What Are You Reading Now? Showing 2,101-2,150 of 2,435

[Cynda]

I was my mother's only daughter and first born. She took me into the kitchen with her and talked cooking to me, often from The Joy of Cooking. This was still the day when homemakers watched their budget by cleaving their own meet and growing herbs and fruit by gardening zones.

[Terry]

The Joy of Cooking is a book I came to later in life and is not one of my faves. I have especially liked The New York Times Cookbook edited by Craig Claiborne, the Graham Kerr Cookbook by The Galloping Gourmet, Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child,Louise Bertholle and Simone Beck, Tante Marie’s French Kitchen by Charlotte Turgeon, Great Dinners from Life by Eleanor Graves, America’s Kitchen by Anthony Dias Blue, Weber’s Real Grilling by Jamie Purviance and the Nero Wolfe Cookbook by Rex Stout. I have cooked recipes with great success from these books! In my book, these are classics. But, truth to tell, I have also resorted to Betty Crocker snd Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks, as well as dozens of others.

The Whitehouse Cookbook, c 1926, by Hugo Ziemann, Mrs. F.L. Gillette and revised by Mrs. Mary E Dague is a quite fascinating culinary history and gives insight into what it was like to cook a hundred years ago.

Any food related book by Ruth Reichel, Laurie Colwin or even Michael Pollan are worth reading. Finally, On Food and Cooking by Harold McGhee is a fabulous resource for understanding the science of food and cooking. Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential is also classic.

[Teri-K]

Just started All the Light We Cannot See. Also reading a sci-fi short story collection Holding Wonder by Zenna Henderson. It's a reread from the 80s that I'm enjoying so far. The stories vary a lot.

[Pharmacdon]

I finished Backflash by Richard Stark. On my way to finishing all the Parker novels, Here is one reason I enjoy reading this series: a quote from the book:

“The shirtsleeved bald bartender was tall and fat, looking like a retired cop who'd gone to seed the day his papers had come through. At the bar, muttering together about sports and politics—other people's victories and defeats—were nine or ten shabbily dressed guys who were older than their teeth."

[Kathleen]

Terry wrote: "The Joy of Cooking is a book I came to later in life and is not one of my faves. I have especially liked The New York Times Cookbook edited by Craig Claiborne, the Graham Kerr Cookbook by The Gallo..."

The Galloping Gourmet! Now THAT is a blast from the past, and brings back some fun memories of watching the TV show!

My first and primary cookbook when moving away from home was The New Laurel's Kitchen. Mine wasn't the "New" one, but it still had a lovely cover with woodcuts like this:

All about baking your own bread and making things from scratch. Complete with hippie looking women on the back cover wearing long dresses and drinking tea. :-)

[Lynn, New School Classics]

Terry wrote: "The Joy of Cooking is a book I came to later in life and is not one of my faves. I have especially liked The New York Times Cookbook edited by Craig Claiborne, the Graham Kerr Cookbook by The Gallo..."

I think many people have their one "basic" cookbook. For me, I received The New Revised and Updated McCall's Cookbook (1984 edition) as a wedding present. This is book that is now missing its wornout jacket, and is filled with notes and torn out recipes from magazines.

Another book that made a big impression on me was Once-A-Month Cooking (1992 edition). When the children were young I would do a "big cook" on Sunday or Monday to have ready-made leftovers later in the week. The idea is you buy, for instance, a big container of say chicken for cooking in the oven. You cook half of it with potatoes, onion, carrots and Mediterranean herbs. At the same time the second half becomes BBQ and you cook cornbread to go with that. Also while those are in the oven throw a nice beef stew into the crock pot.

I am still cooking what I call "Deliberate Leftovers" all these years later.

[Lynn, New School Classics]

Kathleen wrote: "Terry wrote: "The Joy of Cooking is a book I came to later in life and is not one of my faves. I have especially liked The New York Times Cookbook edited by Craig Claiborne, the Graham Kerr Cookboo..."

I have Laurel's Kitchen. I baked a lot of quick breads and sourdough when the children were little. That was a good teaching book. It was more than just recipes.

