What are you reading right now? (SEE NEW THREAD) Showing 2,551-2,600 of 7,588

[[deleted user]]

I just finished Mornings in Jenin and now I am mentally exhausted.

[Darkpool]

Just finished The Alexander Cipher, which just about drove me to violence against the author. I'm now on two second-book-in-series: Angel with Two Faces on audiobook - which I'm yet to start, but really looking forward to, and Magic Burns which I appear to be inhaling.

[Chrissie]

Christine, when you have recovered from Mornings in Jenin, check out Sandy Tolan's The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East. It is better. It is a true story! It covers both sides of the Israelian/Palestinian conflict VERY fairly! In one book, on one issue, you see both sides! I read it before joining GR so my review is only a few lines. It is definitely a better book!

[[deleted user]]

Chrissie wrote: "Christine, when you have recovered from Mornings in Jenin, check out Sandy Tolan's The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East. It is better. It is a true story! ..."

I have that one on my wish list so I'm glad to know that it's good! Hopefully I'll get a copy soon. My library doesn't have it.

[Chrissie]

Christine, it offers a more balanced pov. Swedish massmedia tends to support the Palestinian pov. American more the Jewish lobby. I for this reason prefered the Lemon Tree, but nowadays everyone is reading Mornings in Jenin. What massmedia pov one has been smothered with before kind of affects what you are looking for.....

[Manybooks]

Chrissie wrote: "Christine, it offers a more balanced pov. Swedish massmedia tends to support the Palestinian pov. American more the Jewish lobby. I for this reason prefered the Lemon Tree, but nowadays everyone is..."

Thanks for mentioning this book, Chrissie. I know I really should not be adding any more books, but if I don't add it, I will likely forget about it. By the way, I am just starting on Caged In Chaos: A Dyspraxic Guide To Breaking Free. It is amazing that this young women wrote this when she was just sixteen. I hope it gets me a bit more insight into my dyspraxia and/or nonverbal learning disorder (I honestly do not know why psychologists do not have lists of books to suggest, just telling me that I have NLD is not enough, I learn through reading, oops, sorry for the rant).

[Manybooks]

Oh brother, I already have "The Lemon Tree" on my to-read shelf, I just forgot. Well, I should maybe move it up a bit.

[[deleted user]]

Chrissie wrote: "Christine, it offers a more balanced pov. Swedish massmedia tends to support the Palestinian pov. American more the Jewish lobby. I for this reason prefered the Lemon Tree, but nowadays everyone is..."

Good points. I liked the book a lot, but the slant was obvious. I also really knew nothing about the Palestinian view so I think it was good for me. I spent quite a bit of time looking up news articles yesterday after I was done, and that was interesting.

[Chrissie]

Gundula, don't feel bad about not knowing what is on your shelves. I have a shelf entitled "not to read" so that I make sure I don't read them. These books LOOK interesting but reviews and such make me believe I will NOT like them. If I just don't add them, I will totally forget that I have already considered them.....

I hope Caged in Chaos will help you. Doctors..... we could sit and complain about them awhile!!!!!

[Chrissie]

Christine, it is just that I have heard such angry comments on both sides. Is this the way to find a solution?! Another very balanced and good book, which I cannot get ahold of, is A View from the Eye of the Storm. It is sold out everywhere! I REALLY want to read it!

[Irene]

Chrissie, There are new/used copies of A View from the Eye of the Storm at Abe Books/Abe Book UK.

[Kristi]

I've been trying to read The Postmistress since the 11th. I didn't actually crack it until the 13th though.

And I've only managed maybe a couple dozen pages, but what I've read so far, I'm really liking.

It's just been a matter of being really busy. However, I have the house to myself tomorrow, so I'm hoping to get it finished.

[Irene]

I have been trying to read Beneath the Lion's Gaze: A Novel by Maaza Mengiste which I started on the 10th, but my brain appears to be engaged elsewhere.

[Chrissie]

Irene, THANK YOU! I will check it out. :0) I should not buy more books, but.......... I have been looking for that book for ages.

[Manybooks]

Chrissie wrote: "Gundula, don't feel bad about not knowing what is on your shelves. I have a shelf entitled "not to read" so that I make sure I don't read them. These books LOOK interesting but reviews and such mak..."

