What Are You Reading Showing 4,901-4,950 of 6,935

[Donna]

Thanks, Seraphina!

[Margo]

Starting The Bees on kindle today

[Susan]

Margo, you and Paul do seem to be kindred spirits.

[Margo]

Susan wrote: "Margo, you and Paul do seem to be kindred spirits."

I'm guessing thats not a compliment re the bees! Paul, have you read this one???

[Paul]

I haven't Margo

[Margo]

Okay, The Bees wasn't for me - too alien. Gave up on it. Checked The Heart Goes Last out from the library. Also going to try to listen to The Bone Clocks though any reports I've heard on it are not great.

[Colleen]

I'm reading The Bone Clocks right now and I love it.It is not a straight forward story ...Every section has a different characters point of view and there is some paranormal activity involved. I read The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet and I thought it ok but this is so much better . Have you read 1Q84 it reminds me of it and it's many layers.
I have The Bees on my TBR list.

[Margo]

Colleen wrote: "I'm reading The Bone Clocks right now and I love it.It is not a straight forward story ...Every section has a different characters point of view and there is some paranormal activit..."

No colleen, haven't read 1Q84. Sounds interesting. I bought The Bone Clocks and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet ages ago, at the same time, but never got around to them til now. Keep hearing negative stuff about David Mitchell and have let it put me off.
Don't let my not liking the bees put you off - I am a slow reader and if a book doesn't grab me at once I give up. On audio I am much more tolerant!

[Margo]

Margo wrote: "Colleen wrote: "I'm reading The Bone Clocks right now and I love it.It is not a straight forward story ...Every section has a different characters point of view and there is some pa..."

Colleen, 3 hours into The Bone Clocks and I'm hooked

[Colleen]

I'm so glad you like it too.I started it earlier than I planned because I miss placed my copy of Tipperary. I found Tipperary
the next day but I was so hooked on The Bone Clocks that I kept reading it. I think I will tear myself away after I finish the section I'm on and go back to Tipperary.

[Susan]

Oh Colleen, never interrupt the flow of a good book. Tipperary will be there when you're done.

[Paul]

I'm a decent chunk into Dictator by Robert Harris. Quite possible two of my favourite books of the year will be his. Its a very different period to Officer and a spy but I still think those who enjoyed that will love this series .

[Colleen]

Do true Susan, I don't think I'll be able to stop lol

[Paul]

I just finished Dictator by Robert Harris and really couldn't recommend this series more.
I know a lot of us loved An Officer and a Spy and while the period is very different the writing is the same high quality

[Margo]

Paul wrote: "I just finished Dictator by Robert Harris and really couldn't recommend this series more.
I know a lot of us loved An Officer and a Spy and while the period is very different the wr..."

Would like to try Harris historical works but am just not getting to it. My reading list is a bit out of control. Culled it a yesterday. I'm only going at books that I have a definate play to read, as opposed to "ooh this sounds good"!!

[Seraphina]

I do the same margo every now and again. I always find a couple that I think 'i've never heard of that book, how did it end up on my tbr?'

[Barbara]

Paul wrote: "I just finished Dictator by Robert Harris and really couldn't recommend this series more.
I know a lot of us loved An Officer and a Spy and while the period is very different the wr..."

Loved An Officer and a Spy (I may have been the person who nominated it) so will keep this in mind. I don't read novels set in Ancient Rome as a rule but he's such a good writer...

[Paul]

Robert Harris doing historical fiction is always worth a look ( i did read his recent modern day thriller The Fear Index and its not as good)

[Margo]

Paul wrote: "Robert Harris doing historical fiction is always worth a look ( i did read his recent modern day thriller The Fear Index and its not as good)"

I didn't get on at all with The Fear Index but i did enjoy The Ghost

[Paul]

The Ghost was very good, a bit obvious in the political attack by Harris but still interesting enough

[Thomas, Moderator]

I have just finished Citizen Washington
My review 4/5
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have started The Most Wanted Man in China: My Journey from Scientist to Enemy of the State
which I won from LibraryThing

[Gavin]

I am reading Career of Evil, nearly finished it.
Which i shouldn't be lol exam next tuesday ha.

[Sara]

So I've been trying to focus lately on actually finishing some of the books I have half started...thus moving them from my currently reading shelf to my read shelf

Within the past couple weeks I've finished:

No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics is a strong collection of comics by LGBTQ artists/writers and/or featuring LGBTQ characters. With a collection this large it's almost impossible to like every offering, but there were several I loved, and I got a good sense of the history of the genre.

