THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB discussion
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WHAT ARE YOU READING AND WHY!!
Yeah I am trying to spend a lot of time with his book today; I am itching to know what happens.
You know, I've seen a wide variety of books being read by this the members of this group. I for one would like a little input on what you thought about the book, the story, the writing, whatever.
I am readingThe Woman in Whiteby Wilkie Collins because it's one of Rick's favourites. I was just about to give up on this one, but now it has gotten so interesting, that I can't put it down.
Did I write I just finished Blindness by Henry Green which I read as a challenge book for another group. I was only able to read it finally by approaching it as a poem (of sorts). I found it an interesting (from a stylistic pov) but very difficult read. But I was inspired to go back to another difficult book I chose for the same challenge: Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter. The problems I face with this one is a little different although similar in that I find the prose style difficult to penetrate & get a real grip on. But different in that there's more plot & the characters are livelier but I don't find them much more interesting than I found the characters in Blindness. What's wrong with me? These are both highly praised books that I really want to like. Especially Angela Carter since she's a real buzz word in adult fairy tales/fantasy which I supposedly like. :(
Mod
same affect on me- takes a little time- but then really grabs you! wait til the end!!
Right now I'm reading "Pippi Longstockings" and "The Encyclopedia of Sharks" because I like to have one simple book for travelling, and one more substantial book about a subject I'm interested in.
I'm reading Faerie Tale by Raymond E. Feist and Seeds of Yesterday by Virginia Andrews.
The reading has taken a bit of a backseat these last few days though as the house has to be kitten-proofed.
The reading has taken a bit of a backseat these last few days though as the house has to be kitten-proofed.
I'M reading Blood Harvest by S.J .Bolton. I have heard good things about this author.
Man, Brenda is reading Wilkie. Yes!!.I'm embarrassed to admit it's been so long sine I read him, I remember little. But I'm with Rick, I recall a slow start, and kind of stilted prose, then real good surprises.
Shauna wrote: "I'm reading Faerie Tale by Raymond E. Feist and Seeds of Yesterday by Virginia Andrews. The reading has taken a bit of a backseat these last few days though as the house has to be kitten-proofed."
A kitten! Oh what fun!
Sean wrote: "Man, Brenda is reading Wilkie. Yes!!.I'm embarrassed to admit it's been so long sine I read him, I remember little. But I'm with Rick, I recall a slow start, and kind of stilted prose, then real..."
I read the Woman in White this summer. I have fond memories of where I was when I read certain passages. I have The Law and the Lady on my summer TBR pile.
You know, I could step my reading if I weren't working for the Man. Yes, I'm thankful to be employed. But I've always felt I'd be happier if a lovely young countess were my, oh, call it, companion, and gave me the keys to the Lambo and the chalet in Cannes and pocket money. And didn't bother me do yard work and stuff.
Is that so much to ask?
I am currently reading The Bird Sisters by, the delightful Rebecca Rasmussen I heard about this book from author Beth Hoffmanawhile back so have been looking forward to it and it is not disapointing me! The writing is beautiful and the story is great I am savoring this one I have a feeling I won't want it to end!
Susan wrote: "Shauna wrote: "I'm reading Faerie Tale by Raymond E. Feist and Seeds of Yesterday by Virginia Andrews.
The reading has taken a bit of a backseat these last few days though as the house has to be k..."
Two kittens! Olly and Flynn. As in Laurence Olivier and Errol Flynn.
The reading has taken a bit of a backseat these last few days though as the house has to be k..."
Two kittens! Olly and Flynn. As in Laurence Olivier and Errol Flynn.
A Study in Scarlet / The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle I love the way he writes. My God! Talk about entertainment. Love the man.
Rereading all of Dickens and Wharton to prep for a 19th centuiry project I'm about to draft. Such a joy to read writing this rich and complex.
Damon wrote: "Rereading all of Dickens and Wharton to prep for a 19th centuiry project I'm about to draft. Such a joy to read writing this rich and complex."Wow. Man, that's massive. What kind of project? Sounds fascinating.
Mod
I'm embarrassed to admit it's been so long sine I read him, I remember little. But I'm with Rick, I recall a slow start, and kind of stilted pro..."
