What Are You Reading the Week of 15 December 2012?

The 15th: Muriel Rukeyser

Betty Smith

Edward Llewellyn

The 16th: Philip K. Dick

Randall Garrett

Arthur C. Clarke

The 17th: William Safire

Penelope Fitzgerald

Jack L. Chalker

The 18th: Saki (H.H. Munro)

Alfred Bester

Michael Moorcock

The 19th: Italo Svevo

Eve Bunting

Salvador Elizondo

The 20th: Nalo Hopkinson

Edwin Abbott

Hortense Calisher

The 21st: Seicho Matsumoto

Anthony Powell

James Sallis

Some awesome authors listed Richard! Thanks for starting the thread. You're tempting me to skip to a birthday author book - VALIS by PKD is on mount TBR as well as Skin Folk by Nalo Hopkinson. Alas I have three books going, and not nearly enough time for reading! Errantry, my ER book - still loving the rich style of it. Slide the Corner, a YA novel a friend sent me to pass on to some of the kids I work with. This book is perfect for the boy-reluctant reader. Evil parents and car racing. I should be able to trick a kid into liking to read with this one. Third book is the first novel from The Mabinogian Tetralogy. That book is just too fat to take up space on my shelves unread! One chapter in and so far so good.

I started 419 tonight. So far it is mysterious and intriguing.

My latest is Once In A House On Fire by Andrea Ashworth, it is a memoir, so far quite fascinating. The only other memoir that I can recall reading was Without A Map by Meridith Hall, great reading .

Oh dear, what a day. As I don't yet see a dedicated thread on the subject I hope no-one will mind if I use this group to send a message to all LT's American members from the other side of the pond. Parents all over the world are mourning with you today and our hearts are with everyone even slightly affected by the terrible events in Connecticut. Words simply aren't enough.

Brewing up a storm by Emma Lathen.

I am reading The Best American Short Stories 2007, volume/stories introduced and edited by Stephen King (and while I'm not a huge King fan, I love the person he is, he is REALLY fascinating in interviews and memoir-ish pieces ... this intro is outstanding). Anyway, so far the stories are exceptionally good, although I see more readers disliked it than like it. But something has really amazed me. I figured these authors would all be "new kids on the block" or as such in 2007 (and some are, e.g., Karen Russell for her story which lead to Swamplandia), and I'm a little saddened and stunned to find a few penned as "greatest living author" (a couple of septaugenarians+ in there) and the like and I had NO CLUE who they were/are. One in particular was a really nuanced, interesting story called "Pa's Darling" about this bitter (never taken seriously) grown daughter who is reflecting on her intellectual (judge/jurist) father at his funeral. It is a story like this where we see a true master at work, where words are peppered with untertones very different emotions and realities than what are said. Anyway, it was a great story, if not a little chilling. So I was like, who is this guy Louis Auchincloss (cannot get touchstone to work)? Turns out he is a now deceased (b. 1917, d. 2010) attorney, but he had a wonderful body of novels and writings and is one of America's finest writers. So oy, I don't know if that is depressing or exciting that I did not know that (exciting as to a body of work to discover), but there you have it. Same goes for William Gay and John Barth ... had never heard of them!

Thanks again for Richard and the "short story 2013" challenge as otherwise, I'm not sure I would have picked this one up, even for a buck at the library sale.

Still reading The Hobbit by Tolkien.

Finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower in 2 sittings. What a great book. Different from what I was expecting. I'm sorry I didn't hear of it and read it sooner!

Booksloth - Thank you.

Just finished Doc. Loved it. This will be my next "recommend the hell out of it" book.

Thank you, Booksloth. It is an unimaginably horrendous thing to lose one's child. Forty parents and eighty grandparents are forever bereft because Murrikins think their guns are worth more than their neighbors' kids.

It makes me want to vomit.

Finally got my reading mojo back after discarding book after book. I'm loving the delicious Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz, a Victorian gothic children's novel.

The writing is superb and I have no idea where this story is going but what a fantastic ride.

Enjoying Richard North Patterson's Degree of Guilt.

In re nos. 5 & 13. Thanks to you two for your good hearts and good sense, which sometimes seem to be in short supply. God help us all. In no way intending to state or imply blame on the victims of this horror, I wonder how many people outside the USA realize the implications of the fact (or at-least the report on CBS-TV) that the deadly arsenal was perfectly legal, and duly registered to the first victim of this crime. Despite the horror, peace to all. -- Goddard

#16 It's being reported here that the weapons were legally owned, Goddard.

It feels too soon right now to get into the rights and wrongs of the gun situation in America but I'd have to say that the idea of everyone who wants to do so being allowed to own a lethal weapon does seem crazy to us here. However, I can't imagine the answer can be as simple as a ban now that you have so many guns out there. Certainly this is a lesson to other countries never to start down that particular 'slippery slope' but don't ask me how you go into reverse and start to climb back up it.

#13 Richard, I know your heart is aching like every other parent's so please don't take offence if I add that the adult victims also have parents, grandparents etc who are grieving. Our children don't stop being our children just because they've grown up.

