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What Are You Currently Reading?
That's awesome, Sherry! I loved The Book Thief, too, and I am so happy to see so many of the people in TNBBC reading it. I'm probably going to pass on The Book of Lost Things. I am in too many book clubs, but I don't want to leave any, because I have made so many new friends in each one. However, it means that I can't read everything so I have to pick and choose. I picked up Shantaram the other day, which I am looking forward to as my September read for TNBBC. That's a great club, too!
Shantaram is a huge commitment!I'm going to tackle Irving's Cider House Rules next but given it's length will pass on Shantaram.Two long books in a month is too much for me.The Book of Lost Things was a serendipitous choice given that it is a story of a 12 year old boy at the start of WW2 in England.It makes for some interesting contrasts between it and Book Thief though Book Thief is by far the better book IMHO.
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Yes! You should read it! It's good. I have The Book Thief on my to read list. I will start that one soon! :) The Book of Lost Things too! I just have so many books I want to read!!! Now, when to find the time. :)
Sherry,Let me know what you think of the Cider House Rules. I just finished the Fourth Hand by Irving and it was very interesting. At times it was laugh out loud funny but in many ways it was just bizaare. The Fourth Hand is the only thing by him I have ever read but I was considering the Cider House Rules for a future read.
Cider House Rules is a wonderful read. I had seen the movie before realizing it was based on a book, so waited a while and then finally read it. Very much worth the read!I am currently reading Why Moms Are Weird by Pamela Ribon. I have laughed out loud so much throughout this book. I turn over in the bed and tell my husband he's not allowed to read it because it's for MOMS! ; ) She is a newfound author for me. She has written 2 books, but continues her blogging. Very funny lady. Anyone else familiar with her work?
I'm reading the diary of anne frank rifth now, it seems to be a slow read, i thought i'd finish it in like a day or two but it has been a week. I'm thinking of reading middlesex next... any imput on that? or i also have Mrs Kimble or Love in the time of Cholera. which should i pick up next?
Molly,I read Love in the Time of Cholera towards the end of last year.Once i got used to the rhythm of his writing I enjoyed it.I haven't heard of Mrs Kimble and if you decide to go with Middlesex let me know how it is.I've had it on my TBR shelf for a while now.
I am currently reading Sarah's Key which I actually won here on GR. I am really enjoying it so far. I love anything that has to do with wars. I know that sounds kind of warped but I think war brings out both the best and the worst in people so I love the character development and the depths of emotion that it spans.
Molly, I'm no fan of Middlesex, but many people like it. I thought that it started out great, but then became flat in the middle to the end. Mrs. Kimble is also an average read in my opinion. I have NOT read Love in Time of Cholera, but that would be my pick in light of my experience with the other two. However, I'm sure that you would enjoy any of the three.
Sera Thanks for the imput. I think mrs. kimble is what i consider to be a fluff book a coworker passed it on to me. But i think i mught be up for one of those right now. I dunno. I generally dont read alot of fluff. But the kids are back in school and im so busy.
Give it a shot, Molly. I thought that the book was fine, and it just might be what you are looking for at this time.
Well, I am becoming one of those people who reads multiple books at one time. Actually, I have a couple of books that I have started that I am not that into but haven't given up completely yet (Perfume and Eat, Pray, Love), one that I am reading to my boys before bed (Tom Sawyer) and the book I am actively reading, "Belong To Me." It is the follow up book to "Love Walked In." Has anyone read them? I enjoy de los Santo's writing style because it is very stream of conciousness. She writes the way my mind works and that is comforting somehow. I instantly relate to Cornelia not only because she is a 5' brunette but because our minds seem to work the same way. Maybe that is how most women's minds work, I don't know.
Mod
While reading it I enjoyed, but at parts I wanted to hit the women. Then when I finished it I thought how self centred do you have to be to think like this. I'm not sure if I was mad at her for being so selfish or mad at myself for not having the courage to just make myself happy regardless of what it does to other people.
I did get somee things from that book that I try to use in my own life today, and that made it worth reading.
Shea, I am almost finished with Belong to Me. I was enjoying it so much, but now as I near the end, it just seems so over the top to me. I just can't believe that all of these things can happen to one family. I do love Cornelia, though - she seems so perfect - always knows what to say, is comfortable with herself, isn't jealous of other women who drool all over her husband, etc. I intend to finish the book tonight so I'll see how I feel after it ends, but I think that I am going to like the first book better after all.I've also started reading more than one book at a time, but just one fiction, one non-fiction, and a bunch of books about pregnancy, parenting and kids in general. It hasn't been as difficult as I thought that it would be. It's quite fun actually :)
Santina,It is interesting that my best friend said the same thing about Eat, Pray, Love. She found the woman self centered and selfish and so she had a hard time reading it. I was trying to fight that feeling as I read it to "try to find my own opinion" instead of just seeing what Cari saw. I try to do things to make myself happy but "put others before yourself" is deeply ingrained into my being.
Interesting perspectives on EPL. I haven't read it yet, but I'm finding that it's a love it or hate it type of thing. I'm going to put this book on the list of possibilities for my next read.
