Romance, Historical or Otherwise discussion
What Are You Reading Now?
Mimi wrote: "Regina, yes I wrote a review. And I guess it's probably not similar, but someone compared it. In Anna, Cass is a ghost killer, has been for years and he moves to the town in order to kill Anna, who..."That would be me. I put White Cat, Hold Me Closer and Anna all in the same category because they all have a male protag and are all a bit darker for a YAUF.
They're definitely not the same types of stories but they have a similar tone.
I liked all 3, so I wouldn't be able to know how you'd feel about the other two if you didn't like one of them.
It's interesting that you didn't like Anna. I guess we all look at books differently, don't we? :) I ended up reading it because a few friends raved about the book so that's how I ended up trying it. I liked that the book felt like a pnr/horror mashup.
I finished Outlander and I decided that I do like it. I wasn't sure, and then realised just because I don't like the actions of the characters doesn't mean the book is bad because it is an interesting read, somehow being realistic for a time travel book. (I would love to time travel, but wouldn't want to get stuck! I'm majoring in history and I have so many questions of why things happened). I liked Jamie well enough but I didn't fall in love. I don't think I have forgiven him for certain despicable behaviour. I started
, there's enough mystery and predictability with a dash of sexual tension to be enjoyable so far. I have exciting news, I brought my first ever car today, bit nerve wracking driving it home, didn't want to have my first ever accident on the same day!
Stacia ~ the professional insomniac wrote: "Mimi wrote: "Regina, yes I wrote a review. And I guess it's probably not similar, but someone compared it. In Anna, Cass is a ghost killer, has been for years and he moves to the town in order to k..."I liked the horror/pnr mesh as well. But I thought his actions and infatuation with Anna weren't ogical, or even probable. That, and other things bugged me, and I just couldn't get myself to like the book too much.
I will try White Cat to see how similar they are.
Did you read Hold Me Closer, Necromancer yet?I think Regina liked that one better than WC. They were close to even for me but WC was one of the first male protag books I'd read in YA so that might have given it more weight than it would now.
Caitlyn wrote: "I finished Outlander and I decided that I do like it. I wasn't sure, and then realised just because I don't like the actions of the characters doesn't mean the book is bad because it is an interest..."I think it's cute that you had to think about whether or not you liked Outlander. I had a friend who read it and rated it low to start, then went back and uprated it wayyy after the fact. Usually you see people downrate books instead of uprating, so that amused me.
I loved the Outlander series! Though they are a bit long, for a sit down read it is well worth it! The book brings about so many emotions for the characters throughout the whole book. I also just finished the book A vision of light, which is a bit older and more based on the religious views of the 14th century. Quite interesting and in the perspective of a woman. Though I thought it to be a bit different for a love story it was still good. Also for those who love to read older novels The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orkzy is an amazing story about set during the French Revolution and is one of my absolute favorite reads. I read it to my little sister and explained the language that was a bit ambiguous for it was written in the early 1900's and the writing style was quite different.
Hi there Kristen. Welcome to the group! I have to go click on your avatar pic now. What kind of wedding did you have?
Okay, I feel like an idiot. It's not a wedding, it's a graduation.*facepalm*
See, this is proof that GR needs to increase the avatar size!!!
haha! That is quite all right! That avatar is my bf and I last year at his graduation. I myself have just graduated college this month! :]
Phew. You understand my kind of crazy.I almost said, "oh neat...a pirate wedding."
I COULDN'T TELL WHAT THE HAT WAS because it was so small.
*slowly backs out of the topic*
Mimi wrote: "Stacia ~ the professional insomniac wrote: "Mimi wrote: "Regina, yes I wrote a review. And I guess it's probably not similar, but someone compared it. In Anna, Cass is a ghost killer, has been for ..."Just based on what you wrote they dont sound similar. I think white cat was good a 3.5 star read for me. Nothing illogical like that. It isn't scary nor is it horror. I did like HMCN better. I am reading #2 in the curse workers series soon. I liked enough to continue.
Stacia ~ the professional insomniac wrote: "I almost said, "oh neat...a pirate wedding.""HAHAHAHAHA!!! That's hysterical!
That picture reminded me of one my husband took in Sienna (during our honeymoon) of me and a dude in Medieval garb. Just by chance, we happened to visit the city in the day of Il Palio (a crazy horse race they do in the town square). It was amazing. :)
I should post that picture. :)
Leea wrote: "I've been waiting to read the Harry Potter Series with my boys, not sure what age is appropriate to start?"I guess it all depends on their reading level and interests. My son was 8 when he read them. Usually that is pretty young and I probably wouldn't recommend to most 8 year olds to read the later books. But he is a little unusual.
