What are you currently reading and why? (CLOSED) Showing 1,401-1,450 of 4,001

[Shannon]

The Classic Slave Narratives because I wanted to read some non-fiction as follow up to The Book of Negroes. I am finding Classic Slave Narratives to be very enlightening. For instance, I had no idea how many ex-slaves wrote about thier slavery or how widely read those narratives were. (over 100 book-length narratives and over 6,000 in the form of essays, interviews and books).

[BurgendyA]

Now I am reading Survival Of The Fittest by Jonathan Kellerman. I am just doing to best to follow the Delaware & Sturgis series. As for my second read is Imperial Bedrooms by Brett Easton Ellis. I've been interested in reading the sequel of Less Than Zero. =)~

[Cheryl]

I'm reading Famous Monster Tales because it was on my shelf and I want it off into the wild by Halloween. I like this passage from the forward by Clifton Fadiman:

"These pages rustle with the stealthy movements of.. old-fashioned monsters: werewolves and horrors spawned by the great deep; quasi-humans and robots... such creatures present a wholesome, indeed a cheerful contrast to the psychological deformities of contemporary sick humor, the pretentious sadisms of the latest modern Gothic tale... [and:] do not claim to be prophecy or obscure existentialist fables or devastating black satire."

(I will be offering this old hardcover on swap and via bookcrossing. :)

[Larry]

The Purple Cloud by M. P. Shiel

[Stuart]

I am reading Moonshine in the Morning by Andrea McNicoll as it is the current read for my offline book club.

[Cheryl]

The Purple Cloud is in one of my TBR boxes - are you liking it Larry?

[Larry]

Well it was a little slow to start but its getting there. A bit Jack London-ish so far.

[Cheryl]

ok...

[Larry]

I'm actually annoyed now because I have to put it down so I can go to work- I want to continue with the story!!

[[deleted user]]

i thought the millenium trilogy was excellent and salander was fabulous-i hear there is some conflict about a 4th book in the series which was about two thirds completed before he died.the writers girlfriend says she has the manuscript but the father and brother dispute this;either way i'd love to get my hands on it

i wonder if anyone has read 'Broken' by karin slaughter-just finished it and thought the storyline was a bit thin although the main characters were as usual wonderfully sketched out

[Stuart]

I am reading Moonshine in the Morning by Andrea McNicoll as it is the choice of my offline book club.

[Ally]

I'm reading Memoirs of a Geisha as I've been wanting to read it for ages, but finally got it at a boot sale a couple of months ago.

[Donna]

Currently reading The Janus Stone. This is second in the series and unfortunately I did not read the first. It is obvious that I missed a bit of the backstory but not too much as it is still very good so far.

I'm also reading The Illuminator and I have to admit that it was the cover that attracted me but it is a very interesting story.

[Sam]

I've just finished The Prophecy by Chris Kuzneski and I'm working my way through Isles a History by Norman Davies, which so far is quite engrossing and surprisingly easy to read. I've also started Eirik The Red and Other Icelandic Sagas by Gwyn Jones although not read much of it yet (only started it this morning)

[Stuart]

I am reading Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris as I have been enjoying the TV series True Blood.

[Karen]

I'm currently just over halfway through White Night and I'm hoping that at some point today my copy of Mortal Coil will arrive.

[Melanie]

Arson and Old Lace by Patricia Harwin. I am starting my Fall/Halloween reads now. It helps me pretend that summer is over :-).

[Chrissie]

I KNOW I am the oddball out. I know I am weird, but am I the only one that gets irritated by series? Why, why do we have to be hooked into buying 10 books rather than one really good book? I don't like series. I like reading DIFFERENT authors, different stories, different styles. Is there anybody else out there like me?! Join me and protest against all these series. At least I will know I am not totally alone!

[Stuart]

Chrissie wrote: "I KNOW I am the oddball out. I know I am weird, but am I the only one that gets irritated by series? Why, why do we have to be hooked into buying 10 books rather than one really good book? I don't ..."

I agree with you to a point, inasmuch as I have heard publishers are very keen for fiction writers to create a series so book sales are guaranteed. I only rail against the idea of a series if I read one and feel the series has run out of steam. What does frustrate me is bookshops always seem to have book two or three in stock but never book one that can put me off. To be honest I read very little Sci or fantasy for about ten years for that reason. Because of things like Goodreads recommendations and online book sales, I returned to those genres.

