When you're not reading a cozy.... Showing 3,501-3,550 of 5,946

[[deleted user]]

The Secret History by Donna Tartt. It's not a cozy but it's very good.

[Ellen]

I just finished "the beauty of ordinary things." Harriet Chessman A beautifully written short novel about a Vietnam vet, and a nun, who are struggling to live with the choices they've made, choices that involve their spiritual as well as their everyday lives.

[Karen M]

❂ Jennifer (reviews on BookLikes) wrote: "Karen M wrote: "I have this one on my wish list, maybe I won't buy it after all. I'll have to check the library again.."

Karen, check out a few more reviews. It's not badly written so much as it ..."

Thanks Jennifer. I'll check it out further, thanks.

[Debbie]

I finishedPalisades Park it was a really good read. Lots of history set in a great story.

[[deleted user]]

I am thoroughly distracted by a book called Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President . It's about James Garfield. A friend recommended it. Really, really good.

[❂ Murder by Death]

I finished up Dark Witch the other day and loved it!

[Heather L , Cozy Mysteries Moderator]

❂ Jennifer (reviews on BookLikes) wrote: "I finished up Dark Witch the other day and loved it!"

I have that waiting in Mount TBR, but group reads and challenge books keep getting in the way. Soon, I hope...

[Marisa, Cozy Mysteries Assistant Moderator]

I'm like Heather :D

[Melodie]

Christina wrote: "I am thoroughly distracted by a book called Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President[bookcover:Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, ..."

This looks interesting. Need to check it out.

[Misty]

I'm in the process of rediscovering Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone series. She was one of my favorite authors until about ten years ago when she became too introspective(the same happened with J.A. Jance.)
Misty

[Susan]

I just finished Sue Grafton's "S is for Silence". It was a good read. I've enjoyed all of her books.

Susan Bernhardt

[MaryJo]

My current 'non-mystery' read is my Willa Cather. I was very surprised to see this book was written in 1927. The story takes place in the 19th century in
pioneer New Mexico, so the setting is almost local for me.

[Olivia]

I read up on horses and horse care when I am not reading a mystery. If anyone can suggest a good one let me know. Finding a source you can trust on the topic of horses is hard!

[Heather L , Cozy Mysteries Moderator]

Now reading A Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne for a classics group read.

[Jeanne]

I'm finishing The Widow Waltz bySally Koslow. I've enjoyed all of her work, though this is a bit disappointing. I don't really like the "Widow Waltz's" two daughters and the change from first person to third person narration doesn't work well.

[Jennifer]

I just read a new-to-me mystery author, G . M. Ford --Thicker Than Water which I raced through in about a day and a half. Definitely read more of this series.

[Martin]

Olivia wrote: "I read up on horses and horse care when I am not reading a mystery. If anyone can suggest a good one let me know. Finding a source you can trust on the topic of horses is hard!"

Olivia, you probably already know this book, but what about "The Complete Horse Care Manual" by Colin Vogel? Also "Horse Owner's Veterinary Handbook" by Thomas Gore.

[Martin]

Presently finishing up Alistair Maclean's The Black Shrike. It's a rather dated espionage thriller with some very glaring flaws, both in terms of plot and characterization, but Maclean's writing style is engaging and fun to read, a bit reminiscent of Chandler.

[Pamela]

Michele wrote: "I'm reading the new Bridget Jones, "Mad About The Boy"."
I just noticed that at Barnes and Noble last week and wondered how it is? Did you like it?

[Pamela]

I recently read John Grisham's newest, Sycamore Row, Danielle Steel's Winners, and Same Time Next Year by Debbie Macomber. Next up are two books that are a little heavier, Donna Tartt's newest The Goldfinch and Marisa Pessl's Night Film.

[Melodie]

Pamela wrote: "I recently read John Grisham's newest, Sycamore Row, Danielle Steel's Winners, and Same Time Next Year by Debbie Macomber. Next up are two books that are a little heavier, Donna Tartt's newest The ..."

I tried reading NIGHT FILM when it first came out and gave up on it. Far too overblown for me.

[Michele]

Pamela wrote: "Michele wrote: "I'm reading the new Bridget Jones, "Mad About The Boy"."
I just noticed that at Barnes and Noble last week and wondered how it is? Did you like it?"

Well, it's good, but don't expect anything similar to the previous books. I don't want to spoil the book, but everything is very different. If you'd like I can send it to you after the holidays. Just email me your address if you'd like it. :)

[Leslie]

MaryJo wrote: "My current 'non-mystery' read is Death Comes for the Archbishopmy Willa Cather. I was very surprised to see this book was written in 1927. The story takes place in the 19th cent..."

That is my favorite Cather book! :)

[Leslie]

Heather L wrote: "Now reading A Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne for a classics group read."

