What are you reading January 2015

[Karin]

Becky wrote: "Just finished The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry which I loved."

I just finished listening to it. The reader made me a little crazy but I liked the story very much.

[Karin]

After finishing audio of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry I'm taking a break until my February Audible credit and catching up on podcasts. For eyereading, I've got a few things started including Ten Little Indians, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and A Virtuous Woman but can't get momentum going on any of them.

[Kate]

Karin wrote: "After finishing audio of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry I'm taking a break until my February Audible credit and catching up on podcasts. For eyereading, I've got a few things star..."

If I remember correctly,The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo took patience. It picked up after 80 or so pages. There was a lot of back story in the beginning, but then it flew!

[Sue]

Sigh. I still miss Joe.

Robin wrote: "Louise wrote: "I took Ann's recomendation and am now listening to on audio - intense!"

Super intense, I agree Louise - I listened to it earlier this month. Fontana did a ..."

[Sandy]

I took the audio book recommendation for Winnie the Pooh narrated by Peter Dennis and am loving it. I never read the book before and am so happy to discovery it now. Thanks! On to "House at Pooh Corner"

[Rebecca]

I actually read a lot this January but I wasn't really blown away by most of what I read. I feel lucky to have ended the month with In The Woods by Tana French. I know a lot of people had issues with it and I hear all of those, but I thought the writing was amazing and the pain that each character experiences was heart wrenching. Definitely my favorite book of January 2015.

[Karen]

I'm currently reading

[Louise]

Sue wrote: "Sigh. I still miss Joe.

Robin wrote: "Louise wrote: "I took Ann's recomendation and am now listening to on audio - intense!"

Super intense, I agree Louise - I listened t..."

Fontana did a great job! :-)

[Sue]

I finished The Children Act this morning. Not as bad as Solar, but still, not one of my favorite McEwan's. For a short book, he did an awful lot of meandering off into rants and tangents that I didn't feel added to the story. The ending saved it for me, though. I also think this one might have been better in print. I liked the narrator, but feel I missed the some of power of his prose on the page.

Next up, Descent.

[Jennifer]

Just finishedThe Winner's Curse working on The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration now.

[Loretta]

I finished recently and quite enjoyed it. I think my favorite part is that this nonfiction graphic novel was mixed with actual photos--that really worked since it was essentially a memoir. It gave even more heft to the story. I gave it 4 stars.

I also read and gave it 4 stars. I was expecting it to be only humorous, but there were some really poignant parts to it.

I gave up on . it was just too long and too repetitive. After finishing 40%, I decided to stop torturing myself. I've heard that there's going to be an HBO movie version of it that has been getting good reviews at Sundance, so I think that might be a better way for me to learn more about the topic.

I'm reading a short story collection, , which I'm really enjoying. It's in my bag right now--hope I can read it some today.

I'm also continuing my audiobook of , which i had to put down for a few days because it was due at the library and there was a brief waiting list. I really love this one so far, and hope I'll be able to finish it in the next few days.

[Kelli]

Books finished in January:



Two were for the Book Riot Read Harder challenge: Shatter Me (a book written by someone when they were under the age of 25) and The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers (a book written by someone when they were over the age of 65).

My favorite book of the lot was Garden Spells, a magical tale of sisters set in Bascom, North Carolina. I'm a sucker for Southern fiction and I didn't know when I picked it up that a sequel was about to be published: First Frost. Do you believe in magic? I think I do.

Here's what I'm reading right now:

[Sue]

I finished Leaving the Atocha Station last night, and while it was a rough start, I ended up absolutely loving it. I have long resisted Ben Lerner, thinking him one of those pretentious, young, hipster Brooklyn writers, and yes - he can write some damn fancy prose - but I found his writing, once I got used to it, to be exquisite and his ideas fascinating. I can't wait to read 10:04.

But first, it's time to start my Booktopia Vermont reading. First up, Sweetland.

[Rebecca]

Sue wrote: "I finished Leaving the Atocha Station last night, and while it was a rough start, I ended up absolutely loving it. I have long resisted Ben Lerner, thinking him one of those pretent..."

Sue, I'll also be at Booktopia Vermont and I'll be so curious to hear what you ended up thinking of 10:04. I read those books in the opposite order and had a very hard time getting into 10:04 but then ended up loving it. So I went into Leaving the Atocha Station with high hopes and then really struggled with it. I'd love to discuss!

