What Are You Reading the Week of 16 July 2011?

New topic wasn't up so I thought I'd add it.

Reading Naked City edited by Ellen Datlow still.

I'm rushing to get my last library book finished before I leave on Monday. As Simple As Snow by Gregory Galloway started off promising but now in the last third of the book, it seems to have slipped into an homage on teen angst. I'll be glad to get to the end.

Next up will be The Blue Noon by Robert Ryan. Set in Paris it is about clandestine operatives during World War II.

I'm reading Dolores Claiborne with the Stephen King group on here. It's written like she's telling her life story to a police officer and a stenographer but they don't have dialogue. Unique but so far I like it.

Thank you for starting us out, seitherin!

I'm onto the third Lynley & Havers book, Well-Schooled in Murder. No time to read today, but it's been wonderful so far.

I'm back from Winnepeg and finished Doomsday Morning last night. It held up pretty well, considering that it was a totalitarian US dystopia novel from the 1950s. Now I'm reading another 1950s novel that I should've read a long time ago, The Outsiders.

I won The Art of Camping and since I will be camping (with my BF) for the first time in years this summer, I'll start it next.

Earlier today I finished Charlatan by Pope Brock. I posted a review, but I think only about half of it is about the book itself. Oops.

Tomorrow I plan on starting Dead City by Joe McKinney.

Thanks for starting our week, Seitherin!

I'm reading Guardian of the Horizon by Elizabeth Peters, which is 15th (or 16th, I've lost count), in the Amelia Peabody series. I love the series, and this volume is off to a rollicking start as usual! It actually takes a step back to 1907 - 1911 or so, and fills in some of the gaps of what happened re. Nefret and the Lost Oasis.

I am having a terrific Second Summer of Amelia Peabody!

I have broken into The Oxford Handbook of Fascism and will probably take it about a chapter a day. I'm also continuing in Jane Austen by Claire Tomalin and have The Faerie Queene started and at hand.

Robert

I've just begun Devil and the White City by Erik Larson, based on the strong recommendation of many, many LTers.

They are right.

Finished Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer by Steven Millhauser. This story sort of snuck up on me, and by the end I was seeing parallels with Atlas Shrugged in terms of thought provoking ideas. I am going to start Pale King by David Foster Wallace, and I am listening to True History of the Kelly Gang which is off to a very engaging start. I am also listening to Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli with a friend while we respectively knit and cross stitch on my cottage front porch.....Mmmmmm!

Thanks for starting us off, seitherin. Good review, Ape. You made me wish list Charlatan. Tell me, why is it we need an FDA?
I'm about half way through listening to In the Woods and it's pretty much creeping me out. I'm also half way thorugh reading Grace Williams Says it Loud which is an upsetting cross between David and Lisa and Geek Love.

12: Well, some regulation is better than no regulation, I guess. =/

#5

If you are reading the S. E. Hinton Outsiders that book was published in the 1980's and was set in the middle 1960's in Tulsa, OK. Hinton was 17 when she started writing the book.

I just finished listening to Imperfect Birds and am trying to get into the audio version of Lulu in Marrakech .

I am also reading The Cookbook Collector in what has been a limited amount of spare time lately.

I just finished the Lydia Davis translation of Madame Bovary, and will start Madame Bovary's Daughter by Linda Urbach and continue with The Reservoir by John Milliken Thompson and the audio of the first Harry Potter.

I finished reading A Small Death in the Great Glen and have to say that I enjoyed this book. It is a mystery, but it isn't a cozy or a thriller. It is a good story that brings home to the reader how the effects of World War II didn't just end in 1945 but lingered on and had great impact on small isolated communities that were far from the action. This is a good effort from a first time novelist. I would recommend this book to people who are looking for a good read but need some rest from the super heated intense world of so many mystery thrillers.

#17 - Nice review. I like knowing that it doesn't fall into a specific genre. It's hard sometimes to overcome expectations. Two of my favorite novels, Any Human Heart and Small Island, also touched on how long the impact of war was felt.

I also noticed when I read your review that LT has a feature, "Will I Like This?". This is so fun, and apparently I will like A Small Death... a lot.

