What Are We Currently Reading?

[Haleth]

19 hours ago, SierraMist said:

I finally obtained To The Bright Edge of the World (Eowyn Ivey). It's told completely in letters and journal entries, which I thought would bother me, and I found it totally captivating.  The author writes so beautifully.  This book is completely different from her first, The Snow Child, but just as fascinating. 

I loved it.  It is the best book I've read in ages.

Right now I'm reading the first of the Poldark books since I've been enjoying the show so much.  I dunno.  The book isn't holding my attention (despite picturing Aiden Turner, heh) so I'm not sure I'll continue with the (book) series.

Edited October 29, 2016 by Haleth

[AuntiePam]

4 hours ago, Haleth said:

Right now I'm reading the first of the Poldark books since I've been enjoying the show so much.  I dunno.  The book isn't holding my attention (despite picturing Aiden Turner, heh) so I'm not sure I'll continue with the (book) series.

I didn't care for it either.  I don't know if it's because I watched the first series and know what happens, or if it's because Graham's writing style isn't all that engaging.  I was disappointed, because historical is my favorite genre and there are a lot of Poldark novels. 

[aradia22]

I've gotten into the habit (mostly library driven) of checking out e-books, while continuing to renew physical books, all the while re-reading the same physical books and e-books I've read at least 50 times by now. And I do still purchase e-books and physical books periodically.

Right now in the e-book (so what I'm most likely reading) pile is Yes Please by Amy Poehler and Agorafabulous by Sara Benincasa. I need to start Hannah Hart's Buffering soon. And my physical books are Manon Lescaut and Carmen which have been collecting dust for way too long. But the fact that I can keep renewing them means no one else wants them.

[GaT]

I'm currently reading A Deadly Thaw by Sarah Ward. When I read In Bitter Chill (her first book), I didn't realize that it was the first of a series but I'm glad it is. If you like British police procedurals & authors like PD James, Peter Robinson, Ruth Rendell, or Jill McGown, you'll like these books. 

[SmithW6079]

The Living Reed by Pearl S. Buck, which is about Korea, from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. I've enjoyed her books set in China, and I find Korea fascinating (I'd love to go visit someday). It's the story of the Kim family and their sons and their sons. 

[proserpina65]

On ‎10‎/‎23‎/‎2016 at 4:31 PM, AuntiePam said:

I'm reading The Door, my first from Mary Roberts Rinehart, a prolific mystery writer from the early 1900's.  Reading these older novels is a surefire way to avoid gratuitous sex and explicit violence. 

It's pretty good but I'd enjoy it more if I was one of those mystery readers who likes to try solving the mystery.  I don't, and even if I were, I'd have a hard time with this one.  One murder after another, clues revealed slowly, new relationships introduced willy-nilly.  It's like Rinehart thought "This isn't complicated enough -- I need a new character."

I love MRR's books!  But yeah, they can get twisty and over-complicated sometimes.

Edited November 9, 2016 by proserpina65

[proserpina65]

On ‎10‎/‎28‎/‎2016 at 0:32 PM, AuntiePam said:

I'm reading A Fine Summer's Day by Charles Todd.  I thought it was the first Inspector Rutledge mystery but apparently it's the last.  I can be forgiven for my confusion because it's a flashback story of the last case he worked before WWI, so it reads like a beginning. 

I really like it -- lots of interesting characters, fine details that make the setting and the people seem real. 

The first one, A Test of Wills, is terrific, as are a lot of the early titles in the series.  A few of the later ones get a bit draggy, but are still worth reading.

[Danny Franks]

Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall. A book about how the physical geography of a country or region can define the global political stance and value of a country. Quite interesting, although it almost totally removes the human aspect of international relations. But it definitely fits as part of a whole picture.

[Hanahope]

I started reading Man in the High Castle last week. Seems awfully appropriate.

[Epeolatrix]

On a bit of an X-Files kick lately, so I'm reading deeply in the area of conspiracy theory studies. The current book is "The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory" by Jesse Walker. It's not about the theories themselves, really, it's about the different styles of paranoid thinking, what they mean, and how they affect American politics and culture.

