What Are You Reading Showing 951-1,000 of 6,935

[Seraphina]

Barbara that sounds like a nightmare bookclub. I can't handle chick lit at all. Do normal readers outnumber the chick lit fans there?

[I-like-to-read]

@ Susan - can you / do you speed read. That's a skill I'd love to learn.

Kate

[J.S.]

Susan wrote: "I just received word of one of the books I have to review this month. The new book by Sharon Kay Penman about Richard the Lionhearted. 700 pages. Why, oh why, do I never get the short ones?"

Short but adequate review:
Uses too many adverbs, tends toward purple prose.

[Sara]

So what are everyone's reading plans for the weekend (aside from Susan who I suspect will be bogged down in Richard the Lionhearted)?

As for me, I plan to finish Tales of the City by Armistead_Maupin before digging into my stack of books of 150 pages or less (progress on which has been woefully inadequate).

I also may break my self imposed ban on buying new books. My friend who works at the local independent bookstore was tweeting last night about how a book I've been looking forward to, What Makes This Book So Great) just got in. It's a collection of essays about science fiction and fantasy that were originally published on Tor.com (a site Declan and other science fiction fans should check out if they don't already know about it). While there I may also pick up Blood, Marriage, Wine, and Glitter and Stoner (I'm tired of being on hold at the library).

[Susan]

@JS, thanks. I've never read one of hers so that gives me an insight. Why are there so many long books lately-Elizabeth George, Amy Tan and now this? Is it an ego thing?

[Allan]

Reading wise, I'll be aiming to finish Red or Dead, the 700 page fictional account of ex Liverpool manager Bill Shankly's life after taking the job, written by David Peace. Now that I'm reaching the end, as it's in hardback, I'm breaking my wrist trying to hold it! I'll also be aiming to finish listening to my audiobook, The New York Nobody Knows.

I'm not sure what I'll start next in either format, but I've got plenty to choose from-whether I'll be in the form to though is another matter, as it's one of my mate's birthdays tomorrow night and the pubs are calling, which means I have a sore head booked in for Sunday! :)

[Seraphina]

I could prob post ye my book and ye might have it quicker than the library by the sounds of it lol

[[deleted user]]

I'll spend the weekend reading my Secret Santa book, Unspoken (thank you, Allan), and an audiobook, The Sleeper Awakes. I'll be busy so I probably won't finish Unspoken, but I'll finish The Sleeper Awakes while doing errands and chores.

@Sara. I'm subscribed to Tor.com for email updates. It's an excellent site.

@Allan. Let me know about Red or Dead. Being an LFC book it has my interest piqued, but 700 pages seems a lot for a sports fiction title.

[J.S.]

Susan wrote: "@JS, thanks. I've never read one of hers so that gives me an insight. Why are there so many long books lately-Elizabeth George, Amy Tan and now this? Is it an ego thing?"

Now that you mention it...and the first in Mantel's Tudor series was lengthy at 600 pp. Maybe she started it. Fiction by the pound.

Alas, have to watch what I say. Karma... Length per se has never been a factor to inspire my rapt attention.

[Cathleen]

Barbara wrote: "Cathleen wrote: "Barbara wrote: "Monday night the book club Sara and I attend picked out books for the next 12 months! I must have been having one of my "second sight" days because I showed up with..."

I don't think I've ever heard of "second sight" before you mentioned it. That's really interesting. Is it written about at all or just passed on by word of mouth? I think it'd be interesting to read about it some more. I'd be curious if that were a way of describing some experiences I've had.

I'm even more envious now reading about your book club and the writers' festival and its connection with the cultural bureau. It sounds amazing.

Your last paragraph made me laugh out loud. Do they also get their shamrock shakes at McDonald's for St. Patrick's Day? :)

[Cathleen]

Sara wrote: "So what are everyone's reading plans for the weekend (aside from Susan who I suspect will be bogged down in Richard the Lionhearted)?

As for me, I plan to finish Tales of the City by Armistead_Mau..."

