Introductions! What are you reading?

[Hayley]

For those who are into spying on what strangers are reading in public, this tumblr will satisfy you for sure.

http://coverspy.tumblr.com

[Kit]

Karena wrote: "I'm Karena and I'm reading a few books. I'm participating in a few challenges, namely Book Riot's Read Harder challenge in an effort to read more diversely in a number of ways. Right now I'm readin..."

I loved Gulp! Mary Roach is amazing!

[[deleted user]]

Welp... I'm Hayden, I write fantasy books for and about gay kids, and I'm currently reading The Brothers Cabal. Or more like I had to set the book aside after two chapters in because writing. Gah. Hope to rectify that soon as it's been a dog's age. Heck, I might even have to start over. :S

I'm also trying to up my nerd creds with some great books: Captain Marvel (Marvel NOW!) #1, Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal, The Shadow Hero, and Volumes 1-4 of the new 52 Wonder Woman (given to me as a farewell gift by a good friend and ex-co-worker, bless him).

And that's it (for now)! I look forward to discussions and recommendations from everyone.

[Katherine]

Hi everyone! I'm Katherine. I live in Southern California and I tend to lurk more than I comment, a habit I'm trying to break this year. I love reading, and right now, I've just started The Bone Clocks. (I'm a big fan of Cloud Atlas, and I'd love to discuss that!) I'm also hoping that there's someone else here who loves Laura Joh Rowland's Sano Ichiro mysteries as much as I do! *crosses fingers*

[Brittany]

Hello, I'm Brittany, and I'm currently reading Horrorstör, which is basically about a haunted ikea.

[Charlene]

hey guys! I'm Charley and I'm currently reading through The Strain. This is the first time I've read anything from Chuck Hogan, but I'm a sucker for anything that's Guillermo Del Toro and vampires (extra kudos if they ain't sparkling n shit) so this was a priority on my to-read list.
There's a few, although mediocre things about this book that bothered me; it's written as if made for primetime television, and the character development falls kinda flat; such as stereotypes and tropes targeted at people of color, all that jazz. But this twist on vampires is pretty cool, though. I can't give away much without spoilers, but its worth checking out if you're into science horror fiction.

[Cheryl]

AKA Cat C - Thanks for doing this, it should be fun!

Right now am re-reading A Song of Ice and Fire series before the new GoT season starts, and a boatload of newly acquired Star Trek comics, along with the books on my Currently Reading list for the classes that start in a week (YIKES!)

Will cull the lists I began working on tonight over the next week or so and try to add the rest and curate them a lot better. Did not realize we had such an extensive collection of eclectic reading going. Will come back to read the rest of the comments within the next few days.

[Dominique]

Hi, I'm Dominique. It seems I'm late as usual :). I've been a devoted but silent fan (haven't really participated in the comments) of TMS for a couple of years now. I was thrilled to find out about this group. Now that I see how many Agatha Christie fans there are here, I know I've come to the right place.
I'm 33 and an RN. I love to read, write, and craft when I make the time for those things.
Anyway I'm currently reading The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries (I know Christmas is over, whatever), Hollow City by Ransom Riggs, and just started As You Wish.

[Michelle]

I was *just* wishing for some kind of geek girl book club and look what I found!

I'm Michelle, and a multi-book reader. Currently on the go:

Audio: Gone Girl (UNABR from Audible)
Manga: Just got caught up with the amazing Knights of Sidonia and What Did You Eat Yesterday?.
Classic: Sloooooowly making my way through Fanny Burney's Camilla
YA: Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher

I had been reading mostly manga 'til a couple weeks ago when the prose jones hit hard. Now I have, like, 50 books out from the library. I'm also a Buffy nerd, and have a personal goal of reading all the media tie-in books related to that show.

[Jessica]

Hello! I'm Jessica (sometimes Ciella, sometimes Breosaighead) and I'm just finishing up my re-read of the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss.

[Elisabeth]

I'm Elisabeth and I live in Oregon.

I'm terrible about reading book club selections, because I am terribly picky. I don't like literary fiction, thrillers, romance, or vampires, and I'm easily bored by YA and epic fantasy. But I love seeing what others are reading: every once in a while someone will stumble across something great.

