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Reader's Library => Book Talk [Public] => Topic started by: The Doctor on September 18, 2018, 02:46:12 AM

Title: What are you currently reading?
Post by: The Doctor on September 18, 2018, 02:46:12 AM
(Thread idea shamelessly stolen from GallifreyBase).

So,  what are you all reading at the moment? I love going through these types of posts to discover new books.

I myself am not reading anything right now,  but I recently finished the three books in Paul Cornell's Shadow Police series. Very dark, but very good! Think Rivers of London but with more horror.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: guest14 on September 18, 2018, 02:58:11 AM
I read a range of books because I have a wide range of interests. Thrillers mostly, adventure is always an evening or two hidden in my cubbyhole and obviously good science fiction. Give me a book where the author can take me somewhere new, treat me to unexpected twists and turns and leaves me feeling as though the book was worth the time spent.

On that note, I found the following books interesting reads in the last week.

Playing with Fire, Tess Gerritson
To die in Vienna, Kevin Wignall
The Beauty of Bucharest, S J Varengo
I am Pilgrim, TerryHayes

I might start dropping in my weekly reading list. :P
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: The Doctor on September 18, 2018, 03:08:53 AM
Sounds good, Tobias. Looking forward to your weekly list.

I'll check out those books you listed. I sometimes go on a book binge so love discovering new books.

My reading interests are quite varied, too. You can't beat a story where you can't guess the twists and turns.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Mark Gardner on September 18, 2018, 07:40:10 AM
Lots of books. I try to review a book I've read on my blog each week: article94.com (https://article94.com/category/reviews-interviews/)

Currently, I'm reading Clouds, by L. Fergus.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: WasAnn on September 18, 2018, 08:41:21 AM
I'm super into audiobooks, so I tend to have one or two regular books and one or two audiobooks going at a time.

Right now: Just finishing up Binti in audio...sooo different and good. By Nnedi Okorafor

Also am re-reading Neil Gaiman's American Gods, while also listening in Audio. This is the second time in the last three months! It's just so good and perfect and I so wish that I could spin a yarn like that. (Tenth Anniversary Edition)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: CoraBuhlert on September 18, 2018, 08:57:37 AM
Binti is great, though I haven't heard the audio version.

As for me, I'm in the middle of a reread of Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and Gray Mouser stories. Initially, I dug up my collection to reread only one story for the Retro Hugos and then wound up rereading all of them. 
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: WasAnn on September 18, 2018, 09:23:19 AM
Binti is great, though I haven't heard the audio version.

As for me, I'm in the middle of a reread of Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and Gray Mouser stories. Initially, I dug up my collection to reread only one story for the Retro Hugos and then wound up rereading all of them.

Ooo...the audio is awesome. It's great to hear the pronunciations of some of the words in a wonderful accent like that.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Matthew on September 18, 2018, 09:53:21 AM
Currently reading the Hal Spacejock series from Simon Haynes, who's a member over on KBoards.

Just needed a lighthearted read to break from some negativity in my life.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: R. C. on September 18, 2018, 10:07:30 AM
Raymond L. Weil - Retaliation - Book five in The Slaver Wars series.


Cheers,
Ruairi
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: HSh on September 18, 2018, 11:18:56 AM
Beyond the War on Invasive Species, by Tao Orion

It's on Scribd, where I maintain a membership.  I haven't read much this month.  Fiction doesn't seem to engage me at the moment, so I'm trying to read some nonfiction.  This is the one at present.  The others are equally dense but maybe slightly less depressing.

Hope I'll be in the mood for light fiction again soon.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: TimothyEllis on September 18, 2018, 11:19:06 AM
Agents of Mars, Glynn Stewart's new one. Last in the trilogy.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Mark Gardner on September 18, 2018, 11:45:41 AM
Agents of Mars, Glynn Stewart's new one. Last in the trilogy.
I've read Glynn Stewart's Space Carrier Avalon, is Agents of Mars part of that series?
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: TimothyEllis on September 18, 2018, 12:05:37 PM
Agents of Mars, Glynn Stewart's new one. Last in the trilogy.
I've read Glynn Stewart's Space Carrier Avalon, is Agents of Mars part of that series?


No, Agents of Mars is a parallel series to Starship Mage. The ship captain from SM goes off on his own adventures. Eventually both series will come back together.

Definitely worth reading both series. Agents of Mars is the Red Falcon series. Technically RF 1 and 2 are between SM 1 and 2. RF3 is after SM2. Timeline wise.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Max on September 18, 2018, 12:08:28 PM
Starting Olivia Hawker's The Ragged Edge of Night this weekend. Thank you Zon Prime.
Wrapping up edits on my YA Fantasy, at the moment, so reading is on hold.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: CoraBuhlert on September 18, 2018, 12:12:16 PM
Agents of Mars, Glynn Stewart's new one. Last in the trilogy.

Ah, that's nice. I didn't know he had a new one out.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: TimothyEllis on September 18, 2018, 12:27:56 PM
Agents of Mars, Glynn Stewart's new one. Last in the trilogy.

Ah, that's nice. I didn't know he had a new one out.

Released yesterday.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Kate Elizabeth on September 20, 2018, 01:43:02 AM
I'm almost done with Jenn Bennett's Grim Shadows, a supernatural romance in the Roaring Twenties.  It's Book 2 in a series.  Since I've enjoyed it, I need to get Books 1 and 3.

I read pretty much everything, but my library holds list has mainly mysteries and thrillers right now.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Shoe on September 20, 2018, 10:11:22 AM
The Night Manager by John LeCarre and Night Mischief by Evelyn Waugh. (Just noticed how I'm reading two books with "night" in the title.)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Becca Mills on September 20, 2018, 03:24:12 PM
I just tonight finished reading Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH to my kids. It was one of my huge childhood favorites. I thought it held up quite well, but I definitely saw different stuff in it as an adult reader than I did 40 years ago -- political allegory! Not heavy-handed, but interesting and well handled. Trying to figure out which great children's classic to tackle next ...
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: KCrilly on September 20, 2018, 04:24:42 PM
I'm re-reading the Discworld series, I haven't read them since I was a kid and only understood half the jokes.

I'm starting with the Watch books, halfway through Jingo now, and it's been a total joy, as expected  Grin
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: elleoco on September 20, 2018, 05:02:55 PM
I just finished A Forgotten Place, the latest Charles Todd mystery in the Bess Crawford series, which IMO is the better of the two Todd series set in the WWI era. I enjoyed it, but wouldn't say it's among the best of that series.

Next is Dogtripping by David Rosenfelt. I like his Andy Carpenter legal mysteries, but this is a non-fiction account of his move from California to Maine with 25 rescue dogs. An actual paper book, hard cover, from the library.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Brownskins on September 21, 2018, 12:57:04 AM
I got this series a while back but just now reading it... I am reading Undeath & Taxes (Fred Book 2) by Drew Hayes.  Its about the vampire accountant and his not so exciting life... or so he thinks.  Its really fun and easy to read while commuting.

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Kate Elizabeth on September 21, 2018, 02:51:54 AM
I loved Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH!
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Becca Mills on September 21, 2018, 03:20:05 AM
I loved Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH!

<fist bump>  :grin:
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on September 21, 2018, 03:59:22 AM
I loved Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH!

<fist bump>  :grin:

There's no emoji for that?  Grin

The Lost Spy by Kate Moira Ryan. 1949 and Slim Moran has opened an agency in Paris to reunite holocaust survivors. Her latest case is to find a British radio operator who has been declared dead, but is mysteriously transmitting messages to her former boss.

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Becca Mills on September 21, 2018, 06:13:30 AM
<fist bump>  :grin:

There's no emoji for that?  Grin

Seriously, Tim better get his butt in gear! I've never seen such a paltry collection of emojis ...  grint

Trying to figure out what classic bit of children's lit to read next. Bridge to Terabithia, maybe. I'll have to gird my emotional loins for that one.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: idontknowyet on September 21, 2018, 01:14:51 PM
Lately all I have been getting is DNF  :sad: :icon_frown:
I need a good book or 10.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on September 21, 2018, 02:07:58 PM
Lately all I have been getting is DNF  :sad: :icon_frown:
I need a good book or 10.

There's a lot of that going around.

I've gotten hooked on Nick Pirog's A Speed of Souls. Reading it for the fourth time.

https://www.amazon.com/Speed-Souls-Novel-Nick-Pirog-ebook/dp/B07BVZZJ5H/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1537502635&sr=1-1&keywords=The+speed+of+souls

The Speed of Souls is the heart-warming, often hilarious, often outrageous, journey of Hugo (a dog who dies and comes back as a cat), Cassie (an aging rescue dog coming to terms with her own mortality), and Jerry (a once popular sci-fi writer in the midst of a cataclysmic mid-life crisis).
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: TinkSaid on September 22, 2018, 10:44:13 PM
Just finished William Hjortsberg's Falling Angel. I fell in love with his metaphors and world building. Seriously dark themes, though.

The 'kids' are off to tour Northern France next week, and I've signed up to Kindle Unlimited in anticipation of a read-a-thon.

Happy days!
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on September 23, 2018, 12:25:18 AM
Earlier this week I finished Howl's Moving Castle. Not sure what I'm going to read next. Pondering my options...
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RainingTacos on September 23, 2018, 01:15:32 AM
I just tonight finished reading Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH to my kids. It was one of my huge childhood favorites. I thought it held up quite well, but I definitely saw different stuff in it as an adult reader than I did 40 years ago -- political allegory! Not heavy-handed, but interesting and well handled. Trying to figure out which great children's classic to tackle next ...


Oooh, thanks! That's going on my list. I do the same thing: read classics to my daughter every night. We did Matilda recently, and several other Roald Dahl books. Soon we'll be starting Charlotte's Web.

As for what I'm reading, I'm kind of going through a reading funk and nothing is hitting the spot. This happens periodically, until I get hooked again.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RainingTacos on September 23, 2018, 01:16:29 AM
I'm re-reading the Discworld series, I haven't read them since I was a kid and only understood half the jokes.

I'm starting with the Watch books, halfway through Jingo now, and it's been a total joy, as expected  Grin

I re-read these at least once a year! Every single time I discover new things. :)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Miranda on September 23, 2018, 02:23:28 AM
I'm re-reading The Curse of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold. I'd been reading a couple thrillers/horror novels before that and need some good fantasy to cleanse my mind of gore and serial killers!   Grin
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Kate Elizabeth on September 23, 2018, 06:12:06 AM
Robert, if you enjoyed Howl's Moving Castle, you'll probably enjoy the companion book, Castle in the Air, and the sequel, House of Many Ways.  My kids preferred the last one, but Howl's is my favorite.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: oganalp on September 23, 2018, 06:44:32 AM
Michael Hyatt's How to get heard book
Ramez Naam's Nexus trilogy
James Scott Bell's Plot & Structure.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: katc on September 23, 2018, 07:52:48 PM
I'm a huge fan of middle grade fantasy and always have a stack of books in my tbr pile. I wanted to try something different and have been reading cozy mysteries.
Second Chance Cat Mystery series by Sofie Kelly is my current read.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: dgcasey on September 23, 2018, 09:05:02 PM
Currently reading:

Southern Spirits by Angie Fox
The Day After Never by Nathan Van Coops
You Are Dead, Sign Here Please by Andrew Stanek

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: cru on September 23, 2018, 09:16:16 PM
The Talented Mr. Ripley - Patricia Highsmith
Fascinating and scary and wonderful all at the same time.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RCoots on September 24, 2018, 05:01:14 AM
I've got Launch to Market, Spinning Silver, a book on travel in the Middle Ages, and I've been listening to Codex Alara this week.

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Lysmata Debelius on September 24, 2018, 05:02:27 PM

Just started "Divergent". I have a really bad cold, though, so I'm not sure how I'll get on with it. Already rolling my eyes a bit at some of the genre cliches, but I'd like to give it a chance.

I've got Launch to Market, Spinning Silver, a book on travel in the Middle Ages, and I've been listening to Codex Alara this week.


Just finished Spinning Silver, on audiobook. Loved it. I thought it was better than Uprooted. Naomi Novik is such an interesting writer!

Earlier this week I finished Howl's Moving Castle. Not sure what I'm going to read next. Pondering my options...


One of my favourite books. Reread many times.  "Castle in the Air" is the sequel - it's fun too :)  But my fave Diana Wynne Jones is "The Ogre Downstairs" :) 
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Lysmata Debelius on September 25, 2018, 05:47:39 PM
Ugh. Gave up on Divergent at about 90% done. The utterly unbelievable world building and contrived plot was bad enough, but the mind control stuff just tipped me over the edge. Now I'm feeling grumpy as well as sick  :confused:
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Anarchist on September 26, 2018, 01:39:38 AM
Defending The Undefendable by Dr. Walter Block
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: guest120 on September 26, 2018, 05:25:38 AM
My attention span is on the fritz.

Currently reading:

A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole
Kings of the Wyld, Nicholas Eames
The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler
True Fiction, Lee Goldberg
Deception Point, Dan Brown
Freaky Deaky, Elmore Leonard

Recently DNF'd 'The Blade Itself' by Joe Abercrombie. Also recently cracked open 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' by Stieg Larsson.

I need to learn the concept of 'focus'.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: The Doctor on September 26, 2018, 06:35:10 AM
I've started reading Robert Galbraith's Lethal White. After that, I've got a Karen Maitland historical ready to go.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Mark Gardner on September 26, 2018, 09:27:38 AM
Currently reading Strikers by Ann Christy
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Jeff Tanyard on September 26, 2018, 09:44:09 AM
It's been a while since I turned my Kindle on.  I don't even remember.   :icon_sad:

It's all the excitement of the past week.  It's left me blitzed and frazzled.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RappaDizzy on September 27, 2018, 05:18:35 AM
Just finishing Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts. Pretty good and more like her old work that she seemed to get away from. :Tup3a:
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Tiffmeister on September 27, 2018, 06:01:54 AM
So, I'm currently reading one of Rob Lowe's memoir books: "Love Life".
Don't laugh. He's a pretty humorous writer. And his retelling of growing up in Malibu in the mid 1970s is interesting.
I've read one of his other books last year too, and missed this one.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: German Translator on September 27, 2018, 08:00:16 AM
Currently rereading Eifelheim by Michael Flynn. Weirdest alien contact story I have ever come across - aliens land in 1348...

