What else are you reading?

[Beth A.]

I'd love to hear what everyone is currently reading.

I'm listening to Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, and reading Dragonforge by James Maxey. They are both excellent so far.

[Kristelle]

Right now I am reading "Long Way Down" by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman and listening to "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing:Traitor to the Nation, Book 1 The Pox Party". Both are good but Long way down does have some language since British English and American english use things differently and Octavian Nothing is written in very formal English.

[Becky]

I am listening to The Great and Terrible, Volume 6: Clear As the Moon and reading Shades of Earl Grey (Tea Shop Mystery, Book 3) and
Dragon Rider (with my 9 year old son). So far I am enjoying all three books.

[Rebecca]

I just finished reading a book called "The Nazi Officer's Wife: How one Jewish woman survived the holocaust". It was an amazing book! i highly recommend it!

[Beth A.]

It looks good, Rebecca. And it's at my local library, so I'm putting it on my TBR list.

I'm currently reading "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer and listening to "Wyrms" by Orson Scott Card.

[Rebecca]

I just got "Enchantment" because I saw that a few of you had read it and liked it. I really like "The Host" is this your first time reading it? How do you like it?

[Beth A.]

I loved "Enchantment". It is one of my favorite books!

To be honest, I'm having a bit of trouble getting into "The Host," Everyone I know has read it and loved it, and I enjoyed the Twilight series. But it feels a little slow to me. I'm able to leave it to do mundane tasks without "one last chapter."

[Rebecca]

How far are you into it? It was slow for me in the beginning but at some point I got really pulled in.

[Beth A.]

I'm on page 152. She has just been captured by Jeb and Jared, they are debating about what to do with her.

[Rebecca]

Beth A. wrote: "I'm on page 152. She has just been captured by Jeb and Jared, they are debating about what to do with her."
It gets better after that.hang in there!

[Beth A.]

Rebecca,

I finished "The Host." It started getting good right at that point and I really enjoyed it.

[Beth A.]

Now I'm reading "Home" by Marilynne Robinson. I loved Gilead, so hopefully this will be as good.

[Kristelle]

I just started reading "Life As We Knew It". It is an end of the world type story and I have never felt so motivated to do food storage in my life. Yes I know that is sad. The writing is really good and in a diary format. A pretty good page turner.

[Beth A.]

I just finished Before the Dawn by Dean Hughes. I read it for my ward bookclub. I enjoyed it.

[Kristelle]

I love Dean Hughes. His books are so well written. I just finished "April Lady" by Georgette Heyer. It was a cute book. It took me a while to get into it because she had a lot of story lines going but the end was really fun. I just started "The Bone Magician" and I am really enjoyig the world that the author is painting.

[Rebecca]

I just finished "Enchantment". I thought it was pretty good but I also thought it had a lot of filler that really didn't need to be there. I love the idea behind it which I think is the only reason I got through it. I didn't really get into it until about half way in. So I guess I should say I love the second half and could have done with out most of the first half. I'm not sure what I'll read next. Suggestions?

[Heather]

I am reading Hotel Bemelmans by Ludwig Bemelmans for a book club. Bemelmans is the author of the Madeleine childrens books but early in his life he worked in a ritzy New York hotel in the 30's. This book is a collection of sketches from his life during that time. The sketches are an interesting look at the hotel world in that time and is worth the read just for that but my favorite thing about this book is Bemelmans artistic view of the world around him and the resulting descriptions. He is able to convey both image and emotion and I really enjoyed it.

[Rebecca]

Heather wrote: "I am reading Hotel Bemelmans by Ludwig Bemelmans for a book club. Bemelmans is the author of the Madeleine childrens books but early in his life he worked in a ritzy New York hotel in the 30's. T..."

I'm going to look for that book!

[Rebecca]

I am getting ready to start "A Great and Terrible beauty" by Libba Bray. My sister-in-Law really like all 3 of the books so I'm going to give them a try.

