What have you recently finished and loved

[Jim]

I'm waiting eagerly for the next Sookie book, now. I wonder if she's planning to ever end the series?

[Stephanie]

^ Me too. And I hope not! :D

[Sarah]

I just finished reading Night by Elie Wiesel. Glad I didn't put this one off any longer.

[ms.petra]

Sarah wrote: "I just finished reading Night by Elie Wiesel. Glad I didn't put this one off any longer."

My daughter brought NIGHT home from school for a reading assignment and I read her copy. Very powerful.

[Sarah]

Yeah, for such a small book, it packs some powerful content. What did your daughter think of it?

[Monica]

I just finished The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Amazing. Everyone should read this book.

[Mara]

I just finished the second book in the Millennium trilogy, The Girl Who Played with Fire. I LOVED IT! I liked the first book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but absolutely loved the second. I am looking forward to reading the third when it arrives this week. (The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest)

[DJ]

Hi can I just ask did the I'd not get all of THE GIRL trillogy released at once as we in the UK have had them out in Paperback for about 2 years now I think...

[Allie :: literarilythrilling]

Aths wrote: "I just finished Love Story and really loved it! Total classic!"

I read that book a year or two ago. I swear, I bawled through the last like 4 or 5 chapters.

I just finished reading Water for Elephants which was fantastically wonderful and I keep recommending it to everyone =]

[ms.petra]

I totally loved Water for Elephants and I see it is being made into a movie! I hope they can do it justice. I just finished Horns by Joe Hill. It was a little creepy, but what did I expect from Stephen King's son. Not sure if I liked the ending...still thinking about it.

[Jim]

Aths wrote: "I just finished Love Story and really loved it! Total classic!"..."

It was good & so was the sequel, Oliver's Story. The movie, "Love Story" was very well done, too. I think I saw it in the movies when it first came out. Ryan O'Neil, if I remember correctly, starred in it.

[DJ]

Yes he did Jim.
Did Erich Segal write OLIVERS STORY?
So I can watch out for a copy as I have LOVE STORY....
Thank You.

[ms.petra]

Sarah wrote: "Yeah, for such a small book, it packs some powerful content. What did your daughter think of it?"

she's not much of a reader unfortunately. I hear "it was OK" a lot. I read to her so much when she was younger and just assumed she would love books. She just isn't into them. Kids today have so much technology thrown at them 24/7... I have had this conversation with other parents and have heard that many kids do come back around to reading eventually. I hope so!

*She hates when I say "the book was better than the movie!"

[Jim]

DJ, if you can't find "Oliver's Story", let me know & I'll send you my copy. I doubt I'll ever read it again. It's an OLD paperback & might fall apart on the next read, though.

I just checked BookMooch & there are 14 copies available there, so if you belong, you can get it. If you don't, you should. It's a great way to get books cheap.

[DJ]

Thanks Jim....That's very kind of you.I'm not a mmber of Bookmooch (or any swap site as I only just started using computer when I joined GRs'I'm still a bit wary in case I do something wrong).
Are there any books that you are on the lookout for and I could look for them along with OLIVERS STORY so that if I don't find it I could send you a reciprocal book?

[DJ]

PS. I would probably be bettr at swapping books with friends as my love in life is trawling round secondhand and Antiquarian Bookshops...I am going to be trying from the start of next year to only look for books that are on my wish list ...So Jim please let me know of any books that you are having difficulty finding and I could try to hunt them down for you...The Bookshops I go to have a broad spectrum price range.There is one where all the books are 70p (I picked up a copy of Eally Lamb I KNOW THIS MUCH OS TRUE-brilliant condition),there are all the secondhand Bookstores in the West End.A new one has just opened in he East side and there are all my other regular haunts....All you would need to do is email the max you anted to spend on a book.This would be great as I could still go bookhunting but be good at the same time

[Jim]

DJ, we should probably continue this via email. I'll send you a note. That's cool you have so many bookstores around, though.

[Liz]

I just finished 1984 and I loved it!

[Pat]

I just finished In Free Fall. I got this one free from a first reads giveaway here. I really liked it. Its such a pleasant surprise to have an unknown and unexpected book turn out to be really good.

[Leslie]

Barnacle Love by Antony De Sa was fantastic! It's an moving intergenerational coming-of-age story of a Portugese-Canadian family.

[Fiona]

Kathy wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "I finished The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson and LOVED it!!

^ I can't wait to read Dead In The Family. 10th of June is the release date here in the UK, though :("
..."

I also just finished the third novel, having enjoyed them all enormously - didn't actually feel sad about it, as I felt there was definite closure in this book and that he had really taken it as far as he could. Great if he had lived to launch her on a new trajectory, though.

[Jim]

I just finished Dog on It by Spencer Quinn. It's a mystery thriller told by Chet, a dog. For more details, see my review, but it was pretty good. Definitely worth reading & it's pretty quick.

[Shane]

Jo wrote: "Ash Wednesday loved it!"

I liked Ash Wednesday too.

S

[Shane]

Jim wrote: "I just finished Dog on It by Spencer Quinn. It's a mystery thriller told by Chet, a dog. For more details, see my review, but it was pretty good. Definitely worth..."

