The Next Best Book Club discussion
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What are you reading?
Harold wrote: "If you like Elmore Leonard you'll like Carl Hiaasen. Same type of thing and marketed in paperback to highlight that similarity. I read Hiaasen's Sick Puppy five or six years ago and enjoyed. It's g..."Harold, Thanks for the response. However, I've done all the Leonards and Hiaasens and keep an eye out for their next books. So, I'll keep searching for someone new on the scene.
I just finished reading Timothy Hallinan's A Nail Through the Heart and really enjoyed it - enough to look forward to the next 3 in the series. Highly recommended!!!I just started The Calligrapher's Daughter, the debut by Eugenia Kim. I honestly couldn't decide between several books and so started it without much conviction. Well, several hours/chapters later I can't put it down.
Anyone read The Passion? Barreled through it in one day. Will probably begin Itinéraire d'enfance tomorrow- and fully expect the undertaking to take up my reading brain cells for the rest of the month!
John wrote: "Kristi,Yes, I've read "Four Corners" not as good as "Handling Sin" I've also read all of the Hiaasen books and the first three are the best of the lot.
Here's one that almost equals "Handling..."
Thanks John. I'll try to keep that in mind. Though with my mind? Not likely to stay long. (ha ha).
Hmmmm, funny stuff.....Well, if you don't mind female authors...Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. Though it does have a little bit of romance in there. And the main character is a female, so you might not find it as funny. Sometimes if you can't relate to the character, it's difficult to see the humor. Myself I literally found myself laughing out loud at her.
Hmmm...I just read Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. It's got a twisted sense of humor, a touch dry, which is similiar to Michael Malone. Now, I didn't find Illuminated all that funny, but I've heard from people who read his other work(s) and they said funnier than Illuminated. Maybe you might want to give him a try?
Just started reading The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. Have been waiting for this book for a while.
Shay wrote: "Just started reading The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. Have been waiting for this book for a while."As usual another great book by Mitchell.
We just read Troilus and Cressida by Shakespeare for my book club in preparation for going to see a live, outdoor performance of it last night. It was a lot of fun! Got to picnic outdoors on the Hudson River for a few hours before watching in a beautiful outdoor ampitheater. Overall, my least favorite Shakespearean play that I have read - move over Julius Caesar. I probably understood about 40% of it while reading it. Watching and hear it, complete with inflections and acting really helped though. I probably now understand about 60-70% of the play.
Definitely plan to see more Shakespeare live. Great night!
Now, I am reading an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet (purely coincidental) called Juliet. Pretty entertaining so far.
I finished Genesis by Bernard Beckett which I thought was very interesting. I'm now reading Roommates: My Grandfather's Story by Max Apple.
Thanks, I'll look for "Illuminated" And, I did laugh alot with Evanovich's series of crime novels. I think the lead is a facinating character and her sidekicks are really funny.
Bridgit wrote: "We just read Troilus and Cressida by Shakespeare for my book club in preparation for going to see a live, outdoor performance of it last night. It was a lot of fun! Got to picnic outd..."I'm envious. That, too, is my least favorite Shakespeare play, I think it may be everyone's. So, it's hardly ever performed- I've never seen it on stage. Was the play itself improved by seeing it on live, on stage?
Shay wrote: "Bridgit wrote: "We just read Troilus and Cressida by Shakespeare for my book club in preparation for going to see a live, outdoor performance of it last night. It was a lot of fun! Go..."It was definitely 'better' than the written version. The first half of it was pretty enjoyable, but the second half definitely dragged. It was 2.5 hours, which was way too long. My attention definitely lapsed a bit by the end. There was a lot of running and yelling - recreating the fight scenes was hard and it didnt come across all that well. BUT it definitely improved my understanding and appreciation for the play.
Shay wrote: "Just started reading The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. Have been waiting for this book for a while."Love it!! I had been a Mitchell virgin, but now after this book, eagerly await reading more.
F1Wild wrote: "Shay wrote: "Just started reading The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. Have been waiting for this book for a while."Love it!! I had been a Mitchell virgin, but now after this bo..."
Try Black Swan Green next. Excellent book.
I am reading a book called Island of Lost Girls. Hard to put down.
I finially finished The Iliad which I loved. I'm gonna continue with The Odyssey and I'm also starting The White Queen
F1Wild wrote: "Carol (Kitty) wrote: "Try Black Swan Green next. Excellent book."Or Cloud Atlas?"
They both are good. I want to get ghostwritten next.
I started and finished Been Here a Thousand Years: A Novel. I didn't even mean to read it. I ordered another book and got this one by mistake. It was pretty bad. It didn't make any sense at all, had no point, and was boring. I can't wait to get rid of it on paperbackswap.
Finished Roommates: My Grandfather's Story by Max Apple all ready and am moving on to Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani. It's nice to finally read some books that have been on my shelf for a while.
I started and finished Island of Lost Girls today. I could not put the book down until I knew the end... Dishes and laundry were put off for another day.
Marti, is that by Jennifer McMahon. I want to make sure I added the right one to my TBR. I just finished her book, Promise Not To Tell and I enjoyed it, though it took me two days to read so it might not be quite as good as that one :)
Vicki wrote: "Marti, is that by Jennifer McMahon. I want to make sure I added the right one to my TBR. I just finished her book, Promise Not To Tell and I enjoyed it, though it took me two days to read so..."YES It is by Jennifer McMahon. It has 255 pages and I thought it read fast. I must admit Vicki - I didn't do much of anything else. I am adding Promise Not To Tell to my list.
Alex you were so right about Montana. Got cold reading about the Vikings so alternated between them and the balmy Pacific Isles.
