What Are You Reading Now? Showing 501-550 of 2,435

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished the second book in the Bernie Gunther series:


The Pale Criminal by Philip Kerr
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


Mr Hire's Engagement by Georges Simenon

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished two books that were both very good but couldn't have been much different:


The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


The Fall by Albert Camus

and


Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

[Janice]

I am reading for the second time but for sure won't be my last, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

[Tara]

Janice wrote: "I am reading for the second time but for sure won't be my last, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith"

This is such a beautiful book. Somewhat to my surprise, this was immensely popular with GIs during WWII.

[Richard]

Wreade1872 wrote: "Richard wrote: "I'm close to finishing The Canterbury Tales."

Closing in on about half-way myself :) ."

I finished it last night. It was actually a re-read - the first reading was during my Eng. Lit. degree nearly 40 years ago.

I've now started on the Penguin History of Canada, by Robert Bothwell. Having spent most of my life in the UK, I thought I should find out a bit more about my native country.

[Janice]

Tara wrote: "Janice wrote: "I am reading for the second time but for sure won't be my last, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith"

This is such a beautiful book. Somewhat to my surprise, this ..."

I didn't know that!!!

[Tara]

Janice wrote: "Tara wrote: "Janice wrote: "I am reading for the second time but for sure won't be my last, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith"

This is such a beautiful book. Somewhat to my su..."

I suppose it reminded them of their lives back home. I'm not sure if it would be too painful for me to read about real things I may never return to, or I would prefer something totally escapist. If you're interested in the topic, I could not recommend enough When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II. The letters the soldiers wrote to the authors that had saved their lives in their way were the most touching sections.

[Cynda]

Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles

[Heather L]

Tara wrote: "Janice wrote: "Tara wrote: "Janice wrote: "I am reading for the second time but for sure won't be my last, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith"

This is such a beautiful book. So..."


Loved that book and highly recommend it as well. I never knew about the Armed Services Editions until reading this book. Rather ironic that they came about as a way to combat Nazi Germany’s banning and burning of books, and challenging/banning books occurs all too frequently now across the US. Just yesterday I watched a CNN report on a community in Pennsylvania that has removed numerous BIPOC books such as Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race and I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban from school libraries.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7_txZZH...

[Yael]

Currently reading Frankenstein: The 1818 Text! I wasn't expecting to get that much into it as I did. Mary Shelley is extremely skillful, I don't know why I've been putting if off for so long - I guess I was expecting it to be a more challenging read but it's really gripping. Also reading some short stories by Andrei Platonov, his short story anthology The Fierce and Beautiful World. His writing is so full of compassion.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished the philosophical short novel


The Fall by Albert Camus
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Mind: blown

[Janice]

Tara wrote: "Janice wrote: "Tara wrote: "Janice wrote: "I am reading for the second time but for sure won't be my last, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith"

This is such a beautiful book. So..."

Thank you for sharing this interesting fact that I did not know. I have put the book on my TBR list.

[Janice]

Heather L wrote: "Tara wrote: "Janice wrote: "Tara wrote: "Janice wrote: "I am reading for the second time but for sure won't be my last, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith"

This is such a beaut..."

Wow, so wrong!!! :(

[Terry]

I have now read 59 of the 60 books I said I would read in 2021. I am now going to read Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe. It has been on my TBR from before I joined Goodreads, and I feel I have time now to devote to a proper reading. At 522 pages, it doesn’t seem that much of a doorstopper, but I anticipate a dense prose requiring focused attention. My recent motivation to get this done comes from reading Sophie’s Choice and learning that William Styron much admired this novel.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I gave up on


Cosmos by Carl Sagan
Rating: 1 star (DNF)
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading


Crisis in the Red Zone: The Story of the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History, and of the Outbreaks to Come by Richard Preston

[Richard]

Despite having made quite good progress with The New Penguin History of Canada, I have been diverted into Alms For Oblivion Vol I, which is hilariously disgusting.

[Linda R,]

Terry wrote: "I have now read 59 of the 60 books I said I would read in 2021 ...I am now going to read Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe.... My recent motivation to get this done comes from reading Sophie’s Choice and learning that William Styron much admired this novel."

Congrates in advance on making your reading goal. I too like to read the earlier works that inspired the author of a novel I enjoyed reading. Thanks for sharing that note on Styron.

