What are you reading? Showing 901-950 of 1,941

[Rebekah]

I haven't finished the other books though, but I'm reading Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. I'm pre-reading it for my little sister. I guess I can say that it's... interesting... so far.

[Jenni]

Awww, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator is fun. :)

[Katie]

Katie's library doesn't have any comics to speak of. Or Terry Pratchett. (I think I saw "I shall wear midnight" once, but that's it.) Katie's library is rather pathetic, all told.

[Theodora]

I finally finished another book. *falls over*

[Rebekah]

Jenni wrote: "Awww, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator is fun. :)"

I'm hoping that I like it. The depiction of the political leaders was getting to me a bit though. :D

[Jenni]

Well I can always check out Pratchett books off the Overdrive eBook system.

[Katie]

It's a really lame library.

[[deleted user]]

*covers Renna up with a blanket and lets her rest*

[Jenni]

I keep trying to read Wyrd Sisters today but it's been too busy. ANd then my phone ran out of battery. Oh well. After it charges maybe I'll finish it tonight.

[Elisabeth]

We've been on vacation this week, so I've done a fair amount of reading—finished up A Time To Stand, read Kathleen Norris' short novella The Treasure in a morning, and then read (and have reviewed) The Art of the Epigraph while relaxing out on the pool deck.

Next, I've got a mystery on my Kindle that looks good—The Governess by Evelyn Hervey.

[Kaleb]

I've been reading the Astro City comic books, and they're really good.

[Jenni]

Oooh. I always saw those at my home library and never poked them. What're they about?

[Kaleb]

They're a love letter to classic superhero comics, basically, written when all the rage in comics was deconstruction, big guns, big muscles, sex, and violence.

A lot of the stories are one-shots, or short arcs following different people as Busiek tells the stories that fall through the cracks in most superhero comic stories. The recently divorced father who moves to a new city with his girls, and worried about the future and their safety in a superhero filled city, but decides to stay after seeing the values the city lives. The 8 year old girl from a superhero family who knows just about all you can know about energy and computers, but doesn't know how to play hopscotch or what regular life is. The top-tier superhero struggling because there's never enough time. The doorman at a hotel who loves living in Astro City and helping people where they want to go, and had his own moment of being a superhero. A masked crimefighter forced to make a decision when he learns his wife is pregnant and he is attacked by two different possibilities of what his son may become, and heart broken by a third. Then there are the more traditional ones, too. A new sidekick struggles to make sense of the job of being a superhero as public sentiment turns against superheroes.
This is some of what Neil Gaiman had to say about in the introduction to volume two (Confession): Astro City is what would have happened if those old comics with their fine simplicities and their primal, four-color characters, had been about something. Or rather, it assumes they were about something, and tells you the tales that, on the whole, slipped through the cracks.

[[deleted user]]

Ooh. Now that sounds intriguing.

[Kaleb]

They're fantastic. Busiek is a great writer, and the artists are brilliant. The superheroes are recognizable archetypes, but they're different. The Confessor, for example, is the best character in the Batman archetype I've seen. Not the best Batman imitator. The best. I like Confessor better than Batman.
Seriously. A priest who succumbed to temptation and ended up a vampire, and then decided to become a crime fighter to have a chance to interact with humanity again, and wears a cross on his chest so that the pain would keep him focused and prevent the blood-lust from taking over. How can you beat that?

[[deleted user]]

Dude.

[Kaleb]

I know. And his costume is fantastic.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IG5SaIpXhCI...

[Jenni]

I've got to read this now...

[Katie]

Yeah, me too. I've never heard such a good book pitch. O.O

[Kaleb]

Excellent! I was hoping some other people would read them. I've only found one other person to geek out about it with.

[Katie]

Finished "People of Sparks." It wasn't as good as City of Ember, but it got better by the end. Not sure what to go on to next...

[[deleted user]]

*still needs to read the rest of the Ember series* *is hesitant because she's content with the first book*

I beta-read Grace Pennington's upcoming book yesterday. It's the second in the Firmament series. I'll be able to log it when it's published later this year, God willing. For now I will just say... OH MY THAT WAS EVEN BETTER THAN BOOK 1 AND OHHH THAT ONE GUY IS SO ADORABLE SPARE ME!

Don't ask. I can't tell you until it's released...

[Jenni]

I'm reading The Peculiar Sadness of Lemon Cake. I've been meaning to read it for a while and I checked it out from my library on my phone.

