WHAT ARE YOU READING AND WHY!! Showing 7,301-7,350 of 10,669

[Werner]

You mean I'm not the only person who buys books and then lets them sit around unread for years? :-)

[Jane]

I'm reading Snobs by Julian Fellowes. Wonderful observations about English society. The old guard still holding on to the distinctions in society even in the latter part of the 20th century. Dry and witty writing - just like you expect of the English.

[Colleen]

Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith. I loved the series on television and wanted to revisit the richness and beauty.

[Bill]

Starting two new books today, The Sign Of The Book by John Dunning, a Cliff Janeway mystery and Men at Arms by Evelyn Waugh.

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

Werner wrote: "You mean I'm not the only person who buys books and then lets them sit around unread for years? :-)"

Well. I have about 5,000 wonderfully binded friends resting on several bookshelves in my house who, each, will reassure you, Werner - you are not alone!!!

[Werner]

Rick, that makes me feel a little better about my TBR physical shelf backlog, since I "only" have about 100 friends-in-waiting. :-)

[Carol]

I'm in the club too, I'm embarrassed to say. I had over 300 books "in waiting" for years to be read, but I lost interest in many of them. Those I passed on to my sister and donated others to the local library and women's shelter.

I've reformed my bad habits somewhat, when it comes to the books I'm truly interested in. No longer do they stand forlornly on my shelves gathering years of dust. I actually start and finish each one. This is real progress for me!

[Darren]

Sabbath

Currently I am reading the Sabbath which is part of a book series. :-)

[Jane]

N.F. wrote: "I'm reading "On Writing Well" and I'm about to purchase "Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter" by Tom Franklin. The Kindle sample was very interesting."

I thought Crooked Letter Crooked Letter was a great book - enjoy!

[Minnie]

I am reading a novel titled, Attorney-Client Privilege by Pamela Samuels Young. I worked in law in secretarial jobs for years starting at age 22. I'm familiar with courts and attorneys. Ms. Young is an attorney. I'm interested in her POV.

Minnie E Miller

[Laura]

Beth wrote: "I am midway through John Adams by David McCullough. I am just thrilled by how timely reading this book right now is. I love how McCullough makes American History fascinating and exciting. This is t..."

Great author, great book.

[Russell]

I'm reading Whale Song by Cheryl K Tardif. At times, as an author, it's important to read other types of novels. I find it helps me to explore different kind of writing styles and other characters. In the end it helps me to kickstart ideas.

[Laura]

Werner wrote: "You mean I'm not the only person who buys books and then lets them sit around unread for years? :-)"

I do. And so do most of my friends. So many books, so little time.

[L. Allen]

I'm reading an unkown novel by an unkown author and not enjoying it much. I search for a new favorite author.

[Fiona (Titch)]

I am gonna point out that I have 12990 on kindle and 5 bookcases (3 x 6 shelf bookcases and 2 x 3 shelf bookcases) in bedroom of unread novels x

[Fiona (Titch)]

This morning whilst I laid in bath I finished Hostile Witness - Rebecca Forster, which was not as good as I had expected at the beginning, but near the end it started getting better. Now I am about to embark on Poison Study - Maria V. Snyder which has been recommended to me.

[Per]

I'm reading by Winston Churchill. Very interesting, and fascinating.

[Gabriella]

I was reading by Victor Hugo and by Angela Hunt, but I put them both down and got interested in another book, which is by Neil Shusterman. I really have a bad habit of starting books and not finishing them. Sometimes it's because the book just doesn't grab me in the first 100 pages, so I just give up on it and other times I like it okay but it's just because another book is calling my attention. Has anyone else started a book a not finished it for whatever reason?

[Gabriella]

Sorry, something went wrong when I tried to copy and paste my answer from another group into here. The books names are The Hunchback of Notre dame by victor Hugo, The Face by Angela Hunt and Everwild by Neil Shusterman.

[Thomas]

I've just finished the M.R. Mathias, book "Through the Wildwood (the Legend of Vanx Malic). I'll post a review later today. I'm currently reading "A world of Trouble," by Jake Needham. So far it is an intriguing read. A review will follow completion.

[Ken]

Per wrote: "I'm reading by Winston Churchill. Very interesting, and fascinating."

I've read most of that series mostly because of the topic. Seemed old Winston spent a lot of time on the political ramifications. I thought I would never get through how he formed his War Cabinet and overcame the opposition in Parliament.

