What are you reading the week of January 29, 2011?

New thread for the week.



Anton Chekhov (29th January 1860) - Russian short-story writer and playwright. He is often considered to be one of the greatest short-story writers ever, with stories like A Dreary Story (1889), The Grasshopper (1892), In Exile (1892), Ward No. 6 (1892), The Teacher of Literature (1894), Ariadna (1895), Gooseberries (1898), The Darling (1899), The Lady with the Dog (1899), just to name a few. He is also renowned for his plays, The Seagull (1896), Uncle Vanya (1899-1900), Three Sisters (1901), The Cherry Orchard (1904); etc.

Muriel Spark (1st February 1918) - An award-winning Scottish novelist. She is chiefly known for her novel, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. The Times named her as one of The 50 greatest British writers since 1945 in 2008.

Richard Yates (3rd February 1926) - American novelist and short story writer. Best known for his first novel, Revolutionary Road (1961).

James Joyce (2nd February 1882) - Irish novelist and poet. He is considered to be one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. Joyce is best known for his landmark novel, Ulysses (1922). Other major works include, Dubliners (1914), A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916), Finnegans Wake (1939).

Zane Grey (31st January 1872) - An American author. Mostly known for his stories about the Old West, his works include the best selling, Riders of the Purple Sage (1912).

Edited to fix touchstones.

I continue on in The Norton Critical Edition of Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney and in The Federalist.

Robert

Great start to the week, Porua, and it looks like a good week for a writer to be born. I'm still listening to Revolution. The main character is a rich, talented, well educated, entitled girl who suffers more than anyone else on earth. She would fit into Brideshead Revisited like a glove. I don't give a fig whether she jumps off a building or throws her self-absorbed self in front of a car, but the French Revolution story within the story has me hooked. That part is interesting enough to keep me listening.

Thanks, Porua--another great week for literature!

Marking the thread. Still reading The Snowman.

I am still reading Ghostwritten by David Mitchell, and I love it so much. A five star book I think.

I'm continuing with Biohazard. Fairly alarming, I would say...

Just about to start reading My Brother Jack by George Johnston for Book club number 1 - due for review end of Feb. Just finished reading (and, surprisingly enjoyed) Eat Pray Love - reviewing that at Book Club number 2 in a few weeks.

Listened to the penultimate chapter of Green Mansions will soon begin listening to Zane Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage. Am happy with the librivox recording of the Hudson novel and would like to send out an appreciative mention to the volunteer reader, Mark Smith of Simpsonville, South Carolina

Find it later post.

Thanks for setting this up Porua! Good job!
I've been reading The White Lioness. It's the 3rd Wallander book. I've been listening to Composed. A memoir by Rosanne Cash. Read by the author. Very good. I finished the graphic memoir Persepolis. It was excellent and moving to the graphic The Alchemist.

#6 Ghostwritten is creeping up that TBR pile.

Just started Moon Over Manifest, this year's Newbery Medal winner. I'm really enjoying the descriptions so far. Here's an example of the narrator describing her father and his stories about Manifest: "His words drew pictures of brightly painted storefronts and bustling townsfolk. Hearing Gideon tell about it was like sucking on butterscotch. Smooth and sweet. And when he'd go back to not saying much, I'd try recalling what it tasted like. Maybe that was how I found comfort just then, even with him being so far away. By remembering the flavor of his words. But mostly, I could taste the sadness in his voice when he told me I couldn't stay with him for the summer while he worked a railroad job back in Iowa. Something had changed in him" (2).

#12... move it up, move it up. I find it a gem. But I like Mitchell a lot... :D

I'm still reading Anna Karenina and falling in love with reading all over again!

# 3 Thank you! You won't believe how many authors I had to leave out!

# 4 & 11 You're welcome!

Edited to fix typo.

Thank you Porua, for taking the time to set up the thread last night!

I just picked up Alice Hoffman's new book, The Red Garden, from the library yesterday and I'm looking forward to it. I'm also halfway through the excellent Persepolis. On the Nook and borrowed from the library, I'm reading Lehane's Darkness Take My Hand.

