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What are you currently reading?
Last night, I started on the e-book version of the novel
by Greg Wagner, who's a Goodreads friend and also in another of my Goodreads groups. He offered it to group members as a free review copy; I don't usually read book previews, but in this case I was intrigued enough to do so, and when I'd finished with that, I took him up on his offer.
Because the book I just started reading today is unpublished so far, I can't link to it in the Goodreads database (and won't be able to rate or review it, at least not right away. My friend Andrew Seddon has given me the opportunity to beta read Farhope, a prequel to his excellent science fiction novel Wreaths of Empire, which got five stars from me when it was published in 2015.
Reading SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome and struggling a bit as it is quite dense and a lot to absorb.
Recovering from pneumonia, and happy that I have finally, finally, just finished the science fiction novel Gemina, by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (after four months of nursing a sick son, with almost no time to read). I think I enjoyed it more than the first book in the series, Illuminae. Gemina tied things together in a satisfying way, even though it had a cliffhanger ending. I hope to read the third book.Excited to try to pick up on other books that I had to set aside, and to start a few new ones.
I hope both you and your son can recover, Christine. Have fun with your reading!
Thank you, Charly and Janelle! Good advice, Charly. : )
Last night I started The Scribe of Siena, by Melodie Winawer. So far, so good: it's written in a very matter-of-fact voice for historical fiction/fantasy. But in this instance, that is working for me, since I don't have to think too deeply. Right now I'm just enjoying the story at a slow pace. The characters are interesting, the historical setting of 14th century Siena (Italy) is very detailed, and the plot flows very well.
Killing England by Bill O"Reilly
Here's the link to the Goodreads description of the book that Carol just mentioned: Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for American Independence.
a new killing book by Bill O'Reilly? I must tell my dad.
This month, my Supernatural Fiction Readers group is doing a common read of Ray Bradbury's 1962 novel
, so I'm taking part in that. Goodreads treats this book as #2 of the "Green Town series," but there is actually no Green Town series, in the true sense of a series. Bradbury set several books and stories in his fictional town of Green Town, Illinois (patterned after his hometown of Waukegan, north of Chicago), but they aren't otherwise related, and don't fit into any sort of chronological progression.
I just finished the unexpected Mrs. Pollifax and I'm about to start the amazing Mrs. Pollifax. I'm so glad I grabbed these books when my college library decided they didn't need them anymore.
While on a road trip this past weekend, Barb and I embarked on a new "car book:"
by Heather Day Gilbert, the first book in her A Murder in the Mountains series, set in contemporary West Virginia (the author's native state) and featuring amateur sleuth Tess Spencer. (Heather is a Goodreads friend, but the book isn't a review copy; I purchased it for Barb this year as a Mother's Day gift.) Having finished, earlier this year, with reading one great mystery series together (Suzanne Arruda's Jade del Cameron books), we're hoping this will fill the gap. :-)
My Goodreads friend Andrew M. Seddon is a distinguished writer of ghost stories that stand very much in the classic tradition. He's collected 11 of these in
, newly published by Far Wanderings, and kindly gave me a copy. Although I've beta read them in their original form (and he graciously mentioned me in the acknowledgments), and contributed an endorsement for the back cover, I'm now reading the book to savor them as a whole in their final form.
Nice job Charly. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis is what I plan on reading with a group in November.
Well done, Charly. Will you be reading 18 classics in 2018?
congrats on reaching your goal Charlie!
Charly, I loved God's Daughter when I won a copy in a Goodreads giveaway, back when it was first published; both it and the sequel, Forest Child, got five stars from me. Naturally, I'll be interested in your review! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
This month, I'm taking part in another group's common read of
by Lew Wallace. I'm excited about it, since it's a 19th-century classic that I've missed reading up to now, and that's been on my to-read shelf forever, and since I'm a long-time historical fiction fan (but so far, have never read much historical fiction set in Biblical times, with the exception of The Robe and The Silver Chalice).
Michelle, since you're interested, I'll post a link to my review here. (It will take awhile to finish the book, though --it's another one that's well over 500 pages long, the fourth book I've started this year that's of that thickness!)
My mom read the red tent and really enjoyed it. I've been wanting to read it for a while. I don't think I ever added it to me to read list though. I should remedy that.
I recently finished Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King & Owen King. This book co-written by Mr King and one of his sons was quite different in some ways than previous Stephen King books. I'm hoping to read something by Joe Hill eventually, Mr King's other son.I'm just about to begin Tracy Chevalier's The Virgin Blue.
Also dipping into the anthology Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs, questing for the four new stories since I've read the rest.
I remember you mentioning that once before, Charly. I think she strikes a nice balance between the factual-historical and the fictional-imaginary. Have you read this one yet?
Oops- just re-read your comment more carefully! You did enjoy it; I'm glad!