In re #17. I never for a moment proposed to turn this moment of horror and loss into a squabble over legalities. There will be time enough for serious discussion, assuming we are still capable of that. If not, we are doomed, regardless of law(s). Make of this what you will, but guns are ubiquitous where I live (in the rural Northeast), and yet the incidence of gun-deaths is miniscule. This tells us something which can be ignored only to the peril of all. Thank you and all like you for your grace, also for the reminder that the chain of loss is endless. However, that also means that the links of love and strength and renewal are there too, if we only have the collective good sense to take advantage of them. Peace to all, -- Goddard

#16, We Canadians are aware of it, too, although I think everyone initially thought that the gun-owning parent in question was his father.

I work with several hunters, one of whom was telling us about the procedures for renewing his gun licence yesterday: they're thorough. It saddens me to think that as tragic as this was, it will probably take something far worse for American gun-control to be seriously contemplated.

Completely unrelated, I'm curious about your reading habits, fellow bibliophiles: what percentage of your reading is fiction, and how much non-fiction? Also, would you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert? I've got a little pet theory that extroverts might 'socialize' with more stories, while introverts might really get into fewer stories, perhaps leaving room for more non-fiction. What do you all think?

As for me, I'm currently reading reading Antifragile, for which the library will be getting a little donation from me (no way I'll get to the end before it's due, but I'm not letting it go!).

#11 rabbitprincess, I also loved Doc in the future if you have the opportunity I would suggest that you listen on audio, have you read The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt? same era, the Wild West!! and then another is Zeke and Ned by Larry McMurtry, I just love Wild West characters.

#20 I also was going to recommend to rabbitprincess The Sisters Brothers. I really had fun reading that one!

#17> Regarding your wise comment about the families of the adult victims, Tom Allman, Mendocino (CA) County Sheriff, posted on Facebook today asking people to also give a thought to the many first responders involved:

"To All of my Facebook Friends: . . . The Connecticut shooting hurts law enforcement officers in ways that are hard to explain. We train, practice and drill on incidents such as this but deep in our heart, we tell ourselves that this could never happen "here". The simple truth is that it can happen anywhere, with no rhyme or reason. . . . This healing will take a long time. A special prayer goes out to the First Responders in Connecticut who saw things that they should never have had to see. Those Firemen, Paramedics and Law Enforcement Officers will never be the same. God Bless Them. --Tom--"

Thank you, @rocketjk.

Love going out to every human being in pain and harmed by the Connecticut massacre. I don't have the words for it and I don't think I will for a long time.

Thanks for the Doc follow-up suggestions! I have to try Zeke and Ned. I also am a huge Lonesome Dove fan, although I am sure most of you have long since read that one. I also did like The Sisters Brothers, but I deviate somewhat from the uber-glowing reviews in that I thought the animal cruelty was over-the-top and unnecessary in what was otherwise a 5-star bit of weirdness, originality and fun. But in full candor, violence to children and/or animals is just never a subject, in any genre, I want to read about. So I usually stop when that occurs. However, I did finish The Sisters Brothers. Doc lovers might also like Bendigo Shafter, an obscure little number I read this year on super high recommendation of my Dad (we love sharing Westerns and historical fiction and Doc fit both categories), who stumbled onto it in our library's OverDrive System. It is virtually impossible to find though, otherwise. But I gather, from what I have read, it is very different from Louis L'Amour's other books, although how, I cannot say, since I've not read another.

Absolutely loving The Best American Short Stories 2007 and happened on Joseph Epstein through an awesome story in there called "My Brother Eli" ... I cannot stop laughing and best of all, Epstein writes stories about Chicago (where I live) and OMG, does he nail the people here (self and family of self included)! I cannot wait to find and read The Love Song of A. Jerome Minkoff. So this has been a lovely, lay by the fire with cats and dogs, hydrating/carbo-ing for long run (marathon training) kind of day. Heaven, I must say. These stories are like old friends. What fun. Oh, and the new issue of Bookmarks came, which is always awesome.

Carolyn!!! Fabulous Small Jews Carolyn! Read read read, oh so funny and still touching.

Due to much holiday preparation and procrastination, I'm getting little time at the gym these days so am way behind in Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell which I imagine I'll be reading way into next month.
I started The Perks of Being a Wallflower while in a waiting room for way less time than anticipated the other day. As soon as I finish A Discovery of Witches (which can't be too soon for me) I'm going to love getting back to it.
On audio I'm almost done with Interview With the Vampire. I loved the movie but the book takes itself way too seriously and I both won't be glad to hear the end of it and have no plans to continue the series.
On the other hand, I'm still loving The Warrior's Apprentice and do plan to listen to much more in the series.

Thanks for all the kind words about our most recent gun tragedy. Yes, indeed, how do we walk all these gun back especially since states pass laws allowing them to be carried more and more places? Wasn't it just Michigan that allowed them in churches and schools. What are we thinking?

>20 hazeljune: and 21: Read and loved The Sisters Brothers too! I'm due for a reread though :) And Lonesome Dove is on the list for next year (I have a Westerns category in my 2013 category challenge).

>24 CarolynSchroeder:: Yeah, that scene was pretty brutal. I read it while squinting as much as possible. :S

I live in CT and I am just so incredibly sad and incredibly angry that this happened. My deepest sympathy to all affected by this horrific event. They are certainly in my thoughts and prayers.

