What are you reading currently?

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Replies

  • Catfish_Fan
    Catfish_Fan Posts: 514 Member
    Anathem by Neal Stephenson (kind of sci-fi, 1000 pages long... I will be reading this one for a while.)

    That book was too weird. I finished it, but now need something more "down on earth". Personal by Lee Child (Jack Reacher #19)
  • Btrflydog
    Btrflydog Posts: 1,477 Member
    Finished Girl on the Train -3 stars.

    Now reading My Best Friend's Exorcism - Grady Hendrix.
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
    edited August 2021
    That book was too weird. I finished it, but now need something more "down on earth". Personal by Lee Child (Jack Reacher #19)

    I have only read one book by Neal Stephenson and that was The Rise And Fall of D.O.D.O.
    I highly recommend that one. One day, I'll read another by Stephenson.

    I'm currently reading an Amelia Peabody mystery, The Deeds of the Disturber. It's light and fun. Just what is needed on these hot days.
  • Catfish_Fan
    Catfish_Fan Posts: 514 Member
    I'm doing book #2 of the Snow Like Ashes trilogy by Sara Raasch, Ice Like Fire. It's a YA fantasy and easy reading.
  • Catfish_Fan
    Catfish_Fan Posts: 514 Member
    PaytraB wrote: »
    That book was too weird. I finished it, but now need something more "down on earth". Personal by Lee Child (Jack Reacher #19)

    I have only read one book by Neal Stephenson and that was The Rise And Fall of D.O.D.O.
    I highly recommend that one. One day, I'll read another by Stephenson.

    I haven't read that one yet. I really liked Snow Crash, The Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, Reamde, and Seveneves by Neal Stephenson.

    I'm reading The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers, it's light, kind of humorous sci-fi.
  • FitMary202
    FitMary202 Posts: 1,472 Member
    Reading In Memory of Memory by Maria Stepanova. It's a quirky, slow, meditation on family history and our own stored reminiscences. Not for everyone, but I'm enjoying it.
  • Jinlynn1954
    Jinlynn1954 Posts: 2 Member
    Just finished reading "The Last Bookshop In London" by Madeline Martin. It is set during WW2 and I enjoyed it very much.
  • LadyCalico2
    LadyCalico2 Posts: 63 Member
    Just finished reading "The Last Bookshop In London" by Madeline Martin. It is set during WW2 and I enjoyed it very much.

    Read it a few weeks ago and loved it, so realistic and well-written!
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,691 Member
    nossmf wrote: »
    I'm about to start reading the Game of Thrones series...just to dip my toe in the water so to speak.

    Not quite finished with the book (at over 800 pages, it's not a "read in one day" adventure!), but at 3/4 through I'm already planning on going back to get the remainder of the series. The first two chapters in were rather intimidating, as I felt convinced I wouldn't have a prayer of remembering who all these different characters were, their relations to each other, etc. But the author is very adept at cycling between characters each chapter, telling the story from a variety of points of view, reinforcing how each person relates to the others, referencing prior events to keep alive in the memory what transpired before so you realize the implications of now... very well written, IMHO.

    My wife (?!?) actually suggested we get the TV series to watch together. She's normally a crime-scene, mystery sort of person, so this is a huge departure for her. It's in our queue to watch, but now I'm debating what order I want to experience the story... book first, or TV first. Considering how we tend to binge watch series, we'll easily finish a season far faster than my current pace of reading the books, so either I need to read faster or delay watching for a LONG while lol.
  • LadyCalico2
    LadyCalico2 Posts: 63 Member
    nossmf wrote: »
    nossmf wrote: »
    I'm about to start reading the Game of Thrones series...just to dip my toe in the water so to speak.

    Not quite finished with the book (at over 800 pages, it's not a "read in one day" adventure!), but at 3/4 through I'm already planning on going back to get the remainder of the series. The first two chapters in were rather intimidating, as I felt convinced I wouldn't have a prayer of remembering who all these different characters were, their relations to each other, etc. But the author is very adept at cycling between characters each chapter, telling the story from a variety of points of view, reinforcing how each person relates to the others, referencing prior events to keep alive in the memory what transpired before so you realize the implications of now... very well written, IMHO.

    My wife (?!?) actually suggested we get the TV series to watch together. She's normally a crime-scene, mystery sort of person, so this is a huge departure for her. It's in our queue to watch, but now I'm debating what order I want to experience the story... book first, or TV first. Considering how we tend to binge watch series, we'll easily finish a season far faster than my current pace of reading the books, so either I need to read faster or delay watching for a LONG while lol.

    The TV version diverged more and more from the book version as the series progressed. Keep in mind that the book series was never completed and now probably never will be because GRRM painted himself into a corner, having to make future books different from the TV series in order to stay consistent with the existing books. Having already written a story for TV that is not consistent with his books, I doubt if he is highly motivated to rewrite the story to fit into the book series.
  • Hanoverlady1
    Hanoverlady1 Posts: 21 Member
    Currently reading "The Kids Are Gonna Ask" by Gretchen Anthony.
  • LadyCalico2
    LadyCalico2 Posts: 63 Member
    edited August 2021
    Momo by Michael Ende (5*)
    Orphan girl in poor village is the only unaffected person who can save the world from the dehumanizing take over by a sinister cabal of time bandits who are conning people out of their allotted time by preying on their greed and foolishness. It is a very original and creative story that is also a thoughtful allegory about the erosion of human value as modern life grows more hectic and materialistic. It's supposedly a kid's story and although they might enjoy the fantasy tale, I doubt if they would get the allegorical tale. It seem pretty philosophical for a children's book, but as an old lady reader, I really enjoyed it.

