of a series about some orphaned street rat kids and some sort of cosmic battle I think (it's weird and going to BFK), and Torchwood: Pack Animals by Peter Anghelides, which is actually pretty good although my standards for Torchwood don't tend to be the highest.

Finally finished look me in the eye (I haven't been in much of a reading mood lately), and today I started Knight Errant by KD Sarge (which is not touchstoning right, argh!!). This book is actually by a dear friend of mine, and I've read bits and pieces as she wrote it, but now I have the actual book in my hands, and... gah! I don't like sci-fi. I don't like "space opera". At all. But I can overlook that, because the characters and impending romance are so freakin' awesome.

I just finished The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen. If you like magical realism and you haven't tried SAA, you don't know what you are missing. She is like Alice Hoffman but without the heroin addiction/depression that has been so prevalent in her most recent books. Now I am alternating between The Help by Kathryn Stockett and The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell.

I'm currently reading five different books, though four of them are due to an exam coming on 8th of April.

I'm reading for my exam the books Länsimaisen kirjallisuuden historia (about the history of the western literature, nice little book with about 900 pages - I have to read the parts from Romanticism to the end of book which contains about 600 pages. *sigh*) and then three novels: Vänrikki Stoolin tarinat, Jos talviyönä matkamies and Wurthering Heights...so that means I have to read about 1300 pages in less than two weeks, for I just began the task. I'm so not looking forward to that exam.

And like that's not enough already, I'm also reading at my free time to relax myself, and at the moment the relaxing book of my choise is Mine to Possess.

Bookaholic - what more can I say...:D

Just finished Losing Mum and Pup . . . stalking next victim . . .

just finished Necroscope: The Lost Years by Brian Lumley. and now I am reading Cabal by Clive Barker

I just finished the first book in the Black Jewels trio by Anne Bishop. Sadly, I didn't really like it. I really loved the Tir Alainn Trilogy, but not so much for the Black Jewels. I found the world confusing for a long time, wasn't really liking the torture and child abuse and wasn't too crazy about any of the characters. It's gotten such fave reviews, too! I have the second one, but haven't decided if I really want to read it.

>169 ealaindraoi: See, and I didn't like the first Tir Alainn book, but adored BJT! I did a reread before passing on my copies of the original trilogy and still really enjoyed myself. On the other hand, I've known for years that Teenage Me just didn't quite grok the full extent of how effed up the books are. They're in my mental category for books I loved as a teenager (and still kind of love) that are more problematic and not as good as I thought they were back then.

Honestly, my favorite thing about Black Jewels is probably the characters, so if you're not feeling them it might not work out. It might be worth it to read the second book, though. They're longish, I guess, but I always found them kind of a quick read. Plus, you get a whole bunch of new characters! They don't really get any less messed up, but I think there's a bit more humor.

#170 Yeah, I can see where a teenager might LUV the books, but an adult just goes.....wow, messed up world!
I did like the Lord of Hell, (it's obvious I'm supposed to completely love The Witch, so I feel manipulated and refuse to love her) so maybe if there's more humor - I'll soldier on. Please tell me there's less torture - shaving will never mean the same thing to me again! ;)
(Re Tir Alainn - I love fairies, it's got fairies, I was predisposed to love it!)

>171 ealaindraoi: Sixteen: Hey, kind of awesome! OMG LUCIVAR ILU! Nineteen: Um. Well, then. Whatever, there is ♥♥♥LUCIVAR♥♥♥! Twenty-four: wtf was I thinking? . . . OMG LUCIVAR I(STILL)LU! You can perhaps see where I'm going with this.

Saetan is kind of the best! A lot of people are ambivalent about Herself, including me, but I think I started loving her because of her interpersonal interactions and not necessarily for who she is. I unfortunately cannot promise too much less torture, but in my opinion the extra protagonist-side characters and increased family-building make it so worth the read. (It's the source of most of the humor.) Fair warning, there's a lot of animal harm in the third book and the sexual stuff doesn't get any better.

I just finished reading the first three books of Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series. I'm now anxiously awaiting Book 4 which isn't due out until July although if someone has an ARC available, I would love to mooch it!

>172 chelonianmobile:

HAHAHA So true. The ♥♥♥s make all the difference. Because we did ooze hearts at the time, we did. (In general, I mean. I haven't read that particular series yet.)

Some of the books I've recently read have made me say to myself, "man, I really wish I had read this 15 years ago. I would have totally fangirled it and been able to have wistful nostalgia." But, alas I didn't read much when I was a teen.

>174 macsbrains: I still ooze hearts all the time! Just these days I'm slightly more aware of ridiculousness and problematic things. (What would I have thought of Twilight back during my Anne Rice phase?) It's funny, because from about middle school on my reading was more skewed in the books-intended-for-adults direction, but now it's more YA and MG.

Recently I reread Sword of Ice, which is a collection of Valdemar stories. And then I had to wrap it up because it's going to be mailed out next week. Little thirteen-year-old me cried. Nooo, not the Mercedes Lackey books! Now it's back to whatever I was reading before, which, there are at least four books that fit the description!

I also ♥ Lucivar!!! I seriously loved those books the first time I read them but I also loved the Tir Alainn books too...because, well FAIRIES!

175> I also find that I read more adult books as a teen and now more YA as an adult. I read Maia by Richard Adams when I was 12 and re-read it a few years ago. It was much more racy then I remembered! It IS about sex slaves, so I am not sure what I was expecting.

