What Are You Reading the Week of June 4th 2011?

A belated birthday shout-out to Larry McMurtry, one of my favorite authors, who was born on June 3rd 1936.

1936!! Were there *people* then?!

Morning Richard- Yes, there were a few!

I finished the National Book winner, Lord of Misrule. Here's my review: Right Here
Next up, is The English Major. I have not read Harrison in many years. Any fans of his out there?

It's been a long time since I read any Harrison either, Mark.

I'm still enjoying The Log from the Sea of Cortez and The Moving Toyshop. Looking forward to finding more at a book fair tomorrow.

I'm reading If Jack's in Love by Stephen Wetta, out from Amy Einhorn Books, my favorite imprint, at the end of September. I'm also thinking about starting The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes by Marcus Sakey on my Nook today, because I'll be at the Printer's Row fest this afternoon for his release party.

@5 Have fun at Printer's Row!

I'm loving A Kiss Before Dying. Funny, because in the first third of the book, I thought this isn't a mystery. We know exactly who did it, why and how. It's him! Just as I started the second third, I realized "he" never had a name.

#6 I loved A Kiss Before Dying - truly gripping stuff (though it's at least 20+ years since I read it so I'm not sure if it would grab me in quite the same way now.

I'm supposed to be studying today but Geek Love keeps dragging me back.

I'll be at Printers Row tomorrow, @Devourerofbooks. Should be a great weekend for the fair!

I finished Replay last night. A very good read. I liked this novel and group it with two other novels I loved: The Time Traveler's Wife and Forever.

I'm still listening to The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and will start The Department of Lost & Found by Allison Winn Scotch.

Finished Great Expectations last night, which I just loved. Am going to start on Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' Cross Creek next.

I read A kiss before dying in the 80's and didn't get into it much. Maybe I should re-read. I don't remember what happened at all.

I'm about halfway through The Book Thief. It gave me a weird dream last night. I was hiding something from Hitler but I don't think it was a Jew. It was definitely smaller than a bread box.

Thanks for starting us off, msf!

I'm still reading Poor Miss Finch by Wilkie Collins, and enjoying it very much.

Oddly, in the beginning of this book about a blind girl who is in love with an identical twin, and the consequences when she regains her sight, I was quite struck by the humor, which I'd not noticed so much in Collins' work before.

Now that I'm about 2/3 of the way through I'd call it gothic light, since it contains most elements of a gothic tale...an ingenue who is being manipulated, a great gothic setting (a home that is partially a restored abbey), a motif of darkness...however IMO, it is missing a real villian, since the ingenue is only being manipulated by a couple of week, misguided characters who show bad judgement and make poor choices who mostly seem to have her best interest at heart.

>12 bookwoman247: "Gothic Lite!" Inspired! Will now begin a campaign to have this added to publishers' official categories.

I listened to a little more of Gaudy Night this morning and am starting to think I might like it. There's just a very long set up, the whole first chapter.

#14 Gaudy Night is my favorite Sayers novel.

I'm finishing Harlem is Nowhere and then going to start Miss New India.

Currently reading The Priest's Graveyard by Ted Dekker and it is very interesting. I have read a few books by Dekker and they were fascinating as well but The Priest's Graveyard appears to be out of his element, not that you could tell by the writing because it is as excellent as the rest or his novels.

BlBera, Gaudy Night is your favorite? Good to hear. If it lives up to Strong Poison I'll be thrilled.

Thanks for the thread, Mark!

>11 PaperbackPirate: - I hope you're enjoying The Book Thief as much as I did!

This week I should be finishing up Tove Jansson's quiet gem, The Summer Book. On audio, I'm having a great time listening to Dick Van Dyke narrate his My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business: A Memoir.

For some reason I've suddenly decided to read the James Herriot trilogy (although not all three right in a row), starting today with All Creatures Great and Small.

While the blurb on the back of the Bantam paperback edition of All Creatures refers to "the heartwarming true story," the Wikipedia entry for Herriot says that there are enough invented characters and incidents in the books that they might be more accurately described as novels rather than memoirs. I have the book tagged as "memoir," but I'm wondering whether anyone here as any insight on this burning question.

Well, I had a list of books that I was going to check out, but the library didn't own a single one! Thank goodness for interlibrary loan. Anyway, these are the books that are coming up:

Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life by Steve Almond
Out There: The Government's Secret Quest for Extra-Terrestrials by Howard Blum (for the inner X-Files dork inside me!)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney
The Collector by John Fowles

And still reading David Sedaris, who is turning out to be extremely enjoyable. I'll have to read more of his essay collections - my friends have all recommended Me Talk Pretty One Day.

Thanks for the thread, Mark, and also the homage to one of my favorite writers of historical fiction.

I'm almost finished with Reliquary by Preston and Child and enjoying it even more than Relic. After listening to Relic on my iPod, I am now hearing in my head the voices of the characters in Reliquary as performed by the reader of Relic.

>14 Citizenjoyce: Gaudy Night was good but it's not my favorite LPW, perhaps because it's slower and deeper than most and thus more work to read but also because there wasn't enough Lord Peter with whom I was once madly in love. However, after he arrives on the scene, as it were, it definitely reaches the heights of wonderfulness. I envy you your discovery of the LPW series, Joyce! Enjoy!

14 - Gaudy Night is a favorite of mine, too. I find that it "stays with me" more than any of the Sayers books and my admiration for it deepened with a second reading (20 years later).

