What's Everyone Reading: 2011

[scarlett]

Started Land of Painted Caves last night. It's the final installment in the Clan of the Cave Bear series. I've been waiting for this book for years, but am super bummed that GR reviews suck. I don't think I saw a single one over 2 stars. Oh well, I'll slog through. I already know Auel goes into excruciating detail and so I'll skip those parts. I just want to know how the story ends for Ayla and her family. I read this when it came out. The excruciating detail is excruciating, but, like you, I just skim or skip those parts. Overall, I felt like it was 3 separate stories and didn't get a good wrapped up ending. When you finish, post again - I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts :)

[Dizzy]

I finished Bossypants which was so much fun, and am currently reading Steve Martin's latest, An Object of Beauty.

[mrs_pell]

Wow! I just saw that I won two more books from goodreads! Rules of Deception by Christopher Reich, and The House on Salt Hay Road by Carin Clevedence. Yay! :)

[Ummm]

Couldn't finish So Much Pretty by Cara Hoffman. Supposedly how everything wraps up is brilliant, but I won't find out since I couldn't stand it anymore about half way through. The story was told by multiple perspectives (which I don't usually have a problem with), and jumps back and forth in time line (which I also don't usually have a problem with). But when you multiply the two - multiple perspectives all going on back and forth at different timeline (eg. person A 2009, person B 1998, Person C 2004, Person A 1997, Person D 2001 etc) it gets confusing real fast.

[chandy]

I'm currently reading the second Outlander book, Dragonfly in Amber (yes, more brain fluff). Unfortunately it's been terribly boring--I'm in the midst of the Jacobite section and I can't wait to get through it. Please tell me it gets better? At least Outlander was more of a page turner!

I thought Book 2 was the least interesting of the entire series... if you stick with it, I think the rest are much better!

[mrs_pell]

I thought Book 2 was the least interesting of the entire series... if you stick with it, I think the rest are much better!

I think the Fiery Cross (book 5 maybe??) was by far my least favorite! Took me FOREVER to get through it! It's been a while, but I do remember being VERY upset at the beginning of the 2nd book though!! ;)

[mrs_pell]

I just finished Queen by Right, by Anne Easter Smith, which is the story of Cecily and Richard of York, from Cecily's point of view. It's a book I got from GR.com as an advanced reading. I'm not 100% sure what I thought it. I loved it in the beginning, then it kind of dragged for me in the middle, then I started really enjoying it again towards the end. I really enjoyed the main characters, especially young Cecily! I fully admit that a large portion of the book was a bit over my head as 15th Century English history is just not an area I'm familiar with at all. I did learn quite a bit, but found quite a bit of the actual history difficult to keep up with (especially who's who). Overall, though, I did really enjoy the book, but I found myself very mentally exhausted when I finished it!

[imagirliegirl]

I'm on a Jodi Picoult kick. I just finished Handle with Care and thought it was well-written and thoughtful. I'm now on House Rules and was hooked by page 2. And I mean hooked. I got nothing accomplished yesterday and today's looking about the same. I cannot put this book down!

[weezalana]

I thought Book 2 was the least interesting of the entire series... if you stick with it, I think the rest are much better!

Hmmm...I loved Outlander but after slogging through Dragonfly, I had to tap out. I'll have to check out the third and see if it can win me back!

[Ohana]

Outlander - I thought the books got worse and worse. I finally bowed out part way through the Fiery Cross. There's something wrong with a book where a single day is told is such agonizing detail that it takes 97 pages to tell. That was just the first day! I admit, I would love to know how Jamie and Claire's story ends, but I can't take any more of Gabaldon's writing style!

Working on Land of Painted Caves. Since I was prepared for the repetition and detail, it's going pretty quickly. I just read some of parts with the dialogue and I skip all the detail crap and it's going swimmingly. 200+ pages in and it's still holding my interest (though the plot isn't really moving at all).

[Megande]

I just finished Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Great Parent is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think by Bryan Caplan. He looks at research about identical twins raised apart which basically concludes that by the time your kids are adults, nature matters and nurture is pretty much irrelevant. He talks about how modern parents have made parenting so much more work than necessary. Basically he says that we can chill out a lot with no adverse effects on our kids and enjoy our lives (and our children) a lot more. So because kids can be "cheaper", we should have more. It was a fun and eye-opening read that really helped me shed some of my list of "must-dos".

In fiction, I'm currently really into Carl Hiaasen. Anyone like his stuff? If so, do you have any other authors to suggest that are kind of similar?

[akacharlotte]

I just started reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett and I like it so far.

[seattleguamgirl]

Ok ladies, I got through Dragonfly in Amber. Thankfully it picked up toward the end. I'm now on Voyager and it's much more of a page turner. :) Claire drives me batty but I can't seem to stop reading! We'll see if I get to finish the series. Echo in the Bone is the last book, right?

[mrs_pell]

Ok ladies, I got through Dragonfly in Amber. Thankfully it picked up toward the end. I'm now on Voyager and it's much more of a page turner. :) Claire drives me batty but I can't seem to stop reading! We'll see if I get to finish the series. Echo in the Bone is the last book, right?

Yep, for now anyway! It definitely is not the end of the series! It's book 7.


I just started reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett and I like it so far.

One of my favorite books! LOVED IT! :)

[Dizzy]

I finished An Object of Beauty, and while I wasn't jumping up and down the whole time, I thought the ending was terrific. Overall I enjoyed the story, and Steve Martin's leisurely pace.

Now I'm reading Unbroken. Very good so far!

[Photobug]

Lately, I've been dealing with heavy stuff IRL, so looking for some lighter reading. I've been re-reading the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher the past couple of weeks, but I'm getting to the end of that. My go-to feel good reading is usually a re-read of the Anne of Green Gables series, but I've already done that this year, too. Ditto the Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody books.

Is there a series that is fairly light (read: has a happy tone/happy ending) that you would recommend?

For a recommendation: I picked up The Fortune Cookie Chronicles:Adventures in the World of Chinese Food by Jennifer 8 Lee at the library on a whim, and found it really interesting. It does hop around a lot, but the different subjects she brings up are interesting and within the broad theme of "chinese food". It reads more like a series of articles than a cohesive story, and I think it works that way - allowing the author to bring up topics as diverse as the correlation between fortune cookies and lottery winnings, the life of chinese-restaurant workers, and the origin of american "chinese" food.

I also really enjoyed Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. The Girl Who Chased the Moon was also very good, but I liked it more for the development between Emily and Vance than for the romance aspect of it. The "forbidden young love" aspect was sweet, but too predicable. It made a nice background for the rest of the story, though. I have the Sugar Queen on reserve at the library and am looking forward to that.

[imagirliegirl]

I think I'm the only person who never really got into The Help.

[Ohana]

imagirliegirl You're not alone. I thought The Help was an OK story, but I didn't think it was all that.

[akacharlotte]

The Gargoyle was recommended and I read a sample but I'm not sure I'm going to like it. Has anyone else read this book? What are your thoughts.

[Ummm]

For a recommendation: I picked up The Fortune Cookie Chronicles:Adventures in the World of Chinese Food by Jennifer 8 Lee at the library on a whim, and found it really interesting. It does hop around a lot, but the different subjects she brings up are interesting and within the broad theme of "chinese food". It reads more like a series of articles than a cohesive story, and I think it works that way - allowing the author to bring up topics as diverse as the correlation between fortune cookies and lottery winnings, the life of chinese-restaurant workers, and the origin of american "chinese" food.

I also really enjoyed Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. The Girl Who Chased the Moon was also very good, but I liked it more for the development between Emily and Vance than for the romance aspect of it. The "forbidden young love" aspect was sweet, but too predicable. It made a nice background for the rest of the story, though. I have the Sugar Queen on reserve at the library and am looking forward to that.

I read the Fortune Cookie book and thought it was kinda a fun read.

I quite like The Sugar Queen, more so than The Girl who Chased the Moon. Haven't read Garden Spells yet (sitting on the pile of books) and have reserved the Peach Keeper, the latest.

Have to think about what lighter reads out there...

[littlemia]

In fiction, I'm currently really into Carl Hiaasen. Anyone like his stuff? If so, do you have any other authors to suggest that are kind of similar?

If you're looking for Florida craziness, check out Tim Dorsey. Wackier and more disturbing than Hiaasen but some of his stuff is really funny.

[elladee]

The Sugar Queen was by far my favorite Sarah Addison Allen book, too. I just picked up The Peach Keeper from the library yesterday. I'm already about a halfway through it. I do like it so far and stayed up way too late last night reading.

[Ohana]

Still slogging through Land of Painted Caves. I really want to know how Ayla's story ends, but so far, I have read about the following a billion times each:

Cave
Painting on Cave
Crawling through narrow passage in cave
People are afraid to meet Wolf
People note Ayla's strange accent
Something reminds Ayla of her past, which prompts overly detailed recap from previous book of incident sparking memory
Ayla asks someone to watch her baby for her
Sing Mother Song

And I'm only 250 pages in. At least I'm a third of the way through the repeat-athon. I feel like I have a bit of an investment here, since I read the other 5 books, and I do want to know how the series ends, but man, this is boring. I actually only read about half of what's written...thanks to other reviews I've read, I skip the sections that describe the caves in excruciating detail.

[weezalana]

I quite like The Sugar Queen, more so than The Girl who Chased the Moon. Haven't read Garden Spells yet (sitting on the pile of books) and have reserved the Peach Keeper, the latest.

I've enjoyed all of SAA's books, but Garden Spells was my favorite. But I didn't realize she'd come out with a new one! Off to Amazon...

[seattleguamgirl]

Hmmm...I loved Outlander but after slogging through Dragonfly, I had to tap out. I'll have to check out the third and see if it can win me back!

I just finished Voyager (book 3) and it was so much better. Definitely a page turner. I'm now on Drums of Autumn--I can't believe how stuck I am on these books. I just really want to find out how it all ends. :)

[Ummm]

Finished Addition by Toni Jordan and Australian author. Female protagonist has OCD. It started off strong, then got a bit too chick-lit-ish for me (not a fan of this genre) so it's just okay for me.

[bookworm]

My go-to feel good reading is usually a re-read of the Anne of Green Gables series, but I've already done that this year, too. Ditto the Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody books.

Is there a series that is fairly light (read: has a happy tone/happy ending) that you would recommend?



Have you read the "Shoes" books? Not really a series (mostly different characters), but similar stories--Ballet Shoes, Skating Shoes, Theatre Shoes, Dancing Shoes, Tennis Shoes (but I think that one might be out of print), and maybe one I'm forgetting. They are set in London in the 30s/40s/maybe 50s, and are just very cozy to read.

[Lila55]

Have you read the "Shoes" books? Not really a series (mostly different characters), but similar stories--Ballet Shoes, Skating Shoes, Theatre Shoes, Dancing Shoes, Tennis Shoes (but I think that one might be out of print), and maybe one I'm forgetting. They are set in London in the post-war 40s/50s, and are just very cozy to read.

I read that series in 5th grade. I loved those books!

I just finished Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, a Japanese author. One of the reviews on the back calls it "easily the most erotic of his novels". It was an interesting read.

[chandy]

For those that are going through the Outlander series, I listened to them on audio during my commute and really enjoyed that format. The narrator does a very good job with all of the different voices and accents.

[cactus]

I just finished Voyager (book 3) and it was so much better. Definitely a page turner. I'm now on Drums of Autumn--I can't believe how stuck I am on these books. I just really want to find out how it all ends. :)

This is good to know. About a year ago I read the first book (loved it) and the second (in retrospect, I probably didn't want to admit to myself that I found it boring considering how much I liked the first one) so maybe now I'll go back for Voyager.

[Wrighty26]

Have you read the "Shoes" books? Not really a series (mostly different characters), but similar stories--Ballet Shoes, Skating Shoes, Theatre Shoes, Dancing Shoes, Tennis Shoes (but I think that one might be out of print), and maybe one I'm forgetting. They are set in London in the 30s/40s/maybe 50s, and are just very cozy to read.

Ahhh...Ballet Shoes is quite possible my FAVORITE book, ever. I can't even tell you how many times I have read it. Since I was 10 :) I can't wait to pass this books/series along!

[seattleguamgirl]

This is good to know. About a year ago I read the first book (loved it) and the second (in retrospect, I probably didn't want to admit to myself that I found it boring considering how much I liked the first one) so maybe now I'll go back for Voyager.

Definitely check out Voyager, and then Drums of Autumn. I just finished that book and it was such a page turner--I was up until 3AM this morning finishing it! I was that engrossed. I don't remember the last time a book kept me up till all hours of the morning.

I'm now reading The Fiery Cross and Ohana mentioned the day that lasted 97 pages--I'm laughing because I'm still on that day and it is taking forever. :)

[Photobug]

I haven't read the "Shoes" books yet. I'll have to check those out. I just got The Peach Keeper from the library - I really enjoyed it. I was home sick today, and pretty much read it all in one sitting. It had a nice flow to it, and a nice feel. I think Garden Spells is still my favorite, but I would highly recommend this one as well.

[mrs_pell]

I just finished A Race for Splendor: A tale of rivalry, redemption, and the rebuilding of a devastated city, by Ciji Ware. Loved it!!! Based on the rebuilding of San Francisco following the 1906 earthquake and fires that destroyed the city, it's the story of a female architect leading the rebuild of one of the city's main hotels. I really enjoyed the characters, as well as the history of the rebuild and the plight of a woman doing a "man's job" in a time that it wasn't well accepted. She does a great job of including history, drama, and yes, even a little romance! It also touches a lot on the treatment of the Chinese, especially Chinese women, during this period. Overall, one of the best books I've read in a long time! Highly recommend it!!