#14 benitastrnad - Sorry to have to correct you, but I was using The Outsiders in my reading classes in the 70s, so the original publication date has to be earlier -- maybe 1967 or 1968? The movie was released in the mid-80s. My students loved that book -- I used it in many classes from the 70s through the 90s. I don't know how many middle schoolers told me that it was the first book they'd ever read all the way through.

Happy birthday to Anita Brookner (b. 1928), who published her first book in 1981 when she was 53 years old.

This week my main fiction reading will continue to be H. P. Lovecraft: The Fiction by H. P. Lovecraft. I'm currently working on his classic story At the Mountains of Madness. My main non-fiction reading, on the other hand, will be God, Time, and Eternity: The Coherence of Theism II: Eternity by William Lane Craig.

Finished up People of the Book today, and my eye has been roving from The Discoverers (I like his style, but his choice of things to skim over is a bit annoying - though I guess he could only cover so much, even in 1000 pages).

That leaves Neruda's love sonnets (I may, just possibly, be slightly jealous of a friend who's on vacation in South America). Have started First Into Nagasaki, a bit premature for the anniversary, but if I don't start now, I'll forget until October or something. And will be starting on Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle for the group read.

Also have a book edited by Vandana Shiva that I'd like to start on... So many books, and I think my boss has this irrational expectation of my doing some work, too!

I am reading Laughter of dead kings by Elizabeth Peters; the sixth in the Vicky Bliss series. Interestingly enough, this one connects to the Amelia Peabody series a bit.

Reading Catching Fire and The Challenge for Africa. Must read my summer reading!

I'm almost finished Spider Web by Earline Fowler. Set in the American West, it's a cozy sort of book, with PTSD weaving through it.

I finished Learning to Lose by David Trueba the other day. I liked many things about it, but I found it a little inconsistent, slow in parts and probably about 100 pages too long. But it is one of those books that certainly sits with a person. It is a very dissected look at how humans tend to destroy things that mean the most to us (in love, achievement marriage and self). If ever I felt I overthought things, I'm going to try not to do that anymore! Weirdly disturbing, but incredibly thought provoking. Not every day a novel does that for me.

I am now reading The Summer Without Men by Siri Hustvedt which is I dunno, chick lit with a bite? Not my normal fare, but my Mom and I walked to the library and I just sat down with this and it grabbed me. Tiny book - written in kind of a terse manner, very fast/easy reading.

re: 11 hemlokgang, that sounds like a wonderful way to spend the day! I wish I had a cottage. Or a front porch.

I'm still re-reading Emma (Jane Fairfax has just received a mysterious pianoforte - who could have sent it to her?) and I love it as much as ever. I shouldn't wait so long between re-reads. After that I'm going to try to work most of the way through The Landmark Thucydides, which I've been reading on and off all year.

I am reading Restless in Carolina, by Tamara Leigh which was given to me free for a review from Blogging for Books. So far this is an awesome read. Just loving it.

After a busy week last week of too many reading interruptions, I finished Lullabies for Little Criminals last night. A great story that takes the reader into the world of a troubled adolescent that was shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 2008.

I am still reading and almost finished Perdido Street Station. Unless the ending falls completely flat - which I doubt it will - I can see why Mieville's novel is hyped as much as it is here on LT. This is my first Mieville and I am really impressed with the amazing world and characters he has created and love the plot.

Continuing my Orange July reading I am now 60 pages into Bel Canto and can see this one becoming a fascinating page-turner for me.

#16 & 17 A Small Death in the Great Glen just went on my wishlist too. Apparently I will like it too!

#28 Glad you are enjoying Bel Canto it is one of my favourite books and great Orange read.

I'm reading Starter for Ten by David Nicholls a university set coming of age romance with University Challenge as its backdrop.

It's going to be a busy reading week....

I'm almost done with The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer and it's as good as everyone has claimed here on LT. It's a long novel that never seems long and is so well developed that you truly don't want it to end.

I'm going to read Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich today while hanging around the house watching the women's World Cup match.

I've also got to read The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin before I have to return it to the library, and I've got to re-read People of the Book for my book club on Sunday. People of the Book is my favorite of Brooks' novels.

Cammykitty, The Outsiders was a favorite book of mine back when I was in junior high school. I certainly would reread it if I came across a copy.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

EDIT: the official website of the book and movie states that the book was published in 1967, the movie released in 1982.