Glamour in Glass was the second book in a series of fantasy/romance cross genre books that I enjoy. This one got bogged down in the middle, but I still thought it a good offering in the series, and will definitely be reading the next one as well as investigating more fantasy/romance cross genre books (see my post in the "recently acquired" thread about what I picked up at the library today).

Between the World and Me broke my heart. Coates reckons with the history/current day presence of of racism in America, but writes the book as a very personal letter to his teenager son about the reality of being black in America. It was particularly gut wrenching as an audio book (narrated by Coates himself), and I found myself unable to listen to more than about 45 minutes of it at a time. Coates also writes for The Atlantic.

Yesterday I finished Lafayette in the Somewhat United States. I'm always surprised at how Vowell can take a subject I had very little interest in previously and make it fascinating. She's gifted at bringing history to life and revealing the humanity of its central figures. I also had no idea Layfette was so young when he was involved in the American Revolution.

[Sara]

Next up to finish is The Song of Achilles since it's overdue (as it was the GRI November BOTM). I've thoroughly enjoyed the first quarter of the book. In the audio book realm...I'm back toThe Complete Sherlock Holmes...I'm on part 3/7 (total of 58 hours of listening in the collection).

[Susan]

Thomas wrote: "I have just finished Citizen Washington
My review 4/5
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have started [book:The Most Wanted Man in China: My Journey from Scientist to..."

I'm reading that now too.

[Susan]

OOPs I meant Gavin not Thomas.

[Thomas, Moderator]

Another review The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon

My wife and I both enjoy this series very much. This book has Precious Ramotswe and her associate Detective, Grace Makutsi, solving mysteries in a gentle manner, with kindness and humanity. Grace reveals that she is pregnant, has her baby and comes back to work. The mysteries solved are who is spreading malicious rumors about The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon and a question of identity in an inheritance.
This is not a book/series for people who want to read about murders and gun play, but more about people and Botswana. A solid 4 out of 5 stars.

[Barbara]

My December book club is postponing til Jan in order to host a reading of Yeat's play Cathleen Ni Hoolihan. So I will put Beatsploitation aside - I'm about 20% done and pick up An Irish Country Christmas.

December is such a busy month !

[Margo]

Barbara wrote: "My December book club is postponing til Jan in order to host a reading of Yeat's play Cathleen Ni Hoolihan. So I will put Beatsploitation aside - I'm about 20% done and pick up [boo..."

Enjoy the reading Barbara. I've never actually read that one.

[Colleen]

I finished The Bone Clocks and loved it.
It was a crazy ride and I will read more of his novels.
I might even try Cloud Atlas lol

[J.S.]

Mentioning this online journal again, Dublin Review of Books:

http://www.drb.ie/?utm_medium=email&a...

[Margo]

Colleen wrote: "I finished The Bone Clocks and loved it.
It was a crazy ride and I will read more of his novels.
I might even try Cloud Atlas lol"

Glad to here you enjoyed it Colleen. I had mixed feelings myself.
I started The Taming of the Queen today for a bit of contrast :)

[Barbara]

J.S. wrote: "Mentioning this online journal again, Dublin Review of Books:

http://www.drb.ie/?utm_medium=email&a......"

Somehow (happily) I am signed up for it. And it's free!

[Cathleen]

J.S. wrote: "Mentioning this online journal again, Dublin Review of Books:

http://www.drb.ie/?utm_medium=email&a......"

I just took a peek at it and signed up for the free subscription. I'm intrigued that Elvis Costello has written an autobiography and will read that essay about it.

[Cathleen]

I was late to the Harry Potter party, since I read the first one only last year. I'm reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets now and really enjoying it. Since it's the end of the term, I have so much student work to read and grade, that I wanted something that wouldn't be too taxing.It's been a quick, entertaining read.

[J.S.]

Cathleen wrote: "J.S. wrote: "Mentioning this online journal again, Dublin Review of Books:

http://www.drb.ie/?utm_medium=email&a......"

Cathleen & Barbara,
I've enjoyed all the issues so far ---

[Seraphina]

Started Stardust today after finishing passage to India. Need a light read to break up my classics challenge. Wonder will it be better than the film....