I just finished Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood. Oryx and Crake was one of my favorite reads last year and I had been looking forward to reading this account of the same events from a different perspective. I like this one, but it didn't have as big as impact on me as the first--perhaps because the world and events were already familiar to me. It'll be interesting to see what she does with the third book of this trilogy.

I've been still slogging away on Karen Armstrong's Holy War: The Crusades and Their Impact on Todays World. It's fascinating, but taking up too many of my brain cells unless I can give it my undivided attention with its thousand years of history packed into 500 pages plus 100 pages of notes and references. I hate to admit it, but I've been at it for a month already.

So I'm reading light and fluffy The Shadow of Your Smile by Mary Higgins Clark to fill in the in-betweens.

I've finished and reviewed Swamplandia! in my thread...post #245.

It is HOT, though! Hopefully the rain rolls in over night and not before to cool things off for tomorrow.

I still reading at several things that I've already mentioned, but I seem to be reading through Good Book by David Plotz; it is a happier version of the Old Testament than the Cliff Notes version would be if there were one.

Robert

I' M READING THE WOMAN IN WHITE by Wilkie Collins and Manuscrito encon trado en saragoza.

#3
I liked the characters in The English Major. With one exception (let me know later if you can guess which), they're real people. Unpredictable in credible ways, not forced as in some contemporary fiction. The novel suffered a little by being reviewed as sort of a quirky travelogue. I'd like to read something else by Harrison. Any suggestions?

#3
Good review. I still want to read Lords of Misrule but I'd rather have punctuation than poetry.

Finished A Visit from the Goon Squad . I am reading Leviathan a steam punk novel and Cloud Atlas is up next.

Finished two books yesterday, The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature and The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto. The first I found fascinating for the first 2/3 and then became irritated with the author's flippant dismissal of various fields of thought towards the end. The second, I thought was excellent. It was an exploration into the minds of two people who are living on the edge of society.

I've finished and posted a review for The Picture of Dorian Gray. There were a few times I saw it at the local library and ~almost~ picked it up...wish I had done so sooner! I loved it.

Next up will be Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs by Adrienne Mayer. It's a look at biological and chemical weaponry of ancient warfare, and it looks quite interesting.

Love The Picture of Dorian Gray!

Finished The Buntline Special last night - just a *meh* steampunk set as a alternate reality to America's wild west of the 1880's. I am now reading Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly. I can see where this one will be my patio reading this weekend!

Still working on Emma by Austen, and still hate Emma. What a little meddlesome brat! And I have to be honest, I don't have hope she gets better based on some reviews by people who share my dislike for her. =( I'm determined to finish it, though, because I hate leaving books unread.

I accidentally picked up Furious Love a book about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. It's strangely enthralling even though I'm sickened by all the conspicuous consumption and especially the fur coats. On the other hand, I feel like I've got a contact buzz from all the drinking these two do. Perfect for sitting on the deck on a lazy Saturday.

1# 1936 was a very good year!!

11# I loved The Book Thief I had to try a few times before getting into it, as the opening chapters are a bit strange. But all up a wonderful novel.

18# I loved Fall On Your Knees some of my friends found it a bit darkish, but not for me.

I have just finished The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman, it was just great.

My latest is a reread of Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen, I have no desire to follow it up with the movie which has just been released.

>37 hazeljune: Agree with you on The Red Garden! I thought it was wonderful!

#26.....man, it was so hot today. The temps got to almost 100 degrees and the humidity was unreal. When it rained, the streets had steam coming up off of them......crazy hot. Why we were out running around, I cannot understand. We should have just stayed inside.

I think I blinked and missed spring.

Still ravenously reading Paranoia by Joseph Finder.....what an excellent, suspenseful read! I don't want it to end!

# 10 Ah finally someone who actually likes Great Expectations!

# 35 Emma is not among my favourites by Jane Austen. You're right. She is a brat.

#40 I love Great Expectations. I didn't know there were people who didn't!

#21 I am so envious of you being on the verge of your introduction to The Collector. It's one of my all-time favourite books and certainly my favourite 'nasty'. It still haunts me around 25 years after my first reading. I do hope it does the same to you (which doesn't sound like a very nice thing to wish on anyone but I do mean it in the best possible way).

nbsp- I haven't read much Jim Harrison in the past 25 years but I do remember really enjoying Legends of the Fall and Farmer. I like The English Major so far, lots of sex, could get wearying. This book reminds me of the Jack Nicholson film, About Schmidt, from a few years ago.
There is punctuation in Lord of Misrule, LOL, but many long sentences. It is worth giving a try, if you are adventurous.

#35 I felt the same way about Emma, but think of what great writing creates a character we feel so strongly about. And she does mean well.

Still reading in the Het Bureau series, finished part six, Afgang, and started the final part, De dood van Maarten Koning this morning.

I started The Art of Racing in the Rain last night and I am already 100 pages deep. If I wasn't completely exhausted I may have stayed up all night reading it. Parts of the monologue by Enzo have been laugh out loud funny! Why didn't I pick this book up sooner?!?!

> #35 and #43:

Emma was a brat through most of the book, it's true, but she did, eventually seem to mature, IMO. Emma is one of my favorite Austens.

I'm reading Room by Emma Donoghue. I'm loving it.

I count Emma as one of the funniest books I've ever read. Certainly, she's a brat. That, I thought, was exactly the point. However, that's just me. Results may vary.

#47 - I've heard AMAZING things about that book - let me know what you think after you finish it!

Finished the 'Het Bureau' series. My next read is Angelology.

