January - What are you reading now?

It's a new year with new challenges and hopefully new books. How are you starting?

I'm currently reading Eiji Yoshikawa's Musashi, a fabulous story to carry me over to 2013.

I've just started reading Jane: The woman who loved Tarzan, which I won't finish before the end of 2013, so I can say I'll be reading it at the beginning of 2013 too :D

I have just finished Stars of the Long Night by Nigerian author Tanure Ojaide. I had hoped to finish the collection Black Dahlia and White Rose before the New Year but I'm not sure that's going to happen.

It's not quite the new year here, but I'm starting off with the next Zola on my list, Pot Luck, and probably will also start Young Stalin, the first of a two-volume biography using newly released Soviet archives.

I'm going out in about an hour, so there is no way I am going to finish the last hundred pages of Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna before tomorrow. It will be my first official book of 2013, and I have to say, I love it – I can't believe how long I let it sit on my shelf before picking it up!

I am still reading Gone Girl. It started out as a bit of a chore, but it is slowly getting better.

I wanted to start the year with The Street Of Crocodiles but I can't find it this morning! So it's Journey By Moonlight instead.

I wasn't able to finish all the books I had been reading for last year (and it caused me some real stress), so I quit and did something else.

I will have some writing up to do back there, but for now continue reading Jack Sheppard along with several other unfinisheds.

I'm a hundred pages or so into The Swerve and am supposed to be ready to discuss it by Wednesday night. But I'm also supposed to start Infinite Jest on Tuesday for the group read. And there's a bunch of movies to see.

Robert

My first book of the year is an omnibus collection of three B S Johnson novels - Trawl, Albert Angelo and House Mother Normal. So far, so good.

Almost halfway Terreur en Droom, Karl Schlögel's history about Moscow 1937, one third in Onder de mensen, part 2 of Maxim Gorky's youth memories in prerevolutionary Russia and ready with part 1(the pre-ww2 part) of Vasily Grossman’s The Road: Stories, Journalism and Essays, which I will take up again when I’ll have finished the other books.

I've decided to kick off the new year with David Byrne's Bicycle Diaries. So far, a very good start to the year.

I'll see how I feel later this morning, but I might start my nonfiction reading with The Black Count instead of with Young Stalin -- a bit more fun!

I'm reading The Long Way Home by Karen McQuesiton. A good way to close out 2012 and begin 2013!!

I'm reading Sea of Poppiesby Amitav Ghosh and am about 2/3 of the way into it. It's been really good so far, and I am looking forward to reading the second book of this trilogy, River of Smoke.

>16 fuzzy_patters: – I bought Sea of Poppies the other day, and am looking forward to reading it soon. Glad you are enjoying it!

I'm busy with Shadow Country by Peter Matthiessen, which will probably keep me busy for a week or two. I'm actually putting more effort into Religion and the Decline of Magic by Keith Thomas, which is one of those books on esoterica that I've always meant to read.

On the poetry front, I've started The Complete Poems of Hart Crane - heavy-going, as Crane is one of the most elusive/allusive poets out there.

Dmsteyn, what do you think of Shadow Country so far? I read it a couple of years back.

Fuzzy, I'm really enjoying Matthiessen's style and the story is rollicking along, but I'm avoiding looking into the actual events that inspired the story - afraid it might spoil the novel. What did you think of Shadow Country?

Starting the year off with mostly non-fiction reads, In the hands of the Great Spirit, an overview of the Native peoples of the lower 48, is my current project.

Dmsteyn, I liked the book. I thought that it bogged down in places, but most of it was really good. I thought the last third of the book was the best third. After reading it, I did some research and found that little is known about the actual events and Matthiessen invents a lot of it, which I thought made it more impressive because it is a very interesting and plausible story.

I'm three-quarters of the way through Wild Swans. Very interesting, but I'll be happy to be done with this one.

I started The Neverending Story a few weeks ago and then stopped to read more Christmas stuff - so will start that one today.

Oh, I LOVED Shadow Country -- it is probably one of my all time favorite reads.

Starting the year with The Book Of Chameleons.

>24 Nickelini: Read Wild Swans years ago when a "read it and pass it on" copy came my way. I'm very glad I read it but not something I think I'd read twice, too harrowing a story.

