Jan 2013 - What are you reading & why?

[April]

Connie wrote: "Travis of NNY wrote: "A week into The Age of Innocenceand still only halfway so boring. I wish I could walk away from a book. it was the monthly read for my classic reading group and many have abon..."

I adore !

I hope you start feeling better soon! Migraines are awful!

[Dem]

Just finished The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne Great Read. This is my review;
www.goodreads.com/review/show/494180734

[Janice, Moderator]

Feel better Connie.

[Ava Catherine]

Thanks for the get well wishes. You are too kind. Cherie, you have picked a winner in The Book Theif.

[Chrissie]

Finished: The Map of Lost Memories: A Novel
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
A fun action novel, but not terribly much about the Khmer Empire, so not really what I expected.

I will start Sacred Hunger. This Booker Prize-winning work by Barry Unsworthy is about England and the slave trade.

[Lisa]

I have just finished . I gave it 4 stars because there were a couple of stories that I did not enjoy as much as the others but on the whole it was a great read and I enjoyed it a lot.

I have nearly finished which I am reading for the 'Read the Alphabet' challenge and it is pretty good.

Tonight I will be starting . Have been wanting to read this for a while and have heard such great things about it and I am so excited to begin reading it! :)

[Janice, Moderator]

Lisa wrote: "I have just finished Collected Ghost Stories. I gave it 4 stars because there were a couple of stories that I did not enjoy as much as the others but on the whole it was a great ..."

I have Anna Dressed in Blood on audiobook. I'll be starting it soon. Glad to hear that you are enjoying it.

[[deleted user]]

I've finished The Death of King Arthur: A New Verse Translation, my first 5star book of the year. It was always going to be fabulous and it lived up to expectation.

I've finished Never Hit a Jellyfish With a Spade: How to Survive Life's Smaller Challenges, for my alphabet B. Mildly amusing. patchy, as collecitons often are but had some real lol moments.

Now on Gallows Thief for my alphabet C,The Sunday Philosophy Club for my RL book club and listeneing to The Lady in the Tower in the car. I've taken to keeping one book in my handbag and the other at home. As long as they're sufficiently different, I'm managing OK.

[Janice, Moderator]

I've started listening to Eye of the Storm which was a giveaway for review from Audiobook Juke Box. So far, I'm enjoying it.

[Dem]

Just finished Maeve Binchy A Week in Winter This is my review.
www.goodreads.com/review/show/473028578

[Janice, Moderator]

Great looking books, Judy! Dare I say it? I see orange!

[Kimberly]

Looking forward to your thoughts on Over the Lip of the World: Among the Storytellers of Madagascar Judy. It looks really interesting :)

[Cherie]

Ahhh, more orange - my favorite color. I am reading . It is my C book for the Alphabet Challenge. Almost 2/3 of the way through. Very interesting writing and I love some of the examples and explainations presented as part of the story. The math skills are amazing. I also am hopefull that the police and social services have learned a lot more about how to handle these kinds of special needs folks better in the last 10 years.

[Kimberly]

I'm starting I love the cover and the premise plus I'll be using this for my Australia read in the Around the World Challenge.

[Chrissie]

Kimberly wrote: "Looking forward to your thoughts on Over the Lip of the World: Among the Storytellers of Madagascar Judy. It looks really interesting :)"

Judy, I am wondering if this is primarily a collection of stories or an in-depth look at their cultural beliefs? Could you tell me?

[[deleted user]]

I've finished:
Where'd You Go, Bernadette, for the monthly theme read here. not terribly impressed. Execution didn't live up to the story.


The Sunday Philosophy Club, which was quite fun. She'd a sort of Miss Marple type figure, only she's not as good at human nature as she thinks she is.

and Gallows Thief, which was somewhat outside Cornwell's usual style - not a battle in sight. but it was an ex army captain (swoon-tastic character) so not a million miles away. Has the feel of a series, but, to my knowledge, there's only the one.

Current read book is another alphabet book, D - Boy and Going Solo. Quite light so far, looks enjoyable.

[Mark]

So I read this one because it was high in the Kindle charts and getting great reviews...


To which I added mine...
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35...

I read Only the Innocent because it was a big Indie hit...

And I can see why, here's that review...
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13...

And I'm now about a third of the way into:


Just 'cos I love Jake Needham!

[Chrissie]

I just finished Sacred Hunger.
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I am going to stay in England and listen to St. Peter's Fair. The problem is the recording is very poor. I hope Audible can solve the problem for me. There seem to be two recordings with different release dates. I guess I got the wrong one. You hear voices in the background!

[Kimberly]

Since it's due back in 3 days I had to start and read more than 60% last night. Much better than I expected.

[Pragya]

Kimberly wrote: "Since it's due back in 3 days I had to start and read more than 60% last night. Much better than I expected."

Great you're liking it. I love her writing.

[Kimberly]

I like her writing too. I like that the book is quite dark :)

[[deleted user]]

Chrissie - I used to romp through Brother Cadfael books as a teen - it was a real treat to have a new one. Have you read any of the series to that point?
I love the way he came about. She's a historian by trade and wanted to write a story of the siege of Shrewsbury and needed someone to act as an impartial observer - so Cadfael was created. A double outsider, being both a monk and welsh - so had no vested interest in the affairs of men. The first book was written and that was going to be that, but he kept popping into other ideas, so gradually the series was created.

I've finished The Lady in the Tower today. OK, but certainly written for a young adult audience - the heroine made me want to throw things at the car stereo she was so obtuse at times. But it was sort of fun - especially as I've been to the castle in which the story was set.

[Kimberly]

I'm Starting and

[Janice, Moderator]

I finished (finally) Middlesex and Eye of the Storm. I have started (finally) my first alphabet book Any Known Blood: A Novel.

