Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What else are you reading? (June 2010 - May 2013) *closed*
Johanna wrote: "Trust Me If You Dare by L.B. Gregg is currently making me laugh out loud. Such a great book! When the summer is seriously turning towards fall and the day has been grey and rainy, I find myself cra..."Her Men of Smithfields stories that haven't been available for a while are being released this fall, they are also very funny and sweet love stories too. Definitely something for a rainy autumn evening. I love her books :)
I have been reading Sidecar. Very distinct Amy Lane type of writing but less angst than in many of her other books. A beautiful and heartwarming story spanning twentyfive years from 1987 to 2011. Very feel-good :)
Sidecar-- Yes Ditto what Anne said!! I finished ths last week. There is a kid in the story...so don't read if that is one of your NOTs. ;-DThe ending was rushed for me. I could of lived with an earlier ending to prevent this. Oh well, not my story- worth the read for the heartwarminess. =D
Lady*M wrote: "I finished Sarah Black's The Legend of the Apache Kid and loved it. All I can say is: Go read it! Now!"Absolutely!
It is what I started my holiday with yesterday. I hadn't bought it before because I had so much to do before leaving, but I had already imagined the pleasure of reading it on the train to England. It didn't disappoint!
I hope it's fine if I write here, I'm usually lurking but I 'd like to try and interact :)Recently I've read quite a few books, but very few really captured my attention (Skybound comes to my mind immediately).
I've read great reviews about Sidecar and The legend of the Apache Kid though, so they are definitely going on my "to read" list.
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Do you realize that you just added four books into my to-read (to-buy!) list, Anne!!! (Actually five, since your recommendation of Sidecar sounded really good, too.) I don't know if I should thank you... or maybe send you the bill... ;)
Johanna wrote: "Anne wrote: "Her Men of Smithfields stories that haven't been available for a while are being released this fall, they are also very funny and sweet love stories too. Definitely something for a rai..."You could always send me the bill. Whether I would pay it, well..... ;)
Darkm wrote: "I hope it's fine if I write here, I'm usually lurking but I 'd like to try and interact :)Recently I've read quite a few books, but very few really captured my attention (Skybound comes to my min..."
Of course it is fine :)
Darkm wrote: "I hope it's fine if I write here, I'm usually lurking but I 'd like to try and interact :)."The more the merrier. And I'm all in favor of an addition to the Italian colony here. Soon we will take over the thread ;-)
At the moment I'm reading All He Ever Needed by Shannon Stacey. I don't read many m/f books these days, but for a Kowalski book I'll pre-order!
Antonella wrote: "Candice wrote: "Did you stay at B&B or what? "I'm staying in the holiday home of friends of friends in Machrie, West Arran.
My friends just sent me this link, but you can see it only in the UK (..."
Thank you, Ms. A. Totally cool. Might get the dvd's on netflix or some other source if we don't figure out the link.
I am currently reading Special Forces: Soldiers by Aleksandr Voinov :)It's different from what I usually read, but everyone kept raving about it and telling me to read it.
So far i'm loving it.
Give "Whatever The Cost" by Lynn Kelling a try. It's still fairly under the radar on Goodreads, but I thought it was fantastic!!!
Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "Does the expression "From the stars to the stalls" exist in English? Because I went from Scrap Metal to a book where I think I could have done better, even if I wrote it in English. I don't usually..."I haven't heard that expression. It wouldn't surprise me if the author made it up.
I WANT TO TELL Y'ALL ABOUT A SERIES OF BOOKS I'M READING by JACK DICKSON. FREEFORM, BANGED UP, and
SOME KIND OF LOVE. Glasgow is the locale, modern day. The hero is a policeman in the first book, PI in the second and third. This writer is pretty terrific. The character built and handsome, but entirely human. The writing comes across as fearlessly honest without losing the charm of what only fiction can offer.
The 1st book took too long to get from A to B, in my opinion; but it had so much to offer I had to read the 2nd.
Banged up was terrific. Caught me up very quickly and I couldn't put it down.
He writes the Glaswegian dialect phonetically which I enjoyed, maybe not everybody would.
I've just started the 3rd book.
