What You're Reading the Week of 29 March 2008

Tim Spalding Tim's Holiday Cookbook I'm deep into The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon, weirdly wonderful. Still dipping in and out of Richard Dawkins The God Delusion, not as gripped as I was for the first half. Hence I've diverted into Kevin Kelly's New Rules for the New Economy, which feels a bit dated ten years on, and I dipped a toe into The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb which is tempting . . . but not yet.

Just finishing off The Throwback by Tom Sharpe making me laugh a great deal. Next up is my Early Reviewer Book Pandora in the Congo by Albert Sánchez Piñol which I'm looking forward to, bit of african adventure to brighten up the bleak and grey days we're having here just lately.

Right now I am reading Olive Kitteridge A novel in stories by Elizabeth Strout.

(touchstones are working)

I'm still putting up the good fight with Name of the Rose... hopefully I'll get inspired and finish it by the end of the weekend.

I also started The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards today at lunch, to give my brain a little bit of a break.

Current audiobook is A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb, which I'm not loving, but not hating enough to ditch yet. It keeps changing direction, and the writing is pretty mediocre.

I finished The Successor by Ismail Kadare and am absorbed in Lush Life by Richard Price, thanks to recommendations here on LT.

I started House Rules by Rachel Sontag

I managed to get started on Opera and the Morbidity of Music yesterday, despite being sick, and being sick with something that neatly lopped three hours' sleep out of Wednesday night. I'm currently about 20-odd pages in.

I am in the middle of One For The Money . Its turning out be to really fun ! I'll probably read the rest of the series too .

I am about to finish In My Other Life: Stories by Joan Silber. Not quite sure what I will pick up next.

I'm going to finish Galileo's Daughter, finally, and then I'm going to read a lot of manga whilst ignoring my homework. Though unfortunately that will only work for so long. *sigh*

#1 GreyHead - I just finished listening to The Yiddish Policemen's Union 2 weeks ago and it was fantastic. I hope you continue to enjoy it. Have you read any other Michael Chabon?

I have The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay on my 888 list and am looking forward to it based on TYPU.

What I'm reading now is Snow Crash - well, continuing for the 3rd week. It's slow, slow going and I'm only persevering because it's for bookclub, it's on my 888 list, and I promised myself that I'd finish everything I started this year. I'm usually happy to put down a book that I have to force myself to read.

To reward myself for continuing with Snow Crash I'm getting ready to start a Georgette Heyer mystery called No Wind of Blame. 30s, England, Agatha Christie-ish. And, I'm continuing The Assault on Reason by Al Gore but it's slow going too.

Picked up Rejection Romance & Royalties, the Wacky World of a Working Writer (no touchstone) by Laura Resnick from the library today. It's a series of relatively short essays on writing and the joys and pains of being a professional writer. I started reading it right away and was laughing out loud at some of the stuff while one bit brought tears to my eyes. And that was by only the second or third essay. Now that's what I call a good read! :)

Flew through Mrs. Kimble for book club this week but am now plowing not so fast through Mistress of the Art of Death...am feeling a reading funk coming on...

Er, I take it that Tim's picture at the top of the page means that March 29th is his birthday?

If so, "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday...
*singing merrily to Tim*

(Tim, don't listen to me singing until Saturday.)

Currently I'm reading Peony in Love by Lisa See. I'm very excited about this book because, not only did I love her book Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, but my best friend got me a ticket to see this author in Baltimore in two weeks. I can't wait. I'm sure her presentation will be very interesting.

I'm on page 700 of 1,224 of War and Peace. Slow and steady progress. Also reading Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Most interesting!

#15 teelgee ~ loved Never Let Me Go! Enjoy!

I've decided to put Proust on hiatus. *sings "Freedom" by George Michael at top of lungs*. Still reading The Night Watch by Sarah Waters, about some Londoners after WWII. It hasn't gripped me yet, but I'm still in the first 100 pages. Steadily and happily going through the uber-thick The Autobiography of Henry VIII. Started The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber and have been sucked in. It's a treat.

Thanks Storeetllr - I am enjoying it a lot. I also have Remains of the Day waiting for me at the library - I've heard that one's even better. Nice to discover another new (to me) author!

Finished up Cat's Cradle by Vonnegut on the SkyTrain this morning and just got a few pages into Three Day Road. I am really excited for this, it looks to be great.

This week's four:

Turkish book: Making progress in A Cup of Turkish Coffee, stories by Buket Uzuner in a bilingual edition. I finished the longest story in the book, and actually went and re-read the end in English because it interested me beyond the problem of deciphering Turkish.

Spanish book: Novelas Ejemplares by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. I haven't really gotten into it yet – so many other things are grabbing my attention – but I'm not letting go of it.

English book at home: I finished The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. She posed some interesting puzzles, and then, alas, did not solve them to my satisfaction. I've started The Pilgrim Route to Santiago by Brian Tate, a wonderful book with tons of fantastic color photographs and interesting information.

Book for lunch break at work: I finished Victoria Line Central Line, stories by Maeve Binchy. Most of the men were worthless, most of the women were clueless. It's not how I view humanity. And I started Masterpieces of Mystery & Detection (touchstone having trouble) an anthology edited by Rosamund Morris that starts with a non-Peter-Wimsey story by Dorothy Sayers. I'm pretty sure I've read this before, but I don't really remember it.

