The Next Best Book Club discussion
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What are you reading?
The Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I put it down for awhile because I couldn't get into it. I am chapter 7 and it is still slow. I am trying to knock off some of the books on To Be Read List before I buy anymore..
Ana wrote: "starting Their Eyes Were Watching God tonight"This classic looks really good. Thanks for sharing this!
Currently reading No Way Down: Life and Death on K2 by Graham Bowley; I'm weirdly obssessed by man vs. nature disaster stories! This one is quite good but Krakauer's Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster is still the Gold Standard.
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Jessica, welcome back to the fold!! I wish I was able to read C&P along with you. I love me some Dostovesky. (I think I just totally butchered his name! It's late and Im too lazy to check!)
Charity, Joe Hill sure takes after dad, doesn't he? He sets things up very well, I thought.
I finished This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff which I enjoyed. I'm now moving on to Dubliners by James Joyce.
Erika, I have a similar pile next to my bed. I also just came back from the library with another 5 books or so and my aunt just suggested another book and is lending me her copy, so that's yet another to add to the pile. The most ridiculous part is that I'm also re-reading a bunch of books. *sigh* I don't think I'd have it any other way though...
I have so much on my nightstand I don't have room for a physical TBR pile.At present I have 6 books on my currently reading shelf and another 6 on my next up shelf.
Luckily we have no budget at the library so I won't be buying any books for the English section for a while.
I just started The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I have enjoyed the Pendergast series so far .
Charity wrote: "Currently reading Horns by Joe Hill. Extremely chilling!"I really loved that book. It is definitely one that I will re-read.
I'm almost halfway thru Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War and I like it much better than I had initially thought I would.
Ana wrote: "starting Their Eyes Were Watching God tonight"This one is one of my favorite reads. I'm sure you'll like it.
Ralph wrote: "I just started The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I have enjoyed the Pendergast series so far .Ohhh, I loved this one Ralph! It's one of my favorites in the series.
I've just picked up "Reece's Bride" Kat Martin. It's the 2nd in a trilogy about 3 brother's who find their loves and marry.
I finished The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, which I really loved, but didn't care for the ending. I just barely started Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. I previously had a completely wrong idea about this book and am happy to know it's right up my ally!!
We will have a mini discussion on another site in August about Jacob de Zoet. Right now I started reading Let Us Now Praise Famous Men again after I had to return a copy to the library that was in battered and abused shape. The librarian retired the book.
i finished The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb last night. i really liked it, but i wish it had ended differently. there was such build up, but the ending felt flat to me. still, i enjoyed reading it.next up is Major Pettigrew's Last Stand.
F1Wild wrote: "I finished The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, which I really loved, but didn't care for the ending. I just barely started Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet ...Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is on my favorites list for this year. Very good book. Glad you're enjoying it.
I'm still reading The Gargoyle...its going a little slow but I'm only about 100 pages in. Did anyone else find it to be slow at first? Hopefully it will pick up.
Finished Horns by Joe Hill. Just starting The Marrowbone Marble Company by M. Glenn Taylor.
I just finished Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin.....now reading Lowcountry Summer by Dorothea Benton Frank.
I'm reading Crossing and am bitterly disappointed. For one thing, my silly inattentive ass didn't realize it is "YA" when I bought it (I don't like YA, sorry), and for another, it's not very well-written.
Amanda wrote: "Kari wrote: "Amanda wrote: "I just started re-reading To Kill a Mockingbird because..you know. I'm a southerner. It's summer. It's in our bylaws somewhere that you have read that book d..."Yes there is a wonderful play. I haven't seen it in Monroeville, however, I saw it here in Birmingham when the players came up during a civil rights event. The play concentrates on the courtroom scenes, yet conveys events outside of that venue. The actors are not professional, many of them are in the legal profession by day, but they do a wonderful job. If you can go to the old courthouse where they put the play on for a few weeks in the Spring, it's well worth the trip. It's definitely on my bucket list.
Joanie wrote: "I finished The Sex Lives of Cannibals and ended up liking it more than I thought I would especially since I had no desire to read it. It wasn't my favorite or anything but with the au..."Joanie - I am with you - I prefer the lighter novels especially in the summer.
I am reading an ARC novel called Miss You Most of All by Elizabeth Bass. Really enjoying it.
I'm still reading (and enjoying) 2666. I'm slowly getting through Part 4. I've started The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing: From the Files of Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator today. It's due back at the Library soon and can't be renewed. So far, it's pretty humerous...I think maybe more so than the first of this series, The Case of the Missing Servant.
Claire wrote: "I'm still reading The Gargoyle...its going a little slow but I'm only about 100 pages in. Did anyone else find it to be slow at first? Hopefully it will pick up."I read the Gargoyle in March and really enjoyed. But it did start very slow for me, it might have had something to do with my expectations, but I found that once **Forgot her name***came into the picture, things were interesting; once he got out of the hospital, I found the book faster moving.
I hope it picks up for you and you enjoy!
After starting three novels, throwing them all down in frustration, and re-reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I finally settled on Dismantled: A Novel by Jennifer McMahon. I loved Promise Not to Tell: A Novel and thought it was all sorts of creepy. This one seems to be going the same way, so we'll see...
I am just beginning The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest and have almost finished Wuthering Heights(which I have really enjoyed so far).
