What Are You Reading Showing 1,451-1,500 of 6,935

[Paul]

There are stand alones and most can be read in isolation except the very first two which run into each other. the first I read was book 25 or so.

[Barbara]

Not sure where to post this to get it out there. Today one of the kindle daily deals is Under the Volcano for $1.99 and I got the Audible Whispersync for only $1.96. So for $3.95 I got the book and the audiobook! Under the Volcano is a book that is highly praised and considered by many to be a masterpiece. Set in Mexico in 1938 on the Day of the Dead...

[Cathleen]

Declan wrote: "@Cathleen. There's no exact reference as to how the phrase came about, but the best explanation I know is that if you push something away as far as you can with your middle finger, that's as far as..."

Thanks, Declan. I always like knowing the origin of those sorts of expressions. And now I can visualize it perfectly.

[Trelawn]

@ Barbara that sounds interesting. I read a very good quirky book that was set in Mexico; Dr Brinkly's Tower by Robert Hough.

[Allan]

I was tempted by the deal, Barbara, but then I read the post again and the daily deal was for Kindle instead of Audible. :( The book sounds like it'd have been a good companion to my painting over the next few days, but it looks like I'll have to make do with the remaining half of Shotgun Lovesongs, along with The Mayor of McDougall Street. If there are any more BOGO offers on Audible and you see them, I'd be grateful if you were to post them, as I don't get emails from Audible for some reason, and sometimes miss them!

BTW, Declan, I'm about 180 pages into The Wayward Bus and am absolutely loving it. Steinbeck is such an effortless storyteller. The general premise of the book has been seen so many times over the years in films etc, but in this one, the characters he creates and how he switches effortlessly between their internal monologues and interactions is amazing. It's well worth lifting off the TBR pile!

[[deleted user]]

Allan wrote: "It's well worth lifting off the TBR pile!..."

It'll be read soon enough, Allan. I just have a few more promised reads to get through, including some xmas gifts. It's pretty high my TBR list.

[Sara]

Seraphina, I agree with Paul

You can either start with a stand alone or the first books in one of the arcs. The Wikipedia article actually has a good break-down.

[Paul]

So many choices. If I was to take a stab at a recommendation I'd say start with Mort or Guards Guards . I started with Thief of Time and loved it.

[Isabella]

You have to love a writer whose take on Death is that he rides a white horse called Binky, and likes a curry.

[Paul]

And is terribly fond of cats

[Isabella]

I forgot that bit. :)

[Paul]

Hitchhikers guide is great and Stephen Fry is great so it can't be bad.

[Trelawn]

I have a copy of Hitchhiker's but haven't read it yet, might enjoy it more if Stephen Fry read it to me :-) Tried the first Dirk Gently book but it confused the hell out of me so I gave up on it.

[[deleted user]]

Wasn't Fry the voice of guidebook for the movie?

[J.S.]

Off topic: reviewer error that comes up frequently.
...Just left the following on someone's review where the reviewer mistook basic or standard usage accepted in Ireland for "mistakes" and "bad grammar" in a novel that was originally published in Ireland by an irish author. I made it all the way through writing the comment without once using the f-bomb but might have to go have an Irish coffee as reward.

"Just noting that Oirish syntax using the English language might look odd to a Yank. Authors have to deal with this all the time, including British authors whose syntax, spelling, and/or grammar differ from US usages. The same is true for Irish natives, where another variant of English is used --- to great effect of course, by the likes of: Yeats, Synge, Wilde, Flann O'Brien, Seamus Heaney. The next time you read an author from outside the States, please take that into account. Wouldn't it be just SUCH a boring world otherwise ! "

Anyone else who wants to weigh in on this issue, feel free.

[Seraphina]

I'm really keen to see this review you so rightly put in it's place j.s.

[J.S.]

Send me a PM, Seraphina, and I'll direct you to it.

