What are you reading and why? Jan-Jun 2014 Showing 551-600 of 1,330

[Rusalka, Moderator]

EstaAmeliaR wrote: "At long last, I'm currently reading Norwegian Wood."

Hope you enjoy!

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Sarah wrote: "I wouldn't mind James Masters sighing heavily in my ear! ;-)"

This totally made me choke. I literally inhaled my own saliva. It was gross but so nerd-girl fangasm it was embarrassing.

[Sarah]

Rusalka wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I wouldn't mind James Masters sighing heavily in my ear! ;-)"

This totally made me choke. I literally inhaled my own saliva. It was gross but so nerd-girl fangasm it was embarrassing."

ROFL! At least you didn't wreck another keyboard!

[Travis]

Hey I reserve the right to wreck Rusalka's keyboards!

[Janice, Moderator]

Rusalka wrote: "Lexx says he gets better, after me typing that."

Yes, the first book is narrated by James Marsters. I have read the reviews and people do say that it gets better. It may be a production issue in that they didn't properly edit out the background noises.

[Janice, Moderator]

It is 11:10 on a freezing Saturday morning and I'm still sitting here on the couch, blinds drawn, still in jammies and debating.

Do I get up, shower, dress, and do some housework, laundry, and work-work? Or do I continue to feed my book obsession? I can do all that other tomorrow. Maybe!

[Sarah]

Decisions, decisions Janice! I know what I'd choose!

[Janice, Moderator]

I chose the book obsession! LOL!

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Travis of NNY wrote: "Hey I reserve the right to wreck Rusalka's keyboards!"

That honour is all yours!

[Janice, Moderator]

Something weird is going on around here. This is the second thread today where I missed a half a dozen messages. It can't be me. Has to be some ghost in the wires.

Sarah, Marsters could sigh in my ear just as long as he doesn't swallow. I have to admit, he does have that "bedroom voice" (read into that what you will).

Travis, I started out at 1.25 and then slowed it down to normal speed. I'll try it at a higher speed.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

I've been having that problem for weeks Janice.

[Cherie]

EstaAmeliaR wrote: "Just Kids was excellent - best book I've read so far this year and the best memoir I've ever read. High praise!..."

Oh, this is wonderful news, Esta. This is one of the oldest books on my TBR list. I did not get to it when we had Rusalka's Challenge to read the 10 oldest books on our TBR. It was under the cut line, but has since been bumped up to #4, I think. I am so pleased to hear that is worth the read and now I really need to get it done.

[Cherie]

I just finished listening to the end of 1984. Last night I freaked out and quit. I only had one and a half chapters to go but could not bring myself to listen to any more. I wrote my review and determined that I would NEVER recommend it to ANYONE. Rusalka told me that I could not bail out at the end 1984! Travis - you can stop laughing now!!!

I finished it. My youngest daughter came over this afternoon and I was telling her about it and what happend - that I had to quit and why. Then my oldest daughter came over, and I told her and SHE started laughing! While they were both there, I got out my iPod and speaker and listened to what I thought was going to happen. After they both left, I finished the last chapter of the book on my own. I will revise my review, but it still only gets two stars (up from one) from me. I do have to say, that Simon Prebble's narration was exceptional.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

After reading your review, I understand more.

[Janice, Moderator]

That's a hilarious story, Cherie. I recall that we had to read it in school, but I don't really remember it except for the phrase "Big Brother is watching!"

[Suzanne]

Well, that was quick. I started and abandoned Baudolino in one day. It was one of the oldest books on my TBR shelf and I wanted to challenge myself to read those old books. Does anyone else feel guilty about abandoning books? I have a War theme for the month of March, so I will move on to Brave Enemies and I think I will also squeeze in City of Thieves and add my two cents to last month's YLTO challenge:)

[Janice, Moderator]

Suzanne wrote: "Well, that was quick. I started and abandoned Baudolino in one day. It was one of the oldest books on my TBR shelf and I wanted to challenge myself to read those old books. Does any..."

On occasion I may feel a guilt pang or two. It depends on the book and the situation. If it's a book that many people seem to love, like A Confederacy of Dunces, I wonder if I didn't give it enough of a chance. Or, if it's a book I've had on my shelf collecting dust for a long time, like What the Body Remembers, I feel bad.

But, I sometimes come back to those books and give them a retry. I initially abandoned Hounded. After discussing that with friends who read it, I gave it another try and loved it.

[Janice, Moderator]

Okay, one more cup of coffee and then I must do the things I didn't do yesterday. I must not give in to the book lust.

Gee, I wonder if my holds came in at the library.....

[Esther]

Janice wrote: "Okay, one more cup of coffee and then I must do the things I didn't do yesterday. I must not give in to the book lust.

Gee, I wonder if my holds came in at the library....."