[glowlights]

Washington Square by Henry James. I really, really wish I could enjoy James as much as other people do, but.... nope. :(

Recently finished My Sister, My Love by Joyce Carol Oates (which I picked up in light of all the recent JonBenet Ramsey hullabaloo). I enjoyed it although it dragged a bit (for me) during the novella-within-the-novel. It's a pretty quick read, too, despite the page count. I suppose Oates's theory on this murder is as good as any...

[AltLivia]

Just finished Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil by John Berendt. My girlfriend chose it for me (it's a favorite of hers). Additionally, I remember my mom reading it, when I was a kid. Tiny me asked about it then, because the cover was pretty. My mother assured me that I was much too young, at 10, to read it. Oh my god, was it ever fantastic! Some truly great accounts and descriptions of the folks involved. 

My girl also recommended that I try Girl With The Dragon Tattoo again, so that's where we are, currently. I'm 206 pages in and while I enjoy Lisbeth as a character, I'm not wrapped up in the Harriet mystery. I feel like there are too many characters involved. I know that's deliberate, but I'm just like, "Which one are you, again?" The writing is rich, but I feel like something big ought to have happened by now. Girlfriend assured me that the rest of the books in series are better paced. 

Posters who dug it, should I continue?

[Haleth]

Yes.  It's worth finishing.  I didn't care for the sequels as much.

I loved Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.  The fascinating stories of the quirky characters outshone the story of the trial and left me with a deep desire to visit Savannah.  I was saddened to hear that Lady Chablis died recently.

[Athena]

13 hours ago, AltLivia said:

Posters who dug it, should I continue?

If you are enjoying the writing, yes. I think the character writing and pacing is decent. I enjoyed reading the novels even though the plots weren't ones that I loved. There's a fair bit melodrama and violence, but I moved through the series.

[Crs97]

My mother described Dragon Tattoo by saying it took her 6 weeks to read the first 200 pages and 6 hours to read the rest.  I haven't tried to read it yet; not sure it is my type of story.  She definitely likes thrillers and mayhem more than I do.

[Qoass]

I really enjoyed The Wonder by Emma Donoghue.  It was quite a departure from Room but most absorbing.  I'm now on to Amy Poehler's Yes Please.  It's not by design but lately I've been alternating memoirs and fiction.

[glowlights]

Gave up on Washington Square (this is not the week for struggling with books you don't enjoy!) and picked up Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh. About halfway through the second chapter and feel like I've dropped into another world.

[Qoass]

Well, not currently, but I put the new Stephen King book on hold at the library yesterday secure in the knowledge that it wouldn't become available for weeks or months and got a notice this morning that it's already waiting for me!  That never happens!

[NewDigs]

Was thrilled to actually find a copy of Ann Patchett's newest, Commonwealth, on the shelf at my local library branch. And it was a really enjoyable read. Lots of characters, blended families, jumping timelines, a Chicago locale, and other devices I'm not usually fond of but they all work together here, imho. 

But wish I hadn't followed it immediately with Jason Hill's The Nix. I thought it, too, was a good (great) read but had lots of characters, timeline jumps, a Chicago locale, and other devices that at times left me confusing it with Commonwealth. It's a big (600 page) read but it kept me interested. I almost just put it down after the first page 'cuz the opener was a loudmouth running for prez. But I'm glad I kept with it. Hill has a section on the 1968 Chicago riots that practically places the reader in the action.

I can easily recommend either or both titles.

Edited November 18, 2016 by NewDigs

[glowlights]

3 hours ago, Qoass said:

Well, not currently, but I put the new Stephen King book on hold at the library yesterday secure in the knowledge that it wouldn't become available for weeks or months and got a notice this morning that it's already waiting for me!  That never happens!

Wow. That is like a gift from book heaven! Hope you enjoy it.

I just picked up Everybody's Fool by Richard Russo, one of my mostest favorite contemporary authors. It's a follow-up to Nobody's Fool, which I heartily recommend along with his other works. Everybody's Fool is off to a wonderful start on page 2 with a cemetery that everyone drives through because the markers are flat. lol

[AuntiePam]

I've finished Ghettoside by Jill Leovy and heartily recommend it.  Leovy was embedded in a LAPD district office with homicide detectives.  She went along to crime scenes, talked to witnesses, gang members, victims' friends and family.  The book focuses on one case, the murder of the 18-year-old son of a detective.