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51G5dnezDzL._AC_US327_QL65_.jpg)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Lysmata Debelius on September 28, 2018, 10:14:50 PM
"Lady Pain" by Rebecca Bradley.
It's pretty good so far. Reminds me quite a lot of The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, but more in the world building that in the plot.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: TWErvin2 on October 04, 2018, 11:52:02 PM
Just finished Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RCoots on October 05, 2018, 12:08:33 AM
Just finished the Codex Alera, again. On to some marketing books!
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on October 05, 2018, 12:44:18 AM
Just finished The Lines We Leave Behind by Eliza Graham. Post WWII what happens to a spy who loses her memory of her war experiences.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: HSh on October 05, 2018, 12:56:23 AM
I'm listening to Quakeland: On the Road to America's Next Devastating Earthquake, by Kathryn Miles.  A nice cheery, light read for the fall.

https://www.scribd.com/listen/357487355 (https://www.scribd.com/listen/357487355)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Casper Valentine on October 10, 2018, 02:02:38 AM
There's so much I would like to read, but between writing SQL code and working on my current book, my eyes start feeling so strained I can barely focus. I wear corrective lenses and maybe it's time to make an eye doc appointment. Does anyone else experience these issues? Has anything helped?
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: missingalaska on October 10, 2018, 02:18:12 AM
Peter Straub's "Ghost Story".  It was on sale.  Don't know how I missed that one over the years...
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Post-Crisis D on October 10, 2018, 02:50:20 AM
I'm currently reading a bunch of forum posts.


There's so much I would like to read, but between writing SQL code and working on my current book, my eyes start feeling so strained I can barely focus. I wear corrective lenses and maybe it's time to make an eye doc appointment. Does anyone else experience these issues? Has anything helped?

Take more frequent breaks from the screen.  There are also eye drops that may help.  I think my eye doctor either recommended them or gave me a bottle.  Either way, I never used them and if there was a bottle I have no idea where it might be now.  Just be sure to never mix up the bottle of eye drops and the bottle of lens cleaner.

A visit to the eye doctor helped me.  I guess finding out it was just eye strain from staring at a screen all day and that I wasn't going blind was enough of a relief that the eye strain actually improved without the eye drops and without taking breaks as frequently as I probably should.  So stress can definitely be a factor.  So if you're stressing over not being able to focus, that can make you less able to focus, which compounds the matter further.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: The Doctor on October 10, 2018, 02:59:55 AM
I'm reading Book 2 in The Future of London series by Mark Gillespie. Read book 1 a wee while ago so thought I'd get cracking with the second one.

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Becca Mills on October 10, 2018, 03:06:10 AM
I just tonight finished reading Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH to my kids. It was one of my huge childhood favorites. I thought it held up quite well, but I definitely saw different stuff in it as an adult reader than I did 40 years ago -- political allegory! Not heavy-handed, but interesting and well handled. Trying to figure out which great children's classic to tackle next ...


Oooh, thanks! That's going on my list. I do the same thing: read classics to my daughter every night. We did Matilda recently, and several other Roald Dahl books. Soon we'll be starting Charlotte's Web.

As for what I'm reading, I'm kind of going through a reading funk and nothing is hitting the spot. This happens periodically, until I get hooked again.

We did Charlotte's Web recently. SMH. It's always the same with these death-y kids' classics -- I'm weeping at the horrible parts, and the elder widget is looking at me like What the heck is wrong with Mommy? Sure, it's sad, but seriously??  :icon_redface:

Finished Bridge to Terabithia (much weeping, all me). On to The Boggart, by Susan Cooper.

I'm catching up on Karen Chance's Dorina Basarab books at the mo. Read quite a bit of Seanan McGuire before that. And the newish collection of Dresden shorts from Butcher.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on October 10, 2018, 03:41:13 AM
I just tonight finished reading Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH to my kids. It was one of my huge childhood favorites. I thought it held up quite well, but I definitely saw different stuff in it as an adult reader than I did 40 years ago -- political allegory! Not heavy-handed, but interesting and well handled. Trying to figure out which great children's classic to tackle next ...


Oooh, thanks! That's going on my list. I do the same thing: read classics to my daughter every night. We did Matilda recently, and several other Roald Dahl books. Soon we'll be starting Charlotte's Web.

As for what I'm reading, I'm kind of going through a reading funk and nothing is hitting the spot. This happens periodically, until I get hooked again.

We did Charlotte's Web recently. SMH. It's always the same with these death-y kids' classics -- I'm weeping at the horrible parts, and the elder widget is looking at me like What the heck is wrong with Mommy? Sure, it's sad, but seriously??  :icon_redface:

Finished Bridge to Terabithia (much weeping, all me). On to The Boggart, by Susan Cooper.

I'm catching up on Karen Chance's Dorina Basarab books at the mo. Read quite a bit of Seanan McGuire before that. And the newish collection of Dresden shorts from Butcher.

Uh-huh. ET is dying, tears are running down my face, and my eight-year old says, "Mom, it's just a movie." She was totally exasperated with me.

Working my way through the Peter Shandy mysteries.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Lysmata Debelius on October 10, 2018, 03:52:08 AM
Oh, I love The Boggart! The bit with the stage lighting is just beautiful.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Becca Mills on October 10, 2018, 04:21:54 AM
Uh-huh. ET is dying, tears are running down my face, and my eight-year old says, "Mom, it's just a movie." She was totally exasperated with me.

Those moments bring home that one is raising an entirely separate and different person from oneself, eh? Weird and wonderful.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Casper Valentine on October 10, 2018, 05:49:35 AM
I'm reading Book 2 in The Future of London series by Mark Gillespie. Read book 1 a wee while ago so thought I'd get cracking with the second one.

Thanks! That all makes sense.  I only thought of eye drops as being for dry and irritated eyes. I found some products like below that are for this type of relief. I'll also force myself to take more breaks. I tend to lose track of time and the next thing I know I've been working for 4 or 5 hours. Especially when I'm at work, trying to get my code to actually do what it's supposed to.

https://www.similasanusa.com/computer-eye-relief
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: dgcasey on October 10, 2018, 12:01:11 PM
There's so much I would like to read, but between writing SQL code and working on my current book, my eyes start feeling so strained I can barely focus. I wear corrective lenses and maybe it's time to make an eye doc appointment. Does anyone else experience these issues? Has anything helped?

My problem is I have one pair of glasses and it really doesn't get it for working on the computer. They are great for everything out past about five feet, but in that one to three foot range they don't work so well. I need to set up an appointment and get a pair of glasses made for sitting at my computer and working.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on October 10, 2018, 12:46:51 PM
There's so much I would like to read, but between writing SQL code and working on my current book, my eyes start feeling so strained I can barely focus. I wear corrective lenses and maybe it's time to make an eye doc appointment. Does anyone else experience these issues? Has anything helped?

My problem is I have one pair of glasses and it really doesn't get it for working on the computer. They are great for everything out past about five feet, but in that one to three foot range they don't work so well. I need to set up an appointment and get a pair of glasses made for sitting at my computer and working.

Try getting trifocals. Distance/intermediate(computer)/reading. Unlike bifocals, you don't have to get used to them. I had tris for years until I had cataract surgery and now I just need readers from the $ store.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: YouMeWe on October 14, 2018, 11:56:23 PM
Inferno, by Dan Brown.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: HSh on October 15, 2018, 12:06:34 AM
I'm now reading The Pursuit of Perfect: How to Stop Chasing Perfection and Start Living a Richer, Happier Life, by Tal Ben-Shahar.  It seems promising.

The earthquake book was good.

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on October 15, 2018, 12:07:00 AM
Cashelmara by my very favorite author, Susan Howatch.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Jo on October 15, 2018, 12:24:50 AM
Daemon by Daniel Suarez (loving this so far!)

Some non-fiction, too:

Murder in the Making by Agatha Christie
Behind the Scenes by Christina Hardyment
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Lysmata Debelius on October 15, 2018, 12:58:11 AM
"They do it with mirrors" by Agatha Christie

Miss Marple is such a great character.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: The Doctor on October 15, 2018, 02:51:26 AM
I've now finished reading Mark Gillespie's Future of London boxset (British dystopian)

This morning I started reading Karen Maitland's The Plague Charmer. (Dark Historical)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Simon Haynes on October 15, 2018, 02:54:18 AM
Starting reading The Sandman (Gaiman etc) from the first issue.  I can't remember where I got to last time and it was easier to begin again.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RappaDizzy on October 15, 2018, 04:27:29 AM
Alternating between Belichick and The Gray Man by Mark Greaney - skipped some boring parts in the first but enjoying it & the second is good.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on October 15, 2018, 05:14:35 AM
"They do it with mirrors" by Agatha Christie

Miss Marple is such a great character.

I like Miss Marple even more than Hercule Poirot.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Lysmata Debelius on October 15, 2018, 05:21:07 AM
"They do it with mirrors" by Agatha Christie

Miss Marple is such a great character.

I like Miss Marple even more than Hercule Poirot.

I want to try one of the Poroit books next. Read them so long ago I honestly can't remember anything about them.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on October 15, 2018, 05:34:42 AM
"They do it with mirrors" by Agatha Christie

Miss Marple is such a great character.

I like Miss Marple even more than Hercule Poirot.



I want to try one of the Poroit books next. Read them so long ago I honestly can't remember anything about them.

At least you won't remember whodunit!
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Lysmata Debelius on October 15, 2018, 05:38:57 AM


At least you won't remember whodunit!

My terrible memory is a blessing when it comes to reading. So many books I can reread again :)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on October 15, 2018, 05:45:25 AM


At least you won't remember whodunit!

My terrible memory is a blessing when it comes to reading. So many books I can reread again :)

I'm the opposite. I almost always remember but it doesn't stop me from reading old favorites again and again.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: dgcasey on October 15, 2018, 06:59:15 AM
I'm currently reading this. It reminds me of the days of reading Colin Fletcher's books.

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51H9MaFMpeL._SY346_.jpg)

I think, outside of the writing-centric books I've read, this is the first nonfiction I've read this year.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Becca Mills on October 16, 2018, 02:39:22 PM
Just caught up on Karen Chance's Dorina Basarab series. Love that author's gift for mixing slapstick in with action and more serious moments.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: elleoco on October 16, 2018, 07:07:51 PM
Just finished Peril by Post, #8 in Sheri Cobb South's John Pickett historical mystery series. I really like these stories, although they don't have the - intensity? detail? - of my most favorite historical mysteries, which are C. S. Harris's, and they do have a stronger romantic thread. Anyway, the Pickett stories need to be read in order except for the prequel novella, which could be skipped, and if read, IMO would be better after a couple of the full length books as it's not the strongest in the series.

Before that I reread some of the early Elizabeth George Inspector Lynley books, which are IMO far superior to her later books. My book budget is thoroughly blown out of the water, so some rereading has been in order.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: WHDean on October 17, 2018, 10:23:09 AM
Just finished A Canticle for Leibowitz. Best SF book I ever read.

Just starting Umberto Eco's Name of the Rose



Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on October 17, 2018, 11:25:48 AM
Whenever I have nothing to read or can't decide what to read, I fall back on my Nero Wolfe books.

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RappaDizzy on October 17, 2018, 12:05:07 PM
Just read Grit by Angela Duckworth - nonfiction on how focused persistence is more important than talent for success in any field - I recommend for all authors. Tips on how to develop your grit
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: HSh on October 17, 2018, 01:26:44 PM


At least you won't remember whodunit!

My terrible memory is a blessing when it comes to reading. So many books I can reread again :)

I thought I was quite clever reading an Agatha Christie a few months ago and figuring out "whodunit."  Turns out I'd read it years ago.  Forgot the whole book.  Remembered just enough to think I was smart enough to figure it out.   :HB  Did not feel quite so smart after I realized!

And since I've already forgotten which book that was...I won't be surprised if I do the exact same thing ten years from now.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: LilyBLily on October 17, 2018, 01:50:40 PM
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande--nonfiction about old age, nursing homes, dying, and fun stuff like that. Very good.
Worth Dying For by Lee Child--having a lot of trouble getting into it. Just wish he'd kill everyone and move along.
Look to the Lady by Margery Allingham--incredible tosh published in 1931. She had a long, successful career writing mysteries and I sincerely hope they got a lot better than this nonsense. 
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on October 18, 2018, 02:29:50 AM
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande--nonfiction about old age, nursing homes, dying, and fun stuff like that. Very good.
Worth Dying For by Lee Child--having a lot of trouble getting into it. Just wish he'd kill everyone and move along.
Look to the Lady by Margery Allingham--incredible tosh published in 1931. She had a long, successful career writing mysteries and I sincerely hope they got a lot better than this nonsense.

My doc recommended the Being Mortal book. Did you read the unabridged version?
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: HSh on October 18, 2018, 02:59:12 AM
Also reading The New Frugality, by Chris Farrell.  Hoping to get back to fiction soon, but in the meantime I'm learning stuff.  :-)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Tom Wood on October 18, 2018, 03:05:26 AM
I just started Wildcard which is the followup to Marie Lu's Warcross.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Leegreg on October 18, 2018, 03:07:13 AM
Just finishing up Bubba Goes for Broke by David H Hendrickson. I cannot for the life of me recall why I have this book, but it amused me, so I’m happy.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: LilyBLily on October 18, 2018, 03:33:43 AM
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande--nonfiction about old age, nursing homes, dying, and fun stuff like that. Very good.
Worth Dying For by Lee Child--having a lot of trouble getting into it. Just wish he'd kill everyone and move along.
Look to the Lady by Margery Allingham--incredible tosh published in 1931. She had a long, successful career writing mysteries and I sincerely hope they got a lot better than this nonsense.

My doc recommended the Being Mortal book. Did you read the unabridged version?
I'm reading a hardcover from the library. It must be unabridged. The copyright page says two parts were previously published in The New Yorker, in slightly different form.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Vijaya on October 18, 2018, 04:24:12 AM
Love this thread. So many books/writers mentioned here that I love: Atul Gawande, Rats of NIMH, Katherine Patterson.
I have Canticle for Leibowitz but haven't started it yet.
And it's always great discovering new-to-me authors.

Just finished Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacey McNulty, You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins. Almost done with Praying for Your Special Needs Child by David and Mercedes Rizzo and No Surrender Solder by Christine Kohler. This last is on my kindle and I have dozens and dozens of unread books on it. I love my kindle but definitely have a preference for the printed book. Oh, also beta-read a fantastic ms set in the time of Charlemagne's reign by Gary Ludlam. His first book Aachen is really good too.

