What are you reading and why? Jan-Jun 2014 Showing 101-150 of 1,330

[Sandra, Moderator]

Just finished The Prize Winner Of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids On 25 Words Or Less by Terry Ryan, a very funny memoire.

I'm starting today The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.

[Janice, Moderator]

Rusalka wrote: "So my computer broke today. I pulled it apart (case and bits... I although writing this reminds me I forgot to do the RAM), vacuumed it, got a paintbrush into the power supply, CPU and graphics car..."

It's always scary when you put something back together and there are left over bits! The Secret River sounds like an interesting read. Nice that you got chicken hugs after the sad ending.

[Janice, Moderator]

I finished Cockroaches last night - two of my chunksters has bit the dust!

I started Burial Rites for our group read. My brother thinks the books I read are quite macabre! LOL!

[Tejas Janet]

Michelle wrote: "This book that i'm reading is very good, very entretaining I love it!!!
I guess this will be my first chunkster (even if I don't know what I'm supposed to do)... ;p"

The movie was super, too. And incredible as it may sound, so was the new OPERA. Saw world premier back in September when visiting our daughter in San Francisco.

[Dem]

Janice wrote: "I finished Cockroaches last night - two of my chunksters has bit the dust!

I started Burial Rites for our group read. My brother thinks the books I read are quite..."

I loved Burial Rites and just bought my friend a copy this morn. Hope you like it Janice.

[Sandra, Moderator]

I have abandoned The Secret Life of Bees because 2 books I was waiting for arrived today to the library. Books have the bad habit of arrived all at the same time. So I'm now reading The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida and The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier.

[Wendy]

Debra wrote: "Wendy wrote: "I am reading I Am the Messenger for the Aussie challenge and enjoying a leisurely read of When You Are Engulfed in Flames since it has been on my nightstand..."

Debra I thought I responded to this but see now that I must have deleted my comment. In any event, I am enjoying I Am the Messenger, the first few chapters were quick and humorous and I wasn't quite sure where the story was going (and still don't to be honest), but its been a fun, eventful read so far. The characters are vivid and fully-fleshed out so the reader really gets a sense of who they are and the world that they inhabit.

I am sort of surprised it is categorized as YA fiction, but I guess it depends whether you are thinking 14-year-old YA fiction vs. 17-year-old YA fiction, either it is definitely a more mature read than your average YA picks...

[Dem]

Just finished the Bizarre yet compelling The Virgin Suicides This is my review;
www.goodreads.com/review/show/811313893

[Sandra, Moderator]

Dem wrote: "Just finished the Bizarre yet compelling The Virgin Suicides This is my review;
www.goodreads.com/review/show/811313893"

I liked The Virgin Suicides even I don't know why. The writing is great, really enjoyable. It is a page turner, though the plot and the end are known from the beginning. For me it was a little depressing, specially the passivity of all the community around the Lisbon family. At some point I just wanted to scream! Please do something!
It left me with more question than answers...

[Kirila]

I just finished The Cuckoo's Calling (and gave it 5 stars). Robert Galbraith did an amazing work composing this mystery. What excites me so much is not that you can never guess the killer (you can't), but the way every little detail was fit together. Everything made so much sense at the end of the book. Every secret was explained. Anything that seemed random turned out to be very important. It reminded me a lot of Agatha Christie. She writes this sort of closed room mysteries where you have all the clues and all the suspects, and everything matters.

I got a notification from the library that Burial Rites is available. That's messing with my plans because it was still in binding and I didn't expect it so soon. But I will first try to read my Aussie book True History of the Kelly Gang before I do another group read. ...and I keep postponing the chunksters :D

[Dem]

Just finished Heading Out to Wonderful
This is my review www.goodreads.com/review/show/816048471

[Travis]

Started Before They Are Hanged

[[deleted user]]

I'm *still* reading Bleak House. this working lark doesn't leave much time for a massive chunky like that.

[Tejas Janet]

I've moved up to place 5 out of 9 on the library hold list for Burial Rites. Looking like I'll be reading it next month, but that's okay. Just started The Road from Coorain. It's an Aussie book, but not one I'm reading for the January challenge. I read On the Jellicoe Road for that challenge. I've only read about 3 pages of "The Road from Coorain," but it's beautifully written. Looks like a book to read slowly and savor :)

[Casceil]

I read Earthly Delights for the Aussie challenge, and I am currently reading the second book in the series, Heavenly Pleasures. There are four more books in this series. I have collected an embarrassment of riches in Australian books I want to read, including The Rosie Project and Dirt Music. None of these books are chunksters, but I could string a dozen of them together for an Australian segment of the chunkster challenge (minus whatever I decide to use for the January challenge).