I still have a lot of books left over from 2012, but I started The Absolute at Large by Karel Capek for the Reading Globally Theme Read.

Others that I'll be finishing - The Whisperers by Orlando Figes, Wild Swans, Unclay by T.F. Powys, Begin Again by Kenneth Silverman and, well, some others.

I'm reading The Ladies' Paradise by Emile Zola and Means of Ascent by Robert Caro.

I loved Wild Swans and The Whisperers.

I'm rereading Anna Karenina and reading Barry Unsworth's Morality Play.

I'm working on The Criminal Conversation of Mrs. Norton and Inter Ice Age 4.

I'm reading Equal Rites and then starting a Harry Potter reread.

I managed to finish up the two books hanging over me from 2012 and now I have started The Quiet Girl by Peter Hoeg (I started the latest Peter Hoeg a couple of months ago, put it down and didn't pick it up again, so it's odd to be reading this one which is from 2007). It certainly has my attention thus far.

I have just started The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal

Dewald you certainly like a challenge The complete Poems of Hart Crane

Reading Papa Hemingway: A Personal Memoir by A.E. Hotchnew.

Actually, I thought I would have finished this by New Year, but then life intervened (again!), so still going.

Not that I mind.... it's too good a book to finish ;)

Continuing a couple of reads I began in December: Peter Heather's The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians and Yves Navarre's Cronus' Children.

>26 rebeccanyc: I'm glad to hear that, Rebecca. I've just started the Second Book, and I must say, the first part was excellent.

>34 baswood: Have you read any Hart Crane, Barry? I like his poetry, without being at all sure what he means most of the time...

Petermc, I look forward to your thoughts on Papa Hemingway: A Personal Memoir. I enjoyed the book very much when I read it.

I'm beginning with Julian Barnes' The Sense of an Ending and Etgar Keret's Suddenly, A Knock on the Door. They'll get me some days into the new year while I give some thought to how to approach Infinite Jest.

I've started Infinite Jest, but plan to take my time through it. I'm also reading Broken Harbor because I've liked every one of Tana French's intelligent crime novels so far. And I'm eying Lolita, which I do plan to read this month as I've heard strong opinions both for and against it from readers I respect. I'll see if language wins over misogyny.

I just finished The Awakening and about to move on to the other stories in the collection, but they seem a bit intense for my brain right now so I opened a Christmas present - Beer, Food, and Flavor: Tasting, Pairing, and the Culture of Craft Beer. I had a project to start drinking beer last year, and my friend who is doing the educating got it for me.

I am kicking off the year with The Naked God - the third book in Hamilton's trilogy (after closing 2012 with the second one The Neutronium Alchemist - technically it spilled into 2013 (finished it ~1 am local time on the 1st but... I will pretend it was 2012 book)

As door-stoppers go (1332 pages should qualify it as such), it goes pretty smoothly.

I spent January 1st in Scotland, as everyone should, Standing in Another Man's Grave with Rebus. Rankin and Rebus are sort of a holiday tradition, before the "bleak midwinter" intrudes.

Oh, that's disappointing. I thought the new Rankin would follow Fox at the Complaints.

Started The Colour by Rose Tremain. I've started this one a few times before so I hope it sticks this time.

>43 SassyLassy:

Kindle version not available in the States until mid-January so I am patiently waiting...

>44 RidgewayGirl:, >46 AnnieMod:
I seem to have missed The Complaints. Now I have a great excuse for another Rankin. Without giving anything away, there's something for each of you. Fox appears in this latest Rebus and I would say both will appear again.

>47 SassyLassy:

I like The Complaints :) And if it is Rankin, I read it anyway - so I am just waiting for that one to get published here. :)

Having finished Sea of Poppies, I have picked up Hard Times by Charles Dickens, which I had been reading before Christmas. I was excited to use the Nook that I received as a Christmas gift when I decided to put down Hard Times for awhile so I could use the Nook. While I did enjoy reading on the Nook, I have now decided to finish what I had started with the Dickens book. I am about half through it at this point.

>43 SassyLassy: I assume that is the new haul-him-out-of-retirement Rebus?

