What are you reading and why? Jan-Jun 2014 Showing 151-200 of 1,330

[Bryndís]

I just finished The Goldfinch on audiobook, and quite enjoyed it. Started my first chunkster (on audio), Fall of Giants. Then I just now finished eye-reading The Cuckoo's Calling and loved it, and now I can't wait to start Burial Rites for the monthly read.

[Cherie]

Thing Two wrote: "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 Go..."

I have never heard of this book. Are the stories good? It sounds interesting. Don't worry about the ticker! Enjoy the reading! I want to hear about your Aussie book too!

[Samantha A]

I am reading:
Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
The Third Victim - Lisa Gardner
Have a Little Faith: a True Story - Mitch Albom

All just for fun! Although, whenever I finish one of the above, I'm moving onto Endurance: A Novel of Terror - Jack Kilborn for the 2014 Horror challenge.

[Ann]

I have finished the audiobook Anne of Green Gablesand have started The Goldfinchby Donna Tarrt as my next Chunkster. I have also started The Age of Hopeby David Bergen, just for fun.

[Tejas Janet]

Cherie wrote: "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 [book:Gifts of the Peramangk|158300..."

You're brave, taking on Sophie's Choice... I thought movie was so-so. Sounds like book is so-so also.

[Tejas Janet]

I'm fairly picky about what books, movies, etc I'll give my time and attention to. Because of this group, I'll go outside what I'd normally read. But I won't read stuff that I just know I won't like. Is that wrong?

[Travis]

Tejas Janet wrote: "I'm fairly picky about what books, movies, etc I'll give my time and attention to. Because of this group, I'll go outside what I'd normally read. But I won't read stuff that I just know I won't lik..."

What exactly would be the point of reading stuff you don't like anyway. You know.

[Travis]

Started The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

[Tejas Janet]

Travis of NNY wrote: "Tejas Janet wrote: "I'm fairly picky about what books, movies, etc I'll give my time and attention to. Because of this group, I'll go outside what I'd normally read. But I won't read stuff that I j..."

So I could maybe have something to say to the likes of you.. ; )

[Janice, Moderator]

I finished Tommo and Hawk. That's enough Courtenay for me for a while. I didn't care for the characters enough to really get into this book and I don't have a burning desire to read the last book in the trilogy.

I will likely start Doctor Sleep tomorrow.

[Sarah]

Janice wrote: "
I will likely start Doctor Sleep tomorrow."

Have fun!

[Nancy from NJ]

Samantha wrote: "I am reading:
Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
The Third Victim - Lisa Gardner
[bookcover:Have a Little Faith: ..."

I loved Have a Little Faith and gave this book to our Rabbi.

[Nancy from NJ]

Tejas Janet wrote: "Cherie wrote: "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 [book:Gifts of the P..."

I am determined to read Sophie's Choice this year. I did enjoy the movie if only for Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline's performances.

[Bryndís]

Janice wrote: "I finished Tommo and Hawk. That's enough Courtenay for me for a while. I didn't care for the characters enough to really get into this book and I don't have a burning desire to read t..."

I totally agree with you. Listened to this book (and the Potato Factory) last year, and had some difficulty finishing Tommo and Hawk, I just wasn't interested. Don't think I'll read the third book anytime soon.

[Janice, Moderator]

Bryndis, if it wasn't for the Aussie challenge, I may not have continued it.

[Dawn]

Started Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear

Sixth book in a interwar mystery series that I really like. And I'm reading it in an effort to complete more series than I start this year! :)

[Tasha]

Dawn, that series has caught my attention but I haven't read any yet.

[Dawn]

It's only real downfall is that it has a bit of a mystic element to it. As in, the heroine can "feel" things or "see" things.

But the interwar history and setting are superb and the mysteries are very good. The author doesn't shy away from the trauma that the war created, some of the stories can be very moving.

If you go audiobook....the narrator is quite good too.

[Lisa]

I finished The Luminaries which was my first book for the Chunkster challenge. I loved it and gave it 5 stars.

I am now starting a much smaller book which is The House on the Strand. I love Daphne du Maurier as an author so I am really looking forward to this.

[Cherie]

Nancy wrote: "Tejas Janet wrote: "Cherie wrote: "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 ..."

Nancy - If you want to read a book - any book - I say go for it. There is nothing WRONG with Sophie's Choice, but it is not an "easy read". It is not quick. There are lots of unfamiliar words. Some of the content is not easy to take in emotionally. I am not done yet, and I guess you have an advantage over me, since I have not seen the movie. (I planned to watch the movie after I am done with the book.)

