What's Everyone Reading: 2011

[Dizzy]

My husband read the Steve Jobs book and loved it. He said he was simultaneously inspired and appalled.

Currently reading 1Q84 by Murakami - anyone else read this yet? I'm on page 700 and it's sort of losing me. Which sucks because I don't want to put it down now on page 700!

[Ummm]

My husband read the Steve Jobs book and loved it. He said he was simultaneously inspired and appalled.



Reading this now, and I know totally what you husband mean and feel the same way!

[Ummm]

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.

I read the first book, like the characters, but the plot was a bit lacking for me (I read a lot of murder/mystery). I didn't read the other 2 books, but watch all 3 movies and I am glad I did - so I get to know the story without having to read the books (which I think could use some editing :)

[looch]

I started the Steve Jobs bio last night. I've read The Second Coming of Steve Jobs before, so I felt like a lot of the stuff is what I've already read about. I'll give it a couple more nights to see if it develops into something different, but as of now, I don't feel the need to read it further.

[scout]

I just finished reading, Life, on the Line by Grant Achatz. It was a really interesting book. If you are a foodie, or like cooking writers, I'd recommend it. The writing itself wasn't very cohesive, but the story itself was really engaging.

[Ohana]

I've been reading The Historian for years and years (OK, it only feels that way). I'm about 500 pages in and with only 150 or so pages left, I think I'm about to give up. Don't get me wrong. It's a very interesting story and all, but there is so much minute detail, not to mention many shifts in who's telling the story and the year the story is being told, and I'm having a really hard time keeping track.

I hate to abandon a book when I'm so near the end, but I'm always having to go back and figure out who someone is or why they went to such and so place, that I kind of don't care what happens to the characters anymore.

[cactus]

Ohana, I hate that! It feels like such an annoyance. But I would probably finish the book if I got that far. It's an investment with all the time you've already put in.

I read Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos over Thanksgiving. I liked it. But I LOVED her other two books (Love Walked In and Belong to Me) and I didn't love this one quite as much. She's just such a great writer though...I especially appreciate her characterizations of kids. Not cliche at all, and they always seem very real and idiosyncratic to me.

[melmo]

Just finished 11/22/1963 by Stephen King. Excellent novel. An easy read and not very King-like. It's about time travel back to try to stop Oswald from assassinating Kennedy. It's much more about the journey though. It's long - 850 pages. But I thought it was worth it.

Read the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy before that.

[Rosebud]

I just finished reading, Life, on the Line by Grant Achatz. It was a really interesting book. If you are a foodie, or like cooking writers, I'd recommend it. The writing itself wasn't very cohesive, but the story itself was really engaging.

I'm dying to read this. What an interesting life story! Thanks for the reminder that I should pick it up.



I've been reading The Historian for years and years ...

Well, I liked the book quite a lot, but I'd urge you to finish it. You're so close! The end was action-packed goodness, as I recall. :-)


I just finished up Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling, which I liked but didn't love. I like her, and the writing was funny, but overall the story lacked depth. I wonder if she should have waited a few more years to write this, once her experience has hit its next phase. Once she's transitioned to her next project and has some distance from The Office, once she's met the right guy, etc. It was still enjoyable, but needed more soul, IMO.

Also read The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir, which was well-written and informative, but got a little long (it seems like Elizabeth is in the Tower for years and years.... zzzzzz....). It's an account of Elizabeth I before she became queen, and her relationship with her father and sister. I think I've just over-saturated on the historical fiction lately. No more for a while.

Just starting The Tragedy of Arthur by Arthur Phillips. I'm intrigued! Really interesting storyline thus far.

[seattleguamgirl]

I'm currently on vacation so I seem to be reading at a crazy speed. :) I finished both The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and both were excellent. I can't wait for the new movies to come out.

I also read The Paris Wife, which was "meh" IMO. It was well written and engaging in some parts but I was always waiting for something more exciting to happen. I'm not too familiar with Hemingway, which probably explains my lack of enthusiasm for it.

I'm currently reading Game of Thrones and I hope I can keep up with it. I'm only in the first part of the book and I'm already getting lost. :-/

[Ummm]

I just finished reading, Life, on the Line by Grant Achatz. It was a really interesting book. If you are a foodie, or like cooking writers, I'd recommend it. The writing itself wasn't very cohesive, but the story itself was really engaging.

I am glad you enjoyed this! I figured since either of them are writers, and they didn't use ghost writers, it just seemed more authentic.

[Ohana]

Finally finished The Historian last night. Meh. It was about 400 pages too long.

[Dizzy]

Obama- I really liked that book, tho I agree with you it could have been much shorter.