I read that too- and it is a GREAT book!!!
Shauna wrote: "Susan wrote: "Shauna wrote: "I'm reading Faerie Tale by Raymond E. Feist and Seeds of Yesterday by Virginia Andrews. The reading has taken a bit of a backseat these last few days though as the hou..."
Perfect names!! Congratulations on the new kitties!!
Last night, I started On the Soul of a Vampire. The author, Krisi Keley, is one of my Goodreads friends; and it's Christian-oriented vampire fiction, which I can readily get into (not surprisingly, since I write some in that vein myself :-) ). So far, I'm enjoying it very much!
Back from Hawaii and am ready to blog! Since Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly is now in the theaters, I thought I'd review this terrific thriller. The book took me straight into the beating heart of La-La Land. http://zoltairebookreview.blogspot.com/
Zoltaire, I am in Hawaii. Anyway reading Lorna Doone, and Pride and Prejudice again, for P and P.
Brenda wrote: "I am readingThe Woman in Whiteby Wilkie Collins because it's one of Rick's favourites. I was just about to give up on this one, but now it has gotten so interesting, that I can't put i..."If you like The Woman in White, you'll also enjoy Collins' The Moonstone
Good recommendation Pamela, since I have both books.
Finished Payment Deferred by C.S. Forester and enjoyed it immensely. Just starting Above Suspicion a police drama by Lynda La Plante
The books I'm reading now (I always have many books going at once) are Drive Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan (who I "met" online at SinC Guppies); SAT & BAF! Memories of a Tower Rat by Doug DePew, a book he talks about on Best Seller Bound.QUESTION:
I have the Kindle sample of Confessions and Diaries of a New York Veteran of the Greenwich Village ... by Scott G. Brown. I'm rather conservative in my reading choices and wonder if this is a book I could continue to read (past Chapter 3) to offer a review. Any comments to help me decide?
I just finished and reviewed the amazing The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and then started Traitor's Knot
Kernos, I love that novel -- it blew my away. I just started Field Gray by Philip Kerr. It's historical crime noir: former Berlin detective Bernie Gunther has to come clean about his role in WWII, and the story switches between the 1940s and 1950s. Like it so far. It's already better than his last one and definitely my kind of story.
I'm reading Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor. I started it because I really loved her other book Who Fears Death; it's one of the few fantasy's (it's somewhat on the magical realism side) that I've enjoyed. Also, I was looking for something to buy on my kindle.
Mod
Pamela wrote: "Brenda wrote: "I am readingThe Woman in Whiteby Wilkie Collins Pamela: I was going through my mother in law's estate and found a 1920 copy of The Moonstone - inside this copy Wilkie Collins says he was addicted to opium when he wrote The Moonstone and suffered from paranoid delusions(he took it to relieve his arthritis) and could not remember writing parts of the book. He thought he had an evil doppleganger following him - he called him Ghost Wilkie.
Sean wrote: "Wow. Man, that's massive. What kind of project? Sounds fascinating."And weirder... it's not even a "historical" project. It's a steampunk romance. Only I hate crappy, half-assed research and I wanted some of the tone and slang to infilitrate my imagination a little. And the pulpiness of the plotting. The Late 19th century was so shameless about OTT event in narravtive. :) The good thing is that I read fast, so it isn't taking a long time, but I am LOVING these books. SOme of them I haven';t read since college and they're exquisite. LOL Duh.
It's at times like these I feel embarrassed that we call the DaVinci Code or Twilight books.
I am reading Lorna Doone,and Pride and Prejudice. I had the Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki, but could not get into it, and Damage by John Lescroart, I didn't like the theme of his book this time around.
Mod
Yes, I do have a smattering of books for different tastes. Mine tend to run to eclectic.
Rick, I've searched the group topics and couldn't find where to put this topic, so if you don't mind, here it is.I am trying to get rid of my guilt complex about the number of books I read and those waiting to be read. Here is a person who understands how I feel about the books-to-read list.
Here are briefs from some paragraphs from the article. To read the entire article follow the link.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/20...
The Sad, Beautiful Fact That We're All Going To Miss Almost Everything
"The vast majority of the world's books, music, films, television and art, you will never see. It's just numbers"
"Now, everything gets dropped into our laps, and there are really only two responses if you want to feel like you're well-read, or well-versed in music, or whatever the case may be: culling and surrender.