#22 Re those 'first responders', of course you are absolutely right. The ripples of these tragedies reach further than we can ever imagine and go on and on for years. Many years ago we lost a dear friend to suicide and the pain that caused to the victim's family and friends is unimaginable but I still often think about the person who found him - just an ordinary member of the public and not even trained in these things, not that you can ever train someone to cope with the emotional effects of such horror as we saw on the news yesterday.

It's incredibly difficult to wrap one's mind around a horror of such magnitude. I wonder if this is finally the tipping point to get legislators to really, really look at what can be done to minimize the risk of events like this being repeated. I think that using only one approach is too simplistic.

My two cents being added, I'll move on to a much more pleasant topic.

I am just starting Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn. I'm not far in, but how could an epistolary novel based on wordplay go wrong?

I'm going to check that Joseph Epstein one out too, Richard. Thanks for the suggestion! I love the title!

Boy oy boy, does William Gay pack a whallop or twenty into his writing. Not very traditional in his style but wow. Have any of you read his novels?

Finished The Hobbit last night. Back to reading The Silmarillion. Thinking about starting Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines.

I am reading, and enjoying, Butch Cassidy Beyond the Grave by W.C. Jameson. Evidently, the final resting place of Butch Cassidy remains open to investigation!

>31 CarolynSchroeder: I've only read occasional short pieces of his, never a novel. I agree he can smack you upside the head with his sneak attacks! I confess to some trepidation about tackling an entire novel of his...not sure I'm up to it.

And I have Done It: I have committed my thoughts about Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi's book Fra Keeler to the Internet. The review's in my thread...post #132.

#30 bookwoman: I don't see how you can miss with Ella Minnow Pea, especially if you love books and wordplay. And with a name like bookwoman, that's pretty much a given.

>36 NarratorLady: NarratorLady: You're so right! I'm farther in now, and loving it!!!!!!!! *g*

I should thank Richard for his rave review and avid endorsement of Ella Minnow Pea! It's really due to him, (or should I say because of him since they no longer allow the letter "D"), that put it on request at the library. Uh-oh! My first offence with Rich's name! Lol! Oops! Before that I used a conjunction which the council no longer allows! Yikes! It's the stocks for me!

HA! Classic...bring art to life, bookwoman!

I am so pleased that you're enjoying that gem of a book.

Finished The Last Kind Words and am now listening to The Vanished Man. Mystery /suspense kind of weekend!

#19 Wanted to respond to your question about reading habits. For the last several years I've either read slightly more non-fiction than fiction, or exactly the same of each. I read between 75-100 books a year (at 77 so far in 2012). I'm definitely an extrovert. My reading may ruin your theory a bit. However, I have to say that my non-fiction reading has been building for the last 20-30 years. When I was in high school you couldn't get me to touch non-fiction. Now it's my preferred reading.

Happy Birthday Jane Austen. You've given me and countless others hours and hours of pleasure.

I've already finished Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn. I was shocked at what a quick read it was! Not even a full day! I think I spent a total of about 3 hours on it, which must be a record for me! It was so fun, and there was so much to the political aspect. Thanks again, for the strong recommendation, Richard!

Now I'm on to Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India by Madhur Jaffrey. I think it will be interesting, but I'm only cracking it open just now.

I'm reading and enjoying Belong to me by Marisa de los Santos. It's the kind of book I love...very well written.

18 HarryMacDonald Make of this what you will, but guns are ubiquitous where I live (in the rural Northeast), and yet the incidence of gun-deaths is miniscule.

I found one source that counts an average of 87 gun deaths each day in the United States. I would use a different word to describe that number.

I'm reading The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson. I can't believe it's been a year since I read the first book in the series. Why did I wait so long to read this?!

Finished When Gravity Fails which was a fun experiment for me, as I don't tend to read cyberpunk or mystery. Highly recommended and I look forward to discussing it in my book club tomorrow.

What's up next? Either Libra, Knocking on Heaven's Door, or finally getting around to finishing The Power Broker. Three very different options!

In re #44. Pete, please re-read what I wrote. The point is not numbers, nor is it my personal knowlegde of these things -- though I HAVE lost family and friends to pistols. It's the profound need for changes at all levels (individual, familial, educational, institutional, media etc). I was discussing my part of the rural US, where gun-ownership is indeed wide-spread, but where -- I haven't looked this up, but am reasonably certain from TV stories, the local press, talks with neighbours AND police -- that the total number of gun-deaths per MONTH has probably never been eighty-seven (forget per day), even including the drug-related shootings in communties on the big drug corridor between New York City and Montreal. The tone of the discussion is hardly improved by careless reading and hasty posts. Peace to you, -- Goddard

Correction to my own #47. Forgive me, PaperbackPirate, for getting your alias wrong. Blame my cheap reading glasses -- and dare I say it_-- a certain carelessness and haste on my part. The substance of what I wrote remains unchanged. We all need to keep the discussion going, not necessarily here, but in any forum to whcih we have access. Peace, -- Goddard

Just finished and reviewed The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. A bit discomfitting but very enjoyable.

@CarolynSchroeder, there are different types of Louis L'Amour books because he did not write just stereotypical westerns. The Walking Drum takes place during the Middle Ages, Last of the Breed is fairly recently themed, Rivers West and Sackett's Land take place in early pre-Revolutionary War America, as does Jubal Sackett, my first L'Amour.