Forgot to mention: I do review books on my blog if anybody is curious.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on October 18, 2018, 06:11:21 AM
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande--nonfiction about old age, nursing homes, dying, and fun stuff like that. Very good.
Worth Dying For by Lee Child--having a lot of trouble getting into it. Just wish he'd kill everyone and move along.
Look to the Lady by Margery Allingham--incredible tosh published in 1931. She had a long, successful career writing mysteries and I sincerely hope they got a lot better than this nonsense.

My doc recommended the Being Mortal book. Did you read the unabridged version?
I'm reading a hardcover from the library. It must be unabridged. The copyright page says two parts were previously published in The New Yorker, in slightly different form.

I accidentally picked up the abridged ebook. Thanks for the reminder that I want to read the whole thing. I'll check the library first.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Kyra Halland on October 23, 2018, 02:04:45 PM
Just finished beta reading the last book in a really awesome epic fantasy series, the Rhenwars Saga by M.L. Spencer. It should be out next month, I think?

Now I'm reading Raptor, book 6 in Lindsay Buroker's Dragon Blood series.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Mark Gardner on October 23, 2018, 11:24:08 PM
Just finished beta reading the last book in a really awesome epic fantasy series, the Rhenwars Saga by M.L. Spencer. It should be out next month, I think?

Now I'm reading Raptor, book 6 in Lindsay Buroker's Dragon Blood series.
Lindsay's work is excellent. I've read her for years, and love her sci-fi. I haven't talked to her in a while though. Last I heard, she was moving away from our shared town.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on October 24, 2018, 12:43:12 AM
Wicked for Hire by Lotta Smith

Not my usual kind of read but I'm liking the MC.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RCoots on October 24, 2018, 12:47:02 AM
I just finished the Prince's Game series by M. C. A. Hogarth. It's interesting for sure. Probably on to Newsletter Ninja next.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Dormouse on October 24, 2018, 06:29:38 PM
Look to the Lady by Margery Allingham--incredible tosh published in 1931. She had a long, successful career writing mysteries and I sincerely hope they got a lot better than this nonsense.
I've not read any of her Campion novels. Seen plenty on TV. Pleasant enough but still tosh. Much lower quality than the inimitable Dorothy Sayers.
However, I can recommend her book The Oaken Heart (1941). An autobiographical account of life in her village in the years just before and at the start of the second world war. Half contemporaneous, half from recent memory. A picture of a society now gone at a point in time.
If you like that sort of thing.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Vinjii on October 24, 2018, 06:57:54 PM
I'm currently reading Fonda Lee's "Jade City." I seem to be on a fantasy streak.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: spin52 on October 25, 2018, 01:05:32 AM
Whenever I have nothing to read or can't decide what to read, I fall back on my Nero Wolfe books.

You obviously have excellent taste. I love Rex Stout. Did you know that yesterday was Archie Goodwin's birthday? It was just mentioned in passing in one of the books -- can't remember which one.
I have been reading Victoria Thompson's Gaslight Mysteries series, set in turn of the century New York. And I was so intrigued by the blurb on one of our members' books here that I bought it and am about halfway through. Thanks, Al.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on October 25, 2018, 01:20:20 AM
Whenever I have nothing to read or can't decide what to read, I fall back on my Nero Wolfe books.

You obviously have excellent taste. I love Rex Stout. Did you know that yesterday was Archie Goodwin's birthday? It was just mentioned in passing in one of the books -- can't remember which one.
I have been reading Victoria Thompson's Gaslight Mysteries series, set in turn of the century New York. And I was so intrigued by the blurb on one of our members' books here that I bought it and am about halfway through. Thanks, Al.

I missed Archie's birthday? What kind of an awful fan am I! I'm putting it on my calendar for next year. I did spend quite a bit of time tending my orchids yesterday so hopefully, that counts.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: spin52 on October 25, 2018, 02:17:50 AM
Whenever I have nothing to read or can't decide what to read, I fall back on my Nero Wolfe books.

You obviously have excellent taste. I love Rex Stout. Did you know that yesterday was Archie Goodwin's birthday? It was just mentioned in passing in one of the books -- can't remember which one.
I have been reading Victoria Thompson's Gaslight Mysteries series, set in turn of the century New York. And I was so intrigued by the blurb on one of our members' books here that I bought it and am about halfway through. Thanks, Al.

I missed Archie's birthday? What kind of an awful fan am I! I'm putting it on my calendar for next year. I did spend quite a bit of time tending my orchids yesterday so hopefully, that counts.

I'm sure it does. It was when Archie was pulling out a wallet or something and saying it was a gift from Wolfe last October 23, "and I didn't even know he knew when my birthday was."
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on October 25, 2018, 05:59:48 AM
Whenever I have nothing to read or can't decide what to read, I fall back on my Nero Wolfe books.

You obviously have excellent taste. I love Rex Stout. Did you know that yesterday was Archie Goodwin's birthday? It was just mentioned in passing in one of the books -- can't remember which one.
I have been reading Victoria Thompson's Gaslight Mysteries series, set in turn of the century New York. And I was so intrigued by the blurb on one of our members' books here that I bought it and am about halfway through. Thanks, Al.

I missed Archie's birthday? What kind of an awful fan am I! I'm putting it on my calendar for next year. I did spend quite a bit of time tending my orchids yesterday so hopefully, that counts.

I'm sure it does. It was when Archie was pulling out a wallet or something and saying it was a gift from Wolfe last October 23, "and I didn't even know he knew when my birthday was."

Ah, yes. I think it was a card case. Now I have to reread the whole series just to find it. Such a sacrifice.  :hehe

I just finished A Family Affair for about the fifth time.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: spin52 on October 25, 2018, 09:37:04 PM

My favorite is "The Doorbell Rang". Who but Wolfe could beat the FBI into submission?
I've also been reading Edward Marston's Nicholas Bracewell mysteries. I have to say the mystery part of them isn't that great, but the Elizabethan theater setting is intriguing and I like the characters.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on October 26, 2018, 01:29:42 AM

My favorite is "The Doorbell Rang". Who but Wolfe could beat the FBI into submission?
I've also been reading Edward Marston's Nicholas Bracewell mysteries. I have to say the mystery part of them isn't that great, but the Elizabethan theater setting is intriguing and I like the characters.

Yes, I always recommend that one. Another favorite is The Mother Hunt. I also love the Zeck trilogy especially the final one. And The Rubber Band ...  :help ... I have to stop now.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: HSh on October 26, 2018, 02:03:26 AM
Good memories about the Nero Wolfe books...   :clap:  There are some audio versions available on Scribd, maybe I'll dive back in again soon.  I have a lot of them in print already, but audio can offer a different take sometimes.  I've noticed I do NOT enjoy romance in audio format, but some fiction, and lots of non-fiction, I like a lot.  It just depends what I'm in the mood for.

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on October 26, 2018, 02:56:16 AM
Good memories about the Nero Wolfe books...   :clap:  There are some audio versions available on Scribd, maybe I'll dive back in again soon.  I have a lot of them in print already, but audio can offer a different take sometimes.  I've noticed I do NOT enjoy romance in audio format, but some fiction, and lots of non-fiction, I like a lot.  It just depends what I'm in the mood for.

I had all of them in paperback but they were so old, some of them were priced at 50c and 75c. It was time to toss them. That hurt. But I've got them all on my Kindle.

For me, audio depends a lot on the narrator. 
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Vijaya on October 26, 2018, 06:13:31 AM
Born a Crime by Noah Trevor -- life in South Africa as a mixed kid. His mother--what a woman!!!
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Robin on October 26, 2018, 08:45:54 PM
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. I haven't read very much yet, but it is very funny so far and I'm glad I bought it.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on October 26, 2018, 11:46:08 PM
I'm listening to A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Charles Dickens. Nick Offerman is the narrator and he's doing a wonderful job. My grandson actually came out of his room and asked me if it was Nick Offerman. Apparently, Offerman voices a character on one of his games.



Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: spin52 on October 27, 2018, 12:10:09 AM
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. I haven't read very much yet, but it is very funny so far and I'm glad I bought it.
Do you know, I think I've read all of Bryson's books and that's the only one I didn't especially like?  :icon_rolleyes:
If you haven't already read it, I can recommend his autobiography, "Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid", which is a wonderfully nostalgic (and funny) look at America in the 1950s.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Robin on October 27, 2018, 12:29:45 AM
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. I haven't read very much yet, but it is very funny so far and I'm glad I bought it.
Do you know, I think I've read all of Bryson's books and that's the only one I didn't especially like?  :icon_rolleyes:
If you haven't already read it, I can recommend his autobiography, "Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid", which is a wonderfully nostalgic (and funny) look at America in the 1950s.

It's only the second of BB's I've read (the first was A Short History of Nearly Everything) so maybe I don't have so many books of his to compare to, but I have to say I like it so far!

Thank you for the recommendation  :banana-riding-llama-smiley-em 
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: YouMeWe on October 27, 2018, 09:35:08 AM
Still slogging my way through Inferno, by Dan Brown ...
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on October 28, 2018, 12:10:23 AM
Last night I finished A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers. Such a lovely read! Not much action or drama, but some excellent characterization. It also filled out the universe Chambers created in Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. I'm hoping to start on the next novel in this universe, Record of a Spaceborn Few, in the next few days.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: CindyCarroll on October 28, 2018, 02:38:15 AM
Currently reading A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay and Life Is For the Living by Samuel Stokes.

Recently finished Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding. Canadians will find the murder part of the story very familiar.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Kate Elizabeth on October 28, 2018, 03:00:28 AM
I just finished Anna Lee Huber's The Anatomist's Wife, an historical mystery.  It's the first of the Lady Darby Mysteries, and I really enjoyed it.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: CoraBuhlert on October 28, 2018, 01:18:16 PM
Last night I finished A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers. Such a lovely read! Not much action or drama, but some excellent characterization. It also filled out the universe Chambers created in Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. I'm hoping to start on the next novel in this universe, Record of a Spaceborn Few, in the next few days.

I love Becky Chambers' books and have Record of a Spaceborn Few on my TBR pile.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Lysmata Debelius on October 28, 2018, 02:00:59 PM
Last night I finished A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers. Such a lovely read! Not much action or drama, but some excellent characterization. It also filled out the universe Chambers created in Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. I'm hoping to start on the next novel in this universe, Record of a Spaceborn Few, in the next few days.
  I liked all three those books, but I absolutely loved "A closed and common orbit".
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: YouMeWe on November 02, 2018, 10:58:17 PM
Just reached the midpoint of Inferno. Feel like I need a round of applause.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on November 03, 2018, 01:19:10 AM
I'm reading Dragon's Egg, Maria E. Schneider, fourth in the Dragons of Wendal series.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Vijaya on November 03, 2018, 04:50:02 AM
Back in Control by Dr. David Hanscom -- learning more about the pit of chronic pain and getting out of it without meds, surgery, etc.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Robin on November 04, 2018, 08:58:08 PM
Just reached the midpoint of Inferno. Feel like I need a round of applause.

 :clap:

 :hehe
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: elleoco on November 05, 2018, 08:40:14 AM
I just finished Patterson's Texas Ranger. The only Patterson books I ever read previously were a couple of the Alex Cross series. I dropped them when they had the "serial killer who can't be killed and keeps coming back" trope. However, I like Westerns, and there aren't enough decent ones around, so even though I prefer historical ones and this is contemporary, I gave it a try.

It pulled me right through the story all right. However, I was pretty sure of the bad guy halfway, and disappointed that the MC was a macho jerk who never should have been in law enforcement to start with.

Got it from the library. If I bought, I'd be mad at myself.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Max on November 05, 2018, 09:01:44 AM
Starting this:  Planet Black by Barry C Davis

Look Inside grabbed me, but that was after I downloaded a freebie of his with a compelling title.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Kate Elizabeth on November 05, 2018, 09:28:37 AM
I finished Lauren Layne's Good Girl, which I really enjoyed.  I just started The Magician's Lie, by Greer Macallister.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: oganalp on November 05, 2018, 10:56:52 AM
Halfway through the second book of Dresden files, Fool Moon.

Then I plan on switching to The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on November 07, 2018, 01:13:34 AM
Yesterday I finished Becky Chambers' Record of a Spaceborn Few. It wasn't as tightly focused in terms of plot and characters as the other two books in her universe were. Yet it was still an intriguing exploration of the culture she's created. I did like how she tied the lives of the characters she introduces together. I hope she writes more in this universe.

Pondering what I want to read next...
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: notthatamanda on December 06, 2018, 06:55:41 AM
I read "The Liar's Club" over (American) Thanksgiving.  I didn't particularly enjoy it.  Mostly I'm still scratching my head over the reviews that found it funny.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on December 06, 2018, 08:39:11 AM
I'm currently reading My Dear Hamilton about Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton.

Just finished The Choir Director Wore Out, the last of the liturgical mysteries by Mark Schweitzer. Closing Credits by Martin Turnbull is the last of the Garden of Allah series.

Both series are highly recommended for different reasons and I was kind of sad to see them end, but both authors did a really nice job of wrapping things up.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: dgcasey on December 06, 2018, 10:26:50 AM
I am currently reading Realm Shift by Alan Baxter. Interesting read, but can get a bit wordy at times.

I just finished reading Time Travel For Love and Profit by Jeff Abugov. Good story, but the ending seemed a little contrived. Kind of like the end of Ashton Kutcher's Butterfly Effect.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Granitic on December 06, 2018, 02:55:11 PM
John Grisham's The Innocent Man. Saw it in a YouTube advertisement and read the synopsis. So far so good.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: notthatamanda on December 06, 2018, 09:31:51 PM
John Grisham's The Innocent Man. Saw it in a YouTube advertisement and read the synopsis. So far so good.

I read that and Grisham's "The Confession" back to back.  I always enjoy Grisham, although being non-fiction, "The Innocent Man" was not terribly enjoyable.  The whole time I'm hearing "REALLY?!?!?!?" in my head.  Then I read Krakauer's "Under the Banner of Heaven" shortly after.  Then I quit reading for a bit.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Anarchist on December 21, 2018, 03:26:35 AM
Currently reading this one...


(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41zQnAFEVzL.jpg)


Dr. Block is a rabble-rousing anarchist and takes a lot of flak for his views, even from other anarchists. Personally, I find his perspective fascinating.

If you're interested to see what's in the book, here's the PDF (https://mises.org/sites/default/files/The%20Case%20for%20Discrimination%20Walter%20Block_2.pdf).
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: dgcasey on December 21, 2018, 04:48:14 AM
(https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1488599436l/34458759.jpg)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on December 21, 2018, 06:45:19 AM
The Bermondsey Poisoner, a Victorian mystery.

It's sixth in the series so the relationships were kind of confusing at first but everything was briefly explained. No long, rambling thoughts, so that was good.