[Carol]

Melanie, I thought the title was a misprint of 'Arsenic and Old Lace' until I read the reviews on the book icon page and found out the two stories, while both about murder, are substantially different, both in text and tone. I did mark 'Arson...' as a TBR, as I love cozy mysteries.

[Chrissie]

Stuart, it is nice to know that someone at least understand my point of view. I have read one trilogy - the Josphine Bonaparte Trilogy bySandra Gulland which I liked alot. In this case I thought it should have simply been one book. You have to get the whole life! I do not read science fiction or fantasy simply b/c they are not my thing. Those do seem to be more often written as series...... It is good I do not like that genre. Mysteries also tend toward series. I just don't think you should have to read things book after book to get the story! That is terrible if the store doesn't have the first volume.... Anyhow thank you for responding!

[[deleted user]]

just started the Snowman by jo nesbo

[Cheryl]

Chrissie I'm with you 100%! I have favorite authors, but even then I don't want to read more and more of the same story. For example I love a lot of Peter Dickinson' work but in part because he writes lots of different stuff - and some of it I don't even like. That's ok - I still recommend him more than I recommend authors who just keep going with the same idea.

Meaning no disrespect - it's good we're all different - but still I wonder why so many people do love series.... I dunno, I think a lot of people, like my husband, want to return to something familiar; maybe in a way it's kind of comforting, perhaps akin to humanity's fondness for ritual, or for chain restaurants? And maybe it's because some readers become enchanted with a character or a 'world' and they just want more. I sincerely would like to hear more from folks who do like series.

I do read sf, but not fantasy, thank goodness. I also read a fair bit of non-fiction, which helps shake things up.

[Donna]

I agree that if a series is just a repeat of the same story line over and over it is a waste of time but there is something comfortable about returning to favorite characters. That said, the plot lines have to be varied and the main series characters have to evolve or mature or change in some way to keep the series fresh.

[Cheryl]

Tx, Donna, that makes sense. :)

[Chrissie]

Donna, it is good to here the "other point of view". And Cheryl it is also nice to know others think like me! I have felt for Amitav Ghosh as you feel for Dickinson. I adored Ghosh's The Shadow Lines: A Novel and Dancing in Cambodia, at Large in Burma. Sea of Poppies was so inferior to his other books, and it is the first part of a series......

[Chrissie]

Donna, it is nice hearing the other pov and Cheryl I REALLY appreciate knowing there are others that think like me...... I wrote a longer message but it got wrecked. Computers!

[Donna]

AH Computers!

One trend I've seen more recently in series is to have each book focus on a different returning character. Tana French, for example, uses this in In the Woods, The Likeness: A Novel and her newest Faithful Place. It's a good compromise with familiar characters but more varied story lines.

[Chrissie]

Donna, I really would like a large foam rubber hammer that I could bash at my computer.......or annoying people , dogs, etc occasionally.

I just get so bloddy annoyed that the author is DEMANDING that I buy another one of THEIR books to get the whole story. Doesn't that annoy you?! I mean if the books aren't a series you can read them in any order and choose what you want.

[Cheryl]

I've added a Ghosh to my to-read!

[Larry]

Chrissie wrote: "Donna, I really would like a large foam rubber hammer that I could bash at my computer.......or annoying people , dogs, etc occasionally.

"
There ya go!

[Chrissie]

Cheryl, The Glass Palace and The Hungry Tide are good too. The reason why I did not like Sea of Poppies was that the seamen use a jargon that is impossible to understand. There is not lexicon in the back of the book and nowhere on the internet could I find translations. I usually look up strange words and then after awhile they repeat themselves..... This doesn't bother other people, but it did me. The best is to pick a book that covers a place or subject that sparks your interest. I hope I haven't lead you down a dead end.....

[Chrissie]

Oh Larry, thank you. This definitely fits the bill! What shall i pound first?

[Larry]

Chrissie wrote: "Oh Larry, thank you. This definitely fits the bill! What shall i pound first?"

annoying people. Yea, definitely! ;)

[Chrissie]

Larry wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Oh Larry, thank you. This definitely fits the bill! What shall i pound first?"

annoying people. Yea, definitely! ;)"

Yeah, now I am armed!

[Larry]

The War of the Worlds by H.G.Wells.

[Cheryl]

Chrissie, the advantage folks who don't like series have is that we have more time to try a wider variety of books. So, no worries about dead ends. ;)

[Chrissie]

Cheryl, I always get a little worried when I recommend a book to someone I don't know......