"So I called upon Sir Raymond Fusselbottom, the estemeed ex-Secretary of the Exchequer in the MacMillian cabinet, a Loyal Labor Party member, and an old friend of mine from Northumberland. Sir Raymond brought a wealth of......."

[MissSusie]

Listening to The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by, Jennifer Worth wanted to get this one read before it comes on PBS Masterpiece.

[Per]

Ken wrote: "Per wrote: "I'm reading by Winston Churchill. Very interesting, and fascinating."

I've read most of that series mostly bec..."

I've only read about half of the first book so I don't know how it gets later, so far it's been fascinating, but I can see how it could get a bit tiresome after a while.

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

Reading Second Opinion by Michael Palmer- love his books! got a nice tweet message from him today- his new book is coming out 1/8/13 - called Political Suicide- love medical thrillers and Palmer is always great!

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

s•u•n•s•h•i•n•e «§KENZ§» wrote: "Rick wrote: "s•u•n•s•h•i•n•e §KENZ§ «mickey» wrote: "I'm trying to memorize one of his poems by tomorrow morning. (bleh, English). It's called "Dream-land"."

Good luck!!! memorizing a Poe Poem! ew..."

haha! wow!!!

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

Reading bio of magnificent Peter Lorre- very well done!

And for those who enjoy trying to name pictures of classic actors- do friend me on facebook-

https://www.facebook.com/rick.friedma...

I post pictures of classic actors and actors under a "Guess Who...." banner-- alot of fun! also do post about your own links, books, sites ect!! I shall certaily accept all friend requests!!

[Ken]

Per wrote: "I can see how it could get a bit tiresome after a while."

Just bought a hard cover edition of Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, all 1200 pages. I'm hesitant to start it because I might fall asleep with my thumb trapped in it.

[Per]

Ken wrote: "Per wrote: "I can see how it could get a bit tiresome after a while.""

Ha ha, I hear you.

[Barbara]

Rick wrote: "
Reading Second Opinion by Michael Palmer- love his books! got a nice tweet message from him today- his new book is coming out 1/8/13 - called Political Suicid..."

Thanks for the tip Rick. I requested this book from my library.

[Emily]

I'm reading by J.K. Rowling. I'm enjoying it so far.

[MissSusie]

Emily wrote: "I'm reading by J.K. Rowling. I'm enjoying it so far."

So am I..... I am listening to it audio and really enjoying the narration by Tom Hollander and liking the story!

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

Finished Second Opinion by Michael Palmer- very very good!

[Barbara]

Rick wrote: "Finished Second Opinion by Michael Palmer- very very good!"

I just got this book from the library! Looking forward to seeing why everyone likes it so much,

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

Reading this as my current thriller- decent read
Lead character a bit too perfect (like Ted Bell's Hawke in a way) but fast moving

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

About halfway through with

Quite shocked at the utter pretentious characterizations- the lead- Janson ( a Character created by the REAL Robert Ludlum, shortly before his death) is presented as part Rambo/Part Mother Theresa!
Impossible you say? well yes- but the writer tries his best-unsuccessfully in my opinion- My only fear is that those who read this book- a quick ok read- will think THE REAL(and GREAT) Robert Ludlum- who has been dead over a decade- had any hand in this book-QUITE A PAINT BY THE NUMBER thriller- easy to take BUT NOT EVEN IN SAME HEMISPHERE AS THE REAL LUDLUM.

On the opposite side-I read

BAQUBA


by Tom Gabbay - a James Mason Member Writer-and this book is a bullseye- magnificent and very real characters, superb action scenes,and a plot to grab onto,

"Vincent Spinelli never should have been sent to Iraq. It was clear to every man in his platoon that he was unfit for combat, but in 2007 the army needed every man they could get. “If he’s not suicidal or homicidal, he’s deployable,” was the word from the top."

This just reinforces my belief that the best writing is being done by those writers who, like Tom, are writing with passion, not to continue legendary deceased writer's already invented characters.

The books I have read- and there have been many! by James Mason members- be they indie, small or large press are almost always far superior to the "big budget" well packaged titles like



Think I once heard a cliche- don't judge a book by it's cover!