One of the things I enjoy about his stories is that the women are real, not shrinking violet types who need a man... ;)

#45 PaperbackPirate - thanks for the prompt, I have left it too long before getting on to The Girl Who Played with Fire. Every time I go to the library so many other books leap out at me!

Just finished Sea of Poppies and loved it, there is no way I'm waiting before getting out the next book in the Ibis trilogy......as soon as I have finished The Ihaka Trilogy.............which is thankfully all in one book. I tried a Paul Thomas book early this year and didn't finish it, which is unusual for me I don't like giving up on a book, but it just wasn't me.

Thoughts and prayers from New Zealand for all those touched in any way by this week's tragedy. We too have issues with guns, and hunting is very popular here so gun ownership isn't uncommon. Every so often there is discussion on arming our Police Officers , but thankfully it hasn't happened yet. They don't carry arms during their day to day work, but they are available in some vehicles as necessary.
I work closely with Police in my job and can see how arming Police could antagonise offenders. A couple of years ago one of our local officers was killed and 2 seriously injured by a man who had an arsenol of weapons at his home and held Police at bay for 48 hours. The theory is if Police were armed, the criminals would just increase their supply - how true that is I don't know, and I don't know what the answer is but these tragedies are just horrific.

Thanks so much for the information, fuzzi! I will definitely check out some more Louis L'Amour as I found his writing purely enjoyable. I agree with your assessment of the female characters. There were some strong and independent (and respected because of it) women in Bendigo Shafter too.

My favorite western is probably Conagher. I've read almost all of LL's books, and you can check out my ratings/reviews for what I feel are his best works.

Here are a few from my top 10:

Down the Long Hills
The Cherokee Trail
The Man Called Noon

My latest is The Hatbox Baby by Carrie Brown, so far it is quite fascinating, the setting is the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, great historical fiction. Again I love the way that this author paints her characters.

This evening I've started The World, the Flesh, and Father Smith by Bruce Marshall. From the opening pages, this promises to be a droll, enjoyable and wise comedy about a parish priest in rural Scotland, where Catholics are a relatively small minority. The book was published in 1944 seems to take place right about that time. I'd never heard of it, but found it on the shelves of a lovely used bookstore in Las Vegas (the name escapes me) last time I was there visiting family.

According to wikipedia, this book was also published under the title 'All Glorious Within."

Marshall served in the British army in both world wars, although he lost a leg in the first one. In addition to his military career and his writing, Marshall had a career as an accountant. Here is a quote of his I found amusing (again, found on wikipedia):

"I am an accountant who writes books. In accounting circles I am hailed as a great writer. Among novelists I am assumed to be a competent accountant."

@51 I've heard The Sea of Poppies is fabulous. I'll have to try to get to it soon!

Just finished my fourth CJ Lyons Thriller, Borrowed Time, which was a real disappointment. Next up, getting into the spirit of the season with one of Charles Dickens' Christmas stories, Mrs. Lirriper's Lodgings.

Lyons' title touchstone not working, unfortunately.

I'm in the middle of volume 2 of the Young Justice comic (and I've been rewatching the show obsessively) and still working on Spook by Mary Roach. I'm also starting to make forays into Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt, but I want to finish the Roach book before I get too distracted by it.

What I really want to read is How Children Succeed by Paul Tough. I've been reading excerpts online all week and listening to the This American Life show about it, but there are about ~400 holds on the title in my local library system.

ETA: And since I posted this, I've read the first 50 pages of Far From the Tree in preview at Google Play. Now I have to hope I get it for Christmas, because I'm engrossed.

>52 CarolynSchroeder:, 53 Oh myyyy, to quote Takei, fuzzi has hit the nail on the head with The Man Called Noon! It's an excellent book, Carolyn, I second the recommendation.

I am reading a graphic novel version of http://www.librarything.com/work/5536525/book/92288942 The Hobbit. Nice pen and water color art!

OK, I've forgotten how to force LT into putting up the correct touchstone. If you click the link you'll see the graphic novel.

I've posted my review of a second-in-series historical mystery, Two for Joy, in my thread...post #164.

It's set in sixth-century Constantinople, at Justinian and Theodora's court, and it's a very interesting read.

>61 richardderus: Richard, is that the sequel to One For Sorrow? I really enjoyed it, and am not sure if I reviewed it or not. Must check...

Just started Claus:Legend of the Fat Man by Tony Bertauski on my Kindle for android. This is a good time of year for fluff, and that's what I thought this was. It may still be. It's a fun read so far - kind of a cross between The Lord of the Rings and The Santa Clause 3. Picked it up on amazon for free, so what the heck.

>51 FionaWh: and >56 cammykitty:, You've both got me intrigued enough to run out and borrow Sea of Poppies from the library. I have checked it out before, but didn't give it much of a chance at all. I'm looking forward to reading it just as soon as I finish Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India by Madhur Jaffrey, which should be some time later today.

I too liked Sea of Poppies, although I felt it dragged a bit in places. I never did read the follow-up, but it's certainly on Mount TBR.

Bookwoman ~ I love Madhur Jaffrey and would really like to read that book! I found it years ago at a used book shop in Puerto Morelos, Mexico (in English)! How do you like it? Anyway, her cookbook World Vegetarian is one of my cooking "bibles" and was really formative in the approach I take to cooking and learning to cook (mostly vegan/wheat free now). That cookbook is actually like lots of little food/cooking/travel stories from around the world.