I'm currently reading a book about the new Geneva Bible, published in 2006. It sounds like a "dry" topic, but it's actually quite good.

Ikernagh- Bel Canto is a wonderful story. One of my favorite books-enjoy!

Just about to start Lost in Shangri-La The author, Mitchell Zuckoff was interviewed on a local news show last week-sounded like a great read! =:)

Okay, had to put down The Summer Without Men - just not my thing. I couldn't stomach the main character - all the flippant, terse, one liner kinda stuff got old in about 20 pages. Not that interested in her journey.

Picking up Into the Beautiful North, an ARC by Luis Alberto Urrea (who I love) I have sitting around.

Cider with Rosie was a treat. Wonderful descriptive passages and imagery. I'll quote some when I'm not on a handheld.

Next is Robert Parker's Sixkill.

CarolynSchroeder - Loved Into the Beautiful North! Enjoy!

Just finished The Devil in the White City and LOVED it. I was particularly fascinated by the fact that Holmes was buried in a cemetary about 15 minutes from my house.

I am about to begin The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe. I do have a bit of trepidation about this because my book club read it recently (I wasn't about to participate that month) and most of them did not like it. I have also seen mixed reviews here on LT but I am trying to remain optimistic.

>34 CarolynSchroeder:- I felt the same way about The Summer without Men, except I got it as an ER book, so I had to finish it. It took me forever to get through it even though it's short.

I'm currently in the middle of Julie and Julia which is much more sarcastic and hilarious than I anticipated.

The borrower by Rebecca Makkai. Five stars from me.

I'm back from my vacation, although I got a fair amount of reading done on the plane. Still reading Think of a Number by John Verdon, although I also started The Likeness by Tana French - both murder mysteries. Think of a Number is a bit heavy on the exposition/inner thoughts of the main character, which I don't like in my third person stories, but it's a very intriguing story. The Likeness is just sheer brilliance. This is the 2nd time I've read it, and I think Tana French has written the most perfect murder mysteries ever created...the characters are complex and incredibly realistic (not to mention funny), the clues are expertly placed, and the writing is just beautiful.

Up next: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Now that the movie series is complete (which I'm still having a hard time dealing with), I can read books 5 & 6 at my leisure. (And imo, Part 2 of the Deathly Hallows was perfect. I haven't cried that much during a movie in a very long time.)

>37 bookaholicgirl: bookaholicgirl
I have a morbid streak a mile wide - are you going to go find the grave?? So exciting!

>40 coloradogirl14: I read The Likeness a couple of years ago and I still think about it. It is my favorite of her books, for sure.

I'm currently reading Island of Ghosts a Gillian Bradshaw novel. I've had some kind of stomach ailment this weekend and just haven't felt up to reading anything very challenging. Bradshaw is a solid writer and I always enjoy anything Roman.

I'm reading the Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, for the Group Read. The strange, mesmerizing world of Murakami. On audio, I've been loving The River of Doubt.

I finished and reviewed Aminatta Forna's mesmerizing novel The Memory of Love. 5 stars.

I'm now reading Sadie Jones The Outcast. Both books are for Orange July which I am loving even more than Orange January.

Benita, Molly & Fuzzi: thanks for the discussion on The Outsiders. I still find it hard to believe she was so young when she wrote it. It seems to have both intimate knowledge of the problems that happen in it, as well as the perspective we expect from an older author. I loved it.

Now I'm onto my ER book First Descent which is good so far. It includes a lot of details about the drug/military ugliness of Columbia, and also will obviously address prejudices toward indigenous people.

Just passed the halfway point of A Whole Different Ballgame: the Sport and Business of Baseball by Marvin Miller. Miller was the first chief executive of the Major League Baseball Players Association, and the book is his account of the rise of the MLB players union and his role in that. Well written, and extremely fascinating for baseball fans.

I have just finished "Sons and Lovers", it was a very special read.

I have just started "A Jest Of God' by Margaret Laurence, this I shall savour, as I love this Margaret's writing, it has been made into a movie with Joanne Woodward "Rachel Rachel", I have ordered it online.

I just started A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. It's hard to form an initial impression about this book--the critics (and prize committees) absolutely love it, but "regular" readers seem to be a little more mixed in their opinions.