Also reading Decision Points by George W. Bush, which I think is really good so far! I'm about 1/2 way through (it's a long one!), and had to take a break for some fiction. Ha! However, I wouldn't recommend reading it while on a plane if you're any where near the 9-11 chapter! Realized I was crying and then thought about all the other people on the plane seeing me cry, then realized i was on a plane reading about 9-11!

[cactus]

seattleguamgirl, thanks! You convinced me to try Voyager. In fact, I'm going out of town Wednesday and it's the perfect Kindle book since the hardcovers I get from the library are so giant.

I have been struggling to get into The Three Stages of Amazement for like a month now. I think I'm in a reading rut and it's not so much that the book is bad/boring etc. as much as I'm just choosing to do other things besides read. Sometimes I get like that.

I'm listening to the audiobook of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (read by the author). Not sure how I feel about this one -- for one thing, it bothers me how SLLLLOOOOOWWWW she speaks.

Hm. Now I'm thinking about it and realizing I sound pretty crabby about books lately. ;)

[mrs_pell]

So excited! Just saw that The Help is going to be a movie this summer. Here's the trailer (http://collider.com/the-help-movie-trailer/86182/). I'm sure with how much I loved the book, the movie won't be able to compare, but I really have high expectations! Hope it does it justice! :)

[Dizzy]

Reading Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and I loooove it!

[Ummm]

Finished Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain by Portia de Rossi. Reminded me of Open by Andre Agassi a bit in terms of raw honesty.

[steelcitymama]

you ladies are making me re-think the Outlander series. i am another one who ADORED the first book and then kind of fell off the wagon. i read the first one, listened to an abridged 'dragonfly in amber' (didn't initially realize it was abridged) and then started reading 'voyager' but i just could NOT get into it. i was actually thinking about the series last week and i think you've convinced me to give it another shot. :) we have a beach trip coming up next week, so i'll have some time on my hands.

[mrs_pell]

I just finished Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. Incredible book! I told my husband if it had been a fiction book, I would have said that it was so over the top and that no one would be able to survive what Louis Zamperini survived. Just when I thought things couldn't possibly get worse for him, they did. The fact that it is a true story just leaves me speechless, actually. The fact that it is a story that was told about Zamperini, but that could have been told about thousands of others as well is heart breaking. It gives me a renewed sense of overwhelming gratitude for the men and women who give so much to serve our country!

[seattleguamgirl]

I just finished Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. Incredible book! I told my husband if it had been a fiction book, I would have said that it was so over the top and that no one would be able to survive what Louis Zamperini survived. Just when I thought things couldn't possibly get worse for him, they did. The fact that it is a true story just leaves me speechless, actually. The fact that it is a story that was told about Zamperini, but that could have been told about thousands of others as well is heart breaking. It gives me a renewed sense of overwhelming gratitude for the men and women who give so much to serve our country!

I LOVED Unbroken. It's the best book I've read this year, and will probably remain in the #1 spot. It's a book I continue to recommend to friends and they've had the same reactions that I've had. What an incredible story.

I finally finished The Fiery Cross (Outlander book 5) and now I'm reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes (book 6). The Fiery Cross was pretty painful to read and the only reason I went on to book 6 is because the reviews on Amazon were more promising. For those of you who read book 5, I felt so bad for Roger Mac! The guy can't catch a break. :) It was pretty ridiculous.

[imagirliegirl]

I was reading Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult but I've stopped. For the first time I just couldn't get into one of her stories. By page 80 she still hadn't grabbed my attention so it's shelved for now. I decided to switch to a fluffy Chelsea Handler book instead. I need some mindless entertainment.

[mrs_pell]

Has anyone read The House on Salt Hay Road, by Carin Clevidence? I'm reading it right now, and it's gotten great reviews on GR (4.5/5 average), but I just can't get into it, and I'm hoping that it's just a slow starter. I'm about 1/3 way through, and it's definitely not keeping me up at night, which is totally how I judge a book! :)

[Rosebud]

I haven't updated here in a while. Here goes....

Currently reading:

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton- I'm almost finished with this one. It's sort of classic Kate Morton... spooky English manor house, a family with secrets, the outsider who is trying to piece things together... but not my favorite of hers at this point. It's really long and sort of unnecessarily drawing things out, IMO, and I think I figured out the "secret" many chapters back. Still, I'm compelled to read on and see what happens.

Nurtureshock: New Thinking About Children by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman- I've only read the introduction, but need to get a move on, since we'll be discussing this at my book club next weekend.

Recently read:

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin- I finished this and really enjoyed it. It definitely elevates the "I spent a year doing..." genre. Stunt nonfiction, Rubin hears it called. Perhaps because Rubin is a professional author and not some random blogger with a catchy idea, this book is far more compelling than most similar efforts. The book explores some really interesting research on what makes people happier and what happiness means in terms of your daily life. Rubin also shares her personal experiences as she tries to enact small changes in her life that may lead to greater happiness. It's thought-provoking and very enjoyable.

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks- The new one from the author of March, Year of Wonders and People of the Book. I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. Really interesting historical period, a story based on true events, but the point of view wasn't as effective as it could have been, IMO, and I was left wondering what I was supposed to take from this story.

Some of the next books on my list.....

22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson
The Year We Left Home by Jean Thompson

[rachrich]

Just started The Bell Jar. Got a strong recommendation from a co-worker. Seems like everybody and their brother has read it except me.

[j*east]

rachrich, I think people either love or hate The Bell Jar. I liked it, I think, but it's been a while.

I am behind on my library holds and have returned some stuff unread. The horror! I just randomly reread Anthony Bourdain's book, can't remember the title, and now reading the very similar Cooking Dirty, by Jason Sheehan. It is actually dirtier than Bourdain, I think!

In the car I am listening to The Diana Chronicles, by Tina Brown. It is long and scandalous. Seriously, the royal family is f'ed up big time, as was Di...here's hoping poor William and harry can live semi-normal lives (they are off to a much better start than their parents already).

So...basically I am reading a bunch of lowbrow crap and enjoying it. :) It's finals time and I can't really think.

[magrat]

Lately, I've been dealing with heavy stuff IRL, so looking for some lighter reading. I've been re-reading the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher the past couple of weeks, but I'm getting to the end of that. My go-to feel good reading is usually a re-read of the Anne of Green Gables series, but I've already done that this year, too. Ditto the Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody books.

I love LM Montgomery and the Amelia Peabody books! I would suggest the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books and Georgette Heyer's books.

[Sin Nombre]

The Year We Left Home by Jean Thompson is up next in my queue.

Just finished Red Hook Road by Ayelet Waldman. I liked it. Also recently finished The Arrivals by Meg Mitchell Moore. I seem to be into "family lit" lately.

Other recent favorites include Blame by Michelle Huneven, Downtown by Pete Hamill (a love letter to Manhattan), and Three Stages of Amazement by Carol Edgarian. I'd recommend them all.

[Ummm]

Before I go to Sleep by SJ Watson - psych thriller. Getting lots of attention, movie rights already sold to Ridley Scott... some compared it to Momento. Wasn't bad, but wasn't as good as I thought as I was expecting something faster paced and well, "thrilling".

Revelations by Laurel Dewey. A series, haven't read the previous book, and I quite enjoyed it (murder/mystery).

[akacharlotte]

I decided to give the Charlaine Harris books a try and am currently on Book 2 of the Sookie Stackhouse series.

[mrs_pell]

I decided to give the Charlaine Harris books a try and am currently on Book 2 of the Sookie Stackhouse series.

I read all those books in about 2 weeks I think! Fairly trashy, but guilty pleasure!! ;)

[seattleguamgirl]

I decided to give the Charlaine Harris books a try and am currently on Book 2 of the Sookie Stackhouse series.

I read two or three of these books. I couldn't really get into them, which is funny because I'm a huge fan of True Blood.

I'm on the final Outlander book, Echo in the Bone. It's okay. I'm taking my time reading it. I can see why people hated it or were bored with it, but since I've read the entire series back to back I'm still immersed in the Jamie-Claire world so it's more tolerable to me?

[Ummm]

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addision Allen. It's okay, kinda predictable. The only one I haven't read yet is Garden Spells. I should read that (for what it's worth, I quite like the Sugar Queen, but thought Girl who Chased the Moon was okay only).

[akacharlotte]

mrs_pell-I can totally see how you finished all of them within 2 weeks. I'm averaging one book every 1.5 days. Very quick reads. They are totally trashy though. :)

[mrs_pell]

Finally reading Memoires of a Geisha and am loving it! After the last book I read, I'm excited to be reading one that's keeping me up at night! :)

[Ummm]

I know a lot of you like Lisa Lutz's Spellman Files series (I read Book 1 only and thought it was okay). I tried to read her latest, Heads You Lose, which she collaborated with her ex-boyfriend David Hayward (she wrote the odd numbered chapters, he wrote the even ones). And I just couldn't get into it. Between each chapters, it included their emails to each other... it was fun to read at first, then it got kinda annoying as they got on each others' nerves.

[marchfamily]

I just finished Mudbound (I read it in a little over 3 days). Loved it.

[Dizzy]

I finally read The Help and it was ok. The characters were one-dimensional and the author didn't do a very good job of driving the story forward. But, the premise was interesting and there was enough of a story there to keep me reading.

[bookworm]

I'm apparently on a memoir-ish kick. Read Eat, Pray, Love, and it was ok. I found it a bit indulgent and annoying, but still downloaded Committed, which I thought would have more story and less historical analysis of marriage. Still ok, not great. Then I downloaded The Happiness Project, because I still didn't have any ideas about what to read next and the blurb compared it to "The Year of Living Biblically," which I enjoyed. So far, it's...ok (again). I need to find a great story.

[Ummm]

I'm apparently on a memoir-ish kick. Read Eat, Pray, Love, and it was ok. I found it a bit indulgent and annoying, but still downloaded Committed, which I thought would have more story and less historical analysis of marriage. Still ok, not great. Then I downloaded The Happiness Project, because I still didn't have any ideas about what to read next and the blurb compared it to "The Year of Living Biblically," which I enjoyed. So far, it's...ok (again). I need to find a great story.

Have you read Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan? It's memoir, but inspirational. Easy to read.

[Lila55]

I have a non-fiction recommendation. Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer. I liked his writing style. It was an easy read for a non-fiction book.

[Dizzy]

I have a non-fiction recommendation. Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer. I liked his writing style. It was an easy read for a non-fiction book.

I don't think I even finished that one! I found it so dull! Funny how different people's tastes can be :)

I'm reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs and I love it! I am *finally* reading something I really really enjoy and can't bear to put down. It's been awhile since that happened (with a fiction book, anyway).

[Lila55]

I don't think I even finished that one! I found it so dull! Funny how different people's tastes can be

Our differences keeps the thread interesting!

[Dizzy]

Our differences keeps the thread interesting!

So true!

[Rosebud]

downloaded Committed, which I thought would have more story and less historical analysis of marriage. Still ok, not great. Then I downloaded The Happiness Project, because I still didn't have any ideas about what to read next and the blurb compared it to "The Year of Living Biblically," which I enjoyed. So far, it's...ok (again). I need to find a great story.

I loved both Committed and The Happiness Project. Found them both totally fascinating and insightful.

[cactus]

I'm listening to Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, read by the author. I have to say, it's kind of awesome. It almost "reads" like comedy. I know that wasn't really the author's intent, but the way the author reads some of these outlandish pieces so earnestly I find myself wondering how she could possibly be for real. And I think that if she knew people had that reaction to listening to her, she would *freak.* Which makes it kind of even better.

I'm enjoying it WAY more than I thought I would, but I think it's got to be the audio production.

[granada]

I finally read The Help and it was ok. The characters were one-dimensional and the author didn't do a very good job of driving the story forward. But, the premise was interesting and there was enough of a story there to keep me reading.

I thought the same thing about The Help. It was very readable, but definitely not a "great" book, imo.


I'm reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs and I love it! I am *finally* reading something I really really enjoy and can't bear to put down. It's been awhile since that happened (with a fiction book, anyway).

This book sounds really interesting!

[Ummm]

I'm listening to Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, read by the author. I have to say, it's kind of awesome. It almost "reads" like comedy. I know that wasn't really the author's intent, but the way the author reads some of these outlandish pieces so earnestly I find myself wondering how she could possibly be for real. And I think that if she knew people had that reaction to listening to her, she would *freak.* Which makes it kind of even better.

I'm enjoying it WAY more than I thought I would, but I think it's got to be the audio production.

My husband and I both enjoyed this book! Don't agree with everything she did, but interesting to read!

[Ummm]

Finished State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. Haven't read her before but heard good things about her other book Bel Canto. Not a bad read, but I didn't like the ending! It was rushed, and I think disconnect to the rest of the story. While I like unexpected / not-predictable twists, this is not it even if it wasn't what I expected.

[mrs_pell]

Started 22 Britannia Road, by Amanda Hodgkinson, yesterday and just finished it this afternoon. Really enjoyed this book!