I am currently in the middle of my homage to the works of Diana Wynne Jones (RIP). :( I have finished Enchanted Glass and Howl's Moving Castle and started on Fire and Hemlock which is still one of my favorite books of all time. I am still very saddened by her loss.

>174 macsbrains:/175

Part of that may be that the YA books have a different tone now vs then and also that they are actually getting a push. I certainly would have read more as a teen if the bookstores were plastered with awesome YA stuff. Sometimes I do wish I could turn off that voice that whispers, "this is so ridiculous, you know this isn't how it works! Oh, jeez you can't be serious.." (I think I have the second sentence as a tag, actually, now that I think of it.) And speaking of tags, I also have a tag for magical talking horses so... yeah, there's still that part of me that wants that.

Re: DWJ - Me too, I was sad to hear she had passed. I didn't discover her till my mid 20's. Fire and Hemlock is my favorite and not just because I love all retellings of Tam Lin.

>175 chelonianmobile:
So - is that Maia book any good? :)

> I love Tam Lin Retellings too! Pamela Dean's is still my very very favorite though. Which is yours?

Re: Maia I still enjoyed it very much after the second read as an adult. It is a huge book and it is set in the same world as Shardik. I might have a spare copy of it laying around here somewhere if you want it. :)

Settled on The Virgin Blue as next victim . . .

I have no idea what I feel like next. I'm reading Pride and Pejudice on my breaks at work, so I want something different to read at home, but I don't know what. I've been staring at the bookcases for a while now trying to decide. Might have to put Gone with the Wind in the blu-ray player instead. It's kinda reading, isn't it?

>178 Belladonna1975: So far I like Fire and Hemlock best of the Tam Lin retellings I've read. Pamela Dean's was ok but... well... my classics classes were SO not like that hahaha and I think I had a bit of a disconnect with it. I probably would have enjoyed it more if it was a little shorter.

If you do happen to have a spare copy of that book, I'd take a look. :)

I am almost through 58733390::Champagne & Polar Bears Romance in the Arctic by Marie Tieche and have started reading House Thinking: A room by room look at how we live and And I Shall Have some Peace There.

I'm reading Eat, Pray, Love and really enjoying her journey - makes me want to quit my job and go on an epic trip of my own.....

I started Something from the Nightside by Simon R. Green about an hour ago, and am nearly halfway through. It is ridiculously short.

Thus far, I am finding that it is also not very good. :(

I Was Told There'd Be Cake - really liking it.

Finished Bark if You Love Me and plan on starting Paws & Effect: The Healing Power of Dogs by Sharon Sakson tonight after work.

I've almost finished The Mercy of Thin Air and I'm really enjoying it. I've had it in Mount TBR for almost a year, so I'm really pleased I've finally picked it up.

Currently reading Every Last One and it really hooked me right away.

I just finished Nightingale's Lament by Simon R. Green (the Nightside books get better after the first one THANK HEAVENS) and started Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones which somehow refuses to have a touchstone even when I do the number thing.

Just finished Paws & Effect by Sharon Sakson and just started iWant: My Journey from Addiction and Overconsumption to a Simpler, Honest Life by Jane Velez-Mitchell

I'm taking a break from the Nightside series (will post the ones I have soon) to read Anatopsis, which I saw in someone's inventory and decided to borrow from the library instead of mooching. Restraint: it is possible! Sometimes. Um.

I've just started A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller. I was actually intending to read The Hours but I'd mentioned to my Dad that I liked the sound of Canticle for Leibowitz when he was reading it, he listed it on Amazon, then asked if I wanted to read it, so I'm having to jog through it at quite a pace!

It was written in the fifties or sixties and it imagines that there was a nuclear holocaust at that time, the story is set six hundred years later in the ruins of society and at the moment is focusing on Brother Francis, a novitiate in an order of monks, who discovers documents relating to Leibowitz - who appears to have been involved in the building of some sort of nuclear weapon.

I love the way it's written, it's just a shame I'm having to read it so quickly.

JfThing, I read l'elegance du herisson earlier in the year, and I loved it! So much so, I actually sent a copy to my ex-husband (who is French, living in Texas) because he has some difficulty finding really good French books to read. We've been divorced for 37 years, but we've always remained friends.

In return, he sent me his latest favorite book C'etait bien by Jean D'Ormesson
Unfortunately, this copy is spoken for after I read it, but it's just a suggestion of something you might also like, I am just starting to read it today, I'll let you know how I like it.

I'm slooooooowly reading Imaginary Girls, my latest ER win. ..... I really don't know why I requested it. I mean, it's just... Meh.

#192 chelonianmobile - Oh, Nightside sounds like something my husband might like. (He loves Dresdin Files and Mike Carey's books) Can I put in a 'dib'?

Onto Moving Pictures now. I'm gradually working my way through the entire Terry Pratchett Discworld series.

I've read this one before. Love it. ^_^

Just started Unaccustomed Earth - like it so far.

Started The Hours by Michael Cunningham earlier today. Not read it before but it's got some lovely description in it and I'm liking the way it's written.

Closing this thread so the lovely book discussions can continue into volume 7!!

http://www.librarything.com/topic/115898

THIS THREAD IS NOW CLOSED!!!
THIS THREAD IS NOW CLOSED!!!
THIS THREAD IS NOW CLOSED!!!
THIS THREAD IS NOW CLOSED!!!


Thank you!