[Ann]

I have finished The Elegance of the Hedgehog and The Book Thief, my first chunkster. I have startedThe Light Between Oceans my Aussie read. I am also listening to Anne of Green Gables I have just started listening to audio books and I'm thoroughly enjoying it

[Ann]

Kirila wrote: "I've started The Cuckoo's Calling for the January group read, and I just picked up American Gods for my first chunkster and True History of the Kelly Gang ..."

I absolutely LOVED True History of the Kelly Gangand gave it a five star rating! One of my top 20 all time favorite books, I'd have to say!

[Wendy]

I read I Am the Messenger for the Aussie challenge and when I dropped it off at the library, they informed me that A Town Like Alice had come in, so I am now reading that along with my first chunkster Midnight's Children. I am still waiting for Burial Rites and The Luminaries...

Currently reading:

[Lisa]

I read The Thorn Birds for this month's Aussie challenge. I really enjoyed it and gave it 5 stars.

I am also just over halfway through The Luminaries which is my first Chunkster challenge book.

[Sarah]

I started reading Burial Rites for the group read and Aussie challenge and I'm enjoying it so far. Still reading my chunkster Perdido Street Station - I've got around 230 pages left of it. Also listening to Control Point which is good (loving the magic and combat) but it's a little "Marine Corp Oorah" for me.

[Dem]

Wendy wrote: "I read I Am the Messenger for the Aussie challenge and when I dropped it off at the library, they informed me that A Town Like Alice had come in, so I am now reading tha..."

I ordered a Town Like Alice last week, so look forward to your thoughts Wendy.

[Esther]

I needed a light read this weekend so i spent time with Hounded. What a fun read. Love Oberon.

I also finished listening to The Husband's Secret. Maybe my expectation were too high, but it was "o.k". The characters just did now seem real too me. There was something missing in there.

And back to The Luminaries.

[Nancy from NJ]

I have just added Once We Were Brothers by Ronald Balson. I am rereading this along with two Chunksters and listening to This is a Story of a Happy Marraige by Ann Patchett.

[Janice, Moderator]

I finished Burial Rites this afternoon. The audiobook I'm listening to, Tommo and Hawk is a huge snoozefest. I'm too far into it to quit now so I will continue to slog away.

I think I'll start Under This Unbroken Sky tonight in print format. It's my U book for the ABC challenge. Even though the challenge is over, I want to complete it. It's part of my personal Challenge I'm calling Left Over Stew. I have some alphabet books, some Around the World books, and a few Cross Canada books that I want to finish yet.

[Tejas Janet]

Moved to place 3 out of 7 -- my hold on Burial Rites is getting closer and closer to reach :)

[Debra]

Wendy wrote: "Debra I thought I responded to this but see now that I must have deleted my comment. In any event, I am enjoying I Am the Messenger, the first few chapters were quick and humorous and I wasn't quite sure where the story was going (and still don't to be honest), but its been a fun, eventful read so far. The characters are vivid and fully-fleshed out so the reader really gets a sense of who they are and the world that they inhabit.

I am sort of surprised it is categorized as YA fiction, but I guess it depends whether you are thinking 14-year-old YA fiction vs. 17-year-old YA fiction, either it is definitely a more mature read than your average YA picks...i>

Yes, this author's stuff seems definitely geared toward the older young adult. I've enjoyed and read everything he's written so far. I know it's hard to figure out where I Am the Messenger is going at first, but all will be explained, I promise. It is a unique book.

[Debra]

I'm reading mostly chunksters right now, but will be getting to Burial Rites soon. If I didn't already state it here, The Name of the Wind was a 5-star read and now I'm reading the next one in the series. The Abominable was very interesting as I learned a lot about mountain climbing (maybe too much - it did get a bit much at times), but I wouldn't have classified this book as horror as some have. (view spoiler)[There were no Yeti involved in the telling of this story (hide spoiler)]. Simmons writes a good tale of suspense though.

I am without a computer at home right now. Mine bit the dust. So, I'm sneaking on at work and when I'm at my sister's until I get it fixed or buy a new one.

[Sarah]

Glad you enjoyed The Name of the Wind Debra! You should check out the thread for The Wise Man's Fear in the buddy reads section (when you can snatch 5 minutes on a computer) and see what we all thought when we read it in December.

[Casceil]

I started The Rosie Project this morning. I was waiting at a car repair place and could not face Mrs. Dalloway in that setting. The Rosie project is delightful, as others have commented.

[Travis]

Thoroughly enjoyed Before They Are Hanged and went right into Last Argument of Kings

[Sandra, Moderator]

I just finished The Last Runaway by Terry Chevalier. What a pleasant reading!

I'm starting now The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.

