What are you currently reading?

[Mara]

I set myself the goal of reading 100 pages each day in each book. So, for example, tomorrow I have to read 100 pages in "Summer of My German Soldier" and also a 100 pages in "The Invaders." If I have to read more, I will, and since "The Invaders" is a brand new release, it'll get precedence over "Summer of My German Solider."

Yes, "Brotherband Chronicles" is a sequel-series to "Ranger's Apprentice." It's well worth reading, too. Flanagan's writing style has improved.

Just finished: Loved it just as much as "Richard III."

[Emily :)]

that is crazy. i would never be able to read that much in a day. :)

[Mara]

I consider it early job training. :)

[Rachel]

Ummmm yeah how can you? I can nearly read 2 at the same time, not that I have a problem with it or anything

[Mara]

Like I told Emily, reading is my life and quite literally my job. There are too many books and not enough time to read them all, so I have to have several going at once in order to make any headway through my To-Read list. And when I'm juggling more than one book, I always make sure that each book is wildly different from each other, so I don't get their storylines mixed up.

[Emily :)]

i like books that are around the same topics. stuff with magic or out of this world things. i would love to be able to keep two books at the same time straight but i can hardly keep two series at the same time straight. :) and it would be cool if i could i need to make some headway on my list.

[Mara]

I'm sure you'll be able to devise your own system of keeping books straight in your head. It's not as difficult as it may seem; it just takes practice (and lots of lists). Have you ever tried journaling about a book as you read it? Like make a daily entry about what you've read so far? That helps me a lot when I'm writing reviews, and it's also handy for going a looking back at what happened in the previous book in a series.

Finished: Hated it. Boring, boring, boring, and the hero was creepy. Like keep-a-can-of-pepper-spray-nearby creepy. And there was no storyline. It's sad, because it could have been really good, and I absolutely loved this Author's book "The Scorpio Races." But this one was a total letdown.

Now reading:

[Emily :)]

thanks for the advice. i think that keeping a journal would really help. that way i could always look back if i get them confused.

[Mara]

And it also gives you an excuse to buy pretty notebooks. ;)

[Emily :)]

I love notebooks but when i get them i always either lose them or fill them up with junk.

[Mara]

I keep my notebook about what I'm currently reading in a special little satchel my sister made me - it also contains my idea book, writing implements (including chocolates and peppermints), and my pretty gold-and-green wood hand fan. And that satchel is always with me, so I never misplace my notebook. Maybe find a special place to keep your "Book Journal" so you don't lose it? Like under your pillow or in a desk drawer - somewhere that you know you'll be able to find it again.

Just finished: It was good. Not exactly as good as the first one, but it wasn't disappointing either.

Now reading:

[Emily :)]

thanks i will really look into that.
just finished:
Blue Moon
it was pretty good like the first though not the best book i have ever read. it took me way to long to read but not because the book was bad. i really liked it.

Now reading:
The Siege

[Emily :)]

How do you add pictures of the books?

[Allie]

I just started:

(Clockwork Angel)

[[deleted user]]

I am reading


Dust & Decay
I recently finished the first book, and it was AMAZING!! If you like adventure and action, with a few ZOMBIES thrown in here and there, then you will love these books! READ THEM!!!!!
Here is the first book

Rot & Ruin

[[deleted user]]

Emily :) wrote: "How do you add pictures of the books?"

Click on the little 'add book/author' button above the comment box when you are writing in it and type in the name of the book, then on the bottom of that box select weather you want a link to the goodreads page for the book or a picture of the cover and click add next to the book! Tada!

[Emily :)]

thank you that was making me really mad when i couldnt do it.

Ally have a friend that is reading that book and she absolutely loved it. hope you do too. let me know please.

[Mara]

So I recently finished: and

I liked "Ghost Knight." It was a little different from the other books Cornelia Funke has written, but I still really liked it. "Finnikin of the Rock," however, was a complete waste of time - so glad I'm not reading its sequel. The storyline itself was a good concept and I liked Evanjalin, the heroine. But Finnikin, the hero, wasn't especially likable and for some reason the Author couldn't write a single male character that was capable of making a joke that didn't have sexual meaning. There was this constant sexual undertone, and it just got REALLY annoying. And there was quite a bit of language, too.

Now reading: and

I am liking "The Serpent's Shadow" so far - naturally; pretty hard not to, - but I don't especially care fore "Pure." I'm not attaching to any of the characters, there's lots of language, the storyline feels like it's trying to take off, but isn't, and the mutations are just grotesque. I realize that they are supposed to be, but for some reason they just don't quite feel like they fit in to the story. Hopefully I can clarify what I mean as I read further.

