Readers and Reading discussion
Book Miscellany
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Reading/Planning to Read - topic started 2/28/2010
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A M E N !!!
20 at the almost half...year that is!Books Read So Far In 2010 - as varied and checkered as my personality!
1. Home In Time For Christmas - Heather Graham
2. Best Friends Forever - Jennifer Weiner
3. The Blind Assassin- Margaret Atwood
4. Never Turn Away Linwood Barclay
5. The Apple - Penelope Holt
6. Pictures At The Exhibition- Sara Houghteling
7. La's Orchestra Saves The World- Alexander McCall Smith
8. Breathless - Dean Koontz
9. The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee - Rebecca Miller
10. Day After Night - Anita Diament
11. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo- Steig Laarsen
12. The Book Of Joe -Jonathan Tropper
13. Yes,My Darling Daughter- Margaret Leroy
14. Clara's War- Clara Cramer
15. The Postmistress- Sarah Blake
16. Noah's Compass- Anne Tyler
17. Every Last One- Anna Quindlan
18. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt- Beth Hoffman
19. Leave Me Alone,I'm Reading- Maureen Corrigan
20. An Irish Country Doctor - Patrick Taylor
Currently reading...upstairs The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. Downstairs-Not My Daughter- Barbara Delinsky
R. wrote: "20 at the almost half...year that is!Books Read So Far In 2010 - as varied and checkered as my personality!"
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Thanks for posting your list, R. Are you on pace to set a personal reading record?
I'm behind my personal best this year.
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Books Read So Far In 2010 - as varied and checkered as my personality!.."
YOU said it!!! LOL
Alias Reader wrote: "R. wrote: "20 at the almost half...year that is!Books Read So Far In 2010 - as varied and checkered as my personality!"
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Thanks for posting your list, R. Are you on pace to set..."
Not really. My usual amount is about 40 books per year. Some years like last year I go to late 40's. I have never hit 50 in the 12 years I have been keeping a list!
40 is great ! You probably read more than 99% of the population. Since I started my book journal in 1999, my low count was 38 in 1999.
My all time high was in 2008, 77 books.
Though I only keep count for fun. I am very satisfied to read less, if the quality is high.
These book boards and keeping a journal have encouraged me to read a lot more.
Anyone else like to share their all time low/high books read?
I only started keeping track about 5 years ago and I think my high was about 80. I have hovered around 65 - 75 each year. I have really enjoyed it and only wish I would have kept track years ago. It is fun to look back and see what you have read. Also for me, it is a way to track authors to see if I have read them before. I think I am around 36 or so this year. Would love to hit 100, but unless I do nothing else that is not going to happen
Richiesheff wrote: and only wish I would have kept track years ago..."-------------------------
You took the words right out of my mouth. I wish I started in high school or college.
I always tell people to get a nice hardcover journal and list the date read, title, author, rating and fiction/nonfiction. It really only takes one minute to do.
Even though mine only goes back to 1999, I still enjoy looking over it and seeing how my reading tastes have changed over the years. It's also useful to remember when or if I read a book.
what a brilliant idea to make a list of books you plan to read! I'd like to make a mini list of books I plan to read: The Bridge by David Remnick, The Promise by Jonathan Alter, Hunting Evil by Guy Walters, Harold Macmillan by Charles Williams, Whoops by John Lanchester, At Home by Bill Bryson. Can you recommend any fiction to add to my list?
Under the Dome by Stephen King - why didn't someone warn me about how big this book is???? Do what I did - get it on Kindle. :-)
Jan
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I just ordered it - my husband wants to read it and I may do so too, even though I usually do not read war books.
Here is Junger's review:http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/04/boo...
Bowden's is on the book's Amazon page.
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I found a website about the author.
http://www.lostonamountaininmaine.com/
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There's that "pretty good" again. Somehow that phrase doesn't encourage me to add that to my TBR list. :-)
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"pretty good" is high praise from me. 1.5 notches below excellent. LOL
I bought an inexpensive HC copy of Duma Key at my library friend shop - so that has finally gone on my "to be read" shelf - but probably not until winter. I need uninterrupted time for a good long Stephen King.
I have just started Happiness Sold Separately by Lolly Winston. I think it is going to be good.
I just started Marcelo In The Real World by Francisco X. Stork. It's about a teenager with an autism spectrum disorder who was asked by his father to experience "the real world" by working at his law firm for a summer. I'm finding Marcelo's perceptions interesting. I'm posting here for those who loved The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.
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just added this to my list---sounds good to me!
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This is much more than recipes. It is like sitting at a table with Nigella, chatting over a cup of coffee. Love it!
The other book is Far Flung and Well Fed: The Food Writing of R.W. Apple, Jr. This is a fantastic food journey by an excellent writer. Among other things, he has inspired me to indulge and buy a genuine Smithfield ham for Christmas, damn the price!
JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I am sooooo enjoying two food books right now....Nigella Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the HomeThis is much more than recipes. It is like sitting at a table with Nigella, chat..."
We had a Smithfield ham a couple of days ago, when my son-in-law got here from VA. It was delicious! (My DD may have bought it at the commissary, which has great prices.)
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I am salivating....lucky you! I am hoping that my local deli will slice it paper-thin for me.
Here is RW Apple's column that started my craving:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/23/din...
JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I am sooooo enjoying two food books right now....Nigella Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the HomeNever tried any recipe by Nigella before but I just luurve watching her tv shows. She made everything look deliciously easy.
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I "adapted" this recipe to make it with boneless chicken---it called for butterflied chicken quarters but I never use chicken with bones any more. This got rave reviews from my husband and son. It had a wonderful flavor from the lemon and fresh rosemary and it was incredibly tender. I marinated it for 8 hours but would do it at least overnight the next time. The leftover pieces sat in the juices (not the marinade) for two days and were even better!
Chicken with Lemon and Rosemary
Created by Nigella Lawson, adapted by JoAnn - hahahaa
Makes 4–6 servings Simple and savory, this recipe is great for a busy family or those who just don't like to fuss over dinner.
INGREDIENTS
* 6-8 boneless chicken breasts
* 3 long sprigs fresh rosemary
* Juice of 1 1/2 to 2 lemons, with more lemons to serve
* 1 -2 red onions, cut into wedges
* 6 tablespoons olive oil
* Maldon or other sea salt
Put chicken into a large zip lock freezer bag. Pull the needles off two of the sprigs of rosemary and drop them on top.
Cut the lemons in half and squeeze juice into the bag, chucking the rinds in the bag afterwards, too. Pour in olive oil and then seal bag. Shake bag to mix up and distribute the contents.
Marinate chicken for a couple of hours, or overnight—even a couple of days. Turn the bag every once in a while. Let chicken sit out for an hour before cooking.
Preheat oven to 375°. Lay chicken, along with lemon rinds and onion pieces, on a foil-lined pan. Add remaining sprig of rosemary torn into a few pieces. I drizzled a little olive oil over the onion pieces.
Cook for 45 minutes. Arrange on a plate along with onion bits.
Pour over any syrupy golden juices from the pan and sprinkle generously with sea salt. Optional, just for looks --->>Cut a lemon or two into quarters and scatter these clumpily about the chicken.
If I had time and the inclination, I think I would put the pan juices into a saucepan and thicken with a little corn starch because it is very thin. The flavor is so good that it would be great atop the chicken.
Also, the chicken will still be very white when it is done.
Mmm, sounds delicious and relatively easy. I already copying this down. Thank you.
Just yesterday my veggie market had 10 lemons for $1, so I bought them. I was thinking of making lemon chicken. I just grill the chicken. In another pan I sauté onions. When onions are done I add chopped garlic and parsley for color. Cook one minute. When the chicken is done I put lemon and some low sodium chicken broth in the pan along with the chicken and cook it on a low simmer for maybe 15 minutes.I've never used rosemary in cooking. Would dry be ok to use? I don't want to buy fresh just for one dish. I'll try marinating the chicken, too.
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You got a bargain on those lemons!
Yes, I am lucky. This veggie store always has loss leaders that are really a bargain. Last week that had celery for .30 cents for a bunch. I marinated the chicken yesterday, but didn't have time to cook dinner last night, so I will do it tonight. I hope it isn't too marinated !
I'll let you know how the rosemary/lemon/oil marinate worked out.
I've just started on the second Maisie Dobbs book,Birds of a Feather. I enjoyed the first book so much, and I see the author has written quite a few more in the series. I hope she can maintain the quality. I tend to space out books in a series, rather than read them in quick succession. I just enjoy them more that way. Anyone else do that?
Carolyn (in SC) C234D wrote: "I've just started on the second Maisie Dobbs book,Birds of a Feather. I enjoyed the first book so much, and I see the author has written quite a few more in the series. I hope she can maintain the quality. I tend to space out books in a series, rather than read them in quick succession. I just enjoy them more that way. Anyone else do that? "I usually only read one or two a year in any series now to prevent burn-out. Certain authors seem to have various tics in their books and reading them too close together proved annoying. One exception to this rule is Robert Barnard. I read 31 of his books in two years and enjoyed them all.
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But I read the Kick Keswick books just as closely and experienced no feeling of "overdose".
Go figure!
I was reading a book in the Siri Paboun series by Colin Cotterill each month. I didn't feel overdosed. I still liked the characters. But I didn't enjoy the plots or the books as a whole the way I had enjoyed the first one, The Coroner's Lunch. Maybe I was overdosed, but I don't think so. Nevertheless, I've been putting off reading the most recent book in the series.
