April Reads 2009

Tried to think of a clever title, but I'm all thunk out.

I finished The Exile by Pearl S. Buck, a biography about her mother. A very bittersweet story which had me crying and at several points, so angry I had to put it down and take a break. But not for long, because it was too good. Anyway, now I'm reading The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell, and though I'm just a bit into it, I'm liking it very well. Had to go brush up on my early history of Briton to get mentally adjusted. Also one of my inherited books, The Rampaging Frontier by Thomas D. Clark. Jury is still out on that one, has great potential for interesting anecdotes, but in the first two chapters the author is putting too much of himself and his hero worship of frontiersmen into it.

I finished Mistborn last night and now I'm on to The Well of Ascension.

I finished A Test of Wills last night and I am now enjoying Bill Bryson's Shakespeare: the World as Stage.

(blasted touchstones)

Did I mention I am re-reading The Hobbit. Must be done, every so often, don't you think? BTW, I have it in a hard cover library book and it is reminding me of reading when I was a kid and could completely lose myself in a book. Well, truth be told, I still can do that on occasion, given a good book. Lovely!

I'm reading Predictably Irrational and it is very good...we're just not as logical as some of us would choose to believe.

MrsLee - I loved The Winter King, the rest of the series is very good, enjoy.

I'm still reading Standard of Honor and Time and Chance, I have gotten a bit lost while reading one book featuring Richard the Lionheart and reading a second book that is about his parents.

Reading a YA from Betty Cavanna called Runaway Voyage. I grew up on Betty Cavanna - does that date me, or what? - but I'd never read this one. It is definitely different from her run-of-the-mill high school romances. This one is about the "Mercer Girls": A true-life group of girls imported to the Seattle area as wives for the settlers (loggers, gold-seekers, etc.). I'm enjoying it, as I recognize names of some of the characters from history.

I'm reading the urban fantasy/paranormal romance Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs. For some reason it doesn't seem to be holding my attention as well as the other books I've read by her. I suppose it could just be my mood.

I started Whiskey and Water by Elizabeth Bear yesterday. I'm trying really, really hard to like it. I've loved all the non-Promethean books I've read thus far, and I think she's crafted a fascinating world here, but it's still not doing a whole lot for me. Sigh. I think I may prefer her smaller, more intimate books; this one has a cast of thousands, as opposed to the 2-3 main characters in all the books I loved. Maybe it'll pick up, though. I'm barely a quarter of the way through it, and I do like the epic sweep she's got going on here.

The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian. Never read any Conan stuff before. It's good. Very good.

#3 clamairy - I loved Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bryson. You'll have to tell me what you think about it.

I started The Pillars of the Earth two days ago for my MAY bookclub meeting.

I started Those Who Hunt the Night by Barbara Hambly for a vampire fix. It's actually quite good so far. 1907 London, vampires are being killed, human coerced into solving the crimes.....

Karenmarie

I really enjoyed The Pillars of the Earth and World without End but that may be because I am an engineer and enjoy build things.

I've finished Daughter of the Blood and started on Heir to the Shadows. I'm liking them, but I think they're also twisting my brain. There are some concepts that don't easily bear thinking about, even for someone as difficult to shock as me.

Hi BOSK: I love the architectural details so far. I've had to go to the dictionary some.

Interestingly, in the vampire book I'm reading I also had to go the dictionary for architectural terms - cupola and ogee.

I guess it's my month for learning more about architecture and buildings!

#11 - It's wonderful so far, karenmarie. I must admit that I am an avid (almost rabid) Bryson fan. :o)

I just finished reading Light On Snow. It was really good. I also finished Pretties tonight. I'm really curious how that series will end.

My current audio book is Mister Pip. I'm liking it a lot so far. It is for a book discussion group I'm joining.

The Pillars of the Earth is on my list to read soon. So many people have recommended it to me (probably because I'm an architect). #14 - If you have any questions about terminology feel free to ask me. :)

#17 - I enjoyed Pillars when I read it last Spring. I don't think Follett is a great writer but he is a great 'story-teller' and that more than makes up for the lack of writing skill in this case. I have World Without End staring at me from my downstairs TBR stack.

Here's what I'm working on now:

-The Adventures of Augie March (National Book Award list)
-The Origin of Species (banned books list)
-The Confessions of St. Augustine and The Imitation of Christ (library book)
-His Dark Materials (read-aloud-with-husband book)
-The Divine Comedy (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-Little Women (NEH Timeless Classics list)
-The Story of Mankind (Newbery Award list)
-His Excellency: George Washington (Presidential Challenge)

18 - I am glad I am not the only one with judgemental unread books. Cheeky little things, aren't they. :)

Right now I am in the middle (almost) of Don Quixote and a book of Emerson's diaries, letters, speeches, and essays. I am also trying to work my way into The City in History. And finishing up Waiting for Coyote's Call. And I always keep a sci-fi/fantasy around for a little escape - currently The Judging Eye. I read by mood so I tend to keep a lot around but take a long time to work through them.

Jane, last month I head The Alchemy of Stone staring at me. It was staring, I tell you! Eyes and all! For all that it's a book.

Currently I'm still slowly nibbling away at my copy of Tristan and Isolde (which I can't find the touchstone of) and I'm also a third or so through Ink and Steel. I'm enjoying it, just not as much as I'd hoped.