It was an eye-opener, and I finished the book with a better understanding about black on black crime, policing in urban areas, the importance of viewing murder victims as victims, even if they were gang members, how difficult it is for young men to survive in that environment, how residents of high-crime neighborhoods feel about law enforcement. 

[proserpina65]

On ‎11‎/‎06‎/‎2016 at 6:06 PM, GaT said:

I'm currently reading A Deadly Thaw by Sarah Ward. When I read In Bitter Chill (her first book), I didn't realize that it was the first of a series but I'm glad it is. If you like British police procedurals & authors like PD James, Peter Robinson, Ruth Rendell, or Jill McGown, you'll like these books. 

I just started this one.  I'd read In Bitter Chill and really enjoyed, but had no idea there was a second one until I read this.  So, thanks, GAT!

[aradia22]

I passed the 25% mark on Buffering (I'm past that but I don't remember exactly where). It's good so far. She's a capable writer and it doesn't have the issue of a "personality" who is trying to be funny and keeps making lame jokes all the time. She makes jokes once in a while but it doesn't have that desperation about it like Sara Benincasa or some other memoirs I've read which were just trying too hard (and failing) to be funny. So far it reminds me the most of Alan Cumming's "Not My Father's Son." Not in the content and not exactly in the prose. It's just comfortable in that way. Like, OK, I am in good hands with this person. It also reminds me of Jenny Lawson's second book in how it discusses mental illness, etc. but without Jenny's humor. As far as comedy memoirs, it's more like Mindy Kaling and Amy Poehler's books which might be hilarious to some people but to me are just light comedy... like mostly I smile and very rarely they might get a chuckle out of me.

[Bunty]

Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal

Quote

Publishers Weekly

★ 06/27/2016
In this entrancing alternate history, Kowal (the Glamourist Histories series) introduces the Spirit Corps, a group that communicates with recently killed soldiers to gather important wartime information. It’s the summer of 1916, and American medium Ginger Stuyvesant works with the British Army at Le Havre to coordinate and lead spirit circles. When her intelligence officer fiancé, Capt. Benjamin Harford, uncovers a German plot to target the Spirit Corps and is sent to the front soon after, Ginger must use every power at her disposal to track down a traitor and protect the corps. Kowal’s depiction of spiritualism is richly imagined, and its complications and consequences are thoughtfully considered. Her depiction of the Western Front includes diverse characters often neglected in wartime stories: the many people who help Ginger include women young and old, people of color, and disabled veterans, all of whom are dismissed by the British men in charge. The well-drawn characters and the story’s gripping action and deep emotion will captivate readers.

[alias1]

I finished A Great Reckoning (Louise Penny), a more personal story about Inspector Gamache than some of her previous books.  I was not a fan of the last two entries in the series, but I enjoyed this one, even though one of the mysteries seemed fairly transparent .  I'm not sure where she takes the series from here.  It may have run its course.

[NewDigs]

31 minutes ago, SierraMist said:

I finished A Great Reckoning (Louise Penny), a more personal story about Inspector Gamache than some of her previous books.  I was not a fan of the last two entries in the series, but I enjoyed this one, even though one of the mysteries seemed fairly transparent .  I'm not sure where she takes the series from here.  It may have run its course.

I agree with your thinking that the series may have run its course. And also that the last two seemed fairly transparent. I think the story might have arced out, for me,

Spoiler

with that luxe lodge and the cabin in the woods. And the B&B owner mess and long lost relatives etc. 

Things seemed to be getting kind of contrived. 

Which is why I have held off reading Reckoning. Thanks for the info. I think I'll give it a try.

[Qoass]

I have to laugh at myself because the "new" Stephen King book I went to get at the library is actually a year old and I can't remember if I already read it.  Oh, well.

I'm halfway through The Nix and am loving it so much.  The scope is on par with something by Jonathan Franzen or Donna Tartt.