[Paul]

Its a bit different to the film anyway. No gay pirates for staters

[Colleen]

Margo wrote: "Colleen wrote: "I finished The Bone Clocks and loved it.
It was a crazy ride and I will read more of his novels.
I might even try Cloud Atlas lol"

Glad to here you enj..."

Margo, did you finish The Bone Clocks and if yo didn't how far did you get? I feel that I'm in the minority in how much I loved this novel lol :

[Margo]

Colleen wrote: "Margo wrote: "Colleen wrote: "I finished The Bone Clocks and loved it.
It was a crazy ride and I will read more of his novels.
I might even try Cloud Atlas lol"

Glad t..."

Colleen, I have finished it. I had quiet mixed feeling on this one. I listened to the audio version and each "voice" was read by a different narrator. Some worked better than others, but the weakest part was the penultimate one. (view spoiler)[ which should have brought the story together, and instead lost my attention through poor pacing. I found the final section, the Irish dystopean future, really depressing - not just becouse it was in ireland (!) but because it was only about 30 years away (unless I misheard). (hide spoiler)] Overall not bad - 4*. Better than Cloud Atlas!

[Thomas, Moderator]

Recent books that I have read: The Hanging Girl
my review 4/5 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Gumshoe my review 3/5
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Death of a Nurse my review 4/5
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The last book is not a mystery, rather an inspiring autobiography of a man with a resilient spirit and a brilliant mind.
The Most Wanted Man in China: My Journey from Scientist to Enemy of the State my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sara]

I just finished Sorcerer to the Crown. After a slow start I found it to be delightful. I'm now diving into Shadowshaper and the Sandman prequel, The Sandman: Overture. I'm saving An Irish Country Christmas for my train trip to Ohio on Wednesday.

[Paul]

I found the same with Sorceror to the Crown . It starts a tad slow but developed really well.

[Trelawn]

I am still plodding through The Mill on the Floss. I haven't had huge amounts of time to dedicate to this so it's taking a while. It's also a slow read because not much is happening. It's not that I'm not enjoying it but I'm not racing through it either

[Margo]

I read The Mill on the Floss as a child and enjoyed it but can't for the life of me remember what it was about. I'm guessing a mill features somewhere in it :)

I'm still struggling with The Heart Goes Last which is an ebook from the library. Great premise and started really strong, but am 70% through it now and frankly it's wearing thin. Usually love Atwood. I want to see how this one ends, but am fed up with the charactors and the plot.

[Margo]

Emma wrote: "Having finished most of my Christmas themed reading I've decided to start George Eliots epic Middlemarch. I want to try get it at least started while I'm off for Christmas though my re..."

Emma fair play to you, hope you get through it. I got the audio of Middlemarchin a sale a few years back and it is 35hrs and 40 mins long. I haven't listened to it yet. I love huge books that you loose yourself in :D

[Barbara]

I am rereading Irish Christmas Stories edited by the late, great David Marcus. It's a stunning collection that I appreciate more this reading as I've read more of the authors included since my first reading.
I also started a folklore book about the Christmas mumming tradition in Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. All Silver and No Brass by American Henry Glassie. Glassie did this research in the early 1970's when the Troubles were affecting life even in this far corner of Ulster. He writes about the changes by noting that masked men (as the mummers were) could no longer roam country roads as they did in previous decades because a different category of masked men had taken over the countryside.

Henry Glassieand another American ethnographer Jack Santino wrote about traditions in rural Ulster in the 70's and 80's. I am intrigued by those writers - academic and others - including Dervla Murphy who roamed Northern Ireland during the Troubles to in order to portray life and traditions of everyday people.

[Sara]

I was wondering if folks had any 2016 reading plans aside from the 7 Continents Challenge many of us are doing?

I probably will not be creating a 2016 specific TBR, as last year I only read 9/59 books on the 2015 one I made

I'll be doing the 7 Continents Challenge many of us are doing, participating in Book Riot's 2016 Read Harder Challenge, and making my annual attempt at not buying any books in between Christmas and my birthday on April 21st.

Oh and I'm going to try to read at least 1 Irish book a month.

[Paul]

I'll try do a fantasy classics challenge this coming year as I did a lot of scifi classics this year. Aside from that I have a list of series I want to finish before I start any new ones

[Trelawn]

I'm not sure. I am looking forward to the continental challenge but I would like another challenge as well to keep me focused. hmmm. I'll try read another few Agatha Christies but I'll need another challenge. Any ideas???