(edited to work on touchstone)

should finish my ER book Dream Lucky and be able to start the new season with The Kid: Ted Williams in San Diego... play ball!

#11 -- I really enjoyed Kavalier & Clay, as well as Summerland and Wonder Boys...

On the agenda for this week: Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, A Crack in the Edge of the World by Simon Winchester, The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope and 1491 by Charles C. Mann. After that, who knows?

Finished Wives and Daughters two weeks ago. I enjoyed it, but I think I prefer North and South. Since then, I've been reading War and Peace, which I've loved. Only 200 pages to go!

Just finished watch me disappear and have started on the eyre affair which I am so far loving.

I have several books I'm in the middle of. A bit unusual for me.

Little, Big by Crowley - slow going, taking it in small chunks, when I can't handle another paragraph of rambling I put it down

The Druids by Piggott - it's very chewy and dry, but I'm determined to finish it, one section at a time

Careers in Crime by Weinberg - my first Early Review book!, it's enjoyable but there are a lot of statistics, so I read a few sections then put it down

Making a Literary Life by See - my light reading inbetween the above

Finished The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton - excellent. Now reading The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani, set in Iran. I think it's on the Orange Prize longlist.

I'm interspersing my War and Peace reading with various things. I'll probably finish The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte tonight or tomorrow - I'm really enjoying this book and will be searching for more Perez-Reverte books to add to my TBR pile. I just received my March Early Reviewers book, Off the Deep End by W. Hodding Carter, so that will probably be next.

Just started Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan.

Also reading a mixture of Atonemnet by Ian McEwan, The Salman of Doubt by Douglas Adams and Delta of Venus by Anais Nin

Atonment and Delta of Venus are for the 1001 books list.

I started reading The Eye of the Dragon by Stephen King this morning, and thus far I'm enjoying it.

> 11 : karenmarie : Yes I read Kavalier and Clay a couple of years ago and enjoyed it.

I started Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke, but so far it hasn't gripped me yet (which is a bit disappointing, since I got it based on my wish list which I'm now regarding with some suspicion...). Anyway, it's just a slim novel, so I'll probably finish it soon. And based on other work I've read by Clarke, I think there will be a big surprise at the ending making it worth the read.

I'm still on Magician's Ward. Chapter 20.

I'm almost finished A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy.

I've just started Diane Ackerman's The Zookeeper's Wife. Hopefully one of my 2 ER books will come right about the time I finish it.

Reading Play like a Man, Win like a Woman for book club and will be starting The Unbearable Lightness of Being later this weekend.

Finished War and Peace, the epilogue was hard work, but apart from that I really enjoyed it. Now finally reading Neil Gaiman's Stardust, will be interesting to compare to the film.

>34 DevourerOfBooks: jlcardwell - a friend just bought me The Zookeeper's Wife for my birthday, so I'll be interested to hear what you think of it.

#17, citygirl, When I was reading Proust, I mixed it up with other books too. I ended up reading it over the course of about a year.

Last night I picked up Mary: a novel by Janis Cooke Newman, a thick historical fiction book about Mary Todd Lincoln and stayed up until 4 a.m. reading. I finally had to put it down when my eyes wouldn't focus anymore and started to cross. lol Am about halfway in, and finding it, well, unputdownable.

So now I've got two going: that one and Rejection Romance & Royalties, the Wacky World of a Working Writer (no touchstone) by Laura Resnick, which is a slim volume that I can stash in my bag when I go out.

I've finished A Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle. I think I'll read The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories by Connie Willis next.

I've been working on I, Elizabeth by Rosalind Miles for over a week. I'm learning a lot about that era of history, but am ready to be done. At least the Spanish Armada is advancing on merry old England, so the pace of things is picking up a bit. Next will be Lying Awake by Mark Salzman for book club, which I'm told is a quick, but lovely, read.

I am trying to end a seriously long reading hiatus brought on by moving house. I've been mostly settled in for a few weeks now, but all my old routines are broken and I just haven't felt quite in the mood for sitting down and reading. This week I did re-read The garden of Eden, one of my favorites--I had been worried it wouldn't be as good as I remembered, but it was better. Also, I finished The sister, which was lingering half-read for like three weeks.

So now I'm trying to build up some momentum by finishing some other half-read books. This afternoon I'm going to sit down with The big sleep and hopefully finish it up and move on to the next victim, as yet undetermined.

Re-reads.
About 150 pages into the Penguin Classics Great Expectations. Just started Richard Tarnas' Passion of the Western Mind. One of my favorite non-fiction reads.

I'm halfway through Tobias Wolff's new book Our Story Begins: New and Selected Stories and so far I haven't found a single clunker in the bunch. The first 21 stories are Wolff's highlight reel from 3 prior collections, while the last 10 are all brand new, and I find Wolff's brand of plain-spoken storytelling as mesmerizing as it is addictive.

I started TV Classics: Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Anne Billson as a side read this morning, but it seems to have become my main book. I'm enjoying it very much. It's been more than a year since I read any criticism; looks like it's about time to jump back in.

#35 When you finish Kundera's book, you must watch the excellent film with Daniel Day-Lewis and Juliette Binoche.