I just started The Good Fairies of New York, which I picked up for $4 at the library gift shop because it had a gushing introduction by Neil Gaiman. (I read everything by Neil Gaiman and most of what he recommends too.) I recently finished Dhalgren and Steampunk and gave up on The Martian. My favorite genres are sci fi and fantasy, and I also like to read about real science. My favorite books recently have been The Night Circus and Ancillary Justice. I'm also reading lots of comics, in the wake of Marvel and DC's movie releases and announcements: Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, The Dark Knight, Guardians of the Galaxy, and soon, Hawkeye, plus all the (as yet) non-movie comics like Sandman, Rat Queens, and Ms. Marvel.

I am a massive Doctor Who fangirl and also dabble in Star Trek, Sherlock Holmes (Brett not Cumberbatch), Firefly, Welcome to Night Vale, Leverage, and Lord of the Rings fandom.

Looking forward to this group!

[Jill]

Jamie wrote: "Hi, I'm Jamie! Right now I'm reading through Wheel of Time (Second book right now). I'm liking it so far, but I hear the series gets super slow later on.

I also only found out about this entire we..."

I loved Wheel of Time but you heard correctly. The series is uneven in that some books are very engaging and really further the story while others seem very slow and, for me, were difficult to get through.

[Jen W.]

My name is Jen. I'm a transplant from New York City to Seattle, WA (in the USA), where I've been living with my fiance for about 8 years now. I'm a front-end web developer by trade, and my other hobbies include gaming, writing, anime, and web design.

I'm currently reading Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie. I've been a huge fantasy and sci-fi reader for as long as I can remember, and those are still my favorite genres, although I read a wide variety of different books.

I'm also a mod for another book club, BookClubFiction, which recently moved here to Goodreads from LiveJournal. As you can probably tell from the name, we focus on reading different genres of fiction. Anyone is invited to come check it out. :)

[Jen]

Hi, I'm another Jen: avid reader, Brooklynite, terrible at commenting regularly (but want to be better!)
I'm in a bit of a reading slump right now so I've started several books including The Eyre Affair, Open City and The Secret History of Wonder Woman. I'm not terribly picky about what I read, genre-wise. I also got pretty big into comics this year and am following several series at the moment.

[Jennifer]

the eyre affair and the secret history of wonder woman are on my book list! let me know how they are. i have problems deciding what to read next due to the massive size of my need to read list.

[Jen]

Jennifer wrote: "the eyre affair and the secret history of wonder woman are on my book list! let me know how they are. i have problems deciding what to read next due to the massive size of my need to read list."

Will do! So far The Secret History has been really interesting and The Eyre Affair has been hard to get into. My TBR pile is huge, too, especially now the holidays have passed!

[Natalie]

Jennifer wrote: "I love Agatha Christie as well!"

I have only just started getting into her work, but I really like how accessible her writing is although the books were written decades ago.

[Karen]

Hi, I'm Karen. Great idea for a group, hopefully this will get me out of the little reading slump I'm currently stuck in.

Right now I'm in the middle of two books - Yes Please by Amy Poehler and Death By Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandries by Neil deGrasse Tyson. Both are good but I just can't get the motivation to make progress beyond the middle of either one since I started binge watching tv shows over Christmas vacation.

[Emma]

Hi! I'm Emma. I am currently reading Not My Father's Son, Alan Cumming's memoir. I like it so far, but it's made me tear up in a few places already! Biography-type books are not my usual reading fare, but I like Alan Cumming and my friend lent me the book so I decided I'd give it a go! I also just finished Every Breath, which is a YA Sherlock-inspired story. That just came out in September, and I'm sad I have to wait so long to read the next one!

[Anne]

Jennifer wrote: "the eyre affair and the secret history of wonder woman are on my book list! let me know how they are. i have problems deciding what to read next due to the massive size of my need to read list."

The Eyre Affair is AMAZING! It was one of my favorite books. You can't argue with a character named Thursday Next who has a pet dodo and can jump into books! It was a lot of fun to read.

[Charlotte]

Hi everyone! I'm Charlotte and I'm reading Red Rising. It's taken me a while to get into it as the beginning is bogged down with information but now I'm hooked!

[Nikki]

So many California people!

[Jamie]

Hayley wrote: "I just started reading Wheel of Time too! :) "

I'm only on the second book, but I'm really taking to it. Also, the copies I'm reading are old and smell like libraries.

Jill wrote: "I loved Wheel of Time but you heard correctly. The series is uneven in that some books are very engaging and really further the story while others seem very slow and, for me, were difficult to get through. "

Would you say they're slower than GRRM's A Feast for Crows?

