What else are you currently reading? Showing 451-500 of 1,050

[Amy]

I just started reading the second book in a series by Cara Black. The series is about a private detective, Aimee Leduc, and each book focuses on a different section of Paris. Murder in the Marais was the first and I LOVED it. I just started Murder in Belleville today.

[Stella]

Lori wrote: "Stella, I'm thinking of reading Grapes of Wrath for my first Steinbeck (I own East of Eden too) in the near future. Do you have any opinions or advice?
"


Lori, unfortunately that is one Steinbeck I still have to read, so I can't give you any advice, just that I know it is one of his most praised novels.

My first was East of Eden, which I liked so much I went on a roll: read Of Mice and Men (which I also found extraordinary), then a collection of short stories like The Moon Is Down and Sweet Thursday.

Grapes of Wrath is also the next Steinbeck i'm planning to read (though that TBr pile is quite huge, it might take some time before I start it..).


ETA: ok, then Michele it is, thanks that's make it easier and a lot shorter to type ;-)

[El]

Lori and Stella, I would also recommend Travels with Charley In Search of America if you enjoy Steinbeck. I also enjoyed The Winter of Our Discontent, though I think that's one that most readers do not enjoy.

[Stella]

Thanks for the recommendations El, added them to my TBr list (oh my that list just keeps on growing..) ;-)

[Lori]

I'm reading The Year of Living Biblically. It's pretty funny and interesting.

[Ann]

Ah, how I've missed this group! :D It's SO nice to be back in a world of readers ;>
Okay, so since I last posted I finally finished Flyte by Angie Sage. I liked it quite a bit - not as much as the first one (since some of the "new-ness" of the world had worn off) but I still enjoyed it, and if you liked "Magyk" you'd probably like "Flyte."
Also, I started the second book in the Percy Jackson series The Sea of Monsters on my departing plane flight. Got about a third of the way through (it's not too long). Then, on the way home I'd packed my Percy book so ended up purchasing myself a second copy of Inkspell. I started "Inkspell" a while back and stalled, so I thought the multi-hour plane ride combined with the Inkheart movie (yay!) would be a good jump start for me;)

[Jessica]

Ann wrote: "Ah, how I've missed this group! :D It's SO nice to be back in a world of readers ;>
Okay, so since I last posted I finally finished [b:Flyte|355917|Flyte (Septimus Heap, Book 2)|Angie Sage|http://..."


Is Inkspell the book that Inkheart is based off of? I am planning on going to see it this weekend, but I always like getting the books movies are based off of because they are always better than the movies themselves. :D

I have never read steinback but hope tor ead some of his works in the future. Are there any suggestions as to which work would be good as a starter? I remember that some of my friends in middle school read Of Mice and Men, but we did not in my English class. We did a lot of shakespeare. At least I think it was middle school.....the years all blurr together.

[whichwaydidshego, the sage of sass]

Jessica, my understanding is it's based on the book of it's namesake, Inkheart. I can't imagine them basing it on the second book in the series, but I haven't seen it yet to say. For that matter, I have Inkheart on my shelf. I was going to read it before I watched the film, but decided I'd do it the other way 'round because then I'll likely enjoy both. (Usually movies never live up to the books.)

[Ann]

That's right, Michele (at least, as you said, as I understand it). Jessica, "Inkspell" is the second book in the trilogy.
I hope you both like the movie (and book)! I plan to see it next weekend and can hardly wait!

[Jessica]

Ok, thank you Michele and Ann. So it is a trilogy! That's awesome, I will have to add that to my to read list. I really like the plot line!

