What Are We Currently Reading?

[helenamonster]

I haven't read Truly, Madly, Guilty yet but I've read all of Liane Moriarty's other books and have enjoyed them immensely. She is really excellent at weaving a narrative and getting it to all come together in the end. I don't necessarily need neat and tidy endings but she does them so well that I look forward to them in her books. I hope to get to Truly, Madly, Guilty eventually.

[luna1122]

I'm watching Big Little Lies and probably will want to read. And several friends have read Truly Madly Guilty and loved. But the only Liane Moriarty I've read so far was The Husband's Secret and for whatever reasons, I could not WAIT to be done with that one. I was not drawn in or interested and just got impatient with it, but still felt compelled to finish it.

Finished The Perfect Girl which I did like very much. Well written and kept me interested, and the twists were intriguing and I didn't see them coming from miles away. Now reading Why We Broke Up, which has its charms.

[Deanie87]

Quote

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.

I just finished it and I loved it.  It reminded me also of Tom Wolfe, in the way he can completely capture a certain time, and how he can so successfully get into the minds of so many disparate characters and it never feels artificial.  Not to mention how scathing he can be.  Some of the minor characters could be complete stereotypes, and yet he is a good enough writer that they never feel that way.  Each had their own point of view and I found all of them interesting.

[cherrypj]

I recently finished How We Got to Now by Steven Johnson. It's good--draws some surprising links between clean water, lifting entire buildings in Chicago, and bathing suits (for example). What seals the deal, though, is the companion PBS series. That's great to watch--I love the cross-media action going on.

[rove4]

On ‎3‎/‎3‎/‎2017 at 3:25 PM, SherriAnt said:

I just started "Eleventh Grave in Moonlight" by Darynda Jones. This is such a good series, but you really do have to start at the beginning, with "First Grave on the Right". It's a new take on the whole Heaven Hell God Satan mythology, with angels who are bad and demons who are good. It has a fantastic sense of humour, awesome world building, and lovable and relatable characters.

In 4 days I'll be getting book 6 in the most amazing urban fantasy series I've read in so long, "Magic for Nothing" in the Incryptid series by Seanan McGuire. Everything she writes is so good, she also does the October Daye and Wayward Children series, and they're all fantasy, with a big dose of humour, and characters so real you feel like you know them. If you don't believe me, just look up Aeslin Mice, lol.

I love all these series!  Although I will say that I was more bored with the Alex Price POV books in the Incryptid series. Those were not my favorites.  But I love, love her October Daye series. Tybalt!

I'm currently rereading City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong before starting on the second book in that series, A Darkness Absolute.  After that I hope to move on to the new Mercy Thompson release, Silence Fallen.

[GaT]

On 3/3/2017 at 1:25 PM, SherriAnt said:

I just started "Eleventh Grave in Moonlight" by Darynda Jones. This is such a good series, but you really do have to start at the beginning, with "First Grave on the Right". It's a new take on the whole Heaven Hell God Satan mythology, with angels who are bad and demons who are good. It has a fantastic sense of humour, awesome world building, and lovable and relatable characters.

In 4 days I'll be getting book 6 in the most amazing urban fantasy series I've read in so long, "Magic for Nothing" in the Incryptid series by Seanan McGuire. Everything she writes is so good, she also does the October Daye and Wayward Children series, and they're all fantasy, with a big dose of humour, and characters so real you feel like you know them. If you don't believe me, just look up Aeslin Mice, lol.

It sounds like we have similar taste, I love October Daye but haven't tried the Wayward Children series, is it as good? Also love the Incryptid series, Aeslin Mice are the best LOL. As for the Charley Davidson series.......I've been reading it since the beginning, & I'm having real problems with it now. I'm not sure what the spoiler policy is in this thread, so I'll hide this.

Spoiler

I do not like the whole "god" plot, it's stupid. They should have just left her as the Grim Reaper instead of this ridiculous "god from another dimension" thing. Same thing with Reyes, should have just kept him as the son of Satan.

