What Are you Reading? Showing 2,501-2,550 of 16,523

[Susinok]

I just started Shock & Awe by Abigail Roux. I must still be in the mood for alpha males. :)

[Alison]

I twisted my ankle, so I've been spending a fair amount of time reclining this week, which means I've been reading a whole whole lot. Yay! It's actually been pretty great to have the man of the house wait on me while I lie around reading good books! Injuries are good for something, even if it's only indulgence.

I started The Rifter The Rifter Book One: The Shattered Gates a few days ago and have been unable to stop. I am fairly well obsessed. I laugh, I cry, I regularly exclaim at volume ("Oh my God!," "Holy *@%!," Aack!," etc.). It's fortunate that I'm in a room by myself. I started the eighth book this morning. This is amazing and exciting reading.

Before getting sucked completely into the magnificence of Rifter, I read some other stuff that was good. David Levithan's The Lover's Dictionary was really neat. It's an interesting idea, maybe a bit gimmicky, but I really enjoyed it. It tells the story of a relationship through dictionary entries--it's all little passages and moments that go along with each word. It's quite short and entertaining.

I really liked S.E. Jakes's Catch a Ghost. So much so that I read the next one, Long Time Gone, the next day. Both kept me thoroughly entertained in my convalescence.

[Josh]

Susinok wrote: "I just started Shock & Awe by Abigail Roux. I must still be in the mood for alpha males. :)"

I'm seeing a pattern here.

[Josh]

Alison wrote: "I twisted my ankle, so I've been spending a fair amount of time reclining this week, which means I've been reading a whole whole lot. Yay! It's actually been pretty great to have the man of the hou..."

Ouch for the ankle.

Your response to Rifter was the same as mine. Obsessed is actually right.

[Susinok]

Josh wrote: "Susinok wrote: "I just started Shock & Awe by Abigail Roux. I must still be in the mood for alpha males. :)"

I'm seeing a pattern here."

:) Not to worry, it's not permanent.

[Johanna]

Alison wrote: "I twisted my ankle, so I've been spending a fair amount of time reclining this week, which means I've been reading a whole whole lot. Yay! It's actually been pretty great to have the man of the hou..."

Sorry to hear about your ankle, Alison. But happy to hear that Basawar has swallowed you. ;-) Happy reading!

[ED]

Valerie wrote: "Becky wrote: "I just finished What Binds Us, and now I have a headache from crying."

I listened to that one. I know what you mean!"

I got it yesterday. The writing is excellent. I love the characters in general. But in reality it was all a bit flat. No real drama or angst. Nothing much really happens. It is just a description of a few events that span over a certain time. I will rate it 3.5 stars.

[ED]

Salsera1974 wrote: "Tracy wrote: "Well, I've started calling my online wishlists "Where Good Intentions Go To Die" because I have ZERO budget for new books for the foreseeable future, so...and the library here is real..."
Check that list
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1... You can find some excellent stories there. I loved The Student Prince, Snowflakes and Embers is a fantastic read. Indulgence... well, that is hard core stuff, but it is one of my favourites just the same. If you go on Tinneans personal site, you will find some reading materials as well. And last but not least... The best reads I found in Twilight fanfiction sites... *Blushes* I could give some excellent recommendations. Just ask. Even very good m/m stories.

[Tracy]

LOL -- you guys are awesome! I hesitate to do "loaners" because sometimes I can be slow to actually read them. I do have a fandom or two that I have stuff to read, and I have a backlog of stuff I've acquired but haven't read. But honestly? Sometimes I really do just want to go back and reread.

Also the Girl-child is starting to venture out a bit deeper into my shelves, so I'm reading so I can recommend (or not) and then discuss with her. :D

[Alison]

Thanks for sympathy, Josh and Johanna. I've certainly got a good distraction.
:)

[Jordan]

I'm about halfway through Forced To Kill. I'm thinking the first book was better. This one has me confused. The MC, Nathan, was a special Forces soldier who got into home security with his best pal. They seem to have made millions. They own two helicopters, as an example. Nathan owns two houses, even though he doesn't strike me as a two home kind of guy. But what I find more confusing is that they aren't that far apart from each other. He spends more time in house #2 and yet house #1 has the housekeeper and is where his two dogs reside, apparently without him for the most part.
As a dog lover myself, and having a fish with attachment issues, this makes no sense to me!!!

Also, the author has a habit of repeating lines of dialog too much. In the first two chapters I can't tell you how many people wished the MC had a good flight, sometimes more than once by the same person in the same conversation. Just to have the next person he talked to give them the same well wishes.

