What Are You Reading Showing 4,051-4,100 of 6,935

[Frank]

I just finished The Reincarnationist yesterday. It was frustrating read. The author, M.J. Rose, had what I thought was a really original idea for a thriller. Unfortunately, she couldn't really pull it off. The ending, in particular, was a big letdown.

[Neil]

Just finished [book:Flowers for Algernon|18373, very touching, enough to make a grown man cry, not me though Im hard as nails

[Allan]

So, with one thing or another, it's been a very slow reading week for me, but I at least managed to finish The Narrow Road to the Deep North, though found it too bleak and harrowing to say I enjoyed it.

Having had a bit of reading time today, I'm now about half way through the engaging Gil Scott-Heron: Pieces of a Man, and once I listen to my weekend podcasts, I'll finally be starting Gun Street Girl on audio, which I'm sure will entertain and infuriate me in equal measure.

Barbara, do you think that The Transcriptionist is a book that I'd appreciate? It's NYC setting intrigues me...

[Barbara]

Allan wrote: "So, with one thing or another, it's been a very slow reading week for me, but I at least managed to finish The Narrow Road to the Deep North, though found it too bleak and harrowing..."

You may, particularly due to the New York setting. The author herself worked at the New York Times as a transcriptionist. I don't understand why this book only has 3 stars on GR.

[Allan]

I've put it in my Amazon basket, Barbara, and will keep an eye on the price to see if I can get a cheap copy-as it's only 5 hours on audio, I'll buy it physically rather than off Audible.

[Barbara]

Allan wrote: "I've put it in my Amazon basket, Barbara, and will keep an eye on the price to see if I can get a cheap copy-as it's only 5 hours on audio, I'll buy it physically rather than off Audible."

I think it's a book to read, rather than to listen to. And a bargain price would be best.

[Sara]

Today's been a busy weekend, so I've had little time for reading. Today was church followed by brunch for my mother's birthday. We then stopped by our local library branch, so I could say goodbye. It's closing, and a brand new branch opening up nearby. The new one sadly won't be open until after I move (since it takes time to transfer the books, etc.). I'll be curling up in bed momentarily with The Madness Underneath (which I need to catch up with the section my Skype book club is discussing in a few hours). I'll then try to make some headway in Evolution of the Word: The New Testament in the Order the Books Were Written as I'm behind where I want to be in order to finish it during Lent. And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic, my favorite current read.

I'll post a link to a few pictures of me at the closing library later!

[Cathleen]

Sara wrote: "Today's been a busy weekend, so I've had little time for reading. Today was church followed by brunch for my mother's birthday. We then stopped by our local library branch, so I could say goodbye. ..."

That sounds like a busy weekend, Sara. It's sad to read about your library branch closing, especially since the new one won't be open until after your move. Looking forward to seeing the pictures!

[Sara]

This was the branch closest to me (1.5 miles), but there's another branch that I go to sometimes since it's bigger (and thus better for browsing). It also contains the used book store Barbara is always mentioning. That one is only 3.5 miles from my house

[Allan]

Sara, the fact that a library is even open on a Sunday is impressive, never mind having two so close to your house. Is that usual for most areas of US? Will you be so spoiled when you move?

When I think library, I think large print romance titles, so you're very lucky...

[Barbara]

Allan wrote: "Sara, the fact that a library is even open on a Sunday is impressive, never mind having two so close to your house. Is that usual for most areas of US? Will you be so spoiled when you move?

When ..."

The U.S. has a bounty of free public libraries though they are not 'equal' in every city and state. Some small rural communities I've visited in New England may only have a very small library run by volunteers that is open a day or two a week. But there are very impressive public libraries in small rural communities I drive through in Virginia.
The county Sara and I live in is high income, with people who demand high level public services. Nevertheless, for several years, libraries closed on Sundays during the summer. Also hours were cut back dramatically, and the libraries didn't open until 1 PM. This schedule was designed to accommodate K-12 students. In the part of the country I am in, there are many families who depend on the library, as they don't have a lot of extra income to buy books for their kids. The libraries also have DVDs and CDs. Foreign language collections are also large and correspond to community demographics. My library has a lot of materials in Asian languages.