Do you read the Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill?

[SherriAnt]

4 hours ago, GaT said:

Wayward Children series, is it as good?

It's really good, I found it a wee bit confusing and I hope the next one explains the directions better.  I did really like how everyones personality was connected to their worlds.

I don't know how to spoiler guard a quote, so I'll just say I absolutely agree about the opinion by GaT, lol.

I've never read the Chicagoland series, I'll check it out next, thanks!

[GaT]

1 hour ago, SherriAnt said:

I don't know how to spoiler guard a quote, so I'll just say I absolutely agree about the opinion by GaT, lol.

I've never read the Chicagoland series, I'll check it out next, thanks!

To put something in a spoiler quote, type your comment, highlight it, & then click on the "eye" at the top of the comment box. :-)

Just a word of warning about the Chicagoland series, somewhere about the third book she kind of loses her way with the books & they're not so good. She does get back on track, but it's annoying.

[SmithW6079]

"Joe Steele," by Harry Turtledove, an alternate history novel, in which Joseph Stalin's family immigrates to the US after the Russian Revolution. Stalin is born as an American known as Joe Steele. He's elected president in 1930, and the novel describes the descent of America into authoritarianism. It was published in 2015.

I generally like Turtledove's work, although I haven't read all his novels. Too many of them have battle scenes that go on forever. 

[Lovecat]

On February 23, 2017 at 11:40 AM, Hanahope said:

I'm a transplant to Philly as an adult about 15 years ago, so I know very little about all the various "personality" of the areas.

Ah, that also explains your earlier reference to "the" 476. We eschew definite articles when referring to our highways ;)

More on-topic?  I've read all of Liane Moriarty's books, and while I've enjoyed all of them to a certain extent, I usually figure out the twist fairly early on and then spend the rest of the book wishing she had a better editor. I like to listen to them on long car rides, though, because the lady who does the recordings has a lovely Aussie accent.  My favorite is actually What Alice Forgot. I've listened to it twice!

[Mystery]

I broke my foot a few months ago, and a friend's nephew bought me a bunch of the George R.R. Martin books. The nephew texts me often, to see how I like them and to talk about the parts that he likes, so I'm trying to get through them even though I don't care for the writing, and no one ever taught George R.R. Martin the proper use of a semicolon. 

When I moved from southern California, the first thing someone told me was that she knew I was from there because I was talking about "the 101" freeway! 

Edited March 13, 2017 by Mystery

[helenamonster]

Just finished: Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson, about a woman who has 50 First Dates-style amnesia where she not only forgets everything that happened to her the day before when she wakes up, but also pretty much all of her adult life. Most of the book is told in a journal format as she decides to start recording each day to help her string sporadic memories together and make sense of her condition. The twist at the end was simple but effective (I didn't see it coming but it wouldn't surprise me if others did), and I also liked 

Spoiler

that the ending was left ambiguous; we never know whether she'll ever get her memory back in any meaningful way or not. Giving the story a definitive answer on either side would have been disappointing, imo, so I'm glad the author took the opportunity to leave it open-ended.

Next up: The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware.

[luna1122]

4 hours ago, helenamonster said:

Just finished: Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson, about a woman who has 50 First Dates-style amnesia where she not only forgets everything that happened to her the day before when she wakes up, but also pretty much all of her adult life. Most of the book is told in a journal format as she decides to start recording each day to help her string sporadic memories together and make sense of her condition. The twist at the end was simple but effective (I didn't see it coming but it wouldn't surprise me if others did), and I also liked 

  Reveal hidden contents

that the ending was left ambiguous; we never know whether she'll ever get her memory back in any meaningful way or not. Giving the story a definitive answer on either side would have been disappointing, imo, so I'm glad the author took the opportunity to leave it open-ended.

Next up: The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware.

I recently read both of these as well. They're both pretty effective, nifty little reads.