Beyond that, I'm also working my way through The Coyote Road, a collection of Trickster stories. I'm using them for my Short Story Weekend part of the Once upon a Time III challenge and spreading the book over a month or I'd have finished it already. Two more weekends to go, so I'm about halfway through.

I've just started Orsinian Tales by Ursula Le Guin. I've only read her Earthsea books, but I especially liked her Tales from Earthsea short stories. I'm hoping these are just as good, I'm not usually a fan of shorts.

I'm about halfway through Backup, a very short novellette by Jim Butcher based in the Harry Dresden universe. Since I've only read the first three or four Dresden books, and that was over a year ago, I'm a little lost, but I do like the writing style. I picked it up on a whim off of the library "new release" shelf.

18 & 20 - My TBR bookshelves are right by my reading chair and I'm thinking of putting a blanket over them. Every time I glance over there they all start calling out to me, "Read me! Read me!" and yesterday one of them jumped into my hands, even though it really wasn't its turn to be read and the book whose turn it was just sat there pouting at me. It's tearing me apart, I tell you.

I know what you mean, MrsLee. Here I am in someone else's house (housesitting) and I have a growing TBR pile, some are library books, some I bought at the used book store, and some are on my Kindle. They are all yelling at me - ME! ME! NO, NOT HIM, ME!

Imagine my dilemma. I'm going shelf by shelf and book by book through my whole house entering CK. I keep running across books that say, "Remember me? You love me! You never finished me! I was your childhood favorite! Read me again!" I'm being deafened.

Well, I've found one book which doesn't need finishing. Theodore Roosevelt: A Typical American by Charles E. Banks. I'll show you why, here's the first sentence:

"Restless as the sea his forefathers sailed to reach the new world; active as the soil that answered to the tickling of their hoes with bursts of golden laughter; fearless as the native chiefs who fought European encroachment on their domains with a savage valor worthy of the ancient Greeks; patient as the mothers who reared children in a wilderness where danger and death lurked on every hand, and with a soul as broadly sympathetic as the missionaries who led the way for the pioneer into the new world, Theodore Roosevelt, the twenty-sixth President of the United States, stands to-day the embodiment of Americanism."

I ask you, "soil that answered to the tickling of their hoes with bursts of golden laughter?"

It doesn't get any better either, though a bit less flowery. I think the author was vying for a position in the cabinet or something. The forward by General Joseph Wheeler was good reading, I wish he had written the whole book.

So, I put that one aside, forever, and I'm reading James Herriot: the Life of a Country Vet by Graham Lord. It looks ever so much more promising.

#27 that sounds horrendous - a whole book like that!

I've just finished evolution which was interesting, if annoying in places. Distinctly fiction but informative nonethe less.

That quote is hysterical, MrsLee. I could not even force myself to read the entire paragraph. A few phrases was too much for me.

I'm half-way through Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge. It was recommended to me by a friend whose reading opinion I trust and who knows I work in a library (this book has sci-fi library themes). The next day, the book appeared in a display for the library staff set up by our library's director. I took this as a hint from the reading gods that the book should be bumped to the top of my TBR. Next up, I continue with The Crystal Shard, book 4 in the Legend of Drizzt saga by R.A. Salvatore.

#27 - I started that paragraph 3 times and still couldn't make sense of what I was reading or finish it. Blah.

I've been on a bit of a graphic novel splurge at the moment
Neil Gaiman's Eternals by, well... Neil Gaiman
the second volume of The Sword (Volume 2 - Water) by the Luna Brothers
Transmetropolitan: Lust for Life by Warren Ellis
Watchmen by Alan Moore (started in March, finished in April)
Daredevil Inside Out Volumes 2 by Ed Brubaker

as for books that don't have pictures in them...

I'm just about to start I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells, which I don't think has been released in America yet.

Oh, and I'm currently (well, on and off) reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea on my phone.

I just finished The Women by TC Boyle and I definitely recommend it, clam. It ends with the massacre at Taliesin, and damn if I didn't ignore the baseball game in order to finish it. Boyle is just the best.

I think I will need a bit of a palate cleanser now, perhaps the next Jasper Fforde, Something Rotten.

Yes, you have to love the palate cleansers!
:oD
S'okay, I will keep an eye out for it when I have a coupon. Thanks for remembering to let me know, littlegeek.

I finished the Bill Bryson book about Shakespeare yesterday, and then I stayed up past my bedtime last night to finish off Fahrenheit 451. My current palate cleanser is Before You Leap by Kermit the Frog. *giggle*

I should be finishing up The Slippery Slope this evening, the 10th book in the Series of Unfortunate events. They're fun fast reads. I think I'll be starting One Corpse Too Many next.

34 > what did you think of Fahrenheit 451? I really liked that book.

I love One Corpse Too Many, but The Leper of Saint Giles is my very favorite from that series.

I finished Though Your Sins be as Scarlet yesterday and now I'm reading The Dragon of Trelian. It's fun so far. When I get that one read, I need to start Man's Search for Meaning. I've only got 2 weeks on it from the library.

I finally finished Whiskey and Water this morning. Now I'm rereading the first three volumes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season Eight. I finished rewatching the show last night.

#37 - xicanti, I've just started rewatching all the Buffy episodes. Actually I never did watch the first couple of seasons. I'm only now finding out about Cordelia, Drucilla and Angel. I remember, the first time I saw Spike he was staying in Xander's basement wearing tropical clothes and I had no idea why that was such a big deal. I'm on season 2 now and they are so much fun.