This weekend, I plan to finish Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence, full well knowing the irony of taking more than a few weeks to read a book with that title. I'll also finish the Adrian McKinty book, and I may make more headway into Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson. I'm not sure about that last one. It's been on my TBR list for a long, long time, and I downloaded the audio book from the library. I started listening to it and am a couple hours into it, but it's not grabbing me yet.

[Susan]

Luckily, Sarah, I haven't gotten the door stop book yet full of adverbs and purple prose per JS. I am going to SF to see the play Book of Mormon and spending the night at a friend's. I am excited.

[Allan]

Gerry, I saw that you had read the book, and posted about it asking you what you thought at the start of the week, but you must've missed it, the group being so prolific in its posting and all! :)

At that stage, the repetition of the writing was grating on me a little, but as you know, there's less of that when you get past his retirement. Knowing all of the characters makes a big difference, and being a Liverpool fan definitely helps! I didn't realise how shoddily Liverpool treated him after he retired. I'm about 60 pages from the end now, so won't be long in finishing. I've purposely stayed away from the narrative of the story featured while reading outside the book as well since it came out, so as not to spoil things, but I know it'll be a sad climax.

Have you read the likes of the Damned United as well, Gerry? I've only read 1974 by Peace, but apparently the repetition in the first 500 pages this novel is a feature in a lot of his writing. I wondered though, whether it was purposely done to emphasise Shankly's OCD style behaviour as well.

Declan, I'll post a review of the book when I'm done, for what it's worth, but I will say that it could be at least 200 pages shorter, if aforementioned repetition was removed. Saying that, it's a quicker read in the earlier section precisely for this reason-you find yourself nearly predicting the wording at times. As a Liverpool fan, you'd definitely love it though.

In fact, you nearly owned a copy, but I'd raved so much to you about the two books that I bought for Secret Santa, they just pipped this one to the post into the parcel! :) Hopefully Unspoken is still to your liking btw! :)

[Barbara]

Susan - Amy Tan's recent book did not get good reviews so I am passing on it. Though I read Eat Pray Love when it first came on and liked it, there was such a backlash later against it, I am not rushing to read Gilbert's new book. I liked Eat because I found some things rang really true especially her description of the Brazilian man (now her husband?) and her experience in Indonesia(?) with the woman who wanted her to buy her lots of "stuff".
Allan - big hardcover books that break my wrist are my #1 reason for buying the ebook.

As for what I am reading - I think that is the theme but we are so prolific messagewise, I lost track - I am 30 minutes from the end of Close to the Bone by Stuart MacBride (in the Tartan Noir genre), more than halfway through Midwinter of the Spirit which Cathleen recently read and am finding it a great read. I have started reading The Other Wes Moore which I am assigning to students. It's about 2 men, same age, same city, both black - one becomes a Rhodes Scholar and one ends up in prison for murder. It is written by the one who became a Rhodes Scholar.

Cathleen and Allan - this arts organization was founded by a young woman from Dublin who returned home a couple of years ago (seems she'd had enough with America) who had a great vision. Even in a city as sophisticated as Washington DC it isn't easy to find a lot of people who are interested in both Irish culture and contemporary literature. The group has helped those of us who participate to grow. And I forgot to mention there is a fifth Northern Irish book on the year's list which I failed to mention - The Truth Commissioner - and it wasn't a title I had suggested:)

[[deleted user]]

@Allan. I might bite the bullet and just buy Red or Dead. Yourself and Gerry have given me a lot to think about and as a fan it should mean a lot.

BTW, still loving Unspoken.

[Allan]

Good job about Unspoken, Declan-if it's grabbed you, you'll love it the whole way through. Do you think that Stembridge was aiming to write in a Joseph Plunkett style with the novel btw? It was the first book that came to mind to me when we read Strumpet City last year. Obviously not on that level, but it definitely came back into my head when reading Plunkett.

And definitely read Red or Dead in some shape or form. I actually had a second copy briefly, as my dad gave me the one that I had bought him when he finished it (he loved it as well), but I gave it to my mate, who is another massive fan. I finished it today, and the last 200 pages really did blow me away. As Gerry says, what a man!

[[deleted user]]

I'm not sure he was aiming for something along the lines of SC, but it is a pretty ambitious project. Possibly as ambitious as SC. I'll to finish it before I can make my mind up about it.