[Cheryl]

I'm not sure why - they're free to read other reviews and descriptions and make up their own minds.

What do you-all think? I, personally, always assumed that this topic thread was here (in significant part) as a place to share recommendations. By sharing what we're reading, we're giving other members ideas, no? Do any of you feel uncomfortable making recommendations?

Btw, I can't even rely on my husband's or sons' recommendations. I'm fairly omnivorous, but my taste does have quirks... so I'm used to reading *lots* of reviews before adding book(s) to my to-read shelves.... :)

[Chrissie]

I always get a little bit nervous when friends decide to read a book I have recommended. You HOPE they will not be disappointed.

[Cheryl]

Don't worry about me then Chrissie - it'll be so long before I get to your recommendations that we'll both have forgotten this conversation! :)

[Chrissie]

Cheryl, yes exactly, me too!!! Many people do not like Kirkus reviews which are available at B&N b/c they think they say too much. In my opinion they never tell the important bits. They are honest and do not shy away from saying really rotten stuff about a book. In any case, by the time I have read the book....... I will have forgotten the words of the review although I do know they gave a positive review. I definitely do not always agree with them, but often. The thing is you have to read the review CAREFULLY. You have to be sure the subject matter is really your cup of tea. I have to be very careful when I add books since I have no English library here in Belgium. Purchase mistakes are both a waste of time and expensive!

[Cheryl]

Good advice Chrissie, thank you. :)

[Shannon]

I have come to realize that it is difficult to ever recommend a book and get it completely right. In my in-person book club there is only the rare book that we all love however each book has its lovers and haters and that group changes with each read. I try to predict in advance who is going to love the book we are currently reading and I rarely get it right and each of the folks in my group have admitted to similar predictions with similar results.


Do I recommend books? Absolutely. But I do try to put qualifiers around them. E.G. I loved this one for the writing, that one for the story, this other one for its message ... I also try to do that in my reviews. Do I worry if someone takes my recommendation and then doesn't like the book? not really (although I would feel bad if they bought the book because of limited access in another country).

I also agree with Chrissie, that you have to read reviews carefully and be aware that sometimes a well-written book will not be your cup of tea due to the subject matter (have had that happen a few times).

And yes, I have added several books to my TBR pile because someone has mentioned reading it here.

[Chrissie]

Shannon - perfectly summarized! What I try and do with my reviews is explain to others WHY the book affected me in the way it did b/c that is what I so often don't get from other reviewers. I don't need another plot synopsis! Knowing that people appreciate different book ingredients, I try and explain what a specific book has to offer and WHY I disliked or liked the book as a result. This is so important b/c I have absolutely no friend anywhere that has exactly the same likes and dislikes as my own. Actually this is good, since other people bring your attention to books that you might never have tried. So I take recommendations and I give recommendations, and that is why I love GR. Without GR I NEVER would have found all these wonderful books. Now I have too many books to read, before it was the opposite!

Back to the point of the thread..... I just finished The Accordionist's Son, but I only gave it 2 stars, which I explain in my my review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/.... Now I have begun The Return b/c hopefully I will learn more about the Spanish Civil War. Furthermore this author is one so many have praised. I want to taste her writing! Her depiction of the famenco dance is exceptional. There are two threads in the novel, one modern and one historical. I am not that entralled with the modern one.....but hej I haven't read much yet.

[cazdoll]

im currently readingBroken Wingsby virginia andrews

[Larry]

Edison's Conquest of Mars. Written in 1898 by astronomer Garrett P Serviss it is
a sequel to H.G.Wells's War of the Worlds.

[Chrissie]

Yesterday I started Stone in a Landslide. It is short and absolutely tremendous. the best book I have read about the Spanish Civil War, although it doesn't gove you that many historical facts. Read a history book and then read this. What narrative! Guernica: A Novel was also good; I gave that four stars. My advice is to skip Hislop's The Return. The Accordionist's Son does teach alot but I didn't really like the manner in which it was written. I have written reviews on all of them.

So now I will start No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II. I have read so much about Teddy Roosevelt, I felt I should read about FD Roosevelt too, and The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl has piqued my interest in him.

[Stuart]

I am reading Daisy Miller and Other Stories by Henry James as it is the choice of my offline book club.

[Gitte]

Stuart wrote: "I am reading Daisy Miller and Other Stories by Henry James as it is the choice of my offline book club."

I love Daisy Miller! It's on my to re-read list :D