What are you reading? June 2012

[Melanie]

Just wanted to get this posted.

[Bill]

With the recent passing of Donna Summer and Robin Gibb I wanted to take a look at the music that played so much a part of my life back in the 70s & early 80s. Luckily I was able to find at the library "Hot Stuff: Disco and the Remaking of American Culture" by Alice Echols. I'm guessing it will be a quick read.

[Melanie]

I finished 11/22/63 by Stephen King in the wee hours of Sunday morning. I really enjoyed this, but I am a JFK fan. While I may have disagreed with King's alternate ending I did find it to be interesting and made me think. To me a good book makes you think or discuss it once you are done. I'm now reading Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen. Karin from WG sent me this book in part of her downsizing to move to Canada and marry DougyB. It has a chick on the front and it made her think of me. It is a cute story about a boy and girl in junior high school and his side of the events followed by her side. It's cute. Nice to have some light, happy reading.

[Bill]

I flew through "Hot Stuff" by Alice Echols. No surprise, as I knew most of the music, many of the places, and even the effects of disco. I sure could vouch for the effects on my circle of friends! Next up is back to fiction with a book I just picked up on the New Arrivals shelf at the library and was intrigued by its' cover notes. "Jack Holmes & His Friend by Edmund White. I'm looking forward to it.

[Melanie]

I finished Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen. It was a light read, but something I need. However, this book does give both sides of events that happen in Bryce and Juli's life from 2nd grade into 8th grade. It is a childhood romance, one that helps transform you into the adult you become.

[Jocelyn]

I picked up The Game of Thrones by George. R. Martin and Jane Eyre from the library today. The Game of Thrones was a visual adaptation (translation comic) so I guess I picked the wrong one....
They've reordered the one with words so for now I'll be reading Jane Eyre.

For any parents out there I am also reading "Hold on to your Kids" by Gordon Neufeld & Gabor Mate. I recommend it so far.

[Melanie]

I enjoyed Jane Eyre last year. Followed up with Wuthering Heights which I didn't care for.

[Melanie]

I had been on the wait list from the library to read Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris. It is the latest Sookie Stackhouse / True Blood novel. I got it this evening and on page 97.

[Melanie]

Deadlocked was a great read! I've been reading the Sookie Stackhouse / True Blood series, and while it has been enjoyable this one is probably my favorite. Sookie is becoming her own hero and not the victim that the fae, weres, or vampires have to save.

[Bill]

I finished Jack Holmes and His Friend It was a fascinating look at the lives of 2 men, one straight one gay, as they live through the sexual revolution of the 60s & 70s into the post AIDS 80s. The only thing that stopped me giving it five stars was the ending which I found a little contrived. I was familiar with the author, though this was the first of his works I read. I will seek him out again.

Next up is The Tricking of Freyawhich looks to be about mythology,family secrets and personal quests.

[Mike]

I finished Winter's Heart today. Now I've moved onto the tenth book in the Wheel of Time series, Crossroads of Twilight. From what I've gathered from fans of the series, this one really jumps the shark and is a mind-numbingly slow read, but it contains vital set-up for the later novels.Crossroads of Twilight

[Bill]

Moving on from Iceland in my last read to Africa I've begun reading The Lower River. There could be a similar theme to them, we'll see. Next I think I may have to read a classic.

[Melanie]

I highly recommend "The Good War" by Studs Terkel if you have even an inkling of interest in history. Best to read a story or two and put it down. It has different perspectives from all over the world, different walks of life, different jobs, and different stances.

[Melanie]

Now getting ready to read Thank You for All Things for a book club meeting on Sunday.

[Ronald]

Just finished Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power and I have to say it was rather disapointing. I guess her style just goes over better life on TV. It may also have to do with my background with the History degree. A lot of what she said that was new and such was old news to myself.

[Melanie]

Just finished reading Thank You for All Things by Sandra Kring for So Many Book So Little Time book discussion. I enjoyed this book. While I think Lucy may have been a bit mature for her age, I loved her curiosity on wanting to find out the family secrets. This book has a lot of tragedy, but I found myself laughing out loud several times.

