[Closed] What are you currently reading....

[Aoibhínn]

I've finished the 9th book in the Stephanie Plum series (and the best one so far) by Janet Evanovich.

Now I'm reading by Donald McCaig. It's Gone With the Wind from Rhett Butler's point of view.

[Aoibhínn]

Laura wrote: "Fifty Shades of Grey
I downloaded the free sample on my Nook. This has to be one of the most poorly written books I have ever come across. I know, what did I expect? Better. It is very, very popul..."

I read 50 Shades of Grey to see what all the hype was about. The book is god awful. My review of it is here.

[[deleted user]]

Ellie wrote: "Laura wrote: "Fifty Shades of Grey
I downloaded the free sample on my Nook. This has to be one of the most poorly written books I have ever come across. I know, what did I expect? Better. It is ve..."

That review echoed every fear I had about reading it. I did have an urge to read it, just t see if it was as bad as I had heard, but your review has completely killed that inclination.

[Roberta]

Do any of the Dubliners here know The Absolutist by a local writer John Boyne. It's really well written and engaging.

[Roberta]

Oh and he lives in Dublin and went to Trinity.

[[deleted user]]

I had never heard a single word uttered about it until now.

When I clicked the link to read the review I saw that one friend has read it, and has given it 5*, and another is reading it.

[Roberta]

I'm really liking it and will probably give it a 5.

[[deleted user]]

I have five books on the go at the moment, so here goes:

James Joyce's Dubliners. I've finally got around to Joyce! Much more subtle than I thought it would be, and not at all difficult. 'Two Gallants' is beautiful.

G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday. Such a strange tone (it feels like a Wes Anderson movie), but it's a joy to read.

Nikolai Gogol's Dead Souls. The political satire is lost on me, but it's been enjoyable. The Russian gentry are, as always, completely over the top.

Clive James's Cultural Amnesia: Necessary Memories from History and the Arts. This is desperately unfocused. You're never sure if each chapter will actually deal with the topic in question, or digress to something only tangentially related. Nonetheless, James is on fire. His perception and insight is astonishing.

Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. A novel take on Lincoln's story. Although the sequential treatment of each of the 'characters' gets a little tiring.

[[deleted user]]

I've read two of those, Gary. I quite enjoyed Dubliners. I was worried it might be over-hyped but each of the stories stood strongly on their own.

I also read The Man Who Was Thursday. For the most part I really enjoyed it, but I felt that the last few pages let the story down. Whether you like it yourself or not, I think you'll see what I mean.

[Aoibhínn]

I finished by Donald McCaig earlier today. Basically the storyline of the novel is Gone With the Wind from Rhett Butler's point of view and it was a bit of a disappointment really. Gone With the Wind is one of my favourite novels and I found all the characters in RBP, even the major ones of Rhett and Scarlett, are out of character. There is also a lot of errors that contradict the original, characters dying when they lived in GWTW and vice versa, Melanie knowing about Scarlet being in love with her husband, etc. As a standalone historical fiction novel, Rhett Butler's People is okay but as a complement to Gone With the Wind it sucks!

Now I'm about to start by Diane Chamberlain.

[[deleted user]]

Declan wrote: "I also read The Man Who Was Thursday.

I can feel it coming. I'm at the 'chase' sequence right now and it's starting to lose me. I'll let you know how it goes...

[Iuliana Naughton]

I just started , so far so good.

[John]

Just finished Canada a recently nominated monthly read that I chose to read instead of the winner. Not bad, not amazing. Had it's moments.

Just downloading Where'd You Go, Bernadette Audiobook now, bought on a whim.

[[deleted user]]

Declan wrote: "I've read two of those, Gary. I quite enjoyed Dubliners. I was worried it might be over-hyped but each of the stories stood strongly on their own.

I also read The Man Who Was Thursday. For the m..."

Just finished it now. I see what you mean. I was slightly aware of Chesterton's Christian apologetics, so I wasn't surprised to see it going in that direction. But you're right, it does let it down a tad. The opening third of the novel seem to me to be the strongest.

[[deleted user]]

I'm currently reading Jason Aaron's Scalped, Vol. 2: Casino Boogie.