From Amazon:

By the end of World War II, Silvana is a ghost of the wife Janusz once had. She and their 7-year-old son Aurek travel from Poland to England to reunite their family--a family that has been separated for 6 years. That's where 22 Britannia Road, Amanda Hodgkinson's stunning debut novel, begins. As the past unfolds from multiple points of view, it becomes clear that despite their determination to make a fresh start, the hidden secrets of the past threaten to destroy Silvana and Janusz's dreams of becoming a family once again. The irreversible events that passed during their years of separation still linger, including the horrors of war, Janusz's betrayal by a love affair with another woman, and the devastating secret that Silvana will do anything to conceal. Hodgkinson's poetic voice is impossible to forget, and the shocking and hopeful ending of her remarkable historical novel will leave readers reeling--and satisfied. --Miriam Landis

[Rosebud]

Finished State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. Haven't read her before but heard good things about her other book Bel Canto. Not a bad read, but I didn't like the ending! It was rushed, and I think disconnect to the rest of the story. While I like unexpected / not-predictable twists, this is not it even if it wasn't what I expected.

The problem you had with the ending of State of Wonder was the same reaction I had to Bel Canto. Thought Bel Canto was a really interesting book with a rushed and rather unsatisfying ending. I'm disappointed to hear that State of Wonder has the same problem.


Started 22 Britannia Road, by Amanda Hodgkinson, yesterday and just finished it this afternoon. Really enjoyed this book!

From Amazon:

I just finished it, too. It's not beach reading- the subject matter is sad- but this is one of the better fiction books I've read this year and I'd definitely recommend it. Great character work. Really heart-wrenching depiction of war. A very thoughtful story that quickly draws you in and makes you root for the main characters.

[scarlett]

I finished reading Unbroken yesterday and thought it was amazing. Thanks to everyone here who recommended it - I never would have picked it up otherwise. In fact, I let it sit for a week after getting it from the library because I wasn't sure I was going to like it or be able to get into it. So glad I decided to give it chance. I cannot get the story out of my head.

[mrs_pell]

Just saw that "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is being made into a movie, to be out at Christmas time and that Daniel Craig is Blomkvist! I was just telling my hubby that I was thinking about watching the version that's on netflix, but I really hate reading subtitles through an entire movie, and lo and behold, he tells me about this version that's coming out! So excited about this!! I think Daniel Craig will rock in this role!! You can watch the trailer on rottentomotoes.com.

[scarlett]

Just saw that "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is being made into a movie, to be out at Christmas time and that Daniel Craig is Blomkvist! I was just telling my hubby that I was thinking about watching the version that's on netflix, but I really hate reading subtitles through an entire movie, and lo and behold, he tells me about this version that's coming out! So excited about this!! I think Daniel Craig will rock in this role!! You can watch the trailer on rottentomotoes.com. The Swedish version of the books was actually really good. I think there is a lot of talk as to if the American version will be as good.

[mrs_pell]

The Swedish version of the books was actually really good. I think there is a lot of talk as to if the American version will be as good.

I'll have to check it out. It's an "instant watch" from netflix, so I'll have to watch it some night this week! Thanks for letting me know it's worth sitting through subtitles! ha!

[laura]

Finished State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. Haven't read her before but heard good things about her other book Bel Canto. Not a bad read, but I didn't like the ending! It was rushed, and I think disconnect to the rest of the story. While I like unexpected / not-predictable twists, this is not it even if it wasn't what I expected.

It has been YEARS since I read Bel Canto, but I remember being so disappointed w/ the ending. It was just so anti-climax and blah. So maybe that's just her style ?

[Ummm]

Night Road by Kristin Hannah. Hadn't read her before, but heard good reviews about it. Too predictable for me.

[Rosebud]

I just read Peony in Love by Lisa See. I had heard this wasn't her best book, and I have to agree. Didn't really care for it at all, sadly.

Next up is The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell, which has been sitting on my shelf for ages. Anyone here a fan of Sarah Vowell? I know she's a real cult favorite. I'm looking forward to this book.

[mrs_pell]

Just finished The Hypnotist, by Lars Kepler, which has been touted as "the next Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." While I did enjoy it, I don't really see the comparison between the two, except that both are Swedish authors. The Hypnotist was definitely a page-turner and kept me reading, with lots of twists and turns to the mystery. Gruesome at times, and a bit of a different writing style, but an entertaining book. I did want to scream at the characters sometimes to communicate, but I guess that would've made it too easy! ;)

[bookworm]

I read Before I Go to Sleep this weekend---not literature, but I didn't want to put it down and that's all I wanted :). It's suspense, and you might figure it out, but worth reading when you want something in that genre.

I'm also re-reading The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and really enjoying it. I loved this when I first read it and after a couple of years, it stands up well.

[Ummm]

I read Before I Go to Sleep this weekend---not literature, but I didn't want to put it down and that's all I wanted :). It's suspense, and you might figure it out, but worth reading when you want something in that genre.


I thought it wasn't bad, though a tad predictable. I like how the story unfolded but the middle part was a bit slow.

[Ummm]

Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante. Would probably have liked it better if I didn't read it as a thriller/suspense novel. Main protagonist has Alzheimer's so it's scary to read what it's like to have this disease... more of a character driven novel than a plot driven one. I really liked Still Alice, but this one doesn't quite do it for me. But many VERY GOOD reviews from others. So don't mind me :)

[Sin Nombre]

I just finished "What Alice Forgot" by Liane Moriarty. It's about a woman who has an accident in the gym -- resulting in a knock on the head -- and wakes up thinking she is 29, madly in love with her husband and pregnant with her first child. In reality, she is 39, with three kids and bitterly divorcing her husband.

Amnesia must be a hot theme these days in novels! But the book was a very enjoyable read.

[Ummm]

Couldn't get into Middlesex. Read (or attempted to read) it for upcoming book club. Read the cliff note version on wiki and that's good enough for me lol.

[littlebear]

Highly recommend The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Read by Alice Ozma. It's a delightful memoir and coming of age story that also highlights the importance of reading to your children. I was really inspired by this book.

[Ummm]

Highly recommend The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Read by Alice Ozma. It's a delightful memoir and coming of age story that also highlights the importance of reading to your children. I was really inspired by this book.

I saw that at the library the other day and was debating whether to get it. Decided not to since I had a big piles of books already... guess I should have!

[cactus]

I finished State of Wonder last night and I like it more the more I think about it. My thoughts, including some spoilers, in white.

I think it was an extremely intelligent novel with a lot of just-under-the-surface references to other authors like Joseph Conrad and Milton...I liked the challenge of uncovering these throughout the book.

I didn't *love* the main character because I think it took me a really long time to connect with her. What I did like was the arc of her growth as a doctor while she was in the Amazon. And the scene with the anaconda will stay with me forever -- I put it up there with the "poop" scene from Freedom in terms of vivid descriptions of unusual/gross things.

Overall, if you like Ann Patchett's other books, you'll probably like this one. I didn't have as much of a problem with the ending as previous posters...if we're thinking about the same plot element here then I actually thought it fit really well. Plus, the kid's name was Easter, so kind of an obvious reference to betrayal/suffering. I didn't think that was out of left field at all.

I'm reading Dreams of Joy now. I really enjoyed Shanghai Girls, but DoJ is already overdue at the library so I don't know if I can read it fast enough to justify keeping it.

[Ummm]

Cactus, the reasons I didn't like State of Wonder's ending were (in white):

* What's it with Anders and Marina's ONS? With Anders saying how much he loved his wife and all? I am sure he was grateful that Marian rescued him, but still... I guess this part bothered me more than Easter.

* Both Anders and Marina were saying how much they loved Easter, that they wanted to bring him home with them. Yet, they traded him without even blinking. I know we're all selfish and all, but it seemed there weren't even any inner struggles. I obviously didn't think about that his name was a reference to betrayal/suffering... otherwise Marina probably would have been a marine biologist or something. I guess I just didn't think the names were symbolic.

[Dizzy]

Haven't posted in here in awhile! Sounds like everyone is reading some really great books! I'm almost done with The Illumination which is weird, but it grows on me every page. It's actually quite beautiful.

[cactus]

Umm, (answering you in white)

It bothered me about the ONS but it didn't surprise me -- I almost equated it to the number of WTC volunteers after 9/11 who wound up having affairs...you've just been through this incredibly traumatic experience with someone and they can exactly understand what you're going through, and you're in a contained space, facing each other, and, well. I also thought it was very clear that Marina intended to become pregnant somehow, and with all that flying around too and then a man in her bed after she's eaten all that bark and right before she's about to leave -- it was pretty impossible for it not to happen, IMO.

I do agree with you about the no guilt thing. I thought it was weird how fast that happened and how it left them with almost no remorse.

[ausi2b]

Just finished The Hunger Games. LOVE. Reading the 2nd book now but I'm having a harder time getting into it. Hope it picks up soon!

[Ummm]

I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells - interesting premise (some said it is like Dexter) but there is a WTF element in it that I don't like...

The Silent Girl by Tess Gerritsen - if you've been following the series, this is another fast read.

Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens - 2nd book from the author of Still Missing. It's okay... a bit long.

Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister - this has lots of good reviews, but I got bored and couldn't finish.

[Ohana]

Finished Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster Sunday. Not quite as laugh out loud funny as her first memoir (Bitter is the New Black), but much funnier than Such a Pretty Fat.

Started Losing Kei last night, and I am already completely sucked in. It's about an American woman who goes to Japan, meets a Japanese man, marries him, has a child, then divorces her husband. Japanese law is such that she does not get custody of her son. Being half myself (though I was born and raised in the US and my parents are still married), along with recent press on American parents trying to get their half Japanese kids back from Japan, this story really got my attention.

[seattleguamgirl]

I finally finished Born to Run. I really enjoyed the cast of characters of "The Big Race the World Has Never Seen" and especially enjoyed the history, science and communal aspects of the sport. Definitely read it if you have a chance!

I'm also currently reading The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley. It's okay so far--I hope it picks up soon. It's historic fiction, if any of you are interested in that genre.

[Dizzy]

Currently reading The Psychopath Test. And of course I'm diagnosing eeeeveryone I know who irritates me in my day to day life...

[dragonfly_71]

Just finished Bleachers by John Grisham and am finally starting to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

[scout]

I've had great book karma this month! Nearly everything I read, I've loved (thank you for all of the recommendations!)

I loved THE BOOK THIEF. One of my favorite books ever.
I loved UNBROKEN. The story was so amazing.
I loved WHAT ALICE FORGOT.

I'm about to read THE 19th WIFE.

I also read HIROSHIMA, but I didn't really think it was written that well.

[bookworm]

I finally finished Devil in the White City, and enjoyed it as much as I enjoy any nonfiction. It sort of reads like a mystery. Then just for contrast, I got the latest Traveling Pants book. As usual, I laughed & cried, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it. Sometimes it's better to just let the characters' stories finish in your head, rather than "seeing" them again 10 years later.

[Ummm]

Creep by Jennifer Hillier (psychological thriller) and What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. Both were okay. Don't love them, don't hate them.

[cactus]

I read Dreams of Joy by Lisa See (sequel to Shanghai Girls) and I really really liked it. I never knew anything about Mao's China and the Great Leap Forward. There were some very disturbing parts but I was happy to be reunited with Pearl and May and ZG from Shanghai Girls. I definitely think those who read SG and liked it will not be disappointed with the follow up.

I listened to Mudbound on audiobook...it was just ok to me. It passed the time in the car, but I don't think it will stay with me.

Currently, I'm listening to The Art of Racing in the Rain and I'm enjoying it quite a bit. I put this one off for a long time even though lots of people recommended it to me because I thought I would find it hokey but it's tugging at my heartstrings, in a good way. And I am definitely looking at my dog differently. ;)

I'm going on vacation on Friday and will only be bringing my Kindle for reading...any great recommendations for downloading? I've read a lot this year but maybe there's something I've missed. I'm thinking of The Snowman...anyone read it?

[Rosebud]

Sorry to be so absent from this thread lately! Here's what I've been reading:

The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell - Loved it. If you haven't read any Sarah Vowell, I highly recommend checking out her work. This is a series of humorous essays about family and being American, but told in a wonderfully self-depreciating and engaging way. Some of these stories were absolutely laugh-out-loud funny. Some were poignant. I can't believe it's taken me so long to discover her books (even though I've heard her on NPR), but I can guarantee you that I'll be reading through her whole body of work now. Highly recommended!

You Can't Drink All Day If You Don't Start In the Morning by Celia Rivenbark- Because I needed some more comedy in my life. Rivenbark is a Southern humor writer, and her book is filled with catty observations about her town, witticisms regarding Southern life and even a few F-bombs. To me, it wasn't Tina Fey funny (perhaps only because it's harder for me to relate to a 50-year old woman in the South than it is to a 40-year old New Yorker), but it was very funny, and I totally enjoyed it.

A Cook's Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines by Anthony Bourdain- This one is 10 years old and was written to be a companion piece to the show where he travels around the world and eats weird food. It's definitely interesting, mainly because Tony's perspective is interesting. While Vietnam, Russia and Morocco were certainly great backgrounds, the thing that's really compelling here is Tony's weariness of celebrity, his growing hatred of having to perform eating stunts on camera and the out-of-the way places he falls in love with. It's a totally different kind of story than Kitchen Confidential, which I think everyone has read now, but readable in its own way.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak- Listening to this on audiobook and am almost halfway through. Really, really intrigued. The writing is kind of wonderful. The point of view takes a little getting used to, but I'm really involved in Liesl's life and the cast of characters on her street. I'm very curious to see where this goes.