So far this month I've read the following:

Court of the Air by Steven Hunt (I really liked this. I wish I'd picked up the HB months ago, but the blurb made me think the main characters were little kids)
Cross by Jack Taylor (such a dark series, but I like dark writing)
Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs (kind of a disappointment; I didn't feel like it lived up to the promise of Iron Kissed)
Killing Rain by Barry Eisler (no great, not awful; the kind of thing I read when I can't focus on something more complex)

>39 Librariasaurus: I just picked up Bone Crossed from the library today. Sorry to hear it was a disappointment :( I read the teaser in Cry Wolf and it sounded pretty good.

#40 Don't get me wrong; it wasn't awful. I just really felt like Briggs had reached a new level of connection with her characters in Iron Kissed. I was hoping that that would continue, but the intensity level dropped a bit in Bone Crossed. But despite my feelings on that, the book is still much better than a lot of the other urban fantasy titles out there.

#35 - I liked it! I still like his Something Wicked This Way Comes better, though.

Finished Ink and Steel today. ^-^ I'm not sure what I want to pick up next, but something light would be nice... Still inching my way through Tristan and Isolde too.

I just finished my ER copy of The Dragon of Trelian, which isn't touchstoning for some reason. I really enjoyed it. More for younger readers, I think. But still fun.

#38 - the early seasons are definetly the most fun.

I blitzed through bad science while at my parents. Very informative, mostly how to think logically about medical information that is presented in the media and advertising about products. CAM gets a fair slating, for not testing things properly, and pharmacueticals get slated for hiding the results of their fair tests. Cavet Empor!

Also finished why call them back from heaven which is my GoReviewThatBook read, that I need to review.

And have started with Proven Guilty rather than re-reading the entire series as a run-up to the new small favour.

I'd planned to reread Sarah Monette's Melusine today, but I've decided to hold off until I have Corambis in my grubby little hands. (I want to read the entire series back-to-back. No gaps allowed). Instead, I started The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society this morning. It's lovely so far.

xicanti - I thoroughly enjoyed The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It was lovely from beginning to end and most refreshing.

I'm so pleased to find others who view books as I do. They need to be interacted with, talked to, stroked, sniffed, adored.
Recently while I was going through my usual ritual of trying to choose which book to start next, my hubby suggested the reason I didn't just grab one and read it was because I must not really want to read any at all, and why not take a break from reading.. "GASP* I may have innocently responded that he could try taking a break from breathing for awhile as the results would be the same for us both.

I'm supposed to be reading Pillars of the Earth as a readalong with a couple of friends. I read it years ago when it first came out, loved it. I have since forgotten all but the fact that I loved it. Tried a few other titles by Follett over the years and didn't enjoy them nearly as much. Now it's time to re-read along with friends, I just can't find motivation. *sigh*

Yesterday I started Labyrinth by Kate Mosse and it's just what I've been looking for. Ahh... I'm breathing again :D

"I'm so pleased to find others who view books as I do. They need to be interacted with, talked to, stroked, sniffed, adored."

Wow. Are we ready for that kind of intimacy in the pub? ;)

I finished The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell. I liked it a lot, he could have even left out the Arthur stuff and I would have liked it, but it made for a fun and very interesting read.

Now I'm starting Last Ditch by Ngaio Marsh. I'm about done with the Herriott biography, but have some grumbles about it.

BritAnnia - I finished it this evening, and I completely agree with you. What a wonderful book! It's a celebration of the written word, an exploration of friendship and a tribute to the human spirit, all in one. I loved it.

I recently finished The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Then moved on to finishing an ARC titled Meridian by Amber Kizer. I found both to be hauntingly dark, but beautiful. I'm hoping that there will be a sequel to Meridian. Considering that the book isn't even out though I think I have a bit of a wait ahead for me.

I'm ready for something not quite as dark as the last two that I've read so I'm starting East by Eddith Pattou. While continuing to work on A History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage.

New to this group, hope you don't mind if I just jump in... recently finished The Host, and a YA Fantasy The Lost Queen, now searching for the next in that series.

Welcome, onyx! Is it the one by Frewin Jones? I haven't read the second one yet.

Yes, The Lost Queen is the second, The Faerie Path is the first and the third is The Sorcerer King which is also being published as The Seventh Daughter (the touchstone on this one doesn't work), I am looking for the third. Did you like the first one? I did, but was a little disappointed in second, hoping third redeems the series for me.

onyx95 - Sometimes that's the only safe way to get in this pub, jump. Jump high and long, because you never know what sort of boobie traps are set up around the door! Love the picture on your profile! It's kitten goodness. :)

We don't have to trap the boobys. They are gentle and friendly.

Except possibly with the Smurfs. Investigation is ongoing concerning a link between Smurf population reduction and the boobys' blue feet.

As evidence, I offer one very friendly booby family...

I've not manged to start another book for this first April week. I've felt guilty about it but I really didn't have the energy.

Plus the thoughts the last read started have taken some time to digest. Anyway, now Conspirator (no touchstone yet, part one in the fourth three-book story arch of Foreigner, by Cherryh) have arrived I'm happy to be able to start reading it right off, not having to finish something else first :-)

Not intentionally, but it ended up in a good way just the same!

