I started to pull up one of the old book threads and then figured I'd just start a new one. I just saw Sandy's comment about Madison in the Trader Joe's thread and that reminded me of a book I'm currently reading (because it takes place in Madison), so I thought I'd see what others are reading.
I'm currently reading:
At work: The Dive from Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer (novel)
I'm not quite halfway through this book about a young couple with a troubled relationship (at least from her perspective) who go through a major life trauma that fiercely tests their relationship. So far, I'm enjoying it but it isn't something where I can't wait for lunch hour every day so I can dive into it.
Though I will say, Sandy, that your hometown sounds really charming.
At home: Forever by Pete Hamill (novel)
This is probably the most-recommended book ever by my book chat group. I had had it on my "to be read" pile forever and finally started it some months back but couldn't stay with it. I put it down and picked it back up several times and am finally within 60 pages of the end. Reading that, you would probably think it must be a sucky book. It isn't. It is quite an interesting book and even a well-written book but it is long and slow in parts.
It is about a guy who is given the ability to live forever but can never leave the city where he lives (Manhattan). Because he lives so long, the story ranges from slave days up to the present time.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sheri in Reho,
1st Qtr. 2010 Goals: 1. Continue gym 3X week until it is a habit. 2. Read, write, sew or craft at least 30 mins. per day. 3. Regain control over eating > 8 p.m.
Posts: 7693 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
1st Qtr. 2010 Goals: 1. Continue gym 3X week until it is a habit. 2. Read, write, sew or craft at least 30 mins. per day. 3. Regain control over eating > 8 p.m.
Posts: 7693 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
Originally posted by Nbox: I'm still hanging out with vampires (the literary kind). [...]
Try Katie MacAlister's Dark Ones series. The first one is "Girl's Guide to Vampires". Although they can be read in any order they really make more sense if you read them in order.
I don't normally read these kinds of books but her's are so hilarously funny I really enjoy them. I am talking tears so thick you can't see.
Originally posted by Nbox: I'm still hanging out with vampires (the literary kind). I finished the first Southern Vampire book, liked it well enough, and am debating whether to go on to the next (they're a lot better than Twilight!). Meanwhile, True Blood has aired and I have a pile of scholarly vampire texts to keep me happy.
Keep reading Puck - the southern vampire books keep getting better and better : )
Out of our beliefs are born deeds; out of our deeds we form habits; out of our habits grows our character; and on our character we build our destiny.
I'm still hanging out with vampires (the literary kind). I finished the first Southern Vampire book, liked it well enough, and am debating whether to go on to the next (they're a lot better than Twilight!). Meanwhile, True Blood has aired and I have a pile of scholarly vampire texts to keep me happy.
****************** “The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends.”
Originally posted by johnbol: A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines - 4 stars
One of my long-time favorites.
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A Reliable Wife 2 stars
I heard this was a stinker from several sources.
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Burn by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy - 3 stars.
I just got Ted Dekker's The Bride Collector to review last week but haven't started it yet. I've not read him before but it sounds like it might be a good read.
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As of yesterday, I am no longer allowed to read books on the job even though there is nothing for me to do.
Oh, that is a major bummer. I know there were people not happy about me reading books when I was working the phones at the State welfare office for a year, but thankfully no one ever came out and told me I couldn't. It's horrible to be bored and not be able to use that time productively or at least enjoyably.
You have been a busy reading bee this year!
1st Qtr. 2010 Goals: 1. Continue gym 3X week until it is a habit. 2. Read, write, sew or craft at least 30 mins. per day. 3. Regain control over eating > 8 p.m.
