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What Are You Reading and do you like it?
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June
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Jun 04, 2014 08:40AM
I'm reading The Clover House
. It seems popular on the WL VB, but I'm pushing to finish. I just can't seem to relate to the characters and I'm half way through. I'll save judgement until the end.
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I have three reads going on right now (not unusual for me) 
Loving it. 
Loving it
First story was good. Ended up DNFing the second and just about to start the third.
I've got several books going right now too.
The Lost Wife: So far I'm liking it.Also reading
Tell the Wolves I'm Home. Really enjoying it!And for my local book club, I just started
Homer's Odyssey. I'm a cat lover, so this has been appealing.June, let me know what you end up thinking about Clover House. It does sound really good.
I finished
last night and even though it drove me to tears (more than once) I'm loving this series. I went to check out the next one from my local library this morning and discovered my card has expired. I'm distraught! I NEED the next book! And all of our branches except one are closed today. Of course the one that is open is on the other side of the county. I'm hoping I can call them this afternoon and renew by phone. *fingers crossed* I started
in the meantime but to be honest I'm really not that interested in finishing this trilogy. The books all seem to be the same. I'm listening on double time.
I have no idea how anyone can read more than 1 book at a time. I wish I could do that! Right now I am readingBefore Ever After and I am loving it! It is an experience. I feel like I'm touring Europe off the beaten path with each place having a secret history that I'm privy to. I have a feeling this one may wind up being a keeper that I read again.
Susan, I have read three books at a time, however I find if I really love the book I'm reading, I will not put it down until I finish, so the other two books wait. I usually finish a book in two or three evenings, reading only a couple of hours a night.The book you are now reading sounds great and I'll have to look for it on PBS.
If everyone give their opinion of what they are reading, it makes our chatting here very interesting and will definitely fill up our PBS Wish List.
I finished The Clover House: A Novel and have not reviewed or rated it yet, I'm still undecided and want to be fair so I don't turn anyone off. . However I started The
Shoemaker's Wife and am loving it! Can't wait for tonight so I can read!!
June, I really loved The Shoemaker's Wife. I am currently reading Horns. I know you guys recently had a discussion on Joe Hill. This is my first book of his that I have read and I'm surprised but I am really liking it, even though it is a little weird.
I loved The Shoemaker's Wife, too! We will be discussing it at my book club meeting tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to it!
I'm almost finished with Shoemakers Wife, read most of the day today on the patio. What luxury! Love the book. Will look for more of the author's books. Anyone read any other? Gina, let us know what your book club thought of it.
Tempie, I have Horns on TVR for couple of years. Is it spooky or horror? Can't take that! I'm a wimp like Amy!!
I guess I will have to addThe Shoemaker's Wife to my ever growing tbr. Until you recommended it, Gina, and now that you're all talking about it, I had never even considered it. I actually had it as a choice in one of the swaps, but didn't choose it. Mostly because I hate the opera. I used to work for a CFP who was chairman of the board of The Mobile Symphony and they shared their time with the opera. They were always making my job more difficult with the most petty grievances. That's probably a silly reason to snub a book, but I didn't think I had the patience for a book about the opera life. But there's a great reason to be involved in a book club-to read books you might normally overlook. June, one of my favorite things is outside reading! We built a new deck in May and it rained for several days after. Now it is just hot and muggy. Temps are in the 90s, but it is the humidity that is so bad right now. I hope we have some sunny days with less humidity soon so I can enjoy reading outside.
Tempie,
My favorite Joe Hill book is Heart-Shaped Box but I love a spooky ghost story. I did really like Horns much better than I expected. I was hesitant about it because of the subject matter, but I really like Joe Hill, so I gave it a shot. I thought it was clever and it was a fun read. June, it is not scary like his others.
Susan, Shoemaker's Wife is not at all about opera. Just one small part of the storyline where two girls get a seamstress position in the Met Opera House and meet Caruso. I don't care for opera either ( my hubby's passion), but the small part it takes in this big book doesn't matter. You really must read the book!As for reading outside,I try to do that every day at 5 PM, weather permitting. I sit under two umbrellas with a cold drink, and on hot, humid days, I put an electric fan directly at me and spray myself with water when needed. Of course, I make sure the book is safe from the water! We also have a mister we can add to the hose but then I can't read my book because it can cause the pages to curl! However, just the fan does the trick.