It looks interesting. And, Goodreads has made me a bit more organised, but because I have a bad short term memory, I sometimes forget that I have added books (I've actually bought the same book three times, because I did not remember having bought it, ha).

[Manybooks]

Chrissie wrote: "Christine, it is just that I have heard such angry comments on both sides. Is this the way to find a solution?! Another very balanced and good book, which I cannot get ahold of, is [book:A View fro..."

I read Christine's review. And, I will NOT be reading the book. Sorry, but any book that supposedly calls Holocaust survivors "terrorists" is hate literature in my opinion, and I will not read or support that. I agree, this is no way to find a solution, and if I bought this book, I would feel as though I am supporting hatred and bigotry.

[[deleted user]]

I feel bad for giving it the rating that I did now, but in many ways it was a good book. But yes, the term "terrorist" was used quite a bit and it did bug me.

[Manybooks]

Christine wrote: "I feel bad for giving it the rating that I did now, but in many ways it was a good book. But yes, the term "terrorist" was used quite a bit and it did bug me."

It is one thing to criticise, but to use the word "terrorist" goes beyond criticism in my opinion. Oh, and I know I'm probably sensitive, but I could not imagine reading a book that considers all Jewish people terrorists. Don't feel bad about giving it a good rating, though, this is just my own personal opinion, and I have not read the book, either.

[[deleted user]]

I am reading Sophie and the Rising Sun, a book I bought during my visit to Christine's great little book store.

[[deleted user]]

That was it! Thank you, it's been driving me nuts!

[[deleted user]]

Jeannette wrote: "I am reading Sophie and the Rising Sun, a book I bought during my visit to Christine's great little book store."

I just ordered a copy from paperbackswap. :)

[Kristi]

I just finished The Postmistress and started Eat Prey Love (not the book made into the movie) a paranormal/shape shifter book.

[[deleted user]]

That's pretty funny, Kristi! Are the books as tongue-in-cheek as the GR synopsis is? I would think people might get confused, until they look at the cover. ;)

[Lee, Mod Mama]

Kristi, did you like the Postmistress?

[Kristi]

Jeannette wrote: "That's pretty funny, Kristi! Are the books as tongue-in-cheek as the GR synopsis is? I would think people might get confused, until they look at the cover. ;)"

Here's the cover:
and the "original"
I'd say they differentiate themselves pretty well. LOL

[Kristi]

Lee wrote: "Kristi, did you like the Postmistress?"

I really, really did! I wrote quite a long review, which is not the norm for me, but I felt it needed to be addressed in sections.

[Ronyell]

I am currently reading East right now and it's great!

[[deleted user]]

Ronyell wrote: "I am currently reading East right now and it's great!"

Have you read Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow? It's a similar story, and a very good one.

[Saralyn]

I just finished "84 Charing Cross Road" on my way home from London this week. It also had "The Duchess of Bloomsbury" in the book. They are wonderful reads! Not what I expected, but much better.

[Manybooks]

Still reading and enjoying Crusade in Jeans, and have also started a wonderful middle grade girl's novel, Home Free (love all the allusions to Anne of Green Gables). Also reading a really interesting compilation of essays on the fascination of Germans with Native Americans/Canadians, Germans and Indians: Fantasies, Encounters, Projections.

[Ronyell]

Jeannette wrote: "Ronyell wrote: "I am currently reading East right now and it's great!"

Have you read Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow? It's a similar story, and a very good one."

Hmmm... I haven't read that one. Sounds good!

[[deleted user]]

Jessica Day George is a GR author; I like to follow her reviews, too. I added East to my tbr pile.

[[deleted user]]

Gundula wrote: "Still reading and enjoying Crusade in Jeans, and have also started a wonderful middle grade girl's novel, Home Free (love all the allusions to Anne of Green Gables). A..."

Thanks for the recommendation, Gundula. I know you are a big fan of Anne, so your recommendation is worth something. :)

[Chrissie]

Saralyn, I recently finished the same book with the two stories. I adored 84, Charing Cross Road! I never thought I would like it as much as I did! It had been put off by the fact that it was epistolary writing. What a mistake. The second story didn't work as well for me.

[Manybooks]

Jeannette wrote: "Gundula wrote: "Still reading and enjoying Crusade in Jeans, and have also started a wonderful middle grade girl's novel, Home Free (love all the allusions to Anne of G..."

