What are You Reading?

[[deleted user]]

I am starting "Parable of the Sower" by Octavia E. Butler

[Zoe]

Teresa wrote: "I am starting Defending Jacob today. I heard it was excellent, but I see about that."

Ooh, Teresa, I can't wait to see what you think of that one!

[Gabrielle]

Teresa, I read defending Jacob last year. Curious about other people's read on it.

Wrapped this week: how the light gets in (Louise penny, gamache series most recent), Why I Jump.
Starting Men We Reaped.
1/4 into The Secret History.

[Teresa]

Defending Jacob was amazing. I would recommend it to anyone. It was a can't put down book. I finished it in two days.

[Louise]

Actually reading 'Christmas at Claridges' at the moment - now its not really very intellectual but for Christmas holiday reading after a manic time at work in the last couple of months, its right up my street (oh an set in London because I needed a 'fix' to stop the homesickness!)

Also am dipping into The Medea Complex - complete an utter sucker for the Facebook ad for this one - seems ok so far......

But I have got The White Queen and The Luminaries lined up as well.

I need to set realistic goals - always want to do everything all at once (same with my knitting!!)

[[deleted user]]

I am reading In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez and love it as a sweet and sad tribute to the power of family and the strength of women.

My current coffee table book is A Pattern Garden, which takes the principles of A Pattern Language and applies them to garden design. Gardening books are a wonderful remedy to the doldrums of winter...

And in the back wings soon to be started is Wallace Stegner's Angle of Repose, a Pulitzer Prize winner about the American experience, past and present, in general, and the American West in particular. Stegner is one of my scholarly partner's favorite authors, I am looking forward to reading him for the first time.

[Zoe]

I'm on a children's fiction kick- just finished and it was excellent, if you liked Harry Potter or are interested in alternate reality or science, so good I got the sequel from the library today!
Also re-reading something from my favorite comfort read series: . The Beatrix potter mysteries are definitely good colder-than-usual. January fare!

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Cocaine Blues, a historical mystery set in 1920s Australia, with a Bright Young Thing (who really is very bright, as well as very rich), who decides becoming a detective would be amusing.

[Kelli]

Finishing Elizabeth of York: A Tudor Queen and Her World. Continuing on my quest to read Agatha Christie in chronological order. Am in the middle of Partners in Crime.

[Mardy]

A cute, young young adult book that isn't too juvenile but not at all racey is,



I was about half way through before I realized it was a YA book. Fun, though.

Zoe wrote: "I'm on a children's fiction kick- just finished and it was excellent, if you liked Harry Potter or are interested in alternate reality or science, s..."

[Zoe]

Mcknittey wrote: "Finishing Elizabeth of York: A Tudor Queen and Her World. Continuing on my quest to read Agatha Christie in chronological order. Am in the middle of Partners in Crime."
Susanna, did you know that series is on Netflix? it's absolutely fabulous - kind of Australia's version of a BBC mystery series, and the clothes are AMAZING!

[Zoe]

Mardy wrote: "A cute, young young adult book that isn't too juvenile but not at all racey is,



I was about half way through before I realized it was a YA book. Fun, though.

Mardy, that one is on my list too! Love baking....

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Zoe - I just heard that. It sounds terrific fun (and the books would translate well to TV, from the one I read).

[Kathy]

I am reading Whistling Woman by CC Tillery. We are reading this for my historical Book club in March. I am only about 10% into the book, but it is well written and interesting so far.

[[deleted user]]

I just started Ishmael Beah's new book.Radiance of Tomorrow

[Julia]

Hi All - I'm not really reading anything right now. I can't seem to find anything to hold my interest so am doing alot of re-reads.
I also just downloaded a ton of free nook books hoping one of them will grab my attention.

[Rachel]

I'm reading The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai, which is about a children's librarian and a boy from an conservative family in a small town. It's good so far, though I might be a bit partial as a librarian. ;)

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

I'm reading Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, a mystery set in small-town Mississippi.

[Kandi]

I'm reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and am absolutely in love with this book so far. Just about 40% done right now, tho.

[Zoe]

Rachel wrote: "I'm reading The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai, which is about a children's librarian and a boy from an conservative family in a small town. It's good so far, though I might be a bit partial as a libr..."

Rachel, I love books with librarians myself! I'll have to go add that to my queue.

I'm reading Quiet: the power of introverts to change the world by Susan. Cain. VERY good...I've been finding lots of good non-fiction lately. Still reading catching fire too, but since I usually like happy endings, well that's been a bit slow (you know at least a good chunk of the people have to die).

[Kandi]

I finished The Rosie Project and now moving on to Me Before You. It sounds like a pretty good book from the reviews I've seen.

[Mardy]

Me before you was great. If you can get the audio version, the narration was really good.

[Zoe]

Just finished Wonder - a children's chapter book, but one of the best books I've read in a while, and I feel as though it should be required reading!
Still finishing up Major Pettigrew's last stand and starting Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

[Alley]

I'm reading It's horribly massive.

My knitting book right now is

[Dorthe]

Alley wrote: "I'm reading It's horribly massive.

I'm listening to 'The Way of Kings' at the moment - 45 hours of audio. I spent 1½ hours yesterday waiting for my car to be fixed, but with this book and my knitting for company, I was fine.

