July 2010 Reading

I gave up on Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel and put it in my Yuck, Quit, Ptooey category.

Reading Courage of Falcons by Holly Lisle, Earth Abides by Stewart and listening to Guns, Germs and Steel.

Might give up on Guns, Germs and Steel as well. Tedious. There is some interesting stuff but he repeats himself far too much. He tells you what he's going to tell you, tells you, then summarizes what he told you. And I swear if he uses the term "for example" one more time, I'll pull my hair out.

I adore that category "Yuck, Quit, Ptooey category" - I may have to steal it

Glad you like it. :)

I found "Quit" just didn't quite express how I felt about the books. Something really has to be awful for me to quit reading it.

As I contemplate packing up books I realize I want a special stash of the way too many books I have started and may wish to pick up before all the book boxes are unpacked. Here is a partial list of the books I am holding out of boxes:

The Discovery of France - a historical geography

In the Company of Crows and Ravens - local naturalists writing about my favorite birds

The Imperial Cruise about a delegation sent to the far east by President Teddy Roosevelt

My Antonia for my book group's read, coming up

Majestrum current book group read

to-do-list an amusing book to keep me sane

The Weather of the Pacific Northwest - just because

The Big Burn a local history book, touching on the area where my father grew up

and of course, two audio books and several more in my precious Kindle.

Do you think I have enough to read for July?

Maggie - as someone in the end throw's of packing/moving (one week til the move) I suggest packing a few in the last few boxes that will remain "easy to get at" just in case :)

I finished Shadow's Return last night, so I'm starting on The White Road, and I'm still reading First Language Acquisition.

My list of current reads:

All the Pretty Horses
1001 Arabian Nights
Rousseau's Confessions
I Promessi Sposi
Le Morte d'Arthur
D'Aulaires' Greek Myths
Thomas Jefferson

Hopefully I'll tackle Siddhartha this month .

Just finished The Time of Terror - fun little summer read although sadly, not as sea-faring focused as I had hoped for.

I'm reading Salt: A World History and this TMJ Workbook I've been reading forever.

I was a little unsure of In The Company of Crows and Ravens when I first started it, but the more I read, the better I liked it. I quoted the great poem by Doug Anderson in my review. They're magical creatures who should help you get through your moving month.

>#7 1001 Arabian Nights and D'Aularies' Greek Myths are both great.

While searching through my house for something to read, I came upon my mother's Stephan King collection. I am now reading Carrie, The Shining, and will soon start the Dark Tower Seris.

Librarychild: It's taking forever to get through the Arabian Nights, but definitely worth it. D'Aulaires' Greek Myths is a *must* for any self-respecting Classicist's child's bookshelves!

scaifea: Completely true on both accounts.

Finished D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths and now ready to start The Wheel on the School.

Re-reading White Fang. I loved it when I was young and want to see how I like it 30 years later.

Yuck, Quit, Ptooey

You know that's going to wind up on my blog eventually Morphy.

Oh scaifea!! How I love The Wheel on the School. I think I took it out from our school library almost once a month when I was little. And last year I saw it at a book sale and snatched it up right away, it was a library edition and brought back so many wonderful memories. I plan on reading it this summer too.

I've finished The Race to the End and The Holly-Tree Inn, both of which I enjoyed very much and am now just starting Good Omens, my first Terry Pratchett, but fourth Neil Gaiman book. I'm also reading Edward Wilson of the Antarctic in my Antarctic armchair explorations.

Stabbity-stab, now Yuck, Quit, Ptooey! What will you steal from me next?

At least you give me credit.

*sniffs*

Always give credit to the people you swipe borrow things from, LOL.

I am on the last CD of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane and had to drag myself out of my parked car because I wanted to sit and listen to the end of the book. I have a couple of longish errands tomorrow so hopefully I'll hear the end of it.