#40 Is there any connection to Marvell's poem, "To His Coy Mistress," from which the title is taken?

"The world's a fine and private place,
But none, I think, do there embrace."

I finally (finally!) finished The Name of the Rose last night in a fit of stubborn determination. This afternoon I picked up The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles to give my brain a break and polished it off in an hour and a half - I loved it, and am sad that no one ever pointed me to it as a child.

Will probably start Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs by Ken Jennings this evening or tomorrow.

I just finished Erin Harts books

Haunted Ground and Lake of Sorrows

and picked up George Stephanopoulos All Too Human
Which I found at a second hand shop...

For the first time in quite a while, I have several books going at once. I just began rereading To Kill a Mockingbird because it has been at least twenty years and I have to teach it starting Monday. (Talk about procrastination.) For night time reading when I'm really sleepy, I'm working my way through Cheating at Canasta. I have already ordered The Story of Lucy Gault because I love Wiliam Trevor's style. I also began My Name is Red this past week and this shows a lot of promise. Yesterday I awoke with a horrible headache, though, and I knew I couldn't focus on it. So I picked up Classics for Pleasure by Michael Dirda. Now I have several more I want to read from this book. It never ends!

emaestra--Please report back on Cheating at Canasta. I have it out from the library but am not sure when I'll get to it. I'm about halfway through Ellington Boulevard by Adam Langer, a book about inter-connected New Yorkers and have been enjoying it so far. I've also a couple of chapters into The Soul Thief by Charles Baxter and The Proust and the Squid, a book about the science of reading.

I am really enjoying Cheating at Canasta. This is my first experience with William Trevor, and with Irish lit in general. It somehow seems melancholy and positive at the same time. I know that doesn't really make sense, but it is my impression so far.

Like fyrefly (#48), I've been struggling with Umberto Eco, and today I (finally!) finished Foucault's Pendulum.

Time for some lighter reading; I'm starting Dune (and can't believe that I've never read it before now...)

edited to close a tag

>53 philosojerk: philosojerk - Congratulations! I feel like we should form a survivor's club - and that our first order of business should be a stiff drink and some fluffy reading all around. :)

>54 fyrefly98: I'm one step ahead of you - I've already concocted a fabulous Saturday afternoon bloody mary! ;)

>55 philosojerk: Drat, beat me to it! I'll have to break out one of the recipes from Slurp - this seems like as good of an excuse as any.

Excuse me while I go see what ingredients I've got on the bar...

#48, #53 -- I struggled a bit recently with The Name of the Rose. I thought the pay-off wasn't worth some of the drudgery with that novel.

#50 -- I LOVED The Story of Lucy Gault. so haunting -- it is the only thing I have read of Trevor's so far, but his writing is amazing.

I have started the very thick, but very engrossing The Sunne in Splendor. There is nothing quite like the sordid and dramatic English monarchy for a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Today I start The Lost Dog by Michelle De Kretser and on audio I think it will be Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons.

#47, Cariola, I believe the quote is "The grave's a fine and private place," not "the world." One of my favorite poems.

#58, judylou, Cold Comfort Farm is wonderful! I hope you love it as much as I do.

Finished The Golem's Eye today and have moved on to Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. From fantasy to depressing reality! I find I'm struggling to be really interested in Into the Wild and i'm halfway through, I guess because it seems the boy's story is over and the author is wandering off through other random people's stories that relate to his (vaguely) through their own disappearances or deaths. I'm a little dissapointed, I heard this book was amazing and I'm not really floored by it. Yes the story is sad, but the writing isn't astounding.

hmmm.. too high of expectations?

Hmmmm... bloody marys...

#50 -- I also choose the last book of the day based on the level of my eyelids... some books just seem to fit better with a few pages, then a snore, while others deserve more attention...

#60 -- it ends ok, but I also remember feeling a lull as Krakauer wandered off and talked about himself a lot...

I'm about a third of the way through Eldest right now, and plan to read The Kite Runner (touchStones?) next, then Wicked after that. I don't know after Wicked... maybe Gathering Blue or Duma Key... I could choose my books based on number of people with the books on their wishlists...

>61 TeacherDad: ... Yea i feel like the fact that story is sad or touching doesn't necessarily make it a good book (as it seems sometimes to be the only reason someone tells you its a 'good' book, because its true/sad) I read authors like Tim O'brien who I think can tell a true sad story with a lot more eloquence than this guy. I just don't feel any emotional connection to what Krakauer is talking about. I hate that, I feel like wow.. what if another author had written this story? It could have been great. We could have been traveling across the country, living on nothing, getting lost, climbing mountains and meeting these characters WITH this guy instead of observing it from this completely objective sort of boring after the fact view that he presents us with. bah!

maybe I just expect too much out of my books :)

47 & 59: Yes, it's the grave, not the world, and the title of the book quite definitely is taken from the poem. I love that poem.

Finished Stardust, which I enjoyed, and have just started Good Omens.

#34 jlcardwell & #37 fyrefly98 I read the zookeeper and really enjoyed it. I met the author at the National Book Festival in Washington DC this past year, when the book first came out. Books like this make me wonder, if we still have it in us to take such risk to save other people. Sometimes I think we may be getting a little lazy and comfortable with our lives - just a thought.