Currently on Tigers in Red Weather. So far, the title is the best part of the book, but I've barely begun it, so hoping it will grab me more as I read.

[alias1]

I finally finished The Nix (Nathan Hill) and thought it was fabulous.  It's hard to describe because there is so much in it.  I loved the characters, loved the story, loved the writing style.  Very long, but brilliant.  I am not a fan of long books, but I sort of savored it and took my time reading it.  

[OtterMommy]

13 minutes ago, SierraMist said:

I finally finished The Nix (Nathan Hill) and thought it was fabulous.  It's hard to describe because there is so much in it.  I loved the characters, loved the story, loved the writing style.  Very long, but brilliant.  I am not a fan of long books, but I sort of savored it and took my time reading it.  

This is a book I've had my eye on for quite sometime.  RIght now, I'm just waiting for the eBook to go on a lightning sale, as that is really the only way I buy books these days.

Apparently, it was optioned for a movie and had Meryl Streep tied to it before it even hit shelves....

[Qoass]

I'm struggling to be interested in The Animators which I picked up due to rapturous reviews.  I should know better after dragging my way through The Separation which was also supposed to be great and wasn't.

[Deanie87]

16 hours ago, SierraMist said:

I finally finished The Nix (Nathan Hill) and thought it was fabulous.  It's hard to describe because there is so much in it.  I loved the characters, loved the story, loved the writing style.  Very long, but brilliant.  I am not a fan of long books, but I sort of savored it and took my time reading it.  

I finished it last week, and I really liked it as well.  All of the characters were so well written!  A couple of twists, but not in the "gotcha" sense, but enough that I was surprised.  It was both very timely, but the themes were pretty timeless, too, if that makes sense.  I highly recommend it!

[alias1]

17 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

This is a book I've had my eye on for quite sometime.  RIght now, I'm just waiting for the eBook to go on a lightning sale, as that is really the only way I buy books these days.

Apparently, it was optioned for a movie and had Meryl Streep tied to it before it even hit shelves....

Thar's really interesting about making it into a movie, and with Meryl Streep no less! 

I got my ebook from the library.  I hardly ever buy a book these days.   I hope you get it.

Edited March 15, 2017 by SierraMist

[alias1]

48 minutes ago, Deanie87 said:

I finished it last week, and I really liked it as well.  All of the characters were so well written!  A couple of twists, but not in the "gotcha" sense, but enough that I was surprised.  It was both very timely, but the themes were pretty timeless, too, if that makes sense.  I highly recommend it!

I know what you mean about the characters.

Spoiler

What you thought were minor characters had entire chapters devoted to them.  The one character I wish he had added a blurb about at the end is Margaret.  The (not a friend) high school girl who was sort of responsible for Faye going to Chicago.  When Faye moved back to Iowa at the end, I was hoping he might give a short update on Margaret.  I know it wasn't relevant, but I was hoping karma had given her an unhappy life, ha ha.

[partofme]

On 3/13/2017 at 8:14 AM, luna1122 said:

sorry I can't get rid of tihs box

On 3/13/2017 at 4:01 AM, helenamonster said:

Just finished: Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson, about a woman who has 50 First Dates-style amnesia where she not only forgets everything that happened to her the day before when she wakes up, but also pretty much all of her adult life. Most of the book is told in a journal format as she decides to start recording each day to help her string sporadic memories together and make sense of her condition. The twist at the end was simple but effective (I didn't see it coming but it wouldn't surprise me if others did), and I also liked 

  Reveal hidden contents

that the ending was left ambiguous; we never know whether she'll ever get her memory back in any meaningful way or not. Giving the story a definitive answer on either side would have been disappointing, imo, so I'm glad the author took the opportunity to leave it open-ended.

Next up: The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware.