[Luke]

Since I last posted, I've started and/or finished:

The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford - Jean Stafford
Lady Audley's Secret - Mary Elizabeth Braddon
Selected Works of Djuna Barnes - Djuna Barnes
A Small Gathering of Bones - Patricia Powell
The Diary of Anaïs Nin Volume 4 1944-1947 - Anaïs Nin
To the End of the Land - David Grossman
We, the Drowned - Carsten Jensen

(made the switch halfway through from full challenge mode to full post challenge mode, and it's been invigorating)

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I met my 2021 reading goal of 52 by finishing this "roman dur" (hard novel)


Mr Hire's Engagement by Georges Simenon
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading the second in the IQ series


Righteous by Joe Ide

[Nente]

Recently started reading The Wind in the Willows aloud to my kids (doesn't keep the attention of the 3-year-old, naturally, but my older son is fascinated).

I have read it before, both as a child and as a young adult. Now, however, after a lot of other British literature, I am much better equipped to recognize the relationships between the characters and their social structure that so clearly mimics the human one. This is indeed what they mean by "a classic for all ages."

[Kathleen]

Nente wrote: "Recently started reading The Wind in the Willows aloud to my kids (doesn't keep the attention of the 3-year-old, naturally, but my older son is fascinated).

I have read it before, both..."

This is wonderful to hear, Nente, and inspiring. I adored this book but haven't touched it since I was young. I think I need to revisit it!

[Leni]

Nente wrote: "Recently started reading The Wind in the Willows aloud to my kids (doesn't keep the attention of the 3-year-old, naturally, but my older son is fascinated).

I have read it before, both..."

I didn't read it as a child. Not sure it is/was translated into Norwegian. But I've read it with one of my kids and it was great fun for us both. The kid was so frustrated with Toad! lol

[Janice]

Yesterday I started reading for the first time The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

[Natalie]

Janice - I read that a long time ago, but don't remember much. It's a good one for October!

[Natalie]

I recently finished The Prose Edda and I just started The Poetic Edda: The Mythological Poems. I love Norse mythology so these books have been on my list for a LONG time. I'm excited that I finally got around to reading them.

[Cynda]

I am reading The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes which based on the Jack the Ripper murders. Increasingly tense. Enjoying it.

When finished reading, I will watch the Alfred Hitchcock b&w silent. Oooh.

[Natalie]

Cynda - ooo! That sounds like a great plan! Adding to my list!

[Patty]

I loved The Lodger Book.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished


Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories by Robert Louis Stevenson

and I also started reading


The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

[ALLEN]

I'm reading STEPHEN SONDHEIM: A LIFE by Meryle Secrest. It's an excellent bio of America's best-known composer.

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

[LiLi]

Sounds super interesting!

[Janice]

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. This will be a reread for me. :)

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished the novella


Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading the dystopian classic


We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

[Graham]

I would like to hop in here with an initial post and make a HEAVY recommendation of a book for ANYONE who is interested in reading a good sci-fi book.

Way Station by Clifford D. Simak has quickly become one of my favorite books that I have read in a LONG time. All I'm going to say is that it's about a man who comes into contact with aliens. The less I say about what it really is about, the better off you will be. Beautiful writing with more layers to it than just "cool aliens meets human being." And best of all is that it's only around 230 pages so it isn't a HUGE time commitment. HIGHLY recommend and it's a five star read for me!

[Graham]

Some other reads I have had are the following:

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe is another five star read in my book but it is MUCH heavier and is nonfiction so it makes the darkness all the more dark. While I also adore this book, I am WAY more hesitant to recommend it willingly due to its dark content.

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith is a book that shocked me. It was both better than I was expecting it to be and a little worse. The beginning was a slog and it was only held together by Patricia Highsmith's incredible writing style. However, when the book lands, it hits the ground running. Though I also am hesitant to say that I though this book was great because of the beginning being a bore. I'll meet in the middle and say it's a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm was a HUGE letdown. I was expecting another speculative fiction dimaond-in-the-rough like I found Way Station to be. Yet it just was not the case. I found the writing to be clunky, the characters random and unlikable, and the story a hot mess. While I like the ideas that the novel presents, it feels like a wasted opportunity given the book's execution. Two star read for me.

Finally, I started the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett recently. Three books in and I'm hooked. Though I will say that the third book, Equal Rites, was not as good as the first two. I loved the characters presented in the first book, especially Rincewind and Death, so I was disappointed to find this book take a different approach I didn't find as humorous. Though it was still a decent third book that was led off by two great ones, so I'm not complaining much.

