The Next Best Book Club discussion
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What are you reading?
Diane wrote: "Just finished Wuthering Heights. Man, I love that book. Flawless storytelling and a strong gothic vibe Not too many books rate higher on my all-time scale of greatness.A wonderful classic, I love it also.
Over the weekend I finished Company of Liars which was an excellent historical novel which takes place during the plaque years and is done in a Canterbury Tales format. The last "lie' I truthfully did not see,and it made for a "Wow" type ending.
Just returned from the library with a copy of "The Lonely Polygamist". Can’t wait to get a pot of soup going for dinner then sink into this book. I’m kind of fascinated by some of the more outlandish aspects of the Mormon religion. Have heard good things about this book and think the title is hilarious. Hope the content is just as grabbing.
Suzanne C wrote: "I just finished Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas. Best book I've read in a while."i just read this last month for my library book group, and it was a much better story that i thought it would be. i liked the characters a lot, i think they would have been fun to know.
Petra wrote: "During my commutes, I'm listening to The Swan Thieves, which is mysterious. "I liked the idea of this book, but in the end didn't feel it was as successful as it might have been. I thought her previous book The Historian was better. Will be curious to hear what you think, though!
I finished The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay which I enjoyed. This author was new to me and he reminds me a lot of John Irving.Now I've moved on to a chick book, The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs.
I am reading Wallace Stegner's great book on the West, Angle of Repose.
Erin wrote: "Petra wrote: "During my commutes, I'm listening to The Swan Thieves, which is mysterious. "I liked the idea of this book, but in the end didn't feel it was as successful as it might have been. I..."
I read The Swan Thieves last winter and adored it. But I've picked up The Historian in bookstores and ultimately left it there, afraid that it wouldn't equal the intrigue and pull of The Swan Thieves. Also, I wondered if I would have as much interest in the topic. What did you like about The Historian that you felt was lacking in The Swan Thieves?
I'm on the last 2 pages of Loud in the House of Myself, by Stacy Pershall. It's an absorbing, often heartbreaking account of a life set askew by uncontrolled mental illness. I highly recommend it and must thank Paula for calling it to my attention.
Just finished Lavinia and really loved it. Le Guin really gives a voice and life to the woman barely mentioned in The Aeneid. Am about 2/3 of the way thru City of Glass and its good so far too.
Shay wrote: "Lekeshua wrote: "@Jeffrey and Shay,I just added Quincunx to my extremely long TBR shelf to read as a comparison. Never heard of it before. But I had started Crimson Petal and the White by Michael ..."
Shay, I do the same thing. The pile on my nightstand is out growing it's current home. Maybe we can do a buddy read on them to motivate us both to get to them.
Lekeshua wrote: "Shay wrote: "Lekeshua wrote: "@Jeffrey and Shay,I just added Quincunx to my extremely long TBR shelf to read as a comparison. Never heard of it before. But I had started Crimson Petal and the Whit..."
I wouldn't mind doing a buddy read. It seems like those are the only books I actually commit to reading. All my other books depend on my mood- I'm not good at making a list of books and sticking to just reading those books.
I haven't read a book as a group read during the time the group was reading but I can stick with books for a challenge so this will be a fun first for me. Just let me know when your ready.
Reading The Diviner's Tale, having abandoned Pictures of You and ripped my way through the fascinating The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down.
I started reading Neal Stephenson's Anathem earlier this week. It can be a bit daunting at times with all the logic involved but it's a fascinating novel =)
Lekeshua wrote: "I haven't read a book as a group read during the time the group was reading but I can stick with books for a challenge so this will be a fun first for me. Just let me know when your ready."How's sometime next week? That will also give other people time to get the book too.
Shay wrote: "Lekeshua wrote: "I haven't read a book as a group read during the time the group was reading but I can stick with books for a challenge so this will be a fun first for me. Just let me know when you..."Agree. I have to find my copy of Faber and purchase the other.
I just completed
. What is your opinion of this one? I had trouble with the end, but I kept an open mind for the majority of the story. I love Dante's Inferno, and was pleased with the integration into the story in most aspects. I have a little trouble with the new Grim Reaper part though.Others?
Right now I'm reading The Great Book of Amber. Fun to cart around, especially with the looks I get!And this one:
I had to link the cover because I think it's a really cute cover.
Jeffrey wrote: "I am reading The Crimson Petal and the Whiteby Michel Faber. I am about a quarter of the way in and enjoying so far. It is set in 19th century London about the time Dickens novels are set, but wri..."
I read it a couple of years ago. I liked the setting and appreciated the story's originality. I think you'll enjoy it all the way through. As I recall, it becomes more engrossing as you familiarize yourself with the characters.
Patricia wrote: "I finished The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay which I enjoyed. This author was new to me and he reminds me a lot of John Irving.Now I've moved on to a chick book, [book:The Fri..."
What do you think of The Friday Night Knitting Club? I fondly remember it as a good read with much heartfelt emotion and well drawn characters that were easy to relate to.
I have finished
The Time Traveler's Wife This is an exceptional book, I loved it from beginning to end. A beautiful love story with an original concept. It's deeply moving, funny, sad, intelligent and original. 5 Stars
Fool This is the second Christopher Moore book I have read and TBH it has put me of starting another for a while. 3 Stars
Mockingjay I really enjoyed the first two books, they were fantastic. This book felt rushed especially towards the end. It might not be as good as the others but it is still a fabulous read. 4 Stars
Wake a quick and easy read 4 Starsand I have started
Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast. Robin McKinley
The Cinderella Deal, by Jennifer Crusie
I just finished Lavinia and also City of Glass and really liked both of these.I think I am gonna start Worlds of Exile and Illusion: Three Complete Novels of the Hainish Series in One Volume--Rocannon's World; Planet of Exile; City of Illusions next.