Posted a review of Judgement Calls by Alafair Burke (daughter of James Lee).

http://www.librarything.com/work/32030/reviews/73792773

....am now reading Hester by Paula Reed...so far, so good

;-}

I'm reading Retirement Homes are Murder and really enjoying it. Pretty lightweight fiction but a fun read.

Just finished The Priest's Graveyard by Ted Dekker and it was a terrific thriller. I am trying to finish Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons and The 10th anniversary by James Patterson.

Just finished J.L. Carr's A Month in the Country. While I enjoyed it, it didn't strike me as the mini masterpiece I had been led to believe. I have the curious sensation of having read it too quickly which is unusual since I'm a fairly slow reader. I think I'll probably be re-reading it sometime when I have time to savor it.

The Log from the Sea of Cortez came with a strong recommendation and lived up to it; in some ways it was better than I expected. It's a more personal Steinbeck, and his wry sense of humor was a fun extra. Incursions impeded by a sardonic and wily outboard motor; a diplomat with an obviously doomed career because instead of being ornate and evasive he was clear and understandable; a lot of self-deprecation, e.g.: "We were not smart, not very alert, but we were clean and smelled rather delicious." His expansive love for sea life is contagious. The one slow spot was a digression (I guess) into "teleological thinking" that was for me truly eye-glazing. At various times the book made me think of an "On the Road" in a boat.

There's an appendix in which he reminisces about Ed Ricketts, apparently an important character in Cannery Row.

A book fair turned up a treasure trove of C.J. Boxes, so I'm now reading Open Season.

@33 Ape, I love The Picture of Dorian Gray too. I was a teen though when I read it last! It's about time for a reread.

@7&10 Booksloth & Ape, I stayed up late last night to finish A Kiss Before Dying. I loved it and would give it 4 to 5 stars. Part of it was that it was written and set in my parents era. My mother was named Dorothy too, and my dad finished college on the GI bill. It was very tightly plotted, which I totally appreciate and I didn't clue in that our villain was only referred to as "he" until the second section. I can also see why someone wouldn't get into it though. There certainly wasn't one particular character you can latch onto and follow all the way through. For me, that was fine and an interesting change. Other readers, and certainly me in other books, don't like it when there isn't a main character to follow.

Now I'm reading Richard Chwedyk's novella that was in sept/oct 2010 Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine. I love Chwedyk's Saur stories. They are about these mini dinosaurs that were bioengineered to be children's toys, but are now in a home for abused saurs. The premise may sound a bit goofy or childish, but it isn't. Reading one of these stories is like being surrounded by a bunch of hyper-intelligent hyper-active children who can't leave the house, but somehow find a way to be on a mission anyway. Sadly, Chwedyk's stories are scattered all over the place. He doesn't have a published collection yet.

Tomorrow, I finally get to pick up Just Kids from the library.

#38 coppers,

Have you read Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman ?, it is written in the same style as The Red Garden .

One of my favourites, read a long while ago was Turtle Moon, I love the threads of magic that run thru her novels.

I'm about a third of the way through Eat, Pray, Love and about a quarter of the way through Good Enough is the New Perfect.

Well...I am reading Dom Casmurro, listening to The Burning Wire, and my husband and I are listening to This Time Together by Carol Burnett.

I finished N or M? this morning sometime. Will be starting The Cat's Cradle for my walking-around book and The Body in the Library for my at home book.

I loved The Book Thief so much that I wanted to read something else by that author so I am starting I am the messenger tommorrow. It sounds very different than Book Thief but it was well rated so I am curious to know what it will be like.

Listening to Exit A by Anthony Swofford

# 41 Oh yes there are people who don't like Great Expectations.

Regarding Emma, Austen is one of my favourite authors undoubtedly. I know Emma, the character, is supposed to be naïve and self-centered. Personally I do not like reading about people like that especially if they are the central character. But then that's just me. I like it better than Mansfield Park though.

# 60 sanja, How are you liking The Body in the Library?

>57 hazeljune: hazeljune - I did read Blackbird House and both it and especially Turtle Moon are two of my favorite Hoffmans!

I'm about midway through Bismarck, a new biography of Otto von Bismarck. I'm not terribly impressed by the book. It's very uneven, and the author tends to intrude too frequently with pointless asides. I mean, who in this day and age would comment that someone's relationship would make an interesting Freudian case study? Does anyone put any credence in Freud anymore? Also, the author seems to have a low opinion of the European Union. I'm not quite sure what that has to do with anything.

I love the discussion of so many of my favorite books: Great Expectations is a great old favorite. I try to reread it every few years -- it never fails to charm.

Of course you just want to shake Emma -- the woman, not the book -- from time to time, but that's part of the fun of Austen, for me anyway. I love that Austen wrote about real women and you must admit that there are plenty of Emmas out there, then and now.

Hoffman's Blackbird House and Turtle Moon are favorites of mine -- Blackbird House is perhaps my favorite Hoffman.

The English Major was a delight for me.

I'm almost done with Ward Just's The Congressman Who Loved Flaubert which has only deepened my regard for this writer.

Next up: Stephen Crane's Maggie: A Girl of the Streets

# 66 Mollygrace, I agree Blackbird House was so special. Have you as yet read The Christmas Tree by Jennifer Johnston?.

I cannot thank you enough for recommending Annie Dunne by Sebastian Barry.