Marti wrote: "Vicki wrote: "Marti, is that by Jennifer McMahon. I want to make sure I added the right one to my TBR. I just finished her book, Promise Not To Tell and I enjoyed it, though it took me two d..."Well, I think I went to sleep. I started it Friday night and finished it Saturday afternoon. I love when books grab you like that. It was hard to find a part I was willing to fall asleep on. Have you read anything else by her? I have Dismantled on my shelf to read. I hope you enjoy Promise Not To Tell.
Haven't read Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida, just Chaucer's, which I liked.
I loved Promise Not to Tell. It was so deliciously creepy. However, I have read Dismantled: A Novel and was very disappointed. I ended up giving it two stars.
I am currently reading "North Of Beautiful" by Justina Chen Headley. I've gotten through half the book and I must say, it's impressionable. A good must read.
God, I go away for a week and come back to 218 new posts! Crazy! I'm still plugging away at The Passage and Anna Karenina but I did finish Sharp Objects which wasn't great but definitely entertaining and had a little twist at the end so I gave it 4 stars-was feeling generous. I just started Wicked on audio-this is my 3rd or 4th attempt at this book and I thought maybe listening to the audio would help me get past the point where I always stall out. We'll see.
The Great Gatsby, finally. I've been reading contemporary fiction for such a long time now that I really had to get re-used to the language of older novels. It didn't take long, though, for the language to start flowing as naturally as contemporary fiction.
Just started reading
. Sounds like it might be similar to the book 1000 White Women. Loved that book so hope I enjoy this one!
F1Wild wrote: "I just finished reading Timothy Hallinan's A Nail Through the Heart and really enjoyed it - enough to look forward to the next 3 in the series. Highly recommended!!!I just started The Calligrapher's Daughter, the debut by Eugenia Kim. I honestly couldn't decide between several books and so started it without much conviction. Well, several hours/chapters later I can't put it down."
i didn't care for The Calligrapher's Daughter. it was interesting, but the story really seemed to drag for me. i gave up about 2/3 of the way through and read the last chapter to figure it all out.
i finished Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig last night. it's the third in her Pink Carnation spy series. they're fluffy reads, but entertaining, so i enjoy them. my library has the rest, so i'll probably pick those up tonight and finish the series over the next few days.my library book group will be reviewing Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier tonight, i'm looking forward to what everyone there has to say. the group is mostly women over 70, with a few of us born after 1970 thrown in for good measure, so it should a good discussion!
Currently reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. I'm only at the beginning, so I don't really know what to expect.
Bhumi wrote: "Currently reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. I'm only at the beginning, so I don't really know what to expect."I absolutely love this book. It's incredible. I hope you enjoy it. :)
I really enjoyed One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, as well. I read it on my own after reading the play and seeing the movie and thought it was fantastic.I'm picking up Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour now, which I won ages ago as an ARC but haven't had time to read, despite really wanting to (I'm a not-very-closeted WWII history nerd). I'm looking forward to it.
Alisha wrote: "I loved Promise Not to Tell. It was so deliciously creepy. However, I have read Dismantled: A Novel and was very disappointed. I ended up giving it two stars."Aww, that's a bit disappointing. I think I have heard before that they don't compare. With that in mind, I am waiting awhile and will be well aware that it might not live up to my expectations.
Finished reading Eragon by Christopher Paolini. I actually enjoyed reading this book. Watched the movie straight away on DVD, but it wasn't as good as the book. There are many unanswered questions in Eragon.. so I'm looking forward to reading Eldest, as soon as I get my hands on a copy :)I'm now reading Things I Want My Daughters to Know by Elizabeth Noble... so far so good, but a bit sad..
Bridgit wrote: "We just read Troilus and Cressida by Shakespeare for my book club in preparation for going to see a live, outdoor performance of it last night. It was a lot of fun! Got to picnic outd..."I thought Juliet was an excellent book!
Finished Great and Terrible Beauty, now onto Silent Spring! My nonfiction reading is as slow as ever.
Kaion wrote: "Finished Great and Terrible Beauty, now onto Silent Spring! My nonfiction reading is as slow as ever."Silent Spring is one of those I've been meaning to read but have never gotten to. How do you like it so far?
I'm still reading The White Queen and I just don't care for it. I hate to not finish a book but I'm not sure I'm gonna keep going.
I'm reading The Man Who Loved Books too Much and The Devil and Sherlock Holmes. Going to start the latest Artemis Fowl book - The Atlantis Complex. I was introduced to them through a young friend and now I'm hooked.
Brenda wrote: "Bridgit wrote: "We just read Troilus and Cressida by Shakespeare for my book club in preparation for going to see a live, outdoor performance of it last night. It was a lot of fun! Go..."I'm almost done with it - about 75 pages to go. I don't know why, but i kept waiting for it to get bad. It hasn't! Very entertaining book!
Has anyone read Shadow of the Silk Road. I just started it and I bought India: A History so I could return the library copy. It is going to take awhile to read it.
I just picked up several new Georgette Heyer books at the library. I hadn't ever read her before, but I love her books!
Flora wrote: "Silent Spring is one of those I've been meaning to read but have never gotten to. How do you like it so far?"I'm loving it Flora! Sometimes it gets a little too fact-barrage-y, but it's very to-the-point, which I enjoy.
Emily wrote: "Bhumi wrote: "Currently reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. I'm only at the beginning, so I don't really know what to expect."I absolutely love this book. It's inc..."
Thanks! I definitely hope to enjoy it.
I have One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and now have to restrain myself from reading it. Maybe I'll read it anyway.
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The Next Best Book Club
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Yes, I've read "Four Corners" not as good as "Handling Sin" I've also read all of the Hiaasen books and the first three are the best of the lot.
Here's one that almost equals "Handling Sin," John Kennedy Toole's "A Confederacy of Dunces."
I'll keep searching for the next really funny writer.