[Lila55]

I just started Girl in Translation[/B] by Jean Kwok. It is about a young girl and her mom who immigrate to the US from Hong Kong. Mom works in a sweatshop for pennies per piece of clothing. I am enjoying the book so far.

I finished Enough About Love by Herve Le Tellier which is about two couples who have affairs. I also read Vaclav and Lena by Haley Tanner. I liked both books but did not love them.

[Ohana]

Finished Losing Kei over the weekend. It was weird in that I couldn't put the book down and read it in a matter of a couple of days, but at the end, I was dissatisfied. The main character is kind of dumb and clueless and I felt like although she professed to love her son, she really didn't do enough to try to get him back.

Now reading The Commoner (man, I'm on a books about Japan kick). Interesting so far.

[Dizzy]

Currently reading The Map of Time by Felix J Palma. It got decent reviews and the synopsis sounded awesome! I'm only a few pages into it, so no real opinion or comments to share, but I have high hopes!

Also reading A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You by Amy Bloom. I simply adore her writing.

[gardenmommy]

Just finished The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks based on reviews here. I resisted reading it for so long because it just didn't sound that interesting to me, but I really liked it. I think the author did a great job of showing so many sides of the issues. Plus I hadn't read any non-fiction in so long it was a bit refreshing to not have to suspend my disbelief :)

I've found myself on a good book streak based on the reviews in this thread, so please keep them coming!

[dragonfly_71]

I'm about 50 pages into The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and I love it. I am going to the libray today to get some more books by Stieg Larsson.

[steelcitymama]

i am on vacation sans kids so i'm enjoying having plenty of time to read as much as i want! i just finished "what alice forgot" and i thoroughly enjoyed it. i got sucked into it right away. i'm nearly halfway through "the paris wife: a novel" and like it a lot, too, though not quite as much. i need to go back through the thread and get more recommendations!

[Ummm]

Tomato Girl by Jayne Pupek. Not bad, though the ending seems a bit rushed. Coming of age story. Those who don't like depressing book should not read it.

[Rosebud]

Just finished The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks based on reviews here. I resisted reading it for so long because it just didn't sound that interesting to me, but I really liked it.

I did the same thing, waited a long time to read it because I didn't think the topic was up my alley. Loved it. It's such a compelling book, whether you are interested in science or ot.


i'm nearly halfway through "the paris wife: a novel" and like it a lot, too, though not quite as much. i need to go back through the thread and get more recommendations!

Will be curious to hear what you think in the end. I liked the world of The Paris Wife--- Paris, the 20s, Hemingway, etc.-- but didn't think Hadley was the most effective protagonist. I know others here warmed to her more than I did, though. Mostly, The Paris Wife made me want to re-read A Moveable Feast and The Sun Also Rises. :)

[gardenmommy]

Just started Outliers by Malcom Gladwell. I guess Im on a non-fiction kick because 30 pages in I can already tell Im hooked.

[Ummm]

Megan's Way by Melissa Foster. If you like sappy movie you'd probably like it - protagonist has cancer, and it's a mother/daughter and best friends story with some twists/secrets.

[scout]

I'm reading A COOK'S TOUR because of the recommendation on here, and really like it!!! Thank you!

I am also finishing HEAVEN IS FOR REAL. I didn't like it. Reason is in white below.

I guess I'm a cynical ass, because unlike the rest of America, I didn't like it at all. I can believe that the little boy dies and that he did briefly go to heaven. I believe in God and Jesus and angels and heaven, but can't get behind a four year old telling me that nobody goes to heaven unless they believe in Jesus and that angels shoot down the holy spirit to his dad in church. A lot of the things the writer (the dad) was using as "proof" just wasn't plausible. He claimed that four year olds just don't talk about death (while every four year old I know is actually quite curious about it) and that the boy couldn't have known about his mom's miscarriage (when the family had actually told his sister about it). Anybody that has kids, knows that they have big imaginations and they like to tell stories. My four year old has a very matter of fact way of telling made up stories as though they are fact. It seems as the book went on, the four year old kept adding more and more to his story, because of his dad's interest and prodding. I really wanted to like this book, but I was disappointed.

[shoegal]

Thanks to akacharlotte, I read The Hunger Games trilogy via Kindle (did you know you can loan certain books on Kindle to Kindle users? I didn't!

I am now reading two books about the musical A Chorus Line, I originally saw the movie, then saw it on Broadway when it came back out in late 06 and just watched the documentary on the revival. If you like musicals, you will love reading about how this one came to be. I just downloaded The Help and bought another copy (mine disappeared) of Motley Crue's The Dirt. If you liked the hair bands of the 80s, you will really enjoy this book. It is told by the members of the band, management and those that were around during that time. I have also read both books by Nikki Sixx, The Heroin Diaries is a bit rough but it is a great read and gives great insight about addiction and depression. Also, Ozzy's autobiography is a great read too.

[Photobug]

Just finished Ghost Story by Jim Butcher - Love the Dresden Files series, but this one took a long time to get going. I think the first 200 pages could have been condensed to a chapter or two. It really picked up about half way through and I enjoyed the read, but I'm really not sure about the direction the series is going. I'm afraid it may have jumped the shark.

Also just finished My Lucky Life by Dick Van Dyke. I really enjoyed it. Some parts were kind of hard to read, but overall he comes across as lovable and kind as most of his characters. Just like a big kid.

[Ohana]

Finished The Commoner last night. It's by John Burnham Schwartz, who also wrote Reservation Road. It was, in a sense, the fictionalized story of the current Japanese Empress and the Crown Empress, but with a couple of twists. I really, really, really enjoyed this story and read it in just a couple of days.

[anemone]

I've read a bunch lately, mostly because we went to Fiji on vacation, and where we stayed there was no tv (very remote island).

Caleb's Crossing - Geraldine Brooks, I always enjoy her books, mostly because I feel she finds an authentic sounding voice for her narrator/ main character (People of the Book would be my favourite from her). It was also an interesting view of life during the early Pilgrim-era of the US, and the relationship with Native Americans.

One Day - David Nicholls. This one was much lighter reading, and interesting premise - one day (June 15th) over a 18 year period with two characters in England. It sort of starts on the day they meet, and follows their friendship and the way their lives are developing. It had a really irritating ending though, so overall, I didn't like it. Apparently it's about to be made into a movie.

Past Imperfect - by Julian Fellows. He wrote Gosford Park and Downton Abbey, and it is his clever and acerbic commentary on the upper classes of England. Basically, a man follows up 6 women he met in 1967 to find out what happened to them, in the process reliving the year he was on the debutant circuit and then how they all turned out. I really enjoy his books (another one is Snobs), because it reminds me of the year I lived in London, and all the things the English do to separate those in the know and those that aren't.

Loving Frank - A fictional version of the real life affair between Frank Lloyd Wright (the Architect) and his female client and the scandal that ensued when she left her young family and ran off with him to Europe. A really, really interesting book (made Frank look like a total Jerk) on so many levels. I was particularly interested due to being an Architect myself, but it was also an interesting view of the burgeoning feminist movement at the turn of last century, and women's role in society.

The Chocolate Wars - Deborah Cadbury. The development of Chocolate as we know it and the rise of the great Chocolate manufacturers of the world from the early 1800's. It was interesting as the Chocolate companies were all started in the UK by Quakers, and the business model was pretty fascinating (they were very philanthropic, as compared to today's corporations). Also an interesting view on globalisation, and the use of debt to buy businesses (Kraft bought out Cadbury a couple of years ago). I found this book really fascinating.

The Tigers Wife - my current read (the Orange Prize for Fiction winner). Have only read one chapter, so not really forming an opinion....

I also read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and really have to agree with everyone else's reviews - an excellent book, and very interesting on so many levels, in particular the way that the health system has failed the family that should benefit from the advances in medical technology the most.

[cr8zyforaf]

HEAVEN IS FOR REAL - I also didn't like this book at all. And I agree with your summary in white. I just found myself rolling my eyes the whole time.

[shoegal]

HEAVEN IS FOR REAL - I also didn't like this book at all. And I agree with your summary in white. I just found myself rolling my eyes the whole time.

My mom left the book at my place a few weeks ago. She keeps asking if I have read it yet. I want to but then again I don't. I will at some point though.

Does anyone have any suggestions for some autobiographies, mainly current day people?

[shaqangel]

not sure if anyone has read this, but last month I read Messenger by Jeni Stepanek. Its the story of her son Matty J.T. Stepanek. I absolutely loved it. Probably the most moving and inspirational book I have read in a long time.

[Ummm]

My MIL really liked HEAVEN IS FOR REAL. I know it's not my type of book so I didn't read it.

[Rosebud]

Does anyone have any suggestions for some autobiographies, mainly current day people?

Here are some memoirs/ autobiographies/ biographies that I would recommend. All mid-1900s or later:

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg

A Charmed Life: Growing Up in Macbeth's Castle by Liza Campbell

My Life in France by Julia Child

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

Also, I am reading Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton right now and it is fabulous. Wonderful writing style, very interesting life's journey. I'm completely enjoying it.

[shoegal]

Here are some memoirs/ autobiographies/ biographies that I would recommend. All mid-1900s or later:

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg

A Charmed Life: Growing Up in Macbeth's Castle by Liza Campbell

My Life in France by Julia Child

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

Also, I am reading Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton right now and it is fabulous. Wonderful writing style, very interesting life's journey. I'm completely enjoying it.

Thanks Rosebud! Some of those sound really interesting. I read My Life in France a couple of years ago and then another Julia Child biography. I will have to pull the samples onto my Kindle for the suggestions so I can go through and pick as I need one. I cannot wait until the library loaning thing happens for Kindle. If it is an easy flowing book I can read it within a couple of days (why am I such a fast reader!) so that would work.

[Ummm]

The Family Fang: A Novel by Kevin Wilson. Those who like quirky characters would like it... not my type of book...

[Dizzy]

Currently reading Just Kids. Has anyone else read this? What did you think?

[seattleguamgirl]

I finished The Winter Sea and it was very annoying. I was glad to be done with it. It never really grabbed my attention.

I am trying to finish the Everything Matters! audiobook but it is also annoying me. I would like to finish it since I've invested so much time into it, but I may end up FF it to the end just to find out what happens.

We just finished a two week road trip and listening to Tina Fey's Bossypants audiobook really helped pass the time. :) I have never re-listened to an audiobook but it was the perfect funny road trip book to listen to.

[Ummm]

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott. Kinda a fun read, I like it, but don't love it.

[scout]

I also didn't like this book at all. And I agree with your summary in white. I just found myself rolling my eyes the whole time Me too! I thought it was going to be uplifting and inspiring and I just thought it was a book about a kid with a big imagination.

[mrs_pell]

Does anyone have any suggestions for some autobiographies, mainly current day people?

Open by Andre Agassi (highly, highly recommend, even if you're not a tennis lover) Also, if you like sports at all, Always by My Side by Jim Nantz was also really good! Also agree with Unbroken and The Glass Castle.

[Rosebud]

Does anyone have any suggestions for some autobiographies, mainly current day people?

I've also heard that the new Rob Lowe biography (Stories I Only Tell My Friends) is actually really good. Wouldn't have guessed that, but have read many good reviews.

[Ummm]

Life, on the Line: A Chef's Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat by Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas. Those of you who love reading foodie memoir, you'd enjoy this one. I haven't eaten at Alinea in Chicago (considered one of the best restaurants in the world, and in the US) and I didn't know much about the chef (I'd only seen pictures/reviews of the restaurant but that's about it). Now I really want to go eat there someday soon! It's quite an inspiring story.

[akacharlotte]

I recently finished the Harper Connelly quartet by Charlaine Harris. They were fun to read. A wee bit predictable and I found myself in book 3 and 4 trying to figure out the bad guy early on.

I also read Stealing Faces by Michael Prescott. Started off pretty intense and kept that up through most of the book.

[seattleguamgirl]

I just finished The White Queen by Philippa Gregory. It was quite good--I couldn't put it down and read it in a couple of days.

I'm going to start The Red Queen today. Hopefully it's as good!

[Rosebud]

I just finished The White Queen by Philippa Gregory. It was quite good--I couldn't put it down and read it in a couple of days.

I'm going to start The Red Queen today. Hopefully it's as good!

I liked The White Queen much better than The Red Queen, simply because the protagonist in TWQ is so much more likeable than in TRQ. IMO, of course. Will be curious to hear what you think!

[cactus]

I am going to guiltily admit that I started reading the 5th installment of the Traveling Pants -- Sisterhood Everlasting. Whoa. NOT what I signed up for. Has anyone read this?

On the other hand, I just finished The Uncoupling, by Meg Wolitzer. I really like her books. She is a witty writer with sly humor and sassy characters. I was all ready to give this one 5 stars, but the ending was kind of lame. Overall, I enjoyed it. It's got a weird premise involving the Lysistrata (ancient Greek comedy about a sex strike) but if you can buy that it's a fun read with a satirical bent.

[mrs_pell]

I've read a few lately that I've really liked.

Juliet, by Anne Fortier - had read mixed reviews, but I really, really liked it! Pretty much a modern-day version of Romeo and Juliet, bouncing back and forth between the events of 1340 (to the "real" Romeo and Juliet) and current day. The main character, Giulietta, is searching for her family's history and supposed family treasure, and meanwhile is finding that the family feuds and supposed curse may really still exist.