Then in the car, it's the audio of The Graveyard Book. I read the book about two years ago and loved it. Gaimen reads it and it's great. I forgot just enough of the story to enjoy it again.

Still reading Words by Ginny Yttrup. I had my doubts about the book at first but it has now developed into a good page-turner.

I started reading Mario Vargas Llosa's book Conversation in the Cathedral. It is off to an upsetting start, but hopefully it'll pick up. I'm also reading The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos, which so far could not be more different from Conversation.

In addition, I'm dipping in and out of The Collected Poems of W.H. Auden, and starting The History of the Peloponnesian War.

I'm closing in on the end of Luncheon of the Boating Party. It's been a lot of fun imagining how this painting came together.

I'm reading Testimony by Anita Shreve, an Orange author for Orange January.

Luncheon of the Boating Party is on my tbr. I liked her Girl in Hyacinth Blue.

Thanks for starting the thread, Porua.

I finished Connie Willis's Blackout, which for me dragged in parts. Still, I want to find out what happens in the sequel, All Clear. The on the spot invocation of WWII London is quite good.

Next up is Hidden Buddhas by Liza Dalby.

I'm still reading Mexican Short Stories. I'm reading in the Spanish, so it's slow going but the story I'm on now "Antonia" is a really fun first love messed up by arrogant Loser Colonel. Once February rolls around, I'm planning on switching over to reading African or African-American writers. Not sure what will be up first though.

I've got The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks waiting for me at the library and I can't wait to begin based on all the rave reviews on LT.

Thanks Porua for setting up the new thread!

I finished First Family: Abigail and John and, deciding I needed a little lighter reading, started Maniac Magee. I posted a review of First Family: Abigail and John both on my thread and on the book page.

February is shaping up to be a busy and rewarding reading month for me. I am going to start The Thirteenth Tale and Miss Pym Disposes this week. Also have Mockingjay from the library to kick off Fantasy February.

Finally finished Hormiga Negra, another of Eduardo Gutierrez' works about a gaucho in 19th Century Argentina. I find Gutierrez' evocation of that era and its people pretty fascinating and I enjoyed the novel, though overall I didn't think this one was quite as good as Juan Moreira.

I've also been reading Jade Mountain, a collection of Chinese classical poems because I've decided to explore Chinese literary culture beyond of Tao Te Ching, I Ching and Sun Tzu. Some very striking poems. Sadly, I don't read Chinese, since I think poetry is really meant to be read in the language it's been written in.

I'll be finishing up Teatro Grottesco in the next day or so. I've already read some of the stories, but Ligotti is so good I enjoy revisiting them again.

Hope you love The Thirteenth Tale, as I do, DeltaQueen50. It's one of my very few 5-star books.

#29 Thanks - I will be participating in a Group Read of The Thirteenth Tale at the 11 in 11 Challenge. Should be fun.

I am reading Crooked Letter Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin.

# 17 You’re welcome! Well, I was awake anyway and thought, “Why not set up the new thread for the week?” Idle thoughts of an insomniac! ;-)

# 23 You’re welcome, jnwelch!

I read Girl in Hyacinth Blue last year and it ended up as one of my favourites of the year. Now, I want to read the rest of her stories inspired by art like Luncheon of the Boating Party. Hope it’s as good as The Girl in Hyacinth Blue.

# 26 You’re welcome!

#9, RonWelton, glad to hear someone still reads W. H. Hudson. I'm going to be working on his Idle Days in Patagonia this coming month. #27, DeltaQueen50, if you haven't read Miss Pym disposes before, you are in for a treat. I love Josephine Tey. I also liked The Thirteenth Tale very much. As for me, I'm finishing The living is easy by Dorothy West. It's very good. The heroine is sort of like an African-American Scarlett O'Hara (and it's set in Boston.) I'm also finished Ian Thomas' The saving life of Christ and Alan Williams' The Beria papers On deck I have the next volume in the Dance to the Music of Time. I have gradually gotten fond of Anthony Powell: at first I wondered what all the fuss was about.