Today I receive my copy of Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin. I've seen mixed reviews, but I can't wait. After slogging through Anthropology of an American Girl I need a good read.

Sixkill was a solid Spenser mystery, with the usual sharp dialog.

Girl in Translation is good so far.

I started The White Tiger last night and am enjoying it so far

enaid: Apparently the grave is unmarked but there was a pretty good description given of where it is so I may take a ride over there one day with my husband to see if we can find it.

Read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for the first time. My review is here,

http://www.librarything.com/review/74281858

Or my 75 Books Challenge thread,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/120427

Last night I began to read Possession by A. S. Byatt but gave up after a few pages. Perhaps I was too tired, but just couldn't get into it. Maybe I'll try again later.

Ploughing on with A. J. P. Taylor's English History, 1914-45. Dated, but still readable.

I finished the disturbing and wonderful Grace Williams Says it Loud and still can't understand why it's so hard to get in the US. We're pretty much limited to used books or new paperbacks for $55. One would think something short listed for the Orange Prize would be a little more available.

Now I start another Orange Prize listed The Outcast by Sadie Jones.

#41 enaid - The Likeness is also my favorite Tana French novel...the Whitethorn House friends remind me so much of my college friends, just in terms of how close knit they are and how they operate more like a family...makes me wonder what secrets my college friends are hiding!

Reading The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma

>54 Citizenjoyce: Citizenjoyce I'm sorry to hear that Grace Williams Says it Loud is hard to get ahold of! I've just found out about it and put it on my wishlist right away, I also know people,that I think would like it.

Well, that's what I get for writing without checking. When I got my copy, it was very hard to find. Now Barnes and Nobel has new paperbacks for $9. Yahoo!

Just heard the news--Borders is going to liquidate and close all remaining stores--very very sad. I shop the most there. Love their coupons. I will certainly miss them--not a huge fan of B&N. Here is article: http://www.courant.com/business/sns-rt-us-borders-liquidattre76h0bh-20110717,0,1...

I haven't opened it yet but I plan to read State of Wonder by Ann Patchett this week. I also really enjoyed Bel Canto so I'm looking forward to this new one.

I'm reading two books at the moment: On Beauty by Zadie Smith, the winner of the 2006 Orange Prize, and Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution by Nick Lane, which won the 2010 Royal Society Prize for Science Books. I'm also reading Granta 113: The Best of Young Spanish Novelists, a collection of unpublished short stories by 22 Spanish language writers born after 1975, from Spain, Central America and South America.

I ended up awake much too late last night finishing Madame Bovary's Daughter by Linda Urbach partly because it was very engaging, and partly because it was too damn hot to sleep.

http://beta.booklamp.org/

BookLamp.org matches readers to books through an analysis of writing styles, similar to the way that Pandora.com matches music lovers to new music. Do you like Stephen King’s It, but thought it was too long? BookLamp allows you to find books with a similar level of tone, tense, perspective, action, description, and dialog - while at the same time allowing you to specify details like... half the length. It’s impervious to outside influences - like advertising - that impact socially driven recommendation systems, and isn’t reliant on a large user base to work. Take a look at the above video to see how we do it in detail.

This is a WAY cool idea. Try it out.

I found one of Joyce Stranger's books at the library and decided to read it: I'd not read any of her books in probably at least 30 years. "A Guiding Star" is the name of the book, but I was disappointed: it was much more 'formula' and predictable than I had expected, based upon my memories of "Rex" and The Running Foxes. I hope that when I find more of her works that they are better than Guiding Star was.

#53 cappybear

I loved Possession by Byatt. I listened to it in the audio version and found it mesmerizing. I liked the stories within stories, and perhaps because I am in the world of academe I could relate to the "publish or perish" mindset of the characters. In some ways Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton and American Gods by Neil Gaiman reminded me of Possession - with all the stories within the story. I think that is a very tricky literary device that can be hard to write but when done well adds to the story.

Finished and liked The Art of Camping and will start something lighter next. The Memory Keeper's Daughter it is.

#59 mommom- i have been so upset since i heard about borders- the one i go to at columbus circle is really really nice- i cant even process how much i'm going to miss them

Richard, cool site but they'll need to add a lot more to the database for it to appeal to me. I tried over 10 of my favorite books (not at all obscure titles) and found no matches.