In one scene an FBI agent needs to verify Nathan's ID. He says, three times, in three different ways, in the space of half a page "let me get your ID checked and we'll get this all sorted out."

I'm still enjoying the book, but some of the little things are starting to dress up in neon cloths and jump up and down. Lol.

Sometimes I think this author is too detailed for his own good.

[Susinok]

Lou wrote: "I think I'll read Grime and Punishment next. There's a cat in the first sentence. How could it go wrong. Plus, ZAM has never let me down."

I just added it to my wishlist. It's on sale at Loose ID, too.

[Becky]

I was a little disappointed by Grime and Punishment. It wasn't a bad book, just average. But I've come to expect more than average from ZAM, and this one didn't grab me like her other stuff.

Now, My Cowboy Heart was good, and I'm not a big cowboy fan in general.

[Antonella]

ED wrote: "Check that list
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1... You can find some excellent stories there."

Thank you for the link. I didn't know the list, but I've read some of the stories.

[Antonella]

Lou wrote: "Jordan wrote: "...a fish with attachment issues"

I'm still digesting this. :P"

We knew about Jordan's fish, but we haven't heard about him/her/it for a while now.

[Antonella]

Alison wrote: "I twisted my ankle, so I've been spending a fair amount of time reclining this week, which means I've been reading a whole whole lot."

I'm sorry about the ankle, but glad for you about the reading time!

[HJ]

Antonella wrote: "Lou wrote: "Jordan wrote: "...a fish with attachment issues"

I'm still digesting this. :P"

We knew about Jordan's fish, but we haven't heard about him/her/it for a while now."

We didn't dare ask.

[Jordan]

Aww. Belimai is doing okay. But he really doesn't like going two whole days without human interaction. Last weekend the library was closed two days and I think he's still getting over it. He's been hiding in a corner a lot.

[HJ]

Jordan wrote: "Aww. Belimai is doing okay. But he really doesn't like going two whole days without human interaction. Last weekend the library was closed two days and I think he's still getting over it. He's been..."

You'll have to take him home at Thanksgiving!

[Susinok]

So I finished Shock & Awe by Abigail Roux. It was a surprisingly fluffy piece of gay for you fiction. Not much plot. Well, not any plot really other than the two guys hook up. Well done characters, well written for what it was, but... no plot!

Now I'm reading Illumination by Rowan Speedwell. Skinny rocker and an agoraphobic illuminator (doing it the old way). Rowan's in the Society for Creative Anachronism, and she's describing the medieval methods of illumination. Very nice. Got my geeky SCA juices going. And there appears to be a plot. Excellent!

[Valerie]

Susinok wrote: "So I finished Shock & Awe by Abigail Roux. It was a surprisingly fluffy piece of gay for you fiction. Not much plot. Well, not any plot really other than the two guys hook up. Well ..."

I agree with you about Shock & Awe.

I enjoyed Illumination. Very nice.

I finished Dance with the Devil and it was a fun read. It was the first book I've read by Megan Derr but I do have the next in the series Dance in the Dark on my Kindle.

I'm currently reading The Good Boy.

[Josh]

Jordan wrote: "I'm about halfway through Forced To Kill. I'm thinking the first book was better. This one has me confused. The MC, Nathan, was a special Forces soldier who got into home security with his best pal..."

Yes, I enjoyed the first book but it's a fat book for relatively little plot. A LOT of filler. I get the impression he wrote these in very quick succession, which might explain repeated dialog and info.

[Josh]

Hj wrote: "Antonella wrote: "Lou wrote: "Jordan wrote: "...a fish with attachment issues"

I'm still digesting this. :P"

We knew about Jordan's fish, but we haven't heard about him/her/it for a while now."

..."

I know! True. I didn't want to bring up a painful subject if...

[Alison]

Antonella wrote: "Alison wrote: "I twisted my ankle, so I've been spending a fair amount of time reclining this week, which means I've been reading a whole whole lot."

I'm sorry about the ankle, but glad for you ab..."

Thanks, Antonella. I can walk pretty normally by now, so I think I may soon be out of excuses. Drat.

[♣ Irish Smurfétté ♣]

Susinok wrote: "So I finished Shock & Awe by Abigail Roux. It was a surprisingly fluffy piece of gay for you fiction. Not much plot. Well, not any plot really other than the two guys hook up. Well ..."

Illumination was fantastic, I really liked it.

I just finished Threshold and it was just as much a fun read, if not even better, than Widdershins

[Antonella]

Hj wrote: "You'll have to take him home at Thanksgiving!"

He won't even worry because he has probably heard turkeys mentioning the doomsday ;-).