@ Tejas Janet - I do not read books that I already know I will not like. I was not exactly sure what Sophie's Choice was about except what the story summary indicates. However - it has been much, much more. Some I have not cared for, some is a little boaring and draggy, some quite funny - maybe I am just wierd - but I do not regret the time I have spent so far. I am simply amazed at the number of words I have never seen in print and have had to look up. I am glad I am reading it on my Nook, with the built in dictionary - although there are lots that are not found. My iPod has gotten a real work out. Also, I have found it interesting to note that what is included in the Book Drum foot notes, and what is missing is huge. Also, I have gotten pretty good at using Google Translate - just because I HAVE to know what the foreign language words mean!

[Sandra, Moderator]

I just finished The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. I loved the ending!

Now I'm resuming The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.

[Travis]

Started reading The Last Kingdom

[Janice, Moderator]

Travis of NNY wrote: "Started reading The Last Kingdom"

Do you listen at regular speed or 1.5, 2? If you crank up the speed, how do you find it affects the narration?

I cranked Tommo & Hawk up to 1.25 on Tommo & Hawk because it was just a bit too draggy. Even then there was a bit of distortion. It wasn't all that noticable, but would have been at faster speeds.

[Cherie]

Janice - I think Travis does crank the speed up on most of his books. He told me that some time ago when I asked him how he got through so many books so quickly. He might even listen at 2. I have tried it on a couple of my books, but could not deal with it, although I listened to Billy Crystal at 1.5 and it was fine.

[Sarah]

Just finished The Ocean at the End of the Lane which I loved. Decided to stick with Gaiman and I am starting Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. I'm eager to read this collaboration with Terry Pratchett - I think the two will compliment each other nicely.

[Travis]

In the case of the Last Kingdom I'm actually reading. I went a long time at 1.5 and as Cherie correctly guessed I am at 2 now. It does take some adjusting to get used to it but anything less than 1.5 sounds quite bizarre to me now. Guess its what your used to. I personally need the faster speed to keep my focus or my mind wanders

[Tejas Janet]

Cherie wrote: "Janice - I think Travis does crank the speed up on most of his books. He told me that some time ago when I asked him how he got through so many books so quickly. He might even listen at 2. I hav..."

In Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero, the author Michael Hingson, who is blind, writes about listening to text at rates of 300, 400, and even 500 words per minute - wow!!! But that is reading he does for content, not really for enjoyment per se.

[Nancy from NJ]

Dawn wrote: "Started Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear

Sixth book in a interwar mystery series that I really like. And I'm reading it in an effo..."

I began reading this series sometime ago and while I fell in love with Maisie Dobbs must admit her last few books wereb't all that interesting. I hope you enjoy them more than I did.

[Nancy from NJ]

Cherie wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Tejas Janet wrote: "Cherie wrote: "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!..."

I know that Sophie's Choice isn't an easy read but I do want to get through it for several reasons. As a student and teacher of the Holocaust I am curious to see how Styron depicted this horrific event and just last year we visited Auschwitz and Birkenau.

I also have a thing about certain authors like Joyce Carol Oates and John Irving. I'm not sure why but no matter what book I tried by them and no matter how much I tried I found I just couldn't finish one of their books. I have dubbed them unreadable authors for me.

[Peggy]

It must be very interesting, and perhaps even more difficult, to read this book when you have actually visited that place. I remember wondering when I was reading whether I would think of the book if I ever visit Auschwitz.

[Nancy from NJ]

I am sure you would. Before I visited these two camps - Auschwitz was a concentration camp whereas Birkenau was mainly a death camp where people were quickly put to death - I read both Once We Were Brothers by Ronald Balson and The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult. And the books and their characters were ever on my mind along with the many people I met who either survived the camps or lost loved ones.

[Dawn]

Nancy wrote: "Dawn wrote: "Started Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear...

I began reading this series sometime ago and while I fell in love with Maisie Dobbs must admit her last few books wereb't all that interesting. I hope you enjoy them more than I did."

I'm liking them more the farther I get into the series so I'll hope I enjoy the last few too. :)

[Anne (Booklady)]

I've started my 1st chunskter =)

Battle Cry by Leon Uris

[Travis]

Anne (Booklady) wrote: "I've started my 1st chunskter =)

Battle Cry by Leon Uris"

By the end I decided I enjoyed it but this book took me a horribly long time to get through when I read it

[Anne (Booklady)]

Travis of NNY wrote: "Anne (Booklady) wrote: "I've started my 1st chunskter =)

Battle Cry by Leon Uris"

By the end I decided I enjoyed it but this book took me a horribly long time to get..."