I don't use the library as much as I used to, mostly because I have so many books in my to-be-read piles - (no) thanks to GR and GRI.

[Barbara]

I didn't realize I was in the "what are you reading" thread when I went on and on about libraries.

I am reading Call My Brother Back by Michael McLaverty set in Rathlin Island and Belfast before World War II. I just started the audiobook of The Dog Stars which I didn't realize was a post-apocalyptic novel but will probably stick with it. I finished the audio book of The Perfect Witness: A Novel and don't know why...

[Cathleen]

Speaking of town libraries, I stopped by mine today after some work on campus. (It was Open House for accepted students, and I taught a model class for a group of 35 or so.) Anyway, I was glad that the library was open this afternoon because I hadn't been able to get there yesterday. I had reserved my copy of An Officer and a Spy, and they had it ready for pick up. I'm eager to begin after reading all of the rave reviews (and I've restrained the impulse to check out the spoiler thread!).

[Sara]

I probably should have put my post in General Chit Chat, so feel free to blame me for this particular digression! I spent the last hour and half or so finishing the last 200 pages or so of The Madness Underneath. It has a certain "compulsively readable quality." It ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I'm excited that I have the third book in the series out from the library already. It's a nice break from the more serious literary fiction and history I've been reading lately.

[Colleen]

Emma wrote: "Having finished An Officer and a Spy, I've moved onto Country Girls. For the month that's in it I'm trying to work my way through the Irish books on my TBR pile."

I'm trying to do the same:)

[Kevin]

I've hit a bit of a reading slump in my time off since I expected myself to be almost done with An Officer and A Spy by now but alas plans are never for me. I finished The Thing About December during the week and although it was incredibly bleak and grey, I still enjoyed it's insight into the Irish person. Although, I think The Spinning Heart is the better of the two but nonetheless they are both great books by an author i hope to hear more from.

[Kevin]

I should have added that I'm reading The Emperor's Blades which I saw that Paul liked. Impressively well written for a debut fantasy novel and the first in a trilogy which I am now looking forward to acquiring/ finishing. Definitely one for Sara and Gavin anyway.

Funnily enough, Sara, my local village/town just opened up a new library recently. I admit I have yet to venture in and see what they have to offer but it should be an ideal place for me to study and write regardless of its stock of books.

[Susan]

Allan, in our little town of 5,000, our library is closed Sunday and Monday. It is very active. We have a children's story time every day it's open at 11 am. There are bridge classes and the little conference room (for 20) holds lots of local meetings even after closing. They hand out keys.

[Sara]

So today I finished the graphic novel The Underwater Welder...This is perhaps one for Kevin.

"So I wasn't sure about this one for the first 100 pages or so. While I really loved the story...the art was a bit minimalist for my my tastes. I'm glad I stuck with it though. I found that while the art still didn't thrill me, it did work with the writing to create the mood of the story. The story was one of an intense sense of dislocation, with an un-mooring in time which reminded me of Billy Pilgrim becomes "unstuck" in Slaughterhouse-Five by the venerable Kurt Vonnegut. "

[[deleted user]]

Well, I've been through the longest reading slump of my life I think. So, having been disappointed that Kolyma Diaries: A Journey into Russia's Haunted Hinterland didn't mention the ethnic tribes in Siberia I am now reading the thoroughly engrossing The Reindeer People: Living with Animals and Spirits in Siberia.

[Barbara]

In addition to listening to The Girl on the Train, I am reading three books:
Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth for my book club next Saturday
Harbor which I got from Paperback Swap, and didn't realize it was horror. But so far, so good.
Finally Wee Rockets by Gerard Brennan on kindle.

[Mara]

In The Pursuit of Miss Eliza Cynster by Stephanie Laurens.

[Cathleen]

Mara wrote: "In The Pursuit of Miss Eliza Cynster by Stephanie Laurens."

That sounds interesting, Mara.