Finished Geek Love - what a strange and amazing book! I didn't find it as disturbing as many people have suggested I would although I know I probably should have. It's a part of the genius of the book that the 'love' part, in all its twisted forms, is actually more disturbing than the 'geek' part. The many peculiar ways people have of feeling and showing love will always be more horrifying than any physical deformity anyone can think up and the megalomaniac Arty has to be one of the greatest 'baddies' in fiction and yet it is still possible to feel real sympathy for his horrible condition, even while accepting that nothing can excuse his evil and obsessive behaviour. There isn't much this book hasn't got - love, hate, pathos, bathos, suffering, humour, wit and first-class storytelling. I'd be a bit careful who I recommend it to, it's certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but I was utterly lost in the weirdest bunch of characters I've come across in a long time.

Now (after a bit of a pause for reflection and recovery) I've moved on to Burned by Thomas Enger.

Tucked in with my last ER book as a proof of Tiger in the Kitchen, so I'm currently reading that. It's enjoyable so far--not a wow! kind of book, but, like most cooking memoirs, it makes me want to break out all my cookbooks and start experimenting. I really want to read State of Wonder, Ann Patchett's new novel. I was listening to an interview with her on the radio on Saturday morning, and it made me want to read it even more. (I really loved Bel Canto).

#67 hazeljune, The Christmas Tree is close to the top of the TBR pile - I should read it sometime this month. I have no idea if it actually has anything to do with Christmas, but a title like that is quite attractive right now -- the temperature here reached 105 degrees yesterday.

Annie Dunne is a treasure, isn't it?

>@Iudita I was the same way after The Book Thief, and read all the Markus Zusak I could find. I Am the Messenger was the best one, I thought. He has other ones like Fighting Ruben Wolfe and Getting the Girl. They're all much shorter.

None of them would have caused me to predict sustained skill he shows in The Book Thief.

I am almost done reading Trinity Six and for a spy thriller this is a good one. It has captured my attention with a lead character who needs money so badly he does stupid things and yet I kinda like him. The real spies are real spies and that makes for a good plot.

I am also listening to Angela's Ashes and like that. The author reads this one and I think his voice adds to the experience. I will probably read or listen to his two other memoirs just to find out how his life turns out. I started Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet and so far am liking it, but sort of wondering what all the hype was about as it hasn't really zinged for me yet.

I just finished Room by Emma Donoghue and it was really amazing- it took me awhile to catch on to some things and when I did it just blew my mind.... Ive started Outside Wonderland by Lorna Jane Cook which is good so far

#42 - Schmidt did have that lecherous quality about it. Based on your "wearying" comment I'll assume you've reached my most unfavorite character, the unbalanced former student with the understanding husband. LT has a couple of appealing reviews of Farmer. Thanks for putting me onto it. If I'd not already seen the movie, I might read Legends of the Fall.

>nbsp- About Schmidt was also based on a book by an admired author. I have not read it. Have you?
The guy from The English Major is just heading into Arizona. Fortunately the "former student", with the nice bottom, has been left behind.

Finishing (I think lol) Game of Thrones also listening to Furies of Calderon. Next in the TBR Clash of Kings. :>)

I finished and reviewed Nathan Englander's excellent The Ministry of Special Cases. Now I'm reading another old classic, All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque and really enjoying it.

Finished When You Are Engulfed By Flames and I am utterly charmed by David Sedaris' blend of humor and thoughtfulness. I can't wait to read more of his essays. And now I'm trying to decide if I should read The Terror by Dan Simmons or Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King, which I checked out from the library a couple days ago. But I've got a lot of library books coming in this week, so maybe I'll go with Stephen King. Or both! What the heck?

Finished This Time Together by Carol Burnett. I continue reading Dom Casmurro and listening to The Burning Wire.

I finished The Department of Lost & Found by Allison Winn Scotch. I gave it 3 stars for being a good read, but nothing too special from the chick lit genre. I will now start (and finish as it's not very long) The Uncommon Reader and The Gargoyle.

msf - I have not read About Schmidt. Sorry to say I'm not familiar with the author either.

I'm not a prude. I rather liked the English major's young model in Montana, with the nice everything. But the "former student" was too much.

Completed The Warmth of Other Suns.
Now reading behind the scenes at the museum - delightful so far!

I remember reading Lonesome Dove, expecting not to like it, and enjoying it immensely. A few years ago, that was.

I just finished Cartoon History of the Universe Part 1 Volumes 1-7 an ambitious and pretty darn good book covering 13 billion years of history. Now I've started The Hour I First Believed and can't figure out why Wally Lamb made this guy such a jerk. Maybe I'll find out as we go along.

Oh, DMO, I had no idea Ann Patchett had a new book out. Must go order it right now.

#63, Porua

I just finished The Body in the Library. I quite liked it. I'm not usually a fan of Miss Marple, but this one was different for some reason.

I'm actually done with Cat's Cradle as well. I'm either going to start The Bridge on the Drina or Smart Women Finish Rich next.

#83 I hope you eventually end up loving The Hour I First Believed, it's an amazing book. Now you mention it, the guy did seem a jerk at the beginning but I was soon so engrossed I forgot to dislike him. There have been some excellent boks written about high school massacres and their after effects and this is up there with some of the best.

Just getting stuck into Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. I was a little wary of this as one LT review mentions something about taking time to get used to the Mississippi dialect and I usually hate books that are too heavy on that kind of thing. Instead, I'm discovering that this is an author who really knows how to handle dialect, using just enough to create a perfect sense of place whle remaining completely intelligible to non-local readers. A lot of authors could learn a vital lesson from him (especially quite a few Scottish ones, dare I say?)