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: OfficialEthanJ on December 27, 2018, 03:05:14 AM
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. I'm not loving it.  :icon_sad:
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Lysmata Debelius on December 27, 2018, 03:07:52 AM
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. I'm not loving it.  :icon_sad:

I read that multiple times when I was about 11. I was reading every science fiction book I could find in the library and there weren't many. I tried to read it again some years ago and couldn't finish it.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: OfficialEthanJ on December 27, 2018, 04:40:47 AM
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. I'm not loving it.  :icon_sad:

I read that multiple times when I was about 11. I was reading every science fiction book I could find in the library and there weren't many. I tried to read it again some years ago and couldn't finish it.

It definitely reads like something generational, as in, I'd probably have liked it 30 years ago.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: lyndabelle on December 27, 2018, 05:30:00 PM
Just got "Becoming Michelle Obama" for Christmas. Currently reading that.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Lysmata Debelius on December 27, 2018, 06:14:48 PM
(https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347795233l/6256367.jpg)
 I loved this book.  After I read it, I found out that Vaught is a practising neuropsychologist who works with teens and that made perfect sense. It's about Jersey Hatch, a boy recovering from a severe head injury. As the plot unfolds you discover, along with him, how the injury happened (he has partial memory loss and is confused about how he got hurt).  Jersey's arc is particularly satisfying as he figures out how the injury has changed him, and how people see him now that he is so different -- a hard-core version of what happens to all teens as they have to learn how they are as they turn into adults.  He has a low-key, stubborn, patient courage that I've not often seen depicted in fiction. The story deals with teen suicide and the harsh, judgemental attitudes people have about suicide, but it's funny and wry too. A powerful story that was never preachy or didactic. The writer has compassion for all the characters, even the not-so-likeable people. 

(https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1462937775l/25131061.jpg)
Life in a Fishbowl by Lev Vlahos was good enough to make me read it to the end, but severely flawed. A fragile and insecure girl discovers that her father has a brain tumour and only a few months left to live, and on top of thiat, he has signed himself and his family over to be a reality show.  So they have to live out the last weeks of his life in a blaze of publicity with no privacy at all. There are many characters, including the brain tumour itself, which has a point of view role in the story.

I'm pretty certain the author loves Roald Dahl! The story has a Dahly feel about it, but doesn't quite convince. Several of the plot threads (there are many) feel like things that should have been removed or combined. The baddies (there are many of them) are outrageously, cartoon level bad without any redeeming qualities, and I get a sense that the author finds good, decent people boring and so doesn't really know how to write them.  That said, the core plot, in which the teen girl main character turns the tables on the evil reality show director with the help of her Russian pen-pall is gripping and deeply satisfying. And the brain tumour's point of view story is oddball and quirky, but it works.

On the nose, not particularly subtle, but interesting enough.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: spin52 on December 30, 2018, 05:25:12 AM
I got several books for Christmas, so it's more what I will be reading over the next few weeks. I just finished the final Bracewell mystery, "The Princess of Denmark", and I'm working on "The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England" by Ian Mortimer. Next it will be John LeCarre's "A Legacy of Spies" and another Victoria Thompson gaslight mystery.
Who knows -- I may even get some writing done at some point.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on January 03, 2019, 07:36:24 AM
Finally read something I enjoyed, rather than a book I was meh about. Yesterday I finished Year Zero by Rob Reid. The premise is that aliens have been listening to our music for years and not paying for it. A lawyer is roped into helping solve the matter, and of course there are aliens who don't want Earth to keep producing good music. It wasn't as funny as I thought it might be, but it was an entertaining read.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on January 03, 2019, 08:06:03 AM
I just finished The Killing at Kaldaire House. It was better than I thought it would be, but then I realized the author, Kate Parker, also wrote the Victorian Bookshop Mysteries. I enjoyed that series, too.

Back to Kaldaire House. The MC, Emily Gates, is a milliner with ties to a notorious gang of thieves and swindlers, although she's not one of the gang. But at least she doesn't think she can solve a murder because she makes great hats. She does use her family connections to solve the murders so she has some connection with the law or I should say, the lawless.

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: The Doctor on January 04, 2019, 03:19:40 AM
I'm currently reading Alice in Jeopardy by Ed McBain. It's the first McBain book I've ever read. It's good and I like the present tense used. I guessed the ending from the blurb alone, so I'll find out if I was right.

I've also made a book-related New Year's Resolution - to read one book before starting another.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on January 04, 2019, 06:20:16 AM
Reading The Man in the Que by Josephine Tey.

I'm currently reading Alice in Jeopardy by Ed McBain. It's the first McBain book I've ever read. It's good and I like the present tense used. I guessed the ending from the blurb alone, so I'll find out if I was right.

I've also made a book-related New Year's Resolution - to read one book before starting another.

Since I read on different devices, I read a different book on each one and do my best not to cross over. So, it's one book at a time on a device, but four devices means four different books going at the same time.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: The Doctor on January 04, 2019, 06:25:19 AM
Reading The Man in the Que by Josephine Tey.

Since I read on different devices, I read a different book on each one and do my best not to cross over. So, it's one book at a time on a device, but four devices means four different books going at the same time.

Oh gosh, I don't think I could do that. More power to you for juggling four books at a time!  Grin
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on January 04, 2019, 06:32:09 AM
Reading The Man in the Que by Josephine Tey.

Since I read on different devices, I read a different book on each one and do my best not to cross over. So, it's one book at a time on a device, but four devices means four different books going at the same time.

Oh gosh, I don't think I could do that. More power to you for juggling four books at a time!  Grin

Back in the Dark Ages, I kept a paperback in most rooms in the house, one in the car, and one at work. I'm just too lazy to carry a book (or a device) from one room to another.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: spin52 on January 07, 2019, 02:14:26 AM


I like Josephine Tey, too. 'Brat Farrar', 'The Franchise Affair' and 'The Daughter of Time' are my favorites. Oh, and 'Miss Pym Disposes'. Forgot that one.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Lysmata Debelius on January 07, 2019, 04:48:05 AM
Just finished "The Dark Room" by Minette Walters. Excellent. Gripping. Some of the characters are really nasty and it gets a bit grim at times, but a great read. Definitely NOT a cosy mystery.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on January 07, 2019, 05:03:28 AM


I like Josephine Tey, too. 'Brat Farrar', 'The Franchise Affair' and 'The Daughter of Time' are my favorites. Oh, and 'Miss Pym Disposes'. Forgot that one.

Just finished The Man in the Queue which is the first of the Alan Grant series by Tey. What a twist! No way could I see that coming although there were a few subtle hints.

Surprisingly, I finished three of my four current books all at the same time.

Murder's a Witch by by Danielle Garret. Not bad. Some interesting characters.

And for Non-fiction, Helmets and Lipstick: An Army Nurse in World War II by Ruth G. Haskell. Interesting glimpse into the workings of the medical corps in Africa, but they moved around so much it was impossible to invest in any of the people. That's part of the reality, though, isn't it. People being transferred, injured, sent home, killed. Close friendships are made through hardship and danger and those friendships could be torn apart at any moment.

I have a way to go on my audiobook because I only get to listen while I walk the dog. In the meantime, I need to start three more books to replace those I finished.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: elleoco on January 07, 2019, 09:32:31 AM
I like Josephine Tey, too. 'Brat Farrar', 'The Franchise Affair' and 'The Daughter of Time' are my favorites. Oh, and 'Miss Pym Disposes'. Forgot that one.

Not all of Tey are favorites of mine, but Brat Farrar is. I'm generally too cheap to replace anything I have in paper with the ebook version, but I did with that one because my paperback copy was held together with a rubber band around it.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on January 07, 2019, 12:29:20 PM
I like Josephine Tey, too. 'Brat Farrar', 'The Franchise Affair' and 'The Daughter of Time' are my favorites. Oh, and 'Miss Pym Disposes'. Forgot that one.

Not all of Tey are favorites of mine, but Brat Farrar is. I'm generally too cheap to replace anything I have in paper with the ebook version, but I did with that one because my paperback copy was held together with a rubber band around it.

I had pretty much the same problem with all my Agatha Christie and Rex Stout. I didn't know about Tey until maybe 15 years ago so her PBs were a lot newer.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on January 13, 2019, 05:07:11 AM
Yesterday I finished The Forgotten Beasts of Eld. I quite enjoyed it. It was lyrical and well-written, and I was caught up with the heroine and the story. I'm happy I finally got to this book.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on January 13, 2019, 05:59:59 AM
Stanley Bentworth Mysteries (books 1-3) by our own Al Stevens. I'm only on the first one but I'm enjoying the characters in particular. $2.99 for three books.

The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes. I reading that one on my phone and I don't get to read on my phone very often so it will take me a while to finish.

Diabetics Behaving Badly also by Al Stevens. Quite an eye opener. I'm going to be recommending that to my neighbor who has let himself get way out of control.

Listening to Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen. I don't think I realized it was done radio style with different narrators voicing each character. I find it very distracting because each new narrator changes the rhythm.

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Kate Elizabeth on January 15, 2019, 08:04:46 AM
I finally read some Dean Koontz.  I really enjoyed Odd Thomas, so I'll have to read the rest of the series.

I've started Tracy Barrett's The Stepsister's Tale.  It seems pretty interesting.

I've got several Harlequins, which I pretty much always enjoy, on my loans list.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Vijaya on January 16, 2019, 12:48:45 PM
Kate, my son loved the Odd Thomas series.

I read a couple of self-help books: One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan and also The Pocket Guide to Action by Kyle Eschenroeder.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: dgcasey on January 16, 2019, 06:17:46 PM
Kate, my son loved the Odd Thomas series.

I loved them, too. And I'm one of a handful of people that actually liked the movie when it came out. R.I.P. Anton.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: diisha392 on January 23, 2019, 11:36:02 AM
Maid of Murder by Amanda Flower

The author is coming in March to do a writer's workshop at my local library :)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on January 23, 2019, 12:17:42 PM
I'm back in Ankh-Morpork with Going Postal by Terry Pratchett. It's wonderful, of course.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: LilyBLily on January 23, 2019, 02:26:05 PM
Diabetics Behaving Badly by Al Stevens--some new info there I passed on to others.
The Killing Floor by Lee Child--first in the series, and I can understand why it impressed people.
Die Trying by Lee Child--I'm filling in the holes; I started with The Affair, which is kind of an origin story.
A Man with One of Those Faces by Caimh McDonnell, billed as Thriller and Suspense on an ENT ad, and pretty fecking hilarious so far. It's a first in a series, too.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Michelle Louring on January 23, 2019, 10:31:15 PM
I'm back in Ankh-Morpork with Going Postal by Terry Pratchett. It's wonderful, of course.

I'm not in Ankh-Morpork at the moment, but I'm hanging out in the vicinity in Lancre, with Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett  grint
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on January 23, 2019, 11:42:33 PM
I'm back in Ankh-Morpork with Going Postal by Terry Pratchett. It's wonderful, of course.

I'm not in Ankh-Morpork at the moment, but I'm hanging out in the vicinity in Lancre, with Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett  grint

 :tup3b
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Tom Wood on January 23, 2019, 11:55:26 PM
Just started James Dashner's The Eye of Minds. Hopefully the characters will have a better time of it than they did in the Maze Runner series, but it's already not looking good for them!  :eek:
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: DmGuay on January 24, 2019, 02:28:05 AM
I'm reading the late horror author Michael McDowell's books. He is so so good. His writing is flawless and his monsters are very creative and unpredictable. He's from Alabama and the Deep South and southern family power dynamics are heavy parts of his books. He went on to write the screenplays for Nightmare Before Christmas and Beetlejuice.

I've read Blackwater (which is amazing) and The Elementals, and have just started Candles Burning, which Tabitha King finished for him after he died from AIds complications at age 49 in 1999.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Lysmata Debelius on January 24, 2019, 02:30:21 AM
Am reading "Under a Silent Moon" by Elizabeth Haynes. Really good so far.
I read another book by her some years ago, "Into the Darkest Corner" which is one of the tensest, slow burn, terrifying books I've read.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: electricsheep on January 25, 2019, 02:07:15 AM
Wading manfully through "A Song of Ice and Fire" these last few weeks.  Now half-way through "A Song of Swords".  It's a page-turner, I must admit.  Oh, but, bloody hell!  Why so LONG?!
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: electricsheep on January 25, 2019, 02:12:50 AM
He may or may not be a rabble-rouser; but he is a Libertarian, not an Anarchist.

Dr. Block is a rabble-rousing anarchist and takes a lot of flak for his views, even from other anarchists. Personally, I find his perspective fascinating.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Anarchist on January 25, 2019, 04:28:08 AM
He may or may not be a rabble-rouser; but he is a Libertarian, not an Anarchist.

Dr. Block is a rabble-rousing anarchist and takes a lot of flak for his views, even from other anarchists. Personally, I find his perspective fascinating.

Why do you believe he's not an anarchist?
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on January 26, 2019, 05:23:31 AM
I found a couple weeks ago that I'd read "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" years ago, and had only started "Through the Looking-Glass." I re-read the first and yesterday finished the other. I quite enjoyed reading both of them. Fun little books, and two more classics are taken care of. I'm going to pause for a bit to think about what I want to read next. It will probably be something much more recent.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on January 26, 2019, 08:15:29 AM
Since I'm watching Outlander, I decided to read the last bits of Drums of Autumn. The current season is based on that book.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Victoria Wright on February 06, 2019, 08:55:26 AM
I'm about 80% of the way through Adrian Tchaikovsky's SciFi novel Children of Time and pretty entertained. Definitely some lol-worthy moments in the book, curious to see how he wraps it up and what the sequel will be like when it comes out in a couple of months.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on February 06, 2019, 10:25:05 AM
I'm reading Gray Matter by Nick Pirog. I absolutely adored his Speed of Souls which is completely different than anything else of his that I've read. I liked his 3 A.M. series but it's not something I would read again.

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: The Doctor on February 06, 2019, 10:48:59 PM
Just finished reading Equal Rites, the 3rd book in the Discworld series, by Sir Terry Pratchett (Brief review here -> https://smashingreads.wordpress.com/2019/02/06/equal-rites-terry-pratchett/ (https://smashingreads.wordpress.com/2019/02/06/equal-rites-terry-pratchett/).

Next up is Wyrd Sisters, the 6th book.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on February 07, 2019, 12:21:12 AM
Just finished reading Equal Rites, the 3rd book in the Discworld series, by Sir Terry Pratchett (Brief review here -> https://smashingreads.wordpress.com/2019/02/06/equal-rites-terry-pratchett/ (https://smashingreads.wordpress.com/2019/02/06/equal-rites-terry-pratchett/).