"Culling is the choosing you do for yourself. It's the sorting of what's worth your time and what's not worth your time...
"Surrender, on the other hand, is the realization that you do not have time for everything that would be worth the time you invested in it if you had the time, and that this fact doesn't have to threaten your sense that you are well-read...
"It is the recognition that well-read is not a destination; there is nowhere to get to, and if you assume there is somewhere to get to, you'd have to live a thousand years to even think about getting there, and by the time you got there, there would be a thousand years to catch up on."
Minnie Estelle Miller
http://www.millerscribs.com
Hi, I'm Lisa and I'm new. Nice to be here. I am currently reading The Boob Tube by Mark Coker.
I am just starting it. It is starting off as a good read.
I am just starting it. It is starting off as a good read.
I'm reading The King's Speech because I enjoyed the movie very much. I suspect it will lead me to reading more about George VI, as he seems an interesting person.
Gini wrote: "I'm reading The King's Speech because I enjoyed the movie very much. I suspect it will lead me to reading more about George VI, as he seems an interesting person."the book gives alot more background on both men I loved the movie and was glad I read the book first. I listened to it on audio narrated by, Simon Vance and they had an actual speech by the King I highly recommend it in audio form!
I am currently reading It By Stephen King, Lethal Experiment By John Locke, Eldest By Christopher Paolini, Motherless Soul By Steven Lindal, To Believe Or Not To Believe: The Social and Neurological Consequences of Belief Systems By Rahasya Poe, and The Ruins By Scott Smith.I have just bought, The Girl Who Played with Fire By Stieg Larsson, One Foot in the Grave By Jeaniene Frost, The Girl of Dracula By Dorina Stanciu, Origin By J.A. Konrath and Jack Kilborn, Wish List By John Locke, THE FIRST By Scott Nicholson, and A Land of Ash By David Dalglish.
I am currently reading all of these books because they either seemed interesting or I have been waiting to read them for a long time. And I have bought all these books today because I had them on my wish list for a while.
Hope you check some of them out and like them :)
Kerra, my wife and I are currently reading Eldest (having previously read and liked the preceding volume, Eragon), and are enjoying the second one just as much!
I'm reading Polio: An American Story. It's part of research I'm doing for an upcoming novel.I'm also reading The Daily Coyote by Shreve Stockton. I stumbled upon Shreve's web site 18 months ago while researching coyotes, and have been meaning to read her book since then.
I'm also reading The Longest Trip Home. It's an autobiography by John Grogan, the author of Marley and Me. I haven't read Marley yet, but probably will after this. I love the way Grogan turns a phrase; also his quiet humor.
I gave up Facebook a couple of weeks ago, and now am so glad. I find I have a lot more time for reading, which frankly I find more informative and enjoyable.
I'm not sure how this works but here goes.
Last Year of Malcolm X: The Evolution of a Revolutionary by George BreitmanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Powerful story about a powerful man. This is a "Negro Classic," about a revolution that was televised. The movie, Malcolm X, was good but the book is better.
I needed to go back and read this year and compare it with Manning Marable's Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention. Will start it May 1, 2011.
View all my reviews
Susie wrote: "he book gives alot more background on both men I loved the movie and was glad I read the book first. I listened to it on audio narrated by, Simon Vance and they had an actual speech by the King I highly recommend it in audio form! "We just bought the DVD and one of the special features is audio of two speeches by King George VI. Fascinating.
The King's Speech was a great movie. I'm on the list at the Library for the audio version of the book. Long list. I'm in a bit of a reading slump lately. Seems that I can't get into any book that I start. So, I picked up Christopher Moore's A Dirty Job. It should get me motivated to read again.
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THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB
Books mentioned in this topic
Confessions on the 7:45 (other topics)Amity (other topics)
Truly, Devious (other topics)
We All Fall Down (other topics)
Get Even (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Monica Rodden (other topics)Lisa Unger (other topics)
Natalie D. Richards (other topics)
Maureen Johnson (other topics)
Gretchen McNeil (other topics)
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Andrew is a James Masoner and a great writer- has a new book coming out too!