I LOVED both these books.  I'm having bad luck with books this year.  I liked The Dry a lot, also sort of liked The Passenger and Good as Gone.  The worst book I've read so far this year has to be All is Not Forgotten, a terrible book that made me want to punch the narrator in the face repeatedly, for the way he described his wife and the graphic descriptions of the rape of a teenage girl.

[starri]

Re-read of American Gods, in advance of the Starz series.  It's one of my favorite books, and I don't know if I think they're going to louse it up.

[luna1122]

12 minutes ago, starri said:

Re-read of American Gods, in advance of the Starz series.  It's one of my favorite books, and I don't know if I think they're going to louse it up.

I think if anyone can do it justice, it will be Bryan fuller. 

[Haleth]

Ian McShane and Orlando Jones. How bad can it be?

[Spunkygal]

Just started Three Sisters, Three Queens by Philippa Gregory and am really enjoying it. This is the first book of hers I've read. Wish I had time during the day to just plonk down and plow through it. It's told from the viewpoint of Margaret Tudor, and her older brother Arthur has just married Katherine of Aragon (or Arrogant as Margaret secretly calls her!) Of course the plot thickens after Arthur dies and the sisters get married off. Margaret is about 13 when she marries King James of Scotland, who is about 30 and has many illegitimate children whom he loves, and her sometimes childish and sometimes regal attitude shows.

Someone on one of these book threads gave a good review of Gregory's books in general, so I can't wait to read her others. 

[Qoass]

I read quite a few Philippa Gregory books.  It's thanks to her that I can run the category on Jeopardy! when the Tudors come up.  On the other hand, I hate that she chooses a theme and then hammers it over and over and over i.e. that women are interchangeable! in The Other Boleyn Girl.  I'll check out Three Sisters, Three Queens but my real fantasy is to read all of her stuff in chronological rather than published order in order to get the big picture.

[Haleth]

Here's something fun-- March Madness bracket for literary characters.

[AltLivia]

Finished Silence of the Lambs (Thomas Harris) and loved it. I've never seen the film. Started the third in the series, Hannibal and don't know how to feel about it. Thoughts, guys? How does Red Dragon rate, in your opinion?

Also on tap is Night Film by Marisha Pessl. I've had it for a year, will pick it up and read obsessively, then put it down when I get distracted and forget it completely. I hear mixed reviews on it.

[luna1122]

4 minutes ago, AltLivia said:

Finished Silence of the Lambs (Thomas Harris) and loved it. I've never seen the film. Started the third in the series, Hannibal and don't know how to feel about it. Thoughts, guys? How does Red Dragon rate, in your opinion?

 

I haven't read all of the series--I did read Red Dragon but recall little about it, specifically  (the book, I know the story well from the various movies, and from the  TV series Hannibal, which I highly recommend: best show ever. I don't think the book Hannibal and the show Hannibal had much to do with each other, I never actually read that one.)

[AuntiePam]

2 hours ago, AltLivia said:

Finished Silence of the Lambs (Thomas Harris) and loved it. I've never seen the film. Started the third in the series, Hannibal and don't know how to feel about it. Thoughts, guys? How does Red Dragon rate, in your opinion?

Also on tap is Night Film by Marisha Pessl. I've had it for a year, will pick it up and read obsessively, then put it down when I get distracted and forget it completely. I hear mixed reviews on it.

I loved Silence of the Lambs (book and movie both).  Recently tried a re-read of Red Dragon and it didn't hold up.

Night Film -- it's been a few years (memory fades) -- I thought the book had an interesting premise but the book didn't satisfy, especially as a thriller/horror novel.  I think Pessi was trying to do what Theodore Roszak did so well in Flicker -- put the reader so deep into the story that it made one question the nature of reality. 

I just finished Population 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time by Michael Perry.  Non-fiction, Perry is a volunteer firefighter in a small town in Wisconsin and we follow him for several years as he responds to calls (you'll learn about firefighting and EMT work), muses on small town life, life in general -- colorful and thoughtful.  Perry comes off as a very decent man.  I'll be reading more by him.