[Lynn, New School Classics]

Oh side note here - I am a Librarian. The cover you posted for Laurel's Kitchen is literally my copy and I uploaded the cover picture years ago.

[Kathleen]

Lynn wrote: "Oh side note here - I am a Librarian. The cover you posted for Laurel's Kitchen is literally my copy and I uploaded the cover picture years ago."

That's fantastic, Lynn--thank you! Yes, I still refer to lots of the reference info, as well as the recipes. And your children were lucky to get those homemade goodies. :-)

[Janice]

I am rereading Elizabeth & Her German Garden by Elizabeth Von Arnim (I really enjoy reading this in the Spring) and 1 Samuel (Bible #9), ESV and The Holy Bible: Gospel of Matthew

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished the Fantasy re-telling of the Rumpelstiltskin story


Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading the fourth installment in the Flat Earth series


Delirium's Mistress by Tanith Lee

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished the terrific anthology of classic Science Fiction novellas


The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume II B edited by Ben Bova
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading the next volume in the series


The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume III: The Nebula Winners edited by Arthur C. Clarke

[Lynn, New School Classics]

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "I finished the terrific anthology of classic Science Fiction novellas


The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume II B e..."

You're right. These anthologies are wonderful.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

Lynn wrote: "...The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume II B..."

You're right. These anthologies are wonderful."

Yes they are! I really enjoyed Vol 1 and Vol 2-B the most, but even Vol 2-A had plenty of good stories. I'm starting on Vol 3 now.

[Lynn, New School Classics]

There had been discussion of authors in another thread which prompted me to read

The Problem Of Cell 13 by Jacques Futrelle (1905) June 12, 2024 5*

There is an omnibus of his stories available free online if anyone is interested.

https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/lu...

I read the first short story in the series. There were plenty of interesting details and red herrings in this locked-room mystery. The main character of the series is a Dr. Van Dusen who works on pure logic. The story was well-written and light-hearted. No one died, lol. It was fun and I was able to read it in one sitting. It held my attention throughout.

[Squire]

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. One of those books I was supposed to have read in college and didn't. Better late than never.

[Teri-K]

Squire wrote: "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. One of those books I was supposed to have read in college and didn't. Better late than never."

Sometimes late is much better, because you're more interested and better able to appreciate it!

[J_BlueFlower]

I have been in a weird place a few days. Stuck with a really technical non-fiction that I cannot read for a long time, but wanting to read something. No wanting to start something big before next group read.

I have been digging through short stories I picked up a while ago on some list of the very best free on the internet or whatever. And they were stellar! One wow-5-star right after the next.

5 stars: Failed Utopia #4-2 Goodreads average: 5
Can be read online here:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/ctpkT...
The short story is extremely short and compact. 5 stars for compactly explaining something so difficult.

5 stars: The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury Goodreads average: 4.32
Neil Gaiman's present for Bradbury's 91st birthday
Can be heard online here:
https://soundcloud.com/brainpicker/ne...

5 stars: The Destructors by Graham Greene Goodreads average: 3.86
https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~cinichol...
The short story is extremely short and compact and still manages to get a complicated point though.

4 stars: Bruce Sterling, “Maneki Neko”
https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fi...

[sabagrey]

I have started to re-read Like a Tear in the Ocean: A Trilogy by Manès Sperber. About 1000 pages, unfortunately in really small print, but I am determined to re-visit this book which I first read almost half a century ago and which made a lasting impression on my life.

I remember when I first read it: it gripped me and I finished within very few days - or rather, nights. because during the day I worked hard to finish my master thesis on time. Crazy days without sleep.

(I met the deadline all right)

(Only much later, I began to see the connection between the thesis and the novel. It was no coincidence that I came across this book at exactly that moment, but I was not aware of it until much later in my life)

[Janice]

I am rereading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and I am still rereading The Holy Bible: Gospel of Matthew and 1 Samuel (Bible #9), ESV

[BookishDramas]

Spotlight: The Complete Series: A Space Circus Villain Origin Short Story Collection


3.5 stars
Read as an ARC. BookSirens. Female author. Space opera.