No E-versions that I'm aware of. I ordered the books used.
I forgot to say, this mc is gay and this writer makes his erotic scenes and moments real and HOT.
Books in my TBR list are Burn by T.J. Klune, Something Like Summer by Jay Bell, and Crossing Boarders by Z.A. Maxfield.Has anyone read those?
I've read Burn. Not perfect by any means, but interesting.I read only the free sample of Something Like Summer, and didn't like it enough to continue. It's very popular, though, so YMMV.
People keep telling me to read Crossing Borders, and I do plan to read it sometime soon. Let us know what you think about it!
Charlinda wrote: "Books in my TBR list are Burn by T.J. Klune, Something Like Summer by Jay Bell, and Crossing Boarders by Z.A. Maxfield.Has anyone read those?"
The only one on that list I've read is Crossing Borders. I didn't love it as much as some people do, but Maxfield is always a good bet, in my experience.
Candice wrote: "Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "Does the expression "From the stars to the stalls" exist in English? Because I went from Scrap Metal to a book where I think I could have done better, even if I wrot..."Thank you for that recommendation.I actually read a couple of Jack Dickson's book many (15?) years ago, Crossing Jordan and Oddfellows, and enjoyed both very much, but haven't seen any more of his since then. This was at a time when I still could get not mainstream books in the local bookstores in Oslo. Are they available in e-books?
Anne wrote: "Candice wrote: "Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "Does the expression "From the stars to the stalls" exist in English? Because I went from Scrap Metal to a book where I think I could have done better..."Chris (from stumblingoverchaos) referred me to this seller-- http://www.betterworldbooks.com/list....
They say they ship worldwide and don't charge extra. You could see if they ship to your area? I don't know it looks too good to be true?! But it might be worth experimenting with.
Reggie wrote: "Anne wrote: "Candice wrote: "Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "Does the expression "From the stars to the stalls" exist in English? Because I went from Scrap Metal to a book where I think I could hav..."Thank you, will try that :)
Candice wrote: "Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "Does the expression "From the stars to the stalls" exist in English? Because I went from Scrap Metal to a book where I think I could have done better, even if I wrot..."I haven't heard that expression. It wouldn't surprise me if the author made it up.
Sorry, I didn't explain myself, it's my tentative translation of an Italian expression that means that you were at the top and you're now at the bottom of ahem whatever. Cinderella dancing with the prince with Harper Fox and Cinderella polishing the floors of her stepmother's house the next day with the other author, lol
Charlinda wrote: "Books in my TBR list are Burn by T.J. Klune, Something Like Summer by Jay Bell, and Crossing Boarders by Z.A. Maxfield.Has anyone read those?"
I haven't read Burn, I read Bear, Otter and the kid and thought it was nice.
Something like summer was different from other books I've read, it is definitely worth a try, and they I guess it's like it or hate it.
Crossing borders is nice, it was my first M/M after the BDB and Suzanne Brockmann's Jules/Robin plotline, so I may be a bit biased :)
LOL Manu :D
Crossing Border has a very misleading and unfortunate cover :(
I read two Dickson books (I bought like 5 in one go), and he doesn't work for me, but that might be just me. I had friends who are raving about him.
Aleksandr wrote: "I read two Dickson books (I bought like 5 in one go), and he doesn't work for me, but that might be just me. I had friends who are raving about him."I have that problem sometimes -- pick up something because people whose taste usually runs pretty similar to mine love something, but for whatever reason, it just doesn't work for me! Although if it happens any more, I may have to stop taking those people's recommendations; I think our tastes are starting to diverge by a fairly significant amount here lately.
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Agreed! And for some reason I didn't warm to the story either. But just like Becky said, there are lots of people who love that book.
Something Like Summer was a good one, but in the end it left me with mixed feelings. I didn't feel that I understood the reasons behind all the author's decisions concerning the characters (particularly towards the end of the story). I can't recall many other books that have left me with such uncomfortable feeling. But... the story is Jay Bell's and so are the characters, so he is entitled to treat them how he pleases. :) I've been thinking to reread the book sometime, just to see, if I'll find it different after reading it the second time. And I do recommend it! It's definitely worth reading.