Reading right now Reaching for the Invisible God by Philip Yancey and Three cups of Tea both have been really good so far. Finished Soul Survivor by Philip Yancey and found it very enlightening.

Just finished All Too Human and am on to The Sisters Mortland for today.
Human was not what I expected it to be, but it was an okay read.
It did give me some insight into political campaigning, and that was interesting...
I read Name of the Rose years ago and enjoyed it.. might have to hunt down a copy of Foucault's Pendulum...

I am just starting Northanger Abbey, the only Austen book I have yet to read. I need something literary after reading so many romance novels lately.

#53 philosojerk - I can so relate, that book was such a slog for me, but I'm proud I actually finished it and didn't give up on it. But, I think I actually threw it at the wall once I was done with it! Can I join that survivor club? I like the drink idea! ;)

#57 jhowell - enjoy Sunne in Splendor, it's my favorite of Penman's books! It made me such a convert to Richard III, the whole book is engrossing, love those Plantagenets!

To paraphrase fyrefly98 in #48, I finally (finally!) finished Snow Crash this morning in a fit of stubborn determination.

On to The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon.

The Slave Ship: A Human History by Marcus Rediker

I am currently getting caught up on the C.J. Box series and am working on Free Fire. So far so good, but what else can you expect from Box besides an excellent novel?

Just finished Shadow of the Silk Road by Colin Thubron and have started Milorad Pavic's The Inner Side of the Wind or the Novel of Hero and Leander.

I started Bangkok 8 by John Burdett last night. I'm not far enough in to say for sure, but it seems interesting so far.

Yesterday I finished One For The Money by Janet Evanovich . I loved it , so I'm gonna seek out the rest of the series . Today I'll be starting The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson .

I'll still be reading Life Before Man, Son of a Witch, and Song of Solomon...because I procrastinated this week...BIG time...haha
Once I finish those I'll be reading Fasting Girls and Anatomy of Anorexia

I finished People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks and started The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard. I really enjoyed People of the Book, it is one of my top books for the year so far!

I finished Sense and Sensibility which I loved and started Augustus almost immediately. I'm still on the background portions, but they are engagingly written enough that I'm excited to get further in the story.

>69 ktleyed: Absolutely! *Tosses ktleyed a bloody mary* Cheers!

I just finished Childhood's End which I ended up quite enjoying, although the ending was a bit too drawn out for my taste. I expect Clarke had too, the book was slim enough as it was.

Next up will probably be Neither here nor there by Bill Bryson. Haven't read anything by him yet, but heard a lot of great things here on LT and from a colleague at work, so I'm looking forward to reading some of his work.

Am reading Atonement - not because I want to, but a friend lent it to me last week and I always feel obligated to read borrowed books as quickly as I can. I have been avoiding this book as I usually do with current 'in' books. For some reason I have an aversion to books with a lot of buzz - at least until a few years after it's all died down. Anyway, I'm more than halfway done with it and though I like it, I find myself angry while reading it - probably what comes of seeing the movie beforehand.
The book's better, I think.

Racing to the finish of Duma Key by Stephen King.

Just starting The Art Thief by Noah Charney.

Reading Two Old Women by Velma Wallis for a Native American History class.

Still have The Race by Richard North Patterson going in the car.

I'm currently reading A Song for Summer by Eva Ibbotson which I am slowly falling in love with. Her characterizations are just wonderful. I just finished her A Countess Below Stairs which was also wonderful.

I'm also working on Stalking Darkness by Lynn Flewelling which is just plain fun.

I just started Mr. Skeffington by Elizabeth von Arnim for the Girlybooks April group theme (Beauty). I've also just begun the audiobook of Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky.

#81 I read Atonement before seeing the movie, and I was angry through most of it, too. I love McEwan, but this one is not a favorite with me. I think I will give it another try in a year or two.

About 3/4's of the way through The Tidewater Tales by John Barth which is a wonderful read. Then sometime this week I start on Earlybird review of Fresh by Mark McNay

Went on a bit of a reading binge this weekend, after turning in a project. First read George Orwell's Animal Farm (loved it in middle school, love it now), then Flatland by Edwin Abbott, then The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe. I've just started Stella Gibbons' Cold Comfort Farm (which seemed like a fitting read to counteract the Abe--perhaps I wasn't in the mood for existential literature this weekend :).

I spent the day reading short stories from:

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (yum!)

The Portable Dorothy Parker

The Sun magazine

Ha Jin from Best American Short Stories 1999.

Now, back to the conclusion of Never Let Me Go.

> 87: Teelgee - Lahiri's Unaccustomed Earth is released on Tuesday. I loved it and urge you to pick it up.

>44 LouisBranning:: Louis - my friend is sending me a copy of the new Tobias Wolff. Hope it arrives this week - I will start it right away on your rec.

Right now I am reading The Story of Forgetting by Stefan Merrill Block. Looks like a lot of folks read it as an early reviewer book. It is very insightful for me, because suprisingly, I don't have any family members with Alzheimer's disease.

Touchstones really aren't working!

I have about 150 pages left of Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult. This book really sucks you in, but I think I figured out the Picoult-trademark twist. I will be curious to know if I guessed this one.

No touchstones, drats.