[Heather]

Ooh, I hope you can find it because I think it's an interesting read. If you find it and read it I'd love to know what your favorite description was.

[Shanon]

I'm reading In Shade and Shadow right now. It's the 1st book in a sequel series. The first series - Noble Dead starts with Dhampir. It's a great clean paranormal series with vampires, elves & fey - oh my!

[Kathy]

I'm trying to read 100 books this year. So far I've read:
1. Blue Noon (Midnighter's Book 3) by Scott Westerfeld
2. Counting Blessing - Wit & Wisdom for Women by Kerry Blair
3. Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling
4. Snow: A Retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Tracy Lynn
5. Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
6. Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne Duprau
7. Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter
8. If Life Were Easy It Wouldn't Be Hard by Sheri Dew
9. House of Glory: Finding Personal Meaning In The Temple by S. Michael Wilcox
10. Strangling Your Husband Is NOT An Option by Merrilee Boyack
11. How to Be An Extra-Ordinary Teenager by John Bytheway
12. Golden: A Retelling of "Rapunzel" by Cameron Dokey
13. Believing Christ: The Parable of the Bicycle and Other Good News by Stephen E. Robinson

[Shanon]

WOW Kathy - that's a lot of books for one month! Which was your favorite in the list?

[Heather]

Kathy, I think you are WELL on your way! At first I thought that reading 100 books in a year didn't sound too hard until I considered that I would need to complete a book every 3.5 days or so. I might have to rearrange some things if I were to try and keep up. Hmm, something to think about though.

[Kathy]

My favorite would have to be Believing Christ. It's an amazing book on helping to understand the atonement and Christ's role in our lives. I also like Strangling Your Husband is Not an Option. I enjoyed Pollyanna too. I've loved the Disney movie forever and enjoyed reading the book. And of course Sheri Dew is amazing in the insights her books give. I actually enjoyed everything I've read this month. I'm reading some more "meatier" books right now so I'm glad I got a great start in January so I won't feel behind if I only read half that many books this month.

[Beth A.]

I have to agree with you Kathy, Believing Christ is excellent.

Right now I'm reading Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke and Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones.

[Heather]

Kathy, I have something to add to your 'to-read' list. I read a great youth series last summer called "The Roman Mysteries". Based on some of your other choices, I think you might like these too.

[Shanon]

Has this group ever considered doing a monthly group read? It might be nice to discuss a book we've read together.

[Amber G., Group Creator]

Yes, it's on the group's main page. We just kind of fizzled a bit with talking about things.

[Chris]

I just finished reading "Funny in Farsi" which had me laughing out loud. I also enjoyed reading "Life is Easy; I Just Decide It's Hard" by Dr. Gary G. Taylor, an LDS therapist. I think both books deserve 5+ starts.

[Beth A.]

I'm reading My Own Two Feet A Memoir by Beverly Cleary. I just started, but I really enjoyed A Girl from Yamhill her previous memoir.

[Rebecca]

So far this year I've read:
1. "Enchantment"
2. "A Great and Terrible Beauty"
3. "Rebel Angels"
4. "The Sweet Far Thing"(I'm about half way through right now)

[Kathy]

Thanks for the recommendation. Are the Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lawrence? Do you know how many are in the series?

[Kristelle]

Does anyone else ever get into the rut where nothing they read really grabs their attention? Right now I am waiting for "Envy: a Luxe Novel" to come in for me and nothing else is quite filling the need to taking over my life, can't put it down great story. So I read stuff that is okay but nothing all that great.

[Heather]

Kathy wrote: "Thanks for the recommendation. Are the Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lawrence? Do you know how many are in the series?"

They are written by Caroline Lawrence and I think there are 12 or 13 in the series. There is a website for more info and I think it's www.romanmysteries.com

[Heather]

Kristelle wrote: "Does anyone else ever get into the rut where nothing they read really grabs their attention? Right now I am waiting for "Envy: a Luxe Novel" to come in for me and nothing else is quite filling the ..."

