Books on the Nightstand discussion
What are you reading March 2014
I just got The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton. Is it really great? I have my doubts because it's such a long book.
Becky wrote: "Finishing Winter's Tale
& then I plan to focus on some Booktopia books!"What you think of this book? I started it last week and I can't get into it.
Looking for a new audio. I have so many ebooks and real books that I promised myself to read.Yesterday I heard about
so I downloaded a sample. That's a wait and see because its a YA novel that has acquired a lot of discussion. Heard about that on the Bookriot podcast. I will probably download
to listen.Really looking forward to that.
Mike or Ann?OMG I am glad I have a credit because Ancillary Justicewas originally listed for $49.95 on Audible!The member price is $31.84. Is that over the top or have been blinded by having credits?
Denise wrote: "Becky wrote: "Finishing Winter's Tale & then I plan to focus on some Booktopia books!"What you think of this book? I started it last week and I can't g..."
it was slow to grab me, I found it very confusing & still do but the story has gotten better….
Denise wrote: "I just got The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton. Is it really great? I have my doubts because it's such a long book."I really liked the sweeping, winding story but can understand how that's not for everyone. Give it a go and see what you think!
I just started A Snicker of Magic. Looks like a jolly little read. Should be a breeze!
Just finished
The Wives of Los Alamos for Booktopia Boulder, and am currently reading
The Martian as well as stories from
Snow White, Blood Red. Happy March reading everyone!
I am still working on A Tale for the Time Being. I have also been reading Fables trades as quick as they come in from the library.
I am finally getting started on Iain Banks Culture books. I'm about 3/4 of the way through
Consider Phlebas, and I can't believe it's taken me this long to read them. It looks like it will be a good month.
I just finished rereading A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle after listening to the podcast The Incomparable #139. I have the graphic novel of A Wrinkle in Time by Hope Larson on hold at the library to read next. I am starting the audiobook Son by Lois Lowry which I downloaded from my library through Overdrive. I also just started Lev Grossman's The Magicians. March should be a good reading month!
The Better World Shopping Guide by Ellis Jones really increases my awareness of which companies and brands are trying to improve the world in many ways. I frequent many companies with an F rating but instead of feeling guilty about this, I resolve to frequent companies and buy products that have a higher rating. Shopping has now become more difficult since I have to think about this in addition to price, taste, and nutritional value!
My two paper books are A Canticle for Leibowitz andLife After Life. My kindle book is The Song of Achilles. The ebook I am reading on my phone in bits and pieces while waiting in line is Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity. I just started the audio book of The Martian.I may post about The Song of Achilles in the "When you are the only one" thread after I finish it. Right now, I do not understand all of the praise.
Melissa wrote: "I may post about The Song of Achilles in the "When you are the only one" thread after I finish it. Right now, I do not understand all of the praise. ..."I am in the same boat with that one. It was just okay to me.
I am finishing up A Burnable Book from last month. And I just started The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism, my 1st quarter history book, which is going to take me awhile to read.My book club is reading The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge, and the World's Greatest Piece of Cheese this month - can't wait to curl up with this and a mini cheese plate to snack on.
Other plans for March:
Complete 2009 TBR: Memoirs of a Geisha and The Meltdown Chronicles
Random TBR: Baker Towers
Published in 2014: Gonna double dip The Heathen School: A Story of Hope and Betrayal in the Age of the Early Republic with my Booktopia challenge.
Booktopia Vermont: The Heathen School: A Story of Hope and Betrayal in the Age of the Early Republic
Booktopia Boulder: A Beautiful Truth, Want Not, and The Wives of Los Alamos
Series: The Eyre Affair
Not sure what book I will get at Prairie Lights this month. And finishing up Longbourn on audio.
I finished my YA read A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd. It was OK, but I'm glad to be back among the adults. Starting The Accident by Chris Pavone this afternoon. Hope its as good as The Expats.
I started The Orphanmaster's Son last night. Hopefully it gets better. I'm feeling so jaded about highly praised novels given my experience with The Goldfinch. Tomorrow I am picking up The Cartographer of No Man's Land from the library (a Booktopia VT read). And I'm still reading Tenth of December a story at a time and enjoying it.
Rachel & Melissa, I listened to The Martian. Once I started, I had to put all of my other books on hold so I could finish it. I loved it and hope you enjoy it.I'm currently listening to/reading Lexicon, The Secret Keeper, and The Bone Season.
Susanne, I finished The Martian last night and absolutely loved it. I usually read multiple books at once too, but I put all the others aside so I could finish it faster. I'm glad you enjoyed it as well!I'm now actually reading stories from Snow White, Blood Red and The Member of the Wedding while waiting for Want Not and A Beautiful Truth to arrive.
I'm reading Flora by Gail Godwin and wondering what others have thought. It seems like a gentle book but I know something is about to be revealed and cannot put it down. For book club we are reading Critical Mass by Sarah Paretsky and also reading Monuments Men. A busy read month.
Now listening to:
This isn't a complaint with the book, but with the audio book: nobody in the book is actually speaking English. Yet the narrator reads them all with a pronounced eastern European accent. I prefer that, in plays or movies, when all the characters are presumably speaking the same (foreign) language, that accented English not be used, unless it's to differentiate one nationality from another. The same goes for audio books.