Reading The Dewey Decimal System of Love. What fun! A lonely, chaste (not by choice) librarian falls in love at first sight - before she even meets him - with the new director of the city orchestra. Her musings on the state of her social life, her casual run-ins with the object of her desire, the asides that list Dewey classification numbers for her feelings, all make me smile. Can't wait to see where the plot is headed.

I'm reading The Thief Lord. But I'll probably finish that soon. Then I'll probably try to finish the numerous other books I've started but failed to finish reading.

Ooh, yell - #57 - Busifer - is that an ARC? Or is Conspirator released, yet? (Contemplating/resisting playing hookey from the desk for immediate trip to bookstore.)

According to Amazon it won't be released until the 28th, Janny. I'm not Busifer, but I hope that answer helps some regardless. (I checked both the US and the UK branches as they don't always match. In this case they do.)

I've finished both Conrad's Fate and The Sailor on the Seas of Fate today. Accomplished day if you ask me! Hope to read a third today too.

No, not an ARC, it has been released!!!

It seems like DAW doesn't mind if copies are released prior to 'official' date in smaller markets, like Sweden.
This happened with Regenesis, too - I got it almost three weeks earlier than anyone in the US could lay hands on it in it's final edition.

I feel like an imbecile but I can't stop drooling, and I can't get to the shop fast enough tomorrow!!!

I liked Faerie Path and I loved Conrad's Fate. I just started listening to The Wee Free Men. I'm loving it.

I started rereading Melusine this morning, and I dearly wish I could just blow off work and spend the whole day with it. I love this book and these characters.

Ooooh, you're very lucky then, Busifer! I'm glad to hear you'll get the book so soon!

Cmbohn, Conrad's Fate is a lovely thing, isn't it? It's not my favourite DWJ book (that honour goes either to The Lives of Christopher Chant or Howl's Moving Castle), but very enjoyable all the same. I'm glad I read it. Something light and thoroughly enjoyable was just what I needed!

>64 xicanti: I had Melusine in my tbr pile for over a year and once I read it I had all three books read within the three weeks after (the lag was how long it took for The Mirador to come in from the library). I'm now waiting impatiently for Corambis to get here! I still can't figure out if Felix is a character I hate to love or I love to hate LOL

#61, Shanra and Busifer ... oh, turkeyflap! That's weeks away...good for my deadline, I suppose. Sigh. Brightens - I think I'll advance order and have it shipped. Thanks for the heads up, I was totally buried, and probably wouldn't have noticed until somebody hit me over the head with a spoiler.

If it's any consolation, Janny, the book I most desperately, this-is-why-I-made-exceptions-to-my-'do-not-buy-more-books'-rule want won't be available until June. (June!) Provided the publication date doesn't get pushed back. Provided it's not the universe playing a very cruel trick on me and I never get that book.

It's a whole lot sooner/better than I feared (November), but still... I want that book and I want it now! I'd trade you a few weeks for my wait in a heartbeat.

At least it allows me to polish off other books on my to-read list, I suppose. ^-~

(The book in question is The Angel's Cut by Elizabth Knox, for the curious, which I know there shall be.)

#64, 66 - My problem with the Melusine series is I can't decide if I'm enjoying it or not. I like it when Mildmay narrates but Felix was getting on my nerves, the way he switched back and forth from being considerate one second to oblivious the next. I don't know if I'll pick up The Mirador, although Mehitabel sounds like an interesting character.

>69 sandragon: I thought that Felix actually had a lot less page time in The Mirador, with Mildmay and Mehitabel having much larger roles, or so it seemed to me.

I finished off Swordspoint last night and have moved on to Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs.

A mark in its favor ;o)
I may read it yet. I'm being really wishy-washy about this series. I've pulled the first two books from my shelves for trading in at my favorite second hand book shop, but that was a couple of months ago and they're still sitting on my dresser. I guess I'm not quite ready to leave Mildmay and Mehitabel.

Forgot to add, I haven't been doing much reading except for a stats course I'm taking. Bleh. But this is a long weekend so I'm definitely going to work some fun reading in.

sandragon, I thought you might like that LOL I think Felix is a difficult character to get along with. He almost seemed more likeable when he was insane.

Conspirator (still no touchstone, for specifics see msg 57 above) was a blast!!!

Sorry for screaming, but I'm very happy with the book. First half felt like it only elaborated on established patterns but then new developments arose, just behind that innocuous corner, over at the left :D

Now I just have to remember to breathe evenly until next instalment arrives...

I'm about a hundred pages into The Virtu now. I sort of want to just bust on through to the end, but I keep needing to take little breaks so my heart can recover from being stomped on.

I actually don't mind Felix. I mean, there are times when I want to reach into the book and punch him, but I can see where he's coming from. He acts just like someone who's been through what he's been through would act. I do wish he'd try a bit harder, though. It's very, very difficult to overcome instinctive behavior patterns, but it's not impossible.

And even if I did hate him with every fibre of me being, I'd still keep on reading for Mildmay. I love him to bits.

Not much time to read lately, but I've finished Doing Archaeology In the Land of the Bible for the Palestinian portion of my archaeology class, and read through Madame De Treymes last night. Wharton seems to have some central themes to her writing, but I'll wait until I finish The House of Mirth before I make generalizations.

I'm working my way through The Cellist of Sarajevo- brilliant so far!

I finished Last Ditch by Ngaio Marsh last night (early this morning?). It is probably my favorite Marsh book so far. Nice to see a young man interact with his father with no angsty, guilt-ridden, latent hatred. The mystery was pretty good too, sort of, I'm conflicted about the ending.

