Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion

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Let's Talk About: Your Books > What are you reading AND what do you think?

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message 201: by Alicia (new)

Alicia Niquae recommended Josh Lanyon's Adrien English series to me a while back, and having just finished the first one, Fatal Shadows, I can say that it was a really sweet, enjoyable mystery/mm romance. If you see this Niquae, thanks for the rec, it was much appreciated and I can't wait to read more of the series!


message 202: by Kristina (new)

Kristina (kristinalawhead) Mckris10 wrote: "Kristina - I've been wanting to read Vixen, I love the time period. Can you let me know what you think when you're done with it? :o) Thanks!"

It was really good! I gave it 4 stars! It was like a combination of gossip girl and The Luxe series, with the best elements of both. I'd recommend it if you were already considering it :)


message 203: by Kristen (new)

Kristen  | 223 comments Sounds great, Kristina! Next time I make a trip to the library I will see if they have it. I'm always up for a good read that someone recommends. haha


message 204: by Kellyflower (new)

Kellyflower | 248 comments Lacey wrote: "Just started Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver and thus far it is really good I really like where this is going..."

I had a hard time with that book. I just couldn't feel bad for any of the "mean girls"
BUT I thought it was well written.


message 205: by Lacey (new)

Lacey | 61 comments @Kellyflower- I actually enjoyed the book, though I can see where your coming from, for half the book I couldn't stand how they acted but in the end the transformation of Sam was soooo beautiful.

Finished Before i Fall and now reading Wherever You Go by Heather Davis I just started it so there's not much to say.


message 206: by Jex (new)

Jex (jexball) | 2227 comments Just finished Little Brother by Cory Doctorow and I absolutely loved it! I'll be posting a review about it later today. I highly recommend it to anyone that hates the idea of a police state and has any interest in the hacker world. Its crazy because most dystopian novels are set in some far distant future, but this one feels like it could happen right now, and may have already started happening to some extent.


message 207: by toria (vikz writes) (last edited Apr 02, 2011 08:19AM) (new)

toria (vikz writes) (victoriavikzwrites) I'm reading The Golden Ass: Or Metamorphoses, very strange.


message 208: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (treychel) | 1484 comments I am reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green . I love John Green so much. i really wish he would write more. His writing is edgy and completely real. I really wish I could teach a whole unit on John Green. But, I am not hloding my breath. That wish only gets granted in my head. :(


message 209: by Alicia (last edited Apr 02, 2011 01:57PM) (new)

Alicia Rachel wrote: "I am reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green . I love John Green so much. i really wish he would write more. His writing is edgy and completely real. I really wish I could teach a wh..."

I loved Will Grayson, Will Grayson too. I even loved Tiny, which is the character that most people seem to hate. I would pay good money to go see a production of Tiny Dancer, lol!


message 210: by Sashana (new)

Sashana I'm reading Wither (Chemical Garden, #1) by Lauren DeStefano it's about a future society which forces under aged girls to reproduce without consent. I'm wondering how the author is going to pull off this story in a tasteful way, especially because it's a YA book.


message 211: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (treychel) | 1484 comments @Alicia- At first, I did not like Tiny, but he grew on me. I must say that straight Will was still my favorite character though. I would pay to see that production too. It sounded like it was pretty darn good actually! Maybe we should suggest to John Green that he does a spin-off in print and then actually produces Tiny Dancer. Hmmmmm.

@Sashana- That sounds mighty interesting actually. I will have to put this on my TBR pile mountain.


message 212: by Lacey (new)

Lacey | 61 comments Sashana wrote: "I'm reading Wither (Chemical Garden, #1) by Lauren DeStefano it's about a future society which forces under aged girls to reproduce without consent. I'm wondering how the author is going to pull off this story in a tast..."

I've read this book, it was really good, I think you'll like it.

I'm currently reading Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly and I'm only 100 pages in but it's very interesting thus far.


message 213: by whimsicalmeerkat (new)

whimsicalmeerkat I'm working on The Moonstone today. It's a lot of fun, actually.


message 214: by Kristina (new)

Kristina (kristinalawhead) Im reading Dead to the World (Sookie Stackhouse, #4) by Charlaine Harris and I really like it! Its funny and interesting, just like all the books have been so far


message 215: by Shadow Jubilee (last edited Apr 19, 2011 12:36PM) (new)

Shadow Jubilee (uhqs) I just finished Jane Eyre. I remember disliking this book with some passion when I had had to read it for high school English class. I think part of it had to do with the expectation of having to analyze it to death, and part of it had to do with the Gothic genre. However, with the humor and romance from the recent Jane Eyre film in mind, I think I was better able to work my way through this book. I found myself enjoying it a lot more, and eager to continue reading, and loathed to stop to sleep or eat or to perform other real life duties. Some of the text went over my head due to the unfamiliar syntax so I'm resolved to purchase either an annotated version of Jane Eyre or some sort of critical reading text. If anyone can recommend one, I'd appreciate it. I'm currently contemplating getting Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Jane Eyre (Norton Critical Editions).


message 216: by Shay (new)

Shay | 923 comments niquae wrote: "I just finished Jane Eyre. I remember disliking this book with some passion when I had had to read it for high school English class. I think part of it had to do with the expectation of having to a..."