This isn't a complaint with the book, but with the audio book: nobody in the book is actually speaking English. Yet the narrator reads them all with a pronounced eastern European accent. I prefer that, in plays or movies, when all the characters are presumably speaking the same (foreign) language, that accented English not be used, unless it's to differentiate one nationality from another. The same goes for audio books.
Steph wrote: "I'm reading Flora by Gail Godwin and wondering what others have thought. It seems like a gentle book but I know something is about to be revealed and cannot put it down. For book club we are read..."I read that last year and remembered loving it. She really hooks you on the story and characters.
Happy reading!
Finally finished The Romanov sisters. Very interesting. I have to admit that I like reading about the British, Russisn and Germany royal families (nonfiction). These books take almost twice as long to read because I constantly stop to look up their photo and the palaces they lived in.Now I'm reading Erika Robuck's new book Fallen Beauty.
I finished The Two Hotel Francforts
and loved it. I think I'm an expat at heart. I thought the writing was great and was surprised by the twists and turns at the end. I'm returning Dirty Love
to the library today. I made it to page 14. I've only finished House of Sand and Fog by Andres Dubus III but always give his books a shot because I loved his father's writing so much, but I keep being disappointed. His writing is convoluted best and he is in desperate need of a better editor. Anyway...I now have two library books, both novels in fragments, which should be interesting: Sea of Hooks
, which is delicate and lovely so far, and Dept. of Speculation
which I'll pick up and start tonight. Finally, I'm still listening to Americanah
which is fantastic. I can't say enough good things aboutChimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Eric wrote: "Now listening to:This isn't a complaint with the book, but with the audio book: nobody in the book is actually speaking English. ..."
Eric, I started out listening to this on audio and in retrospect didn't like that it was narrated in accented English, either. I found the language so beautiful that I ended up borrowing the ebook from the library because I knew I wanted to linger over the writing.
Still reading A Suitable Boy...almost halfway there.
I'm feeling like a loser for never having read A Suitable Boy so I just added it.
I just finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower which was brilliant and started The Bookseller of Kabul which is looking good.I feel I deserve a some great books as I've had a couple of DNFs recently.
Mod
Detroit: An American Autopsy. Starting
The Death of Santini: The Story of a Father and His Son
I devoured The Aviator's Wife today after listening to the Booktopia Petosky podcast on Friday.
I finished an arc of Maggie Shipstead's next book, Astonish Me. Loved it.
I stayed up late finishing We Disappear
by Scott Heim this morning, and will be starting Mysterious Skin
by the same author later today.
I just finished Pavone's sophomore effort The Accident and it was awesome. A must-read for booklovers and adventure seekers alike. I am planning on starting either The Moon Sisters or Chop Chop, both ARCs today.
Happy reading all!
I just started
. The first of 4 books I have to read for Booktopia Vermont!
Chandra, thanks for the recommendations. Are they like spy thrillers or more like mysteries?
So far in March I have read:Glitter and Glue loved it! Cannot wait to see Kelly Corrigan in Vermont!!
The Rosie Project
The Returned
Just starting The Winter People
Then The Cartographer of No Man's Land
Two more Booktopia Vermont authors!!
Deb wrote: "So far in March I have read:Glitter and Glue loved it! Cannot wait to see Kelly Corrigan in Vermont!!
The Rosie Project
The Returned
Just starting ..."
I have The Cartographer of No Man's Land on my nightstand (literally). It is a library book, so I think I have to put Orphan Master Son's on hold (I am struggling with it anyway) and read that one.
Denise wrote: "Chandra, thanks for the recommendations. Are they like spy thrillers or more like mysteries?"
Hi Denise! They are a little of both, but The Accident gives readers a sneak peek behind the publishing industry. Very satisfying!
Finished listening to The Martianand I loved it! The changing narration kept the plot rolling along, building suspense until the very end. I would have enjoyed more character development, but this is a roller-coaster of science book. I have a number of science major friends, and I have been urging them to read this so they can review the science parts.
Just finished:
After that (1051 pages), made some shorter selections.
Reading:
Next in line:
Melissa wrote: "Finished listening to The Martian and I loved it! The changing narration kept the plot rolling along, building suspense until the very end. I would have enjoyed more character development, but this is a roller-coaster of science book. I have a number of science major friends, and I have been urging them to read this so they can review the science parts"
I kept thinking about the science too -- how accurate is it and how much is "yeah, sure, this will work...this will get him out of that jam". But I became so invested in his well being, I kept hoping everytime that it would. If they had to leave anyone behind, it's a good thing they left someone with a lot of skills. I would have died on day two, no question about it.
I finished The Secret Keeper yesterday. It was so slow in parts that it felt like a slog. And then I get to the last 1/4 of the book ... holy schmoly, I did not see that coming. I had my theories, but that was not one of them. The book could have been shorter or faster paced in parts, but the ending makes it worth it.Now I'm going to try and finish The Bone Season and Lexicon. I'm going to have to switch from audible to kindle for the Bone Season -- I'm 80%+ through, and I've decided I don't like the narrator; she has a nice accent which hides the fact that her voice is flat and doesn't express a lot of emotion. Lexicon is my nightly read. Right now, aside from constantly running for their lives, a lot of nothing is going on (I'm almost 200 pages into it). I like the premise of the book, but I need more than running and nothing. Hopefully I'll get some answers soon.
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Books on the Nightstand
Books mentioned in this topic
Murder as a Fine Art (other topics)The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (other topics)
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (other topics)
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (other topics)
The Book Thief (other topics)
More...
and two audios