[Hannah]

I finished To Kill a Mockingbird! Michele, it's funny you should mention being in a weird funk about not wanting to finish books. For some reason I was that way with To Kill a Mockingbird. I started reading it, but then I started school and didn't get the normal amount of reading time. I was driving to work, and think that I really didn't want to read this on my break. But once I picked it put again, I got caught. I read almost 150 pages in two days (big deal for me seeing as how I worked 20 hours and have lots of homework). I would say I'm a slight mood reader. I tend to pick out what I'm reading by what mood I'm in. But if I'm consistent, I try to pick up the book I'm reading even if I don't feel like it. Then I normally get into and enjoy it as I'm reading. But I think I work that way partly because I can only read one book at a time.

To Kill a Mockingbird: I loved it! OH my gosh. I was reading it last night at work as a friend was finishing closing. She talked to me several times and I wasn't not listening and didn't hear her. I wanted to stand up and give an applause during the court scene. Dorky, I know. But I really enjoyed it.

I can't decide if I"m going to read Middlesex or The Catcher in the Rye next. We'll see. May wait to see if Middlesex gets to be the March book. :)

[Amy]

Rafaela, I listened to the Memory Keeper's Daughter last summer. I didn't like it. I kept on listening because I wanted to see how it all turned out, but I was so disappointed with the dad in the end. Ugh. Too many lies and secrets.

[whichwaydidshego, the sage of sass]

Hannah, To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my all-time favorites! Brilliant read. I first read it as an adult, never having been assigned it in school. I'm so very pleased I did. Incredibly well written and a moving and motivating plot with wonderful characters. Just thinking about it makes me want to go back to it!

So here's what I think it is... I'm reading a longer book. Not like the 1000+ page novel I read earlier this month, but a 400+ page memoir. And put the longer together with the memoir, and I guess I must get annoyed. I mean I read 100 pages last night and it feels like I didn't make a dent. Add to that, no motivating plot and much as I like both the writing and subject, I don't immediately want to pick it up and continue. But that could all be bullocks. I could just be in a funk. LOL

[Kathryn]

I just finished Excellent Women by Barbara Pym. From GoodReads "An unqualifiedly great novel from the writer most likely to be compared to Jane Austen, this is a very funny, perfectly written book that can rival any other in its ability to capture the essence of its characters on the page. Mildred Lathbury, the narrator of Pym's excellent book is a never-married woman in her 30s--which in 1950s England makes her a nearly-confirmed spinster. Hers is a pretty unexciting life, centered around her small church, and part-time job. But Mildred is far more perceptive and witty than even she seems to think, and when Helena and Rockingham Napier move into the flat below her, there seems to be a chance for her life to take a new direction."

My comments FIVE STARS: A most excellent book! Full of lots of humor and thoughtfulness--I agree that it's a bit Jane Austen-esque. However, I am not sure that the overall theme is quite so optimistic as Austen's works. I would be very interested to hear from others who have read this book to find out what they think. Did Mildred find a fulfilling life? What was Pym's view of "excellent women"--were they neglected victims or silent heroes? I'm looking forward to reading more of Pym's work. Highly recommended!!!

I think many of you GG-ers would be interested in this book, not only because it's well-written and entertaining, but also because of the social subjects it raises--especially in terms of women in 1950s England. Let me know if any of you have read it and we can get a discussion going!!! I think this is rich with subjects to discuss.

[Literary Multitudes]

Kathryn, Barbara Pym really does sound interesting! That goes on my amazon-wishlist. ;-)

Right now I'm mainly reading A Room with a View. I had to pick it up again when watching the new movie version of it. And I realised I hadn't read it for some years. I love it so much. I must read more E.M. Forster soon, too.

And I am going to finish my audio book version of Persuasion read by Juliet Stevenson. It was such a pleasure over the last days to have her read to me in my car. ;-)

[Rafaela]

The_Freddy wrote "I am going to finish my audio book version of Persuasion read by Juliet Stevenson. It was such a pleasure.." I will say I read Persuasion a week ago and I loved it, I think Jane Austen is really one of my favorite!