Split Second by Catherine Coulter - just one of my guilty pleasure series books. :) Nothing spectacular, but I do enjoy the books for what they are.

Hush - Kate White - Thought this was a fairly good murder/mystery book. Kept me reading into the night to find out what happens next. :)

And I've also been bouncing back and forth between Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt books and also just finished the first Jack Reacher book by Lee Childs. Both series seem really entertaining so far!

[bookworm]

I am going to guiltily admit that I started reading the 5th installment of the Traveling Pants -- Sisterhood Everlasting. Whoa. NOT what I signed up for. Has anyone read this?



I have--I enjoyed it, but I'm also kind of sorry I read it.

I just finished a beach weekend, so plenty of reading--Then Came You (my favorite Jennifer Weiner book in quite some time), The Silent Girl (a good page-turning mystery), and re-read The Help. I liked it better on the re-read, but I still think it's a like not a love.

[Rosebud]

Recent reads:

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak- I'm the last person in the world to read this, but it really did live up to the hype. Such an interesting point of view, one that I puzzled over throughout the story, and am dying to talk about with my book club this weekend. It was a throughly compelling story, with a very engaging and likeable protagonist in Liesl. This book made me cry like I haven't cried over a story in a long time, and it was definitely tough subject matter, but wonderfully written and a tale that will stay with me.

A Death in Belmont by Sebastian Junger- This is about the Boston Strangler. Very interesting, as Junger lays out the facts of the case, the police mishandling of it, the racial implications of the investigation, the lingering debate as to whether the right person was jailed for the crime. However, the ending wasn't as satisfying as it could have been, perhaps because this isn't an open-and-shut case. It's like Junger started writing it, figured out he couldn't really finish it adequately, and so just added some pat commentary of his own and called it a day.

Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton- This was a curious one. Great reviews, raves from fellow chefs, really interesting life story from a highly-regarded chef who also has a MFA in creative writing and can definitely tell a story. I was completely engaged and absolutely loving her self depiction. And then I got to the third section of the book and the whole thing went off into this strange place that I'm still scratching my head about. I don't want to ruin it for anyone who may read it (and it is worth reading), but certainly not what I expected in the end. Hamilton can write, though. I hope she writes another book.

What I'm Reading Now...

One Drop: My Father's Hidden Life--A Story of Race and Family Secrets by Bliss Broyard- Okay, this is really intriguing. The author's father was a writer/ NY Times lit critic who raised her in posh, ultra-white Connecticut and only told her shortly before he died that he was actually black. And had a whole black family that she didn't know. This sends her into a tailspin-- who am I, why would he do this, can I get to know these people, where do I belong, etc. This book is her process of self-discovery, as she grapples with racial identity, her father's choices, meeting family that she shares little experience with and generally coming to grips with her place in the world. It is a fascinating story about racial identity, what it means to be black and white in America and her own family's past. It is really, really good and before even finishing it I'm going to encourage all of you to read it.

Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography by Rob Lowe- I took my own advice from earlier in the thread and downloaded the audio book (which Lowe reads). The reviews were spot on-- this book is great! I had no idea Rob Lowe had such an interesting story to tell, or that he was capable of telling it so well. It's an amazing snapshot of Hollywood in the 70s/80s (if you like film at all you will geek out over some of these stories), but also (thus far) a compelling tale of a guy trying to grow up and become a better person. I'm already recommending it to friends-- it's good.

[seattleguamgirl]

Recent reads:

One Drop: My Father's Hidden Life--A Story of Race and Family Secrets by Bliss Broyard- Okay, this is really intriguing. The author's father was a writer/ NY Times lit critic who raised her in posh, ultra-white Connecticut and only told her shortly before he died that he was actually black. And had a whole black family that she didn't know. This sends her into a tailspin-- who am I, why would he do this, can I get to know these people, where do I belong, etc. This book is her process of self-discovery, as she grapples with racial identity, her father's choices, meeting family that she shares little experience with and generally coming to grips with her place in the world. It is a fascinating story about racial identity, what it means to be black and white in America and her own family's past. It is really, really good and before even finishing it I'm going to encourage all of you to read it.

Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography by Rob Lowe- I took my own advice from earlier in the thread and downloaded the audio book (which Lowe reads). The reviews were spot on-- this book is great! I had no idea Rob Lowe had such an interesting story to tell, or that he was capable of telling it so well. It's an amazing snapshot of Hollywood in the 70s/80s (if you like film at all you will geek out over some of these stories), but also (thus far) a compelling tale of a guy trying to grow up and become a better person. I'm already recommending it to friends-- it's good.

Wow, One Drop sounds intriguing! I'm putting it on my list of books to read. It reminds me of the movie Imitation of Life--have any of you seen it? About a black woman who denies her black heritage to pass for white in the 1950's. Really great movie!

I'm really bummed I canceled my audible.com subscription. The Rob Lowe audiobook sounds interesting. I'll just have to read it on the Kindle.

[seattleguamgirl]

Quick question: have any of you read The Elegance of the Hedgehog? I downloaded the audiobook and I'm having a hard time getting into it. I don't know if it's because one of the narrators sounds like she smoked for forty years or if it's because the book is dull. Lmk if it's worth reading the actual book.

[Rosebud]

Quick question: have any of you read The Elegance of the Hedgehog? I downloaded the audiobook and I'm having a hard time getting into it. I don't know if it's because one of the narrators sounds like she smoked for forty years or if it's because the book is dull. Lmk if it's worth reading the actual book.

This book drove me nuts. I thought it was super, super pretentious. I stuck it out to the end because I hate to give up on a story, but this was a total miss for me.

[seattleguamgirl]

This book drove me nuts. I thought it was super, super pretentious. I stuck it out to the end because I hate to give up on a story, but this was a total miss for me.

Thanks, Rosebud. I'm going to trust you on that since I also felt it was pretentious. But seriously, the narrator was awful! Like nails on a chalk board.

[Ummm]

Recent reads:

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak-



Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton- This was a curious one. Great reviews, raves from fellow chefs, really interesting life story from a highly-regarded chef who also has a MFA in creative writing and can definitely tell a story. I was completely engaged and absolutely loving her self depiction. And then I got to the third section of the book and the whole thing went off into this strange place that I'm still scratching my head about. I don't want to ruin it for anyone who may read it (and it is worth reading), but certainly not what I expected in the end. Hamilton can write, though. I hope she writes another book.



I haven't read the Book Thief yet :)

Blood, Bones & Butter is on my TBR list as I heard some rave reviews, though I also read some reviews that said the first 1/3 or so was great, but it went downhill from there... have you read Life, On the Line? I think you'd like it. It'd be one of my top books of 2011.

[Rosebud]

have you read Life, On the Line? I think you'd like it. It'd be one of my top books of 2011.

It's on my list! I meant to mention that after you posted that you liked it. There's a book store nearby that has a signed copy and I've been meaning to pick it up. Sounds like it's going to be a keeper.

[shoegal]

I just started reading [B]The Help[B] Oh my! This is really catching my attention, hoping that I can get through it this week so I can go see the movie this weekend.

[Ummm]

It's on my list! I meant to mention that after you posted that you liked it. There's a book store nearby that has a signed copy and I've been meaning to pick it up. Sounds like it's going to be a keeper.

I wish it has better photos (most are b&w) but I was able to find a lot of photos online afterward (esp on eGullet).

[Ohana]

Finished Someone Else's Garden a couple of nights ago. It's about a woman in rural India whose father doesn't want to feed her, because she'll just marry and leave the house, making feeding her akin to watering someone else's garden. Meh. I didn't really like it. The characters felt flat and boring, and the story really wasn't all that compelling.

Now I'm on to Monique and the Mango Rains, written by a former Peace Corps volunteer about her time in Mali and the midwife she worked with. I'm about 100 pages in, and am fascinated.

[Dizzy]

Quick question: have any of you read The Elegance of the Hedgehog? I downloaded the audiobook and I'm having a hard time getting into it. I don't know if it's because one of the narrators sounds like she smoked for forty years or if it's because the book is dull. Lmk if it's worth reading the actual book.

This was one of my favorite books last year! I thought it was one of the most beautiful, well-written stories I'd ever read.

Currently reading Jamrach's Menagerie and while the story isn't necessarily my thing (setting is out at sea; main character is a young boy; conflict is with a dragon), it's very well-crafted and was long listed for the Booker prize. So, I'm reading it even though it's not really my kind of story. Bu I should branch out more!

[Ohana]

Finished Monique and the Mango Rains over the weekend. Easily my favorite book of 2011 thus far.

[Dizzy]

So I ended up LOOOOVING Jamrach's Menagerie. I am still thinking about. I thought it was spectacular, and one of the most affecting books I've read in awhile. It definitely started out slow for me and it wasn't the most interesting subject material at first, but eventually all of that faded away and what was left was this incredible story about the human condition. Wow. Fantastic.

Currently reading Far To Go by Alison Pick. I'm really impressed with Pick so far - her characters are so alive and so multi-dimensional. I feel like I'm on a hot streak with good books!

[Kellie]

I want to read Monique and the Mango Rains, but it appears to not be available on kindle. So disappointing! :(

[anemone]

This book drove me nuts. I thought it was super, super pretentious. I stuck it out to the end because I hate to give up on a story, but this was a total miss for me.

Same for me. Elegance of The Hedgehog is in my unfinished list (which is rare). I just couldn't get into it - it bored me. I probably read around 1/2. I'm also not reaaaaaly enjoying The Tiger's Wife, which won the Orange prize. I'm going to continue with it, but I think that books that are heavy on the rambling narrative type story within the story (like The God of Small Things, which I also found totally dull) are not my thing.

Next up is Room by Emma Donoghue. Has anyone read it? It's my choice for my Book Club.

[Dizzy]

Next up is Room by Emma Donoghue. Has anyone read it? It's my choice for my Book Club.

I couldn't put this down - but at the same time I had to take breaks from it. Very good, but also very hard to read sometimes. I think it will make for very interesting conversation at your book club!

[Ummm]

Next up is Room by Emma Donoghue. Has anyone read it? It's my choice for my Book Club.

Interesting read - but more of a character study than a plot-driven story.

[Ummm]

Finished Iron House by John Hart. Haven't read him before. Not bad, but not a real thriller as I'd expected (fast paced with lots of twists), more like a literary thriller (more about the characters than twists). Well that's what I thought anyway.

[Rosebud]

I'm also not reaaaaaly enjoying The Tiger's Wife, which won the Orange prize. I'm going to continue with it, but I think that books that are heavy on the rambling narrative type story within the story (like The God of Small Things, which I also found totally dull) are not my thing.

I had a tough time with this one, too. I admired the writing but never felt really connected to the main character. I thought some of the stories within the story (like the deathless man and the tiger's wife) were more effective than the main plot.


Next up is Room by Emma Donoghue. Has anyone read it? It's my choice for my Book Club.

Read this for my book club recently. Total page turner-- I couldn't put it down. Very interesting story and good writing, IMO. I was surprised, because I haven't liked the author's previous work much, but this is definitely a step above for her.

[bookworm]

I'm reading The Paris Wife. So far, it's pleasant but not earth shattering. I chose it because I had enjoyed "Midnight in Paris," (the movie) and I'm still enjoying that world.

[Ummm]

Read The Human Bobby by Gabe Rotter - not something I would've picked up based on the title, cover, or description, but heard some really good reviews and thought I'd give it a try - this is definitely going to be in my top 10 this year! Prob fav fiction this year so far! The first chapter is a little confusing (starts at "chapter 31" so it's like a prologue") it was short and the next chapter (really, chapter 1) picks up from the beginning. Each chapter is short and it's a very fast read. It's best if you don't know much about it before you read, and I can't tell you much about it either or it'd be spoil the fun! If you like a fast-paced story with twists this is the book for you! But it's not just all plot, the character development is good too. Highly recommended!

[Dizzy]

I recently finished The Tragedy of Arthur and it wasn't one of my favorites. Don't get me wrong, it's a great book - the characters are interesting (altho I never really liked the narrator), the plot is clever, the author is definitely gifted - but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I don't regret reading it and I still got a lot out of it, if that makes any sense. I feel like it's possible to appreciate a book for what it is, but still be "meh" about it personally. I'm the same way about Hemingway =P

Now I'm reading Before I Go To Sleep which sounds sooo awesome from the synopsis. I hope it lives up to it!

[Rosebud]

I'm reading The Paris Wife. So far, it's pleasant but not earth shattering. I chose it because I had enjoyed "Midnight in Paris," (the movie) and I'm still enjoying that world.

Looooooved "Midnight in Paris." Wasn't it so charming?



I recently finished The Tragedy of Arthur and it wasn't one of my favorites. Don't get me wrong, it's a great book - the characters are interesting (altho I never really liked the narrator), the plot is clever, the author is definitely gifted - but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I don't regret reading it and I still got a lot out of it, if that makes any sense. I feel like it's possible to appreciate a book for what it is, but still be "meh" about it personally. I'm the same way about Hemingway =P

Hmmm... I was just about to download this. Sort of conflicted about whether I'm going to like it. I know exactly what you mean about appreciating something but not having any strong personal feelings about it. I don't really feel a writer has succeeded unless they are able to make the reader become personally invested in the story and the characters. But that's such an individual thing. Even on this board, we all have different responses to the same book. I love Hemingway, but I absolutely get why others don't. That's a great example, actually. He's pretty polarizing, I think.

[Ummm]

Now I'm reading Before I Go To Sleep which sounds sooo awesome from the synopsis. I hope it lives up to it!