I had trouble with the ending of Something Like Summer because it felt like a missed opportunity - so much of the really interesting stuff happened off the page.
Dev wrote: "I had trouble with the ending of Something Like Summer because it felt like a missed opportunity - so much of the really interesting stuff happened off the page."I liked the first two third (or even more) of the book, but I hated the ending, it felt like cheating to me. But I have read a couple other of his books and I love his writing, so definitely an author who is worth trying more than once.
Tracy wrote: "Aleksandr wrote: "I read two Dickson books (I bought like 5 in one go), and he doesn't work for me, but that might be just me. I had friends who are raving about him."I have that problem sometime..."
But that is the fun part of this group that we sometimes have different tastes, then I learn about new books and new authors all the time, sometimes I love them, sometimes not, but they are always worth trying. And thanks to the sample feature on Amazon Kindle I don't have to bankrupt myself by buying things I end up not liking. But the trying is fun.:)
Anne wrote: "Tracy wrote: "Aleksandr wrote: "I read two Dickson books (I bought like 5 in one go), and he doesn't work for me, but that might be just me. I had friends who are raving about him."I have that pr..."
I agree with you.
I like to try, sometimes I like them, sometimes it was not for me, but it's still "experience" :)
Anne wrote: "I liked the first two third (or even more) of the book, but I hated the ending, it felt like cheating to me."It seemed too convenient. (view spoiler) Instead I felt the real decision was taken out of the hands of the protagonists and they didn't have the chance to grow up, in a sense. And as Meg said, I was sorry too.
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It seemed too convenient. [spoilers removed] Instead I felt the real deci..."
Exactly!!!
Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "Anne wrote: "I liked the first two third (or even more) of the book, but I hated the ending, it felt like cheating to me."It seemed too convenient. [spoilers removed] Instead I felt the real deci..."
Yes, that was exactly my thoughts too.
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I..."
Goodreads and you guys are one of the best things that has happened to me lately.
And all the talk about book recommendations and interesting reading experiences made me think another great thing too. I take part in a real life literature society with my teacher colleagues. Now that has been a really interesting experience. :) We've been reading everything from Shakespeare to Paulo Coelho — a lot of books amongst them that I would have never EVER read by myself! I have felt extremely reluctant to start to read some of the books, but afterwards those turned out to be the books that were absolutely great to discuss about! All because of the different opinions and point of views from my workmates. :)
And furthermore... we always have such a good time together (and something yummy to eat and drink *grin*). Every time I come back home from our meeting, I feel all happy and satisfied.
And the best part is that nobody talks about our work! ;) It's like the colleague relationship is build during the workdays, but the real friendship between colleagues is build over books. Do you know what I mean? I feel fortunate that I really get to know these men and women (there are about ten of us) better this way.
I'm sure that many of you have a hobby like that: A literary society (Is there a better word for it in English? That sounds so formal...), a writing group... something like that. This might not be the right topic for it, but I would love to hear your thoughts about groups like these!
Johanna wrote: "Darkm wrote: "Anne wrote: "Tracy wrote: "Aleksandr wrote: "I read two Dickson books (I bought like 5 in one go), and he doesn't work for me, but that might be just me. I had friends who are raving ..."In the US it would probably be called a book club. But I like "literary society"! Sounds like something the characters from Little Women or Emma would call their group.
Anne wrote: "Tracy wrote: "Aleksandr wrote: "I read two Dickson books (I bought like 5 in one go), and he doesn't work for me, but that might be just me. I had friends who are raving about him."I have that pr..."
I think there's a difference, though, between taking recommendations from a forum like this, and taking recommendations from people you know personally, who you've shared books with for years, whose taste you know as well as your own. And it's the second type that I'm mostly talking about.
Although there have been a few that I've seen given a lot of love in a community-type setting that I've tried and had issues with, but to me, that's rather like reading off a "suggested reading list" for a class -- there will be some hits and some misses. Just like classics are classics for *some* reason, but that doesn't mean they're universally readable. :D
The ending of Something Like Summer is what I hear people complain about the most. They say like the first 3/4 of the book is great but they hated the ending. I don't know what happened, but I think Jay Bell is going to or is currently writing a sequel. So maybe that would help clear things up. I LOVED TJ Klunes Bear, Otter, and The Kid. Plus i'm in the mood for something paranormal, so I think I'm going to try Burn after I finish Special Forces.