And Amy, yeah, that book (The Memory Keeper's Daughter) is really not good! A friend gave me this as a present on my last birthday in addition to "The book thief." I liked "The book thief" mainly because the story is happening during the second great war, and since I read Anne Frank's Diary I had interest on the subject.

Now I'm ending Emma and began the series "Little House".
I know that is a children serie, but here in Brazil is barely known and when I saw that it was well recommended in GR, I decided to read it. I found at my grandparents' house an edition of 80s. Until then I am enjoying.

[Rafaela]

Kathryn, your comment about Barbara Pym (Excellent Women) made me want to read it!

[whichwaydidshego, the sage of sass]

I read a different book of Pym's and remember really liking it. I bought a second, but was still in school so I never got back to her... though I still plan to. I think most of you in this group would really like her - witty, smart, funny, wry and sassy at times while still somehow maintaining decorum. Mostly. :D

[Ann]

Maybe a Pym book would make a good group read sometime;)

Right now I'm mainly reading [b:A Room with a View|753045|A Room with a View (Dover Thrift Editions)|E.M...."
I finished this a few months ago and loved it! I already want to read it again;)

And Rafaela, is the "Little House" series you're reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder series? I loved those books growing up and think they have such wonderful "lessons" in them without seeming like lessons.

[Lori]

I'm going to try to read: Lady Chatterley's Lover, War and Peace, America's Queen The Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, with a weekly dose of The Year of Living Biblically One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible.

[El]

Lori, that is quite a nice mix of books you plan to read! Of your bunch I have only read Chatterley but remember liking it pretty well. War and Peace keeps moving with me every time I move, yet I have not had a chance of sitting down with it. You'll have to keep us updated on your thoughts of those books!

[Rafaela]

Ann, "Little House" series I'm reading is the Laura Ingalls Wilder series! I'm enjoying.

Lori, I would like to read so many books at the same time but I can not! You deserve congratulations for it! College consumes me so much, I have classes in the morning and afternoon, usually until 6 pm. So, reading becomes an activity of luxury for me ...

I own Lady Chatterley's Lover, War and Peace, and so many books that it's making me crazy by not knowing where to start!

[Susan]

I am always reading at least 4 to 10 books at the same time depending on my mood and what my book club is reading and of course what ever else I pick up in either the local library or my own personal library.

I have a little bit of an problem with buying books. I buys a tons of books and then it takes me years to get to them because I am always picking up more.

My current reading list:
Nights of Rain and Stars
The Ladies Auxillary
How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved my Life
The Five Love Languages

And this is just the short list.

[Arctic]

currently reading A Most Uncommon Degree of Popularity and it goes well with Emma, if anyone's interested. more from the perspective of a modern Emma's mom though.

[Lori]

Rafaela, College consumes a lot of my time as well. It always takes me forever to get through books when class is in session. But I'm reading W&P with a book group and I really want to keep up with the discussion. The others I listed are just ones that I've been wanting to read for a long, long time. I've got like 10 other books I want to be reading right now too though.

[Celeste]

I'm currently readinggg Anna Karenina, The Age of Innocence and Pride and Prejudice

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner)]

just finished The Thirteenth Tale and on to Franny and Zooey for a nice re-read.

[[deleted user]]

I started Bill Bryson's I'm a Stranger Here Myself Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away on the weekend and I find it hilarious.
Can't read it in public places or else it'd be too embarrassing that I burst out loud laughing.

[Jessica]

Marion wrote: "I started Bill Bryson's [b:I'm a Stranger Here Myself Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away|25|I'm a Stranger Here Myself Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away|Bill Bryson..."


Ha ha. I do that all the time. I also cry at some books, like the fifth book of Harry Potter. I won't say why, but I cried really hard. I think that if I can get into a book that much it makes the author's style all the more notworthy. To me it means that the author had excellent characterization if I am able to get into the character and empathize with them. I've read books where that does not happen because the characters are just too shallow or not realistic.