This week I started The Medici by G. F. Young. This is a very in-depth history of the famous Medici family, going generation by generation and also discussing the politics, art and science of the day taking place in Renaissance Florence over the years the book covers. I bought this book because a) I enjoy reading histories about all ages and locales and b) it's a beautiful Modern Library edition from 1930. But, I must admit, really more "b" than "a". But sometimes books seem to sit there on your shelf and taunt you. As in:

"Ha! Mister Likes to Read Histories! Like I don't know that you bought me because I look good on your shelf! Because you like my cool Modern Library dust jacket! But you will never take me down and read me. Never! 756 pages on the art, history and politics of the Italian Renaissance? Ha! Fat chance!"

Well, really, you can't let these books have the last laugh all the time, can you? So I pulled the book down off the shelf just to shut it up, and lo and behold, 140 pages or so into it, I'm enjoying it quite well! Which is a relief, I can tell you.

I am reading The blind assassin. I am not sure if I am enjoying this multiple story structure - as I am really enjoying one of the stories and find myself being annoyed when she goes into the other story. I am about half way in - so we shall see how the ending goes :)

#90 rocketjk: I am just finishing a book in which the Medici's make a very passing, back-story sort of appearance (I, Elizabeth). But, it has been enough to entice me. Just today, I was thinking to myself: "Self, you should find a book about the Medici's." But where to start? And then, lo and behold, your current read appears before my innocently inquiring little eyes.

I am glad you told that book who is the boss of you.

Having just finished Alexander McCall Smith's The Kalahari Typing School for Men I am moving on to the next book in the series - The Full Cupboard of Life.

Also still reading Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams.

For my leisure reading, I have 4 books lined up
Ostatnie Życzenie by Andrzej Sapkowski, Oadenol's Codex for Exalted Second Edition, A Shadow over Heaven's Eye by Tim Waggoner and A Hunger like Fire by Greg Stolze

but I also have 10 books for my degree that need to be read so the standard reading goes extremely slowly...

After my short story-palooza today, I finished Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (excellent) and started What's for Dinner? by James Schuyler, which looks like an offbeat fun read.

#90 rocketjk: I had no idea that there were other people as well as myself whose books sit there on the shelf and sneer at you for your weakness for beautiful books! Although I can't say that my Library of America books exactly sneer--too well-bound for that--but there's definitely this auraof superiority coming off of the ones I haven't read yet. I sort of scuttle past that particular bookcase, trying not to be noticed...

But it's comforting to know I'm not alone in the world. :-)

I agree with alaskabookworm--The Medici sounds good!

I just finished Good Omens, which was quite good, and am now re-reading one of my favourite books, Emma.

I am about 1/4 through The War of the End of The World. Fascinating so far.

So many reading so many wonderful books!

I finished Love in the Kingdom of Oil, a strange, dreamlike novel that I'm still not sure whether I enjoyed or not.

Thought I take a brief excursion into something lighter before I start another theme read. Thus, I picked up a YA novel set in Niger (I'm not a regular YA reader but every now and again something catches my eye). The Shadow Speaker by Nnedi Okorafor-mbachu is set in Niger in the year 2070. I've only read the first 50 pages or so, but I'm enjoying it. It's well-written and has a great sense of place...

I am currently reading The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. I just had to see what all the talk was about. I am enjoying it thoroughly. I am 63 years old and this is my first sci/fi novel ever. I was skeptical at first, but I am enjoying every chapter. I read some reviews and found some that were very critical of this work. I believe they take this book far too seriously and would have accussed Alice of having an unhealthy attachment to the rabbit and of having a drug problem because of the potients she took. I look at this a pure "what if" and found it most interesting (how would you know what to eat, drink, to take with you). Anyway, thanks for the great recommendation. Look forward to more

The Sparrow is quite an exceptional book, but its sequel Children of God wasn't nearly as good, a real disappointment.

I finished The Bone People and had a little time before bedtime last night to start The Gathering. I know this book isn't "enjoyable" in the traditional sense, but I have been looking forward to reading it.

I'm still working on War and Peace and will finish Bob Dylan: The Essential Interviews in the next few days.

I finished P.S., I Love You last night.

Finished the Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko this morning; hoping to start Dream of fair to middling women by beckett tonight.
i'm also still reading Eats, shoots and leaves--i'm taking my time though:rereading each chapter a few times. should be done with it soon--fingers crossed

>104 STOCeallaigh: - so glad you didn't write "finger's crossed!"

#88 Alphaorder--I just purchased (online) Unaccustomed Earth as I am going to see Lahiri speak and a book signing the end of April. Can't wait to read it now.

Still reading the non-fic Who Are You People?, I started the romance Words of Silk the other day but am really engrossed in the fantasy I started last night, Luck in the Shadows, which I'm hoping to finish tonight.

#92 & #96: alaskabookworm and Joycepa,

Thanks for the confirmation! Good to know I'm not alone in being occasionally bookpecked. The Medici is going to take me a little time to read, but I think it will be rewarding in the end.

I am still listening to Duma Key and should have it finished tomorrow. I started Jane Eyre last night. I am also reading a chapter a day of Battlecry of Freedom.

