What are you reading in January 2010?

What books are you reading at the beginning of the new year? Do you have a reading goal for the year?

As I mentioned on December's thread, I'm in the middle of Blackbringer, and I'm enjoying it so far. I don't have a goal for number of books this year, but I do want to focus on reading books I own (my TBR pile) and not just ones from the library.

I pushed and finished The Friday Night Knitting Club around 9pm ET last night so I can start the new year/decade with a new book. Now I just have to figure out what book that will be!

In the meantime, I read a bit in two holdover, pick-up-and-put-down books this morning, which renewed my desire to eventually finish them!

I decided to start my New Year with Nightmares and Dreamscapes I was going to start it yesterday but decided I wanted to wait for the New Year! I'm not sure what else I am going to be reading afterwards though.

I finished The 39 Clues: In too Deep about an hour after the new year started. Do you think I can count it as both a 2009 and 2010 read? :o)

I liked this one because it was set in Australia and they went to Bondi to go surfing. I thought, "Hey! I know people in Bondi!" Which got me very excited and distracted for a half hour, which is part of the reason I didn't finish it before the new year.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

The True Deceiver, Carbonel King of Cats, (from K) The Mysterious Affair at Styles on the Kindle.

I'm still reading The Princess Bride, I haven't had much reading time lately, and I lost it for a month.

my reading goal for the year is to finish all my half-read books from 2009. life just keeps getting so busy that I've put several books down that I'd like to finish. I also have a goal of reading at least one book a month.

>#4: I have that problem with books set in New York, London, California, Philly...

I'm still reading Anna Karanina from last year. I don't know anyone who lives in 19th-century Russia (foggi?), so i don't have much of an excuse other than it's pretty long and not a particularly quick read.

No challenges for me, i think it would take some of the fun out of reading.

I made my 75 book challenge in October and then read four books in the rest of the year (pathetic) so this year I'll be attempting 100. For anyone interested, you can see my 2009 reading list on my blog.

I am reading A Land Beyond Ravens and savoring it. It's been quite a while since I've read a good Arthurian story. I just may have to go back and get the first three books of the series now.

I put down Nightmares and Dreamscapes already but I wasn't in the mood for horror. I think I am going to start on some of Emily Giffin's novels starting with Something Borrowed (I think that is the first one...)

There also won't be any reading challenges for me this year as I spent more time rushing through books and not geting the mean of some of them last year. I am just going to read for fun and keep track of what i read.

I'm still reading Shaman's Crossing, the first Soldier's Son book. I'm liking it a lot more than I thought I would. I think readers who don't like it because of the character of the protagonist are missing the whole point of the book. Not every "hero" needs to be poor, orphaned, courageous, with a good heart and willing to stand up to the obviously evil Powers That Be. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!)

#7: MrA and what about Barquisimeto?? and I agree with the challenges taking some fun out of the reading, without mentioning the pressure of finishing on time...

#10: I am doing the same thing this year Bella ;)

I am still reading The girl who kicked the hornet's nest, I haven't had much time to read it...but I am planning on reading as much as I can these last two weeks of vacation from college...

I figure it's better to challenge myself. I have enough mom pressure without setting a reading goal. I managed to read 44 books in 2009, which is 12 more than I did in 2008, so that's good enough for me.

OK, 43 and 3/4. But it was still more than the year before. :o)

I started reading Dave Barry's Greatest Hits. I figure I need to make a dent in the books I bought from last year's library book sale. So I can justify buying more books.

I'm a quarter of the way through Dublin 4, not sure what I want to read next I have so many new books to choose from.

Last month i pulled out a bunch of books from the difficult-to-extract book pyramid in the bedroom, and stacked them up separately so i could get to them without causing a major bookalanch. I just realised that there is about 40 of them, which is a few more than i read in 2009. I suspect that i have just created my own book challenge. Sigh.

I want to read Confessions of an ugly Stepsister next.

Heh, heh - try and pull that one out from the pile p~

I was feeling bad about only reading 55 books in 2009, but I guess at more than a book a week, that's all right.

I just finished City of Bones last night, which I liked but am not crazy about. And today I've already nearly read Attack of the Fiend which is wonderful. I love the Last Apprentice series! None of the books in the series have disappointed me in the least. Next up is probably Arch Enemy, third in The Looking Glass Wars series, which doesn't seem to touchstone right now.

Bib, best of luck for 100 books in 2010!! Awesome!

I am going to read Here, There Be Dragons.

I finished The Chester Chronicles earlier today and started on A Theory of All Things.

I've read that, Compski! It was a while ago now.

I just finished Attack of the Fiend and enjoyed it very much. Next, I think Demon King is calling strongest.