[Cathleen]

I'm moving back and forth between several books right now. Currently, I'm reading Butterflies in November, an Icelandic novel, and I'm enjoying it so far. The main character is a woman in her 30s, and she has had a history of avoiding deep attachments to others. I've a feeling that will change, given her best friend has just asked her to watch her young son, who happens to be deaf. I like it so far. And I'm also reading London: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd, just a few pages at a time. Since it's around 800 pages or so, I'll be reading it for awhile.

[Trelawn]

I loved Ackroyd's bipgraphy of London Cathleen. Like you, I dipped in and out of it. Loved the section on crime and punishment.

[Paul]

Its a great book . He also did a really interesting shorter book on whats beneath London

[Trelawn]

I started reading Maurice http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31... yesterday and am really enjoying it so far. Forster is very adept at highlighting the hypocracies and inconsistancies in society and calling for people to disregard protocol and mores in favour of being true to oneself. This is certainly the case in this book. It follows Maurice from boyhood to Cambridge and beyond as he learns to be himself confidently and begins to realise that the life his mother and society wish for him (wife, children, distinguished career) is distinctly at odds with his own desires. Forster details Maurice's decision to acknowledge that he is attracted to other men and the consequences that will have for him and his family in Edwardian England.

[Phantom]

I'm reading The Shadow Of The Hegemon, second in the shadow series after Ender's Shadow.

[Cathleen]

Paul wrote: "Its a great book . He also did a really interesting shorter book on whats beneath London"

I'll read that, too. It sounds creepy but good :)

[Kevin]

Trelawn wrote: "I started reading Maurice http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31... yesterday and am really enjoying it so far. Forster is very adept at highlighting the hypocracies and inconsistancies in so..."

Sounds very interesting, Trelawn. It is sad that Forster left the book unpublished for 60 years before finally being published posthumously, although it probably makes its impact much stronger.

[Paul]

I really enjoyed it Cathleen :-)

[Trelawn]

That's true Kevin, he could have gotten it published earlier but he decided on balance it might not be worth it. There is a terminal note about it in my version but don't want to read it til I finish the story.

[Allan]

Barbara, does the Hawkins novel live up to the hype? She was at No Alibis last week, which by all accounts was a good night, though I didn't make it. Given her status at present, that was a bit of a coup for the shop to have her there, along with SJ Watson. I've no doubt that Gerrard Brennan would've been at the event as well-is his book worth checking out?

Having finished the very well written and meloncholic Ghost Moth last night, I've gone for a complete change in pace this morning, starting Rob Doyle's Here Are the Young Men. I wasn't sure what to expect, given some indifferent reviews that I've previously read, which is why I've left it so long to pick up, but 50 pages in, so far, so good. It's obviously setting out to shock, but that's fine-nothing too spectacularly far fetched yet anyway.

I'm also listening to and enjoying Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith, a book that has been on my shelves unread for a few years, but one that I picked up cheaply during an Audible sale. So far, it really does a great job in conveying the paranoid state in which Russian society lived while under Stalin.

[Paul]

Trelawn was just talking about reading the Rob Doyle book. We were lucky enough to get a signed copy from the launch

[Barbara]

The Girl on the Train seems like an ordinary thriller to me so far. I'm 75% done. It also strikes me as a story that is very feminine and would probably appeal more to a female audience (motherhood, jealousy about motherhood, infertility, unfaithful spouses etc.). I assume that there will be some kind of twist at the end. I've avoided the hype about the book, and don't really get the hype at this point in my listening.

[Barbara]

Cathleen wrote: "I'm moving back and forth between several books right now. Currently, I'm reading Butterflies in November, an Icelandic novel, and I'm enjoying it so far. The main character is a ..."

Butterfiles in November peaked my interest though the book blurb describes the boy as "deaf-mute" which is akin to using the term "colored" for a person of African descent. Still, Icelandic novel intrigued me.

[Mara]

THE FATE OF MERCY ALBAN by Wendy Webb. It's a bit corny, but it's okay for a listen while I do stuff on the computer.

[Paul]

Good choice Emma. Short but very good.

[Mara]

THE FATE OF MERCY ALBAN by Wendy Webb.

[Barbara]

Emma wrote: "I finished The Devil I Know today. I'd definitely recommend it. I don't know how I'm going to decide what to nominate next month for the quarterly read. I've read a few Irish books ..."

