Just finished/Just started (what book are you reading now?) 2015

[Michael]

I've just finished reading Conrad Jones' 'The Book of Abominations' and it's a decent occult horror read. See my review here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

Working my way through The Nun's Story along with MX. I decided I needed less cosy and more factual in my reading diet for a bit.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

And currently reading The Complete Stalky and Co. which I ordered from Aunty Az...I've read Stalky and Co. for years; what was my surprise to discover that there are 4 chapters missing from it!

[mrbooks]

So what part of the book were the chapters missing from.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

It's not really chapters, in the sense of a unified narrative. Each chapter is an anecdote, a story within the story. The first chapter was not in the old edition, for a start, which explains how Stalky got his name.

[mrbooks]

Ahhh I understand, So it is a reprint and the author decided to put some bits cut out in the first print.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

Kipling's been dead for a long time. It's an edition that includes the parts not in the standard 1929 edition. I have to say, having read most of the missing bits, that I do understand why they were cut for the 1929 version; they're not all that gripping except for the first story of how Stalky became called so.

Some of the footnotes are helpful; the front matter (intro, preface and etc) needed editing for glaring punctuation errors, some of which found their way into the text!

[Michael]

I've finished reading Mike Gullickson's military / cyberpunk novel 'The Northern Star: Civil War' and it's an exciting and well paced read. Check out my review here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

Just finished A Carrion Death which was OK but as other reviewers have said, about 150 pages too long. Kind of Wilbur Smith meets Alexander McCall Smith. Too many characters, too many changes of place and time and POV. And what was the deal with beginning every chapter with a Shakespeare quote? While Kubu loves opera, no one even mentions Onkel Willy.

Yet another novel series. What ever happened to the stand-alone book?

[Aisling]

I'm halfway through The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I'm enjoying it, but the writing is very poor compared to the other book of his that I read, The Shadow of the Wind.

[Susan]

I'm working on The Raven Boys I'm enjoying how the characters' personalities are evolving. It's a good and mysterious read so far.

[mrbooks]

I'm about half way through Horns, not to bad so far.

[Aisling]

I just finished The Watcher in the Shadows, and have started on The Rabbit Back Literature Society by Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen.

[B.L.]

I'm finding the discussion revolving around the series interesting. Mine is a series, but each book (I hope) can stand alone and does not repeat everything from previous books.

I know sometimes you need little reminders, but nothing annoys me more when an author repeats entire sections of a book!

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

B.L. wrote: "I'm finding the discussion revolving around the series interesting. Mine is a series, but each book (I hope) can stand alone and does not repeat everything from previous books.

I know sometimes y..."

Or in the case of Number Two of the Yellow Rose mysteries (A Wedding to Die For)...I picked it up and read the first chapter...the authoress gave a recap of the first volume (Pick Your Poison) which effectively ruined it for anyone who hadn't read it! Told all about who, what, why and how of Vol 1. Silly--or did she think that book had vanished without a trace?

Series is one thing, but when it degenerates into formula fiction (same bones, different details) it's noticeable.

[mrbooks]

You want to read a series of books where the author repeats them self, read Jean Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear, Valley of the Horses, the Mammoth Hunters, Plains of Passage, Shelters of Stone and Land of the Painted Caves. I mean I like her books, but she continually retells Ayla's story in every book not just once but multiple times.

[Michael]

I've just finished reading Chantak Noordeloos' excellent collection of horror short stories Deeply Twisted. You can read my review here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Susan]

I'm about halfway through
It's a unique approach to a story told with words and pictures.

[Michael]

I've just finished reading That Which Should Not Be by Brett J Talley and it's a well written and enjoyable tale based on H P Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. You can read my review here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Susan]

Just finished . A frolicking adventure with an upbeat hero. :)
I'm now starting

[mrbooks]

I am now half way through the eye of the world, book one in the wheel of time by Robert Jordan.

[Michael]

mrbooks wrote: "I am now half way through the eye of the world, book one in the wheel of time by Robert Jordan."

I made it to the seventh book in the series.

[mrbooks]

I am going to try to get through all 14. I am also listening to the sword of truth series by terry goodkind on the computer at work.

[Michael]

I've just finished reading C S Bailey's debut novel Maybe, Misery. I heartily recommend it as an interesting read. It's also available for free download from Amazon today.

Check out my review here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

I've just finished reading Mike Freeman's Reciprocal Paranoia and while it's the weakest book in the series so far, it's still a good military sci-fi read. See me review here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

I'm with you there, Elyse. The fashion for "dark, gritty" stuff passed me by completely.
Also with you on the hugs and holiday wishes. I too am busy, and tired, and not very talkative, but that don't mean I don't love y'all cuz I duz.

[mrbooks]

Wow Elyse, it sounds like you had a week or two from hell. I hope things get better for you soon, If you can't get rid of the water think about stocking you cellar with fish and you have an instant indoor pond. Ori hope you feel better soon, Just finished the Thanksgiving food, 20Lb turkey and 8.5Lb ham all the fixings and three pies. Now working of food for Christmas.

Just finished reading The Eye of the World, book one in the Wheel of Time. Now reading The great Hunt book two of the Wheel of Time.

[mrbooks]

I will have a look for it.

