All Things Books And Reading Thread - 2018

[Mamanyt1953]

I just checked, and my library only has books 6, 7 & 8 of the Low Country Tales, so I guess not much sense starting that far into the series.

The nice thing about that "series" is that, although you do run into some of the same characters, each book is really a stand-alone. They don't run sequentially, nor does one story build on the one before, so if you miss the first few, or go back-to-front, you are never confused. It's more geographical, actually. Don't let that frighten you off it you are interested.

 

[rubysmama]

I'll keep that in mind Mamanyt1953
I have so many books I want to read "some day" that I'll need to live to 150 !!!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

TELL ME ABOUT IT! If there are no books in Heaven, I'm going to have to stay here and haunt a library!

 

[MonaLyssa33]

I work in a library so being around books all day makes my reading list very long. Last year I made a goal to read 75 books and I managed to read 77. This year my goal is 100 with a sub-goal where 20 of those books be classics I have never read. I'm currently reading books 27 and 28. Some of the books I have read that I would recommend are:
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate (this is a children's chapter book)
How To Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry
Stranger Here by Jen Larsen
Hunger: a memoir of my body by Roxane Gay
Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon
All Those Things We Never Said by Marc Levy
PS From Paris by Marc Levy
Secrets from the Eating Lab by Traci Mann
The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer
Crosstalk by Connie Willis
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Nabokov's Favorite Word is Mauve by Ben Blatt
First Women by Kate Andersen Brower
The Mothers by Britt Bennett
Landline by Rainbow Rowell
On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman
Confessions of a Sociopath by M.E. Thomas
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

 

[Norachan]

Well, I finished Frankenstein last night. It was good, actually got better the further through it I read. It's almost like she matured as a writer along the way. There is a short vampire story in the book that I'll read tonight, then start something new tomorrow.

 

[rubysmama]

Thanks for the book recommendations, MonaLyssa33 . I borrow e-books from the library, so I'll have to check and see which ones they have.

Speaking of classics, have you read Frankenstein? At Norachan 's recommendation, I started reading it. I knew nothing about the story, except of course the Frankenstein name. But I thought

Spoiler

the name referred to the monster, not the creator.

 

[catspaw66]

Well, I finished Frankenstein last night. It was good, actually got better the further through it I read. It's almost like she matured as a writer along the way. There is a short vampire story in the book that I'll read tonight, then start something new tomorrow.

May I suggest Terry Pratchett's Discworld series for Fantasyy
David Weber's Honorverse for Science Fiction
Christopher Moore for outright silliness

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Just finished "Mission Impawsible" by Krista Davis, the fourth in a very cute cozy mystery series. I've read #s 1 & 2, 3 & 5 are en route (vagaries of shipping), but I couldn't wait for #3 to get here before reading #4! Now I'm reading "Twice Bitten" by Lynsay Sands...silly vampire romance series that I get a kick out of. Not dark or creepy at all, these vampires are not soulless undead, but products of very advanced medical science gone slightly awry. I know, I know...but sometimes you just NEED something like that!

I work in a library so being around books all day makes my reading list very long. Last year I made a goal to read 75 books and I managed to read 77. This year my goal is 100 with a sub-goal where 20 of those books be classics I have never read.

I really should do some of the classics. There are several that I haven't read, or haven't read in so long that I might as well not have read them at all. I do the Goodreads Reading Challenge every year. Last year I had 150 books, and finished on time at 170 books. This year, I cut back to 100, more out of concerns for budget than anything else, but I'm at 55 now. Looks like I'm going to make it. BUT, I'm retired, so I can read 8 hours a day if I want to, and I often DO want to!

Dangling prepositions there. It's OK. They tell me that they aren't afraid of heights.

 

[foxxycat]

I am back!! Dorothy Benton Frank is one of the BEST authors in my opinion!!! Glad you like plantation Mamanyt1953 I still haven't done much thrift store shopping lately=too much working BUT summer will be time for yard sales!

I finally DID it=finished Outlander!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG it was absolutely wonderful! I love the details and Clair is such a spit fire! And Jamie that handsome redhead!! I am into the next one... dragonfly I think- i am on page 150 so far=I like that they went back into the 1740s to pick up where it left off- she comes back to modern times pregnant..omg. Just a really good historical read-makes me appreciate all I took for granted with women's rights!!!

And yes Dorothy books don't have to be read in order like Debbie Macombers series or Robyn Carrs Series...