[HJ]

I'm reading How I Met Your Father by L.B. Gregg, due to Riptide's bonus scheme of letting those who pre-order have early access (I really like this idea).

I'm enjoying the book very much - no surprise about that, given the author's track record!

[Ije the Devourer of Books]

I just finished Come Unto These Yellow Sands and really enjoyed it. Now i have just started Wicked Gentlemen

[Anne]

Hj wrote: "I'm reading How I Met Your Father by L.B. Gregg, due to Riptide's bonus scheme of letting those who pre-order have early access (I really like this idea).

I'm en..."

Do you know the release date? I am so looking forward to a new story from her. And of course to the Simple Gift audio book as well, a favourite Christmas story. Together with the Dickens, I shall have a cozy advent time, I believe :)

ETA: just checked the release date, it seems to be tomorrow. Yay!

[Lady*M]

I just finished J. Fally's Bone Rider and I cannot recommend it strong enough. Especially, if you like sci-fi... or cowboys... or hot mafiosi... or... Just read it. XD

[Jordan]

Wow, that does look really good! Thanks for the recommendation Lady*M!

[HJ]

Anne wrote: "Do you know the release date? I am so looking forward to a new story from her. ..."

I thought the release date was today. But I've just checked, and it is 18th November. I've finished it - it was good!

I'm looking forward to her audiobook too.

[Becky]

Anne wrote: "Hj wrote: "I'm reading How I Met Your Father by L.B. Gregg, due to Riptide's bonus scheme of letting those who pre-order have early access (I really like this idea)..."

If you want to order it direct from Riptide, you can download it now! (They release all their pre-orders at midnight the Friday night before the official release date.) If you want/need to buy it from one of the third-party sites, I'd start looking in a few hours. I've noticed Amazon has been quietly activating the Monday morning releases around dinner time east coast USA time.

[Susan]

Becky wrote: "Anne wrote: "Hj wrote: "I'm reading How I Met Your Father by L.B. Gregg, due to Riptide's bonus scheme of letting those who pre-order have early access (I really li..."

It's available on Amazon.com right now!

[Anne]

Susan wrote: "Becky wrote: "Anne wrote: "Hj wrote: "I'm reading How I Met Your Father by L.B. Gregg, due to Riptide's bonus scheme of letting those who pre-order have early acces..."

Yay once again! :)

[Calathea]

Susan wrote: "Becky wrote: "Anne wrote: "Hj wrote: "I'm reading How I Met Your Father by L.B. Gregg, due to Riptide's bonus scheme of letting those who pre-order have early acces..."

Thank's for the heads up, Susan! :-)

[Becky]

Nice! I pre-ordered the bundle, so I'll be getting my novellas one at a time as Riptide releases them. But I'm going to wait just a little while to read them. Even though I've started the Christmas knitting already out of necessity (I would have to clone myself to get it all done otherwise!), I hold out until Thanksgiving weekend to start reading holiday stories.

Although, looking at the calendar, Hanukkah starts the night before Thanksgiving this year, so maybe I'll break my usual rule just this once. ;)

[Anne]

Lady*M wrote: "I just finished J. Fally's Bone Rider and I cannot recommend it strong enough. Especially, if you like sci-fi... or cowboys... or hot mafiosi... or... Just read it. XD"

This sounds like fun and way out of the ordinary. Thanks for the recommendation.

[Jordan]

Josh wrote: "Jordan wrote: "I'm about halfway through Forced To Kill. I'm thinking the first book was better. This one has me confused. The MC, Nathan, was a special Forces soldier who got into home security wi..."

That might explain it. I just didn't enjoy the second one as much as the first. It was alright. But the ending dragged on and I wasn't sure about the one scene and why it was there.

And yeah, way too much filler with details that got annoying. Reading each and every step he took, the unlocking of the door, opening it a half an inch, then an inch, then two inches, then three, and eventually he got to something like a foot and finally stuck his head through to check visually for booby traps.

Anyway, finished it last night, and I'm kinda glad. Not much to write home about.

I've now started Catch a Ghost. So far so good!

[Josh]

Reading LB Gregg's I'm enjoying it very much. I think LB is the premier writer of rom com in this genre.

Anyway, I read a comment in a review that I thought was interesting. The comment was to the effect that there were "only four" interactions/encounters between the two protags. Which at first had me thinking, oh wow! Not good.

But then when I thought about it, I realized that comment made no sense. It isn't about the number of interactions. It's about the quality of the interactions. These are all long encounters and they make up the bulk of the book.