Finished 1Q84, and like all Murakami, it was sooo weird. And it really lost steam the last third of the book.

Now reading The Art of Fielding

[Rosebud]

Now reading The Art of Fielding

Did you read the Vanity Fair article on the sale of that book? Very interesting.

[Dizzy]

It's time for Best-Of lists, ya'll!

I found this blog, which aggregates all the Best-Of lists out there.
Largehearted Boy (http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2011/11/online_best_of_7.html)

The New York Times list:
NYT Best of 2011 (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/books/review/100-notable-books-of-2011.html?_r=1&bl=&pagewanted=all)
NYT Best 10 of 2011 (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/books/10-best-books-of-2011.html)

Flavorwire's Top Ten of the NYT Top 100:
Flavorwire (http://flavorwire.com/235102/the-10-best-of-the-nyt-2011-notable-books-list)

What are your top picks for 2011? Should this be a new thread? I don't know if I've ever started a thread before...:)

[Sin Nombre]

I second the recommendation for 11-22-63, by Stephen King. I am only a couple of hundred pages in but I am finding it to be riveting. Although I felt just the opposite of Melmo --it feels like vintage King to me!

[Ummm]

It's time for Best-Of lists, ya'll!

I found this blog, which aggregates all the Best-Of lists out there.
Largehearted Boy (http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2011/11/online_best_of_7.html)

The New York Times list:
NYT Best of 2011 (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/books/review/100-notable-books-of-2011.html?_r=1&bl=&pagewanted=all)
NYT Best 10 of 2011 (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/books/10-best-books-of-2011.html)

Flavorwire's Top Ten of the NYT Top 100:
Flavorwire (http://flavorwire.com/235102/the-10-best-of-the-nyt-2011-notable-books-list)

What are your top picks for 2011? Should this be a new thread? I don't know if I've ever started a thread before...:)

I think usually there is a new thread just for the favorites (easier to find the recommendations). Go for it! :)

[Rosebud]

Yes, we usually do a separate thread for our "best of" picks. Here's the thread from last year: Favorite Books of 2010 (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?49280-Your-Favorite-Books-of-2010). Go ahead and get it started!

Not a big fan of the NYT best list. Think Amazon's editors' list has some better titles, personally. Either way... there is so much more to read! :)

[Lila55]

I just finished The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. I really enjoyed this book.

[solongtogo]

Just finished Ready Player One....that book was AMAZING. Along the same lines as the hunger games good !!

[Ohana]

Bogged down in Searching for Andrew McCarthy (I think that's what it's called...it's so bad I haven't bothered to remember the title). I think I'm ditching it tonight and moving on to Sarah's Key.

[Dizzy]

Just finished Ready Player One....that book was AMAZING. Along the same lines as the hunger games good !!

DH LOVED that book! He keeps bugging me to read it. Sounds like I should!

[scarlett]

I just finished reading the first 5 books of the Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill (Some Girls Bite, Friday Night Bites, Twice Bitten, Hard Bitten, and Drink Deep). They are urban fantasy about a 27 year old Chicago grad student who becomes a vampire just after vampires have announced their existence. Light reading with nice (light) romance, friendship and action. I really enjoyed the author's writing style, which I rarely notice when reading books.

Number 6 (Biting Cold) doesn't come out until August!

[seattleguamgirl]

I'm taking a break from The Game of Thrones since I'm not really getting into it. I want to stick with it since so many people have been raving about the book, but honestly I'm not too into fantasy books. I will try to pick it up again if I feel compelled to do so.

I finished 22 Brittania Road based on recommendations here and I really liked the book. It was so sad but well written and interesting. I would recommend it!

I also started Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin and it is pretty good so far.

[scout]

seattleguamgirl
We're book twins! I'm reading/read 22 Brittania Road and Please Look After Mom too! I really liked 22 Brittania Road, but couldn't get into Please Look After Mom. It started out good, but then it got boring. Let me know if you liked it, and I'll give it another go.

[Ummm]

Just finished Ready Player One....that book was AMAZING. Along the same lines as the hunger games good !!

I couldn't finish it. Couldn't get into it - probably because couldn't relate to the 80s reference (didn't grow up in the US) and wasn't into gaming at all.

[littlebear]

Just finished 11/22/1963 by Stephen King. Excellent novel. An easy read and not very King-like. It's about time travel back to try to stop Oswald from assassinating Kennedy. It's much more about the journey though. It's long - 850 pages. But I thought it was worth it.


Favorite book this year! I think this is King's best work ever. The story is riveting.

[Dizzy]

I couldn't finish it. Couldn't get into it - probably because couldn't relate to the 80s reference (didn't grow up in the US) and wasn't into gaming at all.