I'm nearly a third of the way through Olive Kitteridge, which still isn't grabbing me. I had hoped that it would improve as I got into it further, and since I was able to get the ebook from the library yesterday - I'm so smitten with my new Nook that I was finding the paper version less appealing - but no luck. Since it's my book club's selection for February, and I've heard great things, I'm going to stick it out a bit longer. I'm also very slowly working my way through The Naked Gospel and This Is Not Chick Lit.

Reviewed Sarah Orne Jewett’s classic, The Country of the Pointed Firs. A gentle, little book!

My review is here,

http://www.librarything.com/review/68679670

Or my 75 Books Challenge thread 2011,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/106099

Finished The Lost Gate which was a lot of fun, very YA for Orson Scott Card but good. I am debating continuing Wolf Hall or starting The Lotus Eaters

I'm spending the day finishing up 13 Rue Therese by Elena Mauli Shapiro in print and You Know When the Men are Gone by Siobhan Fallon in audio (it is actually an audio re-read). Both are absolutely fabulous, even if I'm not sure what 13 Rue Therese is all about yet. I'm also dipping in and out of I is an Other by James Geary

Porua> Nice review. I was really impressed when I read Jewett's short stories. She had a very careful eye.

I am "reading" (The Invisible Man) by ((H.G.Wells)). Of course I read it years ago but this time I have it on C.D. and it is somewhat a different experience listening to it. I recommend this to everyone. The actor has an English accent and you can almost close your eyes and see the action take place.

Memoirs of a Fruitcake by Chris Evans

#33, Bjace, Thanks for the reference to Idle Days in Patagonia I'll search for it in manybooks.net. Last read Green Mansions more than fifty years ago - it stuck with me all these years, and now that I've re-read it, I understand better why that was.

Just finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett - great read. Reading My Reading Life by Pat Conroy but find it very slow moving and hard to keep my attention.

Getting ready to start To Kill a Mocking Bird for the first time. I like to have several books going at one time.

#41, RonWelton, it isn't on ManyBooks, but there's a full scan on Google Books. Finished Dorothy West's The living is easy The main character is really unforgettable. She reminds me of an African-American Scarlett O'Hara--amibitious, energetic, scheming and unable to see anyone outside of her own frame of reference.

I just finished the first story in Legacy of Love by Joanna Trollope writing as Caroline Harvey. It was set among the civilians of the British Army in 19th century Afghanistan. The storyline will follow the descendents of one of these characters.

I'm not sure what I think of this novel yet -- Parts of it remind me of The Far Pavilions by MM Kaye, a novel that I enjoyed years ago -- but much of the plot is just formula romance.

We'll see how it goes...

>15 bookwoman247: bookwoman247, I'm glad you're enjoying Anna Karenina so much.

>35 Porua: Porua, great review! The Country of the Pointed Firs is next in line, after I finish The Lying Days by Nadine Gordimer.

I finished Gideon the Cutpurse by Linda Buckley-Archer last night and I started Vampyres of Hollywood by Adrienne Barbeau and Michael Scott.

I'm deeply immersed in The White Lioness, which has been terrific. I am also trying to wrap it up in time for "Fantasy February", which is looming near.
I finally reviewed the excellent book The Tiger, which you can find: Right Here

Finished A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane a few minutes ago. Precedes Darkness Take My Hand mentioned in 17. Didn't like it as much as the second book, but it does set up for the series. Brings Boston of the '90s to life. I didn't live in the city, but I did work there. Pretty much as I remember it.

Finally finished Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell a few days ago. Took a while, but really like it. Even this early on, might turn out to be one my best reads for this year.

Just started The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon. Have some high hopes for it. We'll see. A little alternative reality mixed with noire? Sould be good, but Chabon really disappointed me with his imitation of juvenile fantasy in Summerland.

Read Alan Williams' Beria papers, a thriller about a publishing hoax--very good.

Finished Maniac Magee and really enjoyed it. Not sure what to start next. . .

Finished Patrick Leigh Fermor's Roumeli.

A mixed bag. When Fermor is writing about something he has seen or experienced, it's excellent. His forays into the subtlety of the Greek language can become tiresome for a non-greek speaker reading a book in English. The worst are his highly romantic speculations into the Greek character. They can go on for pages and I skipped more than a few of those.