  • Catfish_Fan
    Catfish_Fan Posts: 514 Member
    I read State of Fear by Michael Crichton. It was about global warming and the media hype, and it was ok, but not awesome like Jurassic Park or some of his others.

    Now I am finishing the Snow Like Ashes trilogy by Sara Raasch, Frost Like Night (book 3). It is a YA fantasy series and it is ok, but I have read better. For what it is the story is unique and pretty well done.

    I stocked up at Amazon in their super SFF kindle book sale, I think I stopped at 10 books. They were all newer releases with gigantic wait lines at libraries that I have access to, so now I have a ton more in my TBR pile. Mount TBR is slowly shrinking in my library room and growing on my Kindle Oasis.
  • FitMary202
    FitMary202 Posts: 1,472 Member
    Reading The Slynx by Tatiana Tolstaya. Not normally my cup of tea, but I'm sticking with it.
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
    I'm currently reading Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, which is very interesting. For lighter moments, I'm reading Hamnet & Judith by Maggie O'Farrell.
  • Btrflydog
    Btrflydog Posts: 1,477 Member
    Finished My Best Friend's Exorcism - 3 stars.

    Now reading Stern Men - Elizabeth Gilbert
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,691 Member
    "Hail Mary" by Andy Weir (the guy who wrote "The Martian" novel which was later turned into a movie).
  • Catfish_Fan
    Catfish_Fan Posts: 514 Member
    NOS4A2 by Joe Hill. It's by Joseph King, Stephen's son, who goes by a pen name. This one is a horror.
  • FitMary202
    FitMary202 Posts: 1,472 Member
    Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky
  • Catfish_Fan
    Catfish_Fan Posts: 514 Member
    Vision in Silver (The Others, #3) by Anne Bishop was 4 stars from me. A fantasy book series.
  • Hanoverlady1
    Hanoverlady1 Posts: 21 Member
    Like Crazy: Life With My Mother and Her Invisible Friends. by Dan Mathews
    The author's mother is coping with worsening dementia.
  • Catfish_Fan
    Catfish_Fan Posts: 514 Member
    Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier. YA fantasy set in Transylvania (Romania).
  • Catfish_Fan
    Catfish_Fan Posts: 514 Member
    American Gods by Neil Gaiman
  • LadyCalico2
    LadyCalico2 Posts: 63 Member
    edited September 2021
    Got two more Pulitzers under my belt--48 down and 46 (+ 4 not yet awarded) to go!

    Less by Andrew Sean Greer (5*)
    This is the prize winner that book snobs are most likely to put down as not worthy of a Pulitzer, but I loved it. It is a story about a middle-aged, close-to-broke, less-than-successful gay author whose ex-lover is marrying another. In order to avoid the pain of attending the wedding, he organizes his many invitations to travel around the world in various low-paying engagements for motley groups that can't afford a famous guest author. The story is told with warmth, sweetness, humor, and wisdom as he and his mid-life crisis encounter various misadventures and relive the memories of his life that brought him to this point. It is clearly-written, well-organized, enjoyable, fast-moving, and without weird or dragged-out, so that's probably why the elitist book-snobs judge it so harshly.

    The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich (5*)
    This is a fictionalized 1953 story of the author's grandfather, who struggled to protect his tribe during a very difficult period in their history, as the federal government sought to seize the best reservation land and resources and cut the Indian Affairs expenses involved in keeping the treaties by dissolving the treaties and reservations, leaving most of the people homeless, broke, and without means of survival. It has a lot of characters and bounces around several secondary and tertiary subplots about the troubles of many other tribe members, that often made an unwelcome interruption when the main story was getting interesting. This one is dragged-out, since I personally found the diversions excessive, but the central story about this amazing man is wonderful and makes wading through all the other stuff worthwhile.
  • TEXASTITCHER
    TEXASTITCHER Posts: 8,406 Member
    listening to some older stories by Nora Roberts - have finished The Villa, High Noon, Birthright, and am currently listening to Tribute
  • Catfish_Fan
    Catfish_Fan Posts: 514 Member
    Hollywood Dead (Sandman Slim, #10) by Richard Kadrey. I don't know why I like these books, but something appeals to me. They are easy reads but not stellar content. However I am on book 10 out of 12 so I will probably continue the series.
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,691 Member
    Re-reading my first novel "Dragon Born" to get my mind back in the world I created, in the hope I can build some momentum and finish editing my second novel which has been sitting on my laptop for over five years now waiting to be finished and submitted to a publisher.
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
    I finished my last two books and enjoyed both.

    I've now started The Last Camel Died At Noon by Elizabeth Peters. It's the sixth book in the Amelia Peabody series.

    Catfish_Fan, I understand the appeal of light, easy, fun reads. They are "feel good" reads.

    nossmf, good luck on your second book!
  • Catfish_Fan
    Catfish_Fan Posts: 514 Member
    Cybele's Secret (Wildwood, #2) by Juliet Marillier. This one picks up a few years after book 1, following a different sister. Still set in the Transylvania area, although the father and daughter take a trading mission to Istanbul to acquire a sacred object. Very good so far. I have really enjoyed everything I have read by this author and look forward to much more.
  • Catfish_Fan
    Catfish_Fan Posts: 514 Member
    The Guide by Peter Heller. This one is a sequel to The River and is a psychological thriller.