It wasn't bad, but didn't quite live up to my expectation, but I had very high expectations... so can't to wait to hear what you think!

[seattleguamgirl]

I just finished The Constant Pricess by Philippa Gregory. I really enjoyed it (although I enjoyed reading The White Queen more), and liked the story of Katharine of Aragon that wasn't so focused on King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.

I think I need to move on from historic fiction. :)

[bookworm]

Looooooved "Midnight in Paris." Wasn't it so charming?

Yes :). Considered hopping a flight that evening (I saw a matinee), in fact! Then I remembered it was summer, and summer in Paris is Not My Thing....but I'll have to go back soon.

The Paris Wife was also rather charming. It made me want to re-read A Moveable Feast, which I haven't read since college. I found my copy at my parents' house (along with sooo many other books---I didn't appreciate being an English major enough the first time around. I might need to go back.) so I'll read that next. I remember rolling my eyes a lot while reading Hemingway--something about the whole "here is the one true thing" seemed a little indulgent, if something so sparse can be indulgent. Maybe my perspective will have changed.

On Before I Go to Sleep, I know I couldn't put it down....but when I was reading about it in this thread recently I had to really try to remember what happened. I did manage to remember it, but it's not one that stuck.

[Dizzy]

Hmmm... I was just about to download this. Sort of conflicted about whether I'm going to like it. I know exactly what you mean about appreciating something but not having any strong personal feelings about it. I don't really feel a writer has succeeded unless they are able to make the reader become personally invested in the story and the characters. But that's such an individual thing. Even on this board, we all have different responses to the same book. I love Hemingway, but I absolutely get why others don't. That's a great example, actually. He's pretty polarizing, I think.

I still think it's worth a read - I certainly don't want my opinions to ever stop someone from reading, kwim? But you have a point that the writer should make us personally invested. The more I think about it, the more I think my main problem was that I didn't like the narrator. I was invested in some of the other characters, but not the main one. And anyway the best part of the book is the full length play at the end! :)

[Dizzy]

It wasn't bad, but didn't quite live up to my expectation, but I had very high expectations... so can't to wait to hear what you think!

Honestly I can't put it down! Hopefully the ending will be just as satisfying!

[looch]

Stopped by the English section of the bookstore on Wednesday, and picked up 1000 Years of Annoying the French by Stephen Clarke. I haven't been reading much fiction lately, am looking for something after I finish this book...which could be a while!

[mia's mama]

Did anyone not love A Visit From the Goon Squad? I loved the first chapter and wanted to read more about Sasha, but now I am halfway through and am having a hard time keeping track of the various characters... Maybe I am too easily distracted for this book :p

Some recent reads that I enjoyed: room, the Art of Racing in the Rain, Crazy for the Storm

[Dizzy]

I finished Before I Go to Sleep and I feel like the ending was slightly a let down, but overall I still really loved the book. I couldn't put it down, so that says something. It actually made me look forward to my commute so I could read :p

Then I read Lost in Shangri La which was just ok. I wasn't crazy about it and was expecting something much more exciting. Now I'm reading Pigeon English and I'm not really feeling it. But, it's only 220 pages and people smarter than me thought it had merit, so I'm determined to finish!

[juliemama1]

I'm just reading the very light Chelsea Lately books! They are hysterical!

[seattleguamgirl]

Finished Pillars of the Earth last night. What an amazing book. It took a while to get into it because of the lengthy character development, but I really appreciate that Ken Follett took much care in developing characters so that they become familiar to you, like members of your family. I couldn't put it down about halfway through the book.

I was honestly sad to reach the end. I highly recommend it!

Has anyone read the follow up to this book? I want to pick it up but I need a break...off to read something that requires little concentration. :)

[Rosebud]

Let's see, what have I been reading lately? Nothing good, unfortunately.

Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan- This was a tough one for me. I wasn't a big fan in the end. (Not spoilers, but a bit of plot discussion you may not want to read if you haven't read the book, in white): I felt that the author didn't do a very good job of developing the characters and instead defined them merely as "types" rather than really getting under their skin. Also, I don't believe for a second that a group of girls this incredibly different would become such very good friends. That seemed purely driven by the plot and not the natural result of character desire. And the third act of the book? Just weird. Derailed the whole story, IMO.
I've heard that her recent book, Maine, is pretty good, though. Anyone read it?

The Forgery of Venus by Michael Gruber- This one was so bad I abandoned ship just a handful of chapters in. Imagine some dirty, 70-year old man with extremely dubious literary skills trying to write a sexy thriller about art forgery. I think this would be the result. Pretty much unreadable. I am flabbergasted as to the positive reviews online. Give this one a big pass, I implore you.

So, now I'm reading...

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom- This is a really well-reviewed book about a young Irish girl who comes to live on a tobacco plantation in Virginia and whose loyalty is torn between the slaves she lives with and the white masters in the "big house." No, it's not at all like The Help. I think the writing style is good and I'm very interested in most of the characters. The world is certainly compelling and I'm involved in the story. I just wish it wasn't so relentlessly depressing. It's just one horrific thing after the next and I'm starting to dread each chapter, even though I really want to know what happens. Not a fun read, but a powerful story.

Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Me by Pattie Boyd- Being a Beatles fan, I have been curious to read this autobiography for a while. The woman who inspired "Wonderful Tonight" and "Layla" has got to be pretty interesting, right? I haven't gotten far enough to know, yet, but this is very easy reading (extremely simplistic writing style that was inexplicably done by a ghost writer.... if you're going to use a ghost writer, shouldn't you choose one with some skills?) and I'm curious to see where it goes. Apparently she doesn't dish a lot of dirt in this book and keeps it kind of classy. We'll see.

[cactus]

Rosebud, I read Maine. I liked it; I wouldn't say it wowed me but it was entertaining and a good summer read, especially if you love daydreaming about New England (as I do). I read Commencement, whenever it was first published. What's weird is I remember absolutely NOTHING about it. A bunch of people lately have been talking about how they don't like the end, but I can't even remember what the end was so I don't know if I liked it or not. ;)

[rachrich]

seattleguamgirl Pillars... is one of my top 3 all-time favorite books. LOOOOOVED IT! It was kind of sad when it was over. I was a little frightened when I first started reading, thinking "How am I ever going to get through this 900page book???" But it went by much faster than I thought, because the plot was so juicy and sucked me right in! I haven't read the follow-up, but really want to. BUT! it's longer than Pillars, AND again I am daunted by the length, AND I've heard that it's not as good as Pillars. LOL :) Too many things holding me back from reading it right at the moment, but honestly I do want to read it sometime. And, Follett's got a newer one out too that I haven't heard much about. If you do go on to "World without End" come back and post how you liked it. It sounds as though you liked Pillars as much as I did, so you'd likely be a trustworthy source on how "World..." will be.

[bookworm]

seattleguamgirl And, Follett's got a newer one out too that I haven't heard much about.

Fall of Giants? I liked it...not as much as Pillars... but there aren't a ton of books that meet that threshold. It was the same style, though--several stories leading up to WW1, with some intersections/different perspectives on events.

I haven't actually gone back to A Moveable Feast yet--I needed a Kindle book so I read The Forgotten Garden. It was kind of a gentle mystery---I wanted to know what happened, but wasn't in a super hurry to get there.

[seattleguamgirl]

seattleguamgirl Pillars... I haven't read the follow-up, but really want to. BUT! it's longer than Pillars, AND again I am daunted by the length, AND I've heard that it's not as good as Pillars. LOL :) Too many things holding me back from reading it right at the moment, but honestly I do want to read it sometime. And, Follett's got a newer one out too that I haven't heard much about. If you do go on to "World without End" come back and post how you liked it. It sounds as though you liked Pillars as much as I did, so you'd likely be a trustworthy source on how "World..." will be.

I think I will read it soon. I had to laugh at your comment on the size of the book--one of the reasons I love my Kindle is I no longer know how long a book is (and my hand doesn't hurt holding huge books).

I'm definitely interested in reading more from Follett. I'm looking for something to read now, but I fear nothing will live up to Pillars. :)

[Ohana]

seattleguamgirl Pillars is definitely one of my favorites! I re-read it from time to time just because I miss the characters.

That said, the follow up wasn't all that. The book actually takes place 200 years after Pillars, but I still felt like many of the characters (Aliena, Jack) were recycled, and not in a good way. It's not a bad book per se, but it's not really a worthy follow up to Pillars. If you go into it knowing that, I think it would still be a good read.

[Ohana]

Also, just to clarify, the sequel is World Without End. Fall of Giants is by Follett, but I'm pretty sure it's unrelated to Pillars.

If you're looking for more Follett to read, Whiteout and Night Over Water are both excellent.

[Rosebud]

Rosebud, I read Maine. I liked it; I wouldn't say it wowed me but it was entertaining and a good summer read, especially if you love daydreaming about New England (as I do). I read Commencement, whenever it was first published. What's weird is I remember absolutely NOTHING about it. A bunch of people lately have been talking about how they don't like the end, but I can't even remember what the end was so I don't know if I liked it or not. ;)

Yes, in the end I think Commencement is pretty forgettable. I might give Maine a shot sometime down the line, though.

[Dizzy]

Currently reading The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes and I looove it. It's awesome. I'm trying to get through the Man Booker shortlist before the winner is announced!

[Ohana]

Finished Shanghai Girls earlier this week. I really enjoyed it, but didn't realize until the end that there's a sequel. Now I have to get Dreams of Joy, because I have to know how this story ends!

Since I don't have the sequel now, I'm reading Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I read another of his books earlier this year and didn't really care for it, but Shadow is much more interesting.

[Rosebud]

Currently reading The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes and I looove it. It's awesome. I'm trying to get through the Man Booker shortlist before the winner is announced!

Thanks for the recommendation! Putting it on my list.


Since I don't have the sequel now, I'm reading Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I read another of his books earlier this year and didn't really care for it, but Shadow is much more interesting.

I think Shadow is definitely the better of his books. I really enjoyed it. The strange thing with Ruiz Zafon, though, is that all his stories seem to fall apart in the final chapters. They get sort of nonsensical or fantastical. I thought the endings to both books were weak, which is a shame because that guy can really spin a story. Shadow was one of the most engrossing mysteries I'd read in some time. Will be curious to hear what you think when you've finished.

[seattleguamgirl]

Finished Shanghai Girls earlier this week. I really enjoyed it, but didn't realize until the end that there's a sequel. Now I have to get Dreams of Joy, because I have to know how this story ends!

Since I don't have the sequel now, I'm reading Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I read another of his books earlier this year and didn't really care for it, but Shadow is much more interesting.

I really liked Shanghai Girls. I have a sample of Dreams of Joy in my Kindle now. I should start it.

I also liked Shadow of the Wind. I thought it was well written and gripping, at times. I agree with Rosebud about the final chapters, but overall, it was a great read.

[looch]

Started At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson

I really like this author, I've added a bunch of his other work to my wishlist.

[Dizzy]

Reading The Sisters Brothers by Patrick Dewitt and it's great. I'm enjoying it immensely. DH read it before I did and he absolutely raved about - it's one of his favorites of the year.

[Rosebud]

Started At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson

I really like this author, I've added a bunch of his other work to my wishlist.

Bill Bryson is amazing. Love, love him. You can't go wrong with any of his books. My personal favorite might be In A Sunburned Country, but it's really hard to choose. I bet most people would go for his England-based books or A Walk In the Woods.



Reading The Sisters Brothers by Patrick Dewitt and it's great. I'm enjoying it immensely. DH read it before I did and he absolutely raved about - it's one of his favorites of the year.

Good to hear! This has been on my list. Moving it to the top!

[Rosebud]

Just FYI...

Starbucks' "Pick of the Week" free iTunes download is an audiobook this week. It's The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, which I've read good things about recently. If you go into your local Starbucks, they should have a little card by the cash register somewhere that will give you the iTunes code to download it. :)


Amazon Best Books of the Month, September 2011: Erin Morgenstern’s dark, enchanting debut takes us to the black and white tents of Le Cirque des Reves, a circus that arrives without warning, simply appearing when yesterday it was not there. Young Celia and Marco have been cast into a rivalry at The Night Circus, one arranged long ago by powers they do not fully understand. Over time, their lives become more intricately enmeshed in a dance of love, joy, deceit, heartbreak, and magic. Author Morgenstern knows her world inside and out, and she guides the reader with a confident hand. The setting and tone are never less than mesmerizing. The characters are well-realized and memorable. But it is the Night Circus itself that might be the most memorable of all. --Chris Schluep

[wine_o_girlie]

I just finished The Tiger's Wife and I don't really think I "get" it. :confused: I was intrigued the whole time I was reading the book and I just kept thinking that the next chapter would go somewhere or something would develop but honestly it never did for me. I don't regret reading it but I feel like I have no idea what the book was actually supposed to be about and what it was trying to tell me (or was it not really trying to tell me anything?). Am I the only one?

Loved Unbroken, most definitely the best book I have read in 2011. Currently reading Erik Larson's latest book (blanking on the name) about the US Ambassador to Germany in the lead-up to WWII. Pretty good so far but nothing too earth shattering and it's getting a bit long with all of the different names, etc. Still a good read though.

[Dizzy]

Finished The Sisters Brothers and it was seriously fantastic. Now I'm reading Snowdrops and I'm really enjoying it, as well. Of all the Shortlisted books, Jamrach's Menagerie is still the one that has stuck with me the most, and which I feel is the most impressive novel. But all of them have been great in their own way. I am a much happier person when I am reading good fiction!