This week I'm reading The War of the End of the World by Mario Vargas Llosa which is wonderful so far, and Howard's End is on the Landing. Hopefully the latter will help me not buy books. We'll see.

I just finished a WONDERFUL book, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. It's nonfiction about Louis Zamperini, a former Olympian runner who was a POW in Japan during World War II. It's a book I didn't want to put down and read late into the night. Read it.

Now I'm reading I'd know you anywhere by Laura Lippman, a paperback I won through librarything. I've been so sleepy the last two evenings, I've only read about three or four pages, which have bored me. But the last thing I read was about a suspicious letter, so I think it's about to get good.

In reply to Booksloth, who is reading Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, my problem with Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter was a different one. That book got so many wonderful, wonderful reviews when it first came out, I was let down to read it and find out it's just a good book.

#90 Well, that's always a problem, of course, and few books can live up to some of the hype they get. Luckily for me, this one doesn't seem to be nearly as much hyped here in the UK and, aside from comments by LTers, I'd probably never have heard of it at all so I can approach it with relatively little for it to live up to. So far (and I'm only 30-odd pages in) I'm enjoying it a lot.)

I have a couple of reviewers I trust and tend to agree with. However, generally I find friends' recommendations more reliable.

That said, I have reached the stage in my life when I have a pretty good idea about books/authors I will like. I rarely pick up a book that I end hating anymore. Sometimes I feel that puts me in a rut, so I rely on my book group to force me to read things I wouldn't normally pick up. And more recently, LT recommendations make me look at books I hadn't considered.

So,# 91 I put Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter on my "to read" list. No pressure.

#87 Booksloth - My sister wants me to read this book, she says it is right down my alley. Let me know what you think about it.

A quick reminder: The Thousand Autumns Group Read starts next Wednesday. If you are interested and haven't been to the General Thread yet, please stop by:
Group Read

I really enjoyed Crooked Letter and look forward to reading more of Franklin's work.

Open Season, the first in C.J. Box's Joe Pickett series, was a good page turner. (I had read the second one out of order and liked it). Looking forward to reading more of these.

I'm continuing to enjoy The Moving Toyshop as an occasional lunch time book, and next up is Embassytown by China Melville.

Just finished and liked Angelology and will read Measuring the world next.

Yesterday morning I started Age of Innocence for my next book club meeting. This is the first book I'm reading on my Sony e-reader.

I finally got time to settle down and pick out my books for the week. Yesterday on the way out the door I grabbed Les Miserables so that will be one of them.
I also picked out:
Animal Farm
The Mercy Seat
The Mysterious Benedict Society
The Examination

#95 jnwelch - Have you read anything else by Mieville? I have Embassytown on my TBR list along with a few of his previous novels, and I was wondering if I should bump those closer to the top.

>@coloradogirl Yes, I've read lots of Mieville and think he's one of sci-fi's leading lights. Perdido Street Station and The City and the City are two of my favorites of his.

He's not everybody's flavor, but as an adventurous reader you'll want to try him. He's a strong writer with a great imagination.

I'm looking forward to Embassytown. The premise is intriguing and it has been getting very positive reviews.

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larson

Just saw some ads for Robopocalypse. Anyone read it? It sounds fascinating.

#100 - jnwelch - I have Kraken and The Scar on my TBR list, along with Embassytown. I came across his name in an issue of Entertainment Weekly and the premises sounded really interesting.

#102 - DMO - EW also mentioned Robopocalypse...I think it was in Stephen King's Top 10 list of new summer reads. I looked for it at the library, but they didn't carry it. If you pick up a copy, let me know how it is!

#102 I read the ARC of Robopocalypse and loved it. Think World War Z meets I, robot. I wrote a review, check it out.

#100 Another Mieville fan here, I also read The City and the City and Perdido Street Station. The only other book our library has is Armada, so I need to find more of his work at the bookstores... Kraken is the one I want to read next because I like that monster :-)

I'm just now kicking off my Second Summer of Amelia Peabody with The Ape Who Guards the Balance by Elizabeth Peters.

Last summer I had so much fun reading through the first 9 books in the Amelia Peabody series, that I thought I'd leave the other 10 in the series for a Second Summer of Amelia Peabody.

These books are just sooooo much fun!!!!!!!!

I read ¾ of Aftershock by Robert Reich last night. He thinks that the United States is not actually in economic recovery. The worst is yet to come with increasing division of wealth and the concomitant death of the middle class. He goes on at length and may be oversimplifying, but I happen to agree with him on the middle class issue; that issue is not new to me so the book seems to overstate the case, but to someone who hasn't seen things that way this could prove a lucid introduction. It is unlikely I'll change that in the last quarter of the book. I am hoping for a realistic solution in that quarter.

Robert

Still reading Dykes to Watch Out For and loving it.

Also started Triangle the fire that changed America by David Von Drehle, a gift. It's about conditions in factories and tenements in NYC early 1900s and the people who did the union organizing that changed some of it. Won several book of the year awards. Good so far, think it will get even better.

Also just for silly fun, The Absolutely Worst Places to Live in America by Dave Gilmartin. It is pretty funny! I keep laughing out loud and have to tell my husband what's so funny.

My problem with Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter wasn't the dialect. It was his weird sentence structure that was an attempt at being "literary." You'll notice it a lot in the beginning, where there are a lot of gerunds in fragments. Either I got used to it as I read though, or he backed off on it. It is a good book for its characterization, and I hope everyone here who attempts it enjoys it. Of course, no book is for everyone though.