We seem to have the same type of weekend, Janice.

[Mari]

Anna wrote: "Judy wrote: "I'm starting off with my chunkster, Vanity Fair, and my choice for Rusalka's Aussie reading challenge, The Great World."

Vanity fair is my favourite from all t..."

I've been listening to Vanity Fair on audiobook, and I'm almost to the end, and I was probably 3/4 through it before it finally grabbed me, yay!! I was chugging along, hoping for something good. It's beautifully written.

[Almeta]

Casceil wrote: "That is quite a list, Almeta. Did you like Aunt Dimity and the Duke? I read that when it first came out, and I loved it, but I don't know how well it would age. (I would still like..."

It is dated in some respects, still I liked it. I will read more of the series.

Almeta's Review

[Almeta]

Janice wrote: "It is 11:10 on a freezing Saturday morning and I'm still sitting here on the couch, blinds drawn, still in jammies and debating.

Do I get up, shower, dress, and do some housework, laundry, and wor..."

Get up, shower, dress, and go out for a bite.

[Janice, Moderator]

Esther wrote: "We seem to have the same type of weekend, Janice. "

I think it's Toppler withdrawals. I just want to read.

[Janice, Moderator]

Almeta wrote: "Get up, shower, dress, and go out for a bite."

LOL! Love that picture, Almeta. It's been that kind of winter here.

[Janice, Moderator]

I finished Storm Front and really enjoyed it. I'm a bit nervous because all my friends who have read it and loved it didn't like the next book in the series.

The next audiobook for me is Reliquary. I've got to get moving on this series.

[Anne (Booklady)]

Who knows of a good book to get my spirits up?

The Vet left with my puss cat - Fidget - about 45 minutes ago. My house is lonely but the Animal Heavenly Garden got a good kitty cat. I think my heart is broken - I lost Harry to a stroke 2 months ago.

[Janice, Moderator]

Anne (Booklady) wrote: "Who knows of a good book to get my spirits up?

The Vet left with my puss cat - Fidget - about 45 minutes ago. My house is lonely but the Animal Heavenly Garden got a good kitty cat. I think my he..."

Awww! I'm so sorry about your kitties! Big hugs!

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Janice wrote: "Or, if it's a book I've had on my shelf collecting dust for a long time, like What the Body Remembers, I feel bad."

hmm that's not a good sign. That's been on my book shelf forever too.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Anne (Booklady) wrote: "Who knows of a good book to get my spirits up?

The Vet left with my puss cat - Fidget - about 45 minutes ago. My house is lonely but the Animal Heavenly Garden got a good kitty cat. I think my he..."

Oh I am so sorry to hear Anne!! Very sad.

I find that I like something fantastical and funny in those situations, so you end up smiling in spite of yourself. Maybe a Terry Pratchett or The Eyre Affair.

[Anne (Booklady)]

Thank you Rusalka - I'll try one.

[Casceil]

Anne, I'm so sorry for your loss. I know how hard that can be. I would read whatever works best as escapist fiction for you.

[Lilisa]

Anne - sorry to hear your sad news. Chocolate seems to be a comforting companion, so maybe Chocolate for a Woman's Soul: 77 Stories to Feed Your Spirit and Warm Your Heart or something a bit funny but poignant like Where'd You Go, Bernadette.

[Esther]

Anne, I am so sorry for your loss. Hope you find a read that suits. I usually read a cozy.

I am still reading the last 2 books of my slug. I also started The Round House and will need to fit Hammered in my reading schedule as it has to go back to the library soon.

[Michelle T.]

Right now a, reading My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, for pleasure. I'm also finishing The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons, and I'm going to start reading Night Road by Kristin Hannah, for another book club.
I got my next book for my chuckster, and will try to start that one tomorrow...

[Janice, Moderator]

I finished another chunkster, The Redbreast. I really enjoyed it and want to dive into the next book of the series. But I will start Something Wicked This Way Comes for the Stephen King Recommends group read. I'm looking forward to it. :)

[Sandra, Moderator]

Just finished A Pledge of Silence
This was a reading I enjoyed a lot. Flora J. Solomon did a great job recreating the situation in the Philippines during the war. Though I've enjoyed many historical fiction novels set during WWII I haven't really read any set outside of Europe. I wasn't familiar with the facts happened in the Pacific and I loved to know more about them.

The story follows the life of Margie Bauer, who studied to be nurse (a career she's not interested in, but her father thinks is her best option) and is assigned to serve in Sternberg Hospital in Manila. She falls in love with the safe and beautiful Pearl of Orient until face the reality of war when in December 1941 Philippines is taken by Japaneses. She serves in the fields, is captured by the enemy and interned in a war camp during 31 months. Being released does not solve her problems since coming back home is a new painful challenge.