Next up, along with my 1865 book Across the Continent, will be Ethan Frome.

#74- Oh very lucky - finished before it even arrives in the shops. Paperback or is Foreigner now in hardback too? If os it will be Years! until I get to read it.

I've only just finished small favour which was published 18months ago in the US, the next installment is due in a few weeks, but I wont see it for a long time.

#78 - Hardback, and very expensive (if compared to other sf/f). But worth it!
And - it's in the shops, here. Or - in the kind of shops that sell sf/f. Never seen any Cherryh anywhere else, in Sweden...

I have just finished The Colour Of Magic by Terry Pratchett. This one was quite fun to read but some of the sentences were a little bit too long for my liking, so I had to read a few things more than once. Other than that is was a great, quick read!

Will start in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen later tonight or tomorrow. I've heard many good things about this book, so I'm really looking forward to reading it. :)

#68 - Shanra - this won't be much of a consolation - but - if you have to wait for a book, that means, a living author (probably) - who is writing more to read in the future.

No wait at all - they are probably done, or dead, and the list is therefore, limited.

I'll take the wait - grin.

"That's all there is, folks," is just so much worse! (But not much?)

Doesn't that depend on why you're trying to console a person? ^-~ I'm certainly not about to complain about the promise of more books by an author whose work I enjoy, but at the same time I do really want that book. I'm just impatient and distrustful of preorders.

I'm also calmer now I'm back in 'wait' mode, so to speak. As long as I avoid reminders of why I want the book so badly, I'll not throw more tantrums. ^-~ Maybe I'll even manage to forget I ordered it and get a huge surprise when it arrives on my doorstep...

I am reading Coraline right now and am loving it. I can see why the movie could be delightful, but not for young children. I recommend reading the book, it is delicious.

I'm reading Clara Callan by Richard B. Wright now after finishing Mutiny on the Bounty by John Boyne. I felt that I've been deluged in the Royal Navy and testosterone lately and needed more civilian female company which Clara provides. Even better it takes place near where I grew up, albeit one generation earlier. So far it's very good.

I've just finished City of Shadows by Ariana Franklin, which was meh and the first half was slooooow, but it was interesting to read about what life was like in Berlin between the two world wars.

Also finished listening to The Secret Garden which was wonderful!

Now on to Od Magic by Patricia McKillip. Not sure what I'll listen to next though.

I've just read scatterlings by Isobelle Carmody, now i'm going to go through all 6 Obernewtyn books, and I've got Greylands and The Gathering also.

I rereading started The Mirador by Sarah Monette yesterday. My first time through, I didn't enjoy it as much as the first two, but I don't think I'll have that problem this time around. I am loving this book.

I finished Something Rotten last night, which I liked better than the previous Thursday Next book, and I started The Manual of Detection, which is kind of a mix of Murakami, Paul Auster and Raymond Chandler. Fun so far.

I finished Ethan Frome, very good story; also read Maus last night and have mixed feelings about it. Liked the story, the graphic part, not so much. Began Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne and The Ingoldsby Legends; or Mirth and Marvels. Still reading the book about crossing America in 1865, it's not quite as flowery as others written at that time, but some of the ideas expressed are hard to take in this day and age.

I wasn't a fan of Maus either. I didn't finish it.

I am listening to The Body in the Billiard Room and it's a lot of fun so far.

I finished The Thief Lord today and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'll probably concentrate more on Rose Daughter, but I could be reading any number of books by tomorrow.

I'm reading Bad Things (no touchstone) my ER book. I've found it surprisingly good so far. It hints at things of the supernatural, but so far the main character has not seen anything to make him believe in it.

Currently reading Ekot från Amalthea. No translation, and probably won't be any - it's a series of essays elaborating on political history and discusses the global economy, representative democracy, and political violence.
Next up is Hunting Party, I think.

I've just started Holy Fools by Joanne Harris. I enjoyed Chocolat and Five Quarters of the Orange and this is off to a promising start.

I just finished Coming Through the Rye, a Christian romance by Grace Livingston Hill. Hill churned out dozens of these over a very long career, and I've read most of them.

I went out of my way to read this one, because I just found it at an antique store in a first edition. I loved the heft, and the feel of the covers, and the paper, and even the font. The story wasn't bad either.

I finished The Mirador this evening and plan to start Corambis tomorrow. I've got so much invested in these characters now that I almost don't want to read it. I don't want their story to be over.

Finsihed Infinity Concerto much as I remembered an interesting twist on the human / Sidhe legends. And finally managed to read the sequel Serpent Mage which has been on my wish list for a decade or so. Was it worth the wait? Well I picked it up in a charity shop for not very much so yes it definetly is. Not earth shattering, but novel, even in today's much more common Urban Fantasy climes.

Now onto some non-fiction that should delight GDers everywhere:

Mushroom Miscellany so far its lightly written facts about that most tasty and widespread of the 5 Kingdoms of Life - funghi. It's not a field guide by any means, just information about the how why where when they grow and are named. SOme really lovely close-up photos too. The Auther Patrick Harding has written many of the definitive field guides and seems to really know what he's talking about.

Today I read Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel García Márquez. Nice, short read. :)

Am currently still reading The Stand and Anna Karenina for group reads.