I've made Red or Dead a priority, btw.

[Allan]

Barbara, I just noticed your post re David Park above there-5 books from NI in a year is some going! I really enjoyed The Truth Commissioner as well, so hopefully your group will as well!

The founder from Dublin has done a great job in setting up what is obviously a very vibrant gathering!

[Barbara]

Allan - I'm late getting onto GRs today - loads of work (:
Anyway, I am thinking of keeping silent about the fact that we have 5 NI books this year. It makes me feel subversive:)
BTW this is about what a friend is reading:) I have friends in town from Brazil - the husband is American.Yesterday was his birthday and I had an inspiration to give him my brand new copies of Stoner and The Cold Cold Ground. I had listened to Cold Cold Ground and just got a copy of Stoner last week as I had read a library copy. He was happy to get books as books in English are super expensive in Brazil. He is a mystery fan and a retired professor so should enjoy both.

[[deleted user]]

If it's so hard to get books in Brazil, Barbara, he should get a Kindle... And buy the group's new book, too. :)

[Allan]

Good to see you spreading the word, Barbara! :)

[Sara]

So it's snowing here...although it doesn't seem to bad to me so far, but I haven't had to go outside. Barbara might have a different perspective on things. I'm also working on a two day old cold that I'm already tired of. It comes with a horrid hacking cough.

At least it's the perfect excuse to curl up with a mound of books (after I finish watching an episode of Lost Girl). I plan to finish:

The Back County by Gary Snyder. Snyder was associated with the Beat Movement, but his stuff is more nature oriented. Some of it I like and some of it I don't...I'm picky about poetry. I have about 35 pages to go in this one.

The Persistence of Faith: Religion, Morality and Society in a Secular Age
by Jonathan Sacks: This one is a book of essays (originally given as radio talks in 1990) that I've been reading gradually about the role of religion in public life. Sacks was the chief rabbi of the U.K. for many years and his perspective/reasoning is interesting (although I disagree with him in quite a few places).

Alpha Yes, Terra No! / The Ballad of Beta-2 by Emil Petaja, Samuel R. Delany: I originally picked this one up for the design (2 short science fiction novellas in one book!) and for the Delany piece (whose an author I like). Right now I'm reading the piece by Petaja. Petaja was an American science fiction author of Finnish descent. I had never heard of him prior to reading this book, but I'm finding his work super engaging and will probably seek out more of it. Sadly like a lot of vintage science fiction, I suspect it will be out of print and hard to find.

This will be bring me to 10/20 of the short books on my shelf for January!

[[deleted user]]

Let me know how Alpha/The Ballad... turns out, Sara.

Fingers crossed that the snow doesn't get out of hand, by the way.

[Susan]

I wish you'd send some now our way. We are hurting for water and the city has just enough for 100 days. Meanwhile we are in the middle of Spring. In the day it's been 75/24 but at night it gets down to 28. In a normal year we have 48 inches of rain by now. This year we have 2.

[Barbara]

Yes, poor California. It is frightening that it is so dry there. Luckily my university was closed today. My son had to walk 4 clients' dogs and they were all home! It was a very treacherous drive for him, not to mention walking. And the dogs weren't too happy either. Who knows what tomorow will bring. I wish I could have had a day of leisure, but I was able to get one writing task "done" and sent off to Chile for "fact checking". My head hurts from reading in Spanish, writing in English, and translating from Portuguese all in the same chapter:)

[[deleted user]]

Barbara wrote: "My head hurts from reading in Spanish, writing in English, and translating from Portuguese all in the same chapter:)"

Now, that sounds like hard work. Who said academics have it easy? ;)

@Susan. Here's hoping that things change for the better and that rain arrives soon.

[John]

I started Beautiful Ruins audiobook recently and I'm quite enjoying it. A bit different than I thought it would be. I think the title / cover is a tad misleading. Nice contrast between a sleepy Italian village in 1962 and current day infestation of the soul-destroying reality tv era.

I just finished Swimming Home:
http://www.johnbraine.com/2014/01/swi...

And a View from the Way Down
http://www.johnbraine.com/2014/01/aud...

[John]

Jamie Lynn wrote: "Reality shows cost about a nickel to make and so many people are desperate to be famous...why?

Got me! I can't comprehend how people go on some of them. Like "Embarrassing bodies" - that's a mystery to me, you're so embarrassed about your embarrassing health issue that you want to share it with the nation? Bizarre.

[Susan]

@Barbara, I am impressed. How many languages do you speak? I am quite envious that you have a snow day.
@John, I really enjoyed Beautiful Ruins. I thought it was going to be a romance story but it's so much more.

[Cathleen]

John wrote: "I started Beautiful Ruins audiobook recently and I'm quite enjoying it. A bit different than I thought it would be. I think the title / cover is a tad misleading. Nice contrast betw..."

John,
I really liked reading your posts and your blog. Thanks for including those links. A View From the Way Down looks like a promising read.

[John]

Littlemissmuffet wrote: "Probably because the people who appear on it have been suffering from their respective ailments for a long time and..."

I get all that but.. how do I put this... it just seems ironic that the show is called Embarrasing Bodies, because none of them are embarrased enough not to go on the telly. It's like having a tv show full of shy people called "I'm so shy I would never ever go on telly". Or something.

I actually have a soft spot for Googlebox and reality tv shows that are similar to old school fly-on-the-wall stuff. As long as they have normal people and not crazy wannabees.

Susan wrote: "@John, I really enjoyed Beautiful Ruins. I thought it was going to be a romance story but it's so much more. "

Yes, I had similar expectations.

Cathleen & Jamie Lynn wrote: "[Very nice things about my blog posts]"

Thanks! I let the blog go stale for a while but decided to turn it into a book review blog of sorts.

Cheers

[Seraphina]

I think in embarrassing bodies it gives people access to specialist doctors that they might not get to see otherwise.

[Barbara]

Susan - I am pretty fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. I am fluent in American Sign Language. I speak French and have been taking review classes in the summer to get back up to speed. I understand a lot off German as I spoke it as a young child. Also studied Irish for 4 years. Am getting up to speed on Catalan for my work in Barcelona. I also know conversational Brazilian Sign Language. I think it is probably too late for me to learn Arabic or Chinese though.

[Sara]

I am sad to report that my cold still has not gone away. I am determined to beat it, so today will be a day where I rest and only go outside if the house is on fire. Naturally resting will involve lots of reading.

[Allan]

I was in the same boat as you this time two weeks ago, Sara-get well soon and hopefully the reading helps takes your mind off how horrible you feel! :)

[Seraphina]

I also feel your pain Sara, just over a horrible cold. Get better soon, happy reading

[Susan]

@Barbara, I am so impressed. I am terrible at foreign languages and always so appreciative of people who have the ear for it. I would like to learn Italian. I don't know why but love the way it sounds. The only languages they teach in town are Spanish and German.

@Sara, I hope you feel better soon.

[Allan]

I missed a lot of these posts due to the time difference during the week.

Barbara, that's some proficiency with languages! There are definitely people with a real aptitude for learning languages and you're obviously one of them! I have a friend who speaks Portuguese, as his father grew up in Brazil, is fluent in German having worked there for many years, speaks Japanese, and now converses daily in French as he is married to a French woman and lives in the French Alps. Added to this, he commutes every day to work in Switzerland! I can only imagine how many languages his kids speak! I, on the other hand am typically N Irish, and have barely mastered English! :)

Susan, I take it there's no sign of any rain yet? It's so hard for people here to appreciate the abundance of water, given that it's been pouring here non stop more or less for the last 3 days. What's the contingency plan if it doesn't rain? I'm assuming the city will have to do something for you?

Barbara / Sara-has the snow cleared for you both yet, then? We had a couple of really heavy falls this time last year, and with our infrastructure being so unused to coping with it, it was a disaster to get around for ages after each one!

What are everyone's weekend reading plans then? I'll be aiming to finish Amor Towles' 'Rules of Civility', and if the rain eases, I'll be continuing to enjoy CJ Sansom's 'Winter in Madrid' on audiobook while walking the dog.