[Tasha]

Sandra, I really enjoyed The Last Runaway too.

[Sandra, Moderator]

Tasha, It was a really enjoyable reading. I like it better than Girl With a Pearl Earring.

[Nancy from NJ]

Debra wrote: "I'm reading mostly chunksters right now, but will be getting to Burial Rites soon. If I didn't already state it here, The Name of the Wind was a 5-star read and now I..."

Just went through the same thing. My hard drive was corrupted and while I have an I PAD and Net Book, I really need a large screen. To fix a 4 year old computer was $250. A new one with a 21 inch screen was $400 so it was a no brainer for me. Of course my book budget this month is kaput.

[Sarah]

Just finished Burial Rites - first class! I have just started another Goodreads Choice Award Winners/Nominees book with The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

[Cherie]

Casceil wrote: "I read Earthly Delights for the Aussie challenge, and I am currently reading the second book in the series, Heavenly Pleasures. There are four more books in this seri..."

Your Kerry Greenwood books sound like fun reads. I thought the bio of the author was hysterical. I have added quite a few more books to my Australia shelf myself, if you want to see some more titles.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

[Casceil]

Thanks for the list, Cherie. I've added a few more to my TBR list.

[Sandra, Moderator]

Sarah wrote: "Just finished Burial Rites - first class! I have just started another Goodreads Choice Award Winners/Nominees book with The Ocean at the End of the Lane."

Sarah, I'm reading it right now. I rarely read fantasy, but so far I'm enjoying it a lot. It's my firs Neil Gaiman's.

[Travis]

Started Red Country

[Tasha]

@Sandra, I haven't read that one yet but I plan too!

[Sandra, Moderator]

Tasha wrote: "@Sandra, I haven't read that one yet but I plan too!"

I'm liking it, and it is a fast reading. Hope you enjoy it too!
Have you read any other book by Gaiman?

[Theresa~OctoberLace]

I'm currently listening to Interview With The Vampire by Anne Rice for a TBR Twins read on another group. As soon as The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo gets to my library branch, that will be my dead tree read. Within a Budding Grove, Vol. 2 of In search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust is my next Chunkster, which I have in both Kindle and Audiobook format, so I can switch between or use immersion reading on my Kindle Fire.

[Esther]

Theresa~OctoberLace wrote: "I'm currently listening to Interview With The Vampire by Anne Rice for a TBR Twins read on another group. As soon as The Ghost Bride by Yangsze C... i Let me know what you think of book The Ghost Bride, i grabbed it at my last visit to the bookstore.

[Sarah]

Sandra wrote: "Tasha wrote: "@Sandra, I haven't read that one yet but I plan too!"

I'm liking it, and it is a fast reading. Hope you enjoy it too!
Have you read any other book by Gaiman?"

The Ocean at the end of the lane is a very quick read. I'm almost a little disappointed by that as I really like Gaiman's style and the stories he tells and this one will be over so quick - I wish I could spend longer in the book world he has created in this one. I've read The Graveyard Book, Anansi Boys and Anansi Boys and I have American Gods listed for my chunkster challenge. What I like is that his stories are based in the real world with real people but with some fantasy thrown in for good measure. I hope you have a good Gaiman experience!

[Thing Two]

I'm still reading my first chunkster The Stories of John Cheever. I'm enjoying the stories immensely, but the 800+ page small font book is making me nervous. Every time I log on the Goodreads ticker says I'm behind!



I'm picking up Remembering Babylon to knock off that January challenge before I go back to Mr. Cheever's suburbia.

[Nancy from NJ]

I'm about to finish Once We Were Brothers for my f2f group this evening. Then I will go back to reading The Bronze Horseman for the Chunksters Challenge. My reading this month has slowed considerably.

[Peggy]

It took me 2 weeks to struggle my way through the 560 pages of Sophie's Choice, but I can finally go on to my next book! That will be Gifts of the Peramangk, which I'll read for the monthly challenge and my around-the-world challenge.

[Janice, Moderator]

Peggy wrote: "It took me 2 weeks to struggle my way through the 560 pages of Sophie's Choice, but I can finally go on to my next book! That will be Gifts of the Peramangk, which I'l..."

Gifts of Pamangk looks good! I've put it on my wishlist and am looking forward to your review.

[Sarah]

You must be really relieved Peggy to have got through Sophie's Choice! I hope your next book is a quicker and more enjoyable read!

[Cherie]

Peggy wrote: "It took me 2 weeks to struggle my way through the 560 pages of Sophie's Choice, but I can finally go on to my next book! That will be Gifts of the Peramangk, which I'l..."

Yay, Peggy!
I looked at your Aussie book, but have not added it to my list yet. I hope it is a better read for you! I hope I finish SC by this weekend.