>65 CarolynSchroeder: Carolynschroeder: I loved Climbing the Mango Trees: Memoir of a Childhood in India. It was a terrific memoir, and wonderful the way her family's history and her personal history dovetailed with the history of India and Kolkat, (Calcutta), in particular. I also liked that it felt pretty candid as far as her family goes. I love the recipes at the end, but, sadly, most of the ingredients are not readily available here, or, like cardamom, are very expensive.

I've finished it, and am just now picking up Sea of Poppies now. I'm glad to hear another voice chime in with a (mostly) positive two cents!

>62 Betty30554: Betty, it is indeed the sequel to One for Sorrow. I've got Three for a Letter on the way to my village liberry. I'm enjoying the series.

pssst Carolyn over here River of Smoke is a total snorefest and I liked Sea of Poppies just fine

a word to the wise ssshhh

Oh damn, had to Pearl Rule The Crossing Places, a first-in-series mystery with a promising premise. It was the writing, as I say in my thread...post #178.

Just finished Bismark, a life a real eye opener on the start of the Gerrman nation. As a follow up reading The Unification of Germany. And to get awy from all that just started an iBook, Hercule Poirot's Christmas.

I finished the very disappointing A Discovery of Witches. I see that the next in the planned trilogy Shadow of Night is on some Best of 2012 lists, though nothing could make me read more of this sexist drivel. What is an intelligent, well educated woman doing writing such rubbish? Well, making lots of money, I guess. I also finished Interview With the Vampire which was probably entertaining at the time, full of different views on vampires with much ennui and debauchery. Unfortunately, reading the book in the 21st century filled me with ennui and made the debauchery seem not so fun.
The good new is that now I get to get back to the delightful Perks of Being a Wallflower and, since the poltergeists returned it, Storm Front.

#71 hi citizenjoyce I struggled through Discovery of a witches and am now struggling through Shadow of Night. On the bright side I started perks of a wallflower today and agree that it is delightful

cdyankeefan, I can see why you're reading Shadow of Night, because Harkness does end Discovery with a cliffhanger. You'll have to tell me what happens. I simply can't put myself through any more of that.

Finished a Lincoln Rhymes installment, The Vanished Man. Now listening to Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler. I continue reading The Final Martyrs by Shusaku Endo.

#66 Bookwoman; I am adding Climbing the Mango Trees to my list, sounds good, and I love autobiographies.

#69 NovaLee; I read Run earlier this year - really liked it and it "stayed with me" for ages.

****Will look at River of Smoke with an open mind :o)

I finished my illustrated copy of The Hobbit, and now I need to get to reading The Dovekeepers for my RL book group meeting in January.

>76 maggie1944: Maggie1944, I finished The Dovekeepers early last month but have not gotten around to reviewing it. You will love it. It is a brilliant weaving of four women's stories together at Masada. If I remember correctly, I gave it 4.5 or 5 stars.

>68 richardderus: Richardderus, I have lost track of where you explained to me what "Pearl Rule" is. Please forgive my absentmindedness and remind me what this is again.

#77 Pearl rule - basically, if you don't like it after 50 pages, bin it (metaphorically, at least).

And the Pearl rule corollary is subtract your age from 100 and the remainder is the number of pages you owe the book as a fair chance. Remember, so many books, so little time.

Still working on The Silmarillion. Did start Libriomancer. And just started The Hunter and the Hunted by Kelley Armstrong.

#73-hi citizenjoyce! Shadow basically has Matthew and Dianatravelling back in time to try to find the book that explained how daemons, and other creatures came to be. It's never a good sign when you start a chapter and the count to see how many pages are left to said chapter. This has been a chore to read and I think I will adopt Richarderrus' Pearl rule from now on

The Pearl Rule rules. Just sayin'

#82 very true ricardderus very true

I liked both sea of poppies and river of smoke. It was a very different picture of history than what we normally get. I can't wait for the third I the series to come out.

#85 Hi Benita, I think that is why I enjoyed Sea of Poppies so much - I love historical fiction, but it usually of a English/Scottish flavour.
Thoroughly enjoyed the change of scenery (and very reluctant to admit I am of English heritage when reading about colonisation).

I am on to the 2nd book in The Ihaka Trilogy, and it's good crime stuff with lots of intertwined characters.

I've been reading the first six books in a Manga series, Black Bird but am now moving on to a Member Giveaway, Trust: A New Beginning.

Grove of Doom-Maxwell Grant (the Shadow)
False Scent Ngaio Marsh
When Giants Walked the Earth-Mick Wall
Little Doritt-Charles Dickens
The Inimitable Jeeves-PG Wodehouse

@84 but only if you have your glasses on. ;)

Perhaps aptly for this time of year (and still in tandem with The Old Curiosity Shop and Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm) I'm dipping in and out of 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True.

Dickens and Christmas. I'm reading Mrs. Lirriper's lodgings

>90 Booksloth: Booksloth: The Old Curiosity Shop is my favorite Dickens! I know it just oozes with sentimentality, and that Little Nell is sickeningly sweet, but I'm a sucker for those things.

I just finished and reviewed the wonderful The Best American Short Stories 2007, edited by Stephen King. Very highly recommended.