>68 GCPLreader: I agree, though for me part of the fun is watching it move from beta forward. I love the idea, the execution now needs to catch up.

The Man From Beijing by Mankell on audio, The Forest (by Rutherfurd) in print, and The Brothers Gwynedd by Pargeter on Kindle.

@ #66 - divinenanny - I hope you enjoy The Memory Keeper's Daughter! I read it recently and found it quite good.

#63> Richard, thanks for bringing that site to our attention, but, speaking solely for myself of course, ain't no algorithm gonna tell me what to read!

Finished Naked City edited by Ellen Datlow and started A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin.

@ #71 - Neverwithoutabook - I did, I couldn't put it down and kept reading until I had finished it at 1:30am... It was really good.

My next read will be Mythago Wood, a find at a book sale...

>seitherin- I'll be watching for your thoughts on A Dance With Dragons. I have my copy but probably won't get to it for awhile.

I'm still reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle for the Group Read. What a strange trip. I finished the audio of The River of Doubt. If you are looking for an excellent true-life adventure: look no further.
Next on audio, I'm starting Soulless. It should be a nice change of pace.

Keep cool America!

Last night I started and finished And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie for a discussion I will be hosting on my blog on Monday. I've finished 6 books in the last 6 days and I want to keep up the streak today, so I'll be starting Words by Heart by Ouida Sebestyen, as it is was the shortest book/quickest read I could find on my shelves. I'll also probably finish Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos on audio tomorrow or Friday.

@ #74 - divinegranny - The Memory Keeper's Daughter caught me in the first two pages and everything else got put aside until I finished it, although I didn't read as quickly as you. It took me a week! :)

DevourerOfBooks, that's a good one. I've read And then There Were None more than once, but not recently.

Maybe it's time to take it off the shelf again...

fuzzi,

It really is a good one. I'd read it a couple of times maybe 15 years ago or so and was able to recall who the culprit was, but that didn't stop me from being thoroughly creeped out!

Ive almost finished the book "Around the World in 80 Days" ...

ReadianGreekian, that's a fun book!

If you enjoyed that, try Journey to the Center of the Earth by the same author, Jules Verne .

Thats a great book too! Im totally in to those kinds of books.

So very sad about the loss of Borders. The one closest to me closed in April so I emphathize with those who have yet to lose theirs.

Reading The Nearest Exit by Olen Steinhauer - which is the sequel to his earlier book The Tourist. Great spy novels.

Also lucked out at the library to find Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks on the playaway shelf. Really enjoying it.

I finished Tom Franklin's Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter -- good book.
I'm still reading David McCullough's The Greater Journey -- about half way through -- enjoying it.

I just finished Lost in Shangri-La and I really enjoyed it. Not something that I would normally pick up but was pleasantly surprised.

Currently reading The Shining Court (The Averalaan Universe, Book 5 - The Sun Sword, Book 3) by Michelle West. I've read this series before but new books have come out so am working my way back to current as the plot is too involved for me to just pick up the newest book and go.

I've finished and posted a review for Dead City. Meh, is all I have to say. Well, I have more...see the review.

I'll be moving on to Wicked Bugs tomorrow, which looks fantastic. I'm really looking forward to it. :)

Finished "To Kill a Mockingbird" Harper Lee. Truly inspiring must read.
Carrying on with "Insomnia" Stephen King. Enjoying it, but keep dipping into other novels "Woman in White" by Wilkie Collins and "Crinkley Hall" by James Herbert, which tells me that I'm struggling with "Insomnia" a bit (excuse the pun).

I'm reading My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor. It's amazing what her brain accomplished. Not sure that my brain could do the same...It doesn't even help me stay on a diet!

I got a good start on Zoo Station today. It is a spy novel that I am reading on my Nook. Barnes & Noble lets you read a book for one hour a day for free inside their stores so whenever I am there for any length of time I read for free. I always pick a spy novel. Since I am quite sure that they are spying on me while I am reading, I read spy novels while I am there. Of course I have paid for other books, but those I read elsewhere. Spy novels are reserved for inside the B&N store. Anyway, Zoo Station is quite good - so far. Earlier this year I read Spies of the Balkans and really enjoyed that one. I hope that Zoo Station will be the same ball park as the Furst book. So far it is.