[Paul]

@Declan. I think so. film was only ok despite a decent cast. But they nailed my favourite character perfectly. Alan Rickman as everyone's favourite Paranoid Android Marvin could not have been better.

[Paul]

We'll done JS. nothing worse than an uninformed review slighting a book unfairly

[J.S.]

Ah well. One even gets heat from Dubliners / academics when one has characters using a less rarified speech, that one definitely does hear in the country but perhaps rarely in the cities ( exception: Cork where they speak another language entirely and in a unique accent).

Sometimes it is just a no-win. As a reader, I prefer some linguistic texture rather than have everything smoothed out to the point where Anyone Can Understand This.

[Paul]

accents bring texture and realism to a book. I agree we don't want everything polished to the point of sanitised simplistic language

[Trelawn]

I agree. I actually love regional dialects or phrases in books. It helps me immerse myself in the story when you can almost hear the characters speak. And if i don't understand every last bit? Great! I've learned something new. I don't want my reading matter homogenised.

[Barbara]

Allan wrote: "I was tempted by the deal, Barbara, but then I read the post again and the daily deal was for Kindle instead of Audible. :( The book sounds like it'd have been a good companion to my painting over ..."

Allan - I've discovered a couple of times when responding to a Kindle daily deal, after I buy the book, I am offered the Audible whispersync for only $1.96. I've read a couple of books this way and found it actually works well for me. I listen on my commute and can continue to read it on my iPad after I'm home.

And to jump into the dialect/accents/ syntax discussion, I agree that I love all of the variations. It's harder sometimes to capture in a book - accents for sure. When my Aer Lingus flight landed in Boston on Monday, passengers were laughing at the strong Boston accent, while I felt at home:) And despite my love for the Northern Irish use of the word "wee" all the time, I've managed to avoid it this week. I'm afraid if I throw out a "wee" people here will think I am talking about a bodily function.

[Allan]

I just bought 'Ragtime' by E L Doctorow for $2.95 in the Audible daily deal, which I'm happy with, given that it has 'classic' status, and is set in NYC. I also used by last credit to purchase 'The Secret History' on audio-I might try to read this physically using my paperback copy as well as on audio to speed up the 20 hour listen, but given that I've only 2 hours left on the Mayor of McDougal Street, and another full day of painting, I might get through a fair bit of it just by listening!

[[deleted user]]

@J.S. I think said reviewer really felt the brunt of that comment. You kicked their arse with elegant style. :)

I'm reading Octavia Butler's Patternmaster at the moment, which has started very promisingly. A few pages in and I'm already relishing the confrontation between the two main characters, Teray and Coransee. I've also started Stoker's Lair of the White Worm which is still finding its feet, but can't be described as dull, which gives me hope.

[Sara]

I'm glad you're enjoying the Butler Declan. I recently finished The Free by Willy Vlautin (which I loved and will talk more about soon in the appropriate thread) and Speak of the Devil by Allison Leotta. Speak of the Devil, while not horribly literary, was well plotted and I enjoyed that Maryland/D.C. setting. The plot centered around the MS13 gang.

[Barbara]

Sara wrote: "I'm glad you're enjoying the Butler Declan. I recently finished The Free by Willy Vlautin (which I loved and will talk more about soon in the appropriate thread) and Speak of the Devil by Allison L..."

Sara - I added Speak of the Devil to my list. For those who don't know MS13, in our neck of the woods, they are the biggest, and most violent gang. They have become internationalized (no) thanks to the US government deporting gang members back to El Salvador. A truly frightening movie that has MS 13 at its center is Sin Nombre.

[Sara]

So I should be in bed because I have to be at a work event in 6 and half hours but I'm not feeling sleepy, so computer games and Goodreads it is...and then some reading. Hopefully then I'll be sleepy. The work event (in case folks are curious) is an electronic recycling/paper shredding/clothing and textile donation event in honor of Earth Day. Anyone have any exciting reading or other plans for the weekend?