BTW, for those who want to read it, I finally reviewed The Clover House.
Thank you, June. I'm glad to hear there's not much opera. I will have to read it for sure with all the good feedback. I'm still trying to get to Airtight, too, but it is on my shelf so I will read it within the next few. Having a daily time scheduled to read outside sounds wonderful. I could put an electric fan on me and the deck is in the shade in the late afternoons, but I still need less than 150% humidity! What would really be good for the soul is some beach balcony reading!
June, I agree with Susan. Horns is neither spooky or horror. I got this quote off of Amazon "It's a crime story, a horror story, a love story - frankly, it's a lot like something Steven King would have written 20 years ago."
I'll have to try Horns one of these days then if you say it's not too spooky scary!As for Airtight, it's really good! Hard to put that one down once you get into it.
As I gaze upon my over 700 TBR books, I'm trying to decide what to read next! It's really a problem. I like to get into the book immediately!
Too bad Sunday is almost over. Weekends go too fast.
Hope you all had a good one.
Trying to decide what to read next, I pulled out Orphan Train and the ARC I received from the publisher, Chevy Stevens' That NightThat Night. Started Orphan Train which I wasn't sure of, but the first chapter pulled me in....so far!BTW Susan, couldn't read outside for long time now, rain on and off, sun comes out and then wind picks up and then rain again! "sigh".....
So what about the rest of you?
I've been dying to read Orphan Train, and I finally have it, but I'm waiting until closer to my turn to pick a book for book club. I want to make sure I've read the book and know it's good before selecting it for the club. This is awful, but if I read it too early, I will have forgotten everything about it by the time my turn rolls around. Since I'm one of the newest members, this will be the first time I've had a turn to pick a book. Anyone have any suggestions? I'm going to read Orphan Train soon, and there's another one called Ten Thousand White Women that I'm considering. I tried to post a cover for it, but it's showing no results for it. I like to read outside, too. I tend to do it more in the Spring while I'm sunning on the deck. Summertime is just too hot unless I get out in the morning or late afternoon. Maybe I should try taking the fan out like you do, June! I should look into getting an umbrella, too.
June, do you actually have 700 TBR books at your house??? Surely you were elaborating.
Everyone that attended book club seemed to really like The Shoemaker's Wife. Even the one man that's in the club. I was hoping for much more discussion about it, but as sometimes happens, the discussion got off track :(
I'm really liking The Lost Wife so far. I've got to hurry and get it read since my deadline for the swap is at the end of the week. I hope I can finish on time, I've got a busy week trying to get things done before we leave on vacation. I will be sick if I have to send out another unfinished book! On that note, I'm going to stop here and get reading!
Gina, yes I really have that many TBR books in my office, along with my swap books and posted books. I'm sure many TBR will NOT get read since I tend to always pick up the newer books and the WL ones. Many WL books turn into 0 wishers before I get to them!It really doesn't look like that many, I have them sorted into different shelves; TBR WL books, TBR non WL, posted, TBR by author, mmpb's and then my Keepers! I make sure never to get anymore mmpb's since I hate to read those small books. The trade pb's are ok.
As for your Book Club, read a book that you will have no trouble remembering because it was so good. I read so many that stay in my mind after I read them.
BTW, I'm loving Orphan Train! It looks like it may be an unforgettable one!
Where and when are you going on vacation?
I'm currently reading A Great and Terrible Beauty. I'm not really feeling it so far. I will give it 30 more pages (I will be at 100) and if it doesn't get more interesting I will be moving on to something else.
That's what I do Tempie. 100 pages is enough time to waste if the book isn't doing it for you. Too many others to read!
June, Orphan Train is awesome! I loved it! It's a keeper I won't part with. I hope the weather improves soon. I did get a few hours in reading outside.Gina, Orphan Train would be a good book club read if they haven't read it. Mine even has a reader group discussion guide in the back.
Tempie, as bad as I hate not finishing books, I hate wasting time on not so good books even more. Especially as I watch my TBR get bigger every day! So, I've adopted the 100 page rule, too. June, we are leaving Saturday morning for Puerto Rico. I'm so excited! It's been a favorite place of our for several years now. I so ready to hit the beach! Anybody else have vacation plans?
Susan, I'm leaning more and more toward using Orphan Train as my book club choice. I guess I will start reading it and see what it's all about.