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I am back!! Dorothy Benton Frank is one of the BEST authors in my opinion!!! Glad you like plantation Mamanyt1953 I still haven't done much thrift store shopping lately=too much working BUT summer will be time for yard sales!

Just a really good historical read-makes me appreciate all I took for granted with women's rights!!!

And her books are SO well researched, insofar as the history and way of life in the mid-1700's go.

 

[foxxycat]

And her books are SO well researched, insofar as the history and way of life in the mid-1700's go.

yes i was just looking on ebay to buy the books #5 through 8 but I have a friend in Texas who sells books so I sent her a list of titles= also if anyone has the lord John series-I will be wanting those too- I managed to find 2 of them but so far nothing else. If anyone wants to sell those books I am looking for, I am very interested!

Tonight going to continue more of Dragonfly Amber book- what a lovely lovely book!! I love Claire!! she kicks butt!

And Dorothy=oh yes read whatever you can get your hands on! I read them out of order and they were fine. I got into linen sheets/clothes after reading her books=which reminds me- got to dig out my linen sheet soon! my beat up 1960s sheet that's got a few holes but I don't care...it's so much better than cotton! I learn so much about herbs as well from Miss Claire!! See what happens when we read? We learn a bit more!

 

[PMousse]

Wow how do you guys/gals read so many books in a year (75, 150, etc.)? I'm a slow reader and I often pause and ponder specific sentences and paragraphs, and the only time in the day when I have a good chunk of time to read is before going to bed, but I don't do it every night. So I can only manage, on average, 15 books a year.

And that means that my "want to read" list is only going in one direction: it grows longer and longer.

 

[foxxycat]

Wow how do you guys/gals read so many books in a year (75, 150, etc.)? I'm a slow reader and I often pause and ponder specific sentences and paragraphs, and the only time in the day when I have a good chunk of time to read is before going to bed, but I don't do it every night. So I can only manage, on average, 15 books a year.

I think some of us just have a faster reader brain- my gramps was a fast reader-I remember as a girl he would read 3 books a day easily. I don't know if he skimmed- but I do find myself taking longer to read because I like to digest what I read... when I was a teen I could read 2 or more romances but those were light reading.

Outlander was a longer read for me- took about 3 months but I also got distracted with other things and shows..this summer if it's not too hot I plan to spend more time reading and less time watching tv shows and movies...

 

[artiemom]

I read the first book in the Outlander series. I could not get into the second book: Dragonfly in Amber..

 

[foxxycat]

I read the first book in the Outlander series. I could not get into the second book: Dragonfly in Amber..

The second one=once the intro passed= she goes back into the story of when she's with Jamie= I almost didn't read this book because of the 20 year jump...I highly recommend pick it up and finish- I prefer the 1700s history and this is no disappointment!

 

[artiemom]

The series of books, I have been flaunting, and raving about, for several years now:
The All Souls Trilogy: First book: A Discovery of Witches; Second Book: Shadow of Night
Third Book: The Book of Life

It is written by a History Professor.. The second book is all time travel, to the Elizabethan Era.. Queen Elizabeth.. Yup, 1500's also deals with alchemy-- the changing of elements
Introduces many different thoughts, and history within all the books, and science, genetics....

A ton of historical references. Also deals with Shakespeare, King Rudolf,
Queen Elizabeth I, William Percy, etc... and even accent history..

The first book is love story, between completely different people/species of people..

The last book ties it altogether.. and has room for more.. There is a companion book, being released this year, about one of the side characters.

The first book has been filmed as a TV Series, at a Wales, UK film studio--Bad Wolf.
It will be on SKY-TV this fall, in the UK..

We are still awaiting which US network will carry it. A lot of good actors are in this series.

 

[rubysmama]

I finally DID it=finished Outlander!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG it was absolutely wonderful! I love the details and Clair is such a spit fire! And Jamie that handsome redhead!! I am into the next one... dragonfly I think- i am on page 150 so far=I like that they went back into the 1740s to pick up where it left off- she comes back to modern times pregnant..omg. Just a really good historical read-makes me appreciate all I took for granted with women's rights!!!

Thanks to the recommendation of @Winchester, who LOVES this series, I finally read the Outlander books last year, or maybe the year before. I loved Claire and Jamie, as well as other characters introduced in later books, but I did have a problem with the violence, and had to skip some pages. But I really did enjoy the books, and am looking forward to when she releases the next one.