Brief summary: PhD candidate in Mass. is researching witches, of whom one is her great- great- great-grandmother (no idea how many greats to put in that list), and she unearths some fascinating stuff, including some strange happenings in her very own life. This is not "great literature" as it is a bit predictable in spots but it does have some fascinating stuff about the witch hysteria in Puritan colonies and some good feminist talk about the benefits of wise women healers. I recommend it to people who have no objection to believing in benign witches; and are understanding that this may all have to do with not wanting women to have too much power.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane keeps popping up on LT. Sounds good...

Yup, my library has it. I just requested the audiobook.

I like witch stuff so downloaded The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane to my Nook, I just finished Good Omens and am starting on an Early Readers book, Secret Keepers.

About 20 pages into Last Tango in Aberystwyth by Malcolm Pryce. They are truly funny and surreal narratives. If anyone loves Terry Pratchett or Monty Python, then do give the Aberystwyth series a try.

I had recently finished the Physick Book of Deliverance Dane - nice little light summer read - what Maggie said :)

Another thumbs up for The Wheel on the School from me! Very sweet story.

I'm very disappointed. I wanted so much to like Dead Until Dark. It was fun and interesting, but I do not like explicitly described sex in my stories, so it was ruined for me. Ah well. I'll get on with Good Omens to restore my humor.

Now reading the second book of the Dark Tower Series.

I've just started The Big Book of Jewish Conspiracies.

and now on to House of Leaves because it's the only book in the house left - not packed

I did finish listening to The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane and I especially enjoyed listening to the afterword by Katherine Howe about her research into the witches of Salem. She actually is descended from one who lost her life in that hysteria.

Next up on the audio agenda while driving back and forth to and from my niece's: Rainwater by Sandra Brown.

Still working on Majestrum and expect to finish reading it sometime this week. Perhaps then it will be time to go back to reading the next book after Hunger Games anticipating book three being available in August.

Finished The Wheel on the School; ready to start Invincible Louisa tomorrow.

For audio I've decided to go with Dragon Age: The Calling. Can't get enough of Ferelden and its Greywardens.

Morphy, FWIW, I almost didn't finish Wolf Hall either. I think it's way overrated. (See my review if you care why I think this.) And I love Yuck, Quit, Ptooey!

Anyhoo, I just finished an LT'ers book, which wasn't bad for something self-published, but I don't know what I'm going to read next. I might finally read Infinite Jest. (Unless it ends up in my Yuck, Quit Ptooey! pile.)

Just finished Altered Carbon which I really loved, and now about to start The Last Stormlord

I'm reading The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant, acquired at an FOL sale for no good reason. But my instinct was sound; I'm really enjoying it.

Well, when I click on Yuck, Quit, Ptooey in the OP I get my own library.

36> ditto! Weird...

so does that mean everyone thinks our libraries are Yuck, Quit, Ptooey?

I don't know how to fix it.

Here's Morphy's Quit, Yuck, Ptooey

>39 Morphidae: click the "permanent link" link at the bottom of your catalog to get a link that works for others

Thanks!

ETA: Okay, should be fixed. Also changed my profile so my Read in 2010 points to the right place. It's only been wrong since... 2009. Heh.

38> Then I'm proud of some of the phlegm on my shelves :-Þ

I was wondering about that. Thought Morphy was playing a funny on me. LOL.

Started MISSION OF HONOR by David Weber yesterday. Wanted some sci-fi while sitting through a medical procedure that lasted four and a half hours.

#31 scaifea, are you reading through my library? ;)

LOL! We do share a good amount of books, don't we? I like your style, lady! I'm reading through a few children's books awards lists (Newbery, Caldecott, NEH Children's Classics, plus 1001 Children's Books...), so that's what I've mostly been listing here lately.

I've currently put off reading Little Women in favor of Aliens Above, Ghost Below mostly because we're interviewing Barry Taff for our show tomorrow night. Contained in this book is an anecdotal account of the case which became the novel and film, The Entity, which is really what first piqued my interest in the actual study of the paranormal. I so wanted to be in the parapsychology department at UCLA, but it was gone by the time I was of college age, unfortunately.

