What Are You Reading the Week of 22 December 2012?

The 22nd: Kenneth Rexroth

Charles deLint

Sara Coleridge

The 23rd: Donna Tartt

Robert Bly

Avi

The 24th: Fritz Leiber

Mary Higgins Clark

Chritopher Buckley

The 25th: Carlos Castaneda

Rod Serling

Isaac Newton

The 26th: David Sedaris

Steve Allen

Alejo Carpentier

The 27th: Sarah Jane Vowell

George Zebrowski

Wilfrid Sheed

The 28th: Manuel Puig

Andy McNab

Sam Levenson

Thanks richard!

Last night I read Arlo's Epiphany, a Member Giveaway book by Jane Oldaker.

Arlo the cat is part of something bigger than chasing mice, he's an agent in an organization created to keep evil forces at bay.

I liked the idea for the book, but had a hard time getting through parts due to the writing style: there is too much "explanation" in some areas of the story, not enough in others.

A rewrite might help.

Thank you, Richard, for the new thread. Just a recap as my reading remains the same as last week - that's The Old Curiosity Shop, Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm and 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think are True.

Finished Midnight in Death by J. D. Robb. Still working on Libriomancer and The Silmarillion.

#3, I'll have to get around to Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm since I liked the original so much. Tedious descent of family has cut into my reading, but I may get through Mrs. Lirriper's lodgings

#3 Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm is actually a collection of short stories and, up to where I am at the moment, the title story is the only one that has anything to do with either Xmas or CC Farm but it is still delightful.

Thanks richardderus for the new thread!

Something happened to my reading that did not happen for quite a time. Until a few month ago I tended to read more than one book at a time, but that changed as I started a new work and hadn't quite the time. But this last week I somehow started again several and books and thus I am currently reading: Snuff, A Caribbean Mystery (audio), A Game of Thrones (aloud with bf), Die Instrumente des Herrn Jørgensen and Träume und was sie bedeuten.

Just finished I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman, about a woman who is contacted by the man who kidnaped and raped her when she was a teenager. It was disjointed at times. Not very satisfying. I finished it mainly due to boredom & the fact that the last couple of books I tried I gave up on. Next up, By Blood by Ellen Ullmann. Hopefully this one's great.

I thought I'd bring the "survey" question over here, too. 'Cuz I want to answer it and read some more answers, too.

Heduanna asked: "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?"

I am a huge extrovert, frequently told for my whole life that I talk too much. I tend to read a bit more nonfiction than fiction, and have increased my fiction reading as a result of being on LT all the time. I spend too much time everyday (almost every) reading threads and commenting. I pick up good suggestions here, and also in a RL book group which was started after a LT Meet-Up. I've not done totals for this year yet, so can't tell you the percentages. I am only occasionally interested in statistics.

I am reading The Dovekeepers for my RL book group. Also, continuing to read Wild Bill Donovan: The Spymaster Who Created the OSS and Modern American Espionage, a paperback book I bought in Hawaii so I could take it (and not my Nook, or Kindle, or MacBook Air) to the beach, and now, at home, to the bathtub. I love to read in a nice tub, but won't take the ereaders, there. I am also continuing to read The Discover of France: A Historical Geography. I've been at it for a year or so, but I love it, and will not abandon it.

Thank you for the shiny new thread Richard! It's interesting to see who was born on Christmas.

I'm now about 1/3 of the way through City of Tranquil Light by Bo Caldwell. It's honestly not a great book, but it okay, and I'm moving through it apace. I did have to give up on, (Pearl Rule) Sea of Poppies, unfortunately. I wasn't making enough headway, and it just never resonated with me.

I'll answer Hedduanna's survey. I read a great preponderance of fiction. what non-fiction I read is usually biography, history, or travel writing. I am pretty much an extrovert. Perhaps that's reflected in my non-fiction choices as well, if you think about it.

I'm reading early copies of The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd and Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy by Emily Bazelon

This seemed like the time and place to put this one up.

Happy happy holidays to all the threadies here this week. Many of us have had losses and painful issues to contend with this year. All of us, I feel safe in saying, wish healing and easeful pleasures for those in unwanted change.