Now about to begin Early Reviewer/ARC edition of Good Prose: the Art of Nonfiction by Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd. Anxious to soak up the wisdom!

I am reading Cunt: A Deceleration of Independence.

#94 Please tell us that's not really meant to read 'deceleration'. All we ask is a little progress.

OMG ~ that is funny.

I am just loving The Hatbox Baby by Carrie Brown, there are two very unlikely romances blossoming well into the book, plus of course the fascinating setting, I am discovering at my very senior age that I am really an old romantic at heart!!. I am hanging out for more of Carrie's books, I have ordered two from my local library and hoping that they will come thru before the Xmas break.

If I had remembered what the Pearl Rule was, I would have applied it to Feast or Famine. Being a Boomer, I found some of the commentaries on the events of 60's thoughtful and insightful, but my life has not significantly been enriched by this reading experience.

>98 Betty30554: Ruh roh! That's on my physical pile of TBRs, a gift from an daren't-offend source. *sigh*

I'm currently reading The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. I'm about 80 pages in and it's pretty interesting so far.

Marion

Life has been too busy to read, between work and home. The latter is where everyone (except me) has been sick. It's hard to keep up with dishes and laundry and stuff for four adults when three of them aren't feeling up to doing anything!!

But I did finally get a chance to read a new acquisition: Water Gardens.

>85 benitastrnad: I just finished Dickens Mrs. Lirriper's Lodgings and am moving on to Mrs. Lirriper's Legacy. I'm wonderinng though what connects them to Christmas? Perhaps the stories were published at Christmas? Anyone know?

>40 whymaggiemay:, looks like my little survey didn't catch on, so I'll drop it, but thanks for chiming in, whymaggiemay!

Just finished Life of an Unknown Man: not entirely sure whether it's getting 4.5 or 5 stars (have to sleep on it first), but am resolved to read everything else that Makhine has published (in English, anyway). Very highly recommended. Next up, probably Book of Mormon Girl.

#19, #103: I overlooked your survey somehow, but like to answer it as well: I am definitely introvert and I love to read fiction. Most of my reading consists of it, so I'm sorry to break your hypothesis as well. I would rather say, reading fiction or non-fiction depends on the personal background, upraisal, occupation as well as age, maybe?

Sorry 103, I too had been ruminating on it, but forgot to answer. I guess I'm an introvert, although frankly I'm not entirely sure I know the extent of what the labels introvert/extrovert mean. The introvert book is on Mount TBR so I can further understand/converse on it all. It think I'm somewhere in between in that I am mostly alone (and create/work there and find great solace/peace and refresh in the alone time), but really enjoy the spark of one other, or small groups of humans. Big groups or "being on stage" so to speak, shock me into non movement and yuck (although I work on that - ironically, my day job is a trial lawyer, so I have to constantly get in front of audiences of a sort to try cases and well, I can say I am getting better at the nervous thing). So anyway ... my reading habits are too evolving and varied for me to really say "I do it this way" ... I am always trying to edge into new kinds of readings, writings and genres. But as a sweeping generalization, I tend to read one book at a time (exceptions being, I may have one nonfiction and one fiction book going at the same time), and while I'm not strict about it (i.e., one/one/one), I try to alternate fiction with nonfiction. I keep a log of all my read books, so sometimes I'll kinda go, hmmm, been a while since I read one or the other, and then balance it out. To end this year, and beginning the new one, I am working in volumes of short stories (per our Short Story Community Readalong - here at LT), and I also am working in short stories from various publications/journals that I have in Mount TBR and/or get over the year.

I am now reading Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction by Tracy Kidder and his editor/writer friend Richard Todd and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Kidder is a no-nonsense, make a good story, kinda guy ... and he has more energy and passion for writing than the average joe. It is infectious and has me excited about trying some NF written pieces too!

>103 Heduanna: I'm an introvert and have always leaned far more towards fiction (though certainly not opposed to non-fic). If anything, I'd suppose since introverts spend more time alone, they'd be more inclined to enjoy going off into the realm of fantasy. But as Tallulah says, I don't actually believe that has anything to do with it, it's just personality/background dependent.

(edited to fix typo)

I forgot about it too, I'm sorry!

I'm not especially introverted; I read more fiction than non-fiction; and I consciously favor male writers.

Finished Hercule Poirot's Christmas. After a slow beginning the mystery picked up speed and came to a satisfying ending though partially predictable. Reading The Killing League by
Dani Amore because it was there. In spite of the author' s name, I am not loving it!

Reading A Slice of Murder this is a new author for me, but I love them! Merry Christmas! Let us remember the reason for this blessed season!

#19> I'm an extrovert, I guess. I read about half and half fiction and non-fiction. Honestly, I think your premise is flawed. Basically, I think it's all storytelling, from romance novels to straight history, unless you're talking about a textbook, maybe. Now, you might look into what sorts of stories introverts and extroverts like, say plot-driven (mysteries, etc., straight history) or character driven (character-driven fiction, biographies, memoirs). But fiction/non-fiction is not where I'd draw the line. That's my two cents plain. Worth what you paid for it!

>19 Heduanna: I'm an introvert I guess and have read much more fiction than non-fiction over the years. LT and the 75er group has opened my eyes to some of the wonderful non-fiction, especially narrative non-fiction, that's out there so I'm reading much more NF now that I ever have. I have found that I am now also able to try new genres that I never would have considered in the past. Case in point: I am closing in on the final pages of the almost 700 page historical fantasy, Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay. Historical Fantasy?? Never in a million years!