I finished two so far this year, Storm Front and After You'd Gone. Both good. I'd like to read the next one in the Dresden files.

Stayed up reading until 2a.m to finish Shadow of the Wind. I am now ridiculously tired, but pleased, as I haven't been that involved in a book for a long time. I'm at work, but had a feeling it would be quiet, so have brought three books with me: Last Chance to See by Mark Carwardine (can't get the right touchstone at the moment), Tricks of the Mind by Derren Brown, and The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir.

I finished Something Borrowed It was good but I wasn't overly crazy about it.... it seemed to go on and on... I will now stick to my word and start Something Blue I have vreated a pile of books in the order that I plan on reading them. I plan on sticking to that unless something very very good comes along :)

I'm reading The Thirteenth Tale but I haven't been able to get really into it. I'm about halfway done though and it's getting more interesting.

I just ordered a bunch of Terry Pratchett books used for myself and my fiance... I'm really looking forward to reading them! I haven't read much of his stuff but the more I hear about Discworld the more intrigued I am :D

I finished Something Blue last night and was surprised how much I liked it. Definately better than the first. I am going to attempt Baby Proof but I am not sure how I am going to like it as it is about new characters. Then after that is Love the one your With but again, not sure how much I am going to like that one either.

Reading The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, which is very good so far.

I've been reading Demon King and I can't put it down. The characters are wonderful which is pretty much all I ask of a story. And the Seven Realms world is absolutely captivating. This book is definitely going to be reread a lot.

26: I agree that Something Blue is way better than Something Borrowed. I haven't read any of her other books, because it's different characters!

Brief moment of panic last night when I thought I'd left A Theory of All Things (which I'm really enjoying) at my parents' but I found it in the car this morning. :)

Finished Shaman's Crossing last night and started my reread of The Brothers Karamazov. I dig me some Dostoevski.

#27 jnwelch:
I read that in high school. It was very good.

#28 lefty:
I'm glad you're finally getting to read it after wanting to so much! I absolutely loved it and will be rereading it without a question.

Right now I'm reading The Constant Princess. I'm on page 124.

I finished listening to the audiobook of Ender's Game yesterday. I liked it, though there were times I wished I was reading instead of listening, so I could speed ahead and see what was going to happen. I also thought that the ending was strange -- it had a different tone or "feel" from the rest of the book.

#31 - Let me know what you think of The Constant Princess. I liked it, but much prefer some of Gregory's other books...

Right now I'm reading a book called Airborn which is sort of historical fantasy about a cabin boy on an airship...and is way more interesting than that made it sound.

I really hope to chisel away at my TBR list this year. Perhaps I will eventually get a year where it gets shorter instead of longer.... (*giggles* yeah, right....)

I really enjoyed Airborn and the sequel Skybreaker. I love action books with a little fantasy thrown in. Have fun!

Bib, I haven't gotten to really start Baby Proof yet but I will let you know how it is!

#34 -- I'm trying to reduce my TBR pile, too, though I don't have huge hopes of it actually being smaller by the end of the year.

I finished Blackbringer and loved it -- how did I miss out on this series? Now I have to track down the second book. If you like books with faeries/pixies in them, I'd definitely recommend Blackbringer. It's not urban fantasy, which is a nice change (I like urban fantasy sometimes, but not always).

Now I'm reading Dragon Spear. Since I'm feeling tired and achy, I'll probably curl up in bed with that one and finish it tonight.

Foggi, I will definitely be looking in to Blackbringer. It seems I tend to like the same books as you so if you're recommending it, I'll be reading it.

I'm reading ArchEnemy and loving being back in Wonderland.

I finished The Crow on the 31st, and right now I'm three-quarters of the way through The Singing. After that, I'll probably read Fire, which I'm really looking forward to.

Oh, I love those books, Cat! I haven't read The Crow yet though. And I loved Fire so I hope you like it. :)

Lefty, I'd definitely recommend Blackbringer to you, and Dragon Slippers, Dragon Flight, and Dragon Spear as well. I just finished that one and am wishing it was not the last book in the series. They remind me a lot of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, which I have loved for along time.

I have the first of that series, Dealing with Dragons, but I haven't read it yet. It just jumped way ahead on the TBR list though! I put Dragon Slippers up there too.

*evil chuckle* After all, adding books to each other's already formidable TBR lists is what LT friends are for, right? ;-)

I love The Enchanted Forest Chronicles

I just finished The Memory Keeper's Daughter. I'm still working on The Princess Bride I'm right at the part where Westley is explaining "to the pain"

I finished A Theory of All Things last night, it was really good and I'll be posting a review soon. Next up is Pretend all your Life, then I'll be done with my latest package from Permanent Press. Maybe one of the two ERs I'm waiting for will have arrived by then.