[Hazel]

Right now I'm reading:
I'm hoping this will be as good as the first two, but I'm foreseeing some things that may not go quite well, but it's still early yet. I loved the first two of the "River of Time" series though. Anyone else here read them?

[Mara]

Oh dear; is it one of those series that should have stopped at two?

[Hazel]

I'm not certain yet, and it might be okay (I just 'accidentally' flipped through it and I saw something I didn't want to:P) But I think I can have enough faith in the characters. We'll see ;)

[Mara]

Hopefully *cross fingers* that something you saw that you didn't want to is the only part that is less than pleasing. Maybe it was something the editor made the Author put in, so there won't be anything else like it? Now I really do need to read these books, so I can get to the third one and see what has made you so concerned about it. :)

[Hazel]

Well, actually I can't say I didn't really see it coming. But hopefully I'll get to that point in my reading today. right now I'm doing so many other things that reading is put aside...

[Mara]

It seems like lately I haven't had much time to sit down and read.

STILL slogging my way through . Ugh; this has got to be the worst dystopian book I have ever read - "Legend" was pretty annoying, but the Author didn't seem to have any political agenda behind her story. This one clearly does.

[Hazel]

I don't even bother trying to get through books like that. if I can't find any interest through the first half they go back to the library :P

[Mara]

I would have given up on this one, and I honestly should, considering all of the books I have waiting to be read, but I'm dying to write another sarcastic review, and this one is prime, so with only 100 more pages to go before its end, I mine as well finish it. But I'll definitely not read its sequel.

[Hazel]

Oh yes, sarcastic reviews are a fun reason to finish reading (or watching) something. I've got to do it for Twilight one of these days ;) I'm still waiting for your review of "Lament" by the way, haha =)

[Mara]

As soon as I'm done with "Pure," I'm going to do my "Threesome" rant. "Pure" is the third book this month that has gotten a 1-2 star rating. "Lament" and "Finnikin of the Rock" were the other two. And I'm so irritated with "Pure" that the other two books are going to recieve part of my wrath. I was going to do sarcastic reviews for those two anyway, but now I'm definitely not cutting any slack.

Finished: It was a good conclusion. Though I suspect the Author is going to do a sequel-series for it eventually. Which is fine; he's proven in the past that he can pull off successful sequel-series.

Now reading:

[Gabrielle]

I cant wait to read serpents shadow!!!!!! It looks amazing!!!!! Also im reading a book called the selection

[Hazel]

I still have yet to read any of Rick Riodan's books but I really want to because I've heard so many good things about them =)

@Mara can't wait for those reviews! ;)

[Mara]

Oh my gosh, I'm swimming in books. So, right now the books I am currently actually reading are:





I'm almost done with "The Council of Mirrors" and "The Giant-Slayer." "The Pickwick Papers" is a chapter-a-night, and "King Henry IV, Part II" is an act-a-day. "Matched" is receiving most of my attention right now because I borrowed it from a friend who needs it back the first week of June.

@ Hazel: Riordan's books are especially entertaining for people who know a lot about myths. As for the reviews . . . I know I said I'd have them up yesterday (sorry!!!!!!), but review-writing just wasn't in me yesterday. I seriously do hope to have them written by this weekend, though *fingers crossed*

[Hazel]

I know what you mean about review writing ;) I'd love to read Riordan's books. I love anything to do with myths. I might get them over the summer. I like reading fun stuff when it's too hot to do anything outside.

[Mara]

I'll send you a message when I have the reviews up; promise! Definitely start with "Percy Jackson and the Olympians." "The Kane Chronicles" is good, but "Percy Jackson" is probably the best introduction to his writing. And definitely don't see the movie before reading the books, because the movie doesn't do the books justice. Summer would be a good time to read 'em; they're summer reads. ;)

[Hazel]

Well I already saw the movie, but I figured the books were better, so it did nothing to turn me off ;) I was planning on starting with those anyway. The Kane Chronicles are based of Egyptian stuff aren't they?

[Mara]

I never actually saw the entire movie - just half of it. I never thought the books would make good movies anyway, because while the concept is fun and original, I always thought they would make pretty silly movies. From what reliable people have told me - and from what I saw, - I was right. Yeah, "The Kane Chronicles" has to do with Egyptian gods. It has the same kind of humor and fun action, but I know a lot of people didn't like the set-up quite as much. I say that the set-up worked for the Kane Chronicles, but it wouldn't have for "Percy Jackson," and vice versa.

An update on : I'm actually liking it quite a bit. Right now, it's in the three-star range. Present tense acutally works, none of the characters are annoying (so far), and it reminds me a lot of "The Giver" in a good way.

[Hazel]

Well, I always enjoyed Egyptian myth, though Greek is always my favorite. I don't know if you ever read any of the "Myth-o-Mania" series but those are hilarious and I really enjoyed reading them in grade school when I was first learning Greek myth.