>47 SassyLassy:, 48 i liked both The Complaints and the one that followed that - i forget the title now. Worthy reads but not Rebus, of course. Book budget has been cut so the new one remains on my Amazon UK wishlist.

I just got The Complaints, it's my first Rankin, any probs with readng it first?

>51 LisaMorr:

It is a first in his second series (unrelated to Rebus until book 3) so no worries starting with it :)

But I would also say that you should read Rebus at some point as well.

No, it's unconnected to his other series. My only complaint (ha ha) was it's lack of female characters - seemed a bit regressive because of it.

As my kids used to say, JINX!

Thank you both!

>54 avaland:

:) Yeah.

You know - I did not really miss a female figure. I don't find it really needed to have a female all the time and it sounds a lot more cliched and predictable if you do. Despite everything, there will be all-male and all-female teams and authors should not really be scared to show them.

I prefer Malcolm Fox to Rebus. Which is not to say I don't like Rebus very much. Glad he makes an appearance in the new one.

avaland, yes it is a "haul him out of retirement Rebus", but they have him in a different capacity.

Didn't know there were so many Rebus fans here... good to see. I agree with AnnieMod about not needing female figures. He wouldn't be Rebus with one in his life.

Now definitely have to check out the Malcolm Fox set, although I'm not sure I'll like him.

#37 Yes Dewald, I got onto Hart Crane when I was reading about Jack Kerouac and the American 'Beats'. He was a favourite of theirs. Crane is one of those poets where you can just step back and let the sounds of the words wash over you, without worrying too much about the meaning (if there is one) of the poems.

Started Infinite Jest today - I may be some time.....

IJ everywhere.

I'm spending the early parts of the new year trying to not fall too behind on everyone's threads. Not doing well.

In books, I'm reading 2 Kings, a 1997 issue of The Gettysburg Review, Miami by Joan Didion, and the first book I actually started this year, Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story: A Life of David Foster Wallace by D. T. Max.

On Jan 2 I read in that old The Gettysburg Review issue an article about the state of reading. Wonderful stuff and wonderful thoughts on reading to start the year. Hopefully I'll find time to post something on my thread.

I'm starting the year finishing off a few books from last year (or even earlier!!). Last night I finished The Word Tree by Teolinda Gersao (which hadn't in fact been hanging around for very long), and for the last few nights my bedtime reading has been Some Tame Gazelle by Barbara Pym. I like it very much but just can't read more than a couple of pages at a time.

In doubt which book to read next... Finish Plastikfreie Zone or The Tale of Genji or start in Royal Assassin or Het zesde zintuig ? Hmmm :P

>62 mene:

It's a new year, start something new :)

*picks a random book from TBR pile*... and it is... Identical strangers (Dutch version)!

See - this is how it works :) happy reading.

I finished Robertson Davies' Fifth Business this morning, and have moved on to Mansfield Park.

Currently reading Gods Without Men. Still not sure about it.

Currently reading The Glass Harmonica by US author Dorothee Kocks, which has a special significance as the first book I am reading on a Kindle.

Set in the 19th century, this novel is lushly written in a style that brings to mind Angela Carter, though it is less surreal. A little of that style goes a long way for me, but nevertheless, I am enjoying this novel so far - and enjoying reading on the Kindle,too.

Next up, I will be starting The Shingle Bar Sea Monster And Other Stories by Laura Solomon, which I'll be reviewing for Landfall Review Online: http://landfallreviewonline.blogspot.co.nz/

>60 dchaikin: - I'm finding all the shiny new threads very distracting as well, plus, still haven't caught up on some 2012 threads.

I finished The Absolute at Large and started Our Circus Presents by Lucian Dan Teodorovici.

I've started Marguerite Yourcenar's Oriental Tales and Witold Gombrowicz's Ferdydurke. Loving both.

Almost finished The man in the high castle, still in the early stages of Infinite Jest. Both have some similarities from a philosophical viewpoint. Both deal with a universe slightly out of synch with our own.

Both are intriguing.

Also reading the first of my books on personality typing, Understanding the Enneagram, which provides a good overview of the subject.

deebee, your 2 books look good. Ferdydurke has been on my list for quite some time.

I'm currently reading The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. I started it last week and have included as my favorite read of 2012.

Literate, thoughful, and moral with great characters. It's a must read.

