What Are you Reading? Showing 6,651-6,700 of 16,523

[Sabine]

Antonella I have done exactly the same thing, for exactly the same reason! :-D

[Susinok]

If I really think the writing is bad, I'll give it a 1 star. If it's just not my taste, I just remove and move on.

[Susinok]

I am a bit in a Christmas Story mood. I have a few that have come out already, and then there was Sleigh Ride, a fun romp. Now to choose the next one. Pretty much Christmas reading is as carried away as I get on the holidays.

I'm listening to Going Up by Amy Lane. It has a very fun narrator of a lighthearted book.

[Ije the Devourer of Books]

I just finished reading Murder In The Rue St. Ann which is book two in the Chanse Macleod series by Greg Herren. It was an excellent mystery but totally gut wrenching. I am going to read the second book in his Scotty Bradley series Jackson Square Jazz which is another great mystery series but a lot more light hearted. I am also reading Wolverine by Jason Aaron: The Complete Collection Volume 1 because I love reading graphic novels and Wolverine is my latest hero.

[KC]

Ije the Devourer of Books wrote: "I just finished reading Murder In The Rue St. Ann which is book two in the Chanse Macleod series by Greg Herren. It was an excellent mystery but totally gut wrenching...."

I'm still traumatized by that Herren book (the second one in that series), but maybe i'll try his Scott Bradley series at some point.

[KC]

Finished reading Fair Play yesterday and i'm still buzzing with excitement. So much to think about, so fulfilling on so many levels. (will take this to the proper discussion thread now :-))

Tough act to follow, so i thought Hansen's Jack of Hearts could be a good idea and for a lighter/different read LB Gregg's There's Something About Ari.

[Susinok]

Well I just placed a hold for four books at the library! I wanted to read some regular mystery novels, and most of them cost around $8-11 on Amazon. Since I don't know if I will like them or not, to the library I will go.

Our library has vastly improved their online search engine. Whew!

So far I have not seen ANY LGBT books, but the search only takes titles and authors, you can't search by genre. So I need to have a look around (and ask the front desk). If they don't have anything I'll start requesting some.

[Antonella]

Ije the Devourer of Books wrote: "I just finished reading Murder In The Rue St. Ann which is book two in the Chanse Macleod series by Greg Herren. It was an excellent mystery but totally gut wrenching...."

Uh, I bought last Saturday in a Salvation Army shop Murder In The Rue Chartres.

BTW I'm absolutely curious about the person who is regularly taking there his/her m/m books, which I'm regularly buying ;-).

[Ame]

Haldis wrote: "Question: What do people do with books you are "currently reading" and decide 30% or so in that a root canal would be less painful? Do you create a "I would rather die then read this book" shelf or..."

I skim through the rest and read the ending. I simply can never DNF a book without knowing the ending. I just can't.

[Ije the Devourer of Books]

KC wrote: "Ije the Devourer of Books wrote: "I just finished reading Murder In The Rue St. Ann which is book two in the Chanse Macleod series by Greg Herren. It was an excellent ..."

I am not surprised. The story left me shaken by the ending but some Scotty will balance everything out nicely and restore my equilibrium. It was a great read but a shocking one.

[Ije the Devourer of Books]

Antonella wrote: "Ije the Devourer of Books wrote: "I just finished reading Murder In The Rue St. Ann which is book two in the Chanse Macleod series by Greg Herren. It was an excellent ..."

I am looking forward to that one Antonella but I need to read something light hearted first. :)

[HJ]

Ije the Devourer of Books wrote: "I just finished reading Murder In The Rue St. Ann which is book two in the Chanse Macleod series by Greg Herren. It was an excellent mystery but totally gut wrenching...."

It's a while since I read these, but I do rate Greg Herren as an author. Following him led me to Julie Smith, another mystery writer who lives in New Orleans, who is also excellent.

Antonella, I'm intrigued by your fellow m/m reader too! Maybe you could donate a book with a message in it to see if s/he buys it?! Just so you can alert each other when abut to donate to the bookshop, not to circumvent it. I also like the idea of the Salvation Army carrying m/m books; as an organisation it doesn't have the greatest LBGTQ record.

[Jordan]

Haldis wrote: "Question: What do people do with books you are "currently reading" and decide 30% or so in that a root canal would be less painful? Do you create a "I would rather die then read this book" shelf or..."

I used to just delete a book from my shelves. If it was that bad, I never wanted to see it again, or have it associated with me. lol. However, I started to get recommendations from people for some of those books. And it started with the first book in the series, and then I got the second book recommended, and then the third. So, I sadly, had to put those books back on my shelf, on an "unfinished" shelf, and a review of why I didn't like it, so that people couldn't recommend the book to me ever again.