What with everything that happened last week, I honestly haven't been feeling very much filled with the holiday spirit as I have been in past years. For that reason, as well as the fact that my daughter very kindly passed on an horrendous cold, which is currently building up in my system - I haven't been reading as fast as I usually do! This week, I finished Julian's House by Judith Hawkes on the 15th, immediately started Kept in the Dark - a children's mystery by Nina Bawden which I finished reading on the 17th. I then started Molly Cooper's Classic Mysteries: A Collection of Mind-Bending Masterpieces - another children's book, which despite being 128 pages, took me three days to finish reading!

No disrespect meant to Ms. Cooper, but in the words of my daughter, "I take this to mean that your mind was definitely not bent by said masterpieces - not even warped the tiniest bit!" :) I finished reading this book on the 20th. I'm not really sure what I'm going to read next.

#19 - I believe that I'm an extrovert - I read a grand total of 70 books in 2011 (which was 30 less than my 'projected' goal of 100 books read for last year.) In 2012, I have read 109 books so far, and have surpassed my initial goal from 90 books read this year (met 23 October 2012) to 100 books read (met 15 November 2012) and my new 'projected' goal is now 130 books read in 2012. :)

As regards percentages, I'm not too sure how I would be able to calculate that - although, I think I tend to read much more fiction than non-fiction. Not that I dislike non-fiction at all, I just haven't read that much of it this year.

I have just started Alone in the Classroom by Elizabeth Hay and I am already hooked!!!

#112: How in the world do you manage to read so many books in one year? I've been trying for years, but still haven't been able to reach 50. I usually have a book on hand to read when I finish one, and have recently gotten a kindle, so it's much more likely that I will. But I just can't get past 30-something.

#113 hazeljune - I've read several books by Elizabeth Hay (including Alone in the Classroom) and loved them all. Enjoy, dear friend.

I'm not getting much reading done this week, but when I have a chance I read another chapter of Simon Mawer's The Glass Room which I like very much.

I'm giving some old favorite books as presents for Christmas this year -- William Maxwell's So Long, See You Tomorrow, David Malouf's Fly Away, Peter (I thought of you as I wrapped that one, hazeljune), Primo Levi's The Periodic Table, Carrie Young's The Wedding Dress and Nothing to do but Stay, Bobbie Ann Mason's In Country, Rosina Lippi's Homestead, Donald Hall's Life Work, and one of my favorite poetry anthologies, A Poem A Day.

#114 - Hi Framboise! Very nice to meet you! :) My daughter actually began tracking how many books I read in May of 2009 because both of us were just curious about how many books both of us read in a given year. 100 books originally was just an 'unattainable' yearly goal for me to start with - I knew I would never reach it, so there was no pressure for me to try to meet it. :)

I know that sounds strange, but in reality I always tell myself that I'm happy if I happen to read just one more book than I read the previous year. I'm just as surprised as you are that I've actually managed to read over 100 books. And the majority of the books that I've read were great, framboise! :)

Reading Mercury Rises on Kindle, Sarum as a hardback (should be the other way around; Sarum is one doorstop of a book), and Shadow of Night on audio.

Heduanna ~ Sorry, I missed your survey question too. I'm an introvert who is forced to act as an extrovert in my workaday world. I'd much rather read than go to a party, go out to eat, go to a movie, go to work...well, of course that last...and, quite often, go to sleep. So far this year, I've read 141 books, mostly fiction but I do enjoy nonfiction at times. At the end of the year, I like to tally up how many novels versus nonfiction books I've read, how many of the fiction books were YA, historical novels, scifi/fantasy, steampunk, graphics, etc. Like Brenzi, I find myself trying new genres and titles I would not think I'd like after hearing about them on LT.

#114 I'm with you framboise, I seem to get to around 35 - 40 books in a good year. I am going to have a go at keeping track on LT next year and see how I go.

Oh and by the way I am an introvert and mainly read fiction, with probably about 25% of my reading consisting of autobiographies.

It really isn't about quantity though, is it? Over the past few years I've regularly read around 150 books a year and I'm not a particularly fast reader but I do have a lot of spare time. This year I expect the total to be lower because other things have taken precedence. I notice this subject somes up with regularity on LT and I can definitely see how useful faster reading would be for students and those who have to read a lot in the course of their work but it's all too easy to forget that, once we leave those things behind, reading is supposed to be for pleasure and not a race. I find that the higher Mount TBR gets, the more I tend to skim read just to whittle it down to a manageable size. It just means I don't get nearly as much pleasure from the books that I might otherwise have had when I saw them just as something to enjoy and not as something to be got through as quickly as possible.

BTW, congrats to everyone on still being around today. (That's assuming you are, of course.)