Today I'm starting Miss Jane by Brad Watson (Southern gothic?).  The only other book I've read by Watson was The Heaven of Mercury which I loved. 

[Crs97]

I just finished The Last Gunfight by Jeff Guinn, which is a non-fiction account of the fight near the OK Corral.  He goes through the whole history of Tombstone, the Earps, the cowboys, and the politics of the day.  Slow, but enjoyable read.  You might find yourself wondering why he is giving you some of the information, but it is interesting in and of itself and then really gives you good context for the fateful day and its aftermath.

[NutMeg]

23 hours ago, AltLivia said:

Finished Silence of the Lambs (Thomas Harris) and loved it. I've never seen the film. Started the third in the series, Hannibal and don't know how to feel about it. Thoughts, guys? How does Red Dragon rate, in your opinion?

Also on tap is Night Film by Marisha Pessl. I've had it for a year, will pick it up and read obsessively, then put it down when I get distracted and forget it completely. I hear mixed reviews on it.

I remember finding Red Dragon very powerful, and I read it after seeing Silence of the Lambs. Hannibal was alright but not as convincing/powerful. I'd say go for Red Dragon.

[cherrypj]

Avoid The Circle (Dave Eggers). Just absolute tripe. I only finished it because it was a book club book. Still mad about it.

[OtterMommy]

1 hour ago, cherrypj said:

Avoid The Circle (Dave Eggers). Just absolute tripe. I only finished it because it was a book club book. Still mad about it.

Good to know.  Of course, my one experience with Dave Eggers was not a positive one, so I'm not sure I would have ever even picked this one up (but at least I can argue about it if it suggested for my book club!)

[luna1122]

I like eggers and I liked The circle, and I'm gonna go see the flick when it comes out, but I get why one wouldn't. I finished tigers in red weather, which I liked marginally more by the end than the beginning, but mostly was just glad to be done with. Do not get the love, found the writing to be amateurish. Just now starting tampa, with its suggestive looking cover that's actually just a buttonhole. 

[Mystery]

I just finished Jane Steele and really liked it, so thanks to the posters who talked about it. I put Gods of Gotham on hold. 

[OtterMommy]

10 hours ago, Mystery said:

I just finished Jane Steele and really liked it, so thanks to the posters who talked about it. I put Gods of Gotham on hold. 

I have Jane Steele sitting on my bedside and I'm hoping I can get to it soon.  Everyone I know who has read it has really enjoyed it!

[helenamonster]

Just finished: The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware, about a travel journalist who gets to go on a trip on an exclusive luxury cruise ship and witnesses the murder of the woman staying in the cabin next to her. Only problem is all of the passengers (of which there are very few, about a dozen) and crew are accounted for, and there is no evidence that the woman ever existed, much less was booked on the ship, besides the protagonist's account. It was a great little thriller (a very fast read), with a satisfying conclusion, imo. The thing I liked about it the best was how much I could relate to the protagonist; she suffers from a severe anxiety disorder and panic attacks that can only be managed by medication, and I thought her moments of anxiety were very realistically portrayed, especially how people began to doubt her credibility when they found out she was on anti-depressants. The protagonist's anxiety is especially triggered by feelings of claustrophobia, which one would encounter a lot on a cruise ship, especially the one in the book, which is described as really just being an oversized yacht. As a claustrophobe myself, I thought the moments when she began to feel boxed in were very effective and really captured the terror of being trapped (or at least feeling trapped) that people with severe claustrophobia experience. The whole book had a very Agatha Christie vibe, with the majority of the action/investigation being confined to one place with a limited list of eccentric suspects.

Next up: You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott.

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

Just finished: The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware...

One of my friends just recommended this to me last week! It's in my library queue now. I'm #175 so it's gonna be a while. 

I'm in the middle of Belgravia by Julian Fellowes. I saw it in an English bookshop in Paris and needed something light to read...it is what it is.