Vertigo Comics is living (has lived) up to its reputation as being the HBO of comics. I'm in the middle of a few different series right now, and they are all good, but so far this has been the standout piece. The characters are fully fleshed out, and the dialogue is of a really high quality (two areas where comics can often fall short).

[Anne]

Gosh, what am I not reading. I am trying to finish a bunch of books, the main one George R. R. Martin's A Feast of Crows. I am also trying to finish a book on Easter 1916, Inkheart, and many more. The problem is, I start a book and if I'm not really into it, it takes me ages to finish it.

[Deirdre]

Currently reading Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan - I haven't got very far yet, but enjoying it so far. Quite intriguing.

[Aoibhínn]

I finished reading by Diane Chamberlain just a few minutes ago. It's a brilliant read! It took me a couple of chapters to get into this novel but once I did I was hooked! Every time you think you've guessed the big secret, it moves to another level and you realise what you think you've guessed is only a tiny piece of the puzzle. I couldn't put it down!

Next I plan to read by John Steinbeck.

[[deleted user]]

Of Mice and Men is a favourite of mine.

Even if you've managed never to hear anything about it before, it offers no big surprises in the plot. It's just simple and very touching because of it.

[Richard]

Hey, all! I just completed a real thriller by Ruby Barnes called The Baptist. Really chilling look at evolving madness and how evil feeds upon itself. It's set near Killarney, I think. Really believable creepy.

Anybody ever read Tom Cahill's book, How the Irish Saved Civilization? I also enjoyed that one a few times over.

[Richard]

Declan wrote: "Of Mice and Men is a favourite of mine.

Even if you've managed never to hear anything about it before, it offers no big surprises in the plot. It's just simple and very touching because of it."

The setting is spectacular -- if you've never seen that section of the California Coast, it's worth the visit.

By the bye, Declan, I read your comments about Fifty Shades above, and had to laugh. My wife complained and fretted about the lousy writing, repetition and sophomoric descriptive... all the way through three books! I wish I could write that badly!

[[deleted user]]

Joe Duffy interviewed John Banville at the Electric Picnic this year. He tried to warm up the audience by passing a few snide remarks about Fifty Shades of Grey. He tried it again when Banville was present, but Banville wholeheartedly disagreed. I cant remember his exact words, but he pretty much said he didn't care how lousy the writing was, or how much the 'critics' have come down on it. People are getting excited about literature, including people who either don't read or haven't read for a long time. People are reading and exercising their imaginations, and that's a good thing.

Wise words, Mr Banville

[[deleted user]]

@Richard I have read How the Irish Saved Civilization and I loved it. I had a vague notion of this period of history and it was great to read an in-depth account.

I have been to Cali, for a wedding, but I spent almost the whole time in the Bay Area. If I ever return I intend to go to Montery. I want to visit Salinas, too. I'm a bit of Steinbeck fan. It would be a kind of pilgrimage.

@Gary. I tend to agree with you, Gary. I just don't want to read something that I would find tiresome, personally. They're little more than titillation and I want more than that. I'm surprised that Duffy was the interviewer, though. I can't see him reading anything more challenging than a Victor comic.

One of my sisters has read the trilogy and another is in the process of reading Fifty Shades Darker. One hasn't read a book before. Ever! And the other hardly ever, and then it's only true crime.

So, Banville had a point, but I don't see this book changing my sisters' reading habits. I think that once Jacqui finishes the trilogy it'll be a long time before she picks up a book again, in the future.

I tend dislike when people ridicule other people's tastes in reading. We read The Hunger Games as a group read just as the movie was being released. I was pleasantly surprised on the whole. Even if I didn't find the context very plausible. A lot of people tend to lambast teen and you adult books. Mostly because of the number of adults who read them. If you've ever received an indecipherable text from a teenager you'll know exactly why I'm behind these genres. It's literacy far more so than exercising one's imagination. I think there are other ways of doing that. Reading and writing are the only way to improve literacy.

[Aoibhínn]

Yesterday I finished reading by John Steinbeck. It's an extremely short but nevertheless fantastic novel. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. The ending is so incredibly moving that I cried while reading it. I truly can't recommend this novel enough. John Steinbeck is an excellent author (and one of my favourite writers)!

Today I've started reading by Jay Asher.