I'm reading Northern Lights which is a group read. I am enjoying it but I would have expected something his magical to delight me and it doesn't. As a result I am reading it in chunks of 20-30 pages that swallowing it down whole, which is my preferred method.
Claire wrote: "I'm still reading The Gargoyle...its going a little slow but I'm only about 100 pages in. Did anyone else find it to be slow at first? Hopefully it will pick up."I struggled with it too Claire. I listened to a lot of the audio which definitely helped me to hang in there though. You might want to check it out.
I LOVE the idea of TKAMB being acted out that way! Too bad I live way to far away in MA to make it but that's awesome!
I finished All American Girl last night and just started Still Alice which is making my heart ache already. Guess I have officially switched gears.
Joanie wrote: "Claire wrote: "I'm still reading The Gargoyle...its going a little slow but I'm only about 100 pages in. Did anyone else find it to be slow at first? Hopefully it will pick up."I ..."
Joanie:
Still Alice is a wonderful, but at times alarming, read. I kept testing my own brain throughout to be certain I wasn't exhibiting the same signs as Alice.
I finished The Lost World on audio yesterday and am really happy to say it's still one of my favourite books after all these years. Now I'm going to start, like everybody else already, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.
Alisha wrote: "After starting three novels, throwing them all down in frustration, and re-reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I finally settled on Dismantled: A Novel by Jennifer McMahon..."I almost bought this yesterday but reigned myself in since I have literally a teetering mountain of books at home. I loved McMahon's other two though (well, loved is strong but they were entertaining summer reads.) I'll be anxious to hear what you think about it.
Linda, it's definitely scary to think your brain can just go haywire that way one day and while you're still so young. My dad has Alzheimer's so I think that's adding to my heartache but just the story alone is enough to do it to anyone.
Erika wrote: "Claire wrote: "I'm still reading The Gargoyle...its going a little slow but I'm only about 100 pages in. Did anyone else find it to be slow at first? Hopefully it will pick up."I ..."
Yes, I have read her first story. I think part of my problem is that I haven't had alot of uninterrupted time to sit down and read a good chunk of the book in one sitting, so it doesn't seem to be flowing for me. I'll try to do that this weekend.
I'm about half way through The Street of a Thousand Blossoms. So far, I am enjoying it. I will probably pick up another book by the author in the future.I also started The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. So far, OK, but not exceptional.
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Maria, I think you are the only other person I know that has read Halcyon Crane. How did you happen across it?
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I've started [book:The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing: From the Files of Vish Puri, Most Private Investig..."
Petra, so happy to hear that you are reading the second novel in the Puri series.
Lori, I think that perhaps Tarquin Hall is finding his stride with the characters in this series. I'm finding their humour and actions more natural (less stiff) than in the first book.
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Vonney wrote: "Am only 2% (Kindle) into "The Poisonwood Bible", and I don't want to put it down. Loving it!"I absolutely loved that book..like you couldn't put it down. Kingsolver's newest book the Lacuna is very different but good , slow to start finishes big.
I have two library books to read right now with time limits. My Name is Mary Sutter and The Coral Thief.
I finished Mistress of Rome and loved it! Now it's onto the books I have to read for uni. I chose a popular culture unit and really wished I hadn't coz I'm stuck with The Hunt for Red October which isn't really my thing.
I have just read - and loved - The Art of Devotion
by Samantha Bruce-Benjamin. She doesn't write like Anita Shreve, but the type of story is similar - it's big,m yet heart-wrenching. It's the type of book you buy in the airport before you go on holiday - the trade paperback table, with a gorgeous cover - and then can't put down for the rest of the time you're away. I took four books away with me and only read this, because I couldn't think about anything else once I'd finished it.
I'm reading Lady of the Butterflies which I won from First Reads. So far so good! I expected it to me a little too... romance-y? for my taste. But it's actually very well written and I'm interested in the characters which is half the battle with me anyway.
Finally reading the Last Child by Hart. Now I know why Hart won the Edgar. Although the plot deals with one I've read before- the remaining child when a sibling has been kidnapped or is missing- the writing is gorgeous and lets you feel both the agony of the parent and child .
Holly wrote: "I have just read - and loved - The Art of Devotion by Samantha Bruce-Benjamin. She doesn't write like Anita Shreve on my bookshelf. I love books about the 1930s. I just finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society and loved it. Thanks for the recommendation.
Jo wrote: "I'm reading Linger"I don't really think these books are for me, but I was checking them out in the store the other day and I love how, at least in the US editions, the text is colored to match the cover. The first has pale blue text and the second pale green text.
Along those lines, I read Boneshaker, which is steampunk/alt-history and the text was all sepia (brownish) rather than black. Really appealing, though you don't notice it after a while.
I am reading The Grass Arena: An Autobiography. A journey into the world of alcoholism and the game that saved his life.
Currently reading a compilation of science fiction short stories called 'Constellations' which includes the likes of Clarke, Bixby, Vonnegut, and others.
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The Next Best Book Club
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Lori: I, too, loved The Secret History. Did you also read The Little Friend? I thought it was ..."
Butting in here... LOL
The Little Friend was amazing! Harriet knocked me out.
It's greatest gift was bringing back the magic and terror of childhood.