Posts: 7693 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
Since I took this job and I have nothing to do on it, I have read 44 books this year. These have included: Half-Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls (of The Glass Castle fame. 5 stars (out of 5) Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese - 5 stars Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell - a little coarse, but still 5 stars and can't wait for his next one. The Imperial Cruise by James Bradley - nonfiction - 3 stars Step, Ball, Change by Jeanne Ray - 4 stars Homer and Langley by E. L. Doctorow - 3 stars The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest J. Gaines - 4 stars [iA Gathering of Old Men] [/i] by Ernest J. Gaines - 4 stars A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines - 4 stars A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore - 3 stars The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery Mistaken Identity - about the two girls whose identities were confused after an accident on an Indiana expressway - 4 stars Fat Girl - a memoir by Judith Moore - 4 stars Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power - 3 stars Julie and Romeo by Jeanne Ray - 2 stars American Gospel by Jon Meacham - 4 stars (about the founding father's intent about religion Postmortem - Patricia Cornwell - (audiobook) liked the book better than the narrator whom I think was a Brit Body of Evidence - Patricia Cornwell (audiobook) this time narrator was my favorite C. J. Critt - but still 3 stars both Michael J. Foxes books - 4 stars each A Reliable Wife 2 stars The Users - 1 star - trash, trash, trash, trash, trash When I Reach You by Rebecca Stead won the Newbery this year and I gave it 5 stars Leaping Beauty by Gregory Maguire - 5 stars (fractured fairy tales) Burn by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy - 3 stars.
As of yesterday, I am no longer allowed to read books on the job even though there is nothing for me to do. Yesterday at lunch I started Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon.
Ruth Reichl's other two books are also fabulous, Tender at the Bone and Comfort Me With Apples. We read them aloud on a long car trip. Very enjoyable.
I am currently reading The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. This one has been sitting on my shelf for years and years. It's good so far but slow going.
Have recently finished several good books, Drunk, Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair by Laurie Perry, and Waltzing the Cat by Pam Houston. If you are a 30 something woman trying to find your way in life I would highly recommend both of these.
Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires is an amazing read! In it she chronicles her tenure as food critic for the NYT. There's a great mix of her personal experiences and restaurant/food stories.
For all you foodies posting and lurking... this is a book worth devouring.
Finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larrson and Women Writing for (a) Change, which I mentioned below.
Also finished Twisted by Jonathan Kellerman and Bloodroot by Amy Greene.
Currently reading The Things That Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley, a novel about a bird flu pandemic. Compelling, scary at times, a great read so far.
Also currently reading Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel (author of Life of Pi, which I loved). Too soon to tell but I'm told it is a very wacky and unusual book. Then again, Life of Pi was pretty unusual too.
If you're interested in any of the above that I've already finished, you will hopefully be able to access my review page here:
1st Qtr. 2010 Goals: 1. Continue gym 3X week until it is a habit. 2. Read, write, sew or craft at least 30 mins. per day. 3. Regain control over eating > 8 p.m.
Posts: 7693 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
Yes, Sheri, read Cutting for Stone. I wasn't sure the author was going to tie up loose ends and one in particular had been sitting in my craw - waiting.
According to Amazon's reviews the lowest it has gotten is 3 stars.
I started Beowulf on the Beach. It's about reading classics (The Iliad, The Odyssey, Metamorphoses, Moby Dick, Don Quixote etc.) It is authored by a professor of medieval literature. He has a good sense of humor and tells what parts to skip of each book, best lines, and sometimes a synopsis.
You have, I'm sure, heard 50 times more audiobooks than I have, since I usually only listen to 1 or 2 a year when I go on my long trip to Ohio. Would you say that The Help audiobook is up there in comparison to most you've heard?
Yes, I would rate it highly. We've had a discussion on Good Reads website recently about both this book and audio books in general. The Help has three good narrators and narrators can make or break a book. (C. J. Critt who narrated the early Stephanie Plum books could get me to listening to just about anything.)
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The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet …
I read that one pre-publication early last year and have spoken with Jamie on Twitter. He should be having a new book published this year, if it hasn't already been published. It was kind of cool to "be listening in" (on Twitter) during his process of writing it.
That's neat, Sheri!
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I can't remember--have you also read Eats Shoots and Leaves? It's been on my wish list for several years but I've not read it yet. I've heard it is hilarious.
Yes, I read and enjoyed it and even met Ms. Truss. The most hilarious part was when she appeared at the Dayton bookstore for a signing, the poster touting her appearance had a typo (missed a possessive apostrophe). Ms. Truss pulled out her ever-present Sharpie and corrected the poster.