[Hanahope]

On 3/20/2017 at 9:12 AM, Qoass said:

I read quite a few Philippa Gregory books.  It's thanks to her that I can run the category on Jeopardy! when the Tudors come up.  On the other hand, I hate that she chooses a theme and then hammers it over and over and over i.e. that women are interchangeable! in The Other Boleyn Girl.  I'll check out Three Sisters, Three Queens but my real fantasy is to read all of her stuff in chronological rather than published order in order to get the big picture.

I recently red the "first" four books of her pre-tudor series, Lady of Rivers, Red Queen, White Queen, The Kingmaker's Daughter.  The first one was like a "prequel" then the other 3 books all took the same story, the War of the Roses, from 3 different viewpoints (Margaret Beaufort - mother of Henry VII, Elizabeth Woodville -wife of Edward IV, and Anne Neville - Wife of Richard III)  It was interesting to see the three viewpoints, though I admit that by the third viewpoint, I was a bit tired of the "same storyline".  I did appreciate the work to make Richard III not the Shakespearean villian we've all read about and provide a different version of the 'what happened to the two princes in the tower' question.

I'm taking a break for a bit, reading some of my Anne Perry books that I've set aside for a while (starting back up with Dorchester Terrace, which is really slow in the beginning - but now that the death has occurred, I'm hoping it'll pick up).  Then I'll get back to Gregory's series with the White Princess and the King's Curse.

[Qoass]

Well, I'm about 150 pages into Three Sisters, Three Queens and if she doesn't get off the "one day you're up; the next day you're down" theme pretty damn quick, I'm out.

[Hanahope]

18 minutes ago, Qoass said:

Well, I'm about 150 pages into Three Sisters, Three Queens and if she doesn't get off the "one day you're up; the next day you're down" theme pretty damn quick, I'm out.

You mean her recurring theme of the Wheel of Fortune, you go up the wheel as it turns, then you go down the wheel as it keeps turning?  That was all throughout the 4 books I read.

[alias1]

I read A Gentleman in Moscow and not sure what I think about it.  I was ready to give it up a couple of times.  It's way too long in my opinion.  I found it boring some of the time and very charming some of the time.  Lots of 5 star reviews.  Not sure I would go that high.  I did love one of the chapters towards the end of the book that did a total recap of the movie Casablanca.  I think it was worth reading just for that.

[SherriAnt]

I always find it so funny when I come on here and everyone is reading serious important books, and I'm like, Hey I'm reading a book series about a paramedic who treats monsters! And then I'm going to read about talking animals! Yay! Lol.

I generally like to read what I call brain candy, stuff that is far from my real life because I live my life, I don't need to read about it! I consider myself a devout reader, but not a well read one, if that makes sense.

But, the paramedic series is really good, it's by Jamie Davis, and is called the Extreme Medical Services series.

Then it's back to Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series which is about a Native American skinwalker who fights rogue monsters, then to Seanan McGuires Incryptid series which is about, you guessed it, cryptids! Hmmm, sensing a theme here.

[OtterMommy]

32 minutes ago, SherriAnt said:

I always find it so funny when I come on here and everyone is reading serious important books, and I'm like, Hey I'm reading a book series about a paramedic who treats monsters! And then I'm going to read about talking animals! Yay! Lol.

Hey, I say read what makes you happy!  There's nothing wrong with brain candy!

[nodorothyparker]

They can't all be serious important books or I know I tend to burn out.  While I may have great pretensions of being a serious reader, I certainly gobble up my share of fluffier stuff too.  Within the past six months, I read Hillary Mantel's Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies back to back, which while great critically lauded and serious books, were not what I would consider light reads.   The following week or so was spent reading glorified Pride and Prejudice fan fiction that somehow found a publisher because I just wasn't in any place to start anything heavy after that.