Started the mystery City of Veils by Zoe Ferraris.

Complete touchstone failure.

Seems like I have bitten off more than I can chew, for the moment at least. Underway are Riders of the Purple Sage, Stone Cold, Unequal Protection, The Decameron, The Innocence of Father Brown, The Shadow Line, and a recently arrived members giveaway, "The Village," by T. F. Rhoden. I'll concentrate on the Rhoden since it requires a review, and since I, like the characters in the book, live in a small village in Southeast Asia.

Had to give up on Mystery of Errors about 50 pages in. Very unsatisfying writing. Went back into an old stand-by author, Bruce Alexander, picking up his series where I left off Person or Persons Unknown. Much happier!

This morning I started Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada, for my book club.

Finished the brilliant Ghostwritten. Wonderful! Move it up those TBR piles, but beware, it is a true Mitchell, so magical realism is the style. But I loved it.
The Long Song is my next book (in the Dutch translation).

Thanks for all the welcome messages! I am now officially not reading books anymore. I just play on library thing all day!

> 56: Trust me, as you see more discussions of wonderful books here on LT, you'll either be reading, or you'll end up getting buried under the huge pile of books you'll want to read! ;-)

Just started House Rules by Jodi Picoult. Based on all of the rave reviews I think I will give Ghostwritten a try! Thanks for enabling me once again folks! =:0)

Hi everyone!

I'm new here.
Can I join on this thread as well?

I'm reading The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold this week, as well as Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling with my little brother.

Nice to meet you all! :D

I've finished and posted a review for Biohazard by Ken Alibek, which was a huge disappointment.

Sometime today I'm hoping to get started on The Atlantic Sound. Hoping for something better than that last one!

You just did, Bechii70! Welcome to LT and to the thread - same warning as to mkboylan, your life is over . . . a year from now you'll be buried under an avalanche of books that someone here has recommended. There are worse ways to go though.

I just read the first few pages of The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht this morning and can already tell it is going to be FABULOUS.

I've just left czarist-era Moscow and St. Petersburg via Boris Akunin's wonderful first novel, The Winter Queen. My review is in my thread...post #106.

> 59, Bechii70: Of course you're wecome here! I think it's lovely that you're reading with your little brother!

#48> Hope you like The Yiddish Policemen's Union. I loved it and so did my wife.

I've started A Book of Common Prayer by Joan Didion and I'm enjoying it a lot. Why have I never read anything by her before? Why has this book been sitting on my shelf unread for 3 or 4 years?

I just finished Invisible Ink: Spycraft of the American Revolution by John A. Nagy. I posted a review on both my thread and on the book's main page. In a word: disappointment. Now, I just need to find something to read. . . Since the new Rick Riordan book isn't coming out for several more months, I will need look at my shelves and my TBR list!

Yesterday into last night I wrapped up the last three essays at the back of the Norton Critical Edition of Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney and then read about a third of the way into Grendel the whole of which may not take too long.

Robert

#48, Rocketjk, I need to read some more Didion. I remember reading Play it as it lays in the 80's and thinking that she was a really good writer. As for me, I'm on to The Borrowers by Mary Norton.

Welcome, Bechii70. I hope you like The Lovely Bones, it's about 100 times better than the movie, then you have to follow it up with her non fiction account Lucky. It's very harsh, but very good.

I finished and reviewed Revolution, and after I got past wanting to kill the main character, I very much enjoyed the alternate story about the French Revolution and meeting characters I'd never heard of. I also greatly enjoyed the trip through the catacombs, it seems they're much in the news right now. (Under Paris http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/02/paris-underground/shea-text)

I also finished I Feel Bad About My Neck. If I could have discarded the first half of the book I would have rated it 4.5 to 5. The last essay about death and aging was excellent.

#67 I suspect you are enjoying Grendel. It was great motivation for my students when I was teaching Beowulf in High School.

I am enjoying Grendel, but I was enjoying Beowulf more when I was equally far into it. Both are rereadings, but I had remembered Beowulf better. John Gardner (R.I.P.) is not the equivalent of the Beowulf poet, and I don't expect as much from him.