[Jennifer]

Hi, I'm Jen. Currently I'm reading Revolutionary Russia: 1891-1991 during my lunch breaks at work. At home I'm finally starting the Discworld series, Revival (the comic from Image), the 5th Edition D&D Player's Handbook (despite not having a group) and picking at a 25 pound bag of assorted library books.

[Jessica]

Hi, I"m Jessica.

I'm currently reading a couple books as well, mostly I'm reading If Walls Could Talk:And Intimate History of the Home by Lucy Worsley. It's really fascinating so far.

I'm also reading the Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, that one has been a little slow going for me.

It looks like there are some good books on peoples currently reading lists!

[Jessica]

Paulina wrote: "Hi all! I'm Paulina. Just finished The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde; it's a murder mystery set in an amazingly absurd universe. I loved it and really want to read [book:Shades of Grey..."

I love Jasper Fforde! Shades of Grey was really good too, it's worth the search. Did you read the Thursday Next books too?

[Megan]

Jessica wrote: "Hi, I"m Jessica.

I'm currently reading a couple books as well, mostly I'm reading If Walls Could Talk:And Intimate History of the Home by Lucy Worsley. It's really fascinating so far.

I'm also r..."

Hi Jessica! I LOVE the Haunting of Hill House! Shirley Jackson is the kind of author who slowly lets things build up, so it can be a bit slow going at first. But the pacing is well worth it in the end.

[Clare]

Hi all! I'm Clare I'm currently trying to read A Dance with Dragons as quickly as possible so that people can stop blackmailing me with spoilers.

[Rikki]

I just started Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling. And then I am also reading A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn.

A friend of a friend on Facebook had a few criticisms of The Secret History of Wonder Woman, largely that the author seemed to present some of the information in the book as being new while it had actually been uncovered by previous research and doesn't cite that research. I haven't read it myself so I don't want to judge it when I get around to reading I probably will keep those criticisms in mind.

[Paolina]

Hi all, I'm Paolina. Glad to see this group! I just finished Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley in one sitting. It was so good I wanted to start it over and read it through again immediately. I think it may be something the Mary Sue community might enjoy as well.

[Paolina]

Paulina wrote: "Hi all! I'm Paulina. Just finished The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde; it's a murder mystery set in an amazingly absurd universe. I loved it and really want to read [book:Shades of Grey..."

Hi! Interesting to see a name similar to mine! That almost never happens. To your question, I immediately start another book as soon as I finish one. I totally understand your need to digest, but I never want to be without a book. I also have so many in my to read pile that I want to get to them as fast as I can.

[Heather]

Jamie wrote: "Hayley wrote: "I just started reading Wheel of Time too! :) "

I'm only on the second book, but I'm really taking to it. Also, the copies I'm reading are old and smell like libraries.

Jill wrote: ..."

I definitely found Wheel of Time to drag way more than any of GRRM's Of Ice and Fire books. I still plan on finishing Wheel of Time but they will take a serious devotion that I don't have time for. That being said, it's a really great series with lots of interesting ideas and some really kick ass women.

[Andy]

Hi everyone! I'm Andy, from Texas (the less crazy part, I swear). I've been interested in joining a book club for a while now, and when I saw that there was a TMS approved one, I couldn't not join.

I'm currently reading Bulfinch's Mythology, which I got largely based on it being one of the pretty leather bound B&N versions and quickly skimming through to see what all it covered. I'm about a third of the way through, and it's been a bit hit or miss. Overall I'm enjoying it, but I would enjoy it more if the versions of the myths weren't quite so sanitized. I understand why they are, but seeing how crazy the gods were is half of the fun.

Before Bulfinch, I finished The Night Circus and re-read the A Wrinkle in Time series. Growing up, I was mostly into sci-fi/fantasy with Douglas Adams, Terry Brooks, and Anne McCaffrey being among my favorites.

[Leandro]

Hi, my name is Leandro and I'm from Brazil. I can read novels in English with almost no trouble, but I'm not very confident in my writing/speaking skills (it takes me too long to write), so I'll probably lurk more than I comment here (as I do on TMS).

I love sci-fi and fantasy and I used to read a lot of crime/mistery books (Agatha Christie was my first literary obsession), but currently I'm reading a non-fiction book called The Joy of Revolution, which aims to show how a nonhierarchical society could work. It was recommended to me by an anarcha-feminist acquaintance, and it will probably be the topic of some interesting conversations.

If I'm not immediately persuaded to riot and bring down the state, the next thing on my to-read pile is The Cuckoo's Calling.