Wow, I cannot believe anyone can read 100+ books a year! You guys amaze me. I just finished my 65th book (I guess I averabe about 40-60 most years, depending on the rest of life - but I tend ro read a few doorstoppers a year, so that will always make numbers a bit lower - this year we had the first two in The Game of Thrones), Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction by Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd. It ended up being kind of, meh. There were some good, practical tips on writing (which I think would be useful for both fiction and nonfiction writing, i.e., just "good prose" as it were), but it was both a little draggy and disjointed. Mostly, it was about the 40+ year friendship and working relationship between a writer and his editor. It makes one realize how important a good editor is and how incredibly one is to find. So I think for very young (in the way of publishing, not necessarily age), this felt really unattainable. Most editors won't give new kids a second glance. Anyway, definitely worth a read for anyone who wants to write and/or edit or both! Despite the hardships presented, I still felt inspired from it as a writer.

I am now reading The Best American Short Stories 1990, the last "Best Of" I have on my shelves (which I got at a library book sale for 1.00). Again, starting with a bang, and I am excited to hunker down into this blast to the near past. I kind of put myself in time as to what I was doing right around then 1989/1990 and I had just graduated from undergrad (fine art degree). In retrospect, what was interesting about the 2007 collection (which I just finished) was how a few then present-day stories foretold of the 2008 financial collapse and the high uneasiness many ordinary people felt in that feasting/gluttony that was at its peak ... and the issues arising therefrom. It is fascinating to look at the selections as timepieces of the American consciousness, from so many different perspectives. That's been a surprising enjoyment that is going to make me ferret out the other "Best Of" volumes at sales and sundry used spots.

#124 Wow, I cannot believe anyone can read 100+ books a year!

But Carolyn, just think of all the other things you do instead. Perhaps you have a full- or part-time job, small children, the care of elderly relatives, hobbies that take you outside the house. I am retired; my children have left home; because of chronic pain I have long stretches of time when all I can do is lie down and read. Getting through a lot of books isn't the sign of a full life - it's frequently the opposite (though I am highly suspicious of people who say they don't have time to read because I know that in my working/childrearing years I could always find the time to fit a book in somewhere and many of those same people frequently watch a lot more television than I do - fair enough, it's their choice). Reading is probably the best way I know of filling in the gaps when we're not doing something else but that 'something else' depends a lot on lifestyles that vary through different stages in our lives.

Good points, Booksloth. I was not trying to judge, more like I was in awe (in a good way). I know my Sister, Mom and I keep tallies on how many books we read and Sister had a 100+ year and I was just like, wow, you rock, but I recall she did say, "Carolyn, it was the roughest year of my life, so I'm not sure it was a good thing. It was escape, plain and simple." At that time, she and her husband were trying to have a baby and it just never worked out. I'm so sorry you have chronic pain. I hurt my back this week and all I want to do is cry. I cannot do much physically that I love to do. Every time I get up, lie down, etc. I'm leveled with shots of pain. I cannot fathom this permanently. I am so sorry you have to live with that. I hope there is some way that you can find relief.

I do have a job (lawyer gig), don't have two-legged children, but do have 4-legged (and I also have done dog, now cat, rescue/humane association work/foster/adoptions for 15+ years - in fact, doing an adoption of a little cat today! Hooray!), marathoner, write and am an artist (BFA undergrad and paint/draw/shoot photos when I can), so I guess, yes, I don't know if I physically could read 100 books and still do the things I love to do. I already am absurdly strict on TV (none) and social media (also none - other than here and a sobriety thread/website) and will only see films I think have some earthly merit. I also have two nieces who I feel like my family kinda raises together and when they are with me, while "reading time" is carved out, but kids need my one-on-one. Also, embarking on a new relationship and well, that takes lots of love, time and attention :)

#126 There you go - only so many hours in the day! Sorry to hear about your back pain, it is hell but there are things you can do to improve the situation and this website has a few suggestions - http://www.backcare.org.uk/treatment. I hope you can find something that helps.

#119 and #124 - Booksloth and Carolyn, it most definitely is not about quantity at all, you're right, and I apologize if I gave you that impression. :)

For myself, I am happily retired and my physically disabled daughter lives at home with me. I lost my husband eight years ago, but both Mareena and I have reached a point in our lives of peaceful and quiet enjoyment. Neither of us work outside the home full-time, although we do volunteer at the local college radio station every Sunday, hosting a three-hour Irish radio show that has been on the air in this area (Albany, New York) for 20 years.

My daughter is a book blogger who has run her blog for about four-and-a-half years. She loves to read as well, but this year, she went through a two-month reading slump, which she's thankfully coming out of now. :) She generally reads between 30 to 40 books a year (it's going to slightly less this year.)

Mareena likes to read 'chunksters' (usually about 500+ pages), while I usually read books that are between 200-350+ pages. Both of us are relatively slow readers, with an eye to enjoyment rather than reading the most recent arrival - for us, that leads to quite a number of rereads! :)

#129 No need to apologise, you didn't give me that impression at all - just raised an interesting subject.

Booksloth, Carolyn & Rosefireandmoonshine :o)
Thanks for putting it all into perspective, I am always busy with work and family, and reading often takes the place of craft, or vice versa, when I do have some free time. Reading has been a bit of an escape for me this year too, and it's great when I deparately need some 'me time'.
I will just enjoy my reading list next year and not feel pressured :o)

This really is an interesting topic! We all need to be a little more gentle with ourselves with our reading maybe, remember the joy and journey of it all (like so much of life). My perspective can get a little wacky as Mount TBR grows. Maybe I will make the waiting books into a sculpture in my drawing room. Ha. Sort of an interactive reading art exhibit.