Robert

#59 Welcome, Bechii70. Don't worry--we don't know the word "stranger" around here.

Got a good start on Walking to Gatlinburg what a strange odyssey. Also got a good start on Spies of the Balkans by first Furst book. Then last night started Game of Thrones for the Fantasy February group read. Lots going on in my book world. I just hope I can keep up with it.

Welcome to all new comers to the group!

I had a productive reading weekend and managed to finish Words byGinny Yttrup - overall a really good page turner IMO - French Milk - a quick, fun travelogue of a mother/daughter trip to Paris for six weeks - and The Oxford Murders another great murder mystery by Guillermo Martinez.

Next up is The Thirteenth Tale by Dianne Setterfield for a group read over on the 11 in 11 Challenge.

Reading Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene.

Just finished Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and greatly enjoyed it. I am still plugging away at Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and will be at it for some time! To have something to listen to while in the car or doing laundry, I started The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova, very good right from the start, no waiting here.

Reading An Irish Country Village by Patrick Taylor. I have read his Irish Country Christmas and An Irish Country Doctor and enjoyed both.

Thank you so much for everyone's welcoming! You guys made my day :)

#69 Citizenjoyce I'm loving The Lovely Bones! It's a great concept and I like her writing so much. I can't stop reading and it's so bad :P
Thanks for the recommendation on Lucky. I actually just saw it in the library the other but was rushing so didn't manage to take a look. I think I'll borrow it next time I go to library!

I finished A Thread of Grace. What a wonderful book, and I never would have even considered it if it hadn't been for recommendations on LT. I have renewed appreciation for Mary Doria Russell, though I wonder what it is with her and torture and martyrdom.

I finished The long song and will start Then we came to the end on my way home

#78 You see - it's started already! It begins with "think I'll borrow that next time I'm at the library" and it ends with "Do you think we should move to a bigger house? I need somewhere to put all these books."

Sara- I plan on getting to The Long Song in the near future but I LOVED Then we came to the end. I hope you do too!

And I am sure you will love The Long Song. And now I cannot wait for the workday to end so I can start Then we came to the end. :D

Started reading The Stone Diaries and am thinking it's going to be great. Pretty sure I heard about it on LT.

#81 You made me laugh! :D
But I can see it happen :P Let's see how my parents would say. But I think first I will emerge to my brother's book shelf XD
So many books are recommended here and so much I want to read! It's crazy!
The Long Song sounds a interesting read. Adding to my list!

Reading Chasing the Night by Iris Johansen and listening to Curse of the Blue Tattoo by L. A. Meyer- this series is so addictive! and the narrator fabulous!!!

Drive safe all those who might be in this snow belt.

:)

Home in the snow, curled up with a book...finished Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, which was eye-opening, but became repetitive. Now re-reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, because I stopped after about her 4th book, and never finsihed the series...so I'm starting again.

I am thoroughly enjoying my ST books at the moment. I've made The World That Made New Orleans my transit read. I spend a lot of time on transit these days and have as much as 20 min. reading time in one trip. This book is so far very interesting and much more informative and diverse than I first thought. The only problem is that I'm risking missing my stop! That's how immersed I've gotten! LOL

I've got Devil in the White City as my bedside read, and Soul of Iran as my elsewhere read. I'm feeling very blessed with three such great books all at once.

Hidden Buddhas was too much for my currently feeble mind, so I set it aside. Instead, I enjoyed the old-timey charmer Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher.

I'm now a ways into a YA novel, Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver.

I am now letting Robin Feuer Miller tell me in The Brothers Karamazov: Worlds of the Novel what I read last year when I read Dostoevsky's novel.

Robert

I picked up All This and Heaven Too, which is a book I never finished many years ago in Junior High. I watched part of the movie with Bette Davis recently, and decided to give it another go, and finish it this time!

I finished and reviewed Rana Dasgupta's new novel Solo.

Now I'm reading The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin. I'm thinking it's going to remind me of the weather outside my window.

