What are you reading in 2014?

[Margaret]

Jason wrote: "Vampire Lestat is brilliant."

Definitely! I'm loving every page :3

[Charlotte]

I know the poll is still running, but I made a start on Angela's Ashes. Can't put it down..the utter poverty & misery is awful, and much of the mindset is ever so familiar, being from Ireland myself. Was in tears earlier at one point..and I don't cry with books very often, unlike films. Think the last time I cried reading a book was when I was finishing the Time Travellers Wife.

[Debbie]

I am about to start Harry's Last Stand: How the World My Generation Built is Falling Down, and What We Can Do to Save It.
He wrote a very impassioned article in the Guardian last year and has released a book. Should make for very interesting reading. Very rare to have the opportunity to read someone's opinion at that age.
http://www.theguardian.com/society/20...

[Jason]

That sounds really good Debbie, will add that to my list.

[Debbie]

His elegy to the NHS is very moving.

[Sandra]

I'm still working on The Visionist, and really having problems swallowing it.
When I'm done with it I'll go through The Rosie Project and Y: a novel.

[Paul]

1/3 of the way through The Goldfinch. Monumental book in terms of pages. The writing is effortless too.

[Jo]

That is the word for it, effortless, which to me makes it unputdownable.

I am nearing the end of the audio book of Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd. I was a bit unsure to start with, but by golly it's been quite a ride. Superbly drawn characters and an intriguing plot so I eat my earlier words.

[Jackie]

I'm just starting I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. Has a great write up - looking forward to it!

[Jo]

Jackie wrote: "I'm just starting I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. Has a great write up - looking forward to it!"

I am very interested to hear what you think about this.

[Jackie]

It's a long book Jo, I may be some time. That was a bit Captain Oates wasn't it lol.

[Paul]

Just gone on the list! Sigh...

[Jackie]

Paul, looking at the length of your TBR list you might need to employ someone to read some for you lol

[Paul]

Ha ha! I just need to read quicker

[Jo]

Yes Paul, you are such a slacker. ;-)

Great interview with Eimear McBride in today's Times. I really like her!

I need to move on to my next audiobook, I have just downloaded (deep breath) Wolf Hall and am going to give it a go.

[Paul]

Just started Stuff I've Been Reading. Really enjoying it so far. He has a similar philosophy to me, read exactly what you want to, with no regards to other peoples suggestions.

[Debbie]

I can't even begin to descibe how wonderful Harry's Last Stand is. It is social commentary, political commentary, history, biography. It contains tales of woe, war, poverty, love, family, forgiveness and tolerance. He has lived a full life and is all the wiser for it. This is one of those rarities that should be read by everyone. I really hope it is.

[Pat]

Re audiobook on Wolf Hall. I have been enjoying it. I found it a tad difficult at first, maybe how I was feeling, but now onto book 5. It has passed a few hours on way to work.

[Paul]

Now onto Why We Build. Parts of it are interesting, but is is a bit esoteric, and a bit meh. Shame really, as Rowan Moore normally writes some good stuff in the Obersever

[Jo]

I stalled with Wolf Hall just now (ie. chickened out!) so have started my next audiobook, Waiting for Sunrise which is intriguing, really enjoying it.

Also fully immersed in And the Mountains Echoed

[Paul]

Jo wrote: "Also fully immersed in And the Mountains Echoed..."

My wife has just read that, and enjoyed it.

[Charlotte]

Jo wrote: "I stalled with Wolf Hall just now (ie. chickened out!) so have started my next audiobook, Waiting for Sunrise which is intriguing, really enjoying it.

Also fully immersed in ..."</i>

Read that about a month ago....I really enjoyed it, bit rude at times :P

Im back to reading [book:Play It Again: An Amateur Against The Impossible, an amateur pianist's journey to play Chopin's Ballade No.1.
Really interesting in parts, with histories of the piano and composers, set against the backdrop of the Wikileaks scandal and the phone hacking scandal. Finding it a bit of a slog at times still.

[Paul]

Started The Eyre Affair last night. Nod bad so far, a touch surreal though

[Pat]

I liked the Eyre affair. It made me laugh. I can quite see why people don't like it though.

[Paul]

Hasn't made me laugh yet!

[Pat]

Not out loud. Just amusing.

[Joy]

Jackie wrote: "Starting Deaf Sentence by David Lodge. Wish it wasn't a hardback.."

Did you like it? I'm a fan of David Lodge, but I wasn't very keen on this one. Mind you he is nearly 80 now so I I imagine has produced his best work already! I think my favourite isParadise News

[Paul]

Current reading One Hundred Years of Solitude which I am not sure about at the moment, and Forgotten Footprints: Lost Stories in the Discovery of Antarctica which is good so far.

[Jackie]

I'm going to start Tiny Sunbirds Far Away by Christie Watson.