I am also listening to Frank McCourt's second memoir Tis during my daily commute. I enjoy it, but I do have to admit that I get tired of his whining about his poor childhood. I want to shout at him "get past it already! You have a great life and you are doing well financially and have a career that you love! What else do you think you deserve?" I already know that I will listen to the third one of his books when I finish this one. I just hope that he finally quits whining.

Re. Borders I jokingly said to them yesterday--you mean my book buying habits alone didn't keep you all in business? I really am in there at least 1x a week. I am not a big fan of B&N so this will definitely curtail my book purchases. So very sad for all the workers there.

I wonder what those who own the Border's reading devices will do. Or will they continue to work without the company? I wonder those same things about my Nook?

Finished Think of a Number, and sadly, I was disappointed. The plot and the mystery were well thought out and organized, but the writing style was much too verbose for a crime thriller, and I thought there was WAY too much emphasis placed on exposition and rhetorical questions. I sped through the ending, not because it was thrilling, but because the author made so many pointless interruptions with "He decided that..." and "He wondered if..." that I wanted to throw the book at the wall. I'm sad that it didn't deliver - I was really looking forward to a new crime thriller.

I found a working VCR and was finally able to watch 84 Charing Cross Road. What an amazing movie, and so very true to the book. I wonder if Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft had control of the project so that's why it was made correctly.

Before watching this lovely tribute to art and friendship I finished The Outcast by Sadie Jones. The movie was a good counterpoint to yet another portrayal of individual strength in the face of human brutality, but if I read another such book right now I'll probably vomit. So, my next read is Alone in the Kitchen With an Eggplant by Jenni Ferrari-Adler. I feel better just thinking about it.

I am still reading Into the Beautiful North and really liking it. I haven't had much time to read though. But I love Urrea's passion and adoration of Mexico and its people.

I am bummed to the extreme re: Borders (as an aside, in one day, between Borders and Cisco - apparently 16,000 jobs gone). I have two near my house, one a few minutes away. There is just something about being able to look and read before I buy. But also, the community. A lot happened there and it was a nice place for me to take my niece to sit around and talk/read books. I am especially sad about the drawing/painting technique and such books. I cannot download them on the Nook and I often went for ideas and inspiration.

To that end, a wonderful drawing book I'm reading also is Contemporary Drawing, Key Concepts and Techniques by Margaret Davidson. It makes drawing/seeing all new and exciting. I got that one from the "new" shelves @ my library. I highly recommend it for anyone who draws/paints/journals, etc.

Just started Tiger's Wife this morning. It was recommended highly here on LT!

#94 Citizen Joyce: Apparently Anne Bancroft wrote a letter which was published in the 25th anniversary edition of 84 Charing Cross Road about how she was introduced to the book. Cute story:

http://freespace.virgin.net/angela.garry/AWordFrom.htm

>92 benitastrnad:, benitastrnad

Borders doesn't have their own reading device, they just sell the Kobo (and maybe another reader?) made by a different company. A lot of people actually cite their slow adoption of web (remember when their website was run by Amazon) and digital advances as part of the reason their trouble got so bad.

I got lucky yesterday and found a used copy of Storm of Swords at the Friends of the Library Bookstore for $2.00. Can you believe how lucky I am?! This prompted me to purchase Clash of Kings on my Nook. Now I have lots of reading for my upcoming vacation. I also got a used copy of Great Railway Bazaar which is a book that my book discussion group has on its list for this fall. We actually have our choice between Bazaar and Ghost Train to the Eastern Star. The second book is the author's account of traveling the same route he took in Great Railway Bazaar, only thirty years later. It chronicles the changes he found in that time. Since I found a used copy of the older book I am going to read that. The discussion group thought that the juxtaposition would make for an interesting discussion. I have not read any Theroux, and I admit that I have had at least one of his books on my shelf forever. Time to get reading.

53> 65> I daresay I'll get around to Possession, Benita, though I'll make sure I'm wide awake the next time I start to read it. My wife thinks it's a wonderful book. I might try to squeeze in another Susan Hill novella before the reading group meets next Wednesday.

Still dipping into Beethoven: Impressions By His Contemporaries, and enjoying it.

I am reading Montcalm and Wolfe.