I was a bit disappointed by that when I read it earlier this year. I think that it was Verne's style, rather than the story itself.

I am reading A Scanner Darkly which I am not loving like I did Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?…

[Nancy]

Gave a 4 star review to Book 2 of The Zion Covenant series: Prague Counterpoint (my book club's Nov. 2013 selection). heavy reading for me as I gravitate to the light & amusing usually...

[Barbara]

love Patterson. Kellerman,Cussler, Hoag, and more of that ilk. Also enjoy some of the procedurals. Oh heck, I just like to read. Even a cereal box will do at times.

[Evelyn]

I am now reading Rutherfurd's Paris, love his books as well as James Michener, yes they are long but so engrossing!

[Beth]

I'm slowly plowing my way through Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. I read War & Peace in high school and decided that it's finally time to tackle his other well-known tome. I want to watch the recent Anna Karenina movie starring Keira Knightley, but I feel that I first need to read the book. My daughter recently did the same thing for the same reason, so I also want to be able to discuss the book with her when I visit her in December. I'm about a third of the way through, and it's slow going.

[Jennifer]

Just starting Bloodline by Felix Francis. Have really enjoyed the books by his father Dick Francis so I have high hopes.

[Evelyn]

I have never heard of Felix Francis, will have to give him a try!

[Allison]

Beth wrote: "I'm slowly plowing my way through Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. I read War & Peace in high school and decided that it's finally time to tackle his other well-known tome. I want to wa..."

Wow. Great project you've got going there. I admire that. I have never been able to read War and Peace (just can't even get started) and have never read Anna Karenina - I do like your idea of reading the book before seeing the movie. You might have inspired me to read a classic and then schedule movie night.

[Bridget's Quiet Corner]

I like historical fiction (slavery). YA Fantasy. Some biographies/memoirs. I've come across a few thrillers/horrors I've liked. Those are the genres that I look to most (first two usually). But if something catches my attention, I will at least try it. I am not wild about dystopia type books (Hunger Games, Matched, etc) but I give them a try sometimes, to see if there is that one that will change my mind. Matched, I kind of like, I own Crossed, but not in a hurry to get to it. :-)

Oh, I forgot to add classics! I like most of the ones I have read and have a few more on my shelf to get to.

[E.L.]

Beth wrote: "I'm slowly plowing my way through Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. I read War & Peace in high school and decided that it's finally time to tackle his other well-known tome. I want to wa..."

It took me three tries spread out over four years, but I finally read all through Anna Karenina this summer. The first two-thirds were BRUTAL. The last part was better, though, and even though I don't think I'll ever feel the need to re-read it, I'm glad I did manage to read through it the once.

Right now I'm reading Middlemarch. Not really an Eliot fan, but I'm giving her another try.

[Heather L , Cozy Mysteries Moderator]

Beth wrote: "I'm slowly plowing my way through Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. I read War & Peace in high school and decided that it's finally time to tackle his other well-known tome. I want to wa..."

I read that last fall for a group read, around the time the movie came out. Took almost two weeks, but I did like it. I believe War and Peace is going to be a quarterly read starting in January for the same group. Haven't yet decided whether I'll give it a try.

[Melodie]

I have tried on 4 different occasions to read Anna Karenina and have never been able to get even 1/2 way through it. My niece read it for a literature class a couple of years ago and said she ended up mostly liking it, but it was a struggle. I've been trying to work a classic or 2 in every now and then for the last several years. When my niece was in high school I read Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities with her. Liked both better than I thought I would. I hated being told I HAD to read certain books when I was in high school and ended up with Cliff Notes on most of them or taking really good notes in class when the reviews were done before the tests. I did read Silas Marner back then and absolutely detested it. I did love Little Women & Dracula when I was a kid, tho.

[Melodie]

Bridget wrote: "I like historical fiction (slavery). YA Fantasy. Some biographies/memoirs. I've come across a few thrillers/horrors I've liked. Those are the genres that I look to most (first two usually). But if ..."

I read quite a bit of YA. I generally like my YA to have a supernatural element. Maggie Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, which started with SHIVER, is one of my favorites. I absolutely LOVED SHIVER. And one of my favorite series of any genre is Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampires, which just had the last book released 2 weeks ago. Mysteries are still usually my first choice when it comes to reading, tho. I like trying to figure out the puzzle with a good mystery. I generally gravitate toward cozies these days, but love a good hardboiled mystery for a change of pace.

[Jennifer]

Evelyn wrote: "I have never heard of Felix Francis, will have to give him a try!"

If you like horse racing themed mystery books then you'll enjoy these.

[MaryJo]

I have weighed in one this before, but will mention it again. I've read all of Dick Francis' books, and the books he did in his later years in collaboration with son, Felix. I've just finished the latest by Felix, and do not like his nearly as well. I did not even like the main characters in the last book.