Mod
I think overall it's a worthwhile read.
I have to catch up on Love Walked In and Belong to Me. I have wanted to read both of those. I started Love Walked In and put it aside to read a few book club selections and now I hope to return to it!As for Eat, Pray, Love- my best friend gave me the book last year when she was going through a divorce. I felt really bad because I wanted to be there for her as much as I could, but being in NY and she in CO, it was through phone calls and letters. She told me, you want to know how I feel, read this book- and she sent me Eat, Pray, Love. I liked the book. It's either a love or hate type of book. I loved reading about her time in Italy. I actually had the opportunity to meet Elizabeth Gilbert when she came and did a reading through our Writers' and Books series in NY. She was very pleasant to talk too. She seemed much happier since she'd written the book and she had a great sense of humor too. I think it's a worthwhile read. It did get a little slow in the middle, but it's worth reading to get to the end.
Not that im a huge follower but did you see Oprah chose The tale of Edgar Sawtelle. I've seen some good reviews on it... Is it Big? I LOVE big books. I'm almost done with the diary of Anne Frank. I read some of the info at the back... I shouldnt have because i truly didnt know she dies..( I must have blocked all this out cause i swore i had read this before.)Now i have about 15 pages left that i cant bring myself to read.
I checked my bookshelf and found a few more books i havent read yet..
A coworker gave me Ayn RAnd Atlas Shrugged? She is Geeky intelegent introvert, so idont know if i should trust her suggestion. also have What the body remembers, dont know anything about and i have Ahabs wife. Can ya'all weigh in on those 3 books....
I did see Oprah yesterday and am curious about the book she chose. I may read it. It sounded good. I love big books too!!! I haven't read any of the books you mentioned, so I can't give you a suggestion. Sorry! :) But, enjoy whichever one you decide!!
Shea, I read the fourth hand too and I didn't like it as much as did his other books. I really liked Cider House Rules and A Son of the Circus.
I definitely think I will read Cider House Rules. I have read several of the Oprah book club books but every one I have read has been a major downer. It may be superficial but in general I prefer books that make me feel happier for having read them (and not because the characters lives are so horrible mine seems fabulous).
That's funny Lara, I thought i was the only one with a "Car Book" its slow going cause i rarely get a full ten minutes, but it feels so good to have my car book. I understand what you mean about a whole new world of books. I have read alot of the recent stuff but realize i have not read any of the classics.
Mod
That's to bad Santina.I can't imagine not having the pleasure of reading.I finished The Cider House Rules(looovved this book!)as well as The Book That Changed My Life and The Call of the Wild
(read this yesterday in one sitting,it was fantastic) and now I'm onto When the Emperor Was Devine by Julie Otsuka another little gem of a book.
Today I started reading a children's mystery called "The House With a Clock in Its Walls." It was written in 1973 by John Bellairs. How, you may ask, did I come to read such a book? Well, every year Marshall, Michigan has a historic homes tour. They have one of the largest and most impressive collections of historic homes anywhere in the US. This year the Cronin House, a home built in 1873, was on the tour and we went through it. It is a very cool house and in it's entire history has only had two families own it. The Cronin family built it and owned it until 2003 when it was purchased by the current owners. It is now for sale for the low, low price of 1.25 million dollars(-: John Bellairs grew up in Marshall and this house was the inspiration for the book so naturally I had to read it. So far it is good and if it isn't too scary I will read it to my boys. If you would like to see it...http://www.cressyeverett.com/listings...
I am kind of a real estate buff, if I wasn't a pharmacist I think I would be a real estate agent.
Mod
http://www.mls.ca/PropertyDetails.asp...
I'm not sure if that will work. But if you can't see it, it's a lovely 1200 square foot 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo, is just minutes from downtown. This lovely corner unit also has a solarium which can be used as an extra bedroom or den. You also get your own concrete balcony, which you can plant grass on if you like, and monthly fees are only 346 dollars, that's not much to go along with your 3500 mortgage.
For my money I'd take the historical home.
Santina, I agreee. I would also take the house. I love living in the country and would never want to live in a high rise.Do people in Canada make more $$ than people in the US? How can anyone afford to buy a house up there? I will have to do some research to see if I can find out what a Pharmacist in Canada pulls down in a year.
I make about $3.00 more per hour than my Candadian counterparts. Of course, that is before taxes, what I pay for our insurance, etc. I don't know how our take home would compare. At my salary I could never afford a 1.25 million house. I am guessing that in Canada we would not be able to afford the house we live in which is 2000 sq ft, 3 bed, 2.5 bath on about 2.5 acres. Our house was priced lower because we are out in the country at least 30 minutes from any reasonably sized city. We would not have been able to afford the same house in Ann Arbor. You know, location, locaion, location. But we love our location so that is fine with us. The commute is worth the peace of the country.
Vancouver is especially more expensive than a lot of the cities in Canada.I couldn't afford the house I own in Edmonton if it was located in Vancouver.Though our prices have climbed up as well it's still more affordable than V.And from what I understand everything is more expensive in Canada than the US,which is why we love to shop across the border.