[[deleted user]]

@Declan. I read a lot of comics, which means I'm often ridiculed for my taste in reading. You think people look down on Fifty Shades... well try pulling out Superman: Red Son on the Luas and see how far you get! Of course I want to tell people that this is an 'adult' work, that it's a piece of alternative history, that it imagines Superman as a Soviet figurehead pitting himself against the forces of Capitalism™. But for every excuse I can offer there are ten people looking at me thinking, "Yeah, but it's Superman!!"

[Richard]

I'm sending up a cry for help. Someone had posted about reading Irish literary fiction, and taking the cue, I've embarked on reading a new work by John Banville. Can anyone give me any tips to help me find the groove here? Has anyone read much of his work? I understand he was Man-Booker prize winner in 2005.

[[deleted user]]

The new Banville novel is the final part of a trilogy, although I'm sure it reads as a standalone novel.

I've previously read The Sea, the aforementioned prize winner. I'm not sure what to offer in the way of advice, except that you should read him slowly, and give into his use of language. It really is something!

[Richard]

Gary wrote: "I've previously read The Sea, the aforementioned prize winner. I'm not sure what to offer i..."

The reading it slowly part is the only way I can do it. Giving in to his use of language is taking a bit of time. While the novel is set in present times, the voice seems to be back-dated to the nineteen-twenties or before. Is this just me? But, I endeavor to persevere...

[Richard]

Declan wrote: "@Richard I have read How the Irish Saved Civilization and I loved it. I had a vague notion of this period of history and it was great to read an in-depth account.

"

I think Cahill's book should be a must-read for anyone who wants to write about Ireland or the Irish. Beyond his expected pride, his is the first scholarly approach to an ancient culture so captivated by words. It had a strong influence on my own work and was great fun to see it all laid out!

[Anne]

How the Irish Saved Civilization is actually a really great introduction to Irish history, particularly the early Irish Church. It was my first read before I started my degree and probably my favourite even after. It's a reader friendly book.

As for the Hunger Games....I loved them. Read them through twice and saw the first movie twice. They are obviously geared towards the young adult audience, but they are fun and entertaining. From what I have read, the author came up with the concept for the books after watching survivor on TV and then turning the channel to find the war in Iraq on the news.

[[deleted user]]

Gary wrote: "@Declan. I read a lot of comics, which means I'm often ridiculed for my taste in reading. You think people look down on Fifty Shades... well try pulling out Superman: Red Son on the Luas and see ho..."

I've had similar trouble with Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. I'm sure it was nowhere near as bad as anything you might have suffered as Superman is far more recognisable, but I was still asked 'is that the one with the little girl and the talking bear?' from time to time.

@Richard. I agree that Cahill's book is a must read. I'd like to see schools take his approach to teaching this era at school. When I learned acout this at school it the whole period was dealt with in roughly an hour. It went along the lines of 'Ireland was the island of saints and scholars. Irish monasteries where centres of knowledge. Monks made the Book of Kells by hand.'

@Anne. After I read The Hunger Games I read the other books in the series to see it through to the end. On the whole, it was very enjoyable and I wish there were more like it for teens. What I didn't find plausible was the length of time that it continued. If something like that were to ever come into being it would have a very short shelf life. It wouldn't be long until people turned against it for its cruelty and I couldn't imagine it reaching a quarter quell.

[J.S.]

Airplane reading: Anthony Aveni's dissection of current/popular culture's crazed focus on the "Maya 2012" phenomenon,
the lack of agreement on what is the Maya 2012 phenomenon, and other amusements.

The End of Time: The Maya Mystery of 2012

[Richard]

So I've finished most of the work, and embarked upon 1916. What a year. My father was born that year, also. Ms. Llywellyn has already got a grip on me just four pages in! Her variety in voice in amazing, from book to book.

[Lynda]

The Mill on the Floss,George Eliot. Enjoying the touch of humour in Eliots writing, just over half way through. Found it lagged a little in the middle but its picking up again now.

[Aoibhínn]

I finished reading by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler earlier today. It's just an young adult romance but it's very entertaining and funny. I loved all the 1990's nostalgia!

Next I'm going to start reading a Stephanie Plum book: by Janet Evanovich.

[J.S.]

Richard wrote: "So I've finished most of the work, and embarked upon 1916. What a year. My father was born that year, also. Ms. Llywellyn has already got a grip on me just four pages in! Her variety in voice in am..."