[Jennifer]

Finished an oldie but a goodie today: And Be a Villain . Also read a meh short story by an author I usually like -- Recalculating. The male character in that story needed to be snapped in half like a glow stick. Just sayin.

[❂ Murder by Death]

I started and finished Death, and the Girl He Loves yesterday. I was sad to find out this was just a trilogy and there won't be any more. I loved this YA Paranormal series. It was so much fun to read.

[Leslie]

MaryJo wrote: "I have weighed in one this before, but will mention it again. I've read all of Dick Francis' books, and the books he did in his later years in collaboration with son, Felix. I've just finished th..."

Too bad - I really like Dick Francis' books, especially the early ones.

[Melodie]

❂ Jennifer (reviews on BookLikes) wrote: "I started and finished Death, and the Girl He Loves yesterday. I was sad to find out this was just a trilogy and there won't be any more. I loved this YA Paranormal series. It wa..."

Hmmmmm...I need to check these out if you liked them!

[MaryJo]

Leslie wrote: "MaryJo wrote: "I have weighed in one this before, but will mention it again. I've read all of Dick Francis' books, and the books he did in his later years in collaboration with son, Felix. I've j..."
and you might disagree with my take. get back to me on this.
it always amazed me how well Dick Francis was able to essentially keep up the quality of his writing, the research, and weave so many different stories through so many books.
even if I didn't agree with where his hero was coming from, he always had a level of integrity and many other good qualities there were admirable. two of Felix' main characters in the last couple of books didn't measure up - in my opinion.

[Heather L , Cozy Mysteries Moderator]

Melodie wrote: "I have tried on 4 different occasions to read Anna Karenina and have never been able to get even 1/2 way through it. My niece read it for a literature class a couple of years ago and said she ende..."

I try to read 10-12 classics a year. Sometimes I read more, sometimes less. I think I'm on number 14 for this year. I recently reread Little Women and found it too preachy for my tastes -- and more preachy than I remembered it. I've read Great Expectations twice (once on my own in HS and then for a class in college) and liked it both times. Also loved A Tale of Two Cities and liked Dracula.

I confess, I only read the latter because of a GR book I won, Dracula in Love. I thought it prudent to read the original work before reading the book I won, and was glad I did. It was interesting to read the "twist" after reading reading the original.

[Melodie]

Heather L wrote: "Melodie wrote: "I have tried on 4 different occasions to read Anna Karenina and have never been able to get even 1/2 way through it. My niece read it for a literature class a couple of years ago a..."

One of the reasons I'd never reread LITTLE WOMEN today. Have heard lots of people say that about it when they've read it as an adult and don't want to spoil the way I felt about it as a kid.

[Melodie]

Finished Through the Evil Days: A Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mystery yesterday and loved it! She's got to quit ending the books with cliffhangers, tho, especially when she makes us wait 2+ years for the next one!

[Heather L , Cozy Mysteries Moderator]

Steph wrote: "I read a little bit of everything, but particularly enjoy seasonal books. Right now I am reading a historical romance with a Christmas theme. What Happens At Christmas

That sounds good, Steph. You'll have to let us know what you think of it when you're done.

[Karen M]

I'm reading one by a new author. It's tagged as horror and like Stephen King it's a slow build. I'm only 60 pages in but I've started getting to the uneasy feeling part. You know something is off but you don't know what yet. Yea, I'm one of those who sit and read and think "scare me, scare me". Funny thing though I don't read that many horror. Anyway the book is Tearstone

[Bridget's Quiet Corner]

Normally, when I come across a new author, I don't grab all of the books they have written (well, all that I happen to see at the bookstore at the time) but something was calling me to her. So, I grabbed all the ones I saw...and bought the first one in this series from Amazon...I am so wanting to love this series...I'm only on chapter 3 of this one. And 7 more books to get through before I decide if I will try to get the other 3 that I know of..I think there may be others..But, this was an out the box purchase for me..As much as I like Young Adult, I'm getting kind of bored and need a change! :-)

[Beth]

Allison wrote: "Wow. Great project you've got going there. I admire that. I have never been able to read War and Peace (just can't even get started) and have never read Anna Karenina - I do like your idea of reading the book before seeing the movie. You might have inspired me to read a classic and then schedule movie night. "

I'm now about 3/4ths of the way through the book, and it is indeed slow-going. Some of Tolstoy's writing is sublime, when he describes a scene he's obviously be in before (such as snipe hunting) or gets into a character's head during an emotional moment (the father when his wife is giving birth), but he also wanders off into political discussions and other scenes that in my opinion aren't relevant to the story. Modern-day fiction is much leaner!