Having recently finished The Man in the High Castle and wanting to go back in time and retroactively punch Philip Dick for wasting such a terrific premise on a plot of a whole lot of nothing that was full of loose ends, I've been reskimming first Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and then Neil Gaiman's American Gods in anticipation of both of those series kicking off in the next month.  I'm also trying to talk myself into jumping into Philip Meyer's The Son ahead of that series premier.  Yes, I am that person who positively absolutely has to read the book first if one exists before seeing the show or movie.

[AuntiePam]

1 hour ago, nodorothyparker said:

I'm also trying to talk myself into jumping into Philip Meyer's The Son ahead of that series premier.  Yes, I am that person who positively absolutely has to read the book first if one exists before seeing the show or movie.

Loved that book.  I grew up with western movies, watched them evolve from simplistic to nuanced in portrayals of the conflict between whites and natives, and The Son takes it a step farther.  Not sure if this is a spoiler -- it's sort of a warning for the faint-hearted:

Spoiler

There's some extreme, explicit sexual violence early in the book.  

[nodorothyparker]

I've already read a couple of reviews that hinted in that direction so yeah, I'm prepared for that.

It's probably been a couple of years since I read a serious Western.  I've adored Larry McMurtry since I bought my first paperback of Lonesome Dove with my babysitting money to read along with the miniseries (which should give you some clue of how old I am) and think Cormac McCarthy tells a pretty good story even when I find some of his stylistic choices a little precious.  I've never read any Philip Meyer before but the reviews are positively glowing so I'm a little stoked for the change of pace this will be.

[Crs97]

SherriAnt, what I read tends to reflect my situation in life.  During law school I would read crap because my mind was full of the information I needed for classes.  During the summer, I would read the heavier material with romance novels (I call them my "palate cleansers") sprinkled throughout.  Now with my boys I sometimes read what they are reading, but they love dystopian fiction and I hate it. My reading is much more eclectic now, and I try each time I go to the library to walk an aisle and just pull a book that calls to me for any reason.  Hence, The Last Gunfight.

[GaT]

3 hours ago, SherriAnt said:

I always find it so funny when I come on here and everyone is reading serious important books, and I'm like, Hey I'm reading a book series about a paramedic who treats monsters! And then I'm going to read about talking animals! Yay! Lol.

I generally like to read what I call brain candy, stuff that is far from my real life because I live my life, I don't need to read about it! I consider myself a devout reader, but not a well read one, if that makes sense.

But, the paramedic series is really good, it's by Jamie Davis, and is called the Extreme Medical Services series.

Then it's back to Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series which is about a Native American skinwalker who fights rogue monsters, then to Seanan McGuires Incryptid series which is about, you guessed it, cryptids! Hmmm, sensing a theme here.

Since I read the Jane Yellowrock series, & the Incryptid series (do you read October Daye too?), I will check out Extreme Medical Services.

[helenamonster]

4 hours ago, SherriAnt said:

I always find it so funny when I come on here and everyone is reading serious important books, and I'm like, Hey I'm reading a book series about a paramedic who treats monsters! And then I'm going to read about talking animals! Yay! Lol.

I generally like to read what I call brain candy, stuff that is far from my real life because I live my life, I don't need to read about it! I consider myself a devout reader, but not a well read one, if that makes sense.

But, the paramedic series is really good, it's by Jamie Davis, and is called the Extreme Medical Services series.

Then it's back to Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series which is about a Native American skinwalker who fights rogue monsters, then to Seanan McGuires Incryptid series which is about, you guessed it, cryptids! Hmmm, sensing a theme here.

I agree with others, read what you enjoy/makes you happy! My reading list consists mostly of trashy murder mysteries (or the nicer term "beach reads" as my ninth grade English teacher used to call them) and like any genre there are hits and misses. Every once in a while I'll get the urge to read something "important" but I consider reading to be something I do for fun while I'm at the laundromat or on the train. After four years of college (and four years of high school before that) I'm just kinda tired of reading things because they're "important" or "essential" or whatever. Reading should never be a chore if you're not doing it for a class or work.