[Pat]

Paul. Garcia is very clever and well written. Sadly, it bores me. Sorry.

[Paul]

It is this months classic read, thought i'd give it a go. I am hoping it will improve

[Jason]

Went to the library Saturday and got out A Grim Almanac of Hampshire really interesting so far, learning a fair amount about the area where I live. Also a possible ancestor of mine gets mentioned. Yay!

[Danielle]

Currently reading The Highly Sensitive Person.

[Joy]

I'm going through my bookshelves and deciding either to re-read or give to a charity shop books which I've had for decades.
So I've just started re-reading The Many-Coloured Land, the first in a fantasy series which I first read in the 80s. So far I'm enjoying it once more. Some things are making me smile as it's set in the future where they can download 'plass' books, but the author hadn't envisaged us having a range of portable computers. I guess Douglas Adams was the only sci-fi author with that foresight.

[Jo]

Just started The Shock of the Fall

[Emma]

Just started The Sea sisters. Its free on Kindle at the moment :)

[Arefin]

I'm new around here. So i'm reading a book which wasn't published in 2014. Am i allowed to write about that book here?

[Paul]

Welcome to the group Arefin. Of course, this thread replaced a thread that was just titled what I am reading. This is for any book that you are reading this year.

[Jo]

Hello Arefin, it's a good point, I have changed the name of the thread.

Welcome to the group.

[Arefin]

Thank you Paul and Jo. The new title is more helpful than the previous one.

I am an attentive reader from my childhood. But I never read any fiction or non fiction except they are written in my motherlanguage Bangla. I always wanted to read books that are written in English as English books offer a wider scope but I never succeded. I understand the language, can utter some words when its necessary but when it came to reading, things always went terribly wrong. Its not an easy job to enjoy literature in an alien language.
However, today i found this book in my sister's table which was Dan Brown's 'Inferno' and read the first page just out of my curiosity. I mean i'm always a thriller and mystery fan, but, im so hooked in the book now that i'm reading this for five continuous hour. This is surprising for me! Whatever,its midnight, its raining heavily here in my country, my summer vacation is going on and i'm reading this wonderful thriller. I can do nothing but thanks heaven for this combination!

[Caitlin]

I'm really excited to start Asimov's Foundation series for the series challenge. It's been on my list for a long time.

[Danielle]

Arefin wrote: "Thank you Paul and Jo. The new title is more helpful than the previous one.

I am an attentive reader from my childhood. But I never read any fiction or non fiction except they are written in my m..."

Practice makes perfect Arefin. When I started to read English as a teen, I had to read with an English dictionary at hand. I carefully copied the new words and although this list with new words just kept on growing, it was helpful in the end. Now I hardly need a dictionary.

My native language is Dutch which is of the same language family as English. And written in the same alphabet. I learnt myself Greek once, so I know how hard it is to learn not only new sounds but another alphabet as well.

And it's indeed not always so easy to enjoy literature in an other language. Although I know now better than before what book will work for me in what language.

[Pat]

Good grief. I am humbled. I have never attempted to read a book in any other language than my own. I learned French and Latin at school but still stuck to English. Fabulous that you both can speak/write/read in another tongue. We Brits are lazy in this respect (well I can't speak for all Brits only myself)

[Paul]

Just started Dark Pools: The rise of A.I. trading machines and the looming threat to Wall Street. Not bad so far.

[Lisa]

Was just coming on to say you write English very well, Arefin.

[Arefin]

Danielle wrote: "Arefin wrote: "Thank you Paul and Jo. The new title is more helpful than the previous one.

I am an attentive reader from my childhood. But I never read any fiction or non fiction except they are ..."

Thank you for your suggestions Danielle. I'm planning to read Dan Brown's other works including Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code. And yes i'm using a dictionary while reading. But this can be so tiresome!

[Jason]

Have you tried a Kindle Arefin? You can just tap on a word and the definition appears, saves a bit of time.

[Arefin]

Pat wrote: "Good grief. I am humbled. I have never attempted to read a book in any other language than my own. I learned French and Latin at school but still stuck to English. Fabulous that you both can speak/..."

Thank you for your reply Pat but I don't think I'm any less lazy than you are. Actually its a matter of shame that I'm still not that good in this language since English is treated as second language in my country.

[Arefin]

Jason wrote: "Have you tried a Kindle Arefin? You can just tap on a word and the definition appears, saves a bit of time."

Yes Jason, I'm considering that option.

[Catherine]

Jason wrote: "Have you tried a Kindle Arefin? You can just tap on a word and the definition appears, saves a bit of time."

That is one thing I love about the kindle. Normally I see something in a book and think "I must look that up later" only to forget about it. There must be scores of words, hundreds, thousands, billions that I have forgotten I wanted to look up!