My reading plans are:

Finish the electronic issue of Asimov's(science fiction magazine)I'm on
Finish More Tales of a City by Maupin
Read to the 50% mark in Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
Read 100 Pages in the poetry anthology I've been reading

In non-reading news Easter is Sunday and my birthday Monday, so I plan to both attend church and eat some yummy food this weekend. My mother is making Egg's Benedict for Easter Brunch and then spicy deviled eggs as an Easter/Birthday request. I am making brownies with walnuts.

[Allan]

Happy Birthday for Monday, Sara!

Now that I've managed to complete my latest painting task (helped by 2.5 audiobooks), I'm lucky enough to have the opportunity to plan a week's reading, as I'm off work, during which I'll be aiming to put a large dent in my physical TBR pile, starting with the Dinaw Mengestu novel that Barbara kindly gave me as a gift. I'll also be aiming to read / listen to The Secret History, but aside from that, will probably just make a choice on a whim from the 30 or so books lined up on that particular shelf.

Non reading wise, I'll be aiming to hit the garden today (we have wall to wall sunshine forecast), going on a nice long dog walk and we'll be visiting my folks this evening and the in laws tomorrow, which will be nice, considering we were away at Christmas. And of course, there's the small matter of the Liverpool game tomorrow...

[Seraphina]

I hope you've a good book near to hand LMM lol ;)

[[deleted user]]

@Sara. I just looked up Devilled Eggs -I'd heard of them but never really knew what they were- an I think I could devour quite a few of them. Hope you eventually got to sleep and weren't too tired for work.

@Allan. It's like waiting for a cup-tie. I'm itching to watch this game. YNWA!

@Seraphina. I don't think she'll run out of books between now and tomorrow, but I have a feeling that LMM's slowly becoming a Liverpool fan. :)

[Barbara]

I will finish reading The Rest Just Follows by Glenn Patterson, a gift from Allan, personalized with a great dedication by the author. I want to continue reading Voices From The GraveVoices from the Grave, and will finish listening to The Mayor of Mac Dougall Street. I have to start the book for my book group which meets the last Saturday of the month - next week - Side by Side: Parallel Histories of Israel-Palestine.

AND I just discovered that the film Good Vibrations - the movie about the Belfast punk music scene, and music producer Terri Hooley during The Troubles - is playing TONIGHT at 9:30 PM at the American Film Institute down the street!! I missed last night's showing and will definitely be there tonight.
http://www.afi.com/silver/films/event...

[Allan]

You're fairly getting your NI-and indeed Glenn Patterson-fix this weekend, Barbara! It was a shame that Patterson didn't get the BAFTA (British Oscars) that he was nominated for for writing Good Vibrations, but it's a great film that I hope you enjoy!

[Cathleen]

Sara wrote: "So I should be in bed because I have to be at a work event in 6 and half hours but I'm not feeling sleepy, so computer games and Goodreads it is...and then some reading. Hopefully then I'll be slee..."

Happy birthday, Sara. Monday is supposed to be a beautiful day in New England, so I hope it's as nice in MD, as well.

As far as reading, I just finished Susan Hill's The Small Hand: A Ghost Story. It's a library book, so I wanted to finish it quickly. It was atmospheric, but not especially spooky--but a pleasant enough read. I'm making my way through Leaving a Trace: On Keeping a Journal, a book about keeping journals and enjoying it. I think next up will be Foster by Claire Keegan. It's one of the books I bought in Galway last month. I didn't realize it when I bought the book--but the family in it are named Kinsella. That's my maiden name, so that was neat to see. I know it's not an uncommon name in Ireland, but in the US, no one ever knew it was an Irish name at all... :)

[Barbara]

Happy birthday Sara!

[[deleted user]]

Got the Devilled Eggs recipe in another thread, Sara. I'm looking forward to stuffing my face. Hope you're having a good time, by the way. :)

[Monique]

Ian McEwan's Serena and Jonathan Franzen's Strong Motion. Enjoying both a lot!