Next up is Wyrd Sisters, the 6th book.

I think it would take a lifetime to read all of the Discworld books. As soon as I finish my current audio, I'll be listening to Guards! Guards! again.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: The Doctor on February 07, 2019, 07:57:58 AM
Just finished reading Equal Rites, the 3rd book in the Discworld series, by Sir Terry Pratchett (Brief review here -> https://smashingreads.wordpress.com/2019/02/06/equal-rites-terry-pratchett/ (https://smashingreads.wordpress.com/2019/02/06/equal-rites-terry-pratchett/).

Next up is Wyrd Sisters, the 6th book.

I think it would take a lifetime to read all of the Discworld books. As soon as I finish my current audio, I'll be listening to Guards! Guards! again.

The Night Watch characters are my favourite ones from the series. Love the books set in Ankh Morpork, too. Can't wait for the Night Watch series to eventually hit our screens!
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Edward M. Grant on February 22, 2019, 04:15:43 AM
Flood Tide by Cussler. Not his best, not his worst. I think I bought it because it was $1.99 on iTunes a while back when I felt the need to read a thriller, but I may be confusing it with another of his books.

Has an interesting crossover with his Oregon stories, but I'm not sure quite where it fits in time-wise relative to those books; I think I only ever read one of them.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Kate Elizabeth on February 22, 2019, 08:58:47 AM
I just finished Mary Balogh's Someone to Care, about a couple in their forties.  Very good.  I'm currently enjoying Dean Koontz's Forever Odd.  Because of the second one, I've learned that azaleas are poisonous.  You learn something new every supernatural mystery.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Vijaya on February 22, 2019, 01:32:27 PM
Really enjoying an old classic: Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya. Beautiful writing, filled with details of rural life in India, at a time when industry was encroaching upon villagers.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on February 23, 2019, 12:31:28 AM
I picked up a collection of women sleuth mysteries and finished the first book, Louisiana Bigshot by Julie Smith. (the second book is vampires and I’m skipping that) The main is a young, black detective in New Orleans who is also a poet known as Baroness dePontalba. She’s taken a shortened version of the Baroness' name as her own so she’s Talba Wallis.

Really good mystery, good characters and I only have two gripes. Yes, I know it’s hot in the Big Easy in the summer, but do I have to be told every time someone sweats and where they are sweating? Forehead, waist, back, chest, palms and I don’t want to know where else.

The second is a personal gripe. Poetry puts me to sleep. Even two or three lines and my eyelids start to droop. And the Baroness does not write short poems. I’m sure most people would enjoy the poetry or at least not fall asleep over it, but not me. I had to skip it.

Ironically, I’m reading a book based on the life of the daughter of George Gordon Lord Byron. Enchantress of Numbers by Jennifer Chiaverini. “Ada Byron King, Countess of Lovelace—Lord Byron’s daughter and the world’s first computer programmer” Intriguing, right?

But of course, her father was a famed poet and is to this day “she walks in beauty like the night.” See? I’m not a complete poetry Phillistine. So at least in the beginning there is poetry scattered throughout. Her mother wrote poetry, too. At this point, it’s so far so good and I will continue reading, skipping over the rhyming parts.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: spin52 on February 25, 2019, 05:01:28 AM
Just finished reading Equal Rites, the 3rd book in the Discworld series, by Sir Terry Pratchett (Brief review here -> https://smashingreads.wordpress.com/2019/02/06/equal-rites-terry-pratchett/ (https://smashingreads.wordpress.com/2019/02/06/equal-rites-terry-pratchett/).

Next up is Wyrd Sisters, the 6th book.

I think it would take a lifetime to read all of the Discworld books. As soon as I finish my current audio, I'll be listening to Guards! Guards! again.

Night Watch and being a former journalist, The Truth. I'm sure we had some dwarfs in the back shop of the papers I worked on.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: munboy on February 25, 2019, 09:38:31 AM
Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal
and
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on February 26, 2019, 07:19:57 AM
Yesterday I finished The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal. It was entertaining but also had important things to say about prejudice and mental illness. I'd like to start on the follow-up novel, but as a third is due later this year, I'll wait to get at both then. For now I want to read another book on wish list. Just not sure what that book will be...
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: elleoco on March 07, 2019, 11:41:37 AM
I just finished Girls on the Line by Aimie K. Runyon. It's the story of a socialite who volunteers for and serves in the U.S. Army Signal Corps in WWI. The whole setting is an intriguing bit of history I knew nothing about, and it was a keep-me-up-late-reading-to-the-end book for me.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: YouMeWe on March 08, 2019, 12:11:09 AM
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on March 26, 2019, 11:39:23 PM
Yesterday I started reading "The Fated Sky," the follow-up to "The Calculating Stars."
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Vijaya on March 27, 2019, 12:37:25 AM
I just finished An Equal Music by Vikram Seth. It was truly a slice of heaven. His writing is so evocative I could actually hear some of the music in my head even if I didn't know it.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Ronn Munsterman on March 27, 2019, 03:30:01 AM
I'm alternating between J.A. Jance's J.P. Beaumont (Seattle detective) series and John Lescroart's Dismas Hardy series. On deck is C.J. Box's newest Joe Pickett (Wyoming Game Warden) book Wolf Pack.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Kate Elizabeth on March 28, 2019, 08:06:41 AM
I just finished Heather Hiestand's The Marquess of Cake.  I've had it forever, and finally got around to reading it.  I enjoyed it.

I just started reading Samantha Young's Hero.  So far, so good.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on April 01, 2019, 11:40:14 PM
Over the weekend I finished The Fated Sky, the follow-up to The Calculating Stars. I quite enjoyed it. I think I would like to read a bit more about the characters and the alternate timeline Mary Robinette Kowal created. I think the next books I'll read will be one of Gail Carriger's novellas and Theodora Goss' latest.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on April 01, 2019, 11:43:39 PM
I'm still working my way through Faith Martin's DI Hillary Greene series. Seventeen books in the series and I'm on the last one now. They are fairly short, easy read, police procedurals with a decent amount of Hillary's personal life sprinkled in.

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on April 11, 2019, 11:24:52 PM
Yesterday evening I finished How to Marry a Werewolf by Gail Carriger. It was a good little romance story with some interesting drama and quite a few of Gail's touches. I quite enjoyed it.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: elleoco on April 12, 2019, 05:16:59 AM
I read the latest C. S. Harris. Who Slays the Wicked. IMO this is the best historical mystery series out there (Sebastian St. Cyr), although admittedly unless your library has the earlier ones, catching up on the series at this point would be expensive. Grin Set in Regency England and has the reader meeting people from all walks of life, not just aristocrats sipping champagne.

Harris wrote romance before this series as Candice Proctor. Her Whispers of Heaven only became available for Kindle a year or so ago. It's also one of the best historical romances I ever read. Set in Tasmania, year never given, but probably 1840s from the research it had me off doing about convict labor in Australia.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Vijaya on April 12, 2019, 11:06:31 AM
I loved The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny--the pacing, the characters, everything fit with the setting (remote monastery in Quebec). Her character development is so good, I'm going to go back and read the rest of the Inspector Gamache series.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on April 20, 2019, 03:52:28 AM
Yesterday I finished Theodora Goss' collection Snow White Learns Witchcraft. It contains both poems and short stories. I really liked the short stories. There were interesting takes on fairy tales and folklore, and they featured interesting heroines. I'm not that much of a fan of poetry, but I did find some of the poems intriguing as well. Well worth picking up.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on May 10, 2019, 10:24:36 PM
Yesterday I finished The Bayern Agenda by Dan Moren. It's a space opera spy thriller that takes place in the same universe as his first book, The Caledonian Gambit. The new novel has a strong and twisty plot. I enjoyed the two viewpoint characters and the others they met along the way. I liked that the universe is much more filled out in this novel than in the first. I know about both these books because Moren is on The Incomparable podcast quite a lot.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on May 15, 2019, 11:39:20 PM
Yesterday I finished reading Sorcery & Cecilia by Patricia Wrede & Caroline Stevermer. It was a delightful fantasy novel, told entirely in letters between two cousins. Quite a fun read. I was amazed to learn that the authors chose which cousin to write and that the book started out as a letter game between them.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on May 16, 2019, 03:26:42 AM
I'm on a Dick Francis binge (thanks for letting us know about the sale, Ellen). Just finished Dead Cert and now I'm reading Rat Race.

Rat Race is somewhat of a departure for Francis as it centers around an air taxi pilot, although so far, he's mainly flying jockeys and trainers to race courses. There is a foreword to the book explaining that both Francis and his wife were highly qualified pilots and actually ran their own air taxi service for several years.

I just downloaded the latest Det Jackson story by L.J. Sellers, A Crime of Hate. It's #14 in the series and I'm really looking forward to reading it.

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on May 20, 2019, 11:44:22 PM
Yesterday I finished Sister Light, Sister Dark by Jane Yolen. I knew it was the first book in a trilogy, but I thought it might be a stand-alone that became a trilogy. It's not a stand-alone, but it is a good book and I plan to get to the other books sooner rather than later.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Kate Elizabeth on May 21, 2019, 05:21:16 AM
The last three books I finished and liked:

Dianne Setterfield's Once Upon a River  - I loved The Thirteenth Tale, and also enjoyed this one.  It really does meander along, just like a river.
Laura Bradford's Shunned and Dangerous - It's the third in an Amish cozy mystery series.
Anna Bradley's A Wicked Way to Win an Earl - Regency romance with steamy parts.  I'd like to read the rest of the series.

I'm currently reading Beatriz Williams's A Hundred Summers.  It cuts back and forth between 1931 and 1938, and there's a big hurricane on the horizon.  The descriptions make me want to go to the beach (minus the hurricane, of course, and a frenemy you've known your whole life).
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: The Doctor on May 21, 2019, 06:40:59 PM
I'm re-reading the Game of Thrones books from the beginning. And reading Good Omens for the first time (already listened to the fantastic BBC full cast drama version), in preparation for the new series.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on June 12, 2019, 10:35:09 PM
Yesterday I finished Embers of War by Gareth Powell. Good science fiction novel about atonement. Had a few interesting characters, including a sentient starship.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on June 12, 2019, 11:11:35 PM
Rereading the Rabbi Small mysteries by Harry Kemmelman. I had read the first seven (named for the days of the week) when they first came out but didn't know there were more until recently. I'm on Thursday now.

The Rabbi is quiet, serious, studious and solves murders through Talmudic logic. He does tend to expound on Judaism a lot, being a rabbi, but I always enjoy learning.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: LilyBLily on June 13, 2019, 12:04:27 AM
I have been on a Mary Lancaster Regency romance kick. First I read her Unmarriagables series and then her Imperial Season series taking place in Vienna--very strong Georgette Heyer feel from those, by turns romantic, suspenseful, and hilarious. Vienna Waltz is the first. I haven't read this many books this fast in years. None of her characters come across as cookie cutter. Even her villains, though often smooth society types, are different from each other. Now I'm starting her longest series, the Blackhaven Brides. Lots of fun ahead, I hope.

What gives me pause, though, is how little money she's getting out of my reading her books. I read them all in Kindle Unlimited, and since they are short, she might get a dollar for each book. Then I bought the first three--for the princely total of $6.97. That's a tragically small amount of money for so much reading enjoyment.

Which I suppose is why I'm mentioning her here, so word of mouth can possibly sell more of her delightful books.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: dgcasey on June 14, 2019, 02:49:45 AM
I'm reading the final chapter in the saga of Dan McCarthy and Emma Ford.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41DbEGGKYtL._SY346_.jpg)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: elleoco on June 14, 2019, 05:41:35 AM
Getting and rereading some of the early Dick Francis mysteries at bargain prices set me off on a horse mystery streak. So after that I reread Kit Ehrman's Steve Cline mysteries, which I liked more than I remembered. Wish there were more of those.

After that I tried some of John McEvoy's mysteries--okay, but they didn't hook me enough to go through them all, and then a couple of Toni Leland's--same.

So, off horse mysteries and rereading again (I'm one of those "voracious" readers), went through Paul Doiron's Mike Bowditch mysteries. If you like outdoorsy mysteries like Nevada Barr and C. J. Box, you'd probably like these. Can't be squeamish about "nature red of tooth and claw."

Done with rereading for a while, so as a complete change I tried Lisa Boero's first Lady Althea mystery, which I think was recommended in KB's Book Corner. KU. It's a historical mystery set in Regency times or maybe just before. There's a second one of these available. I think they'd suit fans of Georgette Heyer better than me. Well written but kind of slow and stately like that time actually was. Harris's Sebastian St. Cyr series is more my kind of thing.

Needless to say, being a voracious reader is difficult when you're also picky.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on June 17, 2019, 11:36:55 PM
Over the past few days I re-read Expecting Someone Taller and Who's Afraid of Beowulf, both by Tom Holt. I read them when they first came out. I decided to re-read them to get into a good frame of mind for a project I've started. Both are light fantasy with classic myths meeting the modern world. The first is about the Ring Cycle, while the other is about Viking Sagas. They both have sudden endings, though I still feel that the one in the first novel just feels better. They're both fun reads, though not as funny as I remembered.

I'm going to pause reading for a bit and do some watching to keep me in the right frame of mind... :)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on June 17, 2019, 11:40:25 PM
Just finished listening to Lady Fortescue Steps Out, first in The Poor Relations series by M.C. Beaton. Davina Porter narrated which is why I wanted to listen to this one. She never disappoints.

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: diisha392 on June 19, 2019, 02:28:08 AM
Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan, a WWII-era book set in Italy with a teenage male protagonist (based on a true story).
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: spin52 on June 25, 2019, 10:09:47 AM
Rereading the Rabbi Small mysteries by Harry Kemmelman. I had read the first seven (named for the days of the week) when they first came out but didn't know there were more until recently. I'm on Thursday now.

The Rabbi is quiet, serious, studious and solves murders through Talmudic logic. He does tend to expound on Judaism a lot, being a rabbi, but I always enjoy learning.

I found a couple of those recently in a second-hand bookstore. Wednesday and Thursday, I think. They're a little dry, but still interesting. I also found some old Emma Lathen mysteries featuring Wall Street banker John Putnam Thatcher.
On a more hard-boiled note, I picked up a boxed set of four Travis McGee mysteries by John D. MacDonald a few days ago and I'm reading through those. I had read a couple of his books years ago but nothing since. I was delighted to learn now that McGee favors Plymouth gin, since one of my sons lives in Plymouth (England, that is) and we visited the distillery the last time we were there.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: elleoco on June 25, 2019, 12:56:37 PM
They're a little dry, but still interesting. I also found some old Emma Lathen mysteries featuring Wall Street banker John Putnam Thatcher.