I love Leon Uris and WWII Fiction, so the length is no problem for me. It is ALL of the characters I'm trying to keep up, but I AM really enjoying the novel so far. =)

[Travis]

Anne (Booklady) wrote: "Travis of NNY wrote: "Anne (Booklady) wrote: "I've started my 1st chunskter =)

Battle Cry by Leon Uris"

By the end I decided I enjoyed it but this book took me a hor..."

If I recall correctly this was his first novel which says a lot with it so well written. You really feel like you've gone from boot camp to the war. Like you were really there. I think I expected more action or just a story of the war but it is really so much more. It just took me the whole book to fully grasp what Uris was trying to accomplish.

[Cherie]

Nancy,
I admit that I had put off reading Sophie's Choice for a long time because of the Holocaust topic. I was avoiding it because I knew that I would have an emotional time with it. Seeing that Peggy and Scott wanted to read it also and that they were willing to do a Buddy Read, is what tipped me across my comfort zone. I was not afraid of the subject, just the details. I am just at Chapter 11 now.

The interesting part, for me, is that there has been more than just Sophie's story. There is also a lot about him that is like a memior of him as a young man and just starting his writing career. His langage and use of archaic words seems arrogant to me most of the time (like he used his "well thumbed" thesaurus too much to show how smart he is). In another author's stoy, I might feel un-educated. I have read books that made me feel like that. He doesn't write like that all of the way through though. It is the only saving grace of reading the story. I think Peggy will agree with this.

He tells things in flash backs sometimes and then and also sets the reader up for things that are going to happen - way before he writes about them. It keeps you guessing.

I have never read either Joyce Carol Oates nor John Irving. I have one book for each of them marked on my TBR list. I have Bellefleur for her and A Prayer for Owen Meany for him. I have seen several reviews for APfOM that made me curious to read the book, but I do not know or remember why I selected the other.

[Anne (Booklady)]

Travis,

Yes, Battle Cry was Uris' first book =) And it is well written. I've read Exodus and The Haj. He is becoming a favorite author of mine.

In the beginning Mac tells us readers that he was surprised by the boys off the truck. So I assumed the book was going to be about them and the 6th Regiment.

[Casceil]

Cherie, are you interested in reading Bellefleur any time soon? I have some interest in it also, and would be happy to do a buddy read, sooner or later. I have never read any Joyce Carol Oates, and keep meaning to. I suppose I may start the book and decide I hate it, but I'm not not expecting that result.

[Cherie]

Sure, I would be up for it, Casceil. How soon? I need to plow through a few titles before I can think of adding another.

[Casceil]

Same here, Cherie. Maybe in a month or two?

[Cherie]

Casceil wrote: "Same here, Cherie. Maybe in a month or two?"

Let's check back in March or April then. Maybe someone else will like to join us. :)

[Casceil]

Sounds good.

[Theresa~OctoberLace]

Casceil wrote: "Cherie, are you interested in reading Bellefleur any time soon? I have some interest in it also, and would be happy to do a buddy read, sooner or later. I have never read any Joyce Carol Oates, an..."

I was curious and checked my library, but didn't find Bellefleur there. I did find the Kindle version on Amazon for only $1.99. Is anyone familiar with Joyce Carol Oates and/or this series?

[Janice, Moderator]

I started listening to Doctor Sleep. This is one of my chunkster reads.

[Travis]

Started listening to my next chunkster Lonesome Dove cuz every now and then I get a hankerin' for a good ole western

[Dem]

Just finished The Promise of Stardust This is my review;
www.goodreads.com/review/show/818273479

[Marnie]

I am starting The Woman in White for my real life book club and since it is a chunkster I am double dipping.
I am also still listening to Night Film.

Travis I have only read a couple Westerns but am thinking about adding that genre to my list. Are there cowboy vampires ( ** snicker**)?

[Cherie]

Theresa~OctoberLace wrote: "Casceil wrote: "Cherie, are you interested in reading Bellefleur any time soon? I have some interest in it also, and would be happy to do a buddy read, sooner or later. I have never read any Joyce..."

My library has a copy - so I will be good to go when we are ready. It usually only takes a day or two for me to get it, if I put it on hold - always supposing no one else has requested it. :) I might look for an ebook version too.

[Casceil]

I have not encountered any cowboy vampires, but if you are looking for something offbeat with a Western flavor, I recommend The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl