*** What are you reading now? (Part 6)

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ConversesClub Read 2015

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*** What are you reading now? (Part 6)

Aquest tema està marcat com "inactiu": L'últim missatge és de fa més de 90 dies. Podeu revifar-lo enviant una resposta.

1lilisin
ag. 26, 2015, 10:00 pm

We're a few days away from September where we will once again start changing seasons and perhaps even our tastes. As the last of the summer peaches leave the grocery store shelves my desire to eat chocolate is already coming back again.

Please share what books you are reading upon this seasonal change.

2alphaorder
ag. 26, 2015, 10:16 pm

I am on vacation and am in the middle of Faith versus Fact, a very good book. But i needed something with a little more levity, so I took a break to read Mrs Queen Takes the Train, which was recommended to me at the local independent. Easy and enjoyable read.

3rebeccanyc
ag. 27, 2015, 7:33 am

I am semi on vacation and am reading Notre Dame de Paris (better known as The Hunchback of Notre Dame), which so far I am not liking as much as the other Hugos I have read. I'm also reading The Lights of Pointe-Noire, a memoir by Alain Mabanckou, a writer I like.

4MarcusBastos
ag. 27, 2015, 10:28 am

Your post remind me to continue the reading of Vitor Hugo, Os Miseráveis, portuguese edition. It's a long road...

5NanaCC
ag. 27, 2015, 9:38 pm

I finished another Barbara Pym for the All Virago/All August theme, Some Tame Gazelle. This was Pym's first novel written in the 1930's, but not published until 1950.

I've started another book for AV/AA, August Folly by Angela Thirkell.

6lilisin
ag. 27, 2015, 10:31 pm

>3 rebeccanyc:

That book was a little bit more difficult for me to get into (and you know how much I love Hugo) but the thing that really helped me sink in was knowing that Frollo and the cathedral are the main characters while the more "famous" Quasimodo and Esmeralda are actually side characters. Knowing this I was able to see the beauty in the main characters.

7dchaikin
ag. 27, 2015, 10:55 pm

>4 MarcusBastos: a long road indeed.

8wandering_star
ag. 28, 2015, 1:04 am

>1 lilisin: one of the wonderful things about Asia - you can actually see the changes of the season on the grocery shelves and restaurant menus!

9lilisin
ag. 28, 2015, 2:10 am

>8 wandering_star:

Yes! To actually see non-seasonal fruit and fish actually leave the grocery shelves is so refreshing. Makes you feel a lot more confident about what you're eating and it inspires you to eat well within the season!

And since this thread is about books and not food I should mention that I'm currently reading Otsuichi's Goth, a book with three short suspense stories where I'm almost done with the second.

10AnnieMod
ag. 28, 2015, 4:49 am

>9 lilisin:

Now, now, don't just tease, tell us more about the food! :)

11rebeccanyc
ag. 28, 2015, 8:19 am

>6 lilisin: Good to know, Lilisin. And that's why I appreciate that my translated edition still uses the French title, Notre Dame de Paris instead of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

12lilisin
ag. 28, 2015, 10:27 am

>11 rebeccanyc:

Yes, the translated title is a huge misnomer. I never get tired of saying how much I dislike it.

13baswood
ag. 28, 2015, 7:27 pm

I am reading another book of Doris Lessing's short stories A man and two Women

14NanaCC
ag. 31, 2015, 8:51 am

I finished Angela Thirkell's amusing August Folly. Last night, I started Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. The Jackson Brodie series has a lot of love here in CR, so I have high expectations.

For audio, I finished Colin Cotterill's The Merry Misogynist, 6th in the enjoyable Dr. Siri Investigations series. Later today, I plan to start Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: A Novel by A. J. Hartley & David Hewson, Narrated by Richard Armitage.

15RidgewayGirl
ag. 31, 2015, 8:59 am

I'm dividing my attention between Megan Abbott's high school-centered noir, The Fever, Stephen King's foray into the detective novel with Finders Keepers and I'm really enjoying Barchester Towers.

16rebeccanyc
ag. 31, 2015, 10:44 am

I finished and reviewed Notre-Dame de Paris, better known (although misleadingly) as The Hunchback of Notre Dame; I'm glad I read it but I liked the other books I've read by Hugo so much more.

17Nickelini
ag. 31, 2015, 12:18 pm

I'm reading Summer House With Swimming Pool and finding the first-person narrator unusually vile (I'm fine with characters I dislike, but Koch is really pushing it this time).

18RidgewayGirl
ag. 31, 2015, 1:35 pm

Joyce, Koch is not one for the sympathetic characters, is he?

19Nickelini
ag. 31, 2015, 1:40 pm

20dchaikin
ag. 31, 2015, 9:28 pm

Nearly done with All the a Pretty Horses, parts of which I've absolutely loved. And I'm listening to A Mercy by Toni Morrison. I think I need to takea break from Morrison. I'm so annoyed with the book that I've lost the ability to judge whether it's actually terrible or not.

21fuzzy_patters
ag. 31, 2015, 9:52 pm

I'm reading the short stories at the end of Vonnegut: Novels & Stories 1950-1962. I read Sirens of Titan and Mother Night in this same collection. I did not read Player Piano in this collection because I had previously read it.

22alphaorder
set. 1, 2015, 8:00 am

I am reading and enjoying That Part was True, the last of my vacation reads. I had hoped to finish it last night, which would put my YTD reads at 50, right on track to reading 75 in 2015! Ah well, a day or two isn't going to make a difference.

23alphaorder
set. 1, 2015, 8:01 am

The fall books lists are really starting to come out. Here is one from Flavorwire:

http://flavorwire.com/535500/33-must-read-books-for-fall-2015/view-all

24dchaikin
set. 1, 2015, 9:18 am

>23 alphaorder: thanks. That's a great list of new and upcoming books.

25MsNick
set. 1, 2015, 9:30 am

I finished Eight Hundred Grapes and am going to use Big Little Lies to sneak reading breaks during my move.

26japaul22
set. 1, 2015, 9:58 am

>23 alphaorder: agreed, that's a great list with quite a few books I'm interested in.

27rebeccanyc
set. 1, 2015, 1:04 pm

I've finished Alain Mabanckou's insightful and charming memoir, The Lights of Pointe-Noire, written after his return to Congo 26 years after leaving it.

28bragan
set. 1, 2015, 8:14 pm

>17 Nickelini: After reading The Dinner, my only-half-joking take on Koch is that he heard people saying things like "I'm fine with characters I dislike" and took it as a challenge, to see how far he could push it. :)

29bragan
set. 1, 2015, 8:17 pm

Oh, and I'm currently reading Jeff Vandermeer's Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy, which is an omnibus collection of Annihilation, Authority, and Acceptance. I'm only about 50 pages in, and I'm finding it very interesting, but I'm also thinking the decision to read it all at once in collected form may have been a mistake. It's clearly not going to be a fast read, and there may be a limit to how much of this sort of strangeness one should ask one's brain to deal with all at once.

30Nickelini
set. 1, 2015, 8:25 pm

>28 bragan: - Yep, I think that's exactly what he does. More of that in Summer House with Swimming Pool.

31alphaorder
set. 1, 2015, 8:37 pm

>25 MsNick: My sister-in-law just recommended Eight Hundred Grapes to me this weekend. Good read?

32Nickelini
Editat: set. 2, 2015, 2:07 am

I just finished Summer House With Swimming Pool and am now deciding between Brideshead Revisited or Howard's End. Or maybe Cloud Atlas. Any strong positions in favour of one of these is welcome, although I plan to read all three of them soonish.

ETA: I'm also listening to Alexander McCall Smith's retelling of Emma on audiobook.

33RidgewayGirl
set. 2, 2015, 2:20 am

>29 bragan: I don't know, Betty. My one complaint about Annihilation was that it was clearly just the beginning of a longer book, so that I felt a little manipulated into getting the other two books. VanderMeer did initially write it as a single book (or at least plan it as a single book).

>32 Nickelini: Joyce, now is clearly the time to read something with a sympathetic, morally centered character.

34bragan
set. 2, 2015, 2:30 am

>33 RidgewayGirl: Well, maybe it will work well as a one-volume read, then. Even if I am a little intimidated by it, to be honest.

35Nickelini
set. 2, 2015, 2:31 am

>33 RidgewayGirl: now is clearly the time to read something with a sympathetic, morally centered character.

Good idea. Do you know if any of the ones I mentioned have that?

36RidgewayGirl
set. 2, 2015, 3:09 am

I have not read any of those, although my personal experience with Mitchell's books is that they are very much written with a strong moral center to them.

And speaking of not having read important books, my brother is currently sneering at me and casting aspersions on me thinking that I'm a reader. The reason -- I haven't read any Cormac McCarthy.

37ursula
set. 2, 2015, 3:18 am

>32 Nickelini: Cloud Atlas is the only one of those I've read, and I'd definitely recommend it.

38AlisonY
set. 2, 2015, 4:24 am

>32 Nickelini: oh, I loved both Howard's End and Brideshead Revisited. Nice dilemma!

39NanaCC
set. 2, 2015, 7:26 am

>38 AlisonY: & >32 Nickelini: I agree with Allison, but since I've not read Cloud Atlas we are not much help. Put the names in a hat, and pull one out. :)

40kidzdoc
set. 2, 2015, 9:56 am

I'm reading The Family of Pascual Duarte by Camilo José Cela, for the current Reading Globally challenge.

41MsNick
set. 2, 2015, 10:03 am

>31 alphaorder: Hi! I hope you had a great vacation! :) I really enjoyed Eight Hundred Grapes and I think you would, too. It was a nicely written, not-too-heavy read - a perfect summer book to get in under the wire! (It also contained many interesting facts about wine & the wine making process.)

42nrmay
set. 2, 2015, 11:04 am

Now reading Raven Black by Ann Cleeves, thanks to an LT comment!
And also Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult.

Liking both so far.

43dchaikin
set. 2, 2015, 12:44 pm

>36 RidgewayGirl: tell your brother to bugger off. McCarthy is not essential reading. But All the Pretty Horses was fun.

I'm about to start The Crossing, i mean like right after this post. Also I've started The Book of Daniel (there is a dedicated Wikipedia page to almost each individual chapter). Getting close to finishing the OT.

44japaul22
set. 2, 2015, 6:26 pm

I just finished the excellent George, Nicholas, and Wilhelm: Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I by Miranda Carter (review to come later tonight). I am reading Olive Kitteridge (finally) and listening to the next Maisie Dobbs mystery on audio, Messenger of Truth.

Next up is Phineas Redux and once I finish something else, Troubles by J.G. Farrell. Both of these are September group reads on LT.

And then I also want to get to The Sun King by Nancy Mitford that I've had on my shelf for a while and since I just listened to another Louis XIV book it seems like the time.

Too many books, too little time.

45Oandthegang
set. 2, 2015, 7:15 pm

>44 japaul22: I recently discovered my unread copy of George etc in a forgotten TBR heap. I bought it after seeing the excellent tv programme based round the book. Looking forward to reading your review.

This month I am supposed to read Trial By Battle, volume 1 of what I recently discovered with a sinking heart to be a five volume history of the Hundred Years War. I thought there were only going to be four. The latest volume seems to be almost twice the length of the first, but the publishers have kept the volumes uniform by printing the latest on thinner paper. If Sumption keeps on like this volume five will have to be printed on that specially thin paper they always used to use for bibles, probably with type face to match. I say 'supposed' because I have been collecting this series for years without getting through volume one and as a friend has just purchased volume one we are going to pace each other to get through it - discouraging for me as I am a very slow reader and I suspect he is not. Posting my intention here is another way of trying to keep myself on the path. I am still in the first chapter (of thirty-two). The series is well regarded and I remind myself that the Robert Caro LBJ books are slow starters.

>43 dchaikin: reminds me that I had also intended to start doing some reading about the New Testament, however when shirking my obligation to plow on with Sumption I am reading House-bound by Winifred Peck.

46dchaikin
set. 2, 2015, 7:48 pm

wow, there is a five volume history of the 100 years war. Sounds awesome, O. Hope it's as good as it sounds.

47SassyLassy
Editat: set. 2, 2015, 7:57 pm

>45 Oandthegang: Had not heard of this author or set of volumes. Perhaps it is meant to give you an idea through reading of just how long the various conflicts endured! Sounds like it would be worthwhile though.

Keep reading other things while reading Sumption.

ETA I just read in one of the reviews that Sumption is "one of England's top 2 or 3 commercial lawyers". That may provide an interesting spin.

48Oandthegang
Editat: set. 3, 2015, 3:07 am

>47 SassyLassy: It is the very level of Jonathan Sumption's achievements and the fact that he is writing this monstrous work in his spare time that I find daunting. I am having difficulty banishing him from my thoughts while reading.

Here, if it works, is a link to an article from August this year in The Guardian. There's also an audio version on the web. http://www.theguardian.com/law/2015/aug/06/jonathan-sumption-brain-of-britain

(Edited to remove reference to redundant article)

49Oandthegang
set. 3, 2015, 3:24 am

Looking at the LT reviews I discover that back in 2010 baswood made a correction to the second volume of this history, Trial By Fire! I'm very impressed bas. While your correction shows Sumption to have feet of clay after all it makes you very scary indeed!

50FlorenceArt
set. 3, 2015, 6:19 am

>48 Oandthegang: I just read that article. Both the man and the books sound impressive! Intimidating but probably worth it.

51NanaCC
set. 4, 2015, 5:20 pm

I finished and enjoyed Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. Next up, a change of pace with The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope.

52AlisonY
set. 4, 2015, 5:50 pm

I'm more than a little devastated over how much I didn't enjoy Mrs Dalloway, which I'd been looking forward to all year. My next book choice requires some careful consideration: I need a pick-me-up.

53RidgewayGirl
set. 5, 2015, 5:26 am

I'm reading The Known World by Edward P. Jones, about an African American who owned slaves in Virginia in the 1830s. It's been on my shelf for some time and I've decided that I need to start either reading the oldest books on my TBR or set them aside for rehoming.

Basically, my husband walked into the bedroom (where new books end up) last night, looked around, and asked if he needed to build more bookshelves when we return to the US in ten months.

54ELiz_M
set. 5, 2015, 7:41 am

I recently finished The Heart of Redness. On audio, I am listening to Cousin Bette and my commute book is Far From the Madding Crowd.

55AlisonY
set. 5, 2015, 8:09 am

Until I decide on a new novel to get stuck into, I'm re-reading How to Talk So Your Kids Will Listen, and How to Listen So Your Kids Will Talk. This is a great parenting book which I use to recalibrate myself every now and again when my kids reach different stages.

I've been guilty of too much nagging / told-you-so parenting lately - time for a gentle shake.

56dchaikin
set. 5, 2015, 9:57 am

>53 RidgewayGirl: I read The Known World awhile back and still think about it. Then last year sometime I read an interview of Jones...what an unusual guy, calm before anything, it would seem.

>55 AlisonY: Alison, I got a lot out of this when I read it...but now have completely forgotten the lessons. After I read it, everything I said to my kids was suddenly so carefully orchestrated and strategic. Not entirely sure that was a good thing...

57AlisonY
set. 5, 2015, 12:12 pm

>56 dchaikin: I agree you could end up going too far the other way if you followed the book to the letter, but there's little chance of me being so conscientious!

58rebeccanyc
set. 5, 2015, 12:18 pm

I just read the utterly fascinating and compelling readable Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Joan Druett, about two shipwrecks on remote, stormy Auckland Island, in the 1860s, and their very different fates. I read this book because it was recommended some time ago by both Colleen (NanaCC) and a former Club Reader, Chris (cabegley).

59AlisonY
set. 5, 2015, 4:22 pm

OK. Next up is going to be The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. This has been on loan from the library from a while and renewed twice. Much as I've wanted to read this for ages something has been putting me off getting into it. But enough procrastinating - here we go.

60RidgewayGirl
set. 5, 2015, 4:24 pm

>59 AlisonY: I was blown away by The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. I hope you love it, too.

61AlisonY
set. 6, 2015, 8:37 am

>60 RidgewayGirl: only a few pages in, but so far so good!

63alphaorder
set. 6, 2015, 2:27 pm

Just started Did You Ever Have a Family?. Good so far!

64Helenliz
set. 7, 2015, 4:33 pm

I'm about to start A case of exploding mangoes which I ordered from the library based solely on its intriguing title. No idea what I'm about to get into!

65ljbwell
set. 8, 2015, 1:26 pm

I'm just starting Christopher Brookmyre's A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Pencil, which is good fun so far (in a dark satire way).

66RidgewayGirl
set. 8, 2015, 2:13 pm

>65 ljbwell: Oh, I thought that A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Pencil was fantastic! There's a glossary at the back, by the way. I didn't find that out until I'd already finished the book, myself.

I'm in the wonderful, but temporary state of being mid-way through two very good books. Barchester Towers has taken off, people. Mrs. Proudie is pissed off and out for blood and the misunderstandings are mounting rapidly. So much fun.

And in The Known World by Edward P. Jones, I'm just really invested in every single person in Manchester County, VA.

67avidmom
set. 8, 2015, 6:37 pm

I'm almost through Carlos Santana's autobiography, Universal Tone: Bringing My Story to Light - which means everybody here has had to listen to a lot of Santana music! :)

68dchaikin
set. 8, 2015, 7:53 pm

I've been plodding through a Dictionary of Word Origins by Linda & Roger Flavell. Just reading a few pages here and there. I'm almost to C. And I've been listening to Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain, which is good except that Cain seems to have a inverts-like-me-are-superior complex. These and the other things from >43 dchaikin: - The Crossing and The Book of Daniel.

69ELiz_M
set. 9, 2015, 7:17 am

>68 dchaikin: I tried Quiet as an audiobook and couldn't stand the narration -- it sounded too smug and simplistic. I haven't gotten around to picking up a paper copy.

70StevenTX
set. 9, 2015, 8:13 am

I finished August Is a Wicked Month by Edna O'Brien last night. I'll be traveling for the next three days, and will post a review when I return.

71rebeccanyc
set. 9, 2015, 11:09 am

>70 StevenTX: I've always meant to read Edna O'Brien and I have The Country Girls on the TBR.

72dchaikin
set. 9, 2015, 12:08 pm

>69 ELiz_M: yeah, that, smug. Wonder if I would feel differently if I were reading instead of listening. Still, it has value.

73ljbwell
set. 9, 2015, 1:28 pm

>66 RidgewayGirl: I'm further in and definitely enjoying. I've read two or three others, so knew what I was getting into. Good opportunity to brush up on my Scots/Glaswegian, too. :-)

74MsNick
set. 9, 2015, 4:29 pm

I'm hoping to start Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes. I still have so much organizing to do after moving this past weekend.

75MarcusBastos
set. 10, 2015, 10:17 am

Finished the listening of The Life of Greece, by Will Durant. Review in my tread. Next in the listening list: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, by Edward Gibbon.

76RidgewayGirl
set. 10, 2015, 10:59 am

I've finished The Known World by Edward P. Jones, which has given me much to think about.

Continuing on with Barchester Towers, which was not tremendously interesting until halfway through when everything exploded.

And I'm beginning Elizabeth Hay's newest, His Whole Life.

77weird_O
set. 10, 2015, 12:43 pm

The Known World is in my sights, but I'm afraid I may not get to it until 2016. Bugger!

Right now I am more than 2/3 into The Handmaid's Tale; hoping to finish it today. Then back to Stendahl's The Red and the Black; halfway through that. And then...and then... House of Mirth, Rabbit, Run.

78bragan
set. 10, 2015, 4:00 pm

I finally finished Jeff VanderMeer's Area X, which was good, but not a fast read, and am now reading The Ultimate Daily Show and Philosophy, edited by Jason Holt. I miss Jon Stewart.

79avidmom
set. 10, 2015, 7:12 pm

78 I miss Jon Stewart too. :(

80avidmom
set. 12, 2015, 1:49 pm

I started reading The Call of the Wild this morning.

81baswood
set. 12, 2015, 4:42 pm

>49 Oandthegang: I never got to part three of Sumtions massive work.

82alphaorder
set. 12, 2015, 6:12 pm

Started The State We're In. But then Negroland arrived, so I might need to read that right away instead

83MsNick
set. 14, 2015, 8:27 am

84alphaorder
set. 14, 2015, 8:38 am

>83 MsNick:. I hope you have as much fun with this read as I did.

85bragan
set. 14, 2015, 10:51 am

I just zipped through High Five by Janet Evanovich. That's part of her Stephanie Plum series, which I keep coming back to whenever I need something undemanding and fun.

Now I'm starting on Dragonfly: NASA and the Crisis Aboard Mir by Bryan Burrough, which I've had on the To-Read Shelves since... well, probably since Mir was a going concern.

86avidmom
set. 14, 2015, 1:15 pm

I finished The Call of the Wild this morning. It's a very short book. So, now I think I'll turn my attention to one of the books on my library stack, Steinbeck's The Pastures of Heaven, one of his earlier works (and also, thankfully, very short.)

87MsNick
set. 14, 2015, 2:21 pm

>84 alphaorder: I'm really loving it! A friend just gave me a copy & if I had known that Semple had been a writer for Arrested Development, I'd have gotten off of my duff and bought a copy a LONG time ago!

88NanaCC
set. 16, 2015, 5:14 pm

I just finished The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope. Mr. Trollope could certainly write an entertaining story. I'll write up my comments once I resolve my computer issues. This iPad is not conducive to writing more than a few lines - although I am glad to have it.

My next book is Bury Your Dead: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny. I need something light and quick.

89japaul22
set. 16, 2015, 8:13 pm

I've finished Phineas Redux. Now I'm reading Troubles by J.G. Farrell and The Sun King by Nancy Mitford.

90AlisonY
set. 17, 2015, 4:06 am

91RidgewayGirl
set. 17, 2015, 4:17 am

I've finished Barchester Towers. I have my issues with Trollope, but he can tell a story. I'll continue on with Doctor Thorne in a bit.

Right now, I'm reading Elizabeth Hay's newest, His Whole Life, which is, so far, set in Ontario around the time of the Quebec referendum (I think 1980?). I'm also dipping in and out of The Beat Goes On, a collection of short stories about Ian Rankin's famous detective, and also reading The Hanging Tree by Bryan Gruley, set on Michigan's upper peninsula.

92rebeccanyc
set. 17, 2015, 10:59 am

93ELiz_M
set. 19, 2015, 7:34 am

I recently finished Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig, which is....unusual. I'm currently reading The Warning Voice, volume three of The Story of the Stone by Cao Xueqin. On audio I am half-listening to Antic Hay.

94AlisonY
set. 19, 2015, 11:09 am

In between dipping in and out of Reading Like a Writer, I'm reading Licks of Love, a collection of short stories by John Updike which was published in 2001. It contains the novella Rabbit Remembered, which completes the Rabbit series of books.

95MsNick
set. 19, 2015, 1:46 pm

Finished Where'd You Go Bernadette and I'm about to crack open Fishbowl.

96FlorenceArt
set. 19, 2015, 2:20 pm

Finished Rue des boutiques obscures and still thinking about what to start next. Probably Intrigue du mariage de M. Le Duc de Berry, a part of the memoirs of Saint-Simon.

97rebeccanyc
set. 20, 2015, 8:29 am

I've finished and reviewed the last of Trollope's Palliser series, which I enjoyed, The Duke's Children, and the second in Joan Druett's Wiki Coffin seafaring mysteries, Shark Island, which I also enjoyed.

98RidgewayGirl
set. 20, 2015, 8:50 am

I just finished Elizabeth Hay's newest novel, His Whole Life, which was set in 1995 during the second Quebec referendum. It was a book about being Canadian, and forgiveness and families, but it fell flat for me. Despite the quality of the writing, I was never not turning pages and watching the chapters go by.

I've started Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell, for a change of pace. Nothing momentous here, but she has a skill at making dialogue look effortless and I'm enjoying the story about a shy girl during her freshman year at the University of Nebraska.

99MsNick
Editat: set. 21, 2015, 8:09 am

I devoured Fishbowl by Bradley Somer and have begun reading The Nurses by Alexandra Robbins.

100alphaorder
set. 21, 2015, 9:05 am

Finished The State We're In, which I enjoyed well enough. Likely starting H is for Hawk next.

101alphaorder
set. 21, 2015, 9:05 am

>98 RidgewayGirl:. I liked Fangirl, but not being a fan of fan fiction myself, I skimmed those parts. :)

102RidgewayGirl
set. 21, 2015, 9:07 am

>101 alphaorder: Those parts were not my favorite, either. I'm disappointed to see that Rowell's next book is that fan fiction.

103dchaikin
set. 22, 2015, 11:25 am

Listening to Now is the Time to Open Your Heart.

This is the last novel Alice Walker has published so far. It's from 2004. I'm intrigued enough to want to read more from her, but I'm not really into the book. I might not finish.

104Helenliz
set. 22, 2015, 1:36 pm

Started listening to Cannery Row by John Steinbeck. I read a Steinbeck in school - can't even remember which one it was, I hated it that much. So it was with some trepidation that I picked this up after all that time. Someone on LT suggested it as one of his shorter, lighter books and I have to say that I'm really enjoying it. He has a turn of phrase that can conjour up an entire image in a very few words. And his people are all very believable. So far all male, but hey ho.

So, thanks, LT, that's the second dragon being slayed this month, as I'm also on Hemmingway, similar reason, although that was The old man and the sea, if memory serves. Don't remember anything very concrete about that one either, but at least I remembered the title! I'm maybe less won over by him so far.

105japaul22
set. 24, 2015, 8:37 pm

I've just finished Nancy Mitford's gossipy biography of Louis XIV. It was kind of fun.

I'm in the midst of an extremely stressful time at work, so I checked out some books from the library that I'm hoping will be engrossing but not taxing to read - Georgette Heyer's The Foundling and The Island of the Lost which I was so intrigued by from recent reviews in Club Read.

I'm also listening to the very amusing The Uncommon Reader on audio thanks to Club Read reviews.

I just love this group!

106avidmom
set. 25, 2015, 12:40 am

After an incredibly stressful few weeks of getting youngest ready and packed up for university life, I am re-reading Can't Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg which is lighthearted and fun. I'm also listening to Drama: An Actor's Education by John Lithgow. I usually have a hard time getting into audio books but since Lithgow narrates, no problem!

>105 japaul22: "I just love this group!"
Me too!

107RidgewayGirl
set. 25, 2015, 3:24 am

I'm reading The Illuminations, about an elderly woman who was a photographer, by Andrew O'Hagan. I'm enjoying how low key and subtle it is. I'm also reading The Beat Goes On, which is a collection of all the short stories Ian Rankin wrote that feature his famous detective Rebus. It is neither subtle nor low key.

And I just got my copy of Step Aside, Pops, Kate Beaton's new collection of Hark! A Vagrant comics. That will take precedence. The first few pages are about Liszt and Chopin, followed by a few pages about Lois Lane.

108rebeccanyc
set. 26, 2015, 11:34 am

I've finished The Real Life of Alejandro Mayta, which I enjoyed but isn't my favorite Vargas Llosa novel, and another Wiki Coffin mystery, Run Afoul.

109dchaikin
set. 26, 2015, 3:01 pm

I gave up Now is the Time to Open Your Heart. I started The Help, but...well, I have The Tipping Point coming available from my library soon, so I was just going to try The Help until then. I've gotten a bit attached to it.

As for actual books, just slowing working through The Crossing still. An oddly textured book. Going nowhere, then suddenly there is a lot to think about, then changes back to going nowhere. I mean, it's going, it's not going in any particular resolvable direction yet.

110janemarieprice
set. 26, 2015, 6:53 pm

Working my way through a few architectural tomes for study purposes. Along with that I'm about halfway through Snakecharm a second in a fantasy series I started earlier this year and A Reliable Wife which I'm on the fence about.

111rebeccanyc
Editat: set. 26, 2015, 8:37 pm

112japaul22
set. 26, 2015, 8:40 pm

113janemarieprice
set. 26, 2015, 9:23 pm

111/112 - yeah I'm not liking it very much but I read about half of it last night in an hour so figured I may as well finish and write a scathing review. :)

114RidgewayGirl
Editat: set. 27, 2015, 9:50 am

I was dissatisfied with The Reliable Wife, but I was really impressed with Goolrick's memoir, The End of the World as We Know It.

115NanaCC
set. 27, 2015, 11:28 am

After I finished Bury Your Dead: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny, I needed another Kindle book, so chose the next in the series, A Trick of the Light. Both were enjoyable.

I'm now reading Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier in print, and One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson on my Kindle.

116MsNick
set. 28, 2015, 10:35 am

I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend read, the fabulous The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George and I've just started Blue Plate Special by Kate Christensen.

117Nickelini
set. 28, 2015, 8:04 pm

I'm 20 pages into Gut: the Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ. Already I've learned things, and had some really good laughs.

118MsNick
set. 29, 2015, 9:05 am

>117 Nickelini: That book seems very interesting to me. let us know how you liked it when you've finished!

119baswood
set. 29, 2015, 11:56 am

>117 Nickelini: I am not sure I want to know what goes on in my gut.

120AlisonY
set. 29, 2015, 6:14 pm

Absolutely LOVED Reading Like a Writer.... What an amazing book - I have learnt so much and yet sadly retained so little (no reflection on Prose's writing - merely a sad reflection of the quality of my grey matter). There goes the first item on my Christmas wish list - this is a book I'll return to again and again.

Now I'm going to get back to Updike's Licks of Love which I've been enjoying so far (not very good at juggling more than one book at a time, however).

121Nickelini
set. 29, 2015, 11:30 pm

>119 baswood: That's what everyone says until something goes wrong. And then it's "why?!", "why me?" and "how do I make this stop?

122StevenTX
set. 30, 2015, 12:26 am

I've finished and reviewed The Ubu Plays by Alfred Jarry, and the wonderful Idylls of Theocritus.

123baswood
set. 30, 2015, 8:04 am

I am reading The Life of Michelangelo Buonarotti by John Addington Symonds.

124Helenliz
set. 30, 2015, 4:50 pm

I finished Cannery Row and really enjoyed it. What of Steinbeck's books would anyone suggest I might try next? I had one of those "put off in school" experiences with Of mice and men (I think - really have no recollection of it at all) so this is still dipping toes in the water, not diving right in the deep end.

Listening to 1222 which is cold and Scandinavian and so far quite riveting.

125avidmom
set. 30, 2015, 6:31 pm

>124 Helenliz: Sweet Thursday is Steinbeck's "sequel" to Cannery Row. You might enjoy that if you want to go back to the Row. Sweet Thursday is written more like a conventional novel but it's just as much fun.

126lilisin
set. 30, 2015, 10:48 pm

I finally was able to finish a book which was GOTH 夜の章 by Otsuichi, a collection of three short stories (that are available in translation) but not his strongest works that I've read.

127avaland
oct. 1, 2015, 6:12 am

I recently finished two excellent, but very different books, Harriet Wolf's Seventh Book of Wonders by Julianna Baggott and A Slant of Light by Jeffrey Lent. The former was read on the train enroute to DC and finished that first night in the hotel, and the latter was read on the train back and finished at home.

Also finished Peter Robinson's latest DCI Banks installment, In the Dark Places, always reliably good.

Now reading The Caveman by Jorn Lier Host, a crime novel and an author new to me.

128japaul22
Editat: oct. 1, 2015, 6:28 am

I've recently finished reading the nonfiction (though it reads like great fiction) survival story of a shipwreck at the Auckland Islands called Island of the Lost. This was thanks to great reviews by Colleen and Rebecca. I also recently finished listening to The Uncommon Reader, a humorous novella about what would happen if Queen Elizabeth II became an avid reader.

I'm towards the end of the diverting The Foundling by Georgette Heyer. I've just started historical fiction by Margaret George called Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles and I found out this morning that Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia came in at the library, so I guess I'll be starting that soon too.

129bragan
oct. 2, 2015, 1:41 pm

It's been a while since I've checked in here... I've been pretty busy. And mostly reading light stuff. Right now I'm reading Fragment by Warren Fahy, which is a vaguely Jurassic Park-esque thriller about the discovery of an island full of strange life forms. Not exactly deep or even particularly well-written, but it's just about ideal for my current on-vacation-with-relatives status.

130avidmom
oct. 2, 2015, 2:19 pm

I plan on starting Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses today - if I ever get a chance!

131dchaikin
oct. 2, 2015, 2:33 pm

>130 avidmom: I'm curious how you'll find it.

132Oandthegang
oct. 2, 2015, 3:08 pm

I have just finished my first Trollope - hurrah! The Warden. Looking forward to carrying on with the series, though note that ridgewaygirl wasn't entirely enthusiastic. (Jonathan Sumption is still lurking. Unfortunately it's too big to carry up to town on the train, so I keep succumbing to little books that will fit in a pocket or bag, which then distract me from the bigger work.)

133RidgewayGirl
oct. 2, 2015, 3:24 pm

>132 Oandthegang: But now you're set for Barchester Towers, which is much more eventful.

I just finished The Illuminations by Andrew O'Hagan. Both the writing and the structure reminded me of The Green Road.

Now I'm reading Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer, which is decidedly odd so far, and Louis de Berenieres's new novel, The Dust that Falls from Dreams. The opening scene is an Edwardian garden party, which immediately reminded me of The Children's Book.

134ELiz_M
oct. 3, 2015, 7:26 am

I recently finished Antic Hay and The Siege of Krishnapur. On audio I am listening to Under the Volcano and have gone surreal for a creepy October read with Maldoror.

135MsNick
oct. 5, 2015, 1:41 pm

I've just started reading Geek Love by Katherine Dunn.

136dchaikin
oct. 5, 2015, 11:28 pm

Finished The Crossing and started Cities of the Plain, both part of Cormac McCarthy's border trilogy.

I finally got The Tipping Point on audio from my library, so I set The Help aside for the Gladwell (if one can "set" an audio book that resides on an iPhone anywhere.)

137alphaorder
oct. 6, 2015, 7:33 am

138janemarieprice
oct. 6, 2015, 10:27 am

I started Citrus County by John Brandon and looking through my TBR for a good nonfiction to start.

139MsNick
oct. 6, 2015, 11:36 am

>137 alphaorder: Fates and Furies sounds interesting. Let me know what you think!

140RidgewayGirl
oct. 6, 2015, 11:56 am

>137 alphaorder: I listened to an interview with Lauren Groff and now I'm eager to see what others here think of her new book. I wasn't a huge fan of The Monsters of Templeton, but this one sounds like it might be interesting.

I've finished a book I've been reading on and off for months, The Hanging Tree by Bryan Gruley, which is a crime novel set in Michigan in winter. The setting was the best part, but the mystery itself was solid. The author's not great at writing female characters, but not maliciously so.

I'm now reading The Dust that Falls from Dreams, which I enjoy more when I pretend it wasn't written by Louis de Bernieres. It's a well-researched novel about WWI, but it lacks his usual humorous and agile writing style. It's a bit too earnest so far.

141Helenliz
oct. 6, 2015, 4:05 pm

Finished listening to 1222, a good nordic mystery set in a snowbound hotelin the aftermath of a train accident. About to start Down and out in London and Paris. Not sure about this one...

142twogerbils
Editat: oct. 6, 2015, 4:52 pm

Currently reading Kolibri, a Finnish thriller that I'm reading in German for practice, and Murder in the Queen's Garden, a cozy mystery set in Tudor England.

Awaiting the arrival of Trigger Warning to get my Neil Gaiman fix, and Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter, which I'm very interested in reading, as I also grew up with a severely disabled sibling.

143Nickelini
oct. 6, 2015, 7:34 pm

>141 Helenliz: Down and Out in Paris and London is one of those books that has really stuck with me over the years.

144AnnieMod
oct. 6, 2015, 7:37 pm

I am around again (will see if I will get around to writing reviews any time soon...). Started The Way of Kings last night - and it is exactly what I needed:)

US TV season is back so a lot of the series I am keeping an eye on are starting return as well and take away some of my time...

145bragan
oct. 11, 2015, 12:23 am

I'm still in vacation reading mode, with Stephen King's Firestarter. I seem to have made something of a tradition of reading Stephen King on vacation in recent years.

146MsNick
oct. 12, 2015, 9:39 am

I finished the wonderfully and disturbingly odd Geek Love and am now reading Sliver.

147Nickelini
oct. 12, 2015, 12:44 pm

I just finished A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozaki, and now I'm on to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, which I hope will be a sort of Halloween themed read.

148Helenliz
oct. 12, 2015, 2:19 pm

Down and out in Paris and London was going well until the final disc. At bookmark 9 of 14, it had a large scratch and became completely impossible to listen to. So I've missed about 7%. Do I try and find a copy to finish the last section?

149StevenTX
oct. 12, 2015, 2:38 pm

>148 Helenliz: You can read it free online or download it to an e-reader from Project Gutenberg Australia: http://gutenberg.net.au/plusfifty-n-z.html#orwell

150AlisonY
oct. 12, 2015, 3:15 pm

I've finally finished another book - loved John Updike's collection of stories Licks of Love.

Now onto The Road by Cormac McCarthy - may need my head checked out taking on a McCarthy book, but it spoke to me a while back in the library and I've had it out on loan for an age.

151NanaCC
oct. 12, 2015, 5:40 pm

After finishing the wonderful Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson, I decided to read Atkinson's third in the Case Histories series When Will There Be Good News so that I could watch the Masterpiece Mystery episodes that are based upon the books. I've watched the first two, and they are pretty good.

I'm reading The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope which will finish up that series. I'm still listening to Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: A Novel by by A. J. Hartley & David Hewson, Narrated by Richard Armitage which I am enjoying. I just haven't had a lot of listening time lately, so it is taking a while to finish it.

152japaul22
oct. 12, 2015, 6:26 pm

I've just finished the super fun Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles, a massive work of historical fiction by Margaret George. I think I'm not quite ready to leave Mary Queen of Scots, so I'm considering reading the Antonia Fraser biography next.

I'm also rereading Northanger Abbey and I've started Last Friends, the last installment of Jane Gardam's Old Filth trilogy.

On audio I'm still listening to Howard's End which I'm really enjoying, especially because of Nadia May's excellent reading.

153MsNick
oct. 14, 2015, 8:32 am

I'm onto Rooms by Lauren Oliver after the snoozefest Sliver. (I guess reading Rosemary's Baby spoiled me.)

154alphaorder
oct. 14, 2015, 9:16 am

The new Mary Oliver poetry collection, Felicity, which was released yesterday!

155RidgewayGirl
oct. 14, 2015, 1:25 pm

I'm reading A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, which I'm really, really into, but am wondering if she can keep up the momentum given the novel's size.

156MsNick
oct. 14, 2015, 3:15 pm

>155 RidgewayGirl: I really enjoyed that book. It was hard to put down, even though I needed an emotional time-out every so often. My book club agreed.

157Helenliz
oct. 14, 2015, 3:46 pm

>149 StevenTX: Thankyou, I was able to read the last few chapters. Not sure it is one I will ever revisit, but it's certainly an interesting recording of a time and place.

158avidmom
oct. 17, 2015, 12:25 am

I finished All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy today and will probably start John Steinbeck's classic East of Eden tomorrow.

159rebeccanyc
oct. 17, 2015, 12:54 pm

While I was away, I finished the next Karin Fossum Inspector Sejer mystery, The Indian Bride, and the literary, philosophical, satiric -- and baffling -- Hopscotch by Julio Cortazar, and I've now reviewed them.

160Helenliz
oct. 17, 2015, 1:21 pm

Just finished Who's afraid of Beowulf which was really very good fun. Must find more of his books if they're at all similar.

161AlisonY
oct. 17, 2015, 7:31 pm

The Road was mesmerising - hauntingly real and unforgettable. The writing was not at all what I expected. On now to Go Set a Watchman.

162dchaikin
oct. 18, 2015, 3:55 pm

McCarthy everywhere. I just finished Cities of the Plain, finishing The Border Trilogy. Somewhere I read that it's seen as anticlimactic (it was the first of the trilogy written, but last published and the last chronologically). Anyway, I'm kind of attached to it...more than kind of.

Also nearly finished with The Help on audio...

So, what's next?

I picked up Voices from Chernobyl by recent Nobel Prize winner Svetlana Alexievich (newly available on Kindle), I have Life After Life in audio waiting on my phone, and I plan to start the minor prophets tomorrow, which will wrap up the OT for me.

163bragan
oct. 18, 2015, 7:17 pm

I've just finished Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie, which I was very much looking forward to, and which did not disappoint. I'm now reading an ER book, The Only Woman in the Room: Why Science Is Still a Boys' Club by Eileen Pollack, and having complicated and, sadly, not entirely positive feelings about it.

>162 dchaikin: Voices from Chernobyl is an amazing book, but hoo, boy, was it painful to read. I recommend bracing yourself in advance.

164janemarieprice
oct. 18, 2015, 7:22 pm

Finished Citrus County and The Hedgehog's Dilemma this week and not totally sure where to go next so started seriously on some studying.

165dchaikin
oct. 18, 2015, 9:13 pm

>163 bragan: Betty, I'm taking your recommendation seriously.

166baswood
Editat: oct. 19, 2015, 5:51 am

The book club seems a little demanding this time out. The two books chosen were The Portrait off a Lady which I have finished and reviewed and the other was Vilette by Charlotte Bronte which I am just about to start. There are a few poems to read as well.

167MsNick
oct. 19, 2015, 8:18 am

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk

168alphaorder
oct. 19, 2015, 8:42 am

Finished Fates and Furies over a long weekend. About 50 pages left in H is for Hawk. Love the beginning, but got bogged down in the middle.

169alphaorder
oct. 19, 2015, 8:42 am

>166 baswood:. One of the reasons I have never been in a bookclub. I have great book discussions here on LT, but I can read whatever I want!

170RidgewayGirl
oct. 19, 2015, 8:46 am

I finished A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara this morning. I have mixed feelings. There were flashes of brilliance, but also some sizable flaws.

I've started A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman for a book club meeting on Wednesday. It's certainly less somber than A Little Life!

171alphaorder
oct. 19, 2015, 8:56 am

172SassyLassy
oct. 19, 2015, 9:34 am

>166 baswood: Once again, I really envy you your book club.

173nancyewhite
oct. 19, 2015, 1:03 pm

>170 RidgewayGirl: I expected to be blown away by A Little Life. I wasn't. I also felt that there were beautiful moments. But mostly I thought it needed editing and that, the characters actions didn't make a lot of emotional sense sometimes given the information we had about their experiences together. There was also the ridiculous amount of privilege these characters had. Seriously.

The disappointment isn't in the subject matter for me, I don't think. Bastard Out of Carolina is one of my favorite books and certainly it is harrowing.

While this review is a bit harsher than I might have been, it captures my problems clearly.

https://www.librarything.com/work/15442190/reviews/121942836

174RidgewayGirl
oct. 19, 2015, 2:17 pm

>173 nancyewhite: I rated A Little Life more highly than you did, as I thought there was some meaty stuff and Yanagihara was successful at both making me care about these guys and keeping me reading. But I agree with you wholeheartedly on the lives of extraordinary privilege. I mean, one can imagine a brilliant lawyer willing to work corporate cases to do well financially, but to have an artist, an actor and an architect as characters and each become super-wealthy and successful? It was troublesome. I think that maybe Yanagihara was trying to present a world where Jude had literally every single thing a person could want, including friends so successful that he would never have to worry about them, but it did add an unreality to the novel, which reduced its impact.

It must be said, though, that I have had it with the lives and crises of privileged Manhattanite men. It's not that they don't suffer like the rest of us, but why write about least interesting among us? Especially when there is so much more out there? I like paging through a glossy magazine about fancy houses and vacations as much as the next person, but it ain't literature.

175ELiz_M
Editat: oct. 19, 2015, 3:43 pm

>174 RidgewayGirl: Your comment piqued my interest, just enough to find The New Yorker review. TNY considers it to be brilliantly subversive because "with Jude at its center, 'A Little Life' becomes a surprisingly subversive novel—one that uses the middle-class trappings of naturalistic fiction to deliver an unsettling meditation on sexual abuse, suffering, and the difficulties of recovery."

Intriguing, but not quite enough to convince me to read 700+ pages.

ETA: especially not after reading the review linked to by >173 nancyewhite:

176RidgewayGirl
oct. 19, 2015, 3:45 pm

>175 ELiz_M: That's an amazingly broad definition of "middle-class." For example, at one point, a character rents out the Alhambra in Spain so as to be able to enjoy it without tourists. That's a level of wealth and power that does not say "middle-class" to me!

177japaul22
oct. 20, 2015, 12:50 pm

I've recently finished listening to Howards End on audio and am now starting The Art of Fielding.

On my kindle I'm reading Antonia Fraser's biography of Mary Queen of Scots which is making me even more impressed with Margaret George's historical fiction about her which I just finished.

In paperback, I've just started Beyond Black, my first non-historical fiction novel by Hilary Mantel.

178nancyewhite
oct. 20, 2015, 1:56 pm

>175 ELiz_M: >176 RidgewayGirl: Yowza. I think that says a lot about the privilege of the TNY reviewer. Or something. These characters are decidedly not middle class. As for the review I linked to, it is the minority voice. It's valid and speaks to how I felt about A Little Life but most people love the book and its characters. Many even find it life-altering. Definitely give it a try if it sounds like something you might find compelling.

I'm a bit into Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff. This is a hyped book that thus far is hitting the right notes for me.

179MsNick
oct. 20, 2015, 2:02 pm

>177 japaul22: I really enjoyed The Art of Fielding and I hope you do, too!

180RidgewayGirl
Editat: oct. 20, 2015, 2:03 pm

>178 nancyewhite: Yeah, it seems to characterize "middle-class" with Romney-like accuracy. Anyone below Trump.

181ELiz_M
Editat: oct. 20, 2015, 7:38 pm

>178 nancyewhite:, >180 RidgewayGirl: I haven't read the book and might have made a mistake in jumping into a discussion of it..... But, in the sentence I excerpted in >175 ELiz_M: I believe the reviewer is referring to naturalistic fiction as middle-class, not the characters.

182RidgewayGirl
Editat: oct. 21, 2015, 2:29 am

>181 ELiz_M: Ah, so a different way of saying "middle-brow." NYT Book Review, never stop being pretentious.

183Nickelini
oct. 23, 2015, 2:04 pm

I just finished Gut: the Inside Story of OUr Body's Most Underrated Organ, which is a must read for all owners fo bodies. Now on to The Girl on the Train, which is next month's book club book.

184StevenTX
oct. 23, 2015, 11:28 pm

I haven't been reading much this month because of household projects and other matters, but I managed to punch through the distractions with a Jules Verne novel: Hector Servadac; or, Off on a Comet.

185Oandthegang
Editat: oct. 25, 2015, 4:54 am

I have finally managed to fulfil my intention of reading Trollope this year, and having enjoyed The Warden am now halfway through Barchester Towers. Annoyingly I may have to leave Barchester temporarily (just at the point when the post of dean has become vacant!) as I need to read Lamentation by C J Sansom, which appears to be an unnecessarily large book. I'm not sure about this book club; I delayed joining as I knew I wouldn't be able to bring myself to read last month's book, so we'll see.

(Update, I finished Barchester Towers this morning. There is no putting off starting Lamentation (though as it is St Crispin's Day my languishing Jonathan Sumption volumes come to mind).

186NanaCC
oct. 26, 2015, 5:20 pm

I just finished The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope. It was a wonderful ending to a very enjoyable series.

I'm going to start The Demon in the House by Angela Thirkell. I wanted to pick a fairly short book, because I am next up at the library for Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith, and I know I will want to dig into that one right away.

187AnnieMod
oct. 26, 2015, 6:08 pm

Started The Reason Why by Cecil Woodham-Smith last night. So far, absolutely brilliant :)

188bragan
oct. 26, 2015, 6:29 pm

Just had a nice little flurry of reading and have now finished: Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, which I had been eagerly anticipating as a big fan of the podcast; Tenth of December, an extremely good short story collection by George Saunders; and The Wonderful Future That Never Was by Gregory Benford and the editors of Popular Mechanics, a not very well-put-together book on a fun topic. I'm now about to start We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, because it's well past time I finally read that one.

189rebeccanyc
oct. 26, 2015, 6:35 pm

>188 bragan: I LOVED We Have Always Lived in the Castle! It's my favorite Shirley Jackson, and that's saying a lot.

190MsNick
oct. 27, 2015, 9:13 am

Yankee Ghosts by Hans Holzer - I'm trying to sneak in a few more Halloween month reads!

191japaul22
oct. 28, 2015, 11:21 am

I'm temporarily setting aside the Mary Queen of Scots biography by Antonia Fraser (even though I'm loving it) because a book I've had on hold at the library for months finally came in and I only have 3 weeks to read it. The book is The Rival Queens: Catherine Medici, Her Daughter Marguerite de Valois, and the Betrayal that Ignited a Kingdom by Nancy Goldstone. I'm planning to follow it up by reading La Reine Margot, Dumas' historical fiction about the same people.

192MsNick
oct. 28, 2015, 1:06 pm

Done with Yankee Ghosts, which didn't do anything for me. I'll start Night Film next.

193rebeccanyc
oct. 28, 2015, 6:24 pm

>191 japaul22: I enjoyed La Reine Margot, but haven't been tempted (so far) by The Rival Queens.

194AlisonY
oct. 29, 2015, 6:42 am

Finished Go Set a Watchman which was very much 'just OK'. On to The Shipping News.

195bragan
oct. 29, 2015, 2:41 pm

I'm now reading Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen, because apparently reading The Hot Zone a couple of years ago didn't scare me enough.

196AnnieMod
oct. 29, 2015, 3:19 pm

>195 bragan:

I read that one earlier this year - well worth a read. :)

197torontoc
Editat: oct. 29, 2015, 4:09 pm

I started The Impossible Exile Stefan Zweig at the End of the World by George Prochnik.

198RidgewayGirl
oct. 29, 2015, 4:53 pm

I'm reading A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, a Swedish novel that is reading very much like something written by Alexander McCall Smith, about a newly retired man who is forced to interact with his neighbors.

I'm also reading 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill, because it seemed seasonal. It is much, much better than I had expected, and I've enjoyed his novels.

But all that has been set aside because I've begun the new Cormoran Strike novel, Career of Evil. J.K. Rowling is quickly becoming one of my favorite crime writers -- and I say that as someone who didn't particularly love the Harry Potter books.

199rebeccanyc
nov. 1, 2015, 11:00 am

I posted this on the Message Board but I'm posting it here too, because I think everyone comes by this thread once in a while.

VOLUNTEER(S) NEEDED
I have loved being the Club Read administrator for the past several years, following Lois/avaland who started this group and led it for several years herself. But it is time for me to pass the baton, as I am unable to continue to do this for 2016.

Please PM me if you have any interest, and I will give you whatever guidance I can.

Thank you.

200NanaCC
nov. 1, 2015, 5:14 pm

I just finished The Demon in the House by Angela Thirkell.

Next up I have Gods and Beasts by Denise Mina. On Kindle, I'm reading Cecilia by Frances Burney, as part of a group read in the Virago Group. I am also impatiently waiting for Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) in the library queue.

201MsNick
nov. 3, 2015, 9:57 am

I finished Night Film and have started reading These Shallow Graves.

202Nickelini
Editat: nov. 3, 2015, 12:42 pm

After many years on my TBR pile, I'm finally reading Hard Times by Charles Dickens.

203AnnieMod
nov. 3, 2015, 6:21 pm

Somehow ended up with three books running at the moment (2 is normal; more than 2 - not so much) - A Borrowed Man on the kindle (the new Gene Wolfe novel), The Bridge on the Drina on paper and Thaddeus Holt's The Deceivers on the non-fiction side. Plus a few magazines and journals that manage to grab my attention here and there.

204dchaikin
nov. 3, 2015, 9:42 pm

>203 AnnieMod: I still think about The Bridge on the Drina. Great book.

The library took Life After Life back. I was listening on audio. So I've switched to The Drunken Botanist : The Plants That Create the World's Greatest Drinks.

205AnnieMod
nov. 3, 2015, 9:55 pm

>204 dchaikin:

I've read in it my very early twenties in Bulgarian - probably a bit too early in life - it tends to pop back in my mind now and then, especially when I read anything from the region - so decided to revisit it.

206rebeccanyc
nov. 4, 2015, 12:36 pm

>203 AnnieMod: I loved The Bridge on the Drina too. Andric's Bosnian Chronicle is good too, but not in the same league.

207MarcusBastos
nov. 8, 2015, 4:38 pm

Glad to know this! I have the book (e-book) and will read it.
En/na *** What are you reading now? (Part 7) ha continuat aquest tema.