I guess it also depends on what type of books they have already read. When my son read Harry Potter, he was reading Rick Riordan novels, so this wasn't much different. When he read Hunger Games, he had already blown through Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia and a few other more young adult reads. We have a hard finding good books that are age appropriate for him, but still challenging for him to read.
I think Artemis Fowl and Septimus Heap are similar in content to Percy Jackson, but I'm not positive because I've only read PJ.The Kingdom Keepers series is probably good for around age 8 to 10. It's about kids who get trapped in Disneyland After Dark. I have yet to check them out but a friend of mine was reading them to her kid before bed.
Stacia, yes, he's read the Artemis Fowl books as well. Not sure about Septimus Heap, I'll have to ask him. And Kingdom Keepers, haven't heard of them either, so I'll ask. Thanks for the recs! Keeping him well stocked is getting harder and harder as I don't really have interest in his type of books.
Kelly wrote: "We have a hard finding good books that are age appropriate for him, but still challenging for him to read."We're in the same boat. I've got a five-year-old who's reading at a third or fourth grade level comprehension wise, but her fluency if off the charts. Finding material that is not only appropriate in content but that is also interesting to her is proving difficult. She's blown through the entire magic treehouse series, her favorite books at the moment, and is working through the A to Z mysteries now. She enjoys adventure and animal stories, but she's not big on general life type things. Someone at the library suggested the Little House series by Laura Ingals Wilder for its wholesome content, but she's not into that at all.
There are some great blogs out there with good stuff. I find that the stuff my 8.5 year old boy is into is very different than what my girls want/ed to read. There is a blog dedicated to boy readers and rates the maturity and reading level of the material -- I have found some great stuff on it, I will look for it.I agree about the Wilder books -- both my boys and girls loved it.
For young girls, my girls loved the Doll People series
and the Tinkerbell fairy series
LOL. I know exactly what you mean. Trying to appease their interests is hard too! American Girl books? Charlotte's Web? Awesome book. Also, the How to Train a Dragon books are pretty benign, but not sure if that is too boyish.
Awesome, Regina. Thank you!At my son's school, he gets ranked on his reading Lexile score. It is noted in the blog that Regina gave. I've also seen that Barnes and Noble (possibly others too) shows the Lexile score for many of the books. To me, that seems like a good way to figure out how challenging the book will be.
I was googling and googling to find lists b/c my son is just not satisfied with what my oldest was reading when she was his age. He hates Magic Treehouse and The Bailey's kids stories, etc. So anyway, we found two books that kept his interest, hopefully we can find more.These were the ones he liked (we just started reading off the list a few weeks ago):
Ah! I got a $10 at Audible and I don't know what to buy with it (too many choices.:)
I had that problem last month, lol. It expires quickly, right?
Oh Little House on the Prairie has a special place in my heart :) Ethan is just finishing up Kindergarten, so he's reading but now at that kind of level. Looks like we have a few years but I hope we can read them together, that's the main reason why I haven't read them. I'm about 45% into Crow's Row and I'm liking it but something is slightly buggin me, not sure what just yet.
Regina wrote: "DG, the new Monkeewrench novel is up on Edelweis: http://edelweiss.abovethetreeline.com/"OMG! OMG! I didn't want to get Monkeewrench #5 in Audible because I wasn't sure when book #6 was coming out and I wanted them to last, LOL! So maybe I'll get that one then! :)
I know! :) My library had the CD version of Monkeewrench, so I have it uploaded and ready to go on my computer.
Just got it! Thanks!And this fit my requirement of what I wanted to use that discount for: next book in a series I've already started with a price less than $15. :) So I ended up paying less than $5 for the audio, just the price I like. ;)
Tricia wrote: "Kelly wrote: "We have a hard finding good books that are age appropriate for him, but still challenging for him to read."We're in the same boat. I've got a five-year-old who's reading at a third ..."
Had a similar situation with my daughter. She's ten now but when she's was 8 she was obsessed with both HP and this wonderful series The Mysterious Benedict Society. Actually, she's still rereading both which is a testament to the storytelling in them. And Mysterious Benedict would totally work for boys, I'd think.