I went through a rut like that after the last of the Harry Potter series and again after the last Twilight book. There have been two other series that I have really gotten into that other women on this forum might enjoy. They are both very clean and extremely engaging. The first is the Amelia Peabody books by Elizabeth Peters www.ameliapeabody.com. The second is the Father Tim series by Jan Karon www.mitfordbooks.com

[Rebecca]

I just finished the last book of the trilogy I was reading and I must say I really enjoyed them! I was surprised that I liked them as much as I did because they aren't my usual kind of book.

[Beth A.]

Shanon wrote: "Has this group ever considered doing a monthly group read? It might be nice to discuss a book we've read together."

Let's start doing this again! Anyone have any suggestions?

[Julianne]

Yes, I have a suggestion. I recommend we read These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner. It's the "diary" of a pioneer woman, fictitious. From about 1880 - 1900. She lives in Arizona, then travels with her family to Texas. Later, back to settle in Southern Arizona. When it begins, she is fairly illiterate, thus the title.

This book was exciting! I felt like I was reading my own family history. Lots of interesting things happened in the olden days, and the women had to be tough!

[Rebecca]

I just got done with "A Curse Dark as Gold" which I really like.
I am now reading "Graceling" I'm only on the 2nd chapter but I am enjoying it so far.

[Melanie]

I have to agree with Julianne about "These is My Words" by Nancy Turner. This is an awesome book and it has 2 more that follow it. My sister recommended it to me and I am so glad she did because it was thoroughly enjoyable!

[Heather]

I'm up for reading "These is My Words". I put it on hold at the library just in case. It sounds interesting so I may read it just because :)

[Beth A.]

I'm starting In Search of Heaven by Anita Stansfield. It's volume one of the Barrington Family Saga. I haven't read Stansfield before but I've heard good things.

[Shauna]

Beth,
I hope you like it! I just loved the series. The Jason Wolfe series is great too! In fact everything I have read by her I have loved.

[Julianne]

Here's another recommendation. My ward book club just read "Mrs. Mike" by Nancy and Benedict Freedman. Published in about 1947, and continuously in print since then. That says a lot for it! Starts with a city girl from Boston in about 1907 being sent to Alberta, Canada to live with an uncle she doesn't know because she has pleurisy and they think the air in the west will be good for her. She quickly meets a Mountie in his red jacket named "Mike"......

[Julianne]

OK, here's another idea. Have you already read "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency"? I LOVE THIS BOOK!
Here's my review I posted after re-reading it.
====
If you haven't been to Botswana to meet Mma. Ramotswe, you should go! She will show you why Botswana is the finest place on earth to live, and she'll let you follow her as she goes around the countryside doing good and solving problems. This is the first of a wonderful series! Read them all!
**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**
I had read this book some years ago and loved it. See above. This time I read it again for book club, and what a delight! It is a truly lovely story, beautifully told, with surprises around every corner. Our heroine loves Botswana, and as you begin to see it through her eyes, you wish you could visit it with her. There are so many happy characters, all different, and with unique problems. What a pleasure it is to watch Mma. Romatswe go about watching people, talking to them and solving mysteries. If you have put off reading this book and this series, repent now!

[Marni]

I highly recommend "Do Hard Things" by Alex and Brett Harris - twin 19 year olds. My husband came home from the YW's workshops just before conference and told me that President Charles Dahlquist (recently released YM's general president) talked a little about it. I've really enjoyed reading it. It's been inspiring to me as an adult, and I can't wait to get it in my 12 year old son's hands when I'm done.

They include a lot of really great scriptures (different Bible translation so I keep going to my scriptures to read the King James version), and the theme of their "Rebelution" is the same as the mutual theme this year - 1 Tim. 4:12.

I think anyone involved with the youth should read this. Our kids are capable of so much!

Marni

[Beth A.]

Marni,

It looks good, thanks for the recommendation.

[Christy]

Liber Null & Psychonaut An Introduction to Chaos Magic by Peter J. Carroll