Enjoyed that series more than anticipated & it appears she did the research. Llewellyn will be appearing as speaker at the IBAM event in Chicago ( see the website); I also have a slot there but not sure if will attend.
best,
jsd

[Barbara]

I just finished reading 1916 and started A Secret Map of Ireland by Rosita Boland. She writes about unusual places in each of the 32 counties.

[Aoibhínn]

Yesterday I finished by Janet Evanovich. It's the tenth novel in the Stephanie Plum series. This novel had a far more serious and darker tone than the other books. It was a gripping and exciting read with an excellent plot and great characters.

Right now, I'm a couple of chapters into by Ian Serraillier. This is a re-read. I first read in when I was in school. I remember liking it but I don't remember much about the plot.

[Aoibhínn]

I managed to finished reading by Ian Serraillier this morning. Now I'm reading by Nicholas Sparks.

[John]

Finished Where'd You Go, Bernadette recently.

I wish more books were like this. No long drawn out back story, or plodding character development. Just bam! Straight into it. A few pages in and there's a whole world of hilarious stuff going on. This is one big passive aggressive note against the type of people who might write passive aggressive notes. Great fun, if a little far fetched in places, but it's almost in sitcom territory, so we can give it some comedic licence. Highly recommended.

Just started Lost Memory of Skin. I really loved Banks' Rule of the Bone which was really stripped down story telling without an iota of purple prose. This is more typical of an everyday novel in it's descriptive prose. So far so good, it's an analytical look, at a society of outcasts; homeless peadophiles forced to live in no mans land far away from children and normal society. The two main characters "The Kid" and an obese professor, have a lot in common with the two main characters in Heft, or at least, I'm finding it hard not to cast the same characters in my minds eye.

[Aoibhínn]

I finished reading by Nicholas Sparks a few hours ago. The book was a bit of a disappointment really. I've read most of Spark's books and I think I'm too used to his writing style. I found the plot of the story to be extremely predictable and slightly unrealistic. But if you've never read a Nicholas Spark novel before, you'd probably like it.


Now I'm about to start reading by John Grisham. It's the october monthly read in a Goodreads group I'm in and I want to get a head start on it.

[Iuliana Naughton]

I just finished The Favorite Game by Leonard Cohen. It was beautiful.
I am currently reading Sweet Tooth. It'a an ok book, well written but it is not exactly blowing me away.I have about 50 pages left, we'll see what happens :)

[Aoibhínn]

I've finished reading by John Grisham last night and this morning I've started by Christopher Ransom.

[Richard]

While waiting for The Year of the French to release in format for my Nook, I received my pre-ordered copy of Sutton, J.R. Moehringer's new novel about the life of Willie Sutton (Arch-Bank Robber). I was an amazing read. I'll be posting a review today.
Sutton

[Tara]

Right now I'm reading Mind of the Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds. I live in the middle of nowhere and have ravens in the woods behind my house. It's fascinating to read how intelligent they are.

[Colleen]

Last night I started The Casual Vacancy by J.K.Rowling.I'm enjoying it so far.

[Aoibhínn]

I finished reading by Christopher Ransom this morning. This book was one of the worst horror novels I've read in my entire life. It wasn't even the slightest bit scary. The author's writing style is terrible and I felt like most of the book was written by a horny 12-year-old. The whole plot was confusing and I disliked all the characters. I ended up not really caring what happened to any of them. This book is definitely one to avoid.

Now I'm about to begin by Stephen King.

[Susan]

Colleen wrote: "Last night I started The Casual Vacancy by J.K.Rowling.I'm enjoying it so far."

Colleen,
Let me know how you like it. It has a big price tag-$35 although you can get it cheaper on Amazon. Someone said that it was amazing she hadn't made enough money on Harry Potter.

[Richard]

Still reading The Satanic Verses... still...

[Aoibhínn]

I just finished by Stephen King earlier today and I absolutely loved it. I'm a huge fan of Stephen King and The Green Mile has got to be one of the best novels he has ever written. In fact, it's one of the best novels I have ever read in my entire life. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down! It is very beautifully written and extremely moving at times. The plot is original, gripping and heart-breaking. I'd give this book more than five stars if I could! My full review is here.

Now I'm about to start by Shirley Jackson.