[AuntiePam]

The Color of Lightning by Paulette Jiles.  Fiction, based on real stories of settlers captured by Kiowa and Comanche in the 1800's.  It's brutal.  The focus is on two women and their children, captured together but separated when the band of Indians split up.  The children are adapting nicely -- the Indian women spoil them -- and the mothers adapt too, but not without horrendous struggle.  I'm appreciating the details of daily life, how the tribes move to follow the buffalo, the rules everyone has to follow relating to the social structure, and the "how-to's" -- skinning deer, making tools from bones, etc.  It's fascinating.  Jiles is a poet, so the writing is fine too.

[ZuluQueenOfDwarves]

I read TRANNY, the memoir by Against Me! frontwoman Laura Jane Grace in one sitting when it was released last week. I'm a huge fan of hers and really loved it, but I wonder how it reads to someone who hasn't been following her career. It's about her coming up in the South Florida punk scene and her personal life (love, marriage, kid, etc.) while struggling with gender dysphoria. Incredible book. She was also in Philly last week to promote it and was sweet and down-to-Earth--a far cry from how she describes herself in the memoir. 

[Epeolatrix]

Just finished How to Be a Victorian: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Victorian Life by Ruth Goodman. I had binge-watched a bunch of living-history shows she'd been part of (Victorian Farm, Edwardian Farm, Victorian Pharmacy) and then realized that she'd written a book. It was very interesting and accessible, so if you're interested in Victorian life, it's a great book.

[GaT]

I'm reading Home by Harlan Coben, & I'm enjoying it, but I do have a warning. I bought this book based on the description I read on Amazon. The description is accurate, but it fails to mention that this is book #11 in a series. As I was reading it, I started to think that maybe there was a backstory so I looked up the author & that's when I discovered it's part of a series. Had I known this, I wouldn't have started the book before reading the first 10 books. Luckily, it seems to be OK on its own, so I'm not completely lost, but it is annoying.

[Ceindreadh]

I am working my way through the Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer. 

I'd actually started reading the first book back when it was originally published, but I was so pissed off to find it was the first in a series - and ended on a cliffhanger - that I refused to buy any further books in the series until they were all published. 

[alias1]

I read Lab Girl (Hope Jahren), a fascinating book about a research scientist.  It's a memoir, but I enjoyed her scientific explanations of plants more than her personal story, which came across as disjointed.  It was an interesting read.

I'm about 25% into Nutshell (Ian McEwan), a story that is narrated from the viewpoint of an unborn child.  It's intriguing.

[aradia22]

I'm about halfway through Carmen... I don't hate it but it was an odd choice to take up so much of the page count with the framing device of 'guy who's not relevant to the main story.'

I'm 80% through Yes Please by Amy Poehler. It's not the funniest or the most revelatory but I've been enjoying it. I don't think you need to care about her career to enjoy it and you can definitely read it more quickly than I did (in snippets on train rides). It's one of those memoirs where you just make the decision to engage with someone and their thoughts for a while. You're not going to learn much and it's not going to get that intense (as with some books that deal with abuse or mental health) but sometimes it's just nice to connect to another person through a book like this. 

[Qoass]

I'm in the middle of Zadie Smith's Swing Time which started out great but I'm not enjoying the middle as much.  Let's hope it finishes well.

[truthaboutluv]

Just finished John Green's Paper Towns and I had the same issues with it that I did with Looking For Alaska. Of course that's probably because the premise for both books was very similar - ordinary guy madly in love with and obsessed with girl who is seemingly larger than life and so amazing. The problem for me however, with both books, is that I didn't find either girl interesting, fascinating or cool. And I found both guys' obsession annoying and pathetic.

I had many moments of eye-rolling Quentin in Paper Towns, as much as I eye-rolled Miles in Looking for Alaska. In both books, Green does eventually have each guy have some moment of self-awareness where he realizes that he may not have really known the girl and has idealized her. However, that never lasts and the book still mostly sells the idea that he was in love with this amazing girl who is almost too amazing for the world and mere mortals. The whole thing is so annoying and stupid.

Also, Green's writing is painful at times. Dude tries so hard to be deep but instead all he does is just beat a lame metaphor to death. 