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Her Fearful Symmetry… I am reticent about trying this one as I hear it has a supernatural storyline and that kind of thing gives me the major creeps. How creepy/scary/unsettling did you find it, if at all?
Not scary but definitely creepy. It does deal with ghost's a la the Patrick Swayze movie of the same name - but then it takes a step too far, IMHO.
[QUOTE]FYI, recently spoke to an old AOL friend of mine who said that her favorite book of 2009 was an immense biography of Abraham Lincoln. Not my cup of tea but thought you might like it.
I'm sure one of the books that I will be reading (at work!) will be Doris Kearns Goodwin's book on Lincoln, but I always appreciate recommendations of biography and history books - my first love. It's only the book discussion group that really has me reading fiction.
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Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese…
Amazon is constantly recommending this one to me but I haven't bitten yet. It was available to me pre-publication but I didn't choose it. Do you highly recommend it?
It is a good read. I have fewer than 100 pages to finish, I've learned (i.e. Her Fearful Symmetry) til it's all done.
One more thing on audio books…I needed to pick something new the other day and needed to do it quickly. I picked Patricia Cornwell's Post Mortem. I read the book many years ago, but never got past about the third book in the series - too many books, too little time. I don't like to read mystery series out of order, so I thought, I can brush up on Kay Scarpetta and then continue the series.
I hate the narrator who may be a Brit. She definitely is not Kay Scarpetta.
I can't remember--have you also read Eats Shoots and Leaves? It's been on my wish list for several years but I've not read it yet. I've heard it is hilarious.
I love Eats shoots and leaves. It is hilarious.
Dawn
"Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You have to set yourself on fire." anonymous
Posts: 4461 | Location: Indianapolis, IN | Registered: March 15, 2004
Originally posted by Sheri in Reho: The Help audiobook
I just finished listening to that this past week (after having read it earlier last year. I agree whole heartedly wonderful audiobook. Eye-opening book.
You have, I'm sure, heard 50 times more audiobooks than I have, since I usually only listen to 1 or 2 a year when I go on my long trip to Ohio. Would you say that The Help audiobook is up there in comparison to most you've heard?
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The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet which is about Japanese in Washington state during WWII.
I read that one pre-publication early last year and have spoken with Jamie on Twitter. He should be having a new book published this year, if it hasn't already been published. It was kind of cool to "be listening in" (on Twitter) during his process of writing it.
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Sher, one of my aunt's raves about the Steig Larson book. It's only recently that I've heard that it takes about 1/3 of the book to "get into it."
Yes, I've recently read similar things in Shelfari about it...and I'm just now about passing the first third. It is definitely starting to pick up, but still not what I would consider a GREAT book.
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Two books on grammar and word usage - Origins of the Specious was comical and interesting. The Grouchy Grammarian was sometimes over my head.
I can't remember--have you also read Eats Shoots and Leaves? It's been on my wish list for several years but I've not read it yet. I've heard it is hilarious.
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The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley was great
There were lots of raves about this one in the Amazon Vine community but I never did read it.
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Her Fearful Symmetry is Audrey Niffenegger's follow-up to TTTW. Her writing is poetic, but I absolutely detested the ending of this book.
I am reticent about trying this one as I hear it has a supernatural storyline and that kind of thing gives me the major creeps. How creepy/scary/unsettling did you find it, if at all?
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Also listened to The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. He hasn't written anything new in a long time - wished he would have written more in his later years.
FYI, recently spoke to an old AOL friend of mine who said that her favorite book of 2009 was an immense biography of Abraham Lincoln. Not my cup of tea but thought you might like it.
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I'm almost through Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. It is a really interesting and well written.
Amazon is constantly recommending this one to me but I haven't bitten yet. It was available to me pre-publication but I didn't choose it. Do you highly recommend it?
1st Qtr. 2010 Goals: 1. Continue gym 3X week until it is a habit. 2. Read, write, sew or craft at least 30 mins. per day. 3. Regain control over eating > 8 p.m.
Posts: 7693 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
Originally posted by Sheri in Reho: I recently finished:
The Help audiobook (had already read the book in early 2009) - STRONGLY recommended for anyone considering reading (or re-reading) this book. Best audiobook I've heard, bar none.