I really love children's literature, and this book really feels as though you are in the mind of an eleven or twelve year old girl, not an easy task if you are writing as an adult (I thought it very brave for the author to be writing the novel as a first person narrative, because she needs to sound and seem like the young heroine, which Jennings has certainly accomplished). But, you do have to enjoy children's literature, it is definitely a book geared to girls (but, I have always liked books for children, even more now that I am an adult, at times).

[[deleted user]]

I read a lot of children's literature with my daughter as she was growing up. I enjoy a well-written children's book, especially with a good heroine.

[Manybooks]

Jeannette wrote: "I read a lot of children's literature with my daughter as she was growing up. I enjoy a well-written children's book, especially with a good heroine."

I hope you enjoy the book, I'm really liking it.

[Chrissie]

I highly recommend Not Even My Name: A True Story. Here follows a link to my GR review: http://www.goodreads.com:80/review/sh...

Give it a chance. In the beginning I was a bit disturbed by the varying prose styles. It is NOT just about the massacres of Greek Pontians in Turkey after WW1. It is also a biography of one woman who, having lived through these horrors, came out singing, loving life. It has a large emotional impact.

And now I will start Nothing in the World. Writing reviews has taught me that what I like best are those books that both teach and make an emotional impact on me. I think this will do that, as it did with Not Even My Name!

[[deleted user]]

I finally finished Great House . It was harder to read than I would have expected. I love her writing, but the story was all over the place.

[Chrissie]

I just finished Nothing in the World, historical fiction concerning the Serb/Croatian Civil War of the 90s. My review is at: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
I do not know if anyone could call this a comfort read.....I gave it 5 stars. Amazing writing!

Now I will start The Homecoming Party - a coming of age novel covering Italian, French and Albanian culture.

[Petra]

Last night I started reading Practical Demonkeeping and I'm really enjoying the quirkiness and subtle humour in it.

[Saralyn]

Reading "Parrot and Olivier in America" right now. I'm having a bit of a hard time getting into it. Has anybody read it? Should I keep pushing through?

[Lee, Mod Mama]

Saralyn, I haven't read it but a few of my friends wrote positive reviews. It sounds like it gets better as you go on.

I'm reading a great page-turning mystery set in the Shetland Islands of Scotland that Kathy recommended called Sacrifice. It's great but definitely not a cozy!

[Chrissie]

I just finished The Homecoming Party, which I adored. It is about an Albanian/ Italian family, but of course they are just like you and I. Gorgeous writing. Funny! Touching! Here is my review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/.... I definitely fits as a comfort read!

Maude, can we start Two Babushkas tomorrow?! We are going to have fun reading this together :0) What do I do until then? Twiddle my thumbs? No, I will read GR!

[Adelhaida]

Im currently reading John Sauls - Black Creeks Crossing.

So scaryyyyy:)

[Lisa]

Adelhaida wrote: "Im currently reading John Sauls - Black Creeks Crossing.

So scaryyyyy:)"

Welcome to the group, Adelhaida!

[Maria]

I am reading Firefly Lane which is about the friendship of Tully and Kate from childhood through adulthood. I'm waiting for the "big one" to drop .... the event that really tests their friendship. There have already been events that have resulted in hurt feelings and fights, but I just know the "big one" is right around .... the next page. I can feel it! [please don't tell me what it is (or if I'm wrong) if you've read it!]

[Chrissie]

Actually I still haven't started Two Babushkas yet. In the meantime I have picked up The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements. I thought I would read the beginning and put it aside when we start the Two Babushkas. The DS is well written and clear and humorous, BUT there are lots of facts stuffed into this book and my head is going to have a hard time retaining all these facts, no matter how captivating the writing is. I thought it would be a bit easier than it is. It seems I have forgotten EVERYTHING from high school chemistry. Rather depressing......

[Kristi]

Twenties Girl

[Petra]

Chrissie wrote: "Actually I still haven't started Two Babushkas yet. In the meantime I have picked up The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World ..."</i>

I'd love to get my hands on a copy of DS (but don't want to buy it because I'm not sure about it either). Unfortunately, the library doesn't have a copy.


I finished reading [book:Practical Demonkeeping. I really enjoyed it as a crazy, wacky, zany story. Perfect for relaxing and chuckling to oneself.