I have a couple of John Connolly novels on my shelves. As they are smaller paperback size, they would be good for taking on a trip and leaving behind when done.

[Sara]

So today I finished March: Book Two, a graphic novel about the civil rights era and one of its leaders (and one of my person heroes) Congressman John Lewis.

"Once more I've been blown away by the power of Congressman John Lewis's story. I can't fathom how he's undergone so much violence and indignity and come away so gracious.

Graphic novels are a great way to teach history to a younger (and older!) audience. They can also serve as a powerful reminder for those who already know the history being taught. Images can often be more powerful than words. I eagerly await the 3rd volume in the trilogy.

A few points:

-I like how the story of the civil rights era is juxtaposed with scenes of Congressman Lewis attending President Obama's first inauguration.

-One of the most powerful scenes comes when him and his fellows protestors are conducting a sit-in at a restaurant...and a fumigator comes in and gases them. I'm far from ignorant of civil rights history, but that particular scene really dramatized to me how bad things were

-It also is clear how carefully their tactics were considered.

-Finally the book shows John Lewis, a man I (and I think many others) tend to see as perpetually old and wise... being young...joking around and getting into disagreement with older movement leaders."

[Colleen]

I finished Atonement earlier today and have to say it was a very emotional read.I usually read other books on a rotating basis but I couldn't with this one I had to read it to the end with no other books read in between.I don't think I will forget this one for a long time if ever.5 stars.
Now on to finish The Chronicles of Narnia, The Fields andEvery Dead Thing

[Barbara]

Sara wrote: "So today I finished March: Book Two, a graphic novel about the civil rights era and one of its leaders (and one of my person heroes) Congressman John Lewis.

"Once more I've been bl..."

Graphic novels are ideal for the students I focus on - those learning English and deaf students. I'll have to get this one.

Colleen - like me, it looks like you read a variety of genres at the same time. I like to have several books on the go at the same time, but they have to be different or I can get confused. Right now I am reading a non-fiction book Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, a kindle e book [book:Wee Rocketsabout a youth gang in Belfast, and Harbor a Scandinavian horror novel:).
I didn't get much reading done this weekend. Like others, the spring weather got me doing other things.

[Colleen]

Barbara wrote: "Sara wrote: "So today I finished March: Book Two, a graphic novel about the civil rights era and one of its leaders (and one of my person heroes) Congressman John Lewis.

"Once more..."

Spring really hasn't arrived here yet...First day of spring we had snow...the temperature is 18 .This year we have the winter that won't end.
Yes I do like to read a variety of novels.I haven't read any of the Scandinavian horror novels but some day I plan to read one.

[Frank]

Colleen wrote: "I finished Atonement earlier today and have to say it was a very emotional read.I usually read other books on a rotating basis but I couldn't with this one I had to read it to the end..."

Atonement is a wonderful book, so well written. I think it's the best novel to have been written in the last 20 years, at least that I've read.

[Paul]

Having finished An Officer and A Gentleman I have moved on to Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett. Its not my favourite discworld book, most of the characters I love come later in the series and Death as a character isnt quite developed in this one as he becomes later on. Its not as coherent a plot as his later works but for all that its still an enjoyable book. Short enough and with some wonderful observations and twists on traditional fantasy. Its nice to go back to where it all started .

[Neil]

Started The Idiot by Dostoevsky today, I was a bit daunted by it but it starts so well with the conversation on the train and its so hard not to be intrigued by the Prince

[Trelawn]

I always been a bit daunted by the Russian authors myself Neil. I'll pluck up the courage to read one someday, I swear!

[Neil]

Me too lol Ive only read a few Chekhov short stories(wonderful btw), this one is very accessible though and Prince Myshkin is a wonderful creation

[Elaine]

@Paul, I wasn't bowled over by TCOM the first time I read it, I found that is stands up much better once I'd read more of Pterry's books and had a handle on his style. The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic are really rather plotless, but his sense of humour is just as developed as in later books.

I'm reading Guards! Guards! at the moment, and enjoying its take on the heroic fantasy tropes.