[GaT]

I'm reading Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge by Paul Krueger & I have to say I'm disappointed. I was hoping this book would be a lot better than it is, but it's barely holding my attention. I'm about halfway through, maybe it will get better.

[NewDigs]

On 11/6/2016 at 6:06 PM, GaT said:

I'm currently reading A Deadly Thaw by Sarah Ward. When I read In Bitter Chill (her first book), I didn't realize that it was the first of a series but I'm glad it is. If you like British police procedurals & authors like PD James, Peter Robinson, Ruth Rendell, or Jill McGown, you'll like these books. 

Just finished In Bitter Chill and thank you so much for the recommendation. I love a good British police procedural and this was really good, esp. considering it's her first effort. Glad I was also able to grab A Deadly Thaw 'cuz I also love a good series.

Read Terranauts by TC Boyle last week and had a hard time putting it down. It's his take on the 1990's Biosphere 2 closed environment experiment and is a hoot. Even though it was kind of easy to predict a couple of events. Laughed out loud more than once. Big TC Boyle fan here.

Have Swing Time on my list. NYTimes loved it but they are not infallible. I use them a lot and more than once I've thought, Huh, really?

[Hanahope]

On 11/26/2016 at 1:16 AM, GaT said:

I'm reading Home by Harlan Coben, & I'm enjoying it, but I do have a warning. I bought this book based on the description I read on Amazon. The description is accurate, but it fails to mention that this is book #11 in a series. As I was reading it, I started to think that maybe there was a backstory so I looked up the author & that's when I discovered it's part of a series. Had I known this, I wouldn't have started the book before reading the first 10 books. Luckily, it seems to be OK on its own, so I'm not completely lost, but it is annoying.

Oh yeah, Coben's fame is from his Myron Bolitar series.  He wrote just those for many years, finally branching out into some stand alone novels several years ago, but throwing in a new Bolitar book every so often to keep his long time fans happy.  His Bolitar books are series-like, but each one is usually fairly self-contained.  But yes, you do miss some of the back-story of his life and interactions with other recurring characters (like Win).

[Danny Franks]

Halfway through The Dragon Lords: Fool's Gold by Jon Hollins. It's billed as 'Ocean's Eleven meets The Hobbit' and I picked it up in a two for one deal because it sounded like it might be a bit of cheesy fun.

There's a lot more humour in it than I expected. Some of it crude, some of it fairly smart. Hollins clearly loves exploring the pedantry and pettiness of the average person, in a way that reminds me a little of Terry Pratchett. It's not a book I'm going to revisit and recall vividly, but it's an enjoyable read.

[SherriAnt]

I just started Patricia Cornwells latest, Chaos, and I gotta say, I'm not impressed so far.  My biggest problem with this series is there's too many people who are all out to get Scarpetta, and Marino is just as big an asshole as ever. I hate giving up on an author this many books into a series, but I'm giving myself a headache with all the extravagant eye rolling I'm doing. Has anyone else read this one yet? Is it worth sticking with?

[NewDigs]

11 hours ago, SherriAnt said:

I just started Patricia Cornwells latest, Chaos, and I gotta say, I'm not impressed so far.  My biggest problem with this series is there's too many people who are all out to get Scarpetta, and Marino is just as big an asshole as ever. I hate giving up on an author this many books into a series, but I'm giving myself a headache with all the extravagant eye rolling I'm doing. Has anyone else read this one yet? Is it worth sticking with?

I gave that series up after her last attempt. Saw Chaos on the library shelf and hesitated. I read the blurb and was reminded how often I rolled my eyes throughout her last couple of efforts and put it back down. I used to love this series!

Here's what the NYTimes Book Review had to say about it.

This snippet from the review might be considered spoilery. It made me laugh.

Spoiler

 "The possibility of “weaponized electricity” is the signal for the F.B.I. to step in, entering a plot that features a cyberstalker, a psycho from a previous book; Scarpetta’s annoying sister, Dorothy; and Dorothy’s brilliant, if seriously disturbed daughter, Lucy. Not one of them is dead and in need of an autopsy, which is a waste of Scarpetta’s peculiar talents — and our time."