[Sue]

I will have to read 10:04 before Vermont, then! I will be very interested to hear your thoughts, too, and now I am even more curious about 10:04!

Rebecca wrote: "Sue wrote: "I finished Leaving the Atocha Station last night, and while it was a rough start, I ended up absolutely loving it. I have long resisted Ben Lerner, thinking him one of t..."

[Steven]

Just finished John Irving's "A Widow for One Year." Hated it. Disliked the characters and didn't think it was well written.

[Steven]

I have read two fabulous books so far this month

Golden Son and The Silver Ships

Both where 5 star reads

[Lisa]

Sue wrote: "Yes, Adjoa Andoh is an incredible narrator. I could listen to her all day.

I have Ready Player One in paperback. I got it for my husband, who loved it, but...I keep resisting it. I've heard the a..."

I listened to the audio of Ready Player One read by Wil Wheaton and really enjoyed it. I recommend it.

[Gerald]

Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "Yes, Adjoa Andoh is an incredible narrator. I could listen to her all day.

I have Ready Player One in paperback. I got it for my husband, who loved it, but...I keep resisting it. I've..." Andoh did and . She also appeared on Dr.Who.

[Sue]

Interesting - good to know!

Gerald wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Sue wrote: "Yes, Adjoa Andoh is an incredible narrator. I could listen to her all day.

I have Ready Player One in paperback. I got it for my husband, who loved it, but...I keep resis..."

[Barbara]

I'm reading "On The Road" for my book club. I have to see if it holds up all these years. Also The three Queens of The War of the Roses." Trying to choose a novel just for pleasure.

What do you think of the sequel to "To Kill a Mockingbird" coming out?

[Linda]

Barbara wrote: "I'm reading "On The Road" for my book club. I have to see if it holds up all these years. Also The three Queens of The War of the Roses." Trying to choose a novel just for pleasure.

What do you ..."

How many of the rest of you do I have to elbow out of the way to be first in line? ;)

[Ellen]

I honestly wonder why TKAM needs a sequel. Why does everything need a sequel these days, much less a book that's 50+ years old and has stood on its own just fine for all that time? (I am probably the only one to think this way...)

[Sue]

From what I saw online today, the 'sequel' is actually the book she wrote first, but her editor asked her to focus more on the older Scout's flashbacks to her childhood, so she ended up writing a completely new book, which became TKAM. The real question is why it's finally being dusted off now.

Ellen wrote: "I honestly wonder why TKAM needs a sequel. Why does everything need a sequel these days, much less a book that's 50+ years old and has stood on its own just fine for all that time? (I am probably t..."

[Linda]

Sue wrote: "From what I saw online today, the 'sequel' is actually the book she wrote first, but her editor asked her to focus more on the older Scout's flashbacks to her childhood, so she ended up writing a c..."

From what I read, it was just found after many years, she presented it to the publisher who said, "Yes." It's worth publishing.

[Ellen]

Hmm, interesting.

[Sue]

And, now I'm reading that she is practically deaf, in a nursing home, and in no shape to find or press anything on anyone. It's sounding rather shady, but I will wait for all the facts!

Linda wrote: "Sue wrote: "From what I saw online today, the 'sequel' is actually the book she wrote first, but her editor asked her to focus more on the older Scout's flashbacks to her childhood, so she ended up..."

[Janet]

Sue wrote: "And, now I'm reading that she is practically deaf, in a nursing home, and in no shape to find or press anything on anyone. It's sounding rather shady, but I will wait for all the facts!

Linda wrot..."

Hmmm.....I read that too....really makes you wonder given that she resisted for so many years. Maybe she's now just too weak to resist.

[Rebecca]

Sue wrote: "And, now I'm reading that she is practically deaf, in a nursing home, and in no shape to find or press anything on anyone. It's sounding rather shady, but I will wait for all the facts!

Linda wrot..."

I worship the ground To Kill a Mockingbird walks on (can I do that with a book?) and since I've heard this news I've been vacillating between excitement and complete dread. It's such a perfect, self-contained work of fiction. Now it's gotten to the point where I might just walk up to a random stranger on the street and say: "They are publishing a sequel to To Kill A Mockingbird and my head is going to explode."