My review here - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Lynn, New School Classics]

Janice wrote: "I am rereading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and I am still rereading The Holy Bible: Gospel of Matthew and 1 Samuel (Bible #9), ESV"

I am currently reading the Book of Luke, 1 chapter per week.

[sabagrey]

has been made available as an audiobook in German (original language), and I am glad of it: it's a long read, and just the right thing to follow during another labour-intensive craft project.

[Squire]

Islands in the Stream by Ernest Hemingway.

[Cynda]

Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty.
I read this book and other books of the Southern Renaissance as my literature professors were often educated at prominent universities ofnthe American South, such as Tulane, Louisiana State University (LSU) and Chapel Hill. I am glad to revisit this book.

Harlem Stomp!: A Cultural History of the Harlem Renaissance by Laban Carrick Hill. This book informs my reading about the Great Migration and about Harlem. Even though I did not plan it this way, I am reading this book as secondary work to reading Black Boy by Richard Wright which I read earlier this month.

[Franky]

@Cynda I've read a lot of Welty's short stories and a few of her novels but never gotten to Delta Wedding. I will have to try it one of these days.

I'm currently reading Green Mansions by William Henry Hudson because I saw a few minutes of a film on TCM one day with Anthony Perkins and Audrey Hepburn and was intrigued that it was based on a novel. Also currently reading and started early our July read of
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. I'm enjoying both of them so far.

[Squire]

Finishing up the last of Hemingway's novels: Islands in the Stream. Debating on a start date for Clarissa, or, The History of a Young Lady by Samuel Richardson. Not sure I'm ready for a 1500-page doorstop yet.

[Cynda]

Franky, This is the first time I have heard of William Henry Hudson. . . . I might have to try the movie.

[Franky]

Cynda wrote: "Franky, This is the first time I have heard of William Henry Hudson. . . . I might have to try the movie."

I'm looking at the ratings and they are pretty low, but who knows? Like I said, I only watched a few minutes but ended up taping it. I'll probably get to it once I've finished book.

[Luffy Sempai]

Franky wrote: "Cynda wrote: "Franky, This is the first time I have heard of William Henry Hudson. . . . I might have to try the movie."

I'm looking at the ratings and they are pretty low, but who knows? Like I s..."

I am a big fan of Audrey Hepburn. Curiously I love her schmaltzy movies more than e.g. My Fair Lady, which is pretty well regarded. I DO have Green Mansions. Will watch it next weekend.

[Franky]

Luffy Sempai wrote: "Franky wrote: "Cynda wrote: "Franky, This is the first time I have heard of William Henry Hudson. . . . I might have to try the movie."

I'm looking at the ratings and they are pretty low, but who ..."

I'm a big Aubrey Hepburn fan as well. I really really love her and Cary Grant in Charade. Such great chemistry and great comedy/mystery.

[EvenB]

As I plug along in my Pulitzer Prize goal (fiction), I just started to read the 2024 selection, Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips. Written in 2023, 304 pgs., takes place in West Virginia in 1874. After 15%, so far so good...

[Sam]

We are going to be reading Mawrdew Czgowchwz by James McCourt at the NYRB classics book group this July. It may be of interest to some of you.

[Pharmacdon]

I finished The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers.

[Lynn, New School Classics]

This week I read a short story by Frederik Pohl called The Midas Plague (1954). He wrote for the Pulp Magazines of the 1950s.

He writes about consumerism and over-consumption, which I did not expect from the Science Fiction magazines of the 1950s. His take on what is Poverty and what are true Riches was interesting. In true Sci Fi Golden Age style, Pohl wrote a few more stories on the topic. I liked "The Midas Plague" so much that I have ordered a used copy of Midas World, a fix-up novel from those stories (1983). The short story "The Midas Plague" can be found in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume IIB

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

Lynn wrote: "This week I read a short story by Frederik Pohl called The Midas Plague (1954). He wrote for the Pulp Magazines of the 1950s.