Just started Little Dorrit. The Masterpiece Theatre version inspired me to re-read it. That ought to keep me busy for a while.

It's only been a month since I put down The Great Book of Amber, but seems like much longer! I read the First Chronicles of Amber before, and am now starting in to the Second Chronicles, beginning with Trumps of Doom. Zelazny's writing is like a breath of fresh air.

#96, I'm reading Corambis right now, too. I know how you feel about being invested in the characters and not wanting it to end. Anyway... I hope to finish it tonight if my kids let me read!

I finished Fangs 4 Freaks and started on another romance, The Pirate Lord by Sabrina Jeffries.

I'm still waiting on a copy of Corambis to come in at the library *drums fingers on desk*

I'm working on The Dante Club and The Elegant Universe. Just finished Confucius Lives Next Door, lots of kudos, very good read.

#101 & 102 - I finished it about twenty minutes ago and promptly began crying so hard that I triggered a collosal coughing fit. There were definitely a few things I was iffy on, but the book still did it for me in a big way.

And Jenson, how quick is your library? Mine takes months and months to get new materials through processing.

I haven't decided what I'll read next. Maybe Sorcerer of the North by John Flanagan. I feel like I need something that isn't going to eat my heart for breakfast.

I finished Hell and Earth last night, read my P&P issue and I'm sure I read something start to finish before those that I forgot to mention before these...

Ludmilla, I hope you were able to read and enjoyed the book!

Well, I did manage to finish Corambis last night and enjoyed it, though the kids did provide their usual background noise. Like the other books, the subject matter is still dark, but I wasn't expecting as much humor as came across in this one (e.g., I got a hoot out of the money system -- things like that). I'm in a quandry this morning trying to decide what to read next from the towering TBR. Choices, choices...

>104 xicanti: Usually it takes about a week and a half to two weeks but the entire library system for Western Mass. has only 2 copies of Corambis and neither are due until the end of April. I'm hoping that the one I have a hold on gets finished and returned quick!

I'm hoping to take a trip up to Borders this weekend and may break down and get a copy for myself, depending on how much it will cost. I try to make a rule for myself to only buy books I can't get through the library but sometimes it is so hard to be patient!!

Finished off Look before You Leap and The Pull of the Moon and I have moved on to Tears of the Giraffe.

I finished Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. Enjoyable read.
Started Foreigner by CJ Cherryh but 1/3 in I'm totally bored. Anyone here read this, does it get better?

#109 - Yes, it was actually one of our group reads! here are the threads:

This one is Spoiler-free: http://www.librarything.com/topic/28248

This one has many Spoilers, so don't read it until you are done with the book:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/28249

I'm doing a read-a-thon tomorrow and have a ton of books on my TBR tomorrow pile.

Fahrenheit 451 - Bradbury
Sarah, Plain and Tall - MacLachlan
84, Charing Cross Road - Hanff
The Phantom Tollbooth - Juster
And Then there Were None - Christie
Year of the Lucy - McCaffrey
Hot Six - Evanovich
Blood Rites - Butcher
Ethan of Athos - Bujold
Lucinda, Darkly - Sunny
Crewel World - Ferris
Kitty and the Midnight Hour - Vaughn
Night Chills - Koontz
The Mist - King

How many will I finish?

#111 - WOW! Will you be blogging about it while you're at it? Can we take bets as to how many will get read? :oD

Yes! On my More of Morph blog.

And, yes! Place bets! The first person to guess the correct number of books that I get through will get a mini-cross-stitched piece on a theme of their choice as a prize! There are 14 books listed. I'll be reading from 7am to 9pm CST (approximately.)

I'll put a post about the contest on the blog later this morning and you can put your guesses there.

I just finished Bloodhound, Tamora Pierce's new book, and I am happy to say that in my opinion it is the best book she has ever written.

#113 - Thank you!

Okay, the post to guess how many books I'll read is here:

http://moreofmorph.blogspot.com/2009/04/win-cross-stitched-piece.html

Well, this is tough, because I have no idea how fast a reader you are. Are you going to skim at all? Savor every word?

I just finished The Alchemyst by Michael Scott and I'm a total addict to this series now. If you're a fan of mythology and a different kind of magic, be sure to check it out. Yes, it's YA, but it's a great read!

#106 - oddly enough, I didn't find this one nearly as funny as the others. (Maybe because there was less Mildmay? He's usually the one who sets me off). I did laugh at their discussion of the word "cleave," though.

#113 - Morphie, I had no idea you had a blog! Into my Google Reader you go. I'm participating in tomorrow's read-a-thon too. It's going to be so much fun.

I started Sorcerer of the North this morning, but I think that may have been a mistake. It's not really what I feel like right now. It's the only book I've got with me, though, so I'll slog on through. I'm sure it'll improve as I go along; I've enjoyed the series thus far, and I have no reason to believe that this one will be any different.

#110 Thanks for the links, clam, gonna check out the first thread and then I'll be good and read more of the book before checking out the second thread.

Funny though... I thought parts I & II just zipped and now I'm in part III I'm stagnant... yet the consensus in the non-spoiler thread is the opposite. Am I just weird? LOL Don't answer that!

#111 What fun, Morphi! I'm going to check your blog later. Happy reading for tomorrow. I think my brain would melt and leak out of my ears if I tried reading that much in one day.

I have two actually. My main one Less is Morph, which GDers helped me name, is my weight-loss blog then More of Morph is everything else in my life!