Marion

Finished and reviewed Religion and the Decline of Magic by Keith Thomas, an excellent and thought-provoking exploration of religion and the occult in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century England.

I finished Jim Butcher's Cold Days, the latest Harry Dresden novel, yesterday and quickly followed it up with Aetheric Mechanics, a "graphic novella" by Warren Ellis. And I've now started The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution by Sean B. Carroll. Those last two are both books I got through SantaThing last month, so thank you, Santa!

I've just read and reviewed my first book of 2013 and the next in Zola's Rougon-Macquart cycle, Pot Luck, a story of sexual and financial intrigue and hypocrisy in a Parisian apartment building.

I put Onder de mensen aside for "later" and started with Kinderen van de Arbat instead, since this novel correlates better with Terreur en Droom which I hope to finish next week.

Finished Miami, my first book of the year. I picked up Beloved...well I haven't actually opened it up yet.

I finished The Chip-Chip Gatherers by Shiva Naipaul last night and reviewed it this month. Next up: Our Lady of Alice Bhatti by Mohammed Hanif, which was selected for the shortlist of the 2013 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature.

I'm reading Malcolm X: As They Knew Him, a nice look at the man behind the myth.

Now that I've finished travels with David Byrne (Bicycle Diaries), I'm diving into the art world in Steve Martin's An Object of Beauty and near-future Russian satire in Dmitry Bykov's Living Souls.

> 1

I have already Don Quixote de la mancha on the go, but have started also The Hobbit and A Well-Educated Mind

I am reading What Maisie Knew by Henry James, although I nearly did not make it through his impenetrable preface to the 1909 New York edition.

I have finished Hard Times by Charles Dickens and have started Tales of the Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

I'm reading Trawl by B S Johnson, the second novel of three in an omnibus. I'm loving it. The protagonist is a very sea sick passenger on a fishing trawler. He seems to be there to try and make sense of his life and the narrative follows his internal dialogue as he lies on his bunk and reviews past events and relationships.

Getting close to finishing Papa Hemingway: A Personal Memoir by A.E. Hotchner.

The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway: The Finca Vigía Edition is a long term project - perhaps a story per week.

McQueen's Machines: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Icon by Matt Stone, is highly readable but true car buffs might wish for more depth.

Taking Charge: The Johnson White House Tapes 1963-1964 by Michael R. Beschloss, is taking a back seat while I'm on holiday. Once I'm back home, this will be the focus of my reading again.

I decided that before diving into The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, I'd read the short Canadian classic, Deep Hollow Creek by Sheila Watson. It's very different from what I expected.

I've now finished The House With a Clock in Its Walls, a very nicely spooky kids' book by John Bellairs, and am reading And Another Thing..., Eoin Colfer's continuation of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, which, somewhat to my surprise, is not in fact terrible. Next up is What Would MacGyver Do?, a little collection of true stories by people who came up with MacGyver-like fixes in their ordinary lives.

And then next week I'm going to be on vacation, visiting my father in Florida, so I am giving careful thought as to which books I should take with me.

Next up is What Would MacGyver Do?, a little collection of true stories by people who came up with MacGyver-like fixes in their ordinary lives.

oh, I have to get a copy of that for my husband. He'd love it.

Besides the Seeking Palestine collection, I am reading Always Coca-Cola by Alexandra Chreiteh. There was an excerpt of this in Belletrista a few issues ago. It's a running narrative (ack, no chapters) of one young, naive, Muslim, Lebanese woman about her life. She's 18 but comes across to me like a young teen because of her naivete (her family is a bit more more traditional). Her friends, who are a few years older, are more world wise. The tone is light and her voice is engaging..

I'm reading Alejo Carpentier's dictator novel Reasons of State. Also started Graham Greene's Brighton Rock.

I'm still working on The Criminal Conversation of Mrs. Norton and have started the Guinness Book of the 20th Century: Millennium Edition.

I finished The Neverending Story and will be reading Shusako's Endo A Life of Jesus next.

I take it that means that The Neverending Story did eventually come to an end. That always confused me when I saw the movie as a child. I wasn't very old, though, so I don't remember much of it.

fevre dream by george rr martin now. An older work of his I picked up at a discount sale. Didn't realise it was a vampire story ... haven't read one of those since Anne Rice! Anyway, the setting in 19th century Mississippi river trade is interesting.