[Jordan]

HJ wrote: "Ije the Devourer of Books wrote: "I just finished reading Murder In The Rue St. Ann which is book two in the Chanse Macleod series by Greg Herren. It was an excellent ..."

The Salvation Army saddens me. I know they do good work, but last I knew they wouldn't hire LGBTQ people. I think it's written somewhere on their website. Plus, if I recall, they don't pay very well at all either.

Though looking at their website, they may have changed their tune recently.
But this was the reason I never donated, even when I wanted to.

[Susinok]

Sammie wrote: "not a judgment but an observation. the vast majority of the m/m I read is written from the POV (either first person or limited pov third person) of the bottom if the partners have those roles (the..."

Hmm I would have to think about that. I know I've read a lot of both.

[Antonella]

HJ wrote: "Antonella, I'm intrigued by your fellow m/m reader too! Maybe you could donate a book with a message in it to see if s/he buys it?!"

That's a great idea for a contact. But I can't donate something awful, and I don't want to donate something good. And I don't feel exactly like leaving my contact. I'll have to think this through.

About The Salvation Army: after having a discussion with them I thought I shouldn't go to their shop because of their position on LGBT issues. But they have such a nice shop, and with m/m books. I can't boycott everthing and everybody...

[Alison]

Antonella wrote: "About The Salvation Army: after having a discussion with them I thought I shouldn't go to their shop because of their position on LGBT issues. But they have such a nice shop, and with m/m books. I can't boycott everthing and everybody... "

I know. Sometimes we have to be selective in our boycotting. It's hard sometimes with groups like the Salvation Army. They do good work, but but but...
But you've got a good source for books, so I say go with it! :)

[Alison]

Ame wrote: "I skim through the rest and read the ending. I simply can never DNF a book without knowing the ending. I just can't."

I'm the same, Ame. I have to at least skim it quickly to the end. Even if I don't like it.

[Alison]

Antonella wrote: "I think it is important to give it a one star, not only as a service to your readers friends, but also for yourself, in case you in a couple of years forget you had read it and found it awful.

For I eliminated several ones from my Kindle because I thought: ''If I die, I don't want anybody to think I read such shit ;-)''. ..."

I've never given only one star, though I have been tempted a few times. I always talk myself out of it in the end. I read a book just recently that I really didn't like and I still gave it two stars because it had a few small redeeming features, but I think it probably deserved one since I really didn't enjoy it and skipped most of the second half. Probably the definition of one star is "really didn't enjoy it and skipped most of the second half." Hmmm. You've inspired me, Antonella, to go for the one star.

And my Kindle has some real rubbish on it. Maybe I should have a clean up, too.

[Alison]

Haldis wrote: "Susinok wrote: "And I am just now somehow finding out that Robin Hobb has a new book in the Assasin's universe! I loved the two trilogies in that series, and the Fool was such an enigmatic gender-f..."

I'm in the middle of Robin Hobb's second Farseer book, Royal Assassin, and I'm enjoying it. I really liked the first one in that series.

[Antonella]

Alison wrote: "Hmmm. You've inspired me, Antonella, to go for the one star."

I'm glad to be a source of inspiration ;-).

And because of the 5-stars-system, to give one stars to some books is the only way to mark the abysmal distance between those and our 5 stars books.

[Alison]

Antonella wrote: "Alison wrote: "Hmmm. You've inspired me, Antonella, to go for the one star."

I'm glad to be a source of inspiration ;-).

And because of the 5-stars-system, to give one stars to some books is the..."

Very true. As silly as the five star system is sometimes, it can be useful too.

[ED]

I think the book was suggested here.... I just finished Hell or High Water (audio book). The Book was great, as was the narrator. I really like his voice and his style. He did an excellent job.

[Becky]

Sammie wrote: "not a judgment but an observation. the vast majority of the m/m I read is written from the POV (either first person or limited pov third person) of the bottom if the partners have those roles (the..."

That's an interesting observation. Now I've gotta go and analyse all the m/m I've read recently enough to recall the POV and who did what.

As for my own, I usually try to balance out the POV equally between the two leads in my novels, including in the sex scenes, so whether they are top and bottom or switching there will be some scenes from the topping POV.

[HJ]

Antonella wrote: "About The Salvation Army: after having a discussion with them I thought I shouldn't go to their shop because of their position on LGBT issues. But they have such a nice shop, and with m/m books. I can't boycott everthing and everybody...",

I agree. They do more good than harm and maybe will change their position over time.

[HJ]

One of the ways I used Goddreads when I started was to keep a note of books and authors I didn't like by allocated one star and using a DNF shelf. But often the book itself wasn't bad, just not to my taste, and I was horrified when I realised my one stars were bringing down the overall ratings (I had assumed they were private).