I really liked Blackbringer and The Enchanted Forest Chronicles too, lefty!
The Crow and The Singing were really good, lefty! I had to make a bit of an adjustment reading The Crow because the story follows Maerad's brother Hem, instead of Maerad, and I had become so used to her perspective. But it was still good, and I grew to like his side of the story as much as Maerad's.

#33 LadyN:
Finished! The only book by Philippa Gregory that I read before this one was The Other Boleyn Girl, which I had really liked. I liked The Constant Princess as well, but probably not as much. (MINI SPOILER!) It seems to have themes almost at different times, which isn't a bad thing, but made the last few chapters more difficult to read. She was getting what she ultimately desired, but some of the theme at that time lost me. At times this book didn't quite feel like a novel but some reporting or record, though it's fiction based on fact, or what can best be guessed as fact. I can see why this novel is shorter and find it interesting that my copy says in the back that Gregory didn't research Katherine, or Catalina, with earlier works when she is in others Gregory has written. I'm left thinking perhaps this book captured Henry's first wife best. (/END any mini spoilers.) It's not my favorite by the author, though. I have The Boleyn Inheritance in my TBR pile and want to read it soon.

I finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and it was really really good, I couldn't put it down near the end, very nice way to finish the Millenium trilogy. And I have already started reading The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

P.S. Now I want to buy Blackbringer to read it...

#43 Foggi, indeed! I have happily padded my TBR list from LT friends' recommendations!

And, in the spirit of those recommendations, I picked up Dragon Slippers and Blackbringer at the library and put Gods of Manhattan on hold as it wasn't in today. :)

#47 - That's interesting K. I think what I found most frustrating about it was that it finished just as the really dramatic part of Katheriine's tale begins. It was great to hear about her (supposed) younger life, but I would have liked the story to have continued further into the divorce.

I liked The Boleyn Inheritance, although I found some of the motifs repetitive. one of my favourites is The Virgin's Lover, although I know that's a controversial choice and Elizabeth 1st purists would shoot me for saying so!

Kerian, have you read any of Alison Weir's historical fiction?

#50 LadyN:
That was something that irritated me, but I decided to try to not be too bothered by it since by that point the author was already having books overlap. It would have been very nice if she had included more of Katherine's life after that point in The Constant Princess, though!
Thanks for the book recommendation! I'll have to look where The Virgin's Lover falls in the order. :)
I actually haven't read anything by Alison Weir but recognize her for writing historical fiction. Have you read anything by her? Do you have a book recommendation? I think Bib has probably read at least one book by her. Someday I definitely want to dig more into the history of Henry VIII. I can't help but be frustrated when I read about those times though, not yet knowing how the connection is. I wonder, which of his wives were my family, or was it not a wife at all but the Tudors. I really want to go look at all the family records someday.

50/51: I think my favorite Gregory is The Queen's Fool. I've read three of Weir's biographies; Henry VIII, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, and The Children of Henry VIII, but I haven't read any of her fiction. Another good historical novel from that time period is Portrait of an Unknown Woman which is told from the viewpoint of one of Sir Thomas More's wards.

I am hitting the library to pick up a few books today after interview #2. I don't think I will be finishing Baby Proof it is I am part way through and it is extremely depressing.

#52 - yes, I like The Queen's Fool too bib. I have Protrait of an Unknown Woman in my tbr.

While enjoying my snowy day off by sitting at the library, I finally managed to finish Ruroni Kenshin which has been lugged around in my bag for weeks now. Next I need to pick up the second volume. Sadly it was checked out.

I'm reading Feast of Fools, even though I know, just know, that it will end in a cliffhanger.

One of my ERs arrived yesterday before I had a chance to start on Pretend All Your Life so I started Ghosts and Lightening last night.

Would you believe I'm actually reading the Harry Potter books? I have been patiently letting my dear mom get them as Christmas presents and the paperback edition of HP and the deathly Hallows was not out for Christmas '08. I like to read an entire series at once instead of reading half and then waiting years for the remainder. It is a nice deal reading them all at once and having them actually live up to the media hype. Having read many truly great fantasy series, they are among the best. I like how the books mature in tone and content along with Harry, and all of the readers as well. Like replacing uses of 'booger' with 'damn'. Oh, I should finish Deathly Hallows tonight.

#58 -- Welcome to Hogwarts Express! Watch out for Deathly Hallows spoilers if you read any of our Harry Potter-related threads before you finish the book. And feel free to add to our book discussion threads, which are linked from the group homepage. :-)

I read Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream last night -- very compelling, especially for non-fiction.