Be happy and safe and well, to all who come here.

Thank you richarderrus and I wish the same for you

Wow, thank you all who responded to my little survey! I think my pet theory has gone to the great laboratory in the sky; rocketjk, I think you're much closer to the truth (re: your post in last thread).

Thank you, Richard, for starting the thread and for that fabulous image!

As for my reading this week, am about to be taken hostage by relatives, and not entirely sure who my literary companions will be. If nothing else, might finally read those classics that have been collecting on my Kobo.

thank you Richard! The same to you and all my friends at LT!

Thanks for getting this going, Richard. It's time for lighter holiday reading, and I'm reading the next Dr. Siri, Love Songs from a Shallow Grave, and the next Eve Dallas, Holiday in Death.

Thank you, Richard, and Happy Holidays to you and everyone at LT!

Christmas is always a hard time of the year for me, as I know it is for many. Two devastating losses occurred at this time of the year ~ one is December and one in January ~ and, even though both happened over 20 years ago, I still find myself feeling particularly depressed around the holidays. These days, too, I am without family living nearby, so it's doubly hard. I'm so thankful for friends and books, as well as for social media like LT, that keep me from brooding too much. (But this will be my last year living alone! In the summer, I will be moving to a new city to live with my sister. All four of her loving and gregarious daughters live in the area, so I just need to get through this holiday season. Yay!)

Enjoyed very much Newbery winner Rebecca Stead's Liar and Spy. Great characters and believable plot. Wish I knew a fifth grader to give it as a Christmas gift.

Well, I started reading Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler yesterday. I've only read two books by her so far, although I have at least three more sitting on my bookshelf. Ladder of Years seems pretty good so far.

#18 storeetllr-I know how you feel about the holidays but I'm glad you'll be going to be near your sister and nieces-that will help

I finally finally. FINALLY finished Shadow of Night today and started The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

Thank you Richard, for the wonderful kick off to the holiday week and your beautiful, sensitive thoughts on Christmas. I too wish everyone peace, solace and love this season - no matter how or where you find it. This is a very special little place for me, in many ways, and the great enjoyment is what you all share, week in and week out.

I am a few stories into The Best American Short Stories 1990 and loving and savoring it. Boy, that Richard Bausch can write. Loved his two stories chosen for this volume.

I am still hoping to finish The Warmth of Other Suns before the end of the year, but I keep getting distracted by my fiction read, Montana 1948. I rather randomly selected it from my TBR shelves middle of last week and really sank into it today. Far darker than I realized, it's oddly a good read for me right now. I'm also reading Help, Thanks, Wow in small bits at night just before bed.

I have finished 2 out of 3 of The Ihaka Trilogy. Lots of characters, brief but involved backgrounds given by the author but by the time I'm back in the story I am forgetting who everyone is.
This crime writer moves fast and jumps all over the place, I think by the time I finish the last story in the book I will be looking for something completely different.

Finished my final work by Shusaku Endo, a collection of short stories entitled The Final Martyrs. Now I am reading Zorro by Isabel Allende, and listening to Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler.

I will be finishing up 419 this week and will read the little novella The Testament of Mary which I plan on reading through in one sitting so as not to break the mood of the book.

I finished and loved both The Warrior's Apprentice and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, then Pearl Ruled Jim Butcher's Storm Front in which he seemed to think his wizard could be charmingly sexist. Not so charmed here.
Now reading:
Audiobook: a follow up to The Warrior's Apprentice - Brother's in Arms which takes up Miles' life 7 years later. Why have I avoided Lois McMaster Bujold al these years?
also on audiobook The Round House by Louise Erdrich about a 13 year old boy's response to his mothers brutal rape. What a great book!
On Nook I'm about 1/3 of the way through Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and still liking it very much
On paper I've started Wild (From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail) by Cheryl Strayed, a 24 year old first time writer who decided to hike 1000 miles of the Pacific Coast Highway alone after she felt herself lost after the death of her mother and the loss of the rest of her family. It's very good so far, but she's just started the trip.