Gina,If we don't have vacation plans, can we just come along with you? lol
Gina, welcome back from vacation. Hope it was wonderful and the weather was good. Did you get some reading done on the beach?Susan glad you loved Airtight also. I'm in the middle of that free ARC book I told you about, Chevy Stevens' THAT NIGHT. It's a great psychological thriller and I am really enjoying it. I've been putting off reading it because I can't trade it in swap games. It feels like a waste! I figured I can always put it up as an "AND" book.
I'm also getting her other new book Always Watching from my WL.
We are doing a cross country move at the end of the summer so no vacation plans for us.I'm currently reading the 7th book in the Jack Reacher series, Persuader. I think this is my favorite one so far.
June,Yes, Airtightwas really good! I know what you mean about reading one you can't put in swaps. I have a few ARCs I keep putting off, too. I have Always Watching on the way, too. I can't wait to read it.
Tempie, every Reacher book I read is my favorite.!!!!
Susan, didn't see your post before leaving on vacation or I would have stashed you away in the luggage :)We had a great time and the weather was perfect! Yes, I got a lot of reading done on the beach and at the pool! Just finished The Lost Wife and really enjoyed it!
Ok, looks like I'm going to have to add Airtight to my PBS WL! I'm ready for a really good suspense!
Tempie, where are you moving to, if you don't mind my asking.
Quite a move Tempie,,from one coast to the other! I'm in NJ, but I love CA! My oldest son lives in San Francisco, my favorite place.
Yes, it is. We moved from MD to CA 3 years ago. I'm just glad we are going back to the east coast. :)
Tempie, that IS a big move! But, you sound happy about it, so that's good! We lived in MD for 3 years, near Annapolis, and we loved it. Where did you live?I just finished A Tap on the Window by Linwood Barclay, and loved it! (Thanks, Junie) I've got 3 books going right now. They are all for my book clubs. One is Great Expectations by Dickens, the other is
, and lastly,
I'm really liking the last one. Not so sure about Runaway, it's all short stories and I wasn't impressed with the first one :( Actually, when I finished it I was wondering what it was supposed to mean. ugh. Has anyone read Great Expectations? I'm so not in the mood for that one. It's especially hard when I have several books I just received that I'm dying to get started on!What's everyone else reading?
Is everyone enjoying their summer? I certainly am :)
Gina, you sound like you are having a great summer.....two vacations sound good to me!I read Great Expectations in high school and have no interest in reading it again. Aren't you going to be overwhelmed with two book clubs plus PBS?
I just finished Always Watching by Chevy Stevens and I'll tell you I almost bit my nails off near the end!!!
Starting Confessions, Private School Murders by Patterson for one of the swaps, in fact for Amy. I have so many I want to read already! And keep getting more!!
Gina,Glad you're enjoying all that vacation time!
Tempie,
I hope all goes well and you get settled in smoothly.
June,
Always Watching kept my insides tied in knots, but all her books do that to me.
A "heads up" that Joe Hill's book, Horns is being made into a movie coming in October with Daniel Radcliffe playing Ig Perrish!
I am starting The Hypnotist's Love Story: A Novel but I'm spending the day with my granddaughter so I don't expect to get much reading done today.
Gina, we lived close at Fort Meade, which is about 30 mins from Annapolis. My husband actually grew up near there in Crofton. My last few books have been duds. I read
&
. The first one was okay, just a little hokey for me. The second one didn't pass the 50 page rule and I ended up scanning the last of the book. I decided the next book up should be a definitely a good one so I have gone with the next Jack Reacher book, you can never go wrong with him. So I started
today.Some other good books I have read this month:
&
Hey all! It's been such a long time since I've checked in, I feel like a deserter. :( I need to STOP entering every single open swap I see. I'm so behind, it's not even funny. I've officially thrown in the towel on a bunch of them, and just bought extra copies from half, Abebooks, etc. just to alleviate some stress. I've been slagging through What The Nanny Saw for what feels like FOREVER - it's one of THREE books I now owe Kirsten. UGH! Anyway, I'm *finally* nearing the finish line, but it's been a slow go. If I had known what a dud it would turn out to be, I definitely would've just sent it along. But, I was determined to get through it. (I never learn. Just...NEVER learn.) I hate when I get into a rut with bad books, though. Before this, I tried to read The Woman Upstairs for another swap and just couldn't get into it. Has anyone here read that one? It was on my WL for so long that I finally caved and just BOUGHT it. But, now I may just send it on without reading it, in the hopes of finding something a little more entertaining. One of the other books I have to read for Kirsten is The Bookstore, so I'm thinking of tackling that one next, since I've been wanting to read it for a long time now. Hopefully that'll end my bad book slump.