A lot of public libraries subscribe to online literary journals. Mine used to have volumes of other things like Contemporary Literary Criticism, but they got rid of them because they ran out of space. So, my library has an online research link where I can input my library card and PIN and get access to the journal articles, criticism, etc. Also, if you're a student, you can get usually get access to stuff like this through your college library- GALE, EBSCO, etc. My son's school district (K-12) also subscribes to journals, encyclopedias, etc.


message 217: by Lacey (last edited Apr 20, 2011 03:33PM) (new)

Lacey | 61 comments Finished Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly Which was amazing by the way, still trying to wrap my mind around it.

I'm now reading Wolfsbane A Nightshade Novel by Andrea Cremer Which I just started so not much to report buy I liked the first book; Nightshade.


message 218: by Sashana (new)

Sashana You got Wolfsbane pretty fast, Lacey. I've heard many great things about Jennifer Donnelly but her books are hard to find for me. I have no idea why.


message 219: by Lacey (last edited Apr 21, 2011 05:00PM) (new)

Lacey | 61 comments Yeah I got the ARC for Wolfsbane; which my cat Jasmine has bitten the corner of it, LoL. She must sense the werewolves or something.

And I loved her book Revolution, at first I didn't and I almost put it down but after I got past that part it was a fast read. And I have her book Northern light but I haven't read it. But I don't know why you're having problems finding it. I just went to Barnes and Noble today and saw it there...Interesting, is fate keeping it from you? LoL.


message 220: by Amy J. (new)

Amy J. | 686 comments I'm just getting ready to start reading Inkspell (Inkheart, #2) by Cornelia Funke , by watching the movie Inkheart


message 221: by Shadow Jubilee (new)

Shadow Jubilee (uhqs) Shay wrote: "niquae wrote: "I just finished Jane Eyre. I remember disliking this book with some passion when I had had to read it for high school English class. I think part of it had to do with the expectation..."

Thanks for reminding me about the library system although literary criticism on Jane Eyre isn't quite what I was thinking of. I'd actually prefer my own copy of an annotated version of Jane Eyre so that I can highlight or write notes in so I'll keep looking.


message 222: by Lacey (new)

Lacey | 61 comments Finished Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson which was really good, new and fresh.

Now I'm reading Wildefire by Karsten Knight a very interesting beginning...can't wait to read more into it, just started though :)


message 223: by Shay (new)

Shay | 923 comments Niquae, this version: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë has annotations and notes, I believe.


message 224: by whimsicalmeerkat (new)

whimsicalmeerkat This pervasive habit of linking covers instead of titles and my griping about it just inspired my boyfriend to start coding a solution that would add in the text showing the book & author's name next to it. I find this amusing and thought I would share in case I am not alone in that.


message 225: by Shay (new)

Shay | 923 comments I like people posting the covers because that's how I choose a lot of books. Or at least that's what motivates me to click on a book or pick it up and read the summary. I find that I'll overlook a book a dozen times, but if I see the cover, I'll end up adding it to my TBR.


message 226: by whimsicalmeerkat (new)

whimsicalmeerkat It's not the posting of the covers so much as it is the non-posting of the book's title. It's a problem if I'm on my phone or don't have the mouseover function on. I can't tell what books are from just the cover if I'm unfamiliar with them.


message 227: by Shadow Jubilee (new)

Shadow Jubilee (uhqs) ah, thanks for reminding me. I too had a problem with that, Denae, but now I just mouseover. I started using the covers more because the book then stands out. Your comment just reminded me that neither book nor title show up on when using the iPhone app. That had annoyed me yesterday because then I have no idea what books people were talking about when I was using the app. I will try to take that into account next time I post a book. :)


message 228: by Kristina (new)

Kristina (kristinalawhead) I am reading This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen and I don't know what to think yet. I like it but I haven't read any of her books before, they aren't really my type of reading but I hear good things so I thought I'd try. I'm 1/3 of the way done and its a little boring so I hope it gets better!


message 229: by Alkmini (new)

Alkmini I am reading The Pelican Brief by John Grisham The Pelican Brief by John Grisham and I really really like it!!! Actually I kind of love it!!!


message 230: by Sashana (new)

Sashana Kristina wrote: "I am reading This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen and I don't know what to think yet. I like it but I haven't read any of her books before, they aren't really my type of reading but I hear good things so..."