Ideally, I would add them to my GR and put them on a DNF shelf with no rating but a short private review for my own guidance. But in fact I tend to merely delete things from my Kindle and rely on being told I've already bought it if I'm tempted again. I really ought to do a complete overhaul of my Kindle library soon!

I also make much more use of samples now, too, even on cheap books.

[Ije the Devourer of Books]

Alison wrote: "Antonella wrote: "About The Salvation Army: after having a discussion with them I thought I shouldn't go to their shop because of their position on LGBT issues. But they have such a nice shop, and ..."

Salvation Army is inclusive so perhaps the staff you spoke to were just voicing their own positions. Their policy is strongly inclusive but they do recognise that a range of views exist within their organisation.
http://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/inclu...

This is one of the most strongly inclusive policies that. I have come across in a Christian organisation.

I like the Salvation Army because they work in the most challenging areas of society and they do practical things like feeding the homeless, visiting older lonely people and working with people who use drugs.

So Antonella do keep buying from them. Maybe you should print out the inclusive policy and give it to the staff at the shop. Just so they know what their organisation stands for. :)

[Anne]

I rarely grade books on Goodreads and I have never gotten into the habit of creating shelves. I usually delete a read book from my Kindle as soon as it is finished, unless I keep it there for re-reading, but it is easy to download again from the Amazon cloud whenever I want one.

I have also that fear what if I die and someone (my kids!) see some of those awful books I have encountered. A couple have been so bad I have even deleted them from the cloud and lost them forever. Good riddance to them! ;)

When I was younger I never did not finish a book. These days I'm older ( and books are cheaper and much more available) and I don't have the time or inclination to finish a book that bores me or pisses me off because it is so bad, better stop reading and go searching for something I enjoy.

The sample function has saved me many times, but sometimes I get the suspicion an author uses all her craft and knowledge into creating those first chapters, to lure me in, and then there is a sharp decline in quality for the rest of the book. But that is perhaps just my imagination..

[Antonella]

Ije the Devourer of Books wrote: "Salvation Army is inclusive so perhaps the staff you spoke to were just voicing their own positions. Their policy is strongly inclusive but they do recognise that a range of views exist within their organisation.
http://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/inclu..."

Wow, this is inclusive! Thank you very much.

BTW the discussion I had was not with people of the shop, but with uniformed people who came once into our antiracism center and ask to sing a Christian song. They have a shelter nearby.

[Na]

Anne wrote: "...but sometimes I get the suspicion an author uses all her craft and knowledge into creating those first chapters, to lure me in..."

I don't trust samples either. They can be misleading. Never think about it being purely intentional but it is a possibility.

[KC]

Read and enjoyed:

There's Something About Ari by LB Gregg
Snowman With Benefits by Marshall Thornton (this is a short story)
Unwrapping Hank by Eli Easton

[Ame]

I have just bought my first holiday read. Though I will probably read it way before the holidays ;)

Anyway can't wait to read it, loved the first one in the series! Sleigh Ride

It amazes me how much variety she has in her writing, sometime she can be downright corny and romantic, other times.... not so much :)

[Susinok]

Ame wrote: "I have just bought my first holiday read. Though I will probably read it way before the holidays ;)

Anyway can't wait to read it, loved the first one in the series! Sleigh Ride

It..."

Sleigh Ride is a bit of both, but not very corny. Kinky and sweet in equal measure, hehe.

[Jordan]

Alison wrote: "Antonella wrote: "I think it is important to give it a one star, not only as a service to your readers friends, but also for yourself, in case you in a couple of years forget you had read it and fo..."

I used to not give anything below 3 stars. But I can't in good conscious do that because it might lead another reader down the dark path I'd like to save them from. You know? I'm sorry to other writers who's work I can't stand, or who's writing is that bad, but if it is, I've got to be honest to other readers.

ETA: There have been books that were written well enough that I just didn't like for whatever reason. Those usually get around 3 stars because it was "just me" for the most part, but I can't give them 4 stars because that says I liked it more than I did.

[HJ]

Ije the Devourer of Books wrote: "Salvation Army is inclusive so perhaps the staff you spoke to were just voicing their own positions. Their policy is strongly inclusive but they do recognise that a range of views exist within their organisation. ..."

Ije, I am pleased to see that they seem to be changing their stance. They have a poor history, so I hope that they are seeing the error of their ways. As recently as 2012 their leader was still making anti-gay statements: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zinnia-...

[Ije the Devourer of Books]

HJ wrote: "Ije the Devourer of Books wrote: "Salvation Army is inclusive so perhaps the staff you spoke to were just voicing their own positions. Their policy is strongly inclusive but they do recognise that ..."