I picked up Stephanie Danler's Sweetbitter and enjoyed it. It's kind of a coming-of-age romp that follows "Tess" from her move from her midwest home and through her first year working at an upscale Manhattan restaurant. It's full of flavors and tastes and drinks and appetites and love and loss.

It's, imho, a pretty good look at the service industry and though it didn't always feel fully fleshed it kept me reading.

[AltLivia]

For book club, I'm tasked to read Mr. Owlita's Guide To Gardening (it has a ridiculously long description tacked on). It's a memoir. In brief, this empty-nester has survived cancer. She is burdened with caring for her elderly parents. Her yard fell into disrepair. She meets a Kenyan immigrant who helps her...garden and learn about life?

Y'all, this book is uncomfortable. From the woman's repeated assurances that she's not racist*, her shock that immigrants can hold more than one job, defending the title character from what she perceives as racism, her fascination with his customs and "quaint" speech. Help me through this, if you've read it. 

*She's racist.

Edited December 3, 2016 by AltLivia

[AuntiePam]

I recently dumped When Mockingbirds Sing by Billy Coffey.  It was a Kindle freebie, and the blurb compared the writing to Flannery O'Conner.  I should have read some reviews, because even a free book can be a waste.

My dissatisfaction started with small details, like a character frying eggs all through a long conversation (eggs only take a few minutes to cook), a 4th grader explaining why she'd never met a 3rd grader -- they ride a different school bus (bus routes are planned by location, not a student's age), a psychologist father ignoring signs of serious disturbance in his daughter's life, the same father throwing an extravagant birthday party for his painfully shy daughter (they'd only lived in town for two months), the same shy daughter apparently being a close friend of an old man and his wheelchair-bound wife (when did that happen? they just got to town and the kid went nowhere). 

I finally dumped it when the young girl was in danger from the townspeople, and the town's preacher suggested to the sheriff that they circulate a petition telling the family to move, rather than oh, say, talking to the family about going away for a few days, or getting some extra security.  Or -- better yet -- calming his parishioners and dousing the flames rather than fanning them by circulating a freaking petition against the family.

I wanted to like the book -- it's a genre I like (magical realism) and a setting I like (small town in the South) -- but the inconsistencies and implausible behaviors were just too much.

[alias1]

On 11/26/2016 at 7:59 PM, SierraMist said:

I'm about 25% into Nutshell (Ian McEwan), a story that is narrated from the viewpoint of an unborn child.  It's intriguing.

An update on this book now that I'm finished.  I have to say the writing is brilliant.  I didn't love it, though.  Maybe it was too gimicky for me.  It's sort of a twist on Hamlet.

[Qoass]

I really enjoyed Liane Moriarty's Truly Madly Guilty which was a breezy read and am now onto Michael Chabon's Moonglow which is so rich I can only read a bit of it at a time.

[random chance]

33 minutes ago, Qoass said:

I really enjoyed Liane Moriarty's Truly Madly Guilty which was a breezy read and am now onto Michael Chabon's Moonglow which is so rich I can only read a bit of it at a time.

I loved Truly Madly Guilty (and all her books) and I'm off to sample Moonglow.

Has there been any discussion on here about Small Great Things - Jodi Picoult? (If so I'll go back and look for it.)

[JaggedLilPill]

6 hours ago, random chance said:

Has there been any discussion on here about Small Great Things - Jodi Picoult? (If so I'll go back and look for it.)

I haven't seen any, but I could be wrong. However, I'm just about done with it (about less than 100 pages left) and I'm really enjoying it. Then again, I love Jodi Picoult (with the exception of a few of her books) so I might be a little biased. 

[Qoass]

I'm really enjoying Heartless by Marissa Meyer.  Of course the behind-the scenes take on a classic fairy tale has been done to death and it occasionally veers dangerously into Twilight territory but for the most part it's smart and fun.

[zxy556575]

I'm re-reading one of my favorite mystery series, the John Rain books by Barry Eisler. Rain is a Japanese-American international assassin, working mainly out of Tokyo.

I mean ... he kills people for a living. And I root for him!