She's a great author. I would recommend Just Listen by Sarah Dessen and The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen . I think they are her best books.


message 231: by Samantha (new)

Samantha Mullins (hixxup79) since my last time being on I have read Every Which Way But Dead (The Hollows, #3) by Kim Harrison Liked it A LOT! it was just so yummmmy. But also read The Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld, #7) by Gena Showalter not my fav but still good, and then Single White Vampire (Argeneau, #3) by Lynsay Sands this series is great, it's so funny...funny and sexy Rawr! And then just finished River Marked (Mercedes Thompson, #6) by Patricia Briggs this has got to be my fav out of the series by far awesome book.


message 232: by Shadow Jubilee (new)

Shadow Jubilee (uhqs) I'm reading Special Forces by Aleksandr Voinov and Marquesate. It's the only one of the 8 in my currently reading list that I'm focused on. I really like it. I'm only halfway through the book but it's a 5-star for me.

It needs an editor but the book is still readable. It's long but each scene between the two protagonists serve to deepen and develop their relationship. The characters are hardly flat and two dimensional; they change and grow - and the book is barely even halfway over. It's technically a gay love story but it's violent and realistic. If it weren't for the love story line, it'd probably be one of those blood, battle and gore books that the big boys like to read (and that I prefer to avoid). I don't like too much realism in my escapism stories, but this works for me. And these authors are soo good at showing, not telling. The last time I was this impressed by how authors showed the characters falling in love instead of telling the readers was J.L. Merrow's novella, Pricks and Pragmatism.

It is self-published, and available for free in PDF format from the author's website.

Avoid if you dislike reading about: violence, rape, same sex relationships, straying (uncommitted) partners

Special Forces by Aleksandr Voinov Pricks and Pragmatism by J.L. Merrow


message 233: by Rachel (last edited May 10, 2011 08:36PM) (new)

Rachel (treychel) | 1484 comments Hmmm. Interesting. I just looked at the website. Looks like someone is trying to clean it up. Did you read the original version all the way through or read the edited version as far as you could then switch over?

Oh, and thanks for the disclaimer. None of that, or virtually nanything for that matter bothers me, but thanks for giving us all the heads up.


message 234: by Shadow Jubilee (new)

Shadow Jubilee (uhqs) I'm reading the Director's Cut for Soldiers right now. It is complete. It is separate in two parts for the print version but is in one file as a PDF. I believe he is working on an edited version of Mercenaries, but that will probably take a while.


message 235: by Shadow Jubilee (new)

Shadow Jubilee (uhqs) Too embarrassed to let people who read over other people's shoulders to read Special Forces: Mercenaries by Aleksandr Voinov & Marquesate with me, I started reading Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella, an author I've seen rated highly for writing amusing chick-lit, on my commute home. I have to confess that it's kind of boring me. I don't think the author's writing style agrees with me, and I cannot really relate to Rebecca. Considering I have only a couple of days before my loan expires (damn those unrenewable digital loans), I'm thinking of making this book a DNF. I believe that her love interest is Luke, correct? But to be honest, I don't know what he sees in her. She's shallow and fake because she places too much on appearances and not even trying to do some reading so that she actually knows what she is talking about for her job. Luke seems like an intelligent, successful guy - except when it comes to his taste in women. Perhaps I didn't give Rebecca enough of a chance. I only read a little past Chapter 2, but I got the feeling that I wouldn't enjoy it by the middle of Chapter 1.

What do you think? Should I persevere? Is there something about Rebecca that I might end up liking? Or is this it and I probably won't enjoy the rest of the book?