I just finished The Zookeeper's Wife (>37 fyrefly98:, fyrefly98 - I put a review up on LT and a full review on my blog) and am now starting The Handmaid's Tale, based on LT recommendations

I just finished A Pair of Blue Eyes by Hardy and now I'm reading Oryx and Crake by Atwood.

The Commoner -- John Burnham Schwartz
Anabasis -- Xenophon
American Creation -- Joseph Ellis
The Early Greeks -- Hopper
selections from Plutarch's Lives

Finished The Observations by Jane Harris, which I loved, and am now more than halfway through The Venus Fix by M.J. Rose, the third in the Morgan Snow novels...

I just finished Eldest, second book in the Inheritance cycle by Chris Paolini. I'm dying now. Brisingr, the third book, doesn't come out until October. I read Eragon and Eldest back to back, so there'll be a bit of a continuity issue come October. But, oh well! What can I do... anyone get an ARC of Brinsingr???

Now, after several days of fantasy and epic adventure, time spent with dragons, elves, dwarves, and evil monsters, I think it's time to get a reality check. My next book is The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. (Why aren't there any touchstones for the book or author?)

Currently I'm reading An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina for my english class, but Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen on my own. I'm not very far into either yet, but I love them both so far.

I'm rebuilding my reading momentum. Since my last post I have finished Sway by Zachary Lazar and The problems of philosophy by Bertrand Russell. Sway was pretty good but not completely "me"--on the other hand, my best friend is really into both the Stones and serial killings, and I'm going to be shipping this off to her as soon as I can make it to the post office. She will love it.

Now I am a bit into Landscape painted with tea which I'm having a really hard time with--the print is soooooo small in the Vintage edition, even with my reading glasses (which I don't normally need) I am having trouble. This feels like more of a weekend book than an after-work book. I was hoping to make a lot more progress on it tonight but I hate when books feel so physically exhausting.

On the agenda for the coming week: Bangkok 8, Dark Star Safari, Kabul Beauty School, The Chase, Shakespeare: The World as Stage, Soldiers of the Night, Castle Nowhere, Three Victorian Travellers, The Queen of Attolia, Deathstalker, Perdido Street Station, Cry, the Beloved Country, A Game of Thrones, and Black Swan Green. And yes, they are all library books.

Finished today: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. On to something else.. must pick from my TBD shelf. I'm leaning towards the private lives of the impressionists or The yiddish policeman's union

I'm starting The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin, British mystery writer in the 40s and 50s.

Continuing with Kavalier & Clay.

>106 momom248:: momom248

I have met a lot of authors in my lifetime, since I set up events for an independent bookstore, but not Jhumpa Lahiri. She is on my list of those I hope to hear read sometime. I am sure you will have a wonderful evening and I would love to hear about it.

Can't tell you all how much I am into The Story of Forgetting by Stefan Merrill Block, which is also onsale today, for those of you who have not read it as an ER. (again, no touchstones).

Got my Tobais Wolff short stories yesterday and taking a trip to see my mother-in law in Iowa this weekend - a good time to dig into that!

Hi alphaorder, I've only got 2 stories left in Wolff's book, both new ones, but have preferred the older 'Selected' ones from his earlier collections. Overall I've really enjoyed it though, and find it easy to recommend to anyone.

>118 dancingstarfish: starfish - I also just finished Never Let Me Go - I thought it was brilliant; what did you think of it?

>120 alphaorder: alphaorder - glad you liked The Story of Forgetting, wasn't it great to read such a stunning new author? Can't wait for his next one!!

Just started The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak.

Put aside The Handmaid's Tale (only one chapter in anyway) for the time being for my Early Reviewer book Franklin and Lucy. I got through 40 pages at lunch and so far, so good.

Just finished Foreskins Lament by Shalom Auslander, funny and sort of sad to think these events are true. Just started Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie R King. A mystery I am so far really enjoying.

I also just finished Atonement, was really looking forward to it, as I wanted to read it for so long, then the hype and movie (which I haven't seen yet) and well, was kind of let down. It was not what I expect and, I didn't see the "atonement" in Briony, yah she was saddened by what she did, but... well that's another thread.

Kavalier and Clay is another I am half way through, but I've been there for a few years, I think I just got bored.
#1 Greyhead - With regards to God Delusion, I didn't finish it for just that reason. It was good at the beginning, then I felt it sort just said the same thing over and over, which I know is the point but I tired of it.

I am a big fan of Laurie R. King. I try to keep up on the entire series. Enjoy!

I'm reading East, and I'm actually enjoying it. I don't know why I put it down the first time I tried to read it. It is a lengthening of the Scandinavian Fairy Tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon. I really like it, but there is a lot of down time in the book.

Finished Breath, Eyes, Memory for the March Reading Globally Group Read, and started Infidel for the April Reading Globally Group Read. Also reading March, which I had hoped to finish in March, but alas March will be finished in April.

Edited because the Touchstones are wonky.

I've nearly finished my ER book, Pandora in the Congo, which is a serious page turner! I'm enjoying it, although it wasn't quite what I expected!

Then I'm thinking of starting Persepolis, which I picked up at a fantastic indy bookshop yesterday on my way back from a job interview... I fear I'm in danger if I do get the job!

#119:

I have The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin in my unread pile. Sounds good but it was Crispin's description of himself in the intro. pages that sold me on the book.

