What are you reading in 2015?

[Paul]

Patrick Rothfuss is on my to read list as I keep hearing good things about his books. Have tiny backlog to get through first however...

Current reading Dead Drop: The True Story of Oleg Penkovsky and the Cold War's Most Dangerous Operation. Real spies, and just got to the Cuba crisis. Terrifying stuff

[Pat]

I find audiobooks great, greatly enhanced by good narrator.

[Jo]

Pat wrote: "I find audiobooks great, greatly enhanced by good narrator."

I agree, a good narrator can make an average book much better, and can make something really special utterly outstanding.

But a poor one could wreck even the finest book.

I am reading The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, and the jury is seriously out so far. Roughly half way through, and the only thing currently making me want to pick it up is that it's downhill to the end now. Or perhaps just downhill, but still hoping for light at the end of the tunnel.

[Paul]

Have a large pile to read this week:

The Miniaturist
How We Got to Now: Six Innovations that Made the Modern World
Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances
Fade to Black
Sweet Tooth
Half a King
Sextant: A Voyage Guided by the Stars and the Men Who Mapped the World's Oceans

[Jackie]

Going to start Y by Marjorie Celona today.

[Jackie]

Later today I'm going to start reading The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga. It was the 2008 Man Booker Prize winner.

[Jo]

I have started Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, and as a result still have not progressed with The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August.

I am confined to quarters for a few days later this week, so hoping that boredom will spur me to finish it so I can get on with something I really want to read, rather than feel I should finish. If I wasn't over half way through, I would just ditch it.

[Sally]

Incantation of Frida K. by the brilliant Kate Braverman affected me so deeply that it has taken me a while to process my thoughts and feelings about it enough to write a proper review, but here it is:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Of the forty-odd reviews I've written, this one may be the one that means the most to me. This extraordinarily beautiful book still has the power to bring tears to my eyes just from thinking about it - not sad tears, grateful tears for a story so beautiful and so profoundly resonant with my own. 5★s are woefully inadequate here.

[Debbie]

Sally that is an incredible review, so poignant. I need that book badly now.

[Sally]

Debbie wrote: "Sally that is an incredible review, so poignant. I need that book badly now."

It seems to be such a little-known book, I can't understand why. I hope you do get to read it and love it as much as I did :-)

[Debbie]

Sally wrote: "Debbie wrote: "Sally that is an incredible review, so poignant. I need that book badly now."

It seems to be such a little-known book, I can't understand why. I hope you do get to read it and love ..."

I'm going for it. I adore Frida Kahlo.

[Cathy]

Wonderful review Sally! I'd love to read more about Frida - been fascinated ever since reading Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna in which she has a cameo. This is a definite for my TBR list.

[Jo]

I like FK too, had never heard of the book. Sounds wonderful.

Have just finished a read and an audio, I am now going to listen to Just What Kind of Mother Are You? and read The Time Machine.

[Joy]

I loved Eoin Colfer's children's series Artemis Fowl, so when I saw he'd started writing for adults I picked up Plugged at the library. I'm about halfway through and not finding it compelling - it's a sort of Raymond Chandleresque police thriller, set in America, with some humour. Think I'll press on to the end though.

[Jackie]

Going to start another Booker Prize winner, The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. Haven't read any of hers before, so looking forward to it.

[Jo]

Jackie wrote: "Going to start another Booker Prize winner, The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. Haven't read any of hers before, so looking forward to it."

That should be a dusty shelf for me, as I have literally had it for ten or more years! Very interested to know what you think. Going to add it to my list.

[Paul]

The Blind Assassin is great Jo.

The list above went a little awry. So will be next weeks problem. Current 2/3rds of the way through Netymology: From Apps to Zombies - A Linguistic Celebration of the Digital World, which is interesting, but not exceptional.

Also read the enormous introduction to The Living Mountain but no further than that yet.

[Paul]

Finished Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances a couple of days ago. Another great book by Neil Gaiman. Review here

[Sally]

Cathy wrote: "Wonderful review Sally! I'd love to read more about Frida - been fascinated ever since reading Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna in which she has a cameo. This is a definite for my TBR list."