Speaking of, I'm one chapter into Just Kids which I was expecting to part the waters because of the comments I've seen here. I'm restless with it. Hopefully, I'll get more into it later.

Just finished The Count of Monte Cristo for probably the 8th time (different version/translation each time to keep it fun) and am now reading The Picture of Dorian Gray, which seems like a short story in comparison. Loving it though. Trying to decide what to read next, as I think I'll be done with Dorian tonight.

> 43, Agree with you on Emma. When a book or movie creates and develops a character I so intently dislike (happens more often than one I truly love I've found), I tend to give praise and credit where it's due. I also intensely dislike Becky (Vanity Fair), but that is the point, and Thackeray did it well. I love the book despite the character, not because of it.

#108> Liking your use of the word "gerund".

>>108 cammykitty:. Just Kids started slowly and then really opened up for me. I hope you have the same experience.

I was surprised by how much I liked Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter.

But then, I also had to look up "gerund". :)

#105, Bookwoman247, hope you enjoy the Amelia Peabodys. I love them too. I think you're doing a fairly smart thing reading them in a sequence. I read them stretched out and sometimes some of the plot lines and characters got lost.

I'm reading Created to be God's friend, with Cricket on the hearth as follow up.

#108 Just Kids seemed a work of art to me. I treasure it. But then, I was born in the same year as Smith and Mapplethorpe (about halfway between them, in fact), so perhaps the shared history, the memories of a time that was so important to me, is part of the reason it touched me as it did. I think it's a beautiful book -- a brave book -- about the struggle to become an artist -- about expressing yourself in a way that is essentially your own -- with all the pain and ecstasy and fear and hope out there for all to see.

#94 Thanks for the message about the group read of the Mitchell book.
I read it a while back, but I hope to do some rereading as I follow the discussion.

I just finished and reviewed a Golden-Age-of-the-Pulps tale of sci-fi writers Asimov, Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and more, called The Astounding, the Amazing, and the Unknown...my thread, post #124.

# 85 Glad you liked The Body in the Library. Miss Marple is my favourite so for me liking it was easy.

For me, if I dislike a character a bit too intensely, it just takes away from my enjoyment of the book. Of course, the story is of utmost importance. But an unlikable character, even if the author consciously made him/her that way, I can't really abide. I meet enough jerks in the real world as it is. I'd like them to stay out of my only refuge from it all. :-)

Thoughts on Lord of Misrule?

#108 Still quite enjoying it but 150 pages in I'm beginning to wish something would happen.

I liked Just Kids well enough, but I thought it was a bit (or a lot) whiny and self congratulatory. I also did not think Patti Smith or Robert Mapplethorpe were all that likeable. But that said, I recally enjoying much of it, the time and place mostly. I also thought the struggle to be an artist ... against the tides of time, place and family ... was well done. I could feel both of their passions.

I thought Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter was over-hyped and not all that good. I too thought it felt forced (or something) in style. I also thought the ending was just ridiculous. But what he handled well was the racism of that time. I read that one as an Early Reviewer, so I reviewed it. I know I wanted to love it and just did not.

I am heading into the last quarter of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier and the "surprise" has been revealed. I do love her writing and sense of style/suspsence. However, I'm finding the book a bit slow. At times, I've not really felt like picking it back up. But I will finish it, for sure.

Next up will be Partitions: A Novel by Amit Majmudar (touchstones iffy) which I got in record time! It's an Early Reviewer book.

Then I'm very anxious to get back to The Essential Dykes to Watch out For and sadly, sniff, sniff ... finish it.

Just finished listening to The Burning Wire, a bit disappointing in my opinion. I am about to start listening to Humboldt's Gift by Saul Bellow.

#84 Citizenjoyce -- Book critic Ron Charles calls Ann Patchett's new book, State of Wonder, the "smartest, most exciting novel of the summer." I'm eagerly awaiting my copy. Here's his review:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/books-state-of-wonder/2011/05/...

I'm # 15 on the reserve list at my public library for State of Wonder. I can't wait to get it.

I'm finishing Miss New India and liking it a lot. There is a lot to think about. Then I have to read Outlander for my book group. I also picked up a young reader book The Penderwicks, which is charming. It reminds me of books from my childhood.

> 122 BLBEera - I read The Penderwicks a few years ago, and I felt exactly the same. It remined me, strongly, of the books I loved when I was about 10 or so.

Finished and really liked Measuring the world. My next read will be A wizard of Earthsea.

> 122, 123 I had the same reaction to The Penderwicks. Old-timey and good.

I got Cafe on the Nile through Inter-Library Loan yesterday and will start reading that book with great anticipation. I had so much fun with White Rhino Hotel that I can't wait to get to this one. I hope it doesn't disappoint.

I finished listening to Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. I am not really a fan of memoirs, so found it only average and more than a little bit pretentious. What person can write 365 pages about their early childhood? But I thought the author was great at pointing out the foibles of the world as well as his own. I will probably read the rest of his series at some point in the future, but not right now.

I am enjoying the discussion of Just Kids. Like I said, I am not generally a fan of memoirs, and so won't read this one, but I glad to read your comments on it in this forum.

Downloaded a copy of Robopocalypse last night, read several chapters, and can't wait to get back to it after work today.

Reading Faith by Jennifer Haigh, very thought provoking.

I am reading the wonderful memoir, Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl and the equally enjoyable historical fiction, The Conquest by Elizabeth Chadwick.