I'm glad you're enjoying them DirtPriest! There certainly is something to be said for reading a series straight through, though the wait can be fun at times too! Be sure to check out our old discussion threads of the series, you can find the link on our home page. We're always happy to have someone bring back the discussion!

I've been staying away from that sort of thing, but I did have a few things spoiled looking for pictures of the characters. I found a HP wiki and stumbled across a few things I wish I hadn't, but so be it. I had an Agatha Christie mystery spoiled utterly while reading an examination of The Hound of the Baskervilles, and found it actually made reading Towards Zero pretty interesting. I offered to explain Murder on the Orient Express to a friend and he is still deliberating. That book seemed so odd and unlikely to me until figured out pretty much the whole murder about half way through. I would have enjoyed it more knowing its conclusion in advance by avoiding the 'That's just a goofy circumstance' aspect that turned me off in the early stages, in fact, that makes me not like a lot of general fiction. Hence, I love fantasy and SF where that sort of setup isn't as obtrusive and unrealistic.

*shakes fist angrily at all the recommendations above!!!* (sigh) Actually Dragon Slippers is already on my TBR shelf.... maybe we could do a group discussion if enough people are interested in it? It looks like a cute/quick read.

#61 - Glad you're reading the HP series and I think even if some elements have been revealed they're still highly enjoyable books!

#35 - Airborn was really good so I'll look into Skybreaker later this year. I think there's a recently released third one in the series too!

For now, I just started Anybody out There by Marian Keyes which has been on my TBR list for far too long. I think a friend recommended it in '07. Plus, I needed some breezy Irish chick-lit to get me through a blizzardy week.

Finished up my ER The Silent Governess (need to write my review now), and almost finished with Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians (hmm...not touchstoning...did I spell that right?). Also half-way through a reread of CoS.

Edited to fix title...thanks Espy!

(Psst... Kirby, I think it wants you to put in Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians)

I love the Dragon Slippers books. Fun characters.

I finished The Darkest Evening of the Year and hated it. So now I'm mad at myself for finishing it! I am enjoying Band of Brothers now. I need to pick up a couple of holds at the library, including A Girl Named Zippy for my book club. And I need to find The Chosen for myother book club. Especially since I'm leading the discussion on that one, and it's been over 10 years since I read it last.

Cmbohn, I started Darkest Evening and didn't finish it. I was completely uninterested and it's not my usual type of book. Now I'm that much more glad I didn't go to the trouble of finishing it!

Tonight I started reading the short stories of Sherlock Holmes. They're great! Why have I not read these before??

Finished Alcatraz this morning.

And did you enjoy it?

After getting distracted by two knitting murder mysteries (Dyed in the Wool and Knit one, Kill two), I read Fire! It was very good, and it made me want to read Graceling again! I'll have to read it after I'm finished with the backlog of books I have lined up. :)

Yay! I'm glad you liked Fire, Cat! I really want to reread Graceling too -- maybe after I finish one or two of what I've already started.

#68: Yes I liked it. I've got Scrivener's Bones up next. Trying to finish Hot Gimmick mega volume 3 first.

I needed some fluff reading so I picked up the rest of the It Girl series. I am currently on Reckless an finished Notorious yesterday.

I read Carpe Corpus, which ended in less of a cliffhanger than usual for that series . . . since she's still writing, I think I'll stop there rather than pick up the next one, at least until the series is finished.

Now I'm almost through Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce. I've really enjoyed it, though I think I like Framed a little better.

I'm 46% done with The Brothers Karamazov. Digging it.

I finished Here, There be Dragons yesterday and I liked it. I don't know if I will read the sequel, though. I figured out two of the main characters, but I had never heard of Charles.

Now I am reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I had no idea it was an epistolary novel set in Britain right after WWII, but I am enjoying it. How do you pronounce Guernsey?

It's Gern-zey, like arctic terns-ey

I am currently , and finally, reading James Burkes' Connections. It is the companion volume to an old BBC/PBS series that i remember watching on TLC way back when thay had educational and interesting programs on all the time. Look the author up on wikipedia, you might remember the show if you see him.

Shades of Grey is definitely interesting. That's all I'll say for now.

Compski, I never read the sequel either. I liked it well enough but it wasn't outstanding.

Finished Reckless I will be picking up the next one today...

Finished Hot Gimick mega volume 3, and am 1/2 way done with CoS. I have Alcatraz verses the Scrivener's Bones for my bath time book. I'm picking up The Host again tonight. I started it way back when it first came out but just wasn't in to it. I am determined to finish it this time.

#77 Interesting good or interesting bad?