The Lacuna is the book that first got me interested in Frida Kahlo, too! I'm so glad to be able to spread the word about Incantation of Frida K., it seems to be such a little-known book that deserves way more attention than it's had so far. I believe it is an undiscovered masterpiece.

[Gail]

Jo wrote: "Jackie wrote: "Going to start another Booker Prize winner, The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. Haven't read any of hers before, so looking forward to it."

That should be a dusty shelf for me, ..."
Dusty shelf for me too Jo, loved Alias Grace.

[Pat]

I love Marg Atwood. I prefer her earlier stuff. In her later stuff I sometimes get the idea she is trying hard to be clever (she is clever but doesn't need to throw it down our throats). I loved Cats eyes, plus Alias Grace.

[Jo]

Out of the blue, The Girl on the Train was waiting for me at the library so it's jumped the reading queue, as it will need to be returned so starting that this weekend. Full deck read too, published in 2015.

[Paul]

Have heard mixed reviews of that. Bit of a marmite book.

[Jackie]

Going to start After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell today.

[Maria ( ZITA )]

I just started to read by: Hillary Jordan

[Jackie]

Going to start Wonder by R.J. Palacio today. Very high ratings on here. Expecting great things!

[Jackie]

Onto Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whisyle

[Jackie]

Note to self: finish post before hitting "post"!

Onto Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg today.

[Paul]

Loved the film of that Jackie. Didn't realise it was a book until recently

[Pat]

The book is excellent too. It was one of my dusty challenge books, so read it this year. Loved the film too.

[Joy]

I'm having a very relaxing holiday read - Refusal. Undemanding and enjoyable!

[Jackie]

I'm going to start Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison today.

[Paul]

Most of the way through Fade to Black. Dark urban fantasy set in a bleak city.

[Joy]

I'm reading The Silkwormand loving it.

[Paul]

This next weeks reading will include some or all of the following:Landmarks
Fortune's Pawn
The Signal and the Noise: The Art and Science of Prediction
The Rebirths of Tao
Before the Fall
Dragons at Crumbling Castle
Guardians of Paradise

[Jason]

Just started a book on beat poetry New Beat Newbie Modern day take on Beat Poetry. Very clever stuff.

[Jackie]

Inbetween stuffing myself with chocolate & watching football I shall be starting The Almond Tree by Michelle Cohen Corasanti today.

[Jackie]

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart.

[Joy]

I'm reading The Deaths.

[Jo]

Starting A Colder War and still haven't finished The Time Machine which is bonkers as 'tis short.

[Paul]

Jo wrote: "Starting A Colder War and still haven't finished The Time Machine which is bonkers as 'tis short."

I have a copy of book:A Colder War|18404300] that I got in a charity shop, so I am looking forward to your review of that.

[Lisa]

Reading The Color of Magic. Not really sure about it. Possibly a bit left-field after the Miniaturist.

[Joy]

Lisa wrote: "Reading The Color of Magic. Not really sure about it. Possibly a bit left-field after the Miniaturist."

This first book in the series is very episodic in structure, but still (IMO) has some very funny parts. A few books into the series Terry Pratchett really starts to fly, so you could always read a later one, Wyrd Sisters for example, and come back to The Colour of Magic when you're hooked! ;)

[Jason]

I've just started wyrd sisters, loving it so far.

[Lisa]

Thanks Joy - I'm enjoying it more now. I think you need to be in the mood, and it was strange, coming from the high drama and evocative language of the Miniaturist to this polar opposite style! It is my first Pratchett and reminds me so much of Douglas Adams in the way he uses language and humour. Or should that be the other way round...?

[Paul]

Glad to hear it Lisa. You do have to suspend belief when reading these because they are not even like regular fantasy. I think both Adams and Pratchett have dug deep in the rich vein of British humour prior to writing their books.

[Sophie]

I'm just finishing Shadows and am deciding whether to move onto the second in the series or whether I want to veer off in another direction.

There are so many books I want to read and have a birthday on Sunday so will hopefully get something I can sink my teeth into. I'm quite looking forward to reading The Devil's Detective,Lies Beneath and No Time for Goodbye

[Laurie]

Happy early birthday, Sophie

[Sophie]

Laurie wrote: "Happy early birthday, Sophie"

Thank you, Laurie :)

[Paul]

Happy birthday for Sunday Sophie