And the cover of Crossing Boarders makes me hesitate on reading the book lol.
Johanna wrote: "Darkm wrote: "Anne wrote: "Tracy wrote: "Aleksandr wrote: "I read two Dickson books (I bought like 5 in one go), and he doesn't work for me, but that might be just me. I had friends who are raving ..."There's nothing like that where I live, but when I read Comme un roman by Daniel Pennac, I loved it so much that I lent it to a lot of people, especially teachers. It prompted a surge in the reading of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer and Madame Bovary. It was the closest to a book club we had.
I liked the book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, so maybe that's what inspired Johanna :D
Charlinda wrote: "And the cover of Crossing Boarders makes me hesitate on reading the book lol."Don't hesitate. It has some good moments, even if I confess I didn't love it.
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Thank you, Becky! :) A book club, huh. So the solution to my problem was simpler than I thought. ;) And yeah, literary society sounds very Little Women! LOL. For some reason it also makes me think of Dead Poets Society...
By the way, (I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before), but one of the books our book club read was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Nothing gay about it, but definitely a nice book to read. And you gotta love the title! In Finnish it translates: Kirjallisuuspiiri perunankuoripaistoksen ystäville. ;)
I think I heard, although I wouldn't swear on it or anything, that ZAM is about to get the rights back on Crossing Borders and will finally be putting a better cover on it.Although, personally I think the whole "it's a good book with a terrible cover!" thing has worked in her favor. It's certainly memorable, and anything that helps make a book stick in the reader's mind means more discussion and probably more sales. Not that I think a bad cover is a good idea generally, but in this particular case, I think it's been a hook.
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You know me so well... *grin*
Johanna wrote: "In Finnish it translates: Kirjallisuuspiiri perunankuoripaistoksen ystäville. ;)"Sorry Johanna, but, with all due respect... mmmhhh, whatever ;P
Johanna wrote: "Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "I liked the book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, so maybe that's what inspired Johanna :D"You know me so well... *grin*"
Isn't that great? And we haven't met yet, lol
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I know. :)
This is the second time in the short period of time that I use this quote from Josh: "One of the very nicest things is how friendships form over books."
Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "Charlinda wrote: "And the cover of Crossing Boarders makes me hesitate on reading the book lol."Don't hesitate. It has some good moments, even if I confess I didn't love it."
I liked it. I read it when I was still very new to the genre and thought it really good. But if you can't overlook the cover try
. Better cover and good story. ;)
Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "Johanna wrote: "Darkm wrote: "Anne wrote: "Tracy wrote: "Aleksandr wrote: "I read two Dickson books (I bought like 5 in one go), and he doesn't work for me, but that might be just me. I had friends..."I am not part of a book club either, or a reading circle as we call it, "lesesirkel", but I discuss books with a few of my colleagues and my best friend, and my kids and my sisters, so a lot of inspiration from many people, some with similar tastes, some not. Especially my grown up kids challenge me to read outside my usual zone, which is great.
You are fortunate to be in such an interesting group. I have been in discussion groups of one type or another over the years. I really enjoy the exchange of ideas and experiences. Now, I just run into interesting people and listen to their unique stories. One thing I have noticed, people seem less willing to agree to disagree. It's like they can't believe someone can like and respect them and NOT agree. I find this response puzzling. I come from a family of eccentrics so we always have to agree to disagree and then continue discussing. How can you have an interesting discussion if we all have to agree? I want to be friends with lots of people, not just the ones I agree with! So I avoid this kind of discourse in general.
You are very fortunate. Enjoy it thoroughly while you are able. I very much enoyed our discussion of SKME and am looking forward to our lively discussion of All She Wrote.
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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I'm going to start reading David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas. I just need some uninterrupted time."
Thanks for the recommendation. I have really enjoyed the Sarah Black books I have already read, she writes very well and with interesting characters and stories, so I will definitely check this one out as well.