My vacation is just about 6 weeks away now - WOOHOO!!! Hubby & I are heading to our Happy Place, Walt Disney World. We go every year (sometimes several times a year), but we still look forward to each trip. It never gets boring!
I hate to wish away the summer, but I'm definitely more of an Autumn girl! There's nothing better than that crisp air - not too warm, not too cold. (And the start of football season too, of course!) LOVE it! Now if only we could finagle away to skip over the months of January and February, I'd be a happy girl. LOL
June,I AM overwhelmed with 2 book clubs and PBS, but I'm going to see how things go.
Tempie,
I know all about Ft. Meade, had a friend that lived on post, and of course, since we're Army too, I was there a good bit.
I love Virgin of Small Plains and Duty to the Dead! Both great books.
Amy,
I didn't know (or remember) about your Disney trip coming up! Sounds like fun!
Well, now that I have the book Airtight, I guess I'm going to have to check out the Chevy Stevens book!
Susan, as for Horns, it's still on TBR and maybe someday I'll get to it.As for Chevy Stevens, her psychological thrillers always give me anxiety attacks!
Gina,
Airtight is very good. Also hard to put down!
Tempie, you can never go wrong with Reacher! I read all his books except for three, which I keep for emergencies! LOL
Amy, you're hysterical! You sound so overwhelmed and reading one bad book after another sucks! That one you're starting now got very mixed reviews in Goodreads. Hope you won't be disappointed.
I'm reading the book I have to send you, Confessions, a private School Murders. I don't usually like YA books, but I love the characters and storyline, and of course, it's Patterson! I'm sure you'll like this one.
I keep hearing so many people say they love the Reacher books, I've got to remember to try the series! I must really be missing out!
Amy,I don't read well under pressure. I shop the thrift stores and such for books and if I come across wishlisted books, I buy them, even if it is not something I really care to read. Of the books I do read, I frequently wind up buying a 2nd copy so I have one to offer and one to keep. I don't ever know before reading one if it may be a keeper, so I only offer what I have already read or what I have extras of or books I know other people want to read but I don't really have an interest in.
I'm afraidThe Bookstore may not end your slump. There were some good things about it, but in the end, I didn't feel it really delivered. Maybe you will like it better than I did?
Do you go to Universal when you visit Disney World? I love Universal. I really want to visit the new Harry Potter attractions.
I suffer withdrawal until Football Season every year, so I am always anxious for it to get here, but I love summer, so I hate to see it end.
June,
I always like to read the books before I see the movies, so I thought I would mention the Horns movie coming out. I'm excited Daniel Radcliffe is in it! It gives me hope it will be done well.
I am always anxious to read every new Chevy Stevens book despite knowing the effect they will have on me when I read them. I didn't enjoy the plot of Always Watching quite as much as her others I have read, but it was still good (and I couldn't put it down!).
Gina,
I agree with June. Airtight is very hard to put down!
Have a great weekend, all!
Oh, for the love of God, PLEASE don't let The Bookstore suck!!! I don't think I can take another bomb. I only got two chapters in, and while I'm not completely hooked, it's already better than that Nanny book! :o( Next in the queue is While We Were Watching Downton Abbey. Has anyone read that?Funny you should ask about Universal, Susan, since this is the FIRST year we're going to skip it. We're Disney nuts, so we typically spend a minimum of two weeks each year in the Orlando area. This year, due to time constraints, we can only get there for a single 9 day trip. Alas, USF didn't make the cut. I keep hearing about the INSANE lines for the new Potter ride - during the opening weekend, the wait was 7.5 hours. Seriously? Why bother?!? We've discussed the possibility of doing a weekend there next year, since their Front of the Line perk sounds amazing! It's hard to justify spending the money on one of their hotels, though, when we have the Disney Vacation Club. We'll just have to wait and see. We're definitely going to check it out NEXT September, though...my brother has finally agreed to bring his family for a trip with us. His twins will be almost 11 by then - I have no idea how the years go by so quickly. I've been begging him since before they were born, though, and he's just NOW giving in. Hopefully, the lines we be a teensy bit better by then. :)
I love Chevy Stevens, too. Always Watching is the only one I haven't really enjoyed. I have to track down the ARC I received of her new one. You know - because I have so much free reading time available these days.