@26 Hemlok - I'd love to know what you think of Zorro.

I just finished The Prince of Annwn, book 1 from The Mabinogion Tetralogy. Pagan Pilgrim's Progress & a Fey Romance. 4 star for me, but someone who isn't into folklore might not care about it. It was exactly what I was expecting and then some, but it moved a bit more like an old story from the Welsh Mabinogion than a modern High Fantasy.

I'm reading The Heart Knows Something Different, brief pieces written by young people who have experienced the US foster system and will be starting The She soon.

Up late....finished Noah's Compass.....about to start listening to The Sculptress by Minette Walters.

#18 storeetllr - my sympathies also. Not to make light but please feel free to borrow my family at any time, I think the whole neighbourhood heard the screaming argument at 3.30am last night (fal a lal a la, la la la la).

Currently re-reading Jasper Fforde's fantastic Shades of Grey (no touchstone? probably cringing from a far too similar title).

I had meant to save re-reading this until the next instalment came out but he is too slow :-). I think we need to clone JF so that he can work on all of his different series at once.

Working on Interlude in Death by J. D. Robb.

Thank you Richard for starting us off once again and for the beautiful sentiment.

I am still reading The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson. I like it very much so far and am looking forward to spending a lot of time finishing it off without interruptions now that I am on a 2 week break!

#28: I finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower last week and loved it. It was quite different from what I expected though; I went into it knowing it was a coming-of-age story, but that's about it. I can't believe I had never heard of it until recently.

Thanks for starting us off, Richard!

I recently finished Hercule Poirot's Christmas which was a nice little mystery and my current read is Stephen King's Under the Dome. I suspect I'll be reporting this same book next week, too, at least.

I also picked up My Ideal Bookshelf from the library and am enjoying looking through it.

#28 and#34 hi citizenjoyce and framboise-I finished perks of being a wallflower last week and thought it was fabulous-disturbing but fabulous

If the movie version of The Perks of Being a Wallflower hadn't come out, I don't think I ever would have heard of this great book which reminds me a bit if The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. The movie is a very good adaptation with, of course, some significant Hollywood changes. It's worth giving a look.

Hello! I am new to LT and am thrilled to find it. I'm also very interested in this question.

After reading "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain
http://www.thepowerofintroverts.com/about-the-book/

I came to the conclusion that I'm an introvert by nature and in general around most people but when I am with people I trust, with friends, I'm an extrovert. I also talk a great deal with people I love and care about because I want to share who I am with them and I listen hard to what they say.

My reading habits? I read about two books a week on average, usually one fiction and one non-fiction, but primarily the non fiction I am reading is about writing fiction. I'm trying to become a fiction writer. I've read fiction all my life and that is the primary thing I read. I've also written all my life but it was when I came to live in London that the writer in me took over and I have been writing ever since. It is something I spend time at every day while keeping at my day job too and it keeps me very busy but also very happy.

So interesting to see what people read from all over the place and what reading habits people have.

Thank you, CD and Miss Silver! Oh, and thanks, Miss Silver, for your offer to let me borrow your family. I think I'll pass, but many thanks for reminding me that there are certain perks in living alone. :)

I finished and REVIEWED Guy Gavriel Kay's Tigana. It was my first historical fantasy but certainly will not be my last. The genre has a new fan. Not sure what I'll read next but it will probably be a short story collection.

#39 welcome axel forester!

#38. Hi no ale-I read Gone Girl --all I'm gonna say is your co-worker is right!!!

I'm still reading Why Was The Partridge in the Pear Tree? The History of Christmas Carols by the Reverend Mark Lawson-Jones. I've been to a couple of folk music concerts recently, and some of the songs have tied in quite nicely with this book.

Dolly by Susan Hill is the read-aloud book with my wife. It's creepy, and just right for this time of the year.

@39 Welcome! If you enjoyed the Susan Cain book (which is excellent), you might like to try The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World by Marti Olsen Laney which I found absolutely brilliant.