[Photobug]

Reading The King's Speech right now. I actually just watched the movie when I was about half-way through the book. It's very interesting to get the back story on Lionel Logue. I'm looking forward to reading the rest.

[Rosebud]

Finished The Sisters Brothers and it was seriously fantastic.

Just started listening to the audiobook and am enjoying it thus far!

Recently read:

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes- Really liked it! Great writing. Found the story thoughtful and unexpected. Very British, in a good way. This is my first Barnes book. Anyone have a favorite of his they'd recommend?

In the Merde for Love by Stephen Clarke- An easy read, but not nearly as funny/ charming as his first book, A Year in the Merde. I do enjoy just about anything having to do with expats in France, though.

Next Up:

My book club is reading Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua. The next meeting is Saturday and I haven't even started it yet! Ugh. Good thing I'll be spending some time on planes and in airports on Friday. Hopefully will have enough time to power through it.

[Ummm]

My book club is reading Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua. The next meeting is Saturday and I haven't even started it yet! Ugh. Good thing I'll be spending some time on planes and in airports on Friday. Hopefully will have enough time to power through it.

It is a very fast read. I read it in 3 settings.

[Ummm]

Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman. A lot of buzz, I enjoyed it but don't love it. Very contemporary with lots of recent reference (e.g. Obama/McCain, Job lost etc). Just a little too predictable for me. Some called it "dude lit" (as opposed to chicklit).

[Ohana]

Finally finished reading Shadow of the Wind. I'm meh on it. I thought the first 300 pages were slooooooow and there were so many characters, it really cluttered things up and made it hard for me to follow. I have to say, though, that the ending brought it all together for me and I ended up thinking it was an interesting story with untapped potential. I've realized that Zafon just doesn't do it for me and I'll probably skip his books in the future, as I really didn't enjoy Angels Game, either.

Now on to Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. DD2 picked this book for my birthday, which I thought was really cute, because she didn't know I have been wanting to read it. In fact, she can't even read yet, but DH said she was firm that she needed to buy this book for me.

[scout]

I just finished STATE OF WONDER by Anne Patchett. SO good! I got completely lost in the book and can't stop thinking about it.

[Ummm]

I just finished STATE OF WONDER by Anne Patchett. SO good! I got completely lost in the book and can't stop thinking about it.

I'm glad you like it! I enjoyed it even though it's not my typical genre. The ending still bugs me though.

[akacharlotte]

I just finished the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. Someone several pages back mentioned enjoying the 4th book so I picked up 2-4 to read. I had read the first book a few years ago. After the 4th I realized there was a 5th. I was not at all expecting what happened to happen. Overall enjoyed the 5th book. The previous 3 were just ok. I would probably love them more if I was a teenager/early 20something.

[Megande]

I just finished The Trouble with Boys: A Surprising Report Card on Our Sons, Their Problems at School, and What Parents and Educators Must Do. It was about the rising achievement gap between boys and girls and the huge gender gap in college attendance and their causes, consequences, and possible solutions. Boys are particularly falling down in reading, partly because they come to view it as girly. I myself have noticed that there seem to be early reader books for girls that are fun and interesting, and the ones for boys are just lame. And teachers, who are mostly female, are most likely to pick books that they love to read to their classes, which aren't as likely to draw the boys in. I know that last year my son's teacher read a bunch of Junie B. Jones, which is not the most boy friendly of series. It gave some nice suggestions for helping boys to learn to read and learn to love to read. So now we are reading Captain Underpants like crazy, and I have some research-based justification for it ;). I recommend this book if you have a school aged child, boy or girl.

[scout]

The ending still bugs me though I agree. My thoughts are in white....Were you upset that it hinted that the mian character might be pregnant? Or were you bothered by how abrupt it was?

I'd like to thank everyone on this thread for such great book ideas. ALL of my reading recs come from here! I sit down once a month and type in the book recommendations on here, and put holds on them. Then, it's like Christmas as the books come in! :)

magande Here's a link I give to my parents of boys at our Open House. http://www.guysread.com/

[mrs_pell]

I've been sucked into the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evonovich lately. I keep saying I'll read one more and then move one of the other books I have waiting for me, and then somehow start on the next one instead! I just can't wait to see what Grandma will do next! ;) But, I really am going to take a break and read one of the library books I have waiting for me next - either Mudbound by Hillary Jordan or The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom...haven't decided which. I also just got notices that I have Fury by Elizabeth Miles, and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern waiting for me at the library too! They always come in all at once!

[Ummm]

I've been sucked into the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evonovich lately. I keep saying I'll read one more and then move one of the other books I have waiting for me, and then somehow start on the next one instead! I just can't wait to see what Grandma will do next! ;) But, I really am going to take a break and read one of the library books I have waiting for me next

I couldn't get into this series. I read the first one and it just wasn't for me, even though I like reading mystery/murder, but this one is not gruesome enough I guess! I didn't find it funny either :(

[Ummm]

I agree. My thoughts are in white....Were you upset that it hinted that the mian character might be pregnant? Or were you bothered by how abrupt it was?

My response in white: I didn't like that they had an affair, after showing us how much what's his name loved his wife and all... and I didn't like that he and Marina just tossed Easter back to "his family" just like that after saying how much they loved him. I guess it's part of human nature, that we're selfish... but it just seems to be totally out of character. Even if that's how the author decided to end it, I wish there was an "after" to show they were remorseful or something so they can redeem themselves.

[mrs_pell]

I couldn't get into this series. I read the first one and it just wasn't for me, even though I like reading mystery/murder, but this one is not gruesome enough I guess! I didn't find it funny either :(

It's definitely not your typical mystery/murder book, but I just can't help but enjoy this series. So many times my husband has walked through the living room and asked me what I was laughing about. I never laugh out loud when reading, but this series does it for me at least once a book. I think I just like all the off the wall characters - especially grandma and dad! :)

[Dizzy]

I finished Snowdrops and it was awesome - I really felt like I was in Russia experiencing everything with the characters. The setting was so present. Now I'm reading Half Blood Blues and it's a little slow at the moment, but I'm hoping it picks up. DH recently read Robopocalypse and loved it and he is now reading The Art of Fielding and says it's the best book he's read all year.

[magrat]

I just finished The Trouble with Boys: A Surprising Report Card on Our Sons, Their Problems at School, and What Parents and Educators Must Do....And teachers, who are mostly female, are most likely to pick books that they love to read to their classes, which aren't as likely to draw the boys in.

I've been reading books about boys too, since I have a little one and have very little experience with them. But I found your comment surprising because I always hated reading class (even though I read constantly) because we only ever read "boy" books. From elementary school through high school. I realized early on that they assumed girls liked reading and would be willing to read books about boys, but that boys wouldn't read books about girls. Year after year, this boy comes of age, that boy comes of age, over and over and over again. I think it's the only theme they ever covered when I was in school, boys coming of age.

I just came to drop off this NPR sci-fi and fantasy flow chart that I had a lot of fun looking through:
http://www.box.net/shared/static/a6omcl2la0ivlxsn3o8m.jpgAlthough

[Ummm]

Really enjoyed Children of Paranoia by Trevor Shane. Book 1 of a trilogy.

[mrs_pell]

Just finished The Kitchen House, by Kathleen Grissom. This is what I posted on GR.

I'm still trying to figure out exactly how much I liked this book. I keep going back and forth between giving it 2 stars or 4 stars, so settling on 3. Well-written book about Levinia, a 7-year old orphaned Irish girl who becomes an indentured servant on a tabacco plantation in Virginia. The story chronicles her her struggles with being a white girl who becomes fiercely loyal to her adopted black family, and then as she becomes a woman and her indentureship is over, the expectations from society to be the "white lady" that she "should be." The characters had me instantly engaged and Grissom did a great job of making me loving (or hating) each of them. It definitely wasn't a light, "feel-good" book, and I was often wondering if anything good would ever happen, but then realized that it probably wasn't that far off from the reality of the times. I did find the ending a bit rushed, and lacking in something. I really wanted more from the ending. All in all, I'm glad I read it, but need to read something more light-hearted next!

[Ohana]

Finished Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet last night. Loved it. Possibly my favorite for 2011 (and I've read some really good books this year). In fact, I closed the book and told DH I wish it had 100 more pages. I just wanted to keep reading on and on.

I usually forge right into a new book as soon as I finish one, but I want to savor these characters a bit longer. Eventually, I'll move on to a new(er) Maeve Binchy.

[Sin Nombre]

Bill Bryson is amazing. Love, love him. You can't go wrong with any of his books. My personal favorite might be In A Sunburned Country, but it's really hard to choose. I bet most people would go for his England-based books or A Walk In the Woods.

Totally agree with the Bill Bryson love. Being a road-tripper, my favorite is "Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America". A close second is "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir".

[magrat]

I love the Australian book by Bill Bryson, but my favorite is Mother Tongue.

[Ummm]

Henry's Sisters by Cathy Lamb. It was okay... half way through and I was a bit bored. The characters were very extreme though... too much that they became stereotype.

[bookworm]

Marisa de Los Santos has a new book out--Falling Together. I read it in a day--nice story, and I love her writing.

[mrs_pell]

I finished The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern last night. My initial verdict after finishing it was that I didn't really like it, although it's gotten really good reviews on GR. For me, it had a LOT of detail that got redundant and sometimes boring, and the plot was really slow to develop. The "love story" part was kinda "eh" to me. I was tempted to give up on it several times, but every time I tried to walk away from it, I found myself wanting to find out what was going to happen next, so I finished it. Like I said, the initial feeling was that it was "eh" and that I didn't rreally like it. BUT, I found myself thinking about it multiple times today and realizing that I think I liked it a little more than I thought...especially after getting through all the details and just thinking about the underlying story. Not my favorite book by any means, but a creative story and one that I think several people will like (especially if they like detail and like circuses! :) ).

[Ummm]

I finished The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern last night. My initial verdict after finishing it was that I didn't really like it, although it's gotten really good reviews on GR. For me, it had a LOT of detail that got redundant and sometimes boring, and the plot was really slow to develop. The "love story" part was kinda "eh" to me. I was tempted to give up on it several times, but every time I tried to walk away from it, I found myself wanting to find out what was going to happen next, so I finished it. Like I said, the initial feeling was that it was "eh" and that I didn't rreally like it. BUT, I found myself thinking about it multiple times today and realizing that I think I liked it a little more than I thought...especially after getting through all the details and just thinking about the underlying story. Not my favorite book by any means, but a creative story and one that I think several people will like (especially if they like detail and like circuses! :) ).

I have reserved this based on some good reviews I'd read. Not really my type of book but I am intrigued about the circus :)

[cactus]

I just finished The Year We Left Home by Jean Thompson. I thought it was a gorgeously done (but BLEAK...I warned you!) novel told in a really interesting way. The last few pages just about broke my heart with how well they were written. So yes, now I am depressed but I thought it was a beautiful book.

I've been reading The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta for like 2 weeks now. I love Tom Perrotta and I thought I would blow through the book, but it's been kind of hard for me to get into. I'll reserve judgment until after I (hopefully) finish it.

[Ummm]

I just finished The Year We Left Home by Jean Thompson. I thought it was a gorgeously done (but BLEAK...I warned you!) novel told in a really interesting way. The last few pages just about broke my heart with how well they were written. So yes, now I am depressed but I thought it was a beautiful book.

I've been reading The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta for like 2 weeks now. I love Tom Perrotta and I thought I would blow through the book, but it's been kind of hard for me to get into. I'll reserve judgment until after I (hopefully) finish it.

Read 60 pages of The Leftovers. Got bored... I am abandoning it. Too many other books I want to read. The Year We Left Home sounds interesting.

[lbs27]

I've not searched this whole thread, and I know this is an older book, so I apologize in advance - has anyone read One Day? I started it several months back and just could not get into it. Read a couple of other things and now I'm back at it. I really want to see the movie and I feel like I should finish the book before I do, plus I figured maybe picturing the characters from the movie would help. Well I'm halfway through and just cannot get into it - it's an incredibly slow read IMO - I read like 5 pages before bed and fall asleep!

Just wondering if anyone in here had a similar or different experience.

[looch]

I just stocked up again, the English bookstore had a promo Buy 1, Get 50% off the second, so I bought the following:

Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the FinancialSystem--and Themselves by Andrew Ross Sorkin
That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back by Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum

[Ohana]

Finished Maeve Binchy's Heart and Soul last night. Stylistically, similar to her Evening Class, where early chapters are told from each major character's perspective, their background and how they ended up at the heart clinic. Overall, an enjoyable story.

However. This book has over 40 characters to keep track of. 40! Yes, it was nice to catch up with characters from Quentins, Scarlet Feather, Evening Class, Whitethorn Woods and Nights of Rain and Stars, there were just too many people to remember. Half of the characters made almost no contribution to the storyline, but had the annoying habit of popping back up a hundred pages later.

Only recommend reading this book if you've recently read all the other Binchy's listed above, or you'll not have a chance of keeping 40+ characters straight.

[Ummm]

I've not searched this whole thread, and I know this is an older book, so I apologize in advance - has anyone read One Day? I started it several months back and just could not get into it. Read a couple of other things and now I'm back at it. I really want to see the movie and I feel like I should finish the book before I do, plus I figured maybe picturing the characters from the movie would help. Well I'm halfway through and just cannot get into it - it's an incredibly slow read IMO - I read like 5 pages before bed and fall asleep!