[Barbara]

I'm listening to The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out a Window... and for my Saturday book club reading a Politcal/History - Side by Side : Parallel Histories of Israel and Palestine.

[Paul]

I loved the 100 Year Old man. Such an imaginative and funny book.
I finished The restaurant at the End of the Universe at the Weekend. It was as good as I remembered it to be. I've started Truth and Fear by Peter Higgins. Its the sequel to Wolfhound Century which I read last year which was wonderfully complex Fantasy novel set in a Russian style world with a noir vibe running through it.
Basically the rogue detective in a repressive state alongside a lot of political manipulation with angels, giants and other mythical creatures featuring.

[Trelawn]

The 100 Year Old Man.... is one of the best books I have read in a long while. So imaginatively laid out and really funny in parts. I'vr just started Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. It a gothic story for all ages. I love Zafon's books, he has a really atmospheric feel to all his stories. It helps that he has a really good translator.

[Paul]

I enjoyed Marina. Its his only all age book set in Barcelona. Some wonderfully dark sections in the book

[Seraphina]

I really enjoyed the 100 year old man, how is it on audiobook?

[[deleted user]]

For those who Joined later than the rest, The 100 Year-Old Man... was a monthly read if you'd like to check out the discussion.

@Monique. I've read a few of McEwan's books and I'm a bit of a fan. Be sure to tell me how much you enjoyed Serena, if at all.

[Sara]

Paul, I a in real life friend who just finished Wolfhound Century. Based upon what he says about it and what you say about the sequel, I think I'll have to add the trilogy to my TBR list...What is it about fantasy and science fiction authors and trilogies anyway? :o). The 100 Year-Old Man piques my interest but probably not enough for it to make it on to my too long TBR yet. I think I'll wait for Barbara's review. Trelawn and Paul, I love Zafon's stuff. My fantasy book club just read The Angel's Game, and I have plans to go back and reread The Shadow of the Wind sometime in the next few months and then read The Prisoner of Heaven. I'll have to add Marina to THE LIST. I believe Barbara and Allan are also Zafon fans.

Myself I'm currently rereading Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin. I'm enjoying it, although perhaps slightly less than the first time around. I'm almost to the halfway point. This weekend my father and I are making a quick trip to Ocean City hear my mother's chorus compete. It's a a 3+ hour trip each way, so I should have a good chunk of time to read. In addition to Storm of Swords, I plan to start a couple of e-books: After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn (for my fantasy book group) and Insurgent(Divergent #2).

[Paul]

Peter Higgins stuff is quite different to a lot of the fantasy around. Thats what drew me to it. Not all fantasy world's have to be medievil European. Drakenfeld is another recent one I read, its by Mark C Newton and is based in a Greco Roman style world. Nice to mix it up while waiting on George RR Martin to get a bloody move on. A Storm if Swords is quite the incident packed book. Might need a reread of the set at sime point.
Ive read Zafons full catalog, both adult and YA and he really is an amazing writer. Shadow of the Wind and Prisoner of Heaven would be my two favourites but his imagination in the other books is also fabulous. The midnight palace US wonderfully dark and worth a look as well.

[Trelawn]

@ Sara I'm actually kind of jealous, i'd love to be about to read The Prisoner of Heaven for the first time. The whole story stretching across the three books is amazing. The YA stuff he writes is very good too though not as gripping but we'll see how Marina goes.

[Trelawn]

For those among us who loved The 100 year old man, my other half has just informed me that Jonasson has a new book coming out next called The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden! It sounds equally quirky :-)

[Trelawn]

Sorry that should read "next week". In my excitement I left out week

[Paul]

Exciting news. That could be a great holiday read

[Isabella]

Is Game of Thrones as complicated as the tv series? It's not so much the plots as trying to keep track of who is who with all those strange names.