Clam, I read 200 books last year and I don't skim unless it's too flowery. I doubt any of the books I choose for this are flowery. I hope that helps! :)

#111 The Mist is really good Morphi! It's a quick read and it's really enjoyable. P.S. the book is way better than the movie.

#109/120... whatever ;-) - BritAnnia, on Foreigner: There seems to be two camps, one which don't like it very much and one (which I'm in) who absolutely loves it. Then I'm talking about the whole series, though ;-)

But. When I was about 1/3, or maybe 1/4, through the first one, which is Foreigner I almost put it down. Reading_fox urged me to continue, which I did, and I'm very glad for that. Because then I continued to read the rest of the series, and then I went on to read other stuff by the same author... most of which I have enjoyed very much too, despite the Foreigner series being simple and upbeat in comparison. I just read the latest instalment, Conspirator (no touchstone), and IMHO it only gets better and better :-)

It took me quite a while to get into Foreigner - book 1 - and I have since read the second book. I can't say I love the series as much as Busifer seems to love it; but, I do think about it often and I am sure I will return to it, reading book 3 at some point. Very interesting world Cherryh has created but it was true for me I needed encouragement to keep going.

Finished The Manual of Detection, which was trippy, but only ok. Started The Eustace Diamonds, which is Trollope, so I'm sure I'll love it.

Just started Men at Arms and The Tale of Genji today.

I finished my ER book Soccer Sabotage today.

I managed to knock five books off my TBR today, on account of the read-a-thon:

The Sorcerer of the North by John Flanagan
Spike: After the Fall by Brian Lynch and Franco Urru
War and Pieces by Bill Willingham et al.
Once Bitten by Nikki Stafford
Angel: After the Fall, vol. 3 by Brian Lynch, Joss Whedon and Franco Urru

My original plan was to read The Siege of Macindaw next, (I have an ARC! Whee!), but I really don't feel like more children's fantasy right now. I've decided to move along to Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast next.

#126, Oh! The Tale of Genji is somewhere on my to read pile too!

I've finished The Magicians of Caprona last Saturday, but that's all the reading I've done this weekend. ^-^

I've started After Glow by Jayne Castle and spent a nice half-hour or so sitting on my porch enjoying the sun and story! I love spring!!

You know, Shanra, I gave up on it after all. It wasn't a horrible read, but the story was kind of depressing. It seems to be nothing but a string of adulterous love affairs. I'm sure there's a lot more to it, but the names were confusing and I just didn't care about the characters, so I put it away. Just not for me.

But I do love The Magicians of Caprona. I'm still reading Men at Arms and I'm going to start Magic Lost, Trouble Found, the first in a new fantasy series. I hope it's good!

I have to read Junk English for my English class. I'm like, 1/8 of the way through.

I've been re-reading the Elric books by Michael Moorcock, but partway through The Bane Of The Black Sword I realised I was too bored to continue... this was disapointing, as I recall really enjoying them on the first reading about ten years ago.
I'm going to start something else tomorrow, probably Pagoda, Skull & Samurai by Koda Rohan; maybe I'll get back to Elric at some later date. Or maybe not.

I finished Brandon Sanderson's Hero of Ages on friday night & absolutely loved it! I dragged the last few chapters out (read a page, walk away for a while, lol) coz I didn't want it to end! But it was such a good ending IMHO that it was hard to be disappointed that it was over... Brandon's quickly worked his way up my list of fave authors & I'll be eagerly hunting down anything of his that I can find!!!

Now I'm dying to read it!

HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommended :)

I'll be recommending this series to anyone who will listen, lol :)

(Some of us weren't as enthusiastic. Me, I thought the last book ruined the whole trilogy - while loved LOVED Mistborn and Well of Ascension I'm not sure I'll ever reread any of them, due to how medium-to-bad Hero of Ages was, to me. But we are different, that's all /it's not badly written - my issues with it is more with content than performance/.)

I'm more with Busifer. I liked Hero of Ages up until the end, the last chapter or two, something like that. Then it really fell flat for me, the plot just went wacky and lost all its steam, and the final resolution really just wasn't very interesting to me.

I finished Morality for Beautiful Girls this morning, and now I must read my latest ER book: Beyond the Horizon.

Clara Callan is over now *sigh*, wonderful book! Now I'm reading Away by Jane Urquhart. I started it yesterday and am already half-way through (this from a pretty slow reader). Urquhart is becoming a favourite author - I'm going to have to get the rest of her books now.

#141 - Never heard of her before, katylit! Looks good, though.

It's not fair, I have to wait till february next year to get my hands on Hero of ages, because for some reason the paperback release got delayed in england and the hardbacks are over £20.

I picked up Lord of the Flies last night and read it quickly. I skimmed/speed read through a lot of it because it was just that painful to me. Not poorly written, I don't mean that, it just made me feel ill. I think it was supposed to. Anyway, now I'm reading a mystery, The Monk Who Vanished. I expect it to be much more pleasant.

MrsLee, I read it in either high school or middle school and found the book highly disturbing, so I know how you feel. I started reading Turn Coat yesterday, and am already 80 some pages into it. I haven't read any Butcher for a while and he's one of my all-time favorite authors, so I'm really enjoying this.

I almost never take a break once I've begun a book, but I had to do so with Gormenghast. It was exactly what I felt like on Saturday night, but it wasn't at all what I wanted to read on Monday morning. I've put it aside for a little while in favour of Sarah Waters's Affinity.