Just wondering if anyone in here had a similar or different experience..

I couldn't get into it...

[Ummm]

Children of Paranoia. Book 1 of trilogy. Supposedly dystopian but different from others - it could be something happening now. Will prob end up in top 10 for me this year.

[Rosebud]

I read One Day and thought it was entertaining, but flawed. If you can't get into it, I don't think it's so spectacular a book that I'd tell you to press on.

Currently reading State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. Really interesting thus far. I'm about halfway through and am eager to see how this turns out. Although, having read Bel Canto, I will not expect things to be tied up in a pretty little bow... ;)

[Lila55]

I also read One Day but struggled to get into the characters. I forced myself to finish it.

Here are the last three books that I enjoyed.

In Spite of Eveything: A Memoir by Susan Gregory Thomas. Susan Gregory Thomas is a GenX child of divorce who gets a divorce herself. This book gave me a lot to think about after I finished it.

Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster - Fun, vacation read

The Last Brother by Nathacha Appanah - One of the better books I have read this year even though I felt like I was reading someone's nightmare.

[lbs27]

I've not searched this whole thread, and I know this is an older book, so I apologize in advance - has anyone read One Day? I started it several months back and just could not get into it. Read a couple of other things and now I'm back at it. I really want to see the movie and I feel like I should finish the book before I do, plus I figured maybe picturing the characters from the movie would help. Well I'm halfway through and just cannot get into it - it's an incredibly slow read IMO - I read like 5 pages before bed and fall asleep!

Just wondering if anyone in here had a similar or different experience.

Well, I bore down and finished it this weekend. To be honest, I was so disappointed by the book and the ending that I don't even want to see the movie now.

I just started reading Rob Lowe's autobiography - good so far.

[Sin Nombre]

I am currently reading "The Other Life" by Ellen Meister. It's very good so far; it is a sort of "Sliding Doors" tale about a wife and mother who is pregnant with a potentially disabled child, who discovers a portal to an alternate life where she is living the life of the road not taken, so to speak. In the alternative life, she is still single, living with her celebrity boyfriend, and her mother is alive. In her current suburban life (reality), her mother committed suicide 7 years ago. Despite feeling like she is cheating on her real life by moving back and forth, she can't resist the temptation to have her mother back, especially since she is going through such emotional upheaval regarding the pregnancy.

I can't wait to find out what happens next.

[Ummm]

Couldn't get into Best Kept Secret by Amy Hatvany. About an alcoholic mother with a 4yo. Amazon has all positive reviews though so it's just me.

[cactus]

Okay, I did finally finish The Leftovers. In the end, I think I'm glad to have read it but it was WEIRD.

Has anyone else read the whole thing?

[Rosebud]

Speaking of Bill Bryson, I heard him speak at a local event last night and he said that his favorite of his books is The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. I guess this makes sense, since it's a humorous account of his childhood in Iowa. It's one of his only books that I haven't read, so I put it on my list.

[Ummm]

Maman's Homesick Pie: A Persian Heart in An American Kitchen by Donia Bijan. A warm-hearted memoir. Similar to A Homemade Life in terms of tones/format (a couple of recipe at the end of each chapter related to the story just read.)

[Rosebud]

I just finished State of Wonder and quite liked it. I thought it was a much more interesting and satisfying book than Bel Canto (the only other thing of Patchett's that I've read), and the ending actually really worked for me. I know the discussion on this one was a few months ago, but if anyone's still interested (Cactus and Ummm?), here are my thoughts (in white- big spoilers):

The exchange of Easter worked for me because (a) his name is Easter, which speaks to me of rebirth. Trading Easter saves Anders' life, so Anders is reborn, or certainly it would seem so to his family. Also, I think it's the final exclamation point on the undercurrent of racism and white man's entitlement that weaves through the entire book. In those critical moments, Easter is less important to both Marina and Anders than Anders is. This could be because he's a child, but it's also almost certainly because he's indigenous.

Easter's grief and pain are less important than the grief and pain of Anders' own children. Think of Dr. Swenson saving the good drugs for her own surgery and using the Lakashi as test cases in ethically dubious ways. They matter less than the white doctors and the goals of the medical community. And of course, this all ties back in perfectly with Heart of Darkness (or Paradise Lost, although honestly I would not have thought so much of Milton with this book if there wasn't actually a character named Milton).

The ending really worked for me, because it's a seemingly happy ending, but with that twinge of darkness around the edges. Will Easter make his way back to the Lakashi? Will the malaria drug come to fruition? Will Marina turn out to be pregnant? (Almost certainly yes on this, I'd wager). It leaves you just enough to think about without leaving really necessary questions unanswered. Much, much better than Bel Canto, which was one of those "HUH?" endings.

Anyway, I liked it. I think it's a book that leads to good discussion, as well. Good book club pick!

[Ummm]

Rosebud, in white:

While I don't like the idea of Easter being "exchanged", given how much they said they loved him... I can accept it but I just don't like it lol. But what bothered me more was Andre and Marina having a one night stand... it just seems to come out from no where... I mean, she did say she missed him in the lab or whatnot, but she had also seen how devastated the wife was, and his kids... and he was writing letter to the wife...

[scarlett]

This goes back a few posts, but I just finished Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth and World Without End. I really enjoyed them both. Contrary to what seems to be popular opinion, I liked the second one better. Yes, it felt like a few of the characters were recycled, but in Pillars, I felt like the same things kept happening over and over again and I was like "get on with it already". They are huge books - after getting the first one from the library, I decided to wait for the second to be available from the library as an ebook to read on my Kindle. Much easier to read that way. :) DH and I are now watching the Pillars of the Earth miniseries that was made for Starz this past year. It's good so far. Thanks for the recommendations.

[cactus]

Rosebud and Ummm... re: State of Wonder...

It's been a while since I finished this book but I'm glad you brought it up again because we're discussing it next month at my book club so I need a refresher.

I got the impression (this may be a wrong impression, having read the whole thing) that Marina had the one night stand with Anders under the assumption that it would make her pregnant and she wanted that chance. I felt like Anders was just a body (and some sperm) who was the best possibility in those circumstances at that time, and it wasn't about emotional connection or attachment. It felt almost clinical to me.

So yes, I felt certain after I finished the book that she went back to Minnesota pregnant with Anders' baby. Now that you bring it up, I guess I should go back and reread and see if there was actually some doubt around this.

I like the book more as time has gone by after I read it. I got it off a long library hold list earlier this year and I wish I could get it back so I could reread it.

I do have to say that the snake scene is still fresh in my mind, even after a couple of months. :)

[seattleguamgirl]

LOVED Pillars! I'll have to read World Without End soon. I agree about the size of the book, which is why I was grateful to read it on the Kindle. One of the many reasons I love my Kindle!

I'm currently reading Dreams of Joy by Lisa See (the book that follows Shanghai Girls) and Freakonomics. I'm enjoying both very much. Dreams of Joy is moving along at a fast pace. If you love Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers), you will like Freakonomics.

Before Dreams of Joy, I finished Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I liked it but I think I expected to like it much more, given the subject matter. Overall, it was okay for me.

[Ummm]

Divergent by Veronica Roth. YA dystopian. If you like The Hunger Games, you'd prob like this series (this is book 1, book 2 is coming out next May).

[E&O]

Because they just spent 3 days filming part of the movie next door to my SIL's house (Bradley Cooper, yum!) I have downloaded The Silver Lining Playbook.

[Rosebud]

I was just looking at Amazon's lists of their favorite books of the year thus far. I find their lists interesting because they're often a hybrid of the critical lists and popular opinion. Anyway, was just wondering what you have read from this list and what you would recommend.

Top 10 Editors' Picks

Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II
by Mitchell Zuckoff

The Tiger's Wife: A Novel
by Téa Obreht

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
by Erik Larson

Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef
by Gabrielle Hamilton

The Tragedy of Arthur: A Novel
by Arthur Phillips

Bossypants
by Tina Fey

22 Britannia Road: A Novel
by Amanda Hodgkinson

Before I Go to Sleep: A Novel
by S. J. Watson

Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything
by Joshua Foer

Please Look After Mom
by Kyung-Sook Shin

They also have lists by genre. State of Wonder made their top 10 list for fiction (http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=br_lf_m_1000698051_grlink_7?ie=UTF8&plgroup=7&docId=1000698051).

I've read four of these books and most of the rest are on my to-read list. I really liked 22 Brittania Road and of course loved Bossypants. Also read Blood, Bones & Butter and The Tiger's Wife, and while I thought they were both well-written and had some interesting content, I also had some reservations about them.

Anyone read In the Garden of Beasts yet? Can it possibly be as good as Devil in the White City? I hope so! What about Moonwalking with Einstein? Sounds interesting.

[scout]

A million thanks for recommending Bill Bryson. His book A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING was mind-changing. I'm also from Iowa, and as I read THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE THUNDERBOLT KID, my stomach hurt from laughing so hard. I currently have every book he's ever written waiting for me at the library. :D

[Ummm]

I was just looking at Amazon's lists of their favorite books of the year thus far. I find their lists interesting because they're often a hybrid of the critical lists and popular opinion. Anyway, was just wondering what you have read from this list and what you would recommend.

Top 10 Editors' Picks

Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II
by Mitchell Zuckoff

Before I Go to Sleep: A Novel
by S. J. Watson

They also have lists by genre. State of Wonder made their top 10 list for fiction (http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=br_lf_m_1000698051_grlink_7?ie=UTF8&plgroup=7&docId=1000698051).
What about Moonwalking with Einstein? Sounds interesting.

I had read this 3. I like Lost in Shangri-La but I don't like it as much as HeLa or some other Non Fiction. Before I go to Sleep is not a bad read, but could be better I think. State of Wonder not bad, but won't be my fav fiction.

Haven't read Moonwalking, have it on my TBR list, but have read a short article online by the author about it (times? New yorker? can't remember). Seems interesting.

[looch]

A million thanks for recommending Bill Bryson. His book A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING was mind-changing. I'm also from Iowa, and as I read THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE THUNDERBOLT KID, my stomach hurt from laughing so hard. I currently have every book he's ever written waiting for me at the library. :D

I am going to read A SHORT HISTORY next. I can't believe I didn't know of him sooner!

[nawsgirl]

I

Anyone read In the Garden of Beasts yet? Can it possibly be as good as Devil in the White City? I hope so!

I listened to In the Garden of Beasts on audiobook and I was bored to tears. I never felt like I really got to know any of the characters, and what I did learn about them I didn't really like. Larson seems to have pieced most of the story together from diaries and letters and it just did not flow well for me.

[seattleguamgirl]

I listened to In the Garden of Beasts on audiobook and I was bored to tears. I never felt like I really got to know any of the characters, and what I did learn about them I didn't really like. Larson seems to have pieced most of the story together from diaries and letters and it just did not flow well for me.

I also tried to listen to the audiobook but I could not get into it. I was hoping the print version would be better.

[Lila55]

What about Moonwalking with Einstein? Sounds interesting.

I read Moonwalking with Einstein earlier this year. I enjoyed the book and recommend it. I try to use some of his techniques to remember numbers. The author is Jonathan Safran Foer's younger brother.

[Ummm]

Finished Little Bee. Just okay for me. Maybe expectation was too high.

[weezalana]

Has anyone read the Steve Jobs bio yet? Or planning to?

[Ummm]

Has anyone read the Steve Jobs bio yet? Or planning to?

Have reserved in the library, so will be a while yet! Did hear good reviews.

[rachrich]

Rosebud Yes, I've read In the Garden of Beasts. It was sometimes interesting, and sometimes boring. Definitely not as good as I had expected, especially after Devil..., which was WAY better. Larson will have a hard time topping that book!

[looch]

Has anyone read the Steve Jobs bio yet? Or planning to?

My husband is reading it, I have it downloaded to my kindle but am working through another book ATM.

[weezalana]

looch - what does he think of it so far?

I just finished The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen. It wasn't quite as mystical as her other books, but still very entertaining read. Since having my baby in July, I haven't been able to concentrate on reading even light fiction, but this one drew me in right away - and I finished it! - so that's saying something! ;)

[seattleguamgirl]

I read Girl With the Dragon Tattoo two years ago, and I finally picked up and finished The Girl Who Played With Fire. I was hesitant to read it based on the first two chapters (about Salander being restrained on her 13th birthday). Tatoo was so sexually perverse, I didn't really want to read about All the Evil that happened to Salander. That said, I'm glad I decided to give it a shot since I really enjoyed the second book. It was fast paced compared to the first one and grabbed my interest immediately.

[mrs_pell]

Hmm...I just replied, but it disappeared! :( Anyway, I just finished a re-read of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo a few days ago, and am just starting to re-read The Girl Who Played with Fire. I absolutely loved this series the first time through a few years ago, but enjoyed the first book even more this time around. The first time it took me a long time to get into it, but this time I was instantly hooked (again). I remembered most of the plot, which made the beginning of the book much more interesting, but I'd forgotten quite a bit of it, so the "mystery" was still somewhat there for me. I can't wait to see the movie (casting looks awesome), but am also dreading it and hoping they don't destroy it. There's so much in that book, that I don't know how they'll do it well if they keep closely to the book's storyline. Maybe I'll watch the Swedish version this weekend.

[dragonfly_71]

I watched the Swedish movies and I think they did a good job editing the story.