Setting aside The Virgin Blue for a week, because I'd forgotten about my November read for one of my book groups: The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern. I normally read 2-6 books simultaneously, but have a lot going on right now. An attempt will be made to focus on a single book this week... we'll see if I can resist the others.
I really hope so, Charly! It's so much more fun in a group read, to have a book about which you're enthusiastic. But I'm also looking forward to picking up The Virgin Blue again.
The Night Circus is a great book. Charly, I totally agree with your assessment of Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis. I can't believe Vance went to law school. I am plodding through the last few chapters. What a disappointment.
Charly, totally on point. Now I'm happily reading The Crystal Cave - a great telling of Merlin's story. I'm totally looking forward to Murder on the Orient Express. I need to explore some Christie. Hope you are liking it.
Slowly working on The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. About 25% through, the writing is nice & the magical premise is interesting, but I'm not yet really invested in the characters. I hope that is still to come...
Charly, Murder on the Orient Express is my favorite Hercule Poirot tale. I really need to go back and re-read the entire series... I can no longer remember, after decades, which I have and have not read. Hope you enjoyed it!
Charly wrote: "Finished Murder on the Orient Express, and am beginning Gulliver's Travels. Michelle, I really enjoyed Orient Express." Good to know Charly, I hope to get to it soon.
Christine wrote: "Charly, Murder on the Orient Express is my favorite Hercule Poirot tale. I really need to go back and re-read the entire series... I can no longer remember, after decades, which I have and have not..."I also enjoyed Murder on the Orient Express. Now there is a remake of the movie as well. Many many years ago I read all of Agatha Christie's books. Wonder if it's now time to reread them!!!
MichelleCH wrote: "Looking forward to hearing your thoughts Werner. I read The Red Tent and really enjoyed it."Michelle, as promised, here's the link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... .
Goodreads author Justin W. M. Roberts, whose debut novel is the recently-published action-adventure thriller
, is a fellow member of another of my Goodreads groups. He offered me a free review copy earlier this year; I've been anxious to get started on it, and was finally able to do so today. Obviously, I'm not far into it yet; but I'm liking it so far!
Since I knew Barb and I would soon be needing to start a new "car book," I've been giving some thought to what to pick for the next one; and having advance rumors from the North Pole about what Barb will get for Christmas, I wanted a short read that we could be finished with and ready for a new book around that time. Knowing her fondness for Christmas-themed movies, I figured that taste would manifest itself where books are concerned, too; so I decided to try a novella I read last December,
, by one of my favorite writers, Sharyn McCrumb. I don't think the Ballad series as a whole would be up Barb's alley, but I believe she'll like this one; and we started on it earlier today.
Charly wrote: "Just finished A Civil Action which may be the best book I have read this year and I am starting Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years. This also completed..."
I read A Civil Action in my civil procedure class. It is a great story and hits close to home for us in the Northeast.
Werner wrote: "MichelleCH wrote: "Looking forward to hearing your thoughts Werner. I read The Red Tent and really enjoyed it."Michelle, as promised, here's the link to my review: https://www.goodrea..."
Great review Werner.
I had always thought that there wasn't a lot of biblical historical fiction out there until I searched Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
Thanks, Michelle (and thanks for the link)!
Cronkite looks good, Charly. I've added it, since I've been interested in books about, or by, journalists recently. I've put The Night Circus on hold for a bit. It's just not suiting my frame of mind right now. I've just flown through The Underground River, by Martha Conway: historical fiction that I recommend. I also loved The Missing Guests at the Magic Grove Hotel, by David Cassaret. This is book two of a light and quirky mystery series, but with a very unique main character, and an interesting setting in Thailand. I'm currently enjoying the start of Bring Up the Bodies, by Hilary Mantel.
Oh yes, Charly, I remember Walter Cronkite well, . I also studied journalism in college the 80s, and although I moved on to education, it remains an important topic to me. I miss terribly the commitment of journalism to unbiased, objective news-reporting. That is sadly long gone. I also recently added to my mountainous t-b-r pile "Shocking the Conscience: A Reporter's Account of the Civil Rights Movement," by Simeon Booker and Carol McCabe Booker. Last week there was a great piece on NPR about him, especially part of an interview recorded just before his death. Fascinating.
Another group I belong to, the Reading for Pleasure group, does group-wide common reads (which I've never taken part in so far) all through the year; but they also always have several mini-reads going on, for whoever wants to take part. (They call these "buddy reads," though I usually think of those as two-person reads outside of a group context.) Anyway, a seasonal one going on this month is of Henry Van Dyke's 1895 classic
The Story of the Other Wise Man, and I'm taking part in this, though starting late. (Since it's short, Barb and I are reading it together as our latest "car book.")
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After we'd started it, Barb was able to recall that she'd actually read it not long after she got it; she remembers both liking it and recommending it to me. But by now, her memory of the details is hazy enough that she's willing to read it again. (She rereads books oftener than I do.)