Whatever everyone is reading this weekend, enjoy! :)

[Colleen]

UK.http://tinyurl.com/nqol5jm

US.http://tinyurl.com/ot7vvg2

[Seraphina]

So wandered into a book shop this morning and picked up Donal ryan's latest book and the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime. What is it about bookshops and not being able to leave without buying something? Lol

[Barbara]

Allan - the cold temps mean the snow has lingered and frozen solid. With wind chill, the temperatures are hovering in single digits and at night below zero. I can't understand how folks who work outside manage not to get frostbite like the guys I saw on the recycling truck this morning.

I just finished 2 books and started listening to a Graham Greene. Have to start reading a book - Maybe will read The Butterfly Cabinet.

[[deleted user]]

@Colleen. Can't say I've ever heard of Dukey. Have you read the first in the series? The tinyURLs aren't working, btw.

@Seraphina. I haven't gone into a bookshop in a few weeks for that very reason. I've a huge backlog of excellent books and I don't need to be adding to it.

@LMM. I was wondering which book I should start next, once I've finished Unspoken. I think I'll get cracking on Dissolution.

@Barbara. I think The Butterfly Cabinet is one of the most underrated books I've ever read. I hope you read it and enjoy it as much as I did.

[Susan]

@Declan, Butterfly Cabinet was one of our monthly reads. I went back and checked. Just for fun last night I tried to look you up on Facebook. You would be surprised how many people in Ireland have your name. I was shocked. I never did find you but found a cute Declan aged 14 in Dublin. I wondered if he was named after you. Do you have a nephew with your name?
@Allan, we have had no rain and have less than 90 days of water. We are on a strict water usage and they are really enforcing it. Much of trouble is not only the drought but the marijuana growers. They divert streams and tap into people's wells. We have been on the state news with our problems. I went to lunch the other day with a friend who lives in the valley and has cattle. Their well is almost out and are forced to water the cattle only once a day. They are so concerned. So if you'd like to ship us some of your water we would appreciate it.
Are you busy at school lately? I have missed your sparkling posts.

[Allan]

Susan, when the rain finally stopped earlier, I had the dog out walking by the river close to us and it was close to bursting its banks, there's been so much rain here. If I could send any water your way, I would!

Re work, I am a little busier, but nothing that I can't cope with. I hadn't noticed myself posting any less than usual, but then the group has been quieter all round over the last few days. I'm looking forward to the voting for the new reads, as this will no doubt get everything going again! :)

[Colleen]

The Broken

@ Declan here is GR link to the 1st one also another vey good short story its a completely different genre is City Solipsism: A Short Story

[[deleted user]]

@Susan. I deleted my FB account over a year ago. It was more trouble than it was worth.

@Colleen. I was just reading the reviews of The Broken. I think 'divisive' is the word I'd used to describe it.

[[deleted user]]

It was handy for following things, but there's too much personal drama and it's hard to avoid. I decided I was better without it.

[Cathleen]

Hi Everyone,
I hope everyone's weekend is going well....and Sara, I hope your'e starting to feel better. I finished reading The Cold Cold Ground this week, and I found it absorbing. I already have the second one in the trilogy, so I'll start that soon. Could someone explain a detail in the book that I wondered about?

The character's name is Sean Duffy, and several times, people will ask him (apparently already knowing) if it is a Catholic name. I remember when we read Transatlantic that one could tell if a person were Catholic or Protestant by their first names (something that would have completely gone right by me, if Allan and Declan hadn't explained that!). So, for this book--would people assume that Sean Duffy is Catholic because his first name is Sean, or would people also be able to tell if someone is Catholic or Protestant by his or her last name, as well? So--is it the whole name of Sean Duffy or just Sean?

I'm reading Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson now, and I'll finish it over the weekend. I'm of two minds about it right now. Beautiful, atmospheric writing, but a wispy plot.

[Allan]

Cathleen-if you were from NI, and your name was Sean Duffy, there'd be no doubt what religion you are-both names would be classed as Irish Catholic. Protestant surnames in NI tend to be Scottish or English in origin-there are a lot of Mc prefixes, like my own surname, and indeed McKinty's, particularly in Carrickfergus. I could tell which religion most people are over here simply by heading their name, which is sad.

[Allan]

*hearing