[Jessica]

I just started Emma as well, and I was wonderin g, has anyone noticed that Jane Austen has this unique way of taking something that could be said simply in one sentence and extending it to be an entire paragraph. Don't get me wrong I love her work, and I have read quite a few of her books. This is a pattern I have noticed in many of her books actually. One sentence was like four lines long with five comma's in it.

I asked a friend about it once and he told me that during the time period that Austen lived, they paid authors per word. So if your book had a lot of words, you got a lot more money. I don't know if that is true, I never looked into it, but if it was it would make sense for this quirk in her style.

[Kristi]

I just read At the Mountains of Madness and Daughter of Fortune. Now I'm reading The Mandarins. Next up: Emma and The Book Thief.

[Rafaela]

Lori, now I know what you mean. I really want to read Dickens and Mark Twain because I have not read anything of them; but I decided to continue with Jane Austen.
I started with Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion was the second , and now Emma.
I got Emma while reading another book, but I never think it's productive (to me) to read several books at once.
Well, I began Emma again a few days ago.
I think the next will be Reason and Sensibility.

What do you think of reading sequentially, all the books that interest you from the same author? Do you think it's could work?

[Emily]

Jessica, That's the reason why I have so much trouble getting through Austen's books I always feel like shouting JUST SAY IT!

[Dini, the master of meaning]

I asked a friend about it once and he told me that during the time period that Austen lived, they paid authors per word. So if your book had a lot of words, you got a lot more money...

Ha, that's interesting, Jessica. I've never heard anything about it but Austen's sentences really are complicated sometimes. But don't you think it's the beauty of it, that she can play with words and reveal so many subtle nuances? What I love most about her language is the way she describes people's personalities.

[whichwaydidshego, the sage of sass]

Dini wrote: "But don't you think it's the beauty of it, that she can play with words and reveal so many subtle nuances? What I love most about her language is the way she describes people's personalities."

I think Dini nailed it... Austen would play with words and put in multiple meanings. But also her descriptions create complete pictures, and that often takes a lot of words. What she expresses is far more than the words used. The undercurrents therein are fabulous... particularly in the interactions, relationships, and most of all in her characterizations.

Oh and she is NOT an author that got paid by the number of words. Dickens was, but he was a whole other era.

[Lori]

Rafaela, I just had a course over Mark Twain where we read 7 of his book, a biography about him, and William Dean Howells' ode to him. It got a bit tiring after a while, because Twain's later writings just aren't that good. You can definitely set out to try to do it, but don't force yourself to read all of an author's books, you could be OK. I guess what I'm saying is, switch authors if you start getting tired. I don't think I'll be able to read Twain for a few years, which sucks because I really like Huck Finn.

[Kathryn]

Lori, have you read Twain's The Diaries of Adam and Eve? It doesn't get a lot of hype compared to HUCK FINN and TOM SAWYER, etc. but I think it's a really fascinating book, with some of his signature wit but also a bit more beauty in the writing than in some of his other works. Best of all, it's a SHORT read!

Rafaela, you might check it out if if you want to read Twain without wading into hundreds of pages.

[Lori]

Kathryn, I have not checked out that one. Maybe in a few years. I came to the conclusion, towards the end of the class, that I did not fully understand Twain's sense of humor, which probably caused some problems with my enjoyment of the reading list.

[Kathryn]

Ye-ah. If you don't get (or like) Twain's sense of humor, then it's kind of pointless to read him ;-p Although, I did think Adam/Eve had a bit of a different sort of humor than his other books (honestly, I was not a huge fan of HUCK FINN (yeah, I know, I'm sorry!) and while I liked TOM SAWYER okay I absolutely couldn't stand CONNECTICUT YANKEE).

[Lori]

I could not stand Yankee! All he did was complain about the government and the Church. It was like, "Get over it already!"

[Dini, the master of meaning]

I'm currently stuck somewhere around the first half of Huck Finn. It's interesting and all, but all this floating on a raft going nowhere is getting kinda old. I got through Tom Sawyer okay because they had different adventures each time.