***Merry Christmas everyone***

We are going over to my daughter's shortly for Christmas Eve dinner/nibbles before going to church, tomorrow the family will all be at our place.
After a couple of weeks of 30 deg.C (about 87 deg.F) and clear blue skies, we have only 25 deg. today, light showers and it's muggy, but nothing will deter from a fun day tomorrow.

As for many others, Christmas brings mixed emotions for us, but I wish all of you a blessed Christmas :o)

Welcome, AxelForrester!

>39 a_forester: Very glad to have you among us, AxelForrester! Welcome.

It's often the way with introverts that, in their safe company, they will burst into conversational eloquence. I've always felt that was a tremendous compliment, when a reserved person opens up in my company.

I finished the sly, kindly comedy The World, the Flesh, and Father Smith about a Scottish priest, published in 1945, written by Bruce Marshall. My review is on the book's work page and on my own 50-Book Challenge thread.

I've started a history, The Norman Achievement by Davis Charles Douglas. This will probably be my final book of the calendar year, which will bring me to 46, short of my 50-book goal again but better than last year's 40.

I am loving Alone in the Classroom by Elizabeth Hay, she is a magical writer, the back cover says "To be read slowly, or even better, read twice" I find that I need to reread lots of her phrasings, oh so moving.

mollygrace I can understand how you would also enjoy her writing, I shall be following up with more of her novels. It is great to find a new talent such as this lady.

Just finished Kingsolver's Flight Behavior on audio for my book club - it was excellent! I just love her voice and unique metaphors. Hoping to listen to Bossypants next once I get my audible credit and also read a quick YA book - Flying Solo - to prepare for reading it with my 5th graders.

#39 Hi Axel and welcome to the site and the group.

A very merry Xmas to all LTers. I think there's a good chance I may not be on here tomorrow but then neither will you. Have a good one!

I started The Passage by Justin Cronin las night and still working on The Casual Vacancy and The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

Happy holidays everyone!

Finished Perfect Shadow by Brent Weeks and still working on Libriomancer by Hines and The Silmarillion.

Hi Axel ~ nice to have you on board! Happy Holidays to all!

--for the Northern Hemispeherians


--for the Antipodeans

Have a wonderful holiday, however you celebrate it, and I wish each of y'all could be here to share in the food and wine and conversation. It would make a good day brighter!

I've been in a bit of a book funk for the past six weeks. I just haven't been able to get into anything. Flying half way across the country to spend Christmas with the family forced me to sit and read for several hours. I'm finally getting into Bloodlands. Not exactly a happy Christmas read, but at least I'm reading again.

Just started After Life by Rhian Ellis

# fredbacon - I love your term "book funk" !! I sometimes call it my readers block.

BTW.. A Merry Xmas to all from down under.

THanks!

cool! Thanks

Thank you!

Thank you! Nice to read your comment.

Thanks! I'm learning a lot since I've joined. :) Pleasure to be here. ...

THANKS... happy holidays!

Oops. I didn't realize I was adding all these here.. sorry everyone. I'm reading Bill Bryson's "Notes from a Small Island" and trying to get over bronchitis. He does cheer one up.

It is good to be cheered! You are very welcome.

Merry Christmas, happy holidays & happy new year to all fellow LTers!

I am almost halfway into By Blood, which is a really interesting read about a man who rents an office and overhears his next door neighbor, a therapist, and her sessions with one particular client.

#37: I can' t wait to see The Perks... on DVD. I also took notice of the book because of the movie.

Merry Christmas one and all!

I'm just now starting The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy. I've just turned the first page, so there's no telling how it will go, yet.

I stayed up late last night to finish The Glass Room by Simon Mawer. Wonderful book. I'm not sure what I'll read next - I'll have a look at the tbr pile tomorrow.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Just finished Rainbow Valley, by L.M. Montgomery, while taking a break from Christmas dinner prep.

Reading Libra by Don DeLillo- wow. On deck is Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet

@grkwmk #24- I read Warmth of Other Suns in May and promptly passed it along to my mother. (Preface: my mom and I don't usually have the same taste in books, so this is rare.) It's one of the few books that she and I both ADORED, for somewhat different reasons. Enjoy it!