This is part of why he wants me to read it so badly - because we both grew up in the 80s and loved (well, still love...) gaming. So it totally makes sense that the book wouldn't resonate otherwise!

[hokiegirl]

Finished 1Q84, and like all Murakami, it was sooo weird. And it really lost steam the last third of the book.


I agree. At around page 700 I wanted to just finish the book, but had invested so much time in it that I couldn't put it down with just 200 pages left! I did enjoy parts, but when it started to get repetative and added unnecessary parts, I just wanted it to end.

[Dizzy]

I agree. At around page 700 I wanted to just finish the book, but had invested so much time in it that I couldn't put it down with just 200 pages left! I did enjoy parts, but when it started to get repetative and added unnecessary parts, I just wanted it to end.

That's exactly how I felt! It was seriously about the same page number that I was like, "oh, it's not over yet?" I may have skimmed every so slightly a few times in those last couple hundred pages...

[solongtogo]

This is part of why he wants me to read it so badly - because we both grew up in the 80s and loved (well, still love...) gaming. So it totally makes sense that the book wouldn't resonate otherwise!


The audio book is fabulous...Will Wheaton is the reader :)

[Dizzy]

The audio book is fabulous...Will Wheaton is the reader :)

That's awesome!!

Finished The Art of Fielding and I ended up reallllly loving it. At times it was a little slow for me, but as a whole, it was an exquisite novel. I loved loved loved the ending.

[Ummm]

Q: A Novel by Evan Mandery. Time Travel / What If story. Interesting premise, some parts were too detailed/slow, but I do like the ending.

[scout]

Just finished Ready Player One and Blood, Bones and Butterbecause of this thread and both were fabulous!

[seattleguamgirl]

Scout, I ended up ditching Please Look After Mom because it was going slow and I have a list of other books I'd rather be reading. :) I forwarded to the end on my Kindle and didn't think I missed much.

I'm currently reading State of Wonder. I really want to start Ready, Player One based on all of the recommendations here! I may have to move that on top of the list. :)

[Amaye]

T
I just finished reading the first 5 books of the Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill (Some Girls Bite, Friday Night Bites, Twice Bitten, Hard Bitten, and Drink Deep). They are urban fantasy about a 27 year old Chicago grad student who becomes a vampire just after vampires have announced their existence. Light reading with nice (light) romance, friendship and action. I really enjoyed the author's writing style, which I rarely notice when reading books.

Number 6 (Biting Cold) doesn't come out until August!


That is one of my favorite series! I am so annoyed that I have to wait till August!

[scarlett]

I finished Ready Player One yesterday. I really enjoyed it. Like Hunger Games, the premise didn't appeal to me, but I read it anyway and am so glad I did. It is one of my favorite books this year.

ETA - I'm not that into 80s pop culture or gaming, but i still enjoyed it. It was just a fun book.

[karlatta]

I'm reading Divergent by Veronica Roth. If you enjoy dystopian society (Hunger Games and stuff) you'd like it.

[scarlett]

I'm reading Divergent by Veronica Roth. If you enjoy dystopian society (Hunger Games and stuff) you'd like it. I read it earlier this year and liked it. I'm looking forward to the second book which comes out in May.

[Ummm]

I'm reading Divergent by Veronica Roth. If you enjoy dystopian society (Hunger Games and stuff) you'd like it.

Yep I liked it too.

I heard Legend by Marie Lu is good too. Haven't read it yet. (YA dystopian).

[E&O]

I started A Visit from the Goon Squad, but I really just cannot get into it at all. I don't necessarily need a linear stroy, but it just jumps around and all the different perspectives just isn't pulling me in.

I just read a movie review for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, so I was thinking of giving this book a go. Has there been discussion of this book here? Thumbs up or thumbs down? I think I would find myself getting sucked into the "mysterty" he is trying to solve.

[Ummm]

I just read a movie review for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, so I was thinking of giving this book a go. Has there been discussion of this book here? Thumbs up or thumbs down? I think I would find myself getting sucked into the "mysterty" he is trying to solve.

I just borrowed it from the library so can't tell you what I think yet :) I actually saw it at the airport, and didn't know anything about it, and thought the premise sounded interesting.

[mrs_pell]

My husband has been bugging me for years to read the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, so I finally started the first book the other night. Haven't gotten too far with the holidays and my family all being here, but we shall see! :)

[Photobug]

My husband has been bugging me for years to read the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, so I finally started the first book the other night. Haven't gotten too far with the holidays and my family all being here, but we shall see! :)

My SIL loves this series... the rest of us call it "The Wheel of Boredom". To be fair, it actually has some very good writing, it just goes on... and on.. and on... I'll be interested to see what you think!