[Harold]

I've been trying to catch up with my son reading "The Secrets of Droon" series, but I'm so far behind him (about twenty books) that I think he's going to finish before I catch up. One of the obstacles for me is that I refuse to read series books one after the other - I always read something else in between, to simulate the time that it took the author to write each volume (if I was reading them as they were published, for instance, I'd have to wait, so I try to do the same even when I come to a series late and all the books are available already). Droon isn't great, but the books I've been reading in between have been pretty good. On the Blue Comet (Rosemary Wells) was an unexpected pleasure in a YA package. Angie Sage's Darke was a satisfying conclusion to the great Septimus Heap series. How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe was fun SF fluff for literary geeks like me. Diana Wynne-Jones continues to satisfy even with her earliest work, Charmed Life, and I've been re-reading a series I last read when I was 20, David Eddings' "The Belgariad" (a few days ago I read book 4, Castle of Wizardry). Some of the Belgariad irritates - the chess-related titles all seem particularly contrived - but I think I enjoy the interplay of the characters even more now than I did as a young man. Right now, though, I'm loving a serious change of pace into some deep science fantasy. I'm about a third of the way through Alastair Reynolds' The Prefect, which is like Walter Jon Williams' Voice of the Whirlwind if it'd been written by Iain M. Banks.

[Jocelyn]

I just finished Jane Eyre and The Flood by Ian Rankin.
I am waiting for Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin to come into my library from a different branch.
I'd heard good things about his Inspector Rebus novels, so I'm going to give them a go.
In the meantime, looks like I'll be reading the much talked about 50 Shades of Grey.

[Melanie]

Currently reading 50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James. I probably should be reading in public because I will proably turn 50 shades of red by blushing.

I am the first person to get Rapture by Lauren Kate at the library. It is the finale of the Fallen series.

[Jocelyn]

I finished 50 Shades of Grey on the weekend and wasn't that impressed. I've read far more uh...detailed historical romance novels. It was a good read, but not as outrageous as I was led to believe.
Still no Knots & Crosses so starting A Game of Thrones now.

[Bill]

Should the highly unlikely day ever come when I have absolutely no other reading material at hand I may give a go to 50 Shades of Grey. But like you Jocelyn I can't imagine being shocked by it.

I've finished The Lower River and have to say it was quite enjoyable. The author has also written travel books, and much of this read like one. But there was sufficient character development to move the story along. It has some similar themes to the last book I read; so now it's time for another genre.

I've been looking at some of the lists on here, "Best books", "Books you must read" etc. So I think I'm going to go back and pick up one of the classics. Maybe Tolstoy or Gide. I may even attempt a reread of Les Miserables.

[Melanie]

I finished 50 Shades of Grey and actually laughed out loud several times, and I think that Christian would have spanked me for it. Her best friend, Kate, is beautiful, intelligent, and wealthy yet she is going to a state school. Usually they would be going to some high end private college. Kate's interview questions for Mr. Grey were very weak and suited for TMZ. Several times it was said that Ana didn't have a submissive bone in her body - um, yeah, why am I laughing? Before finding out it was fan fiction to Twilight I compared her to Bella Swan. If you thought Bella was a strong and deep character then Ana is your girl. Sorry, I didn't think that Bella could make a decision using her brain.

[Mike]

@Jocelyn: in short, Game of Thrones knocked my socks off.

[Melanie]

Bill, I highly recommend checking out http://www.shmoop.com/ when reading classics. I used this on Wuthering Heights. After each chaper I read the chapter summary to ensure I was getting everything out of it and even checking out the questions. I like getting as much as I can out of a book.

[Bill]

Even though I've always been an avid reader I admit that there were some required books back in school that I read the CliffsNotes instead of the book. Some of those books I hope to read for real; others I still have no interest in. I'll give this site a look. Thanks, Melanie!

[Melanie]

Rapture by Lauren Kate was a good finale to the Fallen series. I didn't like the main character, Luce, in the 2nd and 3rd books, but she does redeem herself.

I'm no reading One Day by David Nicholls. It was a selection for the British World Book Night, but also I caught the movie in a hotel room and have been thinking about it ever since.