I just finished listening to that this past week (after having read it earlier last year. I agree whole heartedly wonderful audiobook. Eye-opening book.
I've read two others recently that have me wondering the same things as The Help (which is which side would I have been on?) The other two books are Sarah's Key which involves the Jews in Vichy France in WW II and The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet which is about Japanese in Washington state during WWII.
Sher, one of my aunt's raves about the Steig Larson book. It's only recently that I've heard that it takes about 1/3 of the book to "get into it."
Since I last checked in here, I've read:
Two books on grammar and word usage - Origins of the Specious was comical and interesting. The Grouchy Grammarian was sometimes over my head.
Two wretched related books - The Winners: Part II of Joyce Haber's The Users by Dominick Dunne and The Users by Joyce Haber. The former was Dunne's very first book it was gossipy Hollywood and trashy. The former was just plain filth. I needed a shower after that and kept wondering WHY I felt compelled to finish. Like a car accident?
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga was good.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley was great and given me another author that I will be eager to read his next (it will be a series and next comes out in March).
Her Fearful Symmetry is Audrey Niffenegger's follow-up to TTTW. Her writing is poetic, but I absolutely detested the ending of this book.
I've also listened to NIck Hornby's newest Juliet Naked. It is the first of his that I've read. I will look out for more of his. Also listened to The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. He hasn't written anything new in a long time - wished he would have written more in his later years.
I'm almost through Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. It is a really interesting and well written except that the author is a doctor writing about doctors, so sometimes he bogs the book down with too much doctor-lingo. I think I could perform a C-section, now.
I've read some of Gregory Maguire's (Wicked) YA books. I strongly recommend Leaping Beauty to kids of all ages. He "fractures" familiar fairy tales delightfully. Read these to your kids (or not.)
Read Michael J. Fox's first book Lucky Man and really enjoyed it. someone lent me his second book, so I had to start at the beginning!
I have read 11 books in the past two weeks on my job. I'm sure there will be more updates about books very soon. I may get my bookshelves emptied.
The Help audiobook (had already read the book in early 2009) - STRONGLY recommended for anyone considering reading (or re-reading) this book. Best audiobook I've heard, bar none.
They Never Die Quietly, by D.M. Annechino. This serial killer mystery is not yet published. It is quite grisly but I'm used to that from the Deaver books...what was more disturbing were things that were morally reprehensible and not just grisly. Only recommended for those with previous experience in this genre and with grisly details.
Time of My LIfe by Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi. I enjoyed it but I must admit that I did color my view of Patrick, and in not a positive way. But I appreciated his honesty. A very quick read--recommended for Swayze fans.
13th Stephanie Plum book by Janet Evanovich. A fun read but definitely not as guffaw-worthy as most of the earlier part of the series.
I'm currently reading:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larson. Most people seem to find this book, and the whole series, astoundingly wonderful. Thus far, I have been bored to tears, but I'm just now hitting about the third-of-the-way mark and am hoping, like Bel Canto, that I'll "get" why it's so popular if I keep going.
Women Writing for a Change (can't remember author). This is a nonfiction book about a feminist writer's program. It's too New Agey for me but still quite interesting to read. Well...quite dry...but interesting in some parts, too.
1st Qtr. 2010 Goals: 1. Continue gym 3X week until it is a habit. 2. Read, write, sew or craft at least 30 mins. per day. 3. Regain control over eating > 8 p.m.
Posts: 7693 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
Originally posted by jillybean: I'm back to trying to read Bel Canto. I think Sheri, you mentioned you read this if I am not mistaken? The beginning is sooooo slow and boring. Does it get any better?
Yes, it does. I, too, thought the first third or half was hopelessly slow and boring. People in my book chat (at the time) pleaded with me to keep reading...and I'm glad I did. In the end, I enjoyed it and was glad I read it, but that first part...eeeyuck!
1st Qtr. 2010 Goals: 1. Continue gym 3X week until it is a habit. 2. Read, write, sew or craft at least 30 mins. per day. 3. Regain control over eating > 8 p.m.
Posts: 7693 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