Thanks for that page, Narrator Lady. Now why didn't my husband ever present me with a screenplay to star in?

A couple days ago i finished reading Of Mice and Men by John Stienbeck and it was very boring and a bit sad.

Girl in Translation was very good. Although it's the author's first novel, it reads like a memoir, and I understand it has a lot of similarities to her experiences coming to New York City from Hong Kong,

Right now I am reading Mr. Monk and the Blue Flu by Lee Goldberg. The kids & I headed off to the library yesterday afternoon & it was in amongst the paperbacks. Couldn't resist as I am a big fan of the show. Normally would shy away from a "movie to book" but my brain is tired since all I've been doing this summer is studying in my online college course. This is perfect!

I finished and reviewed Sadie Jones debut novel The Outcast. It was terrific.

Now I'm reading Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie novel (#2 in the series) One Good Turn.

I am reading the Barbara Eden memoir - Jeannie out of the bottle - I am finding it a bit conceited in tone on her part... Very name droppy!!!

#101 - WilliamofOrange - Have you read Simon Schama's Dead Certainties? If not, you might want to read it when you finish Montcalm and Wolfe.

Upon the recommendation of numerous LTer's I read Cool Water. It's a well written portrayal of a number of families on a particular day in a small farming community in Saskatchewan. All of the people are struggling with one problem or another and their lives intertwine. The characters captured my empathy and affection to the point that there were times I didn't want to read the book because one of their behaviors was angering me so. A very good book with a touching portrait of the struggles of everyday life. Thanks for the recommendations

I finished up Why Stalin's Soldiers Fought, Roger Reese's follow up to his earlier Stalin's Reluctant Soldiers. Now I've started Demolishing the Myth, an operational history of the tank battle fought near the Prokhorovka train station during the Battle of Kursk during World War II.

I finished my ER novel First Descent and am very excited about it. It is a great YA adventure novel that is also cross-cultural. Just the kind of book the school I work at needs.

My review is here: http://www.librarything.com/work/book/75761621 One of the better reviews I've written, so I'd love for you to go read it!

Now, I'm on to Spanish Short Stories 2 and Animal Ghosts which is a very incredulous paranormal book. I'm interpreting it as folklore.

#97, #102 - Thank you for the link, NarratorLady! Just read 84, Charing Cross Road last week, on the recommendation of (seemingly) everyone here, and loved it! As for being presented with a screenplay... I'm far too shy, anyway, but where are all of these lovely book-dropping beachcombers? (Or perhaps one needs to go to the beach first...)

#89, @lamplight - I loved My Stroke of Insight - enjoy! (And as I recall, her main point was that we can all experience more joy from wherever we are - and you certainly can, too!)

As for me, I'm supposed to be reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, as part of the reading group, but am having a hard time getting into it. Am long overdue for a vacation, so the narrators' voluntary unemployment is really annoying! Hauling it around is giving me a crick in the neck, though. Can somebody tell me it gets better?

Am reading a modern Gothic novel, The Lantern by one Deborah Lawrenson. Got it in a Goodreads giveaway...what a ***gorgeous*** ARC! Came in a very swank package, too...beautifully printed in shades of green, the flaps of the package containing the ARC sealed with a pretty silver foil sticker, the ARC when revealed has lovely green cover, embossed, with French flaps!, and printed in a subtle silver-foil-over-green mistiness.

I think Harper smells bestseller, and wants some back-up buzz, eh what? Fortunately, the book's up to the effort spent on it...so far....

I finished and reviewed the audiobook of In the Woods. What a great mystery! Now after strong recommendation, I'll start the second in the series The Likeness.

I have just finished reading A Jest Of God by Margaret Laurence, not as good as Stone Angel, still enjpyable reading, I am looking forward to seeing the movie, based on the novel, Rachel Rachel

I have just started The Resurrectionist by James Bradley, mixed reviews, however I shall find out for myself. Quite gory, however very well written, so far.

>Heduanna- Hope you hang in there with wind-Up Bird. I'm over half-way. Yes, it's strange and trippy but very readable. Someone just finished it and said it really picks up in the final 3rd, if that helps.

I am gettin a little bored with The Map of Time but will finish. I started Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto.