I finished Secret Keepers by Mindy Friddle and liked it very much, and thought of you, Mrs. Lee. It's a book about life, mental illness, death and sex where the most graphic descriptions are botanical. In describing the "brazen ruses of orchids to lure pollinators" a character wonders "You've never seen such commitment to living...to multiplying. It never ceases to amaze me the shows they put on. All that finery to entice pollinators. Flowers are scented, glowing, magnificent reproductive organs."

LOL, what a combination! I love Georgia O'Keefe artwork, too. ;)

I'm reading the hilarious Michael Ian Black's My Custom Van: and 50 other mind blowing essays that will blow your mind all over your face.

Now there's a name for Morphy's new list:
1001 non-fiction books to read that will blow your mind all over your face

Just finished a report on the future of the Greenlandic library system, so my July readings have mostly been non-fiction about Greenland and library. But now that the report has been turned in I have time for some fiction again. So was a great surprise that New Mercies by Sandra Dallas arrived from Amazon yesterday, so I am reading that now

MISSION OF HONOR by David Weber. I needed a sci-fi break.

THE CRUSADES: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land by Thomas Asbridge. Think I need to watch The Holy Grail now. NEE!

The Red House Mystery by A A Milne is next up

My bookbook is Heresy: a Thriller by Stephanie Merritt, a Tudor-era mystery, which seems a bit derivative and is a bit of a slog at present; my eBook is Trevor's Song by Susan Helene Gottfried, a novel by an online friend about a heavy-metal rock band (which is turning out to be much more compelling than expected); and my audiobook is Good Omens, which I will start later today.

Finished Invincible Louisa and getting ready to start The Witches.

I finished Magyk by Angie Sage. Now i'm on five books at the same time! It's hard because most of my books are really long books so it takes a while to read them. Even though I'm kind of a fast reader.

I really like the Angie Sage series. I'm looking forward to the next one, although I can't remember the title.

I just finished Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel and I'm reading The Endurance right now for book club this month.

I've finished up several books, all very good: Starclimber (the last of the Airborn books), Three Men in a Boat (I loved the bits of history and travelogue alongside the funny anecdotes) and Natural Acts (a reread). Now on to The Hunger Games.

Finished The Witches this afternoon (great read!) and will start Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates probably tomorrow.

Just finished The Last Stormlord which I really enjoyed, and am about to begin Consider Phlebas.

Reading Overcoming Your Strengths and The Wisdom of Teams for work. In rebellion, I just finished Soulless, The Silver Door, and The High King's Tomb.

I feel much saner now.

I finished off my Early Reviewer copy of Dark and Stormy Knights yesterday and started Fang by James Patterson.

Also switching off with my re-read of the Cardcaptor Sakura: Master of the Clow series.

Yesterday, at my library thing book group meeting I purchased My Life in France for my Kindle. Wow, so much fun to realize I needed to buy the book for next month's meeting and to be able to do it without leaving the current discussion of Majestrum. I came home, crawled into bed and started reading about Julia Child's life. Fun, fun, fun!

#64 - I truly enjoyed that one too, Maggie.

Currently reading The Tent, the Bucket and Me by Emma Kennedy

Received my copy of The Witch Doctor's Wife by Tamar Myers and am happily reading it, but I got distracted by watching The IT Crowd last night. I needed the laughter.

Finished Hans Brinker and have started Dobry.

Finished The Hunger Games which was really good, but now I need some rest from all that action. I picked up Buffalo Gals and Other Animal Presences by Ursula Le Guin, but found out I'd already read most of the short stories in other anthologies so that didn't take long. So I've decided to read Touch not the Cat.

I hope you love it! (shhhh - I do)

Really enjoyed The Witch Doctor's Wife. Great insight into life in the Belgian Congo just before independence came, without being too much of a downer.