>93 fuzzy_patters: - I remember one bit in The Simpsons where incompetent lawyer Lionel Hutz mentions his lawsuit against The Neverending Story - false advertising.

Finished and reviewed Magda Szabo's The Door. Still reading Begin Again and Inside Scientology. Started Martin Rivas by Alberto Blest Gana and The Polish Complex by Tadeusz Konwicki.

Just finished and reviewed The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal and the Real Count of Monte Cristo, a compulsively readable, impeccably researched account of a fascinating and little known man and his tumultuous times.

I've finished Trawl by BS Johnson, now reading the graphic novel Locke and Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez. Someone on LT recommended L&K years ago - thank you, whoever you are! I'm reading it on my iPad. The downside of this is that as soon as I've finished one volume, I immediately buy the next one.

I have finished Tales of the Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and I will start The Afrika Reich by Guy Saville after work tomorrow.

I am starting two books today:

Albert Camus: A Life by Olivier Todd

Five Italian renaissance comedies plays by Machiavelli, Ariosto, Pietro Aretino, Gl' Intronati, and Giambattista Guarini.

I finished The Essence of Christianity by Ludwig Feuerbach today. It was a difficult read, but worthwhile. I'm still busy with the third book of Shadow Country, which I should finish this week. I'll read something lighter after that.

Stephen King's Christine kept me company on an airplane and during the first couple of days of my vacation -- I'm in Florida visiting relatives -- and I've just started Chronospace by Allen Steele, which I suspect may take me the rest of the trip.

I've completed my BS Johnson love-in and tomorrow move on to Live and Learn, an omnibus of three essay collections by Joan Didion.

Have a few books on the go at present - The Polish Boxer by Eduardo Halfon, George Wilkie's Robert Burns: A Life in Letters (it is getting towards Burns day) and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia, a play by Edward Albee. Also dipping into a few poetry books - Tom Paulin's Love's Bonfire and Where Rockets Burn Through, a collection of science fiction poems from the UK.

I've finished and reviewed The Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo, the tale of an epic struggle of man against the ocean and a lot more.

I have finished Always Coca-Cola and have picked up The Room and The Chair by Lorraine Adams (I really enjoyed her previous book Harbor. I'm still reading the essays in Seeking Palestine and a few pages once in a while in Such Stuff as Dreams: The Psychology of Fiction. Hmm. Wondering if I should be attempting 3 books at once (I thought I had broken that habit).

>104 rebeccanyc: - probably the only Victor Hugo novel to inspire a song by a punk band - Toiler on the Sea by The Stranglers, the lyrics of which gave A Flock of Seagulls their name. Victor Hugo and A Flock of Seagulls - there's a connection you never thought you would see.

I'm new to Library thing but I thought I would put my two cents in. I'm reading A swiftly tilting planet because I need to find my childhood again and a book I picked up from one of my roommates, Eternal by Virginia Gamsky Hust. Which is apparently so new there isn't a touchstone for it haha.

Children of the Occupation: Japan's Untold Story by Walter Hamilton. The often tragic stories of children sired by foreign (mainly Australian) fathers by Japanese women in Japan during the post-war occupation 1945-52.

#106 You're right!

I'm finishing up Cell 8 by Anders Roslund, continuing with Infinite Jest and looking at NW by Zadie Smith, There But for The by Ali Smith and Glaciers by Alexis Smith, which I just placed on my bedside table in an enticing and only coincidentally alphabetical stack. I'll read one of these next.

Approaching page 200 out of >600 of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and I'm still waiting for something amazing or an adventure. This book is wildly popular, but I'm finding it a huge slog. If I hadn't paid good money for it, I'd have chucked it by now, book club meeting or not.

The Arbat trilogy by Anatoli Rybakov is in the Dutch translation I am reading a quartet: the ‘English’ second volume of the trilogy is split up in two parts in Dutch. I just started with the second part, Angst (Fear), in which I find myself in 1937 USSR. These novels are a great literary 'illustration' to Karl Schlögel’s nonfiction Moscow 1937, and also to Sebag Montefiore’s Stalin.