[weezalana]

I just started reading Shanghai Girls and so far, am really enjoying it. Feels like it will follow along the same lines as Honolulu or Molokai.

I read the sample of Ready Player One but wasn't feeling it.

[Photobug]

Currently reading Coop - a family a farm and the pursuit of one good egg by Michael Perry. It's an interesting memoir, but he can get a little to absorbed in his descriptions of his childhood farming experiences (four pages all about the first tractor you drove? really?). It would probably be very interesting for people who are really into tractors, or conversely someone who had never experienced riding a tractor or haying, but for the average reader these side-trips into minute detail are a little much. Then he sort of breezes over mention of things that sound like a good story. All in all though it's an entertaining glimpse into the life of one modern midwestern family.

[cactus]

If you like books about food, particularly fiction about food, you might like The Hundred-Foot Journey, by Richard C. Morais. I had never heard of it before (it was published a couple of years ago) but my book club is reading it this month and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Plus, it only took me a day to read. It's a nice little gem with which to end the year.

I also read Swamplandia! this week, which I bought for my Kindle almost a year ago and finally got around to. I *really* enjoyed it and I loved the writing. Some of the reviews I read said the plot is not the strong point of the book, and I agree, but I thought all the characters were really appealing and her use of language is so unique and engaging. My favorite storyline was actually the brother's. I also live in Florida, so I found the local mythology/history really interesting. I know a bunch of people here read this book, but probably a few months ago.

I'm not sure what I'll tackle next. I have a bunch of unread paperbacks that I should decide between, I guess. It's been nice for me to have two books that I really loved right at the end of the year.

[scout]

Scout, I ended up ditching Please Look After Mom because it was going slow and I have a list of other books I'd rather be reading I'm glad I wasn't the only one!

I just finished two books that were good reads: The Language of Flowers and The Kitchen Daughter.

[Ummm]

Currently reading Coop - a family a farm and the pursuit of one good egg by Michael Perry. It's an interesting memoir, but he can get a little to absorbed in his descriptions of his childhood farming experiences (four pages all about the first tractor you drove? really?). It would probably be very interesting for people who are really into tractors, or conversely someone who had never experienced riding a tractor or haying, but for the average reader these side-trips into minute detail are a little much. Then he sort of breezes over mention of things that sound like a good story. All in all though it's an entertaining glimpse into the life of one modern midwestern family.

If you are interested in this topic (but not focus on tractor lol :) you may be interested in This Life Is in Your Hands: One Family, Sixty Acres, and a Family Undone by Melissa Coleman

[Ummm]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one!

I just finished two books that were good reads: The Language of Flowers and The Kitchen Daughter.

i liked The Kitchen Daughter (haven't read the other one) - I liked that it didn't have a predictable ending and it took me by surprise about what happened to one of the characters.

[karlatta]

Really enjoyed Still Alice by Lisa Genova. A moving story of a woman who develops Early Onset Alzheimer's.

[Rosebud]

I'm reading MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend by Rachel Bertsche. It's about a woman who moves to Chicago to be with her boyfriend (later husband) and a couple years later realizes that she hasn't made any truly deep friendships there. So, she spends a year actively trying to meeting new people and strengthen the local friendships she already has. The book is full of interesting musings on friendship, how we meet people, and why we need those deep connections. It's totally up my alley, since I moved to a new city last year and have been working hard to create a new social network. Even if it doesn't hit home for you, it's a light and enjoyable read.

[Ummm]

Really enjoyed Still Alice by Lisa Genova. A moving story of a woman who develops Early Onset Alzheimer's.

One of my favorite fictions!

[Ummm]

I'm reading MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend by Rachel Bertsche. It's about a woman who moves to Chicago to be with her boyfriend (later husband) and a couple years later realizes that she hasn't made any truly deep friendships there. So, she spends a year actively trying to meeting new people and strengthen the local friendships she already has. The book is full of interesting musings on friendship, how we meet people, and why we need those deep connections. It's totally up my alley, since I moved to a new city last year and have been working hard to create a new social network. Even if it doesn't hit home for you, it's a light and enjoyable read.

Heard good things about this one!

[Ummm]

Just finished last book of the year - Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. Highly recommended! YA Historical fiction about WWII - but a little known piece of history about Lithuania.

[akacharlotte]

I finished Ready Player One yesterday, really enjoyed it and I am not a gamer. I enjoyed the 80s references. While some of the game references were lost on me, it didn't detract from my enjoyment.

[Ummm]

akacharloette - there is a 2012 thread now! :)

http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?50407-What-s-Everyone-Reading-2012

[akacharlotte]

Thanks Ummm.