Question?? How do you get the titles of the book in color so one can click on it and get to reviews? I have unable to find the answer. Thanks for any help. Leona

118 - Hi Leona, those are called 'touchstones'; you should see a description of how to do those just to the right of the message box here. Basically, just put square brackets around the title of the work, and it should generally work (though in many cases, it malfunctions just a bit). Hope this helps!

>118 mnleona: To get The Map of Time to appear as a touchstone, do this: {The Map of Time} but, in place of the curly braces you see here, use the square brackets on the same key.

To make an author's name (eg, Felix J. Palma) into a touchstone, do this: {{Felix J. Palma}} Double **brackets** for authors.

#112. Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is one of the best books I've ever read, and it does get increasingly better. It also is surreal and trippy as Mark says, which not everyone takes to.

#101 Williamoforange

I read some of Francis Parkman 's work on the French and Indian War back in College and found him to be a very good writer. I hope you enjoy Montcalm and Wolfe I have always thought that someday I wanted to stand on the Plains of Abraham and see the place where France lost it's Empire.

#108 Mollygrace

I didn't know about the Simon Schama book Dead Certainties but it sounds fascinating. I have put it on TBR list. Thanks for letting us know about it.

#110 fredbacon
What is the myth that has to be demolished?

I am enjoying Wind-up Bird Chronicle but not making much headway. However, it is much better than Norwegian Wood but not as good as Kafka on the Shore. However, I haven't finished it so will reserve judgement on it until later.

Thanks for the information. Learn something new every day. Leona

Love this truth-in-advertising book cover redesign for The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle:

The story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. Since it has over 600 pages guess I'll be reading it through the next week as well...

Just finished The Empty Chair by Jeffery Deaver. This one didn't capture my attention, so I'm thinking it's time for a little change of pace. I've picked up The Widow by Carla Neggers again. Hoping to finish it this weekend.

I started The Likeness this morning. I was just going to listen to a few tracks while I made breakfast and ended up listening to the whole first CD. I think I'm going to love this one. I'm glad it's in Cassie's voice this time. The audiobook is read by Heather O'Neil, and she sounds perfect. I wonder if the third book is in Sam's voice. Best not get ahead of myself.

I found out a wonderful thing reading Alone in the Kitchen With an Eggplant. Picking up asparagus with one's fingers is the preferred way to eat. It's always been my preferred way, but I did think it was rather gauche. How nice to know I'm not a complete barbarian.

ReadianGreekian, I've not read Of Mice and Men, but I've read The Grapes of Wrath and a portion of The Red Pony. I can truthfully say that I don't care to read another Steinbeck book...waste of time for me.

Apparently the library had a glitch in its online renew service, so I have to take ALL my books back tomorrow. I'm going to keep some of the book suggestions here in mind as I browse for more.

>124 richardderus: RD- I love it! It's perfect.

Citizenjoyce - SO glad you're enjoying Tana French!! I just finished The Likeness a couple days ago & I've been raving about Tana French on this thread all week! The Likeness is definitely my favorite, but Faithful Place (the next one in the series) is also spectacular.

I started two new books the other day: Eat Pray Love, which I figured I should read because everyone else in the world has already read it, and Snow Falling on Cedars, which my sister picked out for me. She wanted me to test it before she read it. So far, I'm liking both. Snow Falling on Cedars is a bit slow, but I like the gloomy coastal atmosphere.

Richard> The ARC thing is working for them. I'm going to wishlist The Lantern.

I'm reading Reading Judas by Elaine Pagels and Karen l. King. Interesting viewpoint. I've always thought there was more to Judas than I'd read in the Bible.

133 lamplight -- Have you read Elaine Pagels' Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas? I've admired all of her books, but that one is a particular favorite.

I've just started Maisie Dobbs, which I picked up entirely on LT recommendations. I'm really looking forward to it.

Thanks Mollygrace. I'll put that on my tbr list. Reading Judas got some terrible reviews. But I'm enjoying it. Guess I'm not a very critical reader.

I like Reading Judas -- didn't know about the reviews, but they wouldn't have stopped me from reading it. All I had to see was Pagels' name on the cover.

New week's thread is up! Thanks mollygrace!

Still working through Dance of Dragons and really like it so far. Next: Faithful Place by Tana French.

i got the Contemporary Drawing book couple of days ago and agree with your comment - it's so unusual, great design and contents.