Can you believe it? I went to Barnes & Noble and did NOT purchase a book for myself! Instead I purchased Empire of the Summer Moon for my Dad. Since we are from out there in Comanche and Kiowa country (Kansas) I am sure that he will enjoy reading this one. And when he is done I can borrow it from him. Of course that didn't work for Beevor's D-Day book. I borrowed that one from the library and then Dad wanted to read it. Both of us couldn't read it at the same time, so it made a nice father's day gift. Do us book lovers ever not purchase books?

Been at home all day due to the weather, so I read Tomb of the Golden Bird, one of the later entries in the Amelia Peabody series. It's not the quality of the earlier books, but still enjoyable. Can't decide whether to finish The Borrowers which I started yesterday at lunch or read Soldier's Art, the 7th or 8th (can't remember) in Dance to the Music of Time. Actually, I think I'll make myself some lentil soup.

Just finished The First American last night, and started Mistress of the Monarchy.

Edit: Okay, WTF is up with touchstones? I keep getting (loading), but they never do!
Edit: Nevermind.

Touchstones are very touchy, you have to hold your tongue in the left corner of your mouth and look up to the right while posting or they're offended. Or you can try preceding the title with the work number followed by a colon as you can see I've done with 69539405::Wench, but sometimes once offended, they refuse to work.

#81, Booksloth. Too true, too true.

I'm about 1/2 way through 69539405::Wench by Dolen Perkins-valdez. It's an almost unputdownable tale of women during American slavery. I've also just started listening to 57847953::The Story of Edgar Sawtelle which is just as good. It's hard to stop one and start the other.

Yes, I have offended the great touchstones gods by speaking lightly of them.
ETA an unsuccessful fix.

Still reading New York: A Novel by Edward Rutherfurd which will take pretty much the whole week into the weekend, I think. The book is just as large as the city, but I'm liking it so far. I have a snow day off from work tomorrow which will be great for reading!

Touchstones not working here either.

>>96 Citizenjoyce: You might try the "treat 'em mean" approach: I was extremely rude about the touchstones in a recent post, and they've meekly behaved themselves ever since.

Now reading

Mike Gayle, The Importance of Being a Bachelor - chicklit/ladlit - review copy for WH Smith online

Sam Eastland, Eye of the Red Tsar - 1st in series, I have 2nd as ER book

Dervla Murphy, Silverland: A Winter's Journey Beyond the Urals - a travel writer then in her mid 70s travels round Siberia and rants about the impact of capitalism, cars etc. When I grow up I want to be Dervla Murphy. I'm loving this book much more than those listed above.

Carson McCullers, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

P L Travers, Mary Poppins Comes Back - such an intriguing character, I've just ordered a secondhand copy of her creator's bio online

Eleanor Catton, The Rehearsal

Margaret Atwood, Writing With Intent - reviews, intros and afterwords, essays

Regarding the touchstones, it has been the case that reloading the message will often fix the touchstones that already have the work number or search name for the author in them. It worked for me this morning. Sometimes more than one try is needed.

Robert

#81, Booksloth, LOL that will be my life when I finally settle down somewhere. I want my own library.

finished The Journals of Eleanor Druse just this morning. Well, it started off slowly, very slowly. was a bit exciting in the middle and fell again at the end. and what end was that. I mean, normally the book would start now (with being shortened a bit in the end). So, well, definitely not one of the bettere reads for me.

Nah, I think touchstones are taking a snow day.

I finished and reviewed the wonderful Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. I'm now on to The Warmth of Other Suns.

I finished The Snowman (Jo Nesbo - touchstones don't like me today either) yesterday - an enjoyable thriller with plenty of twists and turns that kept me reading to the last page (I can get pretty impatient sometimes with thrillers so this was a good sign). I've now picked another 'oldie' of the shelves that has been waiting for 2-3 years to be read - Callisto by Torsten Krol. The Dolphin People was a big hit with me a couple of years ago so I've no idea why it's taken me this long to get round to Callisto but the first 40+ pages suggest I'm going to enjoy this one just as much

I finally finished Crime and Punishment (it only took me 2 weeks!! SHEEESSHHH) and I started Enchantment by Orson Scott Card. I have a feeling this will be a really fast read for me... maybe I can start another one this week, too.