[Wreade1872]

Graham wrote: " in and I'm hooked. Though I will say that the third book, Equal Rites, was not as good as the first two. I loved the c..."
Yeah equal rites isn;t that good there are several... not duds but not great books in those early numbers of discworld.
But the main Witches (starting from Wyrd Sisters) books are better at least than equal rites. And you still have the Guards books to come :) .

[Janice]

The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne

[Wreade1872]

Put my post in wrong topic :lol . Right here we go again then.

Finished Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer [4/5] review; still reading Axiom's End the debut novel by youtuber Lindsay Ellis, which is really good. And An Episode of Flatland which is not related to the slightly older Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions.

For halloween (or halloween adjacent anyway :P ) i've started The Night Ocean by Paul La Farge .

[Natalie]

I love The Canterbury Tales! I need to reread that one.

[Trev]

Just finished The Princess Casamassima by Henry James. I would suggest this would be an appropriate read for Halloween - not for any supernatural horrors but instead a large dose of damaging psychological reality.

[Brian E]

Trev wrote: "Just finished The Princess Casamassima by Henry James. I would suggest this would be an appropriate read for Halloween - not for any supernatural horrors but instead a large dose of damaging psychological reality."

Right after you mentioned the book in Victorians, while cleaning a closet, I found my copy that I had bought used several years ago, and, apparently, had mislaid.
It is this edition which makes an interesting contrast to the other Henry James novels in my collection, which are mainly green Penguins.

I hadn't really thought of it as a Halloween read but then, even though I've read nine James novels/novellas, I still experience a bit of terror whenever I start a new James. He can be a difficult read for me at times.

[Peter]

Hey guys! I recently started Dracula by Bram Stoker and am shocked at how much I am enjoying it!

I've been reading a lot more fast paced books lately (Stephen King mostly) but am finding this book such a nice breath of fresh air.

It's so well written and the the atmosphere is so vivid.

I'm coming up on half way through and it's perfect for halloween time!

[Natalie]

Peter - That’s a great October read! I really enjoy Dracula. I’ve read it several times. Last time I tried the audio with Alan Cumming and Tim Curry. It was awesome! 🧛🏽‍♂️

[Terry]

Peter, I was also struck by what a great story Dracula was and how well written. Horror stories are not my thing, but you cannot argue with great writing.

[Trev]

Brian wrote: "Trev wrote: "Just finished The Princess Casamassima by Henry James. I would suggest this would be an appropriate read for Halloween - not for any supernatural horrors but instead a la..."

I have only read a handful of Henry James so this book surprised me as it was very different from the others. I have read his earlier novel, Roderick Hudson in which the Princess and her older companion also appear but this later novel takes her to a different level as far as I am concerned.

It is interesting to note that the ‘Princess Casamassima’ has been reborn in modern fiction as a vampire so that might be definitely suitable for Halloween. ( see Wikipedia extract below)

In popular culture
Princess Casamassima appears prominently, as a vampire and revolutionary, in Kim Newman's Anno Dracula series, notably Anno Dracula 1895, where she is one of the Council of Seven Days, an anarchist organization taken from G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday, and in Anno Dracula 1899: One Thousand Monsters, where she is one of several vampires seeking sanctuary in Japan. The book also features in Thomas Pynchon's Against the Day, being read by a literate dog.

Here is a preview of the Princess AKA Christina Light in her new role in a graphic novel (comic)
(Beware -spoilers for Henry James’ ‘The Princess Casimassima’ if you read too far.)

https://play.google.com/books/reader?...

[Wreade1872]

Finished Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis [5/5] review really liked it.

[J_BlueFlower]

I started Regeneration a few days ago.

One of the characters in the book a called Robert Graves - turns out he is not some random character - but the Robert Graves author of I, Claudius, that we we recently.

I plan to read all three books, as The Ghost Road received the Booker Award (a bingo-need).

[Luke]

J_BlueFlower wrote: "I started Regeneration a few days ago.

One of the characters in the book a called Robert Graves - turns out he is not some random character - but the Robert Graves au..."

'Regeneration' is an absolute favorite of mine, as is its overarching series. Why everyone snubs the second of the trilogy, I'll never know.

[J_BlueFlower]

Aubrey wrote: "Why everyone snubs the second of the trilogy, I'll never know. .."

You mean the number of ratings?

#1 : 27,519 ratings
#2 : 9,086 ratings
#3 : 16,427 ratings

Clearly something is going on. I would guess that it is not the same people. Someone starts on the series and gives up after finish 1. Some other people starts directly on 3 - since that is the Booker Award and 1001-book.

[Reed]

I'm reading Little Men by Louisa Alcott