Cmbohn, no worries. ^-^ I'm just still excited when I see people reading the same books as I. I'll be sure to leave it for some time when I feel like being depressed, so thank you for the warning there. ^-^

I've finished The Celtic Way of Life today. It's a short, non-fiction read. Now I feel Accomplished for having read some non-fiction. Although it seems to me non-fiction books are either overly simplified and aimed-at-children-like or overly dense. Surely there's some medium in between that I just keep Not Finding.

Also, I finally finished Tristan!! I've only been avoiding it for the past month and a half. It's done! Fini! *bouncebounce*

Finished a quick detour through Tell Me Where It Hurts- Dr Nick Trout, and now I'm back to Foreigner - CJ Cherryh.
Thanks for the encouragement a few days ago, I'm glad I kept reading as I'm back into the flow of the story now.

I've finished off Od Magic which I really enjoyed. Looking forward to reading more of McKillip.

Now I'm going to concentrate on finishing Orsinian Tales and The Secret Holocaust Diaries. Both are good, but both tend to be serious and bleak. And the editors of Diaries keep inserting not-footnotes (more like interuptions) into the middle of Nonna Bannister's writings, breaking the flow, like an older sibling who can't help but butt in, sure that you're too dim to figure it out for yourself.

I am deep into Dune right now, about 1/3 of the way from the end. This is my husband's copy that I'm reading for the new authors category for the 999 challenge. It is so much more fun than I thought it would be! I'm not sure why I didn't read it before.

#128 & #139 - I'm sooo surprised to hear that! I absolutely loved the ending, felt that it really fit the story despite it being a so unexpected... & So did my work friend who I lent the books to after I finished them...

Each to their own i suppose :)

#151 - I think the word "programmatic" fits the bill for me. And if you share his ideas this might not feel as in the face as it does for the rest of us. Mind you, not entering a discussion about faith and creed here, only trying to state how I felt about the story.

I finished up The inheritance of Rome, and the followed it up with a quick read that didn't require quite as much thinking: Twilight.

I finished The Cygnet and the Firebird last night. Now I have one of my bookmarks back. ^-~ Next up is/will be Witch Week before I delve into books I promised friends to read ages hence and never got to. With the books I've finished this past week or so I feel oddly liberated.

Shanra - How did you like The Cygnet and the Firebird? I've just finished my first McKillip, Od Magic, and was wondering which of hers to delve into next. What I liked about Od was that it was not a violent fantasy, not about a force of good fighting against a force of evil. Which I like to read as well but this was a nice change.

Sandragon, expect a PM your way to answer that. ^-^

Witch Week is now officially finished. Liberation of the books I started! (And of course now I don't know what to read next. *sigh*)

I finished Affinity on my break and I've gotta say, I'm not too impressed. Waters's prose is as lovely as always, and I'm in awe of her ability to capture the feel of whichever time period she's working in, but I saw the ending coming a mile off.

I plan to start V For Vendetta by Alan Moore and Dave Lloyd on my lunch break.

Witch Week is one of my 14 year old's favorite books. We got it on audio and she thought it was extremely funny. The scenes where the kids are accusing one another of witchcraft were just great.

Have you tried The Lives of Christopher Chant? It's my favorite of the Christomanci stories.

Are you asking me or Cmbohn, Jennie? I've read all the Chrestomanci books save The Pinhoe Egg now and The Lives of Christopher Chant's definitely my favourite of them. ^-^

I love that one too! I think the only Diana Wynne Jones book I didn't like was Fire and Hemlock.

I have started The Warrior Heir. I got about 1/4 of the way into it last time and just put it aside. For some reason, I never picked it back up, so we'll see how it goes this time.

Must have been cmbohn. Sorry for the confusion.

I'm reading a vampire novel that has been in my tbr pile for ages, Colin's Conquest by Lisa Rene Smith.

My favourite DWJ book is definitely Deep Secret (and then its follow up, The Merlin Conspiracy).

Don't know how I missed this thread for so long.

I finished mushroom miscellany which fufilled it's promise of being fascinating all the way through, although the puns didn't improve.

Sole Survivor and nothing to lose passed quickly and unremarkably. Koontz simply because I don't think I get on with his style, but a Nothing to Lose was the first average novel from Lee Child who's been on top form for the previous 10 books. Hope he regains is skill for the next.

Currently I'm reading House of suns which is fantastic.

I am reading Earth Abides for the book group some Librarythingers started here, in RL. It grabbed my attention immediately and I find it ironic to be reading right now. The main premise is that the vast bulk of humanity dies due to an epidemic....(ah, bring anything to mind....pigs?).....and the protagonist is a scientific sort who is prone to try to observe the results somewhat dispassionately.

My initial reaction was to be somewhat nervous, given the current crisis in Mexico, but I have found it to be much more interesting, and not at all frightening - so far that is.

Yesterday I finished the ER book Beyond the Horizon and started 700 Sundays. I have another ER book on deck.

In the past few weeks I finished Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, New Moon and Eclipse

I'm pretty sure I'll start reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini today.

#169 - Oh! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Yesterday I finished 700 Sundays by Billy Crystal, and started The Kalahari Typing School for Men :o)

#169 - That's a strange coincidence, because I just started on The Kite Runner too! Well, I started yesterday, to be exact, but I didn't get very far because of other stuff...