Benita What person can write 365 pages about their early childhood? Well, how many people have burned the walls inside their home to keep warm? (or was that in the follow up book?) His life was unique to those of us affluent enough to afford food to eat and clothes to wear and typical of the poverty experienced in severely classed societies. I liked Angela's Ashes very much, especially as read by the author. His other books, in my opinion, get successively worse.

>121 mollygrace: Molly, thanks for the link to the review of State of Wonder, but I'm afraid to read it. I've entered all her books having no idea of the plot and have loved them all. I hate to give myself any clues about what to expect. I'll read the review after the book. Oh, and I just got a message on author tracker that she has a new book out. I'd say they're a bit behind LibraryThing.

Delta Queen, plan on having your hunger level go way up.

>105 bookwoman247: bookwoman247 I love the Amelia Peabody novels too and stand in awe of your strength of will to be able to resist reading the second half of the series right after you finished the first nine, instead waiting a whole year to make the reading of the last ten a Summer Event!

ETA I'm finally just now getting around to reading Slaughterhouse Five on the Kindle.

#119 CarolynSchroeder
Since you enjoyed Essential Dykes to Watch Out For there is another graphic novel that you might like Bottomless Belly Button by Dash Shaw. It is about a family that gets together at the beach and the parents announce they're splitting up to their grownup children. It is very different from Alison Bechdel but it was another graphic novel that got under my skin and had an emotional impact, in part because of the illustrations.
You may have already read it but I thought it was worth mentioning.

I finished Deadline by Mira Grant last night and can't believe I'm going to have to wait another year for Blackout! I'm also reading The White Devil by Justin Evans

I started The Lexicographer's Dilemma last night about the history of published standards for English. I think maybe you have to be interested in it in order to be interested in it.

Robert

I got to the end of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter and, to be honest, I wasn't crazy about it. There are odd flashes of inspired writing in there but in general it just seems to be trying too hard at the expense of the actual story, which I found somewhat tedious - possibly due to guessing 'who dun what' more or less as each character was introduced. I've read worse books, don't get me wrong, but I don't get why some readers seem so passionate about this one.

Now I've picked up Parnassus on Wheels which is proving to be a real gem so far.

130 Citizenjoyce -- I never read reviews or dust jackets before I read the book. Dust jackets almost always tell me way too much -- sometimes it's shocking to me how much they give away. If I trust the reviewer and value his opinion -- as I do with Charles -- I will let my eyes fall down the text of a review, lightly scanning, looking for a general feeling of how the reviewer felt about it -- which is how I found "smartest, most exciting." There were also a couple of other words or phrases that made me even more eager to get my hands on State of Wonder. I wish to know absolutely nothing about setting or plot before reading. And, truthfully, even if Charles had used words like "dumbest, most disappointing", I'd be reading the book anyway -- I've been waiting for a new Ann Patchett novel for what seems a long time.

All this is why I'm conflicted about writing reviews -- I always wind up telling more than I would want to know before reading. I read reviews after I read the book.

I've just started The Hangman's Daughter. I didn't realize it was a mystery! So far it's pretty good and has kind of(but not quite) the same sort of feel as CJ Sansom's Matthew Shardlake series. It feels true to the time in all its sights and smells.

#135 Booksloth - I hope you like Parnassus on Wheels. I think it is such a charming book! It's one of the few books that makes me smile just thinking about it.

#121> Book critic Ron Charles calls Ann Patchett's new book, State of Wonder, the "smartest, most exciting novel of the summer."

Wow! That's some serious forecasting, given that summer hasn't even begun yet! Maybe "smartest, most exciting novel of the spring" would have been more accurate.

At any rate, I am also one of those who shies away from reviews and cover copy before reading most books. My practice with reviews is to read the first paragraph and the last paragraph only. That usually works to give me a sense of that the main idea of a book/move is and what the reviewer thought of it overall.

Just finished A Clash of Kings and started A Storm of Swords, both by George R. R. Martin. I'd forgotten how unrelentingly brutal the books are.

I finished up Rebecca and wow, great ending/plot! Went from so-so to very good in the last third. It was a bit of a slow builder, that one.

On to Partitions: A Novel by Amit Majmudar.

I've been reading Autumn, a zombie thriller, it's light & fast and on audio, I finally started Monsters of Men, the last of a YA sci-fi trilogy. A bit of pure escapism before tackling David Mitchell.

140seitherin

Brutal how? Just picked up Clash of the Kings - I really enjoyed Game of Thrones - looking forward to the next in the series.

Thanks!

"Today, 12:34am
Just finished A Clash of Kings and started A Storm of Swords, both by George R. R. Martin. I'd forgotten how unrelentingly brutal the books are."

Have just started Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter but have not formed an opinion yet.

#143, sebago: Brutality - who lives, who dies, who treats whom how. Maybe merciless is a better word.

@seitherin and @sebago, I certainty learned not to get attached to any of the main characters....

#126 benitastrnad - I read Angela's Ashes when I was quite young, when it was first published, and while I thought the book was interesting it was also grim and I had no desire to read any others by the author. 10 years later a good friend of mine convinced me to read the next one Tis telling me it's no where near as depressing as Angela's Ashes. I did and really enjoyed it. That spurred me on to read Teacher Man - it was really good, my favourite of the three and I gave it 5 stars. It almost made me want to be a teacher.

>142 msf59: @msf59 I look forward to hearing what you think of Monsters of Men, Mark. It all worked for me.

The Moving Toyshop was a lot of fun, and Crispin even had a nice bit at the end relating to the title in a new way.