Today I've begun Dracula's Guest edited by Michael Sims. I'm only in his introduction and I really like it. He writes a great introduction and has me eager to read on. My bookmark for this one was made for me by one of my children in Sunday School. It is covered with crucifix stickers.

Crucifix stickers on a bookmark for a book about vampires. lol

Perfect!

Back on a Harry Dresden fix for the next couple of books. I'm about halfway through Proven Guilty.

Be careful, MrsLee. If you notice the words fading from the pages of your book, you might want to try an different book mark.

I've been on a teen book binge lately. I've read The Emperor's Code, The Girl Who Could Fly, The Last Thing I Remember and The Wednesday Wars lately. Channeling my inner teen angst or something, I don't know. Or maybe it's too hot to read anything that takes much brain power. Escapism is what I need.

I'm reading The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey by Spencer Wells.

Irredeemable vol. 1 by Mark Waid. Incorruptible and Irredeemable are one of my favourite graphic works coming out at the moment. I think they'd make a great television run with dual story-lines.

Finished Gaslight Dogs by Karin Lowachee - viciously powerful, many layered, and not for the simplistically faint of heart. I hope to see the sequel, one day. This author always handles issues with the gloves off, and takes it somewhere purposeful.

I'm just starting The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt, it's kind of a fictional biography of Nicolas Tesla with time travel thrown in. Had to postpone the pleasure for a couple of hours because Prairie Home Companion is on and it's the summer reading show. If you want to listen after today you can check in the archives http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs/

Yesterday I read The Matchlock Gun (a short, enjoyable read) and I'll be starting Matilda this morning, as part of my quest to read all of Dahl.

Just moved on to Naked Prey by John Sandford

>29 evedeve: Just purchased and started reading "House of Leaves." Pretty spooky so far. evedeve how do you like it?

>78 JannyWurts: Janny, Karin Lowachee is a new author for me....thanks for the heads up. The Warchild Series sounds good too.

#83 - KAzevedo - Warchild is wonderful. It's the mildest work in that edgy triplet - the books each standalone, the links between them are not sequential. It's fine book to try to see if you like Lowachee's work.

Finished THE LAST STAND: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn by Nathaniel Philbrick last night. A good read. Even someone like me who loves history can find some authors/historians tedious and boring. Not the case here. Philbrick's style keeps moving along and is easy on the eyes. I enjoyed his previous work MAYFLOWER: A Story of Courage, Community, and War.

Now starting PARTY OF ONE: The Loners' Manifesto by Anneli Rufus. This looks interesting.

I finished Good Omens (a reread) a couple days ago.

I just finished reading The Wind Up Bird Chronicle last night. How to describe the book... I'm a hardcore Murakami fan but I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone as a first read from the author. This book is difficult to read. It blends modern day reality with scenes from World War II. The violence is described in detail. Some of it was horrifying enough to make me consider stopping the book altogether. I wish I could say I understood the reason for the violence in the book. While I "kinda" get it, I can't say for sure what place it had in the novel. Add that to the loose ends at the end of the book...meh.

Finished Matilda (one of my favorite of Dahl's so far), read one called Lavender's Blue (a collection of nursery rhymes, many that I'd never even hear of before, wonderfully illustrated), and have started Ginger Pye.

Oh, my. I remember reading the Eleanor Estes books when I was young - we're talking the 1950s here! - and loving them. I hope you enjoy Ginger Pye.

Started reading last night Julia's Kitchen Wisdom: Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking. So much more practical than buying the great huge earlier tomes. This book is a scant 140 pages and has totally essential recipes and some good hints. Horray!

Finished Ginger Pye, which I very much enjoyed, and now on to The White Stag.

Just finished Consider Phlebas which I have mixed feelings about and now moving on to epic fantasy The Name of the Wind.

scaifea I love your summer reading. Everytime you post you make me smile with happy memories.