I loved the early John Putnam Thatcher mysteries, but the later ones put me off the series. My foggy memory is that I read somewhere the series was continued by someone(s) other than the original author, and the humor that was so appealing just wasn't there. Then again, maybe I changed. There was a time I loved Nero Wolfe stories. Then I decided Archie was too much of a jerk for me, and that was the end of that.

For some reason neither the Rabbi series nor Travis McGee ever hooked me the way they did so many readers. Many years ago I read all the days of the week of the Rabbi mysteries and did enjoy them but would never think about rereading them now, and I only read a couple of the Travis McGees. They just never got to me but then I'm not a fan of places where there is no real winter. Summer is my least favorite season.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: dgcasey on June 25, 2019, 03:51:10 PM
A wildly weird story about all kinds of things.

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51IW0v6Zb8L._SY346_.jpg)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Royal Editorial (Katie) on June 27, 2019, 12:25:22 AM
Reading a grimdark high fantasy graphic novel called Monstress! And feeling inspired.

(https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/9781632157096_p0_v2_s550x406.jpg)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on June 27, 2019, 06:48:53 AM
Just finished Gambit by Rex Stout. I don't like to read this one because whoever scanned it in originally, also scanned all those annoying ads they used to throw inside the paperbacks.

Also reading The Day the Rabbi Resigned, a Rabbi Small mystery.



Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: The Doctor on August 14, 2019, 11:55:16 PM
I am about 70% of the way through Chuck Wendig's "Wanderers". Really good, really horrific in places (the plot, not the writing!).

I've never read any Wendig books before, though I follow him on Twitter. I'll definitely have to browse his other work.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Tom Wood on August 15, 2019, 12:27:40 AM
... I've never read any Wendig books before, though I follow him on Twitter. ...

Same here. The Sykes-Cole-Wendig tweetstorms are hilarious!
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Simon Haynes on August 15, 2019, 01:31:02 AM
The Great Escape - Paul Brickhill.  (Finished the Dam Busters, same author, just prior. One book I can read again and again.)  Also have The Monarch of Juan Fernandez lined up, plus the first James Herriot vet novel. I must be on a nostalgia trip!

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on August 15, 2019, 03:57:21 AM
The Great Escape - Paul Brickhill.  (Finished the Dam Busters, same author, just prior. One book I can read again and again.)  Also have The Monarch of Juan Fernandez lined up, plus the first James Herriot vet novel. I must be on a nostalgia trip!

I read the first James Herriot and loved it. It was nice, too, having watched the TV series a century ago, to put faces to the characters.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Simon Haynes on August 15, 2019, 05:00:13 AM
I bought the first James Herriot book when I was about 15 or 16, way back in 1983. I loved those books, all six of them, and the guy was a real inspiration to me. I must have read them half a dozen times each over the years.

I also have an interest in WWII air combat, so the fact he ended up in the RAF was a draw as well.

I've only watched one or two eps of the TV show, even though I have them all stashed away somewhere. I had images of all the characters in my mind, from reading the books, and they didn't fit!
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on August 15, 2019, 06:21:52 AM
I bought the first James Herriot book when I was about 15 or 16, way back in 1983. I loved those books, all six of them, and the guy was a real inspiration to me. I must have read them half a dozen times each over the years.

I also have an interest in WWII air combat, so the fact he ended up in the RAF was a draw as well.

I've only watched one or two eps of the TV show, even though I have them all stashed away somewhere. I had images of all the characters in my mind, from reading the books, and they didn't fit!

Sometimes it's better to watch the movie or TV show and then read the book. Once you've read the book, of course, nothing is ever the way you picture it.  :angel:
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: dgcasey on August 15, 2019, 07:02:26 AM
I just finished Ready Player One and I am starting You Are A Ghost (Sign Here Please).
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Czxfb7lDL._SY346_.jpg)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: notthatamanda on August 19, 2019, 12:11:47 PM
I stumbled across Julie Andrew's autobiography "Home" by accident and read it this weekend.  Her childhood was insane.  All of the theater stuff, from the vaudeville she did as a child/adolescent, to the London and Broadway shows was fascinating.  The book ended just as they were flying to Hollywood, with her first baby barely a couple of months old, to film Mary Poppins.  I'll have to see if she ever documented that part of her career because I would love to read about the behind the scenes of Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on August 19, 2019, 12:14:57 PM
Reading Erma Bombeck's The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank. Her humor is timeless.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Vijaya on August 20, 2019, 05:13:09 AM
Erma and Julie!!! Love them both.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: notthatamanda on August 20, 2019, 10:45:05 AM
I love Erma too.  The grass is always greener over the septic tank.

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on August 20, 2019, 11:19:09 AM
I love Erma too.  The grass is always greener over the septic tank.

I was practically falling on the floor over the chapter with her husband and the TV set.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Simon Haynes on August 20, 2019, 04:13:08 PM
Nearly finished Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke.

This was a favourite when I was a teenager, many years ago. Now I'm struggling, mostly because the environment seems so sterile and lacking. It does get better after a while, but there are several soggy chapters where the words 'grey' and 'featureless' are almost the default.

I also gave up on Alistair MacLean's 'Where Eagle's Dare'.  Another fave author of mine, but things just seemed to plod along and there was too much time spent on 'clever' dialogue and come-backs.

I recently finished a dozen novels by Derek Robinson, including Kramer's War, the RAF and RFC series, and the first 3 Luis Cabrillo novels. I like his work, and I remember reading Kramer's War a couple of times 2-3 decades ago (still have the hardback.)

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: The Doctor on August 20, 2019, 09:32:10 PM
Still reading Wendig's 'Wanderers' (about 85% the way through now).

Have started reading Val McDermid's Tony and Carol series, starting with 'The Mermaids Singing'.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on August 20, 2019, 10:16:56 PM
Nearly finished Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke.

This was a favourite when I was a teenager, many years ago. Now I'm struggling, mostly because the environment seems so sterile and lacking. It does get better after a while, but there are several soggy chapters where the words 'grey' and 'featureless' are almost the default.

I also gave up on Alistair MacLean's 'Where Eagle's Dare'.  Another fave author of mine, but things just seemed to plod along and there was too much time spent on 'clever' dialogue and come-backs.

I recently finished a dozen novels by Derek Robinson, including Kramer's War, the RAF and RFC series, and the first 3 Luis Cabrillo novels. I like his work, and I remember reading Kramer's War a couple of times 2-3 decades ago (still have the hardback.)

I read several of MacLean's books way back when. Ice Station Zebra was my fave. I probably read Where Eagle's Dare but I don't remember it. I stopped reading him when, in one book (I think it was either Circus or The Black Shrike) he kept running back and forth between one place and another for miles. I got exhausted reading it and decided I wouldn't read any more.

Helen MacInnes is another author I like from that era. The Salzburg Connection is my fave of hers and I go back to it every once in a while.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Jeff Tanyard on August 21, 2019, 07:06:51 AM
Nearly finished Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke.

This was a favourite when I was a teenager, many years ago. Now I'm struggling, mostly because the environment seems so sterile and lacking. It does get better after a while, but there are several soggy chapters where the words 'grey' and 'featureless' are almost the default.


I didn't care for that one.  I like a cool setting as much as anyone, but I also expect a plot, you know?  That book was just people wandering around and looking at things.  I kept waiting for an alien to jump out and attack, or for some part of the station to go "critical" or something, forcing everyone to find a solution, or for the characters to realize they were being poisoned by radiation, or something similar to create dramatic tension, but nothing like that ever happened.  It was just setting description.   :confused:

I also realize I'm in the minority on this.  Lots of people love the book.  Just different strokes for different folks, I guess.   :shrug
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Lynn on August 21, 2019, 09:03:27 AM
Nearly finished Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke.

This was a favourite when I was a teenager, many years ago. Now I'm struggling, mostly because the environment seems so sterile and lacking. It does get better after a while, but there are several soggy chapters where the words 'grey' and 'featureless' are almost the default.


I didn't care for that one.  I like a cool setting as much as anyone, but I also expect a plot, you know?  That book was just people wandering around and looking at things. 

I also realize I'm in the minority on this.  Lots of people love the book.  Just different strokes for different folks, I guess.   :shrug

Whew. I thought it was just me. I like some Clarke stuff but some of it kind of puts me to sleep. I never finished Rendezvous with Rama. Never even tried to go back to it again.

Just give me some old Jack Chalker books and I'll be a lot happier. I'm thinking about revisiting the Lilith books. It's been a long time and I still have fond memories of those. I admit I was a lot younger so they might not live up to my memories, so I continue to hesitate. :D
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Kate Elizabeth on August 24, 2019, 07:51:04 AM
I've started reading Melissa Albert's The Hazel Wood.  It's pretty good so far, but I haven't had much luck with books lately, so we'll see.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: diisha392 on September 01, 2019, 11:46:12 AM
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd for book club
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: dgcasey on September 01, 2019, 01:42:30 PM
I just started reading A Moveable Feast by Hemingway.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on September 02, 2019, 07:32:25 AM
Chasing Salome by Martin Turnbull. It's the prequel to his Garden of Allah series which I loved. This is the story of actress Alla Nazimova who was the original owner of the estate but was forced to turn it into a hotel.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0623417/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Vijaya on September 04, 2019, 07:38:22 AM
diisha, I loved Invention of Wings. I read Paul Kalanithi's When Breath Becomes Air. Wow! I haven't cried like that in ages. It is so beautifully written. In the middle of David Brooks' Second Mountain.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Anarchist on September 05, 2019, 01:40:07 AM
Just finished this one...


(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81O1c%2BTsePL.jpg)


I had never read a Koontz novel before. I was pleasantly surprised.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: dgcasey on September 05, 2019, 03:54:55 AM
Just finished this one...


(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81O1c%2BTsePL.jpg)


I had never read a Koontz novel before. I was pleasantly surprised.

I'm getting ready to read this one myself. It's on my 2019 TBR list for the Goodreads challenge.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Anarchist on September 05, 2019, 04:57:48 AM
Just finished this one...


(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81O1c%2BTsePL.jpg)


I had never read a Koontz novel before. I was pleasantly surprised.


I'm getting ready to read this one myself. It's on my 2019 TBR list for the Goodreads challenge.


If you've read any other novels by Koontz, I'd love to know whether you enjoyed them.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Lynn on September 05, 2019, 06:01:56 AM
I know it wasn't a question for me but I've read oodles of Koontz's novels. I like most of them. Watchers is a good sample of his older style. Another favorite for me is Lightning. Then Face of Fear but it's from one of his old pen names. And Twilight Eyes is another of his pen name books that I really liked. But I was in high school when I read them, so... :D

His newer stuff is good too. Starting with the Odd Thomas books, they started to feel a bit different, but he still writes great books as far as I'm concerned.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Jeff Tanyard on September 05, 2019, 06:39:37 AM
Back in the 90s, I received a box set containing Dean Koontz's Watchers, Whispers, and Strangers.  Of the three, I liked Strangers best.

I didn't like Whispers at all due to a particular skin-crawling scene.  *shudder*
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Anarchist on September 05, 2019, 08:39:23 AM
I know it wasn't a question for me but I've read oodles of Koontz's novels. I like most of them. Watchers is a good sample of his older style. Another favorite for me is Lightning. Then Face of Fear but it's from one of his old pen names. And Twilight Eyes is another of his pen name books that I really liked. But I was in high school when I read them, so... :D

His newer stuff is good too. Starting with the Odd Thomas books, they started to feel a bit different, but he still writes great books as far as I'm concerned.

Thanks for the suggestions. I actually own Lightning. I'll start with that one.


Back in the 90s, I received a box set containing Dean Koontz's Watchers, Whispers, and Strangers.  Of the three, I liked Strangers best.

Cool. Strangers appears to be on sale at Amazon. Just picked it up. Thanks, man.


I didn't like Whispers at all due to a particular skin-crawling scene.  *shudder*

Skin-crawling scene? I'm sold. ;)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Jeff Tanyard on September 05, 2019, 10:30:43 AM
Skin-crawling scene? I'm sold. ;)


 :icon_mrgreen:

I should add, of course, that I haven't read these books since I was a teenager.  It's possible I might have an entirely different opinion of them if I read them today.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Simon Haynes on September 05, 2019, 05:57:36 PM
Finished The Monarch of Juan Fernandez (fave book as a teen, was glad to find another copy a few years back). It's the true-life story of Alexander Selkirk/Selcraig, who was the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe.

Finished Rendezvous with Rama.

Currently reading Consider Phlebas by Iain M Banks, which I've never read before. Have to be honest, feels like there's a lot of padding and unnecessary stuff in this one. (Wasp Factory, by the same author, is a big favourite of mine. That one's taut and streamlined though.)  I doubt I'll read any more in this series, not unless it improves.




Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Tom Wood on September 08, 2019, 06:05:16 AM
Re-read Infomocracy by Malka Older because it was a Meetup book club selection. That discussion brought up The Big Nine by Amy Webb, and I just finished that one too. If you are interested in a high-level sociological look at the status of AI development, The Big Nine is a great read!
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Betty Blast on September 10, 2019, 02:12:31 AM
I just finished Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. It's a fun and unusual read. I can't wait to watch the movie.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on September 14, 2019, 11:13:54 PM
Finally got back to my reading this week. Last night I finished “White Jenna” by Jane Yolen, the second Great Alta book. I quite liked it, as it was a good conclusion to the story set up in the first book, “Sister Light, Sister Dark.” I enjoyed the contrast between the actual story the historical/mythic asides. The plot really raced along.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: dgcasey on September 15, 2019, 05:44:59 AM
I'm about halfway through ...

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41SaVF6R41L.jpg)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: spin52 on September 26, 2019, 03:58:56 AM
I proudly claim to be the only person in England who never saw either of the Poldark series on the BBC, but I started reading Winston Graham's books a couple of weeks ago and I'm hooked. I'm on the fifth one now and have a feeling I'll have to buy the DVDs, which I understand are fairly true to the books. It's not just the characters, the drama and the romance, but also the setting. Cornwall is a beautiful, wild place (I've visited it many times) and Graham really makes it come alive.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on September 26, 2019, 05:40:07 AM
I proudly claim to be the only person in England who never saw either of the Poldark series on the BBC, but I started reading Winston Graham's books a couple of weeks ago and I'm hooked. I'm on the fifth one now and have a feeling I'll have to buy the DVDs, which I understand are fairly true to the books. It's not just the characters, the drama and the romance, but also the setting. Cornwall is a beautiful, wild place (I've visited it many times) and Graham really makes it come alive.