[Chrissie]

Janice, did you like Middlesex? I enjoyed the bits about Greek culture that were interwoven. Heavens, I read that ages ago!

[Janice, Moderator]

Chrissie wrote: "Janice, did you like Middlesex? I enjoyed the bits about Greek culture that were interwoven. Heavens, I read that ages ago!"

Here is my review.

I gave it 3 stars. I'm not a huge fan of family sagas (as I move right on into another one with Any Known Blood: A Novel). I would have preferred less time on the family history and more on the protagonist. I thought that the book ended abruptly when it could have gone on to his adjustment to life as a man.

[Chrissie]

Janice, we all react so differently! Boy does GR teach us that!

[Nicole]

I am reading A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. This one started out pretty strong for me...as in I liked it early on. I had hopes for a 5 star. But, unfortunately, 230 pages in, not likely going to be one. The writing is good and characters are strongly developed. However, I am experiencing a number of issues with it. I am really bummed. But I will continue on to the finish! (Which will take awhile as it is over 600 pages I believe)

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Is Owen a relation of yours Janice?

[Kimberly]

I'm reading

[Cherie]

Rusalka wrote: "Is Owen a relation of yours Janice?"

ROFL!!!!!

[Janice, Moderator]

Rusalka wrote: "Is Owen a relation of yours Janice?"

ROFL! Aren't you in the Meany family too?

[Janice, Moderator]

Chrissie wrote: "Janice, we all react so differently! Boy does GR teach us that!"

Re: Middlesex We had a really good discussion about the book at our bookclub meeting tonight. I think it was one of the better discussions.

I didn't dislike the book. I didn't like it as much as some books that I gave 4 stars to, so I couldn't give it 4 stars. If I could give 1/2 stars, I'd most likely rate it 3-1/2.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Janice wrote: "Rusalka wrote: "Is Owen a relation of yours Janice?"

ROFL! Aren't you in the Meany family too?"

I was hoping that would fly past...

[Rusalka, Moderator]

By the way Nicole, I do hope your book picks up again!

[Chrissie]

I finished St. Peter's Fair and I must highly recommend this!
My review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Now, finally, I like cozy, historical mysteries. There are so many more in this series left for me to read. I will be reading The Leper of Saint Giles as soon as I have a chance to download some books into my Ipod! I HAVE to read the two I already have there. This isn't terrible. I have started Pure. This is one of those books that the atmosphere of the place draws you in immediately. Paris, back in the end of the 1700s. OK, it is stinky, but it is still Paris, and Paris has a charm of its own, doesn't it?! I really am enjoying this.

I am slowly but surely getting through The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance. I read a chapter a day. It is impossible to read this without feeling you just might be sick! And you wash your hands incessantly. Maker sure you have a good supply of soap at home when you read this book.

[Shireen]

Hello All...

I'm new here... Desperately seeking to speak to ppl who have an avid love for reading and books.

I love reading a bit of everything, and tend to read two books at the same time.. currently I am reading The Keeping, by Nicky Charles, and The Sixth Covenant, by Bodie & Brock Thoene.

[Lynne]

Nicole wrote: "I am reading A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. This one started out pretty strong for me...as in I liked it early on. I had hopes for a 5 star. But, unfortunately, 230 pages in, not likely..."

I read this ages ago, and it was one of those books that made a huge impression on me. It was odd because I didn't particularly like the characters but something in th book grabbed me. It is worth continuing if you have the patience!

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Welcome Shireen! I think you have come to the right place!

[Kat]

Nicole wrote: "I am reading A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. This one started out pretty strong for me...as in I liked it early on. I had hopes for a 5 star. But, unfortunately, 230 pages in, not likely..."

I had exactly the same experience with this one, Nicole. I loved the first part (on audio), and then I got frustrated. Never finished it!

[Janice, Moderator]

Shireen wrote: "Hello All...

I'm new here... Desperately seeking to speak to ppl who have an avid love for reading and books.

I love reading a bit of everything, and tend to read two books at the same time.. cu..."

Hi Shireen! I'm glad that you have found us. We are a chatty bunch. Do check out the activities we have on the go and join in.

[Kimberly]

I finished last night and I started right after that.

[April]

Hi, Shireen! I'm glad you found us!

[Nicole]

Thanks, Rusalka, me too.

Yeah, Lynn it is going to take patience!

Kat- glad to know I am not the only one :)

I think I am going to have to start another read alongside of A Prayer for Owen Meany to get breaks from it. Otherwise, I am not sure if I would make it.

[cazdoll]

At the moment I'm enjoying :)

[Dem]

Just finished and really enjoyed
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
This is my review www.goodreads.com/review/show/504311317

[Shirley]

Caleb's Crossing



for the A - Z challenge of course. It gave me a moment of pause then it got really good.

[Shannon]

Well, until I can get my Kobo back up and running I think I will read a book my son brought home from school as required reading: Rabbit-Proof Fence: The True Story of One of the Greatest Escapes of All Time I have heard of it but have not read it before. They are doing a unit on residential schools (in Canada) but so far he has read a book about Greenland Eskimos being brought to a museum in New York and now this one set in Australia. The Greenland one is Smiler's Bones. My son felt that fictionalizing the boy's story trivialized what he went through.

[Janice, Moderator]

I think that's a great idea for kids to be reading about residential schools in Canada.

[Cherie]

Shannon wrote: "Well, until I can get my Kobo back up and running I think I will read a book my son brought home from school as required reading: Rabbit-Proof Fence: The True Story of One of the Greatest Escapes o..."

How old is your son, Shannon? Interesting books for required reading. What are residential schools (in Canada)? I marked both books to read and added them to my exponentially growing TBR list.