[Amanda]

Kelly wrote: "I'm Kelly, and I received a couple of books for Christmas that I am about to start reading: 'Secret History of Wonder Woman' by Rose Lepore, and Lauren Hillenbrand's 'Unbroken' (I loved her 'Seabis..."

I'm a huge WW fan so I'm really curious how Lepore's book is.

[Kyo]

Hi! I'm Veronica, from Baja California. Just finish reading Saga #1.
Just started reading The Martianhope its good.

[A]

Andy wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Andy, from Texas (the less crazy part, I swear). I've been interested in joining a book club for a while now, and when I saw that there was a TMS approved one, I couldn't not join...."

I came *SO* close to buying this at Costco yesterday. It was between that or Robert Louis Stevenson: Seven Novels. I stood there for a good 20 minutes just debating with myself...

[Jennifer]

Hey, guys! I'm Juju (I know it says Jennifer in my title, but I prefer my nickname), and I just finished Divergent because I'm behind the times. :) I'm a writer and artist, so I try to read as much as I can to see how the masters do it. I think my next book is going to be Piers Anthony's Mercycle, but I haven't completely made up my mind yet.

[Megan]

I'm Megan and I'm 26 and from Canada. Currently reading The Empire Striketh Back. I recently finished devouring the first Captain Marvel and Ms Marvel trades.

[Bridgett]

Hi, I'm Bridgett. Currently reading The Drums of Autumn, The Language of Bees, and re-reading Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern. Huge sci-fi/fantasy fan, but read lots of classics, mysteries, and historical fiction too.

[Terri]

Rikki wrote: "I just started Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling. And then I am also reading A Spear of Summer Grass by [author:Deanna Raybourn|15..."

I finished it, and recommend it. The historian who wrote the book completed her own original research, primarily from primary sources including both original documents and interviews with many people including the family. I don't think she ever claims to be the only person who has done at least some of the research, though she is the first I've read who tied WW so explicitly to the early feminist movement.

[April]

Hello! I'm April and I'm a non-practicing bibliophile and ebook hoarder who is really bad about remembering to update my Goodreads account. I am currently reading A People's History of the United States and Beautiful You which I'll probably finish tonight so tomorrow I'll probably start reading The Secret History of Wonder Woman.

[Amberle]

Hi, all! I'm Amberle, and I'm currently reading Stephen King's Revival -- a Christmas gift; feels a little bit weird having a non-thrift-store book in my hands -- and The Moon Pool, by Abraham Merritt.
The latter is science-fiction from 1919. While I absolutely adore super-antiquated sci-fi, reading this one has made me realize that a lot of it kind of reads like the old Red and Blue Pokemon games for Gameboy. (And since that realization, I'm having trouble keeping that 'voice' and the music out of my head...)

[Ally]

Just finished The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. (Love it.)

Right now I'm in the middle of Secret Gardens: The Golden Age of Children's Literature by Humphrey Carpenter (so far: ehh...) and A Reason To Believe (so far so good!) by Diana Copland.

[Ally]

Does anyone else take breaks between books to "digest"? To kind of get yourself back to a fresh mindset before starting a new story?

It really depends for me. Some books I either need a complete break after or need to find something light and fun while I recover from whatever I read that wrung me out.

[Eoghan]

Hi, I'm Eoghan. Currently reading Joss Whedon: The Biography. At first wasn't sure I'd like it, but it draws you in to a fascinating world and life.

Some interesting chapters about the Buffy forums, I never knew how big the were and innovative for what is the norm now.

[Henry]

Henry from D.C., and in a coincidentally D.C. cliched circumstance I just finished Team of Rivals, the Pulitzer-winning non-fiction about Abraham Lincoln. Long, but excellent. Abe Lincoln might be my favorite historical figure at the moment as a result of this book.

[Priscila]

Hi! I'm Priscila, from Richmond, VA. I just finished reading Lies We Tell Ourselves , which was a life changing book, and reminded me why I love reading!

I'm currently reading Cold Fire (yay Tamora Pirce!) and The Wise Man's Fear.

Feel free to add me! I look forward to reading with the group!

[Amanda]

I'm Amanda. I've been struggling to get into a book the last couple of weeks, but tonight I'm starting "Wonder" by R.J.Palacio.

[DianeC]

Hi, introducing myself finally. I'm Diane. No reading right now, since I'm in the middle of some projects and studying. Soon I plan to start on some essays and nonfiction, plus whatever we choose here.