Kelly wrote: "LOL. I know exactly what you mean. Trying to appease their interests is hard too! American Girl books? Charlotte's Web? Awesome book. Also, the How to Train a Dragon books are pretty benign, We've read Charlotte's Web. It's one of her favorites and mine, too. I forgot about the How To Train Your Dragon series. We might try those. Thanks for the suggestion.
Tellulah, there is a new Benedict book out. My son just finished it. He loved it. It is sort of a prequel to the other books.
Kelly wrote: "Tellulah, there is a new Benedict book out. My son just finished it. He loved it. It is sort of a prequel to the other books."Oh yes. It's been read and heard Trenton Lee Stewart speak about it live at a reading. :) He's an awesome speaker.
Finished
and wow, talk about a cliffhanger ending. I need something light and fun, I might start
or
Finished
. It was ok. I like the author's writing style but the development of romance was a little too quick.Now I'm reading
I am enjoying Lola again. I had hit a rough spot of being irritated and wondering what the story was about. But it got better. I do simultaneously feel bad for Max and disgust with him. I am almost done.I started
and I am really liking it! But I don't want to put it my currently reading b/c of how bad the cover is, lol!I am also still reading
which I really like. I am also reading
for a group read for another groupo I am in.I have a serious sickness. Yesterday I picked up from the library (all I had put on hold) 5 graphic novels, 5 books, 8 audio CD books, and that doesn't include all my silly arcs and recent purchases!
I am excited though because they all look good. ;)
LOL! I'm not sure how you do it, because I'm overwhelmed with the stuff I already have!
Poor Fallen from Grace. I'm sure that book could have done way better if only the cover wasn't so nasty.I'm almost done with the two books I'm reading and now need to decide what to read next.
Leea wrote: "Finished and wow, talk about a cliffhanger ending. I need something light and fun, I might start
or 
"I'll be interested in what you think of Law Man. I'm currently reading it and got stuck about half way through. The bad editing is really throwing me. Half of the sentences I need to reread because I have no idea what the author meant. And I'm kind of getting tired of the heroine. I really liked her to begin with, but by about the 1/4-1/3 point, I wanted to seriously smack her. So I'm hoping it gets better.
Regina wrote: "I started and I am really liking it! But I don't want to put it my currently reading b/c of how bad the cover is, lol!"
I just love that book. I was amazed at how much I really liked it. But, yeah, the cover is all kinds of creepy!
Kelly I am loving it to. I know I love the theme of the remaking of one's life, so I know that is why I am enjoying it -- along with that it is a damned good story.Leea, did you say you were wrong about On the Island being made into a movie? or did I misunderstand, I just saw this: http://minivannews.com/travelandarts/...
Kelly wrote: "The bad editing is really throwing me. Half of the sentences I need to reread because I have no idea what the author meant. And I'm kind of getting tired of the heroine. I really liked her to begin with, but by about the 1/4-1/3 point, I wanted to seriously smack her. So I'm hoping it gets better..."I've been struggling with this author myself. She tends to overwrite her books, adding in way too many characters and details. As well, the editing errors take you out of the story. Her stories are interesting but some polish would help them quite a bit.
I am still going to try one more book by her just to see if there's something I'm not getting.
Okay guys, we're off for our anniversary. I might pop in over the weekend on the phone but in case I'm not on much, I'll be back in full chat mode on Monday. Have fun everyone. :)
Happy Anniversary! How many years? :) Enjoy! My anniversary is 5/30, so pretty soon. :)
10!We're taking the kids but this will be our only time to be together as a family for the year, so it's okay that we won't be alone.
I'll try to take some pics.
Happy Anniversary to you too. :)
Happy 10th! Tin, aluminum and diamonds! Enjoy yourself this weekend. :)
A decade!!! Wow! Congratulations. :D Pictures would be great! I think it is wonderful you are going with the kids. I think it sounds fabulous!My husband and I married young so we have been married a cray long time -- 17 years. *gulp*
Happy Anniversary, Stacia. Have a fun time!I finished
and
. not sure (again!) what to read next. I'm off to search.....
I need to get to Love's Rhythm. What did you think of Hearts in Darkness? Kay, have you read
, I am enjoying it. I am only 15% in though. But every one of my GR friends that read it gave it 4-5 stars.
Romance, Historical or Otherwise
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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That said, I've changed a lot over the past year. Because I have so many unfinished series, I tend to become hesitant to start new ones (especially if they're long), so I've actually gravitated more toward standalones lately.
Both work for me now, depending on what mood I'm in.