[Tom]

Hi, Rick. It's gratifying that you felt that way about BAQUBA. Forums like this one make it possible -- not easy, but possible! -- to write a book outside the world of mainstream publishing and still get noticed. I published three books with Harper Collins but when they tried to steer me into writing something I wasn't interested in doing, I had the option of going it alone.

The big publishing houses can no longer play the role of literary gatekeepers. And from my perspective, that’s very good news.

More on the subject: http://www.tomgabbay.com/Blog.html

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

Tom wrote: "Hi, Rick. It's gratifying that you felt that way about BAQUBA. Forums like this one make it possible -- not easy, but possible! -- to write a book outside the world of mainstream publishing and st..."

Agree totally- and your superb book is a perfect example!!

[Fiona (Titch)]

I'm also reading Morningside - Ashley Madau. So far I am loving this author's work x

[Barbara]

MissSusie wrote: "Emily wrote: "I'm reading by J.K. Rowling. I'm enjoying it so far."

So am I..... I am listening to it audio and really enjoying the narration by Tom Holland..."

I heard mixed things about this book - but I think I'll give it a try.

[Ken]

I'm reading through several of the Kenzie and Generro books by Dennis Lehane. I have mixed feelings. The stories are entertaining and move along at a good pace but the characters, pretty much all of them, are too much the sterotype. Not saying they are shallow, just hard to relate to because they act as you expect them too.

[Nick]

Just started The Old Ways: A Journey On Foot by Robert Macfarlane. It's a wonderful book about the old walks of Britain and Europe. The author, who has a rare physical intelligence, writes about the walks, the places and the history associated in such an entertaining way that make it a joy to pick up from where I'd left off. I don't read much non-fiction, but I'm glad I was given this one. Hope to finish soon and write a review

[Glenda]

I'm reading Club Dead ( a Sookie Stackhouse novel #3) by Charlaine Harris. I refused to get into the True Blood HBO series (based on these books) because my first impression was that it has too much foul language and too much sex. But Harris does not get explicit about the sex or have an overwhelming amount of bad language. I admit that I wasn't a big reader until the Twilight books came out. I find it hard to find other paranormal books that compare with the standards that Stephenie Meyer gave in these books because there has been a couple of instances where I stop reading a book and it gets tossed in the garbage can.

[Monica]

I'm reading James Lee Burke's latest, Creole Belle. I've just started, but I've no doubt it will be as superb as the rest of the Dave Robicheaux series. I've found, though, that I miss Will Patton's reading of the story. For most of this series, I've listened to the audiobook. Will Patton does a terrific job.

I'm also reading Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint by Nancy Kress. It's filled with exercises and examples helpful to every aspiring writer.

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB]

Monica wrote: "I'm reading James Lee Burke's latest, Creole Belle. I've just started, but I've no doubt it will be as superb as the rest of the Dave Robicheaux series. I've found, though, that I miss Will Patton'..."

Will Patton is a superb character actor in films!

[Liz]

I am reading "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn. I'm reading it because people have said it was good. So I thought I'd give it a go.

I'm also reading "The Passage" by Justin Cronin. Reading this for a Goodreads Read-a-long for October.

So far enjoying both books.

[Werner]

For the month of October, two of my other groups are doing Afternoon of an Autocrat by Norah Lofts as a common read, or common read selection. So, I'm following along with this, having actually started it on Saturday. Lofts is a favorite writer of mine, and I've mentioned other books by her on this thread, over the past few years.

[Fiona (Titch)]

Finished Poison Study - Maria V. Snyder this morning in the bath and have just finished a review of Morningside - Ashley Madau. Now I'm going to dip into Succubus Revealed - Richelle Mead as well as reading Reflected in You - Sylvia Day.

[Barbara]

Liz wrote: "I am reading "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn. I'm reading it because people have said it was good. So I thought I'd give it a go.

I'm also reading "The Passage" by Justin Cronin. Reading this for a ..."

I'm reading Gone Girl also - for the same reason :)

[Kath]

Taking a bit of a break from the mysteries and crime fiction to read The Gangs of New York by Herbert Asbury. Haven't seen the movie which everyone says is very good but I will wait until I finish the book. Also starting an audiobook, Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock by David Margolick and narrated by Carrington MacDuffie.

[Mariner Books]

We're reading The Hobbit during the month of October. Come join our group The Hobbit Book Club - we'd love to hear your thoughts!

The first film in the trilogy adaptation comes out December 14 - it's time to (re)read!