[[deleted user]]

Now there's a title. o.O

[Jenni]

I *know*. I found it recommended on some news article about "if you liked these cancelled tv shows you will like these books" in connection with Pushing Daisies.

[[deleted user]]

I still need to watch that, don't I...

[Jenni]

YES YOU DO. IT IS ADORBS. also it has the guy who plays Thranduil in the Hobbit as the lead and he is very cute as the lead in Pushing Daisies.

[Katie]

I'm reading Things Not Seen.

[Jenni]

After which I shall decide whether to read it. :D

[Elisabeth]

Finished The Governess—a light, not-too-challenging historical mystery. Now going to read The Gabriel Hounds by Mary Stewart

[[deleted user]]

I just bought "The Lone Ranger" by Fran Striker, and Eragon and Eldest by Paolini.

[Jonathan]

At the beginning of the year, some of you may recall, I ha a glut of books to get through, between Christmas presents an a stack my family was lent for a couple of months. A couple of weeks ago my parents decided to order (from an online discount bookstore or equivalent, I gather) another stack of books, which I have more slowly been making my way through. I might do another "review of recent books" blog post, except that I don't have as many firm thoughts yet.

My mom also pulled an old favorite off the shelf: a book of poems (and copious illustrations!) about cats: Cats Are Cats. (Which makes me want to reread Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats ...)

[Jenni]

I have a three hour car trip today to Nashville to go to the Neil Gaiman booksigning... the debate is: do I knit or do I finish reading The Peculiar Sadness of Lemon Cake? (Or the Ocean at the End of the Lane? which I'm also half way through)

[Elisabeth]

Goodness, you people who can read in the car are so lucky. I can't even glance at a page of type without immediately getting carsick. :)

[Faith]

I am currently reading "Chancy" by Louis L'Amour as research (and pleasure reading) for my book.

[Jenni]

Well... I was too antsy to read much anyway. I talked to Katie in the car instead. XD And I finished the scarf. But I think I did read a little of The Peculiar Sadness of Lemon Cake.

BUT I WENT TO THE SIGNING AND IT WAS GOOD and i was sort of nervous but that was okay too. I'm still in a bit of a shock.

[Katie]

I rather suddenly read "The Emperor's Soul" in it's entirety. Now going back to "Things Not Seen."

[Jenni]

I want to read that too. I read a bit over her shoulder and it was good.

[Katie]

Or not. I'm now reading "Three Parts Dead" instead. I might actually finish all my Hugo books by the voting deadline at this rate. I want to get to "American Gods" at some point too.

[M F]

Just read Red Dragon. Wow. There is a lot of grossness in that.

[Katie]

And finished "Three Parts Dead." That book was /strange./ Also strangely compelling in spite of it. Very well written. No clue what I'm going to do next. I suppose I should make another effort at "Things Not Seen."

[Jenni]

I want to read Three Parts Dead now...

[M F]

Corey wrote: "Hannibal Lecter always equals grossness. :)"
You can say that again...

I'm now reading The Great Gatsby. I have a whole pile of books to get through this weekend and I've got into a habit of not reading anything so while I'm in a reading mood I shall try to do plenty of it. That is, until I reach the next reading slump...

[[deleted user]]

Got "The Lone Ranger" by Fran Striker in the mail yesterday. As soon as I finish the book that I'm reading now, I'll start on it.

BTW Aubrey, have you seen the trailer for HTTYD 2 yet?

[Jenni]

Is there an actual trailer? I just saw some things on Tumblr about how Hiccup seems to have grown up a bit. LOL

[[deleted user]]

Yeah, there's an actual trailer. It's just a teaser, but it's something. And yes, Hiccup has grown up a bit.

[[deleted user]]

I just got around to watching that tonight, actually. As a teaser trailer I found it kind of boring--there wasn't much there to latch onto--but I'm a huge fan of the franchise already so I'm going to see it irregardless of trailers. The final image with Hiccup looking so grown up kind of freaked me out, though. LOL

[M F]

Corey wrote: "Reading Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman."

I love that book!

[Jenni]

It's quite good. Anybody seen the BBC miniseries? It's on my list...

[Katie]

That's one of the ones I haven't read but want to. I read the Hunger Games, and I suppose I'm moving on to "Catching Fire" next. The title makes more sense having read the first one.