Solomon touches in this novel topics like being a women in the middle of a war, starvation, humiliation, abuse, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and how it was handled at the time. The outcome is a great novel that was difficult to put down. I absolutely recommend the book to everyone who is interested in experience the war from the perspective of a woman serving in the fields.

Today I'll be starting The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot for my book club.

[Travis]

Cherie wrote: "I just finished listening to the end of 1984. Last night I freaked out and quit. I only had one and a half chapters to go but could not bring myself to listen to any more. I wrote my..."

Telling people to stop laughing is a good way to make them laugh harder you know

[Travis]

Janice wrote: "I finished Storm Front and really enjoyed it. I'm a bit nervous because all my friends who have read it and loved it didn't like the next book in the series.

The next audiobook for..."

I wasn't blown away by Reliquary myself and though I intend to get going on this series someday I have detoured to the stand alone novels which maybe because the characters are different in them compared to a series , I really have been loving the stand alones. I may work through all them and then head back to Pendergast

[Travis]

While I said my last book Horns was the best of this year it is probably going to be beat by 11/22/63. I'm almost half done and I am absolutely loving it. I have a weakness for time travel but a lot of time travel books frig it up one way or another. Not this one. I love the concept of changing history which a lot of authors won't mess with due to paradoxes and what not. I don't know if it can beat The Hobbit as my favorite book of all time but I could see a tie for first or having to make it settle for 2 nd I'll decide when I'm finished

[Janice, Moderator]

Travis of NNY wrote: "I wasn't blown away by Reliquary myself and though I intend to get going on this series someday I have detoured to the stand alone novels which maybe because the characters are different in them compared to a series , I really have been loving the stand alones. I may work through all them and then head back to Pendergast ."

I don't like the voice the narrator gave Smithback. I was first introduced to him in Thunderhead (which is a stand alone with a loose tie in with that character), and I didn't get the same smarmy sleazy feel for him. Different narrators though. Dick Hill (Reliquary) vs Scott Brick (Thunderhead). The problem with this series is that there is a mix of narrators.

I have read Book 1 & 4, and have a smattering of books on various formats with no rhyme or reason as to where they are placed in the series, so I'm trying to fill in the missing ones and get this series done.

[Travis]

That is exactly it with the audio
Constant changing narrators makes it hard to really bond with characters when they will be different next time around.

[Janice, Moderator]

I like your new avatar. Is that your son in front of the giant snowman?

[Travis]

Janice wrote: "I like your new avatar. Is that your son in front of the giant snowman?"

Yup. Had to have it taken on the way home from daycare tonight

[Cherie]

Travis - I wanted to make sure I gave you a good one 'cuz I knew you were going to laugh any way. :)

The picture of the giant snowman and your son is terrific!

[Travis]

Cherie wrote: "Travis - I wanted to make sure I gave you a good one 'cuz I knew you were going to laugh any way. :)

The picture of the giant snowman and your son is terrific!"

Thanks

[Cherie]

I am not sure how I got myself into this, but I am juggling six books all at the same time. It wasn't good enough at five, and I had to add another last night.
I am reading Beyond the Bear: How I Learned to Live and Love Again after Being Blinded by a Bear for the No Place Like Home Challenge, Remembering Babylon as an alternate for the March Group Read, still reading One Hundred Years of Solitude for my Chunkster Challenge, Last to Die because I finally realized the latest one in the Rizzoli & Isles series was available - it is #10, listening to The Secret River for my Australia read for AtW (and because Rusalka gave it such a great review) and last night I started listening to The Good Earth because I bought it from Audible and I wanted to hear the narrator (Janice said he did a good job). This one has been on my TBR list since I first joined GR.

Of them all, The Secret River is my favorite so far. It is narrated by Simon Vance and I love his voice.

I am sure my TV thinks it must be broken. I have not turned it on since the closing ceremony of the Olympics except to see if there was a new Sherlock on PBS on Sunday.

[Cherie]

Janice wrote: "That's a hilarious story, Cherie. I recall that we had to read it in school, but I don't really remember it except for the phrase "Big Brother is watching!""

Yeah, that was all I remembered too!

[Marnie]

Oh boy Cherie! When I am reading multiple books, which I do all the time, I usually find one pulls away as the one I'm most interested in. I've never read six at one time though. I will look forward to your status updates! Have fun.

[Marnie]

I am still reading Empire of The Summer Moon. I've just started The Island of Dr. Moreau and am almost finished listening to Cockroaches. I feel like a slacker next to Cherie :).

[Cherie]

Travis of NNY wrote: "That is exactly it with the audio
Constant changing narrators makes it hard to really bond with characters when they will be different next time around."

The best part of reading them in print is that the voices never change because they are inside your head and you are in charge of them. :)