Is it a bit like Timbuktu by Paul Auster?

S

[Jim]

I've never read "Timbuktu", Shane.

So many books, so little time...

[Stephanie]

Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson. I couldn't put it down.

[Patrick]

The art of driving in the rain:
Cute and uplifting
A great book for all

[Shane]

Just finished Fear & Loathing in Fitzrovia. A really interesting book about a truly original (if a bit vain & self destructive) and talented writer. It also gives a good picture of what Bohemian Soho was like in the late 30s and thru the 40s, with characters like Quentin Crisp, Augustus John and Nina Hamnett cropping up every so often. It probably helps if you've read some of Julian Maclaren-Ross's novels and short stories tho.

[Shane]

I haven't read it is it any good? I thought Ash Wednesday was great especially as I got a signed (printed signature that is!) hardback version free with a magazine subscription.Let me know abiout the second book

S x

[Leslie]

I have heard excellent things about Shanghai Girls! My mom was reading it when we were away on vacation.

[Shelli]

I just finished Unwindand thought it was great!

[Shane]

Hi Shelli

I have just clocked that you're a fan Neil Gaiman.I have never read any of his books but I'm interested in taking a look. What are they like and what is a good starting point?

S

[Shane]

Should've put 'of' between fand and a Neil.

Duh!

[Shelli]

Shane wrote: "Hi Shelli

I have just clocked that you're a fan Neil Gaiman.I have never read any of his books but I'm interested in taking a look. What are they like and what is a good starting point?

S"

Hi Shane....I read or actually listened to Anansi Boyslast year and really liked it. It was fun and crazy and different. I really liked the unique characters. Shortly after that, I read The Graveyard Book(that everyone was talking about) and it was just ok for me. Just recently I've heard many people who listened to TGB (I think Gaiman narrates) and they really liked it. I started American Gods early this year and couldn't get into it. It has some repeat characters from Anasai Boys. I think I'd like to try the audio of it and see if I like that better. I also own a paperback of Neverwhere, but have not read it.

[Shane]

Thanks for the info,i'll pick up a copy of Anansi Boys. As you've probably gathered, I can't type!

LOL

[Shelli]

Let me know what you think of it....it's kind of "out there" so read it with an open mind!

[Harriet]

The best few books that I've read in the past few weeks have been:
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella - I'm a massive Twilight fan, so loved an extra little snippet of the saga!
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee - I was really surprised to see some bad reviews on here and amazon as I thought this was brilliant, and I hope the film adaptation is good too.
The Carrie Diaries - SO much better than the actual SATC book!

[Stephanie]

I 've just become addicted and hooked on SLIDE by Saira Viola I keep quoting from it and have started using phrases from it . What I really love about this short , crazy novel is it captures the mood and vibrancy of England and the US so well . There's a real poetic intensity with the language and that poetic power removes the triviality of life into something more urgent . The humour and originality of the themes covered in the novel makes it universally significant as if the writer has created her own way of expression . I saw another reviewer describe it as "scatter script" but I've never heard of that phrase before. I like the way the writer uses sound to describe characters and visual art for brutality.The ability of this writer to develop a new lyrical freedom in the narrative is inspiring and I did hear her say on French radio I think that she wants more than anything to write without "fear", in this book I think she succeeds. I'm not sure what else was said as the programme ended .I strongly recommend this novel though :)

[Stephanie]

I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak. I love his work. I read this in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Shelli]

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest!! 5 stars...fantastic!

[DJ]

Totally loved THE SHADOW OF THE WIND...and. THE ANGELS GAME is looking just as good.

[Shelli]

DJ wrote: "Totally loved THE SHADOW OF THE WIND...and. THE ANGELS GAME is looking just as good."

I loved TSOTWind too! The Angels Game wasn't as good for me, but still good.

[DJ]

Shelli wrote: "DJ wrote: "Totally loved THE SHADOW OF THE WIND...and. THE ANGELS GAME is looking just as good."

I loved TSOTWind too! The Angels Game wasn't as good for me, but still good."

[DJ]

Shelli wrote: "DJ wrote: "Totally loved THE SHADOW OF THE WIND...and. THE ANGELS GAME is looking just as good."

I loved TSOTWind too! The Angels Game wasn't as good for me, but still good."

Hi I am at the halfway point,so I will let you k ow when I finish it..

[Nadia]

I just finished reading The Passage by Justin Cronin and I absolutely loved it!

[DJ]

I loved THE ANGELS GAME the way that CRZ tied in the stories of characters from THE SHADOW OF THE WIND was superb.

Now reading ENDURING LOVE...

[DJ]

I loved THE ANGELS GAME the way that CRZ tied in the stories of characters from THE SHADOW OF THE WIND was superb.

Now reading ENDURING LOVE...

[Nadia]

Jo, it is such a good book! I think you'll definitely enjoy it!

[Nicole]

I'm a bit late to it, but I just read You Shall Know Our Velocity! and it solidified Dave Eggers as one of the most creative and surprising authors around today. Can't wait to read What Is the What next!

[Gitte]

I've just finished Interview With the Vampire and was surprised how much I liked it!