And I must say, my first introduction to Tom & Huck was from the movie with the late Brad Renfro as Huck, and when I read the book I just found out that Huck was... well, kind of a chicken. I used to think he was the more rebellious, bad boy type compared to Tom, but he was always saying "I'm too scared to do that, Tom" or "That scared the hell out of me my heart nearly stopped". Tom is so much more bold and adventurous!

[whichwaydidshego, the sage of sass]

Oh gosh! The whole "floating on the river going nowhere" thing is a pretty relevant epithet of life, wouldn't you say?

I studied that book quite a few times in the course of being a Lit Major at three different Universities. While I was never a great fan of the book, I could always see it's relevance and understand it's characters. And I thought the parallels of the meanderings of the river with the happenings of Huck's life profound in moments.

A book like that would never get published today. Not obvious or directed enough. The subtleties and weaknesses of Huck's character - his flaws - are vital to the story... and to his humanity. At least as I remember it.

[Dini, the master of meaning]

I suppose we are floating on a river, Michele... but luckily our rivers cross each other once in a while :)

[Natalie]

whichwaydidshego? wrote: "Dini wrote: "But don't you think it's the beauty of it, that she can play with words and reveal so many subtle nuances? What I love most about her language is the way she describes people's persona..."

You express it beautifully - and right abt Dickens . . . but I understand Jessica's perception . . . having read Emma only @ a week ago, I do remember being underwhelmed w/ it until the halfway mark . . . then my brain somehow adjusted to Austen's wavelength and I began to love her! Tonight, I opened Northanger Abbey - deciding which books to pack for a trip - suddenly I was halfway through, this time w/out pain, and not packed! Which I'll do now, if not waylaid . . . bye!

[Natalie]

Celeste wrote: "I'm currently readinggg Anna Karenina, The Age of Innocence and Pride and Prejudice "
How do you like Age of Innocence? . . . Answer soon if you can, I'm deciding whether to take it on vacation & leave Sun a.m.! Thanks.

[whichwaydidshego, the sage of sass]

Where are you going? Do tell!

[Dini, the master of meaning]

I just read a book translated from Bibbi Bokkens magische Bibliothek (Bibbi Bokken's Magic Library), written by Norwegian authors Jostein Gaarder and Klaus Hagerup. It's one of those books about books. Any of you ever heard of it? Maybe those from Europe...? Anyway, it's a young adult book but I find it to be thrilling, clever and humorous. Gaarder is mostly known for writing a novel-cum-philosophy-theory book, Sophie's World. In fact, lecturers in my university used to assign the book for the Basics in Philosophy class.

[Kathryn]

Dini--that sounds marvelous! I've read parts of Sophie's World and I appreciated it very much, though more for the philosophy discussions than the "story" aspect. It's good to know Gaarder knows how to spin some good yarns! :-) I'm not finding the Bibbi Bokken's book in English (maybe I'm just not looking hard enough) but I see lots of his other titles. Have you read any others and have a particular one to recommend?

[[deleted user]]

I just love Jostein Gaarder. Didn't know Bibbi Bokkens magische Bibliothek, though.
A very disturbing Gaarder book I read (or at least I found it disturbing when I was twelve.. should probably reread it) is Ringmasters Daughter. I also know the Christmas Mysteries, that's a children's christmas book, like a Christmas calendar, the book contains 24 chapters and you read one chapter each day until the 24th (when we in Germany and most Skandinavian nations celebrate Christmas).
I guess if you are interested in his works, you can read pretty much everything, Kathryn, I have enjoyed all of his books.

[Hannah]

I'm reading the book First They Killed My Father A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers. I wonder if anybody has read it. I am going to Cambodia in May and have to read the book for the trip. But I was wondering if anybody has read it and their reactions to it. It's pretty vivid and sad.