Mod
What happened in Vancouver, was a large influx of Asians from Hong Kong years ago. They boosted everything sky high. They are seeing a decline on the west coast now and a rise on the east coast, however my brother just bought his house on the east for 150 000, so they can handle a gentle increase.
It's just getting to be crazy, I have friend that recently built their new house, and she told me flat out, we can't afford this. They built an apartment in it, and basically if they can't rent it they're screwed. I don't know why people put themselves through it.
We bought ours when the market was low and since then our home has been valued $230,000 above what we paid for it.That's an excellent return for our money and a wonderful investment though it seemed out of reach for so long.I don't know how our kids will be able to afford a home of their own though.We've been encouraging them to start RSSPs that they could borrow from for a down payment that they pay back to themselves over a period of 15 years.Only way to manage it.I'd hate to ever have to rent again and I'm thankful we got in when we did.
Mod
It's so funny I remember being a kid and saying A MILLION DOLLARS, and it seemed like soooooooooo much money. And now it's like nothing, inflation sucks...lol
Hey everyone. I just finished reading "Return to Summerhouse" by Jude Deveraux. It was given to me by a coworker. Now I see that she has written one previously "The Summberhouse" that I now must read. Anyway, it had time travel, mystery, historical fiction, a great friendship between the 3 heroines and a little romance. It was a light read that would probably be enjoyed by my Outlander and Time Traveler's Wife friends.
Thanks Shea! I actually have The Summerhouse that I found at a bargain sale about a year ago. I wanted to read it this summer, but never got around to it! I didn't know there was a sequel! That's neat. Thanks for reminding me about the book. Glad you enjoyed it. I am currently reading "Swapping Lives" by Jane Green for a book club I am in. Then I have to take a look at my bookshelf and decide what's next! :)
Right now, I am reading three books (going back and forth between them and sometimes starting another, depending on my mood):Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time by Rob Sheffield (hope to finish this today, since I only have about 40 pages left)
Bram Stoker's Dracula (this one is one of the October Reads on The Next Best Book Club, and is sucking the life out of me -- no pun intended)
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (this one I am taking my time on -- it's an easy read and I've been reading a chapter here and there to break up my other books)
This morning I finished The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker. This is a young adult read, that I'd definitely recommend to you Mommies of daughters. Not sure how much a boy would like this one!
I've been working on Dracula as well.It's not the best book I've read this year but it's not the worst either!
I picked up Return to summerhouse at the airport. I had just finished my book and was desperate for something else. I picked it up not thinking I would enjoy it but not having that much of a choice. I have to say it was an easy, quick, and enjoyable read. I did like it very much. It caught my attention from the beginning. I didn't know there was another one. I have to pick that one up.
Melissa, Did you finish Love is a Mix Tape? I have that on my to read list and wondered if it was a good one to look at next? I read Like Water for Chocolate and loved it.
Mona, it was pretty good. If you have some others that are really piquing your interest, go with those first. But, this was a good story about a guy and how music affected his life so much and helped him get through a lot of situations.
I finished Love is a Mix Tape early yesterday morning, then immediately went back to reading The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, which I had started reading earlier this month but had to mail the book to someone across the country, so I picked it up at the library. I only have about 50 pages of that left. I'm avoiding Dracula some more and will either be finishing Like Water for Chocolate or starting What a Ghoul to Do?. I'm all about multi-tasking reading if I like everything I've got around.
The boys and I just finished Tom Sawyer. They enjoyed it but I did find myself censoring it. I couldn't bring myself to say the word "nigger" and so I paraphrased as "man." I didn't worry about "Injun Joe" because my sons did not associate this with Native Americans but thought he worked on a train. There were things in the book they didn't understand at all because it is set so far back in time it is completely out of their frame of reference. If I get home from PTO early enough tonight we will start Eragon.
Hmm . . . let's see . . . everyday I read my son Quiet LOUD by Leslie Petricelli, but, on my own I'm reading 4th of July by James Patterson, Dragon's Breath by E.D. Baker and Love Walked In by Marisa de Los Santos. I can't read just one book at a time!!
I started reading Outlander last week. I couldn't put it down! I started Dragonfly in Amber last night and I will prbsbly have it finished by Friday. I'm not getting anything else done. My house is a disaster but I don't even care! I'm also married to a big red-headed Scot;)!
Mod
Congratulations Suzanne, you are now one of "us." Addicted to the tales of Claire and Jamie. The withdrawal comes while waiting for the next one to come out...
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I'm currently reading The Book of Lost Things by John Connelly for TNBBC's monthly read as well as a wonderful book called The Book That Changed My Life,a series of essays written by 71 writers about their love of books and reading and how those books impacted them.
I also have challenged my son to read The Book Thief which I just loved and I am reading his choice for me which is Watchmen.Totally not my kind of book,the format is so different from what I'm used to but I'm still finding it interesting and the payoff is that I'm getting my son to read something other than graphic novels and whatever he finds of interest on the internet.
It was so worth it when he came to me last night to exchange our thoughts on what we were reading and he couldn't quite hold back his grin of pleasure at my enjoyment of Watchmen or his for Book Thief.