I'm reading Communion Town by Sam Thompson, one of the 2012 Booker Prize longlisted novels that I didn't read last year.

I just read and reviewed Kornél Esti by Dezsõ Kosztolányi, an episodic novel of stories, both "true" and "imagined," about a writer in early 20th century Hungary.

I've finished The Room and the Chair and am still a bit dizzy from it. Not sure what is next for fiction, but have a couple of nonfiction titles going in the meantime.

I have finished The Afrika Reich and am now starting The Fortune of the Rougons by Emile Zola.

I'm currently reading The Unspeakable by Tessa Stockton. She is a new novelist for me.

Then I'm going to read Mark Helprin's new novel, In Sunlight and In Shadow. I've been looking forward to his latest work.

Marion

Finished Anatoli Rybakov’s Stof en As (the last of the Arbat Quartet) this morning on my way to work, hope to tell next weekend something about those great books. But now do need a break before continuing reading about Soviet Russia, a nice light read, maybe Marcus Flyte’s City of Dark Magic



Marcus Flyte

> 118, Looking forward to what you think of the Rybakov books, marieke. I started Children of the Arbat last night, I'm expecting to be hooked.

Started Camus: Elements of a life by Robert Zaretsky

I'm reading When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman, historical fiction about England in the 1100s and still rereading (savoring) Anna Karenina.

I've finished The Complete Poems of Hart Crane, but I'm not sure whether I'll attempt to review it... Starting on the The Major Works (Oxford World's Classics) by Percy Bysshe Shelley.

I have also started reading The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker.

Finished Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story: A Life of David Foster Wallace last night and started Steve Jobs this morning. Also, finished Winnie-the-Pooh Wednesday night, which I've been reading to my son using an e-book, which worked wonderfully. I now have The House on Pooh Corner in e-book form and crossed fingers.

Much to think about on the DFW biography.

Dan - looking forward to what you have to say about the Steve Jobs bio. My husband recently read it, and every time I asked him about it, he said the same thing: "the man is a freak."

Anyway, I finally finished Kavalier and Clay and it's time for something completely different. I picked In the Forest--it's my first Edan O'Brien, although I own several of her books.

I just finished and reviewed My Century by Aleksander Wat, a fascinating memoir by a Polish poet who was imprisoned in Stalinist Russia.

Just finished Cloud Atlas last night - loved it! Not sure what I'm going to read next. I have about 20 pages left in The Criminal Conversation of Mrs. Norton, and then I'll look around and see what tickles my fancy.

Just finished and now re-reading New Finnish Grammar.

This is only the second time I've ever finished a book and immediately started it again. (The first was Murakami's after the quake).

I have just finished Salvage The Bones which I absolutely hated in the beginning. In a very short time, I could not tear myself away from this family and the characters that inhabit one of the poorest sections of New Orleans. I knew Katrina was on the way and found myself holding my breath through the last few chapters. Its a wonderful book and deserves the attention it is getting.

After starting the year with a steady stream of various kinds of speculative fiction and general science-y stuff, I've taken a bit of a "classic novel" break with Rudyard Kipling's Kim. Now that I've finished that, I think it'll be back to the fantasy with Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce.

I've update my post on Hart Crane; it's now more of a review, instead of only a post of one of his poems. Also, I've finally figured out how to add pictures :)

Also started reading A Preface to Shelley by Patricia Hodgart, which I found in our university library.

I'm reading Harlan Ellison's Approaching Oblivion and Molly Keane's Good Behaviour.

Finally, finished Thinking About the Earth and reviewed a History of Geology together sense they are basically the same. And now I'm reading a history of the pencil called The Pencil by Henry Petroski. So I've gone from an audience of five to an audience of two.

I've finished Shadow Country. Now, to try and review an excellent, excellent novel of 900 pages...

For a change of pace, I'll be reading some Terry Pratchett. I've gotten behind a bit with the Discworld series: I'm starting I Shall Wear Midnight.

>128 amyshaff: exactly my reaction to Salvage the Bones!

Still finishing off things I started and abandoned: I'm now getting to the end of the wonderful Love in a Fallen City by Eileen Chang, and also reading Trespassing by Uzma Aslam Khan.