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Such wonderful glimpses into everyday life and food customs in the 50s.
Avis talks about the need for a daily maid if one hopes to have the time to do any decent cooking. She "only" has a maid three days a week, for $8 a day.
Just finished BURNED ALIVE by Soaud, a true memoir written in the early 2000's. Read it in one day, but it is a powerful telling of a young woman's recollection of growing up on the West Bank as a Palestinian in the 1970s. She became pregnant out of wedlock...therefore the title.
Shomeret wrote: "I just started Solomon's Oakby Jo-Ann Mapson."I'd be interested in reading your reaction to this book.
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I'd be interested in reading your reaction to this book."
Not that you asked LOL but here is my short review from November:
I love JoAnn Mapson's books, although they are not all equal.
This story was good, but the writing was extraordinarily choppy, which really distracted from my reading pleasure.
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My cousin just bought this book for her 92 year old mother...I am sure she will love all the cultural references.
JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I just started Maeve Binchy's upcoming book, due out in March. Minding Frankie and, as usual, feel like I have fallen into a familiar and comforting environment. I just love her books."Maeve Binchy is one of my favorites too. I saw the movie Circle of Friends, enjoyed it, and then read the book which was so much better. I then methodically worked my way through her entire backlist.
Her cousin Dan Binchy also writes an entertaining tale and I really liked the three books (The Neon MadonnaThe Last Resort: A Novel and Fireballs) about a small Irish village and the rather eccentric inhabitants who populate it.
Carolyn (in SC) C234D wrote: "Shomeret wrote: "I just started Solomon's Oakby Jo-Ann Mapson."I'd be interested in reading your reaction to this book."
I thought the characterization was wonderful. I would like to see a movie based on this book starring perhaps Jodie Foster as Glory and Jimmy Smits as Joseph. I don't know who would play Juniper. I sympathized with her struggles. The book ended predictably, but I still gave it 4 stars.
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I just "went" to the library and reserved a 2006 novel of his, Loopy: A Novel of Golf and Ireland. I loved seeing the "links" courses when we were in western Ireland
As Always just arrived at my house and I'm really looking forward to it. I bought a copy and I'm sure glad I did after reading your comment, Joann. I can pause and savor all I want! :D :DJoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I am still reading As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto but it is due at the library next week and I will never be finished by then. It is just so DENSE with ..."
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LOL LOL
JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Sandi, thanks for the Dan Binchy information...I had no idea. I just "went" to the library and reserved a 2006 novel of his, Loopy: A Novel of Golf and Ireland. I loved seeing the "..."
Hope you like it. I look forward to reading Loopy: A Novel of Golf and Ireland sometime soon. I think his writing is hilarious though from scanning Amazon I see that Publisher's Weekly disagrees somewhat. They panned the first two books but liked the third. Oh well, humor is very subjective.
Shomeret wrote: "Carolyn (in SC) C234D wrote: "Shomeret wrote: "I just started Solomon's Oakby Jo-Ann Mapson."I'd be interested in reading your reaction to this book."
I thought the characterizati..."
Thanks for your comments. I liked the book, I just felt that somehow it wasn't as good as it could have been (sort of like how I felt about Major Pettigrew). Vague, I know, but I just can't nail it down. Interesting casting.
I just finished The Tartan Sell by Jonathan Gash part of the Lovejoy series. This is a series I read pre-internet but got lost in the shuffle after I was exposed to so many choices via great web sites like stopyourekillingme, Fantastic Fiction, and the old AOL boards.I am now reading The Sentry by Robert Crais one of my favorite authors who I had never heard of until I came across his name on the AOL boards.
Sandi wrote: "I just finished The Tartan Sell by Jonathan Gash part of the Lovejoy series. This is a series I read pre-internet but got lost in the shuffle after I was exposed to s..."Once I found Robert Crais (I think many years ago on our old book nook boards--he used to post on the mystery/thrillers board) I went through all of his books. I loved The Monkey's Raincoat and all of them. As he became more popular, I may have missed a few, but I'll catch up eventually. He and Joe Pike are great characters.
Readers and Reading
Books mentioned in this topic
The Heroine's Bookshelf: Life Lessons, from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder (other topics)The Tartan Sell (other topics)
The Tartan Sell (other topics)
The Sentry (other topics)
The Tartan Sell (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jonathan Gash (other topics)Jonathan Gash (other topics)
Robert Crais (other topics)
Jonathan Gash (other topics)
Maeve Binchy (other topics)
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What book was this?
I agree about police procedurals...although I do sometimes read them, I do not see much discussion ensuing.
I think The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard or her latest, The Virgin of Small Plains would be good discussion books for a mystery group. Have you read either of them?