Since school started yesterday, I'm reading my textbooks. I was told to read the Associated Press Stylebook, so that's what I'm reading. I'm also listening to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

I finished Anybody Out There? which was a lot deeper than I expected. I'm trying to get back in the habit of writing reviews so there's a brief one here if anyone's interested.

This morning I started Odd Hours which is the fourth in Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas series that I think someone else around here was talking about but of course now I can't remember who it was....

#75 - Snap! I'm also now reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Really enjoying it so far. It has a certain fluidity to it which makes me not notice how quickly the pages are turning.

I'm reading M is for Magic, which I've had for a couple years now and haven't read. I'm enjoying it (of course -- it's Neil Gaiman). My favorite story so far is "Chivalry," about a little old lady who finds the Holy Grail at an Oxfam shop.

I finished reading the Princess Bride. i'm not sure what I want to read next.

I'm currently working my way through White Fang and I'm also reading The Creation of Eve, the ER book i received earlier this week.

My 15 year old read The Princess Bride for English class.

I'm reading Albion's Seed which is a huge book, both in scope and in size. Wow. Lots to take in, but interesting enough.

What a wonderful English class that has Princess Bride on the class list!

#81 LG:
Interesting, different. Read for yourself. :)

http://www.librarything.com/profile_reviews.php?view=Kerian

#90 Nice review K! And I see you also have a review for The Van Alen Legacy which is what I'm reading now!

Thank you, el! Yes, I'd been eager for that one to come out. I read it right away.

I finished Brothers Karamazov and now I'm reading Harpo Marx' autobiography Harpo Speaks! After that I think I'll read Shades of Grey since the Kindle price came down and I just bought it. (Thanks for the review, K!)

Huzzah LG that sounds like a good counterpoint to The Brothers Karamazov.

Compski did you enjoy The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society? I thought it was very charming.

I have been on a bit of a mystery kick. I have been reading some Agatha Christie, The Secret Adversary and Partners in Crime I also am reading some books on the history of the invention of the television for the next dramaturgy project.

LG, I'm also reading Harpo Speaks! thanks to you (or your husband?) and loving it. I'm going incredibly slow though, because I have to keep stopping and reading sections to the kids.

#95 Is he charming and hilarious or what?

So I have now finished The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, A Study in Scarlet, and Hound of the Baskervilles. I am delightedly obsessed with the Holmes stories and love the movie even more now that I've read some of the stories. I'm sure husband has tired of my talking about Holmes by now but it is perhaps my favorite reading since HP. I've rarely been so obsessed with any one series.

#96: I love him. I would get along so well with him!

I have just finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It was just lovely. It had me laughing, crying, and wanting to go to Guernsey :-)

I've now started Her Fearful Symmetry. Not very far in as yet, so too early to cast a judgement. I'm trying not to put any pressure on it having enjoyed The Time Traveller's Wife so much.

LadyN, I agree with you on G.L.P.P.P.S. I recently finished H.F.S. Interesting.

I just finished Nation and loved it. This would be a great book for a teen book club because there are so many themes that could be discussed.

I have started The Lacuna, loaned to me by a coworker. I loved The Poisonwood Bible but was put off by The Prodigal Summer (too preachy). I hope this book puts me back on her track.

#93 LG:
You're welcome!

#99 LadyN:
It's percisely why I've avoided Her Fearful Symmetry. I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of it!

#100 mamzel:
I've never read it but The Poisonwood Bible is one of my mother's favorites. She's read all of Kingsolver's novels and is curious about the book you're reading now.

I'm going to start reading Marvel's edition of Pride and Prejudice today. Also, I'm supposed to be reading Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. Both are books a friend wants to read after me.

Hope you enjoy the Marvel Pride and Prejudice, Kerian. I thought it was well done.

I'm still reading How to Cook Everything and Albion's Seed, but we went to the bookstore on our way home from the dr. and I picked out The Dragon Heir. I can't wait to start that one.

100 - That's really interesting, mamzel!

101 - K, The Poisonwood Bible is my sister's favourite too. she keeps on at me to read it, and I will get around to it, but she's built it up so much that I'm worried for me and for her if I don't love it as much as she does!

I just finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and echo everything LadyN said about it in #99!

I've given up on Ghosts and Lightning one of my ERs. I read 150 pages and I just can't get into it. I wrote a review saying as much and will be starting on The Intimate Ape tomorrow.

Put down some of the books that I was reading and picked up Skeleton Crew enjoying is so far... but I am only on the first short story.

#102 jnwelch:
Thank you. That's good to hear. :)

#104 LadyN:
My mother's been trying to get me to read it, too. I worry the same thing. I think she already knows she'll enjoy it more than I will. We generally speaking have very different interests in books. If it's the same for you and your sister, and you fear hurting her from not enjoying it as much as she does, perhaps it would give you less reason to worry. (Er, if that came out right.) Plus she is your sister, and therefore required to love you for life. :)

I read Shades of Grey in bits and pieces on the flight here and in spare moments, and just finished it today. Liked it -- but it's not as lighthearted as the Thursday Next and Nursery Crimes series.

I also read Clementine, Friend of the Week, which was just as charming as the rest of the series. I really want to bring Clementine home to live with me, but despite the fact that I am in her city this weekend, I haven't seen her anywhere.

I finally got reviews up of my two early reviewer books No Tomorrow by Vivant Denon and The True Deceiver I am looking forward to The Penelopiad which is the Odyssey from Penelope's perspective.

97 Lefty I have been on a Holmes kick too. If you are done with all your reading and have Netflix all the old Jeremy Brett versions are stream-able right now. I reread all of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Return of Sherlock Holmes I need to do the longer ones now.

OOh, I loved The Penelopiad. I got it as a Santa Thing gift a couple of years ago.

I'm sure I'll get to GLPPPS long after you've all finished it, but it is on my list to read and I'm glad so many are enjoying it. And I'll also do a massive Conan Doyle binge someday...

But for now I finished Van Alen Legacy and I liked it but I was really hoping it would be the last book in the series. It seemed to be leading up to a huge climactic point but then she left the door open for more books. (Not that I mind her extending the series, but I think I would have preferred a stronger conclusion.)

The next book I hope to knock off my TBR pile is Water For Elephants which is also one that I'm reading way after everyone else, but I'm really liking it so far.

Finished Harpo Speaks! (awesome) and started Shades of Grey. Kerian's right, it's interesting. It's got the mega-uber-bureaucracy thing that Fforde likes to play with so much.

Currently, I'm about halfway through The Forgotten Legion by Ben Kane. I had never heard of him before early December. The book follows 4 people in the down trodden ranks of the Roman Empire. A brother and sister who are twins, one sold to a brothel the other sold to be a Gladiator, a Gaul who was captured and also was sold to be a Gladiator and a free man who was barely better off than the slaves, but was trained to be a haruspex (soothsayer).

He does an incredible job on the story telling. Some of the story is kind of predictable for reasons I won't go into but it is still a great story and an excellent and entertaining way to learn some more about Ancient Rome. (takes place around the time of Julius Caesar).

ETA: Oh ya, I can't wait to try out Shades of Grey!

Last night and this morning I read The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, which was quite fun in a Lemony Snicket sort of way. It comes out some time this spring, so if you liked The Series of Unfortunate Events (or have friends or students who did), watch for it!

Next up, I will read A Conspiracy of Kings because Espy will be demanding it as soon as I get off the plane!

101- I really liked the Marvel edition of Pride and Prejudice too, K! JP gave it to me for Christmas.

110- I've never read The Penelopiad, but I have read Waiting for Odysseus, which I really enjoyed. It's told from the perspectives of the women surrounding Odysseus (Penelope, Circe, Athena, and Odysseus's nurse Eurycleia).

#116 cat:
I remembered. I got it on your good word. :)

The Penelopiad was very good. I read it a few years ago.

I read A Conspiracy of Kings, which was very good. I won't say more, as I don't want to drop too many maddening hints. ;-) I also started Enchanted Glass, a new Diana Wynne Jones book, which will also be released this spring. (I feel like a tease, with this flood of galleys, and am sorry if I come across that way!)

I have A Conspiracy of Kings sitting next to me, but I need sleep. Tomorrow is another day.

I finished Water For Elephants and it was even better than I expected.

Next up might be Gone With the Wind...but I'm a little intimidated by its length (862 pages with very small font - it seems like quite the commitment and "classics" don't always hook me....)

Ohh, you haven't read it before, El? It is one of my favorite classics and actually one of my favorite books over all. I feel it really deserves its status as a classic. I hope you do enjoy it. The story is wonderful. Just in case, if you get stuck and need encouragement to finish, come back and I'll remind you how glorious the book is. :)

Elba - It will read very fast and you might find that it ends before you want it to. When I was a teen GWTW was my goto book. When I had nothing else to read I would open it to a random page and read from there.

#121, 122 - You guys are joining a very long line of people recommending the book to me... ;) I'll get to it this week, but I might sneak a memoir in before it since I've been reading mostly fic lately and the memoir was lent to me by a coworker and its been sitting on my desk for a few months.

I'm finally reading A Conspiracy of Kings and I never want to put it down... but I have to cook dinner.

Espy, I finally clicked the touchstone link to see just what this book was. Now I know why you don't want to put it down!! I loved The Thief and I'm hoping to get the second and third books for my birthday. That one is now on my list too.

I finished Tender at the Bone last night, which was a very fun read. I am also finishing up A Woman's Path, which I started back in the fall, when I feed Rex. My current full-time read is Sippy Cups Aren't for Chardonnay, which is light and funny, and I'm already almost half-way finished (I started it at lunch yesterday). Not sure what'll be up next...

Now I'm reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson. It's co-authored by John Green and David Levithan. So far, I'm not crazy about either Will Grayson, but I'm hoping they will improve over the course of the story.

I finished A Conspiracy of Kings. Man it was good... only four years to go until the next one. *sigh*

Next up I'll probably grab Foggi's Enchanted Glass since I love Diana Wynne Jones almost as much as she does. Arcs are wonderful things.

That is so not fair! Foggi, send the book to cat first. She loves Diana Wynne Jones. We'll send it back to Espy...sometime. *eyebrow waggle*

116 & 117 Thanks cat that sounds interesting and K I am glad you enjoyed it. I ma not very fare in yet but I am enjoying it.

Too late! I've already started it, and if Foggi tries to take it from me I will bite her and steal her puppy.

#131:
>:oP~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maybe I can convince her to send it to Cat after I'm done. It shouldn't take me too much longer...

Re: #131 -- I think spending all that time in only Sophie's company while I was at the conference had a bad effect on Espy.

Looking at book order flyers for next month. They have a "movie cover" edition of the Lightning Thief. It looks neat, but I hate it when they change book covers. Now, they do have the new Percy Jackson & the Olympians The Ultimate Guide. Might have to pick that up. Have you seen the new Artemis Fowl covers? Hate those too. Those just look like they're trying too hard.

Back to the book order. Any one read The 39 Clues series?

#134 Foggi, lol! We tried to keep an eye on him for you, but I guess we failed. ;)

Kirby, I think JP might have read some of those.

#134: Are you sure he didn't have a bad effect on Sophie? Has she started biting?

#135: We've enjoyed The 39 Clues series. It's a good way to pull in some geography if you do it with the class. They tend to go to one or two countries per book. Even I can finish one in a day and I'm the slowest reader in the house.

I'm 15 pages from the end of Harpo Speaks. Now to find the time to finish it in an ultra busy day...

I started Gone With the Wind this morning! :)

(Now I'll take a hiatus from this thread as I highly doubt I will be reading anything else until February...)

lol! El, at least come back from time to time to tell us how it's going.

#137: Actually she already had a biting problem. We're trying to get her to stop, but as soon as she gets into play mode she forgets and starts using teeth.

I still haven't figured out what I want to read next. it's weird not being in school and not reading anything. I think the problem is my books are a mess right now, so finding one would take time, and the library isn't being heated right now.

#135: I have read the first three 39 clues books...they are very light and fast reads, your kids may enjoy them, kirby.

I've finished Enchanted Glass which was everything I've come to expect from a Diana Wynne Jones novel. Some days I just wish she could go on writing forever because I know eventually she's not going to be able to anymore and that makes me very sad.

Next up will probably either be Will Grayson, Will Grayson or trying to get back into Nation since I still have yet to finish it.

I'm reading Water for Elephants, and The Penelopiad. I suspect I'll finish the The Penelopiad first.

but you'll remember Water for Elephants longer.

AH-HAHAHAHAHA!
I crack me up :)

Good thing you're not an egg!!! :oP

I'm still working on The Creation of Eve and White Fang and just today started The Demigod Files

MsDonna, do you get this fun stuff all the time or are we the lucky ones that are subjected blessed by MrA's wit? 8D

Finished The Intimate Ape, check out my review.

I'm reading Little Brother right now. I like it, but it's making me a little paranoid about personal security! :-)

I finished The Strain and I thought it was really good (but I don't think I really appreciated it as much because maybe it wasn't the type of story I needed right now, am I making sense?), I started Chocolat and even though I have read only the first chapter I must say I am really liking it.

Finished Shades of Grey. Meh. I think Fforde is good at word play and references, not so great at world-building.

Not sure what to read next.

3147 - No! I'm similarly 'blessed'.

I'm still reading How to Cook Everything. I really, really want my own copy of this book now. And I'm listening to Dance Hall of the Dead.

I can't wait to read post # 3147.

I`ve just started reading "Tomorrow when the war began" by John Marsden (Norsk: I morgen,da krigen kom). It`s interesting!

The Lightning thief and Drums of Autumn

Yay, Mandy! I hope you find Lightning Thief entertaining.

Yay Mandy!

I can't even begin to say how jealous I am of you and espy, foggi. All those ARCs! ;)

my mom lent me Fool, so I finially have something picked to start reading.

just finished reading (and reviewing) Her Fearful Symmetry, which I stayed up until 1a.m to finish. Loved it.

Am now trying to decide what to follow... Have narrowed down to the Children's Book, Lady Elizabeth, or a Jane Austen...

>#155: It's not bad, is it?

Just finished Out of the Silent Planet, and i want to staple Clive. Next: something relatively high on mount toobie, for safety reasons.

#161: Does that mean you didn't like it? I thought it was okay, although I only got a couple chapter into Perelandra before I got bored with it.

Out of the Silent Planet was better than Perelandra. Frankly, anything was better than Perelandra. I didn't think it was possible to use so many pages to write about Adam and Eve. I remember I did like the idea of floating islands. That Hideous Strength was good, in an apocalyptic way, but I read the series when I was a depressed teenager, no telling whether I would still like it today.

#161

No:P I`m done reading it now and i really enjoyed it:)

Finished Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay earlier this week, and have already passed it along to an expectant friend for some good laughs.

I started reading When You Are Engulfed In Flames this morning for my February book club read, but as it's an essay collection, I'll likely start a novel soon (maybe even today...).

I started The Manhattan Prophet last night.

Have now started The Children's Book.

I gave up on The Eye of the World and started An Instance of the Fingerpost.

Miss Hargreaves which is hilarious and a whole lot of Sherlock Holmes and some dramaturgy on the history of the television

I started Endymion Spring at lunch today. I'm not very far into it, but so far it's good.

I'm reading According to Jane, an early reviewer book from last fall that just arrived. I have so many things I want to be reading right now that it's hard to choose what to read next.

Ooo, Grk, I liked that one a lot! I thought it quite original.

I just finished re-reading Deathly Hallows, and started Asking the Right Questions.

#151 LG:
I can sadly agree with that.

#159 rissa:
Oh! I can't wait to hear what you think of it! I haven't read it but plan to get it after it's in paperback.

Right now I'm not one hundred percent positive of what I want to read next, but I'm really leaning toward Dear John.

I've finished The Penelopiad and am continuing on my re-read of The Lovely Bones.

I borrowed the Penelopiad and finished most of it tonight. Quick read!

>#162/163: Silent Planet was ok but disappointing after Til we have Faces. I think i'll leave it a while before continuing the series.

#173 - Such as why did (insert name of beloved character) die? ;)

#177: (insert name of beloved character) dies??????? NOOOO!! Way to spoil a book, ejj! ;)

poor Mr Character.

Finished An Instance of the Fingerpost - brilliant! Absolute must read. Now I have a new author to follow.

#179: What?! Mr Character dies too?

I'm reading Don't Bother Me Mom--I'm Learning! It's interesting, but sorely in need of a good proofreader and editor.

#181 -- There's something sad and ironic about a badly-edited, error-filled book on education. (I haven't read that one specifically, but I have come across that sort of thing before.)

Is it bad that I've read a couple of books recently and can't remember them?

Currently the one's I can remember (that I'm reading):
Alcatraz verses the Scrivener's Bones
Chamber of Secrets (yest still working on that, I've been too busy)
The Spark (2 more chapters to go. At this point you're supposed to read 1 chapter a week.)

Finished The Creation of Eve and The Demigod Files this week. I'm still working on White Fang though.

I'm reading The Graveyard Book and it's awesome!

#177-179 & 181: LOL

LG, I loved that one! :)

#185: I have that one in my TBR pile, let me know what you thought of it LG

I finished Chocolat which I loved, and I am now reading Fragile Things

I finished Fool and liked it a lot. It was a captivatingly fun read.

I think I might try to find my copy of The Graveyard Book to read next.

#188 - Oh Ron, I loved Chocolat too! I highly recommend the sequel, The Girl with No Shadow.

I'm very much enjoying Endymion Spring, although it's desperately making me want to go back to Oxford!!

The Graveyard Book was great! JP and I listened to Neil Gaiman read it for the first few chapters, and then we took the book out of the library to read the rest of it. Then we bought the book. ;)

I just finished The Thirteenth Tale. This is the first book I've finished this year (I've been slacking). But it was a great first book of the year.

I went to the bookstore last night and bought Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, The Looking Glass Wars, and Assassin's Apprentice. Then at the library book sale I got All Quiet on the Western Front, Mrs. Mike, and Sarah's Key. I already finished the Sweetness book - what a fun series. Just what I needed.

I love The Looking Glass Wars!

I finished The Lovely Bones and started on We Need To Talk About Kevin.

I started Everlost yesterday. I should be done with that within a couple days hopefully. Then I will read The Lovely Bones.

*whispers*
Pssssst, it's February. ;)

Conventional consmenshional !