I am now reading Run with the Horseman by Ferrol Sams.

I finished the diverting entertainment that is Murder on the Leviathan by Boris Akunin. Anyone not familiar with the series could pick this book up and strt cold right here, since Akunin excels at the enriching aside...a grace note that old hands get, but isn't necessary for others to get full enjoyment from the story.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver was a good YA novel. Central character Sam is realistically screwed up by the type of high school dramas many of us remember. She gets the chance to relive a day several times over, learning some compassion and a lot of hard lessons about friends, enemies and family along the way.

If you decide to read it, bear with her being pretty unappealing at the beginning.

I'm reading The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman on my way to/ from work- mostly from because I need to nap in the morning and at home I'm reading The Frozen Rabbi which I had great hopes for but am struggling with

I forgot- welcome at all new members to this group!!

I finished my reread of Little Bee by Chris Cleave and think I will start Still Alice as it was recommended to me by my hair stylist, not to mention many LT members. What was impressed upon me again about Little Bee was the culture clash and the several disastrously bad decisions made by Sarah, one of the main characters. I can't wait to hear what my book group has to say next week.

Momentarily stuck in Cloud Atlas.

Very engaged by The White Family in a car crash kind of way and absolutely in love with My Reading Life by Pat Conroy in a sell my belongings and follow him around like he is the Grateful Dead kind of way.

I believe the touchstones have headed to Dallas for the Super Bowl. Go Steelers!

Finished Vampyres of Hollywood by Arienne Barbeau and Michael Scott. Meh.

Next up is Bloodline by F. Paul Wilson.

#106, weejane, will be interested in hearing what you think of the Sams. I picked that up years ago and have never read it. Have been on my second snow day in a row. Read The soldier's art. Have been methodically reading my way through the Dance to the Music of Time for a while now. It took me a while to warm up to them, but I think that books get better as they go along.

I finished Then we came to the end and like msf said, loved it. I will start a Dutch classic next, Kinderen van Moeder Aarde by Thea Beckman.

Reading Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel which is a Graphic Novel.

I just finished The Last Sherlock Holmes Story by Michael Dibdin. If you want to know how it was, I'll just tell you that it's currently sitting in a snowbank in my backyard while I think of a way to suitably rid myself of it that won't inflict it on anyone else. I've read a number of bad books in my life, but none have ever offended me as a fan of literature on quite this level.

Clearly I need something comfortable to read next to wash that book out my head, so I think I'm going to reread The Hound of the Baskervilles and pretend like that book never happened.

#117

Your post made me laugh. I too have read some bad books, the last of which was an ARC given to me by a publisher so I felt obligated to read it from cover to cover. What a mistake! I wish I had found a snow bank in which to pitch it. I hope your next read is much better and since it is snowing it had better be one of those comforting "can't put it down reads."

Don't want to make anybody in the U. S. or Australia disconsolate, but the weather here today was just fine. Sunny and cold with a bracing wind blowing. The wind is unusual but other than that it was just a nice winter day in this part of the country.

So, HGregory, you didn't like it? Oh look, my copy of Little Women is lying there in the yellow snow beside your Sherlock Holmes.

#111 Please do let us know what the book group verdict is - that is such a spectacular book I simply can't imagine anyone disliking it but you never can tell with these things. Have you also read Incendiary by the same author? If not, I highly recommend it - it's another amazing book but the plot couldn't be more different from The Other Hand/Little Bee.

(Touchstones still not working.)

ETA - #119 The yellow snow? You didn't . . . ? Oh my god, you did! Shame on you Citizenjoyce!

Finished a re-read of The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie, one of my ultimate comfort reads. This is probably her best non-Marple/Poirot novel, IMO. My review is here,

http://www.librarything.com/review/63938116

Or my 75 Books Challenge thread,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/106099

Started Rising Tides by Taylor Anderson

It's the 4th book in his "Destroyermen series" about a WW1 vintage destroyer being transported to an alternate world. The writing and stories so far have been above average for this type of story. Have been looking forward to this new volume.