Einstein by Walter Isaacson and the Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama

#125: I am a big Laurie R. King fan as well. Beekeeper's Apprentice and Justice Hall are the best books in the series, IMHO, but they are all good books and enjoyable reads. Hope you like them!

#125: as I said in another thread, my favorite is O Jerusalem, but they're all good, every one.

Finished The Venus Fix by M.J. Rose and have started Map of Bones by James Rollins

I just finished Northanger Abbey and loved it! I only wish I had read it earlier, what a delightful read! Catherine Morland is adorable and Tilney is irresistible! He's now one of my favorite Austen gentlemen!

#119 and 130 ~ Edmund Crispin's mysteries are wonderful, and The Moving Toyshop is the best (I thought). I still have my paperback copies that I bought back in the 70s and need to reread them.

Anyway, both of you, enjoy!

>122 teelgee: teelgee... I loved it! It wasn't at all what i thought it would be, but i really enjoyed it. I bought An Artist of the Floating world and The Remains of the day today at borders as a result. yay

I am currently reading Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. It is really very interesting and i still have about 200 pages to go. It is really good because you are reading a book about a book.

Currently up to my neck in Gravity's Rainbow, now that i finished part-1 "Beyond the Zero" I have to take a short brake with Running Wild by J.G. Ballard .

I am midway through My Friend Leonard by James Frey, and have just picked up Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides for my book club!

Just started reading Sorcery and Cecilia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer.

#137 dancingstarfish: I think the two Ishiguro books you just bought are, IMO, his strongest. Two others that are very good--not quite up to Artist of The Floating World and Remains of the Day but still well worth reading--are A Pale View of Hills and When We Were Orphans. He is a powerful writer.

Finished The Shadow Speaker, a terrific YA novel set in future Africa. I had needed a bit of a break between some heavier reading and this novel did the trick.

Will be reading A New England Tale by Catharine Maria Sedgwick, published originally in 1822 as part of some research. A new Joyce Carol Oates and Karen Joy Fowler is about to drop in my lap, as recently did an Elizabeth Strout collection, and three books from the UK (including the 3rd Indridason mystery and Gail Jones's Sorry). Unfortunately, my pleasure reading is currently limited to late nights and weekends. . . (well, 3 out of 7 touchstones...)

#135 ktleyed - I really liked Northanger Abbey too. Now you have to go read Mysteries of Udolpho!

I am still reading The Sunne in Splendor which I am loving as expected. This novel is ripe for the picking for some sort of HBO or BBC series -- it would be such a blockbuster considering all the Tudor-mania going on right now. I can't believe no one has thought of it yet! You could get at least two seasons of ~ 10 episodes with all the battles, betrayals, romances.

I am engrossed in The War at the End of the World. It reminds me of reading One Hundred Years of Solitude. It is a wonderful piece of historical fiction, a classic battle between good/evil, monarchy/republic, wealthy landowners/the dispossessed outcasts. I am also enjoying working through The Collected Poems of Octavio Paz and just started a new audiobook, Going Postal by Terry Pratchett, the first of his that I have read/listened to.

I finished The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. I enjoyed it, but certainly had to have a dictionary close at hand in some parts. I plan to start The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wund which was recommended by an LT member

I finished Brainiac by Ken Jennings (verdict: interesting, but not quite as good as Prisoner in Trebekistan by Bob Harris) and A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb (verdict: I can't put my finger on exactly what's wrong with it, but it just seemed kind of trite and didn't ever capture my interest).

I'm currently absorbed in Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon and the audiobook of The Meaning of Night: A Confession by Michael Cox.

Some light and fun reading this week. I picked up Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay and am thoroughly enjoying it.

I read the first two Dexters, Darkly Dreaming Dexter and Dearly Devoted Dexter, and just adored them.

Because I've been studying a lot about serial killers the past year for my own writing, I find the Dexter books a bit like fantasy, like reading about the characterization of a dragon, rather than a deep delve into a serial killer's psyche. Several other serial killer novels I've read, however, like American Psycho, make the SK seem more autistic than like a psychopath.

The Dexter novels are fun, however, and I like them. The TV series, while good, could not capture the sharp playfulness of the prose, as that is the liability of TV and film.

TK Kenyon

I am now reading Sputnik sweetheart after finishing The blind assassin. I enjoyed the blind assassin and found the ending to be very touching.

#148 Next time I go into the city centre I'll be picking up my copies of the Dexter books I hope.

Finished The Throwback and am well on the way to finishing Pandora in the Congo. So I think Malarkey by Keith Gray is next up.

I'm reading Sydney Ladensohn Stern's Gloria Steinem: Her Passions, Politics, and Mystique (a hard to find but interesting biography); Hard Travel to Sacred Places (loving it!); and I haven't given up yet on Gertrude Stein's Fernhurst, Q.E.D and Other Early Writings.

I just started reading Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, and so far (which isn't very far at all!) it seems like a good read.

I just started Amsterdam by Ian McEwan on my last break. If it keeps up, I can see myself rushing out and buying everything McEwan has ever written.

Just wrapping up Allan Quatermain by H. Rider Haggard. When that finishes, it'll be Small Favor by Jim Butcher.

Finished March by Geraldine Brooks so I'll start The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett today.