I watched the original Poldark on PBS. Wonderful series.

You might want to read Penmarric by Susan Howatch (my favorite author) set in Cornwall against the Cornish tin mines. It's the story of Henry II in the person of Mark Castellack including Eleanor and their sons, with England represented by the manor house of Penmarric. It's the first one of hers I read but Cashelmara is my favorite.

https://www.amazon.com/Penmarric-Susan-Howatch-ebook/dp/B009DA5FXU/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Penmarric&qid=1569440174&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Michelle Louring on September 26, 2019, 04:25:41 PM
I have started on "We Hunt the Flame" by Hafsah Faizal.
I had to get used to the more formal language after reading a loooot of Terry Pratchett lately, but both the characters and the story seem really interesting!

(https://michellelouring.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/IMG_2382_edit-1024x683.jpg)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Jeff Tanyard on September 26, 2019, 04:38:18 PM
That photo is meme-worthy.   :icon_mrgreen:
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Michelle Louring on September 26, 2019, 04:54:09 PM
That photo is meme-worthy.   :icon_mrgreen:

I started taking pictures of my owl with the books I read this year (everyone needs a hobby, right...?) and there have been some great ones, simply because that feathery little beast always looks so murderous  grint
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Jeff Tanyard on September 26, 2019, 05:09:28 PM
Yeah, I checked out your site and saw some of the photos.  You should start an Artemis thread.  He's cool as hell.   :cool:
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Michelle Louring on September 26, 2019, 06:22:29 PM
Yeah, I checked out your site and saw some of the photos.  You should start an Artemis thread.  He's cool as hell.   :cool:

Shh! Don't let him hear you. His ego is big enough as it is.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Vijaya on September 26, 2019, 10:42:55 PM
I have started on "We Hunt the Flame" by Hafsah Faizal.
I had to get used to the more formal language after reading a loooot of Terry Pratchett lately, but both the characters and the story seem really interesting!

(https://michellelouring.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/IMG_2382_edit-1024x683.jpg)

What a great picture! How I'd love to have him next to my book. Forget the Bestseller Code, which I've just begun. It's already fascinating.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Kate Elizabeth on September 28, 2019, 04:59:25 AM
I enjoyed Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. I haven't seen the series. I'm currently reading The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams. I quite like it.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on September 28, 2019, 06:20:54 AM
Yesterday I finished “Prudence” by Gail Carriger, the first “Custard Protocol” book. It was so fun to get back to the Parasolverse! Rue’s a fun character, there’s new shapeshifters, and it was all so joyful to read.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Kate Elizabeth on October 05, 2019, 03:57:05 AM
I enjoyed Beatriz Williams's Tiny Little Thing, the 2nd in the Schuyler (Amazon and Overdrive has it listed as Schuler) Sisters trilogy.

I'm currently reading two novels, one on my Kindle, one in paperback:  Erin A. Craig's House of Salt and Sorrows, an interesting take on The Twelve Dancing Princesses fairytale and Chanel Cleeton's Next Year in Havana.  Both are really good so far.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Simon Haynes on October 05, 2019, 04:02:24 AM
I watched the original Poldark on PBS. Wonderful series.

Years ago, when that was first showing on TV, my mum used to send my brother & I outside each week with strict instructions to stay there unless there was a broken bone or something.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on October 05, 2019, 05:11:43 AM
I watched the original Poldark on PBS. Wonderful series.

Years ago, when that was first showing on TV, my mum used to send my brother & I outside each week with strict instructions to stay there unless there was a broken bone or something.

Would have done it to my kids if I'd thought of it, too. But then I had girls. Not as boisterous and I could watch in peace.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on October 24, 2019, 05:17:35 AM
Yesterday I finished “Imprudence” by Gail Carriger, the second Custard Protocol book. Another fun read! A little more action and romance this time, and more about the world.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: dgcasey on October 24, 2019, 02:10:34 PM
Just another Alex Cross book.

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51FWsAaHlnL._SY346_.jpg)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on October 28, 2019, 11:39:51 PM
Yesterday I finished The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl by Theodora Goss, the third book in her Athena Club trilogy. I really enjoyed the book! The characters were as interesting as they had been. The plot moved along quite quickly. There were even some new references to Victorian fiction. It was such a fun read.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Vijaya on October 29, 2019, 06:44:25 AM
On Writing Well by Zinsser. It *is* such a classic. I love what he says about enjoyment in the craft.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Michelle Louring on October 29, 2019, 06:16:13 PM
Currently rereading "Witches Abroad" by Terry Pratchett. The cover of my collector's edition felt Halloween-appropiate  grint

(https://michellelouring.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/IMG_2546_edit-1024x682.jpg)
(Yes, you're getting another owl photo)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: elleoco on October 29, 2019, 09:37:43 PM
I finished Charles Todd's A Cruel Deception (11th in mystery series about WWI nurse) a couple of days ago and when I realized I hadn't put it in the proper collection, went searching by Author in the T's on my Kindle.

That had me scrolling past Albert Payson Terhune's Lad: A Dog. I downloaded that some time ago in a fit of nostalgia when I saw it available but in truth thought I'd never read it. I read probably every one of Terhune's dog stories in my teens, which is to say more than 50 years ago, and figured none of those books would hold my attention today. To prove it, I started reading, and yes, there's archaic language and attitudes - towards dogs, towards people - but darned if I didn't read every page. Even puddled up some over the last chapter.

Also in the T's is Josephine Tey's Brat Farrar, which I've read a good many times over the years, and now again. People who don't reread say there's no reason after the first time when you find out what happens, but I reread a lot to revisit places and characters that charmed me the first time and continue to charm each time. Brat Farrar remains one of those books for me.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Lysmata Debelius on October 29, 2019, 10:16:26 PM
Currently rereading "Witches Abroad" by Terry Pratchett. The cover of my collector's edition felt Halloween-appropiate  grint

(https://michellelouring.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/IMG_2546_edit-1024x682.jpg)
(Yes, you're getting another owl photo)
How perfect is this!
I could try doing this with my budgies but somehow I don't think the effect would be quite the same :)

I'm reading "Dumplin" by Julie Murphy and really loving it. Am on a bit of  YA reading binge. Also enjoyed reading Cathy Cassidy's "Chocolate Box Girls" series. the books look rather twee and cute, but they are actually quite solid and emotionally honest. The sibling rivalry and other goings on feels real and I found myself really caring about the characters.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: oganalp on October 30, 2019, 06:39:11 AM
I am halfway through Joe Abercrombie's Best Served Cold. I am enjoying it so far. It lacks an iconic character like Glokta, but still fun to read.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: notthatamanda on November 05, 2019, 11:42:07 AM
Erma and Julie!!! Love them both.
I just found out Julie Andrews has a new autobiography out.  It's called "Home Work".  I put it on my list at the library, I'm #59 in line. It's about her Hollywood years.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: dgcasey on November 05, 2019, 02:45:37 PM
I'm about halfway through and I must say, I'm not impressed. I may not make the end.

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41hkE6szZDL.jpg)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on November 05, 2019, 10:39:53 PM
I just finished reading A Poisoning in Piccadilly by Lynda Wilcox (one of our own which I didn't realize until after I'd purchased the book and saw her avatar). There’s another series with similar names that I also started to read (A Case of Blackmail in Belgravia by Clara Benson) which has much more humor. I enjoyed them both for different reasons.

Also reading A Shot in the Bark by C.A. Newsome, another decent mystery. Of the three, I like Lynda Wilcox’s the best. I bought the next (Burglary in Belgravia) and will probably start reading it this week.

Finished Daughter of Time by Sarah Woodbury. American woman of Welsh descent gets transported back in time to Wales and the reign of Llewelyn, the last Welsh Prince of Wales. It moved quickly and I was thinking of continuing the series but there are seventeen more of them. Daunting.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: hjmoritzo on November 15, 2019, 07:17:32 AM
I've just finished reading 'The Institute' by Stephen King. I liked it. I haven't read many of his novels but love his short stories. It started off a little like a Jack Reacher book but soon progressed into normal territory.
Now I'm reading 'Sleeping Beauties' by Stephen King and his son Joe Hill. Good stuff so far!
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: dgcasey on November 15, 2019, 01:24:56 PM
Just started reading a novel from my second favorite author, behind Stephen.

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41GZQrSCEeL.jpg)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Kate Elizabeth on November 19, 2019, 06:00:03 AM
I enjoyed Mhairi McFarlane's It's Not Me, It's You, a romantic comedy.  I agree with some of the reviewers that it ran a little long.

Speaking of long, I absolutely loved Naomi Novik's Uprooted.  It is a doorstopper fantasy, but that didn't put me off.  I actually felt sad that I finished it.

I went back to Beatriz Williams's The Golden Hour, another Schuyler novel, and finished it.  I liked it.

I'm currently reading Sarah Smith's Faker, another romantic comedy.  I think that it would have made a good novella if it had cut off earlier on.  I'm about halfway through, and although I like it, I don't know what other problems the couple need to face to be together.

I started and stopped a bunch of other books.  Maybe they were good (or bad), but I just couldn't get into them.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on November 21, 2019, 12:30:17 AM
Yesterday I finished “Competence” by Gail Carriger, the third Custard Protocol book. What a delightful read! It had laugh-out-loud moments and good character bits. It also ramped up the cast diversity. I plan to start on the fourth book soon.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: dgcasey on November 21, 2019, 12:48:47 AM
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51OkAAO%2BtuL._SY346_.jpg)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on November 23, 2019, 01:22:33 AM
If you love multi-generational sages of lust and power, my favorite author has one of these doorstoppers (992 pgs) on sale now for $1.99.

https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Fortune-Susan-Howatch-ebook/dp/B009DA5I5U?_bbid=13549924&tag=bookbubdaemail-20

It's my least favorite of her historicals but it's still one heckuvva read. She bases the families on historical events but places them in the 20th century and uses a family home/estate (Oxmoon) to represent England. In this case, It's Edward III all the way down to Henry V. It was my least favorite because I really didn't like Kester (Richard II), but on a reread, I understood him much better.

It's time for a reread of all of her books.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Lynn on November 23, 2019, 01:29:52 AM
I loved that book. Man, it's been so long since I've read a good saga. I need to look up her latest stuff. What's her best one in your opinion?
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Simon Haynes on November 23, 2019, 02:16:01 AM
I just finished Isaac Asimov's third autobiography. A fantastic read which kept me up hours later than I meant to every night this week. I think I paid about 1.99 for this via a recent bookbub, and it was worth every cent.

Not sure about the next book - I have a bunch of recent downloads/purchases/freebies on the kindle and I'll have to see what tickles my fancy.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on November 23, 2019, 02:23:57 AM
I loved that book. Man, it's been so long since I've read a good saga. I need to look up her latest stuff. What's her best one in your opinion?

Howatch retired quite some time ago (sob). Besides Wheel of Fortune, her historicals are:

Penmarric set in Cornwall (Henry II to John I)
Cashelmarra set in Ireland (Edward I to Edward III)
The Rich are Different and Sins of the Fathers both set in New York (Rome) and England (Egypt) (Ceasar, Antony, Cleopatra, Augustus/Octavian)

Cashelmarra beats out the others but only by a nose.

She also wrote a six book series based on The Church of England, and the St. Benet's trilogy which follows Nicholas Darrow (son of one of the CofE main characters).

I have a two-shelf bookcase dedicated to her work. I need the whole bookcase because I have most of them in hardback and paperback. I also have all the ebooks.

The only ones I don't care for are her Gothic mysteries just because I'm not a fan of the genre. That's how she started out.




Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: elleoco on November 23, 2019, 06:43:34 AM
Am I confessing to disloyalty? There was a recommendation in That Other Place for a historical mystery by Jennifer Ashley: Death Below Stairs. I really like historical mysteries, and while C.S. Harris's Sebastian St. Cyr series will remain my favorite, I enjoyed this one and have downloaded the second in the series, Scandal Above Stairs. My library had both in ebook format, a plus, although there's a third I've had to put a hold on for the paper format.

I have trouble with historicals that feature the rich and powerful sailing around enjoying themselves with no consideration of the living conditions of the many servants who make that possible, much less the horrors of poverty in the times. What I like about the St. Cyr mysteries is that they show it all.

These Ashley stories feature a cook who works in aristocratic households and also give a more balanced view of the times. My American self is having trouble with the undoubtedly realistic portrayal of the cook's acceptance of her class and place (she's the first person narrator), but of course I'd have more trouble if she were shown unrealistically marching around getting away with anything else.

Anyway, I liked the one I've finished so far a lot and recommend it to those who like this kind of story.


Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Kate Elizabeth on November 23, 2019, 08:24:52 AM
I remember reading Cashelmarra back in the 80s when I was in middle school.  I was entranced by the steamy bits.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on November 23, 2019, 09:29:19 AM
I remember reading Cashelmarra back in the 80s when I was in middle school.  I was entranced by the steamy bits.

That's a pretty heavy book for a middle schooler. That scene between Patrick, Sarah and Ned Gowan is more than a little steamy.

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Shoe on November 23, 2019, 11:09:23 AM
The Green Man, by Kingsley Amis, his only foray into the paranormal. It's very funny (if you like Brit humor (or humour).
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Lynn on November 24, 2019, 06:18:34 AM
Cashelmarra beats out the others but only by a nose.

My library doesn't have that one but I recommended it. We'll see if it comes through. If not, I'll pick it up at some point. :D It looks like something I'd like. They did have Penmarric so I picked up that instead for the moment! :D

It's really been so long since I read The Wheel of Fortune I can't really remember much about it or why I remember loving it. It was probably about 18 years ago. (I remember where I was living when I read it so I can estimate that at least.) The library doesn't have it either, or I'd just check it out and reread it. :)

On the other hand, I probably have the paperback somewhere upstairs, but I've boxed up oodles of my books because I ran out of shelf space and planned to move them into another room and get more shelves and then sort of let that project fall to the wayside as I started reading more and more on my devices :D I rarely pick up a paperback or hardcover anymore. Even of my favorites. I just go to the library and check out the ebook instead of dig through my collection. ;)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on November 24, 2019, 06:39:25 AM
Cashelmarra beats out the others but only by a nose.