Yes but the article doesn't mention the UK and seems mostly focused on the SA in the US so the different attitudes probably depend on the region. I guess the Salvation Army might be a bit like the Anglican Church with both liberal and conservative views held within the same institution and with different perspectives depending on the geographical region.

[Karen]

November reads I loved:


Fair Play
Flight of Magpies
Criss Cross (audiobook)

I've also enjoyed Riptide's new Bluewater Bay series (set on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state), especially L.B. Gregg's There's Something About Ari.

[HJ]

Ije the Devourer of Books wrote: "Yes but the article doesn't mention the UK and seems mostly focused on the SA in the US so the different attitudes probably depend on the region. I guess the Salvation Army might be a bit like the Anglican Church with both liberal and conservative views held within the same institution and with different perspectives depending on the geographical region. ..."

Fair point. I like to think that churches in the UK are less conservative and aggressive than some in the US seem to be, but maybe that's wishful thinking.

[HJ]

Karen wrote: "I've also enjoyed Riptide's new Bluewater Bay series (set on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state), especially L.B. Gregg's There's Something About Ari."

I have enjoyed these too.

[Ije the Devourer of Books]

Karen wrote: "November reads I loved:

I have only read Crisscross out of those books but the others are loaded up on my kindle and ready for me to read.

[Becky]

I'm not reading them right now but I've decided to do a reread in 2015 of the whole Sherlock Holmes canon - in order. I've read all of them in the past and some more recently, but it will be fun to do a full reread, start to finish.

I'm probably not going to do a number of books read challenge on here in 2015 - that tends to stop me reading long books and I've got the rest of the Song of Ice and Fire books waiting for me, though I plan to get book 2 of those read before the end of this year.

So instead of that, reading the complete Holmes can be my challenge for the year.

[Alison]

Ije the Devourer of Books wrote: "Salvation Army is inclusive so perhaps the staff you spoke to were just voicing their own positions. Their policy is strongly inclusive but they do recognise that a range of views exist within their organisation.
http://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/inclu...
"

Thank you for sharing that, Ije. I have learned something new. That is a very inclusive policy and very good to see. I looked and SA International has a policy of lgbtq inclusion and non-discrimination and I imagine different countries and areas do embrace that in differing ways. I had a look at the website of the NZ Sallies and they appear to be very conservative, but are quietly inclusive, so that's good to know. They do a lot of good work and I was always a little bit hesitant to support them completely, but now I won't worry about it so much. Thanks for making me think about it, Ije. :)

[Susinok]

Becky wrote: "I'm not reading them right now but I've decided to do a reread in 2015 of the whole Sherlock Holmes canon - in order. I've read all of them in the past and some more recently, but it will be fun to do a full reread, start to finish...."

I want to do that someday, too. I know I've read them all at one time or another.

[Susinok]

I picked up the latest Robin Hobb at the library. It is a 600 page brick, but I know I'll love it.

Fool's Assassin

[Alison]

Anne wrote: "The sample function has saved me many times, but sometimes I get the suspicion an author uses all her craft and knowledge into creating those first chapters, to lure me in, and then there is a sharp decline in quality for the rest of the book. But that is perhaps just my imagination.. "

I'm a lot better with getting samples now and it's kept me from buying books quite a few times. I'm definitely more particular in my book-buying than I used to be, so mostly I end up reading books that I like, which is the point, I suppose. But now and then, there's still a dud and that's okay. Such is life. :)

[Becky]

I tend to think of the sample as basic quality control. Do I like the style of the prose? Is it well edited? Is the dialogue good (nothing stops me colder than bad dialogue.) But of course it's no guarantee I'm going to like the whole book.

[Susinok]

I'll let you know, Jordan.

Right now I'm reading The Track of Sand by Andrea Camilleri. It is translated from Italian. This is book 12. The protagonist is Inspector Montalbano, and I've always liked this series.

I just noticed on my series list that I picked up book 12 instead of 11. Whoops. I checked both out of the library, so I can fix that...

[Loretta]

Sammie wrote: "not a judgment but an observation. the vast majority of the m/m I read is written from the POV (either first person or limited pov third person) of the bottom if the partners have those roles (the..."

The Cole McGinnis series by Rhys Ford is written from the POV of the top.

[Haldis]

Becky wrote: "I'm not reading them right now but I've decided to do a reread in 2015 of the whole Sherlock Holmes canon - in order. I've read all of them in the past and some more recently, but it will be fun to..."

I tried to do that once, but there are so many stories they started blending together, so I would read a few, read something else, then read a few more. Lather, rinse, repeat.

[Karen]

Words from Heidi Cullinan's "naughty" librarian in Sleigh Ride:

"Every book is a revolution. Books are our ticket out of boredom, despair, loneliness — but also ignorance."