I've started Rebel in Time by Harry Harrison. I'd expected a sci-fi tale but what I've got so far is an army colonel who is being investigated for acquiring a lot of gold. The back cover claims it is a 'brilliant, action-crammed novel of violence, intrigue and paradox by one of the top authors on the contemporary science fiction scene'. We'll see where it goes.

I've set the three books I was reading aside to blow through a lovely Anne Holt crime novel and now I'm into a Susan Hill crime novel - one that's been on my shelf since 2005.

>135 rachbxl: Rachel, have you seen the movie "Beasts of the Southern Wild"? It made me think of Ward's fiction. Excellent movie.

132> Don't fret, stretch -- I'm a big fan of Petroski's work after reading The Book on the Bookshelf. Pencil is on by wishlist -- I'll be interested to hear your thoughts.

Slogged to a "had to read" yesterday (A Shopkeeper's Millennium) and now I'm on to an interesting tale of history, exploration, and deceit--The Land That Never Was by David Sinclair.

I'm reading A Happy Death, the debut novel by Albert Camus which was published after his own death.

Looking forward to your thoughts on A Happ'y Death Darryl

I am just starting A Troubadour's Testament by James Cowan

>138 avaland: ooh, no, I haven't. Will have to get hold of that - thanks, Lois.

Finished City of Dark Magic, which was fun (the reading and the finishing), started with Guns, an essay about gun control by Stepen King (published as a kindle single).

I just started reading Jack Kerouac: Collected Poems. I am truly amazed by how much I am enjoying the book. I have been reading some of the poems out loud and I sound just like one of the beat poets doing readings in a coffee house. With the variety of books to read I have completely given up watching television.

I finished A Happy Death by Albert Camus last night, and reviewed it this morning. I'll start reading Great House by Nicole Krauss this afternoon.

I finished A Life of Jesus by Shusako Endo a few days ago and started reading The Summons by John Grisham which looks like it should be an easy read.

I finished In the Forest and am definitely looking forward to reading more Edna O'Brien. Now on to another tree-related book:The Wood by John Collis (no touchstone? LT suggests Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. Huh?!)

I've finished A Preface to Shelley by Patricia Hodgart, which was a good introduction to Shelley's life and poetry. Most of the non-fiction I'll be reading for the next while will be research for my M.A. - it's pretty morbid stuff, so I don't know whether I'll post it here.

Now reading Catherine of Aragon and will be dividing my attention between that and our group read over in the salon, Spring Snow.

I have finished The Fortune of the Rougons by Emile Zola, which was wonderful. I will begin reading The Possessed by Fyodor Dostoevsky after work today.

I've finished the one-of-a-kind Ferdydurke and have started Sándor Márai's Portraits of a Marriage, which I find very absorbing.

Finished Beloved last night...which will take some thought. I've read a few published reviews. I started reading the reviews on LT but there are so many terrible ones that I stopped... Nothing I've read has gone into the Biblical references, which seem to me to be so front and center...its exodus and various sufferings during it...and one other key element I can't mention without giving a spoiler. Anyway...the writing is beautiful and the books is a rich experience.

Also, finally finished 1 & 2 Kings this week.

So, what to read next, along with the Steve Jobs bio? I might read Hamlet, for the first time. I might read a book about Toni Morrison; I have several from the library. I might read that last Wheel of Time volume...

#124 Joyce - Your husband is right so far. But I'm only up to where Jobs is about 20.

#132 Kevin - I'm one of those five.

Congratulations on finishing 1 & 2 Kings, Dan. I hope to read your review of Beloved soon. I also want to see what you think of Hamlet...

I seem to be reluctant to go back to reading My Heart Laid Bare, so I am reading a third crime novel, the latest Rebus, Standing in Another Man's Grave. Couldn't resist. Rebus seems a bit punchier than usual...

>132 stretch: Can't wait to hear about The Pencil!

>154 avaland: I was really disappointed in My Heart Laid Bare, Lois. I read it a long time ago, so I'm fuzzy on the particulars, but I'll be interested to hear what you think when you do finish it.

My next read is The War of the Worlds by H G Wells. Probably won't finish it this month.

I'm reading Infinite Jest to end the month and hope to be able to report something new tomorrow.

Robert