Special Forces - Mercenaries Part I Confessions of a Shopaholic


message 236: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (treychel) | 1484 comments I say leave it. If you cannot find anything that wants you to continue move on to something else. There are waaaay to many books out there to waste time on one that is absolutely horrid to you. :)


message 237: by Sashana (new)

Sashana I'm currently reading Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels, #4) by Ilona Andrews and I LOVE it. I have never read a series as fast as I've read this one. It is now in my to ten favorite series. Maybe even my top five. It's just that good. I have to thank Sans for choosing the first book as a BOM. Best thing I've read in a really long time.


message 238: by Rachel (new)

Rachel (treychel) | 1484 comments I just got Magic Bites in the mail last night. I cannot wait to start it!


message 239: by Sashana (new)

Sashana Wooohooo! I can't wait for you to start it.


message 240: by Jennifer (new)

Jennifer (jhaltenburger) I just finished In the Last Analysis In the Last Analysis (Kate Fansler, #1) by Amanda Cross and it's one of the best mysteries I've read in a long time-- intelligent, and without the common flaw of explanations for events that either are too flimsy to ring true or too obvious. Nice book!


message 241: by Samantha (new)

Samantha Mullins (hixxup79) ok since my last time on here well not being on my phone that is, I have read Awaken Me Darkly (Alien Huntress, #1) by Gena Showalter It was an awesome book, Gena Showalter is an amazing writer. Then I read Iron Crowned (Dark Swan, #3) by Richelle Mead more of this will be in my review of the book, and then Narcissus in Chains (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #10) by Laurell K. Hamilton talk about one intense book. Then lol I read The Morganville Vampires, Volume 3 (The Morganville Vampires, #5-6) by Rachel Caine I just love this series sooooo much, and then in the last 18-24 hours I've read Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (Maximum Ride, #3) by James Patterson The Final Warning (Maximum Ride, #4) by James Patterson & Max (Maximum Ride, #5) by James Patterson and now I am scared to read Fang (Maximum Ride, #6) by James Patterson & Angel (Maximum Ride Series #7) by James Patterson Because I know that Max & fang end up breaking up and not getting back together at the end of Angel *sighs* After Hard Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires, #4) by Chloe Neill I am not wanting anymore heartbreak at the moment


message 242: by Sashana (new)

Sashana I need to read the last book in the Maximum Ride series. I'm reading Hard Bitten too. it started off strong but I got sidetracked by some other books and now I'm bored with it.


message 243: by Samantha (new)

Samantha Mullins (hixxup79) yeah I think I'm gonna take a break from the Maximum Ride series for a moment I'm just not ready to go there just yet, if you Read Angel before I can get to it let me know what you think of it....there is one more after this and it's over it's done, always sad to see a series end. :(


message 244: by Sashana (new)

Sashana Did you finish Hard Bitten yet? The ending is so jaw dropping. I'm slightly mad at the author.


message 245: by Samantha (new)

Samantha Mullins (hixxup79) yes I'm pissed over it too


message 246: by Jennifer (new)

Jennifer (jhaltenburger) Reading The Queen of Last Hopes The Queen of Last Hopes by Susan Higginbotham . I'm liking it although for some reason I'm finding the switching back and forth between points of view difficult-- probably because Margaret and Suffolk sound enough alike and are talking about the same situations to such an extent that the normal "separation" cues are missing. I'm enjoying it though.


message 247: by Chelly (new)

Chelly (teamderek13) | 62 comments I won a free ARC of Darkness, My Old Friend by Lisa Unger Darkness, My Old Friend A Novel by Lisa Unger ...due out in the summer I belive...reeeeaaaally good so far :)

Love her writing style anyway but in this one, she rotates between different perspectives (all the people are inter-realted tho) It's really great


message 248: by Jennifer (new)

Jennifer (jhaltenburger) Reading The Thief of Venice The Thief of Venice by Jane Langton and so far it's delightful-- literate, fast-paced, interesting drawings in it, good characters.


message 249: by Shadow Jubilee (last edited May 20, 2011 11:20AM) (new)

Shadow Jubilee (uhqs) I've been slowly working through Special Forces by Aleksandr Voinov & Marquesate. I am on Mercenaries II, the third book in the quartet. It's an intense gay love story spanning 20 or so years. While the writing is not perfect and it needs a great deal of editing (these are self-published books by authors for whom English is not their first language), it feels really deep, emotional, raw, and real.

Maybe it's because of this or maybe it's because I'm getting a little bored with the formulaic heterosexual romance stories but I also started Sweet Seduction by Tania Tirraoro recently. What I like about it is that it is in contemporary England with the typical Lord that one often reads about in Regency romances. But what really stands out to me is a lot of telling, introspection, and same old same old characterizations and phrases. It sounds like it might be a light, entertaining romantic read on one of my better days, but right now, I'm just a bit disappointed by how unoriginal it really is.

I'm only past Chapter 2 so I hope for improvement as I read on.

Special Forces - Mercenaries Part II (Special Forces, #3) by Marquesate Sweet Seduction by Tania Tirraoro


message 250: by Samantha (new)

Samantha Mullins (hixxup79) read Cerulean Sins (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #11) by Laurell K. Hamilton and now reading Faefever (Fever, #3) by Karen Marie Moning


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