Diane wrote: "What do you think of The Friday Night Knitting Club? I fondly remember it as a good read with much heartfelt emotion and well drawn characters that were easy to relate to."Diane if you enjoyed Friday Night Knitting Club, you'll also like The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood. I just could not put it down.
Currently reading "Tick Tock" by James Patterson and "Elixir" by Hilary Duff.Always reading at least 2 books at a time. 1 mainly @ home and 1 for breaks @ work and waiting for daughter to get off school bus.
Tess wrote: "Tell me what yhou think of Three Cups of Tea - I loved that one"Wow! That's all I can say. I've had this book for awhile and hadn't read it yet, mostly because I'd heard good things but for some reason the description didn't grab me. Goes to show not to judge a book by it's cover! It read like a novel about one of those too-good-to-be-true characters, so it was so inspiring that it's non-fiction. I'm also an outdoors lover and climber(NOWHERE to that degree)who was once an education major and made my life in seasonal jobs with built in months of vacation at a time for many years, so I connected to the spirit that led him to his inspirations. To top it all off, I have such an admiration for the basic ideals of education, particularly for girls and women, being a key to peace. Phew, I just wrote a novel right there! I will definitely be hunting for a copy of Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan the next time I'm in town!
I've haven't been able to jump on here for a bit. I've finished two more by Seanan McGuire, A Local Habitation and An Artificial Night. They were both good, but I loved the last one. It's kind of nice when series get stronger after the initial.Now I'm reading Poison Study which has started a little disturbing, but in a good way.
Clara wrote: "Diane wrote: "What do you think of The Friday Night Knitting Club? I fondly remember it as a good read with much heartfelt emotion and well drawn characters that were easy to relate to."Diane i..."
I think I might have that somewhere on my shelves . . . . I'll have to look. Thanks for the tip, Clara!
I finished The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs on the train this morning. I thought it was a sweet story about unlikely female friends in NYC. I wasn't wowed with it but found the read quick and entertaining. I'm going to start The White Tiger Aravind Adiga on the way home.
I just finished Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin. Overall, very good book but I was a little disappointed by the ending. Thought it was a little too neat. Getting ready to start Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.
I just finished Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin. Overall, very good book but I was a little disappointed by the ending. Thought it was a little too neat. Getting ready to start Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.
I recently finished Boundary Waters, and I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads. Excellent work!Last night, I finished I Still Dream About You, this month's selection for my book club. The pacing was kind of slow, certainly compared with Krueger's book, but the story made me happy. :)
I'm reading A Feast for Crows which is book 4 in A Song of Fire and Ice series. I love love love this series but I had planned to hold off on reading the 4th book for awhile because book 5 is nowhere on the horizon (even though I heard it was expected several years ago). So it will be another series that leaves me hanging.
Patricia wrote: "I finished The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs on the train this morning. I thought it was a sweet story about unlikely female friends in NYC. I wasn't wowed with it but fo..."I felt exactly the same about The Friday Night Knitting Club, but I absolutely loved The White Tiger.
I'm currently reading The Bark of the Dogwood by Jackson Tippet Macrae. I had heard good things about it, but it's a little slow going for me so far.
Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools are both fabulous reads. Greg Mortenson is a man to respect and a great example of how one person can make a difference in this world. I recommend both books to everyone. He has even published a children's version of Three Cups along with his own kids so the story can be shared with youngsters.
i have two going right now, All He Ever Wanted by Anita Shreve, which is going slower than i thought it would, but it's because of the narrator more than the story. he tells the story at a slow pace, so you can absorb more of the details. i'm liking it.the other book i'm reading is the second in the Blue Bloods series, Masquerade. it's ok, not great writing by any means, but it's a fast read.
Patricia wrote: "I finished The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs on the train this morning. I thought it was a sweet story about unlikely female friends in NYC. I wasn't wowed with it but fo..."That silly book made me cry, and I usual indulge in Zombie novels....
I read all three of those books and loved them all.
Patricia wrote: "I'm going to start The White Tiger Aravind Adiga on the way home. ..."I hope you enjoy this book. I really liked it.
I about 30 pages shy of completing Any Bitter Thing by Monica Wood. It's a fairly well written novel about a 30 year old woman who gets into a hit and run accident. While she was hospitalized, and unconcious, she thinks she sees her dead uncle (a priest) at her bedside.
From there, we follow her into her past, and his.. she was orphaned at age two and raised till the age of nine by her priest uncle, until he is taken away from her for something the church has condemed him for. We also follow her from the moment of her recovery and watch her heal her marriage, friendships and try to come to terms with what has happened to her uncle.
Ann M. wrote: "I just finished Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin. Overall, very good book but I was a little disappointed by the ending. Thought it was a little too neat. Getting ready to start Cutt..."I'll be interested to hear what you think upon finishing! I really, really liked Cutting for Stone overall.
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The Next Best Book Club
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I just added Quincunx to my extremely long TBR shelf to read as a comparison. Never heard of it before. But I had started Crimson Petal and the White by Michael Faber 3 years ago..."
I was really happy to discover these two books, but they are slowly working their way down the pile. Sometimes I get really excited to read the book, but I don't actually pick them up and read them. Currently reading The Bells by Richard Harvell and 9 other books instead.