He writes about consumerism and over-c..."

I read that a couple months back and really liked it. I will have to look for Midas World. Have you ever read The Space Merchants by Pohl and his occasional collaborator C.M. Kornbluth? It is also a satirical take on rampant capitalism and I think it has aged very well.

[Eleanor]

I have just started The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho after hearing so many good things about it.

Sorry I don’t know how to create the links to the books on GR!

[Brian E]

Eleanor, when you make a comment, the box you open where you write the comment will have this writing on top of the top right edge:

" add book/author" (some html is ok)

- Click on the "add book/author" link
- Click on the "Book" button at the top of the page that appears;
- Type in the book you want in the space provided to type it;
- When the list of books appears, find the book you want and just click on the "add" link that is just to the right of the book name;
- When you do, this should appear wherever you set your cursor in the box: The Alchemist

- Then go Click on the "Author" link that is at the top of the page to the right of the "Book" link
- When the author you want name appears, click on the "Add" link to the right of the author's name;
- When you do, this should appear wherever you set your cursor in the box: Paulo Coelho

[Franky]

Currently starting reading The Moviegoer by Walker Percy, Demian. Die Geschichte von Emil Sinclairs Jugend by Hermann Hesse, and
Checkmate by Sheridan De Fanu.

[Lynn, New School Classics]

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "Lynn wrote: "This week I read a short story by Frederik Pohl called The Midas Plague (1954). He wrote for the Pulp Magazines of the 1950s.

He writes about consumeri..."


No I haven't, but I'm sure it must be good.

[Eleanor]

Brian E wrote: "Eleanor, when you make a comment, the box you open where you write the comment will have this writing on top of the top right edge:

" add book/author" (some html is ok)

- Click on the "add book/a..."

Eleanor wrote: "I have just started The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho after hearing so many good things about it.

Sorry I don’t know how to create the links to the books on GR!"

Fab thank you so much Brian.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished Stephen King's first short-story collection


Night Shift by Stephen King
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started another short story collection, this one with a book cover that looks like it was assembled by a three year-old with blunt-nosed scissors and a crusty bottle of Elmer's Glue


The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson

[Teri-K]

I'm read The Woman in White for the first time. I'm not of fan of gothic novels, but this one is quite good so far!

I'm also rereading Pride and Prejudice for the umpteenth time, and O Pioneers, too. For Spanish practice I'm reading Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal. All very different and very good.

[Rora]

Just finished reading Lambs of Men by Charles Dodd White. A dark read, but very good.

Almost finished with The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. I've really enjoyed this one, liking it more than The Three Musketeers.

Next read will be Ghosts by Edith Wharton

[Teri-K]

Rora wrote: "Just finished reading Lambs of Men by Charles Dodd White. A dark read, but very good.

Almost finished with The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. I've really enj..."

The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my all-time favorites! I'm glad to hear that you liked it. And I agree, it's better than Three Musketeers. I also really liked The Man in the Iron Mask, though I haven't reread that one in years.

[Erin]

I've just started to read F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Last Tycoon (An Unfinished Novel) together with The Great Gatsby

[Luffy Sempai]

I'm smack in the middle of A Clash of Kings, and will start Mansfield Park, Eichiiro Oda willing.

[Franky]

Erin wrote: "I've just started to read F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Last Tycoon (An Unfinished Novel) together with The Great Gatsby"

The Last Tycoon is one Fitzgerald novel I've never read. I used to read The Great Gatsby on a yearly basis.

[Cynda]

I am reading The Pearl by John Steinbeck and The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World by Shelley Puhak. Soon I will start From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne.

[Luffy Sempai]

Lynn wrote: "Lilly wrote: "Lynn wrote: "I live in the United States and no I have not heard of it. Interesting."

Thanks, Lynn!
The last year or two I've started noticing some children's books and authors that..."

I heartily recommend Which Witch?. I had to copy it entirely by my clumsy unpractised hand, as it was impossible to get a copy at that time. I also drew the cover, more to my satisfaction.