Embassytown is really interesting so far; I haven't had my vocabulary challenged so much in any other Mieville book, but that relates well to what the book is about.

I'm a bit more than half way through reading The Hour I First Believed and listening to Gaudy Night. Never, never do both these books at the same time, they are interminable. While the information in each is interesting there is so much digression - Miss Hathaway said to Miss Shaw, and then Miss Lambert said to Miss Dalrymple, and the shirts go this way, and the thunderstorms and then the character in The Hour is coarse and drinking and jacking off. Oh please, if I wanted all this minutiae I'd be on Twitter. I'm just hoping I can make it through .

I can't comment on The Hour I First Believed, but Gaudy Night is well worth it.

>149 Citizenjoyce: LOL Hear ya there, Joyce. Haw

I finished and reviewed a forthcoming first novel called Green Gospel...my thread, post #182.

Really interesting, very much a worthwhile read.

~ enaid ~ I picked up Bottomless Belly Button and the library today! Thank you for the suggestion. It does look like something I"ll enjoy. It also lead me to a very (suprisingly) extensive adult graphic novel section which I had no clue existed.

I am reading Partitions: A Novel and so far, I love it.

Nancy, Molly & Carolyn> Thanks for the comments on Just Kids. That will give me the incentive to finish it. I'll let you know what I think.

#150 Gotta say, I thought The Hour I First Believed was well worth it too but I guess it's horses for courses.

#147 kwiflowa

I ordered a used recorded book version of Tis and it is already shipped so should be here soon. I liked his sing-song voice. I think it made the book tolerable for me. I too am a teacher and therefore interested in his journey from hating school and then becoming a teacher. To be fair, I am going to recommend Angela's Ashes to some other teacher friends of mine who have a book discussion group for teachers and teacher like subjects, as I think this has lots of discussion points for them. However, as I said it strained my credulity level on many counts. I did a better review of it on my "Books off the shelf" challenge thread.

I may be obtuse but last night when I recorded the title and author in my book diary I wondered where does the title come from? Anybody out there got an idea for me?

As I recall, the title comes from the last line of Angela's Ashes when the author says something like "It's a great life" (sorry, can't find my copy so could be way off here) then answers his own question with the single word: "'Tis."

ETA - Have just discovered I'm talking about the wrong book. I never figured out why Angela's Ashes was so called either. :(

Online I read that Angela's Ashes refers to the ashes of his mother's cigarettes, and the ashes of her life...

When somebody discovers the meaning to these things (#157) it all seems so obvious and you feel likie an idiot for not having noticed it before. That does make perfect sense divinenanny.

And google is your friend ;-)

How did we all survive before Google?

# 160, answer below!!

Before Google?? I had a book case full of reference manuals!! now, just ask Google. I love Google!!!

Also no need for dozens of cook books!! now just ask Google!!

#160-161 Oh, so THAT's what's in the bookcase in the corner -- the one covered in cobwebs and dust: Poor discarded remnants of life in the olden days.

Professor E. O. Wilson, the biologist/entomologist, gave a commencement speech at UNC Chapel Hill the other day and said that we now live in a "Star Wars" civilization: "We have stone-age emotions, medieval institutions, and god-like technology."

162 - Another E.O. Wilson story: when asked if he had read all of the books in his bookcases, he replied, "Read all of them? no - they're friends!"

I love that!

How did we all survive before Google?

I don't know...lets google it!

>159 divinenanny:-164 -- just wait until it all crashes -- then you'll remember those bookcases in the corner.

I've been reading The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver and am wondering what took me so long. I'm thoroughly enjoying it and have the next one, The Coffin Dancer lined up ready to go!

I've also got Scarlet Nights by Jude Deveraux on the go. This is the third in her Edilean series.

I've just started The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle as well.

Quite a mixed bag!

Finished Created to be God's Friend and am now reading Cricket on the Hearth--more Dickens--and finishing Cross creek It took me quite a while to get into the latter, which is about life in rural Florida in the 1930's, but it's gradually growing on me.

I'm reading WAY too much at the same time.....

Media on the Move -- for school this fall
The Major Works by Sir Philip Sidney -- love early modern english lit =)
精霊の守り人 -- Japanese fantasy for fun and to maintain my japanese..
Мастер и Маргарита by Mikhail Bulgakov -- trudging through it with a dictionary.. trying to finally improve my Russian

Molly I love the E. O. Wilson quotation said that we now live in a "Star Wars" civilization: "We have stone-age emotions, medieval institutions, and god-like technology."

I am reading Etta by Gerald Kolpan, early stages yet, but so far pretty good. I am also going to start Above Suspicion by Lynda La Plante.

169 Citizenjoyce I think that sums us up pretty well, don't you?

Another quote from the same speech:

“We are now in the early period of an overwhelmingly techo-scientific civilization connected literally person to person.”

Finished and loved The Map of Time and will read The Fry Chronicles next.

Justed finished Vestal Virgin a surprise favorite, and I am still reading Bismark A LIFE. Just Received Very Bad Men by Harry Dolan, an ER book I can't wait to start.

Normally, I will read 2 or more books at the same time. I am trying something a little different. Never before have I read Dean Koontz and Stephen King at the same time but I am doing just that with The Dead Town and The Stand. This should be very interesting.

#175- The Stand is awesome!

My latest is Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky, so far I am enjoying very much.

#176-I have never read the book I have only watched the movie but already the book starts out with settings that I don't remember in the movie.