I've never heard of Airtight, but thanks to all your glowing reviews here, I can see that it will be added to my list as well. OY VEY!!!
TGIF!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Susan and Amy, I agree with you that Always Watching was not as good as her others, I have not written a review yet, but will do so. I just disliked all the characters, even the main one! However, I couldn't put the book down and near the end I almost had a panic attack! OMG Gina, Lee Child's Jack Reacher can put his shoes under my bed anytime!!! LOL.....I LOVE his books and they do NOT have to be read in order. Each book stands on it's own. You're in for quite a ride!
June,Oh wow, I didn't know you could read the Reacher books out of order! So, there's NOT the same characters in each book?? No "history" of characters and happenings to keep up with? Because honestly, some of his sound better than others. Also, I'm a stickler for reading books in order, that is, if there's a chance I will miss the flow of events I need to know to have the books make sense. So, you're sure I can jump around on them??
About the Chevy Stevens books. The only one I've read was, Still Missing, and it was ok, but I wasn't that impressed. I think I'm in the minority on that, but I'm still going to try some of her others.
Gina, like I said above, I keep three books I haven't read yet, just because! The ONLY character Lee Child writes about is Reacher. His history is gone over enough in each book, so you get to know about him pretty fast. I never read the books in order, started whatever book I could get when everyone was talking about him in the Mystery Box. Also when Reacherfan, RF, the groundhog and Nita started talking about him. There hasn't been one book of his I didn't love! If you have one, try it and see what you think.
Susan, I wanted to make sure I came back and told you that The Bookstore wasn't nearly as awful as I feared! Lol!! (In fact, compared to the steaming pile of poo that is The Woman Upstairs, it was practically Shakespeare!). True, it wasn't nearly as gripping as I would've liked - and I *did* want to strangle Esme on more than one occasion - it was still the frontrunner from the pack of losers I've been through lately. I'm going to start on While We Were Watching Downton Abbey tonight. Believe it or not, I've never seen so much as 5 minutes of Downton, but I'm still hoping to find a straight-forward, traditionally girly read!
Oh yeah, and Mondays suck. Just sayin'!
True, it wasn't nearly as gripping as I would've liked - and I *did* want to strangle Esme on more than one occasion - it was still the frontrunner from the pack of losers I've been through lately. lol Amy, you crack me up. Yea! Maybe you're on the upswing:)
Amy, girl, you always make me laugh! :) Hopefully, you're breaking out of your slump!
Gina- as June said, the Jack Reacher books do not follow any kind of order. I just finished book #8 and it's actually a story that took place before book #1. With that being said, I have to read them in order. :)I just finished The Enemy but I have to say this has been my least favorite book of the series. It was just too heavy in military theme for me (my husband is a Marine so you would think I would like that stuff). :) I did like reading the story between his brother and his mom and learning about his mom's history. Now on to another series I am trying to catch up on. V is for Vengeance
hey PBS'ers, everyone has to reading something!!I started Stephen King's new one, Mr Mercedes. I'll save judgement until I'm into it further. It's building up to a crisis soon and I'm "almost" biting my nails!
Hey June!I was curious about that book, I can't remember if I put on my WL or not. Keep me posted on it.
I started Sycamore Row yesterday by Grisham. So far, I like it. I'm still reading One Thousand White Women, it's been entertaining. Curious to see how it will end up.
I finished The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult, and really liked it. Only my second book by her, and I liked this one much better than the last. I get the feeling hers are hit and miss.
Hi y'all!! Currently I'm reading The Swarm by Frank Schatzing. I'm half way through it and really enjoying it. As well as the main story line it is filled with a lot of scientific information. Which may turn off a lot of readers. For me, I'm interested in the science stuff too. So no problem there. Oh, it's a doorstopper. 881 pages.
Before this book, I read Sorrow Bound by David Mark. It's the 3rd book In a series, but I hadn't read the first 2 and had no problem with following the characters. It's a dark and fairly graphic story.
And before that, I read The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner. Absolutely loved it! This is the first book I've read of her's and want to read more. I couldn't put this one down. I read it in 2 days.
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