[Mara]

"Myth-o-Mania" sounds rather familiar . . . I probably did. Talking about myths reminds me of that Horrible Histories sketch with the Roman gods. ;)

[Hazel]

Loved that one :P

So an update on "Torrent". My misgivings weren't as bad as I thought they'd be, so I'm relieved with that though some people still needed slapping. I don't think it's quite as good as the others though, mainly because it has pretty much the same plot as the second one. I don't know how many times Gabi can get captured and Marcello has to come rescue her. I hope the stories after this don't have the same plot line because otherwise it will get a little boring. There's not enough of Luca in this one either. Not even much of Marcello. As a plus, the baddies are still terribly bad--this lady writes amazing villains. The kind that make you skin crawl!

[Hazel]

Just finished It was good though I didn't like it quite as much as the first one. Not sure what I'll read next, but I'm thinking I need some kind of war novel after all the romance, haha ;P

[Emily :)]

Hazel wrote: "Well I already saw the movie, but I figured the books were better, so it did nothing to turn me off ;) I was planning on starting with those anyway. The Kane Chronicles are based of Egyptian stuff ..."

Ok so the Percy Jacksonmovie is like the opposite of the books. they are so different you cant even compare them. Book is like way better and it sets it up better for the second. when they make the second movie(which i hear that they are doing) they are going to have to make a lot of changes to the second book.

Oh and BTW Greek mythology has got to be my fave too.

[Hazel]

Well I figured that, which is why I never judge a book by it's movie before I read it. ;) I'm excited to read Percy Jackson, but I need to finish the novel I'm writing before I start on reading another book series. Last summer I found Ranger's Apprentice and I spent a whole month just reading one after the other, haha ;)

Now I'm reading: (Finally got it from the library, Mara. Let's see if it's as good as I was hoping for my troubles :P)

[Emily :)]

i have had books like that. where i just read and read and read. i wish i could not start to read another books but it is so hard. when i walk into a book store i am like a kid in a candy store. (Actually i get more excited about the books then almost anything else) i walk in thinking i will just look for what i need and walk out with ten more series i want to read. its hopeless! :)

[Hazel]

I think all book lovers are the same, Emily ;) I can never leave a book store without buying something. It literally hurts if I don't haha ;)

[Mara]

My graduation present is a trip down to Powell's City of Books (a HUGE, HUGE new-and-used bookstore, for those people who haven't heard of it, with amazing prices; I do all of my bulk book-shopping there). Some of my un-bookish-friends think it's a weird choice of present, but they don't know anything ;)

And I'm seriously looking forward to hearing about "Under the Eagle." *happy dance*

I gave up on I love Iain Lawrence's books, but not his inspirational ones. I have other books I need and want to read.

So now I'm reading:



"Matched" continues to be good. Still in the three-star range, probably won't get four, but it's still good. This particular totalitarian regime is much more convincing that others I've read, and all of the characters are good, present-tense works, and the romance isn't annoying. And the Author is doing a good job in laying out the groundwork for Books Two and Three.

"The Springsweet" I was not expecting to like, because it is the sequel to "The Vespertine," and that's a book that did NOT need a sequel. But "The Springsweet" is told from a different character's point of view and really doesn't have a great deal to do with "The Vespertine." I would advise reading the first one first, of course, so you can understand how Zora, the heroine of this particular book, got to the emotional point that she's in. For a romance, it's good so far.

[Emily :)]

I always go to "Half Price Books" because they are cheap and they always have good books there.

[Hazel]

Man Mara, I really wish I lived near Powell's!!! Shopping online is good, but I do love to touch books (one reason why I am against ebooks) But then it's probably a good thing I don't at least until I get a steady income :P

I am enjoying "Under the Eagle" so far, I like both the main characters. It does have a bit of language in it, but it's a guy book and they're soldiers so I was kind of expecting that :P One thing that makes me laugh though is that they Romans talk like British people. And I'm skeptical as to whether they called them "Civvy clothes" back in 46 AD :P Oh well, it's not really detracting from the story, I just hear them all with English accents in my head ;)

[Emily :)]

i dont like ebooks either. and i dont shop online either i have to go to a bookstore.

[Hazel]

I only have one bookstore around anymore (since they closed all the Borders =( and I can rarely find what I want at it, so I usually use Amazon.com

[Emily :)]

i dont think i would have the patience to order online and wait for it to come. i never really used Borders anyway cause of the prices but when they closed they had a huge sale it was amazing!

[Hazel]

Well with Amazon I have their Prime thing where you get stuff with two day shipping, but I agree. I hate waiting for things. But if it's a matter of getting it or not getting it then I would rather wait for it ;)