I am now reading The War Memoir of (HRH) Wallis, Duchess of Windsor by Kate Auspitz. I'm really enjoying this, she says the most outrageous things in this work of fiction. It's delightful.

majkia, we did a group read on The Name of the Wind (okay, WHY are the touchstones not working???) I'll see if I can find the thread for you. You're in for a treat. I sure wish the second book would come out, it's looooong overdue!

eta: Here it is: http://www.librarything.com/topic/46057 Be careful though, this is the spoiler thread.

katylit: Oh, I'm glad! I'll soon be caught up with the pile of kid's books I've accumulated, though, then it'll be back to my other already-in-progress books, and the kid's books will be more scattered. In the meantime, however...

finished The White Stag (much darker and stranger than I expected from this little volume) and will start Esio Trot today.

thank you for the thread headses upses katylit. I'll make sure to take a look as I get further into Name of the Wind.

Finished Esio Trot and also polished off The Moffats today. Next up: Thimble Summer.

finished Matterhorn late last night... off to umpire softball today (yuck 100+ temps), started Sun Over Breda by Arturo Perez-Reverte and will probably finish it tonight as it looks like a light read.

I'm reading Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb and I'm really enjoying it (in that usual kind of depressing way - though there are some true moments of heartwarming in this one *sigh*). I still don't know where the title came from.

I also enjoyed it; and I think the Haven is the goal they are all working towards...What do you think?

Well, that's what I figure, but it seems an odd title, given that I'm pretty sure they're not going to find it in this book. Then again, I could be wrong. I haven't finished it yet.

Finished Thimble Summer and read The Vicar of Nibbleswicke yesterday; now on to a re-read from long ago: The Black Stallion.

Oh! The Black Stallion was a huge favorite of mine "back in the day".

Just finished Brave New World and now pondering what to move onto

Just finished The War Memoir of (HRH) Wallis, Duchess of Windsor which was so much fun, lots of laugh-out-loud moments, which you wouldn't think there would be, considering the topic, but really - very good book. Now I'm reading The Uninvited by Tim Wynne-Jones a YA supernatural/mystery/cottage country book - perfect light summer reading.

WHAT am I doing wrong that the touchstones don't work for me??? argh >:-(

I'm enjoying Death by Black Hole.

I'm reading my ER book, The Inheritance, by Simon Tolkien. It's quite readable, but not gripping for some reason. Could just be my mood, but I think it's that I'm not really into any of the characters.

#105 Most of the books I put down without finishing are those whose characters I can't seem to connect with. Don't care how interesting the theory of the book, or how good the writing, if I don't care about the characters I don't much like the book.

I finished Touch not the Cat which I really enjoyed. One of the few books I've read with a touch of the gothic in it and I'd like to try more. I kept thinking this one would have been perfect reading for winter time which is funny because I took it with me when we went camping for a couple of days and the weather was hot and beautiful and the river invigorating. Each time I snapped out of the story I was back in the hot sun which was a bit disorienting.

Now back to edge of my seat non-stop excitement with Catching Fire, the second Hunger Games book.

Will be starting on The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard this evening

Finished PARTY OF ONE: The Loners' Manifesto and glad I read it. All my life I've been mis-labeled, called anti-social, and whispered about that that I'll climb a tower with a rifle one day. All because I prefer my own company or that of people I select, not what the gregarious mob pushes on me.

I know that folks here understand. Readers engage in a solitary activity that seems to really irritate those who don't get it.

I am in your tribe, too. After a while, I must get away from people, shut my door and be with just myself. I do tolerate the dogs I live with, but sometimes I even like getting away from them. I like the anonymity of a coffee shop or a bookstore. Ah....quiet.

The folks who see me at mental health don't seem to get it either. When asked who is my best friend I tell them it's my cat Germanicus. I have to be very careful with what I say to them sometimes, which is unfortunate.

Semantics! Of all the people who you call friend...can you call one the best in that collection?