Merry Christmas, and may the Magic of the Season stay with you throughout the New Year!

What a wonderful picture!

Patrick: Son of Ireland by Stephen R Lawhead I've been waiting to read this for a while now.

I'm still reading through Ladder of Years which is beginning to get really good. Both my daughter and I are suffering through horrible bouts with the flu, but despite being so ill we still had a wonderful Christmas together! :) We opened our gifts at about 5:30 AM because we were unable to sleep. I haven't opened presents that early since my daughter was about six years old! :)

We were subdued but still excited, and among all our gifts we somehow had both gotten books in our stockings! :) I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and a joyous New Year. :) We wish you all peace now, and throughout the coming year! Looking forward to being part of this exciting group for a long, long time to come! :)

I'm reading one of my Santa Thing books, True Grit. I love it!

>74 Storeetllr:- Love the picture. Thanks Storeetellr.

What a beautiful picture Storeetllr, thanks :o)

I finished Among Others. very good book. a peon to all kinds of genre fans. This one is not just for sci/fi fans. It is for just plain old book lovers of all kinds of books.

I am now deep into reading Honorable Schoolboy by John Le Carre. this is classic spy writing band great for a long winter's day. I hope to start Barbie and Ruth when I finish with this one. I just love my winter break. It gives me so much time to read!

I got an early start on reviewing story collections for my 2013 challenge, reading Better Living Through Plastic Explosives and posting my review of it too.

It got a cumulative 3.5 stars.

In the past three days, I've finished Help, Thanks, Wow, Montana 1948, and The Warmth of Other Suns. Not sure what I'll start next...

Still reading The Dovekeepers for my January meeting of a RL book group. I am not enjoying it very much, but it is not horrible. I'll soldier on. Looking at Anna Karenina for a group read here in January. Need to get the dove book finished!

Hi all,

I review teas on steepster.com so I do read many books to do with teas, cooking recipes with tea, tea arts, ceramics and potters and the likes. Today for example I spent the day at the library and fond this book on Perfume and perused it. It is interesting how the classification of perfume is similarly to the tea plant Camila Sinensis; to having a good nose; a good view/vision for creating perfumes; It is very similar to wine, cooking; distilling of beer/wine/infusions etc.

As this is last minute I am not making it clear. Sorry.

Reading The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer on Kindle (a Christmas present to myself) and Without Fail by Lee Child on audiobook. Happy me!

I just canNOT imagine Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher. Incongruous does not come close to describing how wrong that casting choice is.

#86.. Re Tom Cruise in the role of Jack Reacher!! Jack is over 6ft tall!!

My latest is Children of the Archbishop by Norman Collins, I would class it as a classic, I have read London Belongs to Me also by Collins, again a wonderful read.

I've almost finished reading the Twilight Saga AGAIN. :D. maybe next i'll read Harry Potter. i quite love these types of novels.

Any good suggestions?

(85) I'm interested. :)

(88) @TylerRoss, if can handle something a little longer, check out Tad Williams' 'Memory, Sorrow and Thorn' series, starting with The Dragonbone Chair.

Big, but wonderful...and don't let the slow start dissuade you from reading them.

I downloaded Londoners: The Days and Nights of London-- As Told by Those Who Love it, Hate it, Live it, Left it, and Long for it· Interesting read as I was there a few months ago and am definitely one that loves and longs for it.

I am reading The Children's Book by A. S. Byatt, and I'm really enjoying it.

I'm reading Doc by Mary Doria Russell. I love historical fiction.

Back feeling slightly woozy, utterly knackered and somewhat stuffed. Hope everybody here's had a wonderful couple of days.

Lots of new books to look forward to and right now I'm reading the marvellous new novel by Torsten Krol, The Secret Book of Sacred Things and finding it hard to put down for anything other than pouring another drink. Keep celebrating everyone!

Last night I started two new reads, both promising so far: The Distant Hours and The Emperor of All Maladies.