[Michael]

I've just finished reading Christian Galacar's short story Whiskey Devil. It's well written and a good read, but a bit more development would have elvated it to something excellent. Here's my review:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

I've just finished reading Michael Patrick Hicks' sci-fi thriller Convergence and enjoyed it a lot. You can read my review here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Philip]

I have recently finished reading and reviewing The Maze Maker by Michael Ayrton. It is a wonderful novel about Daedalus, the maker of the labyrinth of Crete, father of Icarus, who flew too near the sun. Anyone who enjoys fine writing and Greek mythology would enjoy reading this book.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

Having trouble concentrating on any one book lately. (Also having trouble relaxing in general.) Maybe it's time for another Maigret.

[Susan]

Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) wrote: "Having trouble concentrating on any one book lately. (Also having trouble relaxing in general.) Maybe it's time for another Maigret."

This is a restless time of year! Very easy to get distracted. : )

I just finished
About to start

[Ryse Felix]

Yitzhak wrote: "The Tale of Atlantis. Read it a month back, but still think about it. Opening lines go:

"In all likeliness, you shall find me as a bag of skin and bones, with eyes that have turned..."

Its a great book and the landscape it is set in is very imaginative. But I couldn't understand the whole idea behind Phineas' story. It sidetracks the main book every 50 pages and it doesn't come to a conclusion. That's the problem with indie books. They don't cut the book where it needs to be cut.

[Clodagh]

I finished 'The Flight' a week or so ago and have just reviewed it. I was disappointed really. Am in the middle of reading Stoner, good but slow so I have just started The Gates by John Connolly. I have yet to read his detective books, but so far his 'other books' are splendid. I highly recommend ''The Book of Lost Things" and am finding 'The Gates' quite wonderful.

[Stuart]

Hi, everyone,
This is my first posting and I thought I would jump right in by providing my impression, so far, of a book titled; 'The Forgotten' by David Baldacci, a very well known and successful writer.
The setting is a town called Paradise, located in Florida, and after reading 250 pages the impression created by the author is that this is a town where old people go to warm their bones for a few years before moving on, at least spiritually.
It is also a town where street gangs roam freely in search of easy prey, and yet for some strange reason the police aren't focused, or obsessed by them, but rather by Baldacci's main character, Puller, a military crime scene investigator who single handedly takes them on beats them to a pulp without so much as a bloody nose in return. All of this on his first day in town.
Puller is there investigating his aunt's death, but rather that helping him, all the police, in particular an officer named Hooper, want to do is harass Puller.
It is well written, flows along nicely but somehow hasn't quite captured my complete interest, in spite of knowing that some darker, high level power is obscurely involved and orchestrating events. But it certainly has enough of my attention to warrant carrying on to see how it all unfolds.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

Started Silent in the Sanctuary as a night-read. Uhhh. Too much 21st century American idiom in a book set in 19th century Britain. A baron would not say of his new daughter in law, "I like her fine" in the 1880s. Aaargh. Will I finish it? Probably. Will I look for more of Raybourne's books? Never.

[Michael]

I've just finished reading Brandon Zenner's 'The Experiment of Dreams' and it was an interesting read, although the ending fell a little flat for me. You can read my review here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

I am so DONE with Ginger and Ganesh: Adventures in Indian Cooking, Culture, and Love. Ugh. I was thoroughly disgusted with the authoress (and her proofreader/editor or lack thereof) by the time I trudged through it. Not worth the effort. There are much better cooking resources online.

[Helen]

I'm reading something light and poignantly funny for the holidays: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. It's laugh out loud funny, especially for fans of The Big Bang Theory.

[Clodagh]

T4bsF (Call me Flo) wrote: "I enjoyed the Granny one too.

There is a sequel now too. My Granny Writes Erotica 2 by Rosen Trevithick"

Hi Flo, this is a question. If I'm asking the wrong person, please say and I will ask elsewhere. I wanted to know how you get the book covers to show up the way they do. I can see the code above, but I don't have a clue where to put it and where to find the code for each book. Would love to know. I do find html a bit difficult, not so much understanding the > bits but where to put everything.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

When you click on "add book/author" up above the comment box, you have the option to add the cover instead of just the title of the book you want. If "add link" is marked, you just get a link with the title; if you click on "add cover" you will get the cover. Like this:

[Clodagh]

Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) wrote: "When you click on "add book/author" up above the comment box, you have the option to add the cover instead of just the title of the book you want. If "add link" is marked, you just get a link with..."

Thank you Orinoco Womble for the advice. I would really like to link my own book to my Amazon page. Do you have any advice (but if I am asking in the wrong place, please tell me.)

[Jonathan]

Just finished Because She Loves Me, a very enjoyable page turner. Review here: http://www.100wordreviews.com/blog/be...

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

Clodagh wrote: "Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) wrote: "When you click on "add book/author" up above the comment box, you have the option to add the cover instead of just the title of the book you want. If "add..."

Um...I'm not that advanced in things Web. As Frenchie and Flo both seem to have vanished (along with half the population), ---anyone else?

[Michael]

Clodagh wrote: "Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) wrote: "When you click on "add book/author" up above the comment box, you have the option to add the cover instead of just the title of the book you want. If "add..."

For a simple link you need to just copy and paste the link into your post.

[Susan]

Just finished the teen romance .
Looking forward to .

[Michael]

I've posted my review for Chris Ward's 'The Tube Riders' and it's an excellent adventure set in a dystopian Britain. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the trilogy:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Cassandra]

I finished Cries In The Night by Debra Webb. It's part of her Colby Agency series. I absolutely love Melany and Ryan's story. Debra Webb Iis an amazing author. I would recommend any of her books to anyone who loves a good intrigue book.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all)]

I'm wondering if I'm going to finish The Mistress of Spices. I do usually have 2-3 books going at once but it's just so negative. I haven't touched it for several days, and that's not a good sign.