True. But Germanicus is the one who "selected" me. He's the one who waits for me every night and curls up with me as I read at bedtime. The others have never done this. The others seek affection and wander off, he seeks my company.

I hear ya Sarge...and frankly sometimes animals are the best support/friends - they don't judge they just snuggle lovingly which is sometimes the best cure-all going.

as for books I've moved onto one by Simon R. Green - Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth - It's one of the Nightside books - dark and moody

#111 - OldSarge - (off topic for books, but..) did you know that they are now training service dogs for PTS veterans? I read an amazing article on that in the paper a few weeks ago. The story was very moving.

I started Vellum: The Book of All Hours by Hal Duncan. about 30 pages in, I had no idea what was going on. The plot was skipping around way too much. I quit reading to go look on bn.com for reviews. The average was two stars. So I quit it and started a reread of Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier. My forum handle, Darragh, comes from one of the main characters in the book.

I totally understand how pets can be best friends. My little dog is twelve now and she's developing various health problems, as well as being very lethargic. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to enjoy her presence, but I'm trying to give her extra love now while I can.

I used to get such grief from my family because I could sink so deep into a book I would lose track of anything and everything around me. I'm not quite that bad anymore, but I would still rather read a good book than watch TV. And my personal time is sacrosanct, not to be interrupted by the outside world. Complete in and of myself, which some people consider anti-social, but which I consider whole.

We have a gamut here in my home. My son is definitely the most social of us all. Friends are very important to him. If he goes too many days without a friend, his spirits just sink. Fortunately, he makes friends easily and is happy to do things with his sisters or with us. He is a party animal.

I'm probably the next in the line - I love a good party, I love my friends, but sometimes I just want to be alone and read.

Everyone else, my husband and two daughters, are more reserved. My oldest daughter only has a couple of friends and would be happy having all her interactions online. But I can see that she is lonely. She's just so shy that it's hard, even painful for her to reach out.

If you are perfectly content being on your own, I don't have a problem with that. But then there's the problem of when you are not really content, but don't have the faintest idea of how to make friends or deal with a social situation. That's what we're struggling with.

Back to the books - I just finished Frankenstein and couldn't believe how lame it was. I read Dracula earlier this year and liked it a lot, but this was long-winded, predictable, and I couldn't stand Victor Frankenstein. What an idiot. I wanted the monster to kill him already.

I felt the same way about Frankenstein.

Thank you! I'm glad it wasn't just me!

I have a whole lotta dishes to wash, so I've put A Basque History of the World on my iPod. Now I'm finding myself making excuse to stay in the kitchen and listen.

#118 - Me too on the Dracula/Frankenstein vote. I think you just spoke my thoughts exactly!

Oh, and I finished reading The Inheritance, by Simon Tolkien (hurray for the work # stick thingy, it just changed that touchstone from Eragon to the correct book!). It was a 3 star read. Readable, not really memorable.

I am a slow reader, but can't wait to read the next one on my list, so end up reading more than one book at a time. Right now I am reading Merlin's Dragon, Sworn to Silence, All the Way Home, and The Shunning. As you can see I have diverse interests! LOL

Finished The Black Stallion, read The Black Stallion Returns, and now reading Call It Courage.

I'm partway into Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews. I'm enjoying it so far.

About 200 pages left to go in The Belgariad vol. 2. It's flawed but there is something to be said for holding my interest this long.

Finished Call It Courage and now on to The Minpins.

I am now reading this book and would love to share thoughts if you are interested!! Just started it.

Quailjulia

Re Dragon Haven, I'm still waiting for the Kindle edition price to go down. The price fix scheme is idiotic. You can get the hardback for less than the $14.99 they want for the ebook. I bought the first book in the series for $7.99 when it was new, now even that ebook is $12.99. What do they take us for?

I'm still reading Infinite Jest and loving it.

130 - The same jokers who have to pat $25 *on special* for it. Normal price: $36

Finished The Minpins, read The Cabin Faced West and Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes; now in the middle of Cheaper by the Dozen.