I imagine it's one of those books that are dangerous to read in bed, if you fall asleep and drop it on your head :o)

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

A Fatal Grace, a mystery by Louise Penny.

[Alley]

Dorthe wrote: "Alley wrote: "I'm reading It's horribly massive.

I'm listening to 'The Way of Kings' at the moment - 45 hours of audio. I spent 1½ hours yesterday waiting for..."

XD That's why I always read sitting up. It's VERY good so far. I'm finally about a third of the way through it.

[Amber]

"The Monuments Men" by Robert M. Edsel. Took me a bit to get into, but halfway through now and enjoying it.

[Alley]

Finished . Read yesterday only to jump right into

[Zoe]

People, you are not helping my TBR lists!
I'm still reading , as well as listening to and for a comfort read, , a gothic children's classic that I am LOVING-I cannot believe I never read this one as a kid (especially since I saw it o Reading Rainbow and wanted to ever since - so....34 years?) If you occasionally like a good kids book, this is IT!

[Mardy]

I'm plodding through Empty Mansions and really like it but haven't had much reading time. I Also have on my Nook, . I just finished re-reading and I'm currently listening to . And, in my free time (LOL) I started watching Game of Thrones from the beginning.

[Leah]

I just finished , and now I'm reading .

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Just finished A Rule Against Murder, and probably on to Someone Knows My Name.

[Kim]

I am reading Wish by Jake Smith and Anthony Burns: The defeat and triumph of a fugitive slave. Both pretty good reads so far!

[Kim]

Amber wrote: ""The Monuments Men" by Robert M. Edsel. Took me a bit to get into, but halfway through now and enjoying it."

I have seen this movie, it was such a good movie. It was very interesting.

[Sarah-Mae]

Breezing through "The Wedding Officer" by Anthony Capella right now, an easy romantic summer read set in WW2 and with plenty of sensual food descriptions!

[[deleted user]]

I just finished "Mighty be our powers : how sisterhood, prayer, and sex changed a nation at war : a memoir" by Lehmah Gbowee. Incredibly powerful story of how she overcame immense adversity to help bring peace to Liberia.

Now I'm reading "The Gift" by Lewis Hyde, about how creativity can be at odds with survival in the modern world, where everything is 'commodified'. I'm anxious to learn how not to be a starving artist. ;-) Not sure if that is where the book is going, but it has my interest.

[Leah]

I just started .

[Amber]

Finally finished The Monuments Men. Took forever and it was ok, interesting but not my kind of book I guess. Might watch the movie tonight. Just finished The Fault In Our Stars...loved it!! Looking forward to the movie. Just started Mr. Mercedes last night. So far so good!

[Blueberry]

Amber wrote: "Finally finished The Monuments Men. Took forever and it was ok, interesting but not my kind of book I guess. Might watch the movie tonight. Just finished The Fault In Our Stars...loved it!! Looking..."

The movie was good, especially if you're into art. Faster moving than the book but be aware that they change the names in the movie and change the story a little.

[Zoe]

So many people reading so many good books! I love the Cara Black series.

I'm reading a Nora Roberts at the moment - I don't LOVE her stuff, but it's never bad.
The Next Always

[Christina]

I love this thread, los of great titles to try. I've just finished listening to an audio CD of Ursula Hegi's Stones from the River. I love her poignant expressions of grief during wartime. Her books always bring me great perspective and empathy for those who have suffered and are suffering still.

[Leah]

I'm reading .

[Zoe]

Just discovered Martin Walker. If you like mysteries, or France, or food, try these! Black Diamond perfectly captures the way the French spend their time- half complying with beaurocracy, half skirting around it, and the I for on the truffle trade is fascinating.

[Kat]

Best thing I've read recently - Discovery of Witches Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. LOVE

[A.]

I'm trying to finish reading Shakespeare's "Richard II." I watched "The Hollow Crown" production of it recently so I bumped that play to the top of my reading list (I'm working my way through Shakespeare--through the comedies but just starting on the histories) and oh my god, is it good! I want to call up my Shakespeare lit teacher from high school and demand to know why we didn't do any of the histories. The language is incredible. So far the histories are far superior to most of the comedies. I'm also reading "Taste: The Story of Britain Through Its Cooking" by Kate Colquhoun, and that's pretty interesting, too.

[Therese]

Finished Fall of Giants (first of the trilogy), read a quickie Janet Evanovich Smokin' Seventeen, started the audible book the (second of the trilogy) for my walking book, read a quickie After the Storm, and am starting Widening Circles A Memoir by Joanna Macy. And we are still listening to The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest in the car.

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

I'm a real fan of Shakespeare's history plays. (Getting ready to read one this fall: Richard III.)

[Dorthe]

For anybody who's into Shakespeare, I recommend the podcast ChopBard (free on iTunes) with Ehren Ziegler - he's currently doing history plays, from Richard II over Henry IV 1+2 to Henry V.

[Zoe]

I was just about to make that recommendation Dorthe! I liked Richard II the best of them though. What a fabulous character, to go from "I can't believe he just said that" every time he is on stage to actually feeling bad for him in the end....great character development.
I'm sure toy reading Taming of the Shrew, which I hadn't seen in decades and had totally forgotten was a play within a play. To be truthful, I prefer 10 things I hate about you, because it reduced the number of suitors (there were just too many) for. Bianca.