My library doesn't have that one but I recommended it. We'll see if it comes through. If not, I'll pick it up at some point. :D It looks like something I'd like. They did have Penmarric so I picked up that instead for the moment! :D

It's really been so long since I read The Wheel of Fortune I can't really remember much about it or why I remember loving it. It was probably about 18 years ago. (I remember where I was living when I read it so I can estimate that at least.) The library doesn't have it either, or I'd just check it out and reread it. :)

On the other hand, I probably have the paperback somewhere upstairs, but I've boxed up oodles of my books because I ran out of shelf space and planned to move them into another room and get more shelves and then sort of let that project fall to the wayside as I started reading more and more on my devices :D I rarely pick up a paperback or hardcover anymore. Even of my favorites. I just go to the library and check out the ebook instead of dig through my collection. ;)

I think you'll like Penmarric. Mark Castellack is Henry II and Jenna is Eleanor of Aquitaine.

My library doesn't have a great selection of ebooks. The only SH ebook they have is the last book in the Church of England series. That makes no sense at all. They do have all her books in hard copy, at least.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: RobertLCollins on November 25, 2019, 09:27:29 AM
Last night I finished book 4 of Gail Carriger’s Custard Protocol series, “Reticence.” Quite witty and great fun! There was world-building right up to the end. It featured a rather awkward romance between Victorian geeks. Also got into the head of one of the Custard’s crew.  Also action and a wedding full of cameos to start the book. If you like steampunk fantasy it’s worth checking out.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: spin52 on November 28, 2019, 06:13:16 AM
As a result of clearing out my mother's book collection, I've been re-reading some of Anne Perry's Pitt and Monk Victorian mysteries. She's a good writer but I cringe sometimes at the preachiness. It seems like she picks a social issue to highlight in each book and then proceeds to beat the reader over the head with it. Perhaps that's why I didn't even try to read any of her WWI novels or the new series which features Pitt and Charlotte's son.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Michelle Louring on December 19, 2019, 05:19:06 PM
Getting ready for the new The Witcher show on Netflix on Friday by reading "Season of Storms" by Andrzej Sapkowski  grint

(https://michellelouring.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/IMG_2931_edit-1024x683.jpg)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: dgcasey on December 20, 2019, 12:26:36 PM
A long awaited sequel. Ignored until a couple of days ago.

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51QFqVAq5UL.jpg)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: shrouded1 on December 24, 2019, 11:33:09 AM
Hercule Poirot's Christmas -
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16349.Hercule_Poirot_s_Christmas

Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: spin52 on January 01, 2020, 07:03:39 AM
I received Bill Bryson's  'The Body - a Guide for Occupants' as a Christmas present, so I'm reading that, breaking off occasionally to chortle at something in it. Nobody blends humor and information quite the way he does.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: lea_owens on January 01, 2020, 09:35:52 AM
In paper form, I'm reading The House of Medici by Christopher Hibbert and The Medici by Paul Strathern, as well as The Infinite Monkey Cage by Brian Cox and Robin Ince. On my Kindle, I'm still enjoying Lindsay Buroker's Planet Killer (Star Kingdom Book 6).

I have so many books in line to be read, though. I need to stay off reading groups on FB - so many great books recommended.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Kate Elizabeth on January 03, 2020, 07:04:14 AM
I love MRC Kasasian's The Gower Street Detective series. I'm reading The Secrets of Gaslight Lane, the 4th book. He writes great historical mysteries, full of humor and some gory death scenes. I'm very squeamish, but I can't stay away.

I just started Addison Moore's cozy mystery series. I enjoy her romances and the same so far with Cutie Pies and Deadly Lies.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Lynn on January 03, 2020, 07:11:54 AM
Reading The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (for the second time) by Jennifer Ashley.

Just finished Exit Strategy by Martha Wells, who I discovered through her Stargate Atlantis tie-in novels. The murderbot diaries are really really good and I love that they're not long books. :D

I picked up two books from Kindle First this month, and I plan to read Thief River Falls next. The opening was fantastic and sucked me right in. Got a feeling it's going to be a heart-pounder.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Kate Elizabeth on January 16, 2020, 08:25:16 AM
MRC Kasasian's Dark Dawn over Steep House. It's the 5th book in The Gower Street Detective series. I love his writing.

I just started Jennifer Echols's The Ex Games, a YA romantic comedy. I like it so far, but then I'm a sucker for romantic comedies.

There were several other books that I had to quit. I'm sure that some were probably good, but I just couldn't get into them.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Shoe on January 16, 2020, 08:28:43 AM
"Where The Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens, I think one of last year's best-selling books, and rightly so.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on January 16, 2020, 09:12:25 AM
"Where The Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens, I think one of last year's best-selling books, and rightly so.

Thank you. My neighbor recommended the book but I forgot the name. All I could remember was crawdads.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: dgcasey on January 16, 2020, 12:03:56 PM
Reading another Stephen King for the first time. About halfway through right now.

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51u-rJeGeXL._SY346_.jpg)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Jeff Tanyard on January 16, 2020, 12:57:26 PM
Just finished a Conan story yesterday.

https://conan.fandom.com/wiki/The_Servants_of_Bit-Yakin

I love the "ancient temple hidden in the jungle" trope.  I've got my own "temple" scenes in my Wheel of Fire books, but that's science fiction, not fantasy, so it's not quite the same.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Michelle Louring on February 05, 2020, 06:37:49 PM
I thought it was about time I did one of my book owl photos with the most owlish book of all: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
It's been years since I last reread the Harry Potter series, but I find I still enjoy it immensely.

(https://michellelouring.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_3216_edit-1024x682.jpg)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Kate Elizabeth on February 26, 2020, 03:17:01 AM
I started a lot of books over the past month or so, but here are the ones that I finished:

Ed West's Saxons vs. Vikings - an irreverent history that I loved.  I will definitely check out more of his books.

Lucy Foley's The Hunting Party - I liked this thriller pretty well.  I could really feel the isolating Scottish wilderness that the characters experienced.

Helena Hunting's The Good Luck Charm - this was not her best, but it was still okay.  Meet Cute was much better.

Melody Grace - All for You - a lovely romance.  I will definitely check out the rest of her series.  This was the 2nd in the Sweetbriar Cove series.


I'm currently reading two books:

Rhys Bowen's Love and Death Among the Cheetahs (Book 13 in Her Royal Spyness Mystery Series) - I have loved this series from the beginning.

Robert Silverberg's Hawksbill Station novel - I just started this one.  I was intrigued by the blurb and I didn't realize that this was originally a novella.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: LeonardDHilleyII on February 27, 2020, 01:09:02 AM
Blood of the City by Robin D. Laws
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Vijaya on February 28, 2020, 02:50:01 AM
Really enjoying Andrew Levy's A Brain Wider Than the Sky. It's part memoir, part history of migraine treatments and migraineurs.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: dgcasey on February 28, 2020, 03:08:47 PM
Really good paranormal thriller.

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51zsX0-0ueL.jpg)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Kate Elizabeth on March 26, 2020, 07:16:45 AM
I just finished Miranda Liasson's Then There Was You.  I will definitely read more of her books.

I'm currently reading Jane Casey's Let the Dead Speak, a UK police procedural.  I like it, so far.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Hopscotch on April 02, 2020, 11:56:39 PM
Rereading everything on my overburdened home library shelves - right now Jean Backus' Letters from Amelia (Earhart) - and taking those books I no longer want to keep to the neighborhood bookshare box by the beach when I do my daily walk, hastily sidestepping joggers who think speed spares them the need to maintain social distancing.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: elleoco on May 16, 2020, 02:43:33 PM
I've been relying heavily on the library and KU since the lockdown and discovered a great new-to-me author when browsing the library's website, Bart Paul. There are currently 3 out in his Tommy Smith "High Country Noir" series, and they're IMO opinion terrific. I think any one who likes outdoor wild country settings for thrillers by authors like C.J. Box, Nevada Barr, and Paul Doiron would like these. Also Craig Johnson, although these don't have the Native American woo-woo stuff that Johnson's do.

These books are not actually noir by any definition of it I know. No sex to speak of, violence, but only at a level typical of thrillers.

The only negative is the price, which is why I got them from the library.

Under Tower Peak
Cheatgrass
See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on May 16, 2020, 10:18:47 PM
I'm reading (again) through my favorite mystery series. First, the Hillary Greene series by Faith Martin and now I'm reading Nero Wolfe. I think next I will reread the Miss Marple books.

I noticed something with the Nero Wolfe Books. If you go all the way to the end, past the back matter, you can download the next book in the series. I already have all the books so I can just go from one to the other and not have to search.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: TWErvin2 on June 08, 2020, 10:32:19 PM
Reading Contest by David Wood. It's the 12th in the Dane Maddock Series (action/adventure).
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on June 08, 2020, 10:59:28 PM
Currently reading Murder at Melrose Court set in the 1920s. So far so good.

Also read A Traitor at Tower Bridge by Lynda Wilcox, known around these parts has Gerri Attrick. It's the third in her Lady Eleanor series and I have enjoyed them all.

Just finished The Black Pill by L.J. Sellers in her Detective Jackson series. I think there are 17 books and I've read them all.

Continuing marathon reading of Nero Wolfe and also the Liturgical Mysteries by Mark Schweitzer.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Vijaya on June 09, 2020, 12:07:46 AM
Apocalyptic fiction by Bud McFarlane.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: elleoco on July 04, 2020, 03:20:22 PM
It may be heresy in these contentious times, but tonight, thinking about tomorrow's holiday (here in the U.S.), I'm reading David McCullough's 1776. Tomorrow night I'll do my usual 4th of July viewing of Mel Gibson's The Patriot.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Vijaya on July 05, 2020, 12:33:00 AM
It may be heresy in these contentious times, but tonight, thinking about tomorrow's holiday (here in the U.S.), I'm reading David McCullough's 1776. Tomorrow night I'll do my usual 4th of July viewing of Mel Gibson's The Patriot.

Happy 4th of July!

Reading Canticle for Leibowitz.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on July 05, 2020, 09:20:42 AM
I am mostly rereading mystery series. I just finished Mark Schweitzer's liturgical mysteries and I'm only about halfway through the Nero Wolfe series.

I have two tablets with only one series per tablet so when the battery gets low, I switch tablets and series. I have to decide what series I'm going to replace the liturgical mysteries. I'm thinking of Catherine Aird's Calleshire mysteries.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Marti Talbott on August 08, 2020, 06:53:38 AM
I bought a cook book I probably won't read. Does that count?
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Maggie Ann on August 08, 2020, 09:11:21 AM
I read a few of Catherine MacLeod's Sarah Kellerman series but I couldn't get into the characters. I much prefer her Peter Shandy series.

I finished up the Nero Wolfe series and now I'm rereading Catherine Aird (Sloan and Crosby series). There's a little slow going getting to the meat of the mystery but it's well worth the slog both on a character and mystery level.

I'm also reading Faith Martin's Ryder and Loveday series. She has a new one out and I want to reread the prior books before I get to the new one.

I just finished a four book box set by Jean Heller. It features a columnist for the Chicago Chronicle. Good mysteries though kind of long, and the motive in the third book was kind of weird.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: elleoco on August 08, 2020, 09:15:16 AM
I read S.W. Hubbard's Frank Bennett Adirondack mysteries, liked them enough to try her Palmyrton series, and liked them even more. KU!
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Hopscotch on August 08, 2020, 11:49:18 PM
Re-reading Hammet's The Thin Man - a slim (pardon the pun) mystery but the writing is terrific and worth the study :littleclap.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Luke Everhart on August 09, 2020, 03:45:45 AM
Morningstar by David Gemmell (not for the first time as I've reread all of Gemmell's books more than a few times)
It's loosely inspired by the tale of Robin Hood but it's a brilliant departure.

(David Gemmell is the greatest fantasy author since Tolkien imo. Fittingly there are several awards in fantasy named after him and his works.)
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Alec Hutson on August 09, 2020, 09:28:27 AM
Morningstar by David Gemmell (not for the first time as I've reread all of Gemmell's books more than a few times)
It's loosely inspired by the tale of Robin Hood but it's a brilliant departure.

(David Gemmell is the greatest fantasy author since Tolkien imo. Fittingly there are several awards in fantasy named after him and his works.)

Not anymore. The Gemmell Awards stopped in 2019.
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Luke Everhart on August 10, 2020, 04:06:12 AM
Morningstar by David Gemmell (not for the first time as I've reread all of Gemmell's books more than a few times)
It's loosely inspired by the tale of Robin Hood but it's a brilliant departure.

(David Gemmell is the greatest fantasy author since Tolkien imo. Fittingly there are several awards in fantasy named after him and his works.)

Not anymore. The Gemmell Awards stopped in 2019.

Yeah, unfortunately. It's a real shame for fantasy imo.

Departing Gemmell Awards Chair Stan Nicholls said: "This is a decision that has not been taken lightly, and indeed is one that myself and my committee members make with a heavy heart. It was always important to us to do things to a high standard, and in the current situation I don't think that we could deliver something befitting the reputation the Gemmell Awards has. I hope that the awards will be remembered for the good work they have done in supporting and championing the cause of fantasy fiction over the last ten years, and that we've left a legacy behind that people can look at fondly in years to come."
Title: Re: What are you currently reading?
Post by: Alec Hutson on August 10, 2020, 09:27:13 AM
Morningstar by David Gemmell (not for the first time as I've reread all of Gemmell's books more than a few times)
It's loosely inspired by the tale of Robin Hood but it's a brilliant departure.

(David Gemmell is the greatest fantasy author since Tolkien imo. Fittingly there are several awards in fantasy named after him and his works.)

Not anymore. The Gemmell Awards stopped in 2019.

Yeah, unfortunately. It's a real shame for fantasy imo.

Departing Gemmell Awards Chair Stan Nicholls said: "This is a decision that has not been taken lightly, and indeed is one that myself and my committee members make with a heavy heart. It was always important to us to do things to a high standard, and in the current situation I don't think that we could deliver something befitting the reputation the Gemmell Awards has. I hope that the awards will be remembered for the good work they have done in supporting and championing the cause of fantasy fiction over the last ten years, and that we've left a legacy behind that people can look at fondly in years to come."

I agree that fewer awards are worse for the genre, especially with how politicized the Hugo and Nebula Awards currently are, but the last few years of the Gemmel were also sort of eye-rolling. The winner in 2017 was a Warhammer novel with currently a 3.7 rating on Goodreads with a whopping 63 ratings, beating out Mark Lawrence and Barndon Sanderson and others. Clearly Games Workshop mobilized their legions of fans to vote for a book they never actually read.