Finished Agatha Christie's The body in the Library and Hercule Poriot's Christmas Both OK and fun. Somehow that led me to The Bothers Karamazov. The dusting of snow we just had? Or the need for something a little more complex? I crave Russian novelists every once in a while. Still putting the pieces of Germany together in The Unification of Gremany.

Finished Dolly by Susan Hill and Music Ho! by Constant Lambert: good books both. With regard to the latter, I really ought to reacquaint myself with Sibelius's symphonies.

I've finally re-read and written a love letter to Dodie Smith's kid's classic The Hundred and One Dalmatians over in my thread...post #299.

I finished and REVIEWED Tracy Winn's incredibly powerful short fiction collection Mrs. Somebody Somebody.

Not sure what I'll read next...

>99 brenzi: Beautiful review, Bonnie! Wow. Sounds like an amazing collection.

It is Richard. Very, very powerful.

I appreciated your review of The Hundred and One Dalmatians, richard.

Your review of The Humdred and One Dalmatians was wonderful Richard

>102 fuzzi:, 103 Thank you both for saying so, I appreciate it.

I finished The Heart Knows Something Different. It was an awesome collection of personal experiences written by New York teens in the Foster system. I finished The She. Good, but Plum-Ucci can and has done better. I finished Vathek and wished I'd Pearl Ruled it. I'll be reading A Red Heart of Memories soon and am looking forward to it. I've got a cold, and am hoping this doesn't mean I'm heading into an all-books-are-blah period.

I finished The Sculptress and enjoyed itbso much I am going to listen to another Minette Walters, The Ice House.

#106 I haven't read The Sculptress but saw the BBC TV movie starring Pauline Quirke as Olive in the 1990's, BRILLIANT.

I finished The Ihaka Trilogy last night, and picked up 4 books from the Library this morning. Two of which are on my very long TBR list, two aren't.

The Girl Who Played with Fire
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl is out with reserves)
My First Colouring Book short stories by Lloyd Jones - all ready for January! I loved Lloyd Jones' Mister Pip, and have Hand Me Down World on my TBR.
and The Lost Woman a NZ autobiography by Sydney Smith.

All quite 'dark' will have to find something a little lighter next time.

Finished Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines and started The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch.

Just finished Snuff by Terry Pratchett. I've read a few of his books by now and find them all more or less fun. This one started out a bit slow actually, but that might be to the fact that I didn't know Commander Vimes or the Ankh_Morpork city watch before. But I have come to live Willikins and Lady Sybil and really like Duke/Sir/Blackboard Monitor and Commander Vimes. Definitely have to read more about the city watch!

I started Heft by Liz Moore. So far so good but dont know where it id headed yet. This is a Nancy Pearl recommendation on NPR.

I finished So B. It, a good YA by Sarah Weeks, and now I'm reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Good to see the positive comments about the latter above.

>98 richardderus: Richard, your review of The Hundred and One Dalmations was, indeed, very touching.

I just finished the Nancy Pearl recommendation Among Others and saw that she had recommended Heft on that same list. I think her recommendations are good ones so you probably didn't make a mistake.

>112 Betty30554: Thank you for saying so, Betty. I appreciate it.

I have been at parents w/ no internet for the holidays.. am back now. Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!!

Welcome a_forester to LT. It is a wonderful place to be if you love books.

I am still reading Devil in the White City. It is just ok.. too much architectural stuff. Hope it gets better.

#115....the part about George Washington Ferris and the Ferris Wheel......he's my great-great uncle!....trivia for the day

>117 hemlokgang: So, you have life time passes on any ferris wheel anywhere?

I wish! Or royalties?

Yesterday I read Joy School by Elizabeth Berg in about 4 hours. Cute book.

Thanks! I feel like I have access to heaven now, anytime I want to come here and get more ideas of what to read.. for ETERNITY... :)

This morning I finished Kitty Cornered by Bob Tarte, a memoir about a couple and their 6 (!) cats. As a cat lover, I usually love cat memoirs. However, this one was kind of all over the place. Also, it could've benefited greatly from pics of the kitties!