Hmm, author Touchstones aren't working.

#154 I love McEwan's later work--Enduring Love and anything after. Some of his earlier work is a bit too creepy for my taste (incest, sadomasochism, etc.). On Chesil Beach was one of my top reads for 2007, and I also loved Saturday. I'm a bit less enthusiastic about Atonement.

I finished Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult a few days ago - still need to write my review. As usual, I don't know what to say (Picoult has that effect on me).

In the meantime, I have started The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway.

I finished Galileo's Daughter, like I told myself I would, and I also sped through Millicent Min, Girl Genius. I really liked both of them. :D Small pitstop at Dr. Slump #1, and now I'm reading Rebel Bookseller-- pretty much finished it, actually. When I'm done I think I might start on either a few more manga or a collection of short Ellery Queen stories I picked up from a library book sale a few months ago.

Can you tell I'm trying to keep my mind off of looming term papers and exams? :(

I sped through Amsterdam, which I really enjoyed. I'm not 100% sure on what I want to start next. I've got a huge Guy Gavriel Kay craving, but I'm leaving for a trip on Sunday and I'm not sure I'll have the time to finish anything of his before I go. I might be better off just saving it for the plane. It's starting to look like I'll end up with A Canticle For Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.. It's one of my 888 books, and it's short enough that I should be able to polish it off in time to start some Kay on Sunday.

I finished Dune a couple of hours ago, and since my ER book isn't here yet, I went right ahead and started Dune Messiah.

Just finished The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios byYann Martel.

I've never read anything by Colin Harrison before, nor do I read many 'thrillers' per se, but yesterday I finished Harrison's new novel The Finder and wow, it's nothing but pure excitement from beginning to end, and an instant addition to my Favorite Novels of the year list too. Using the neighborhoods, boroughs, and 'burbs of New York City as a backdrop, Harrison's story grabs you at once and won't let go, moving at warp speed all the way, and yes, some it's a bit over-the-top, but Harrison's such a smart writer, and it's all such great fun, that the minor details hardly matter.

(Though I claim I don't read thrillers very often, which is quite true, I must admit I'm hopelessly addicted to Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels, inhaling every one as soon as it appears, and can't wait for his latest, Nothing to Lose, to land in June.)

#159, xicanti: Wow, I haven't thought about A Canticle for Lebowitz for decades! I loved that book.

#162: I don't read thrillers often, but I have read every one of Lee Child's books, and most of Jeffery Deaver's. Glad it's not just me!

Currently reading Galatea 2.2 by Richard Powers and King Lear.

I don't have much to do at work today, so I'll be going back and forth between my ER book, Franklin and Lucy, Good News About Injustice for our adult Sunday School discussion Sunday, and Stealing Buddha's Dinner that I picked up last night at Half Price Books.

Medellia12, I've read all of Powers' books and Galatea 2.2 is one of my favorites of his earlier work.

I finished What's for Dinner last night and started Remains of the Day. And on page 741 (of 1224) in War and Peace.

I am listening to The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith on audiobook and continue to keep one foot firmly planted in Bahia, Brazil as I continue with The War of The End of The World by Mario Vargas Llosa.

Just started The House on the Strand by Daphne Du Maurier, one of my favourite authors.

I'm just starting Shadows on the Aegean by Suzanne Frank which is the 2nd in the time-travel series about two lovers who meet and are separated, first in ancient Egypt, and next in Atlantis. I loved the first book, Reflections in the Nile and am eager to read this one now.

#169 lisacharlotte18 - I recently read The House on the Strand, it wasn't bad, interesting how she wrote it all where she lived. The house she lived in is the house in the book where he's living. It took me a little while to get into the book and understand what was happening in the past sequences, but I understood it soon enough and liked it. Interesting take on time-travel, of which I read a lot.

I finished Dune Messiah this morning. I devoted the afternoon to some non-fiction fun, and now since me ER book still didn't arrive, I get to start Children of Dune :D

I'm reading Aphelion by Emily Ballou and listening to Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons.

I just completed The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd. It seemed a little slow at first, but quickly picked up momentum and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will add to my favorite quotations: You must think I am in low spirits.... I am not;it is just as though my life was becalmed, sails flapping and I can only wait to see if there will be a wind tomorrow.
I will now read The Spiderwick Chronicles The Field Guide by Holly Black as it is my habbit to pre-read all material given to my 9 year old grand daughter. The I plan on beginning The Long Firm by Jake Arnott.

Next day--- I dearly loved The Spiderwick Chronicles The field guide. I have one thing to say about The Long Firm Yuck!!. Had no desire to read past the second chapter.

Finished both of the other two Nightrunner books by Lynn Flewelling over the last couple days which were very, very good. So nice to find interesting fantasy that I can get lost in.

Hi fellow readers
Well I'm still reading the same book. It's Fort Apache The Bronx by Heywood Gould based on his screenplay for the movie and Science fiction of the 2oth century by Frank M Robinson.

I am halfway through "The Final Solution" by Michael Chabon and I am thoroughly enjoying it. It is a story of a small boy, his parrot plus a retired detective and the investigation of a murder. This is the first book I have read by Chabon and I like his style of writing. The characters are intriguing expecially the boy and his history and I would recommend it. My interest was held from the first page.