I finished Joan Didion's A Book of Common Prayer, which I enjoyed, but with some reservations. My review is on the book's main page and on my 50-Book Challenge thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/106335

I'm reading Walker and The Ghost Dance: Plays by Derek Walcott. Walker was written as the libretto to an opera about an abolitionist who was assassinated in 1830. It was beautifully written, and I wish I could've seen the opera. According to the book, there have only been two productions of it. I still have "The Ghost Dance" left to read.

Am sort of reading four books at a time. They are: The Saving life of Christ by Ian Thomas ; Idle days in Patagonia by W. H. Hudson ; Sir Percy hits back by Baroness Orczy (a Scarlet Pimpernel sequel--I've decided to read them all) ; and Katherine by Anya Seton.

I just started reading Nadine Gordimer's July's People. It's a little disorienting at first, but it promises to be a good read.

I've been rediscovering William Carlos Williams this week - 'The Healing Poet', as Robert Coles describes him. Most of my Williams books were too tattered and full of my college notes, so I ordered new copies, along with a children's book I came across a few years ago, A River of Words by Jen Bryant. Melissa Sweet's illustrations are perfect, so evocative, and I like that both she and Bryant describe how this book came to be. A River of Words is a lovely way to introduce poetry -- and Williams-- to a child.

mollygrace - I'm always happy to see William Carlos Williams get some mention. He was from my hometown and so we learned a lot about him in school when I was growing up. My mom loved to point out "Dr Williams' house". I just put A River of Words on library hold - thanks for mentioning it.

coppers - Melissa Sweet thanks the librarians at the Rutherford Public Library for showing her Dr. Williams' typewriter and straw hat as well as the many letters and other sources in the library. She also visited the house at 9 Ridge Road. I think you'll really like the book.

molly - Oh, I think I will too! The house, by the way, is essentially right across the street from the library.

I finished Kinderen van Moeder Aarde by Thea Beckman and am now reading A Game of Thrones which so many people have recommended to me, and I found in the giveaway bookcase at work last week.

I've finished The Atlantic Sound and really enjoyed it. I really like Caryl Phillips writing, I wish my local library carried more of his books!

I'm onto my 4th nonfiction book in a row, later this morning I'll start The Killers Within by Michael Snayerson. Looking forward to it!

Finished my re-read of Tripwire, and am a ways into the next Jack Reacher, Running Blind.

I am about half way into When a Crocodile Eats the Sun by Peter Godwin, a fascinating memoir of Africa.

Back from safari in Tanzania! Simply had the best vacation of my life!

On the trip, I read Just Kids by Patti Smith which was really good (but you have to like she and Mapplethorpe, I'd venture to say). I also read about half of the stories in Brief Encounters with Che Guevara by Ben Fountain which were suprisingly awesome! I'm not a short story fan, but sometimes I just had time for a bit. Then I'm about 3/4 of the way through The Invisible Bridge which is excellent and different, but at times, a tad slow.

#35 - Hope you will share some highlights of your Tanzanian safari with us.

That should have been #135.

About 11 last night I started The Greatest Trade Ever by Gregory Zuckerman. Although the writing is fluffy the story is compelling. I usually turn off the light at midnight. Just before 2 am I decided I would ruin today if I stayed awake longer, and purposefully but not entirely contentedly turned off the light.

Robert

#125 bjace

I read Katherine years ago and loved it! There was a biography of Katherine Swynford published a few years ago. Because of the novel by Seton I put the biography on my wish list. If you like Katherine you should try Green Darkness, it too was a favorite many years ago.

molly & coppers> It's fun to see the discussion on William Carlos Williams. I was a poetry major in college, and have always thought of him as one of the few people who are truly very kind-hearted.

A quick read of Mr Mendoza's Paintbrush by Luis Alberto Urrea a Graphic Novel.

I've been reading Freddy and Fredericka by Mark Helprin, which is a bit weighty in parts, but amusing as well.

I also started reading The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie on the side.

I just started The Immortal Prince by Jennifer Fallon

The new thread is here,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/109214

>Mr. Mendoza's Paintbrush looks really good, Cindy, and I'd never heard of it before.