Or maybe this is code for sex scenes? But I personally don't count the sex scenes in a book. Again, I'm interested in quality not quantity. Most of my books have one, maybe two sex scenes. Maybe there are readers who think I should write more sex scenes, but I'm not writing for them. Clearly.

So what do you think? Do you guys count the number of sex scenes or encounters/interactions? Is it about quality or quantity? Obviously I think I know the answer to that, but there are a lot of readers in this genre who have a different perspective.

[Calathea]

Josh wrote: "Reading LB Gregg's I'm enjoying it very much. I think LB is the premier writer of rom com in this genre."

I bought it, it's on my Kindle and hopefully I'll get to read it soon... :)

[♣ Irish Smurfétté ♣]

Josh wrote: "Reading LB Gregg's I'm enjoying it very much. I think LB is the premier writer of rom com in this genre.

Anyway, I read a comment in a review that I tho..."

I got this over the weekend, as well, waiting on the kindle for me.

As for sex scenes: when the story/writing/characters are good, I don't at all count them because the overall reading experience is a positive one and I'm inolved in that.

If the story is lacking, I find myself doing things while reading, including how many times sex occurs, or errors I come across, etc. - have to do something if the story isn't totally engaging me. ;)

[Johanna]

Josh wrote: "Do you guys count the number of sex scenes or encounters/interactions? Is it about quality or quantity?"

I find this funny because I've never counted sex scenes. :-) Wouldn't that be some kind of sign of the fact that the book is so boring that you have to amuse yourself with things like that? That your mind wanders from the story itself?

Although I admit that sometimes I feel like the whole book is a big sex scene and that sure is boring as hell. Like in so many things in real life, quality rocks also in story lines and the interactions of the main couple. And the anticipation for those encounters is a powerful "weapon". :-)

[Johanna]

Andrea wrote: "If the story is lacking, I find myself doing things while reading, including how many times sex occurs, or errors I come across, etc. - have to do something if the story isn't totally engaging me. ;)"

Exactly. ;-)

[Josh]

Johanna wrote: "Josh wrote: "Do you guys count the number of sex scenes or encounters/interactions? Is it about quality or quantity?"

I find this funny because I've never counted sex scenes. :-) Wouldn't that be ..."

I have heard about publishers requiring a certain number of sex scenes and a final sex scene and so forth, so obviously someone somewhere must be counting. But it just seems so...arbitrary.

[Anne]

Josh wrote: "Reading LB Gregg's I'm enjoying it very much. I think LB is the premier writer of rom com in this genre.

Anyway, I read a comment in a review that I tho..."

Of course it is about quality, not quantity, but you knew that already :)

I don't count the sex scenes unless there are too many of them and they are not doing anything to forward the story, but seem like they are there just to fill up the pages or because the author thinks they are "needed" in order to fulfill someone's criteria for a romance. Add that if they are stereotypical, too technical and boring and I lose interest in the book altoghether. For me the sex scenes should be about emotions and sensations and connections, not about how many fingers are doing what and "laving" (what a terrible word) of belly buttons or any other of the cliches you find and that have me wondering if any of these authors have ever had sex themselves or are just copying each other...

Sorry, that ended up as a rant :)

[Josh]

Anne wrote: "Josh wrote: "Reading LB Gregg's I'm enjoying it very much. I think LB is the premier writer of rom com in this genre.

Anyway, I read a comment in a revi..."

LOL

I admit to using a "laving" somewhere. I actually like that word, but it's probably best saved for historical fiction.

The problem for authors is finding new words to say the same old thing. But I've come to the conclusion that (like those people counting sex scenes) anyone concerned with how many times I've used any particular verb, adjective, etc. in my career seriously needs to get another hobby. :-D

Simple, elegant language, that's the ticket. And the words that work best are the words that work best. Regardless of how many times they have been used.

[Johanna]

Anne wrote: "Sorry, that ended up as a rant :)"

A rant that made me laugh out loud, though. :-)

------> Anne wrote: "For me the sex scenes should be about emotions and sensations and connections, not about how many fingers are doing what --"

LMAO! :-D

[Johanna]

Josh wrote: "I have heard about publishers requiring a certain number of sex scenes and a final sex scene and so forth, so obviously someone somewhere must be counting. But it just seems so...arbitrary."

Couldn't agree more.

[Josh]

I'm not sure why people get so wrapped up in the, er, statistics of romance. Anne is right though. I've read posts on the whole order of sex...first the blow job, then intercourse, then...whatever. One finger, two finger, three potatoes, hot potato!!! :-D

And it does make you wonder whether these people have had any actual real life sex! It's not that organized.

Er, as I recall. :-D