Even though I like Lord John, I haven't read his books yet. Too many other books on my "to read" list.

The series of books, I have been flaunting, and raving about, for several years now:
The All Souls Trilogy: First book: A Discovery of Witches; Second Book: Shadow of Night
Third Book: The Book of Life

Those sound interesting, so I checked to see if my library had the e-books, and discovered I already have them marked on my "to read" list. So I must have seen one of your earlier "flaunting and raving about" recommendations.

 

[Margret]

The language can be a bit flowery at times and some of the descriptions are too detailed, I always want to skip to the next bit of action.

Typical of the time.

When I was a kid my dad subscribed to the Reader's Digest Classics for Young Readers (or something like that) for us. I read The Three Musketeers, The Prisoner of Zenda, and The Scarlet Pimpernel in Reader's Digest versions, and loved all of them. Then as an adult I downloaded the originals from Project Gutenberg and was quite disappointed to discover how long-winded they were. By modern standards they seriously needed to be edited down.

I have so many books I want to read "some day" that I'll need to live to 150 !!!

Good incentive to take care of yourself.

Crosstalk by Connie Willis

Good, is it? I love Connie Willis, but after reading the 3-star reviews on Amazon yesterday I decided to pass on this one. I highly recommend:

• To Say Nothing of the Dog
• Impossible Things
• Miracle and Other Christmas Stories
• Bellwether

all by Connie Willis. The second two are collections. To Say Nothing of the Dog is even funnier if you download Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome from Project Gutenberg and read it first, since To Say Nothing of the Dog is an homage to Three Men in a Boat (the full title of which is Three Men in a Boat, To Say Nothing of the Dog), and Three Men in a Boat is well worth reading in its own right - IMO it's the best thing Jerome ever wrote.

Doomsday Book (also Connie Willis) is about the black death.

Spoiler: Doomsday Book spoiler

Everyone dies except the heroine.

Passage is about near-death experiences, and is another of her books that really ought to have a body count on the back cover. Blackout and All Clear are basically a single book in two volumes, about the London Blitz during WWII; I have them but haven't read them yet.

One of the nice things about living in Colorado is that Connie Willis lives here too and is a regular at S.F. conventions so I get to hear her reading her latest stories before they're published.

* * * * * *​

Well, I've finished Fellowship of the Ring and have just begun The Two Towers; but for bed books I'm currently alternating between Once on a Time by A. A. Milne and Tolkien's Farmer Giles of Ham.

Time for me to get going here; I need to renew the registration on my car today. I'm over a month late so it's going to cost me an extra $25, . Darned broken wrist messed up a heck of a lot of things for me. Ah, well. It's coming along, healing apace.

Margret

 

[misty8723]

I've been on a kick of reading WWII books lately, so I looked up Blackout. Unfortunately, it's not a Kindle Unlimited. One of the best things I did was subscribe to Kindle Unlimited back when they were having a sale. Unfortunately, I'm addicted now and will probably have to renew it when the subscription runs out. I've gotten to read some really good books I wouldn't have otherwise. And if I download a book that doesn't hold my interest, I don't feel I have to keep reading, I just go get a different one.

Here are some that I've read recently:

Trilogy: Unrelenting, Unyielding, Unwavering - Marion Kummerow, trilogy, Love and Resistance in WW2. Based on a true story.
This World War II spy story is based on the true events of one couple's struggle for happiness while battling a war against their own leaders

Beneath a Scarlet Sky – Mark Sullivan
Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, the USA Today and #1 Amazon Charts bestseller Beneath a Scarlet Sky is the triumphant, epic tale of one young man’s incredible courage and resilience during one of history’s darkest hours.

In Farleigh Field: A Novel of Word War II – Rhys Bowen
Inspired by the events and people of World War II, writer Rhys Bowen crafts a sweeping and riveting saga of class, family, love, and betrayal

Voyage of the Damned: A Shocking True Story of Hope, Betrayal, and Nazi Terror – Gordon Thomas & Max Morgan-Witts
This book is a meticulous reconstruction of a tragic episode in the history of the Nazi persecution of the Jews.

The Redcliffe Sisters two-book Series: Wish Me Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye, Take Me to Your Heart Again – Marius Gabriel
In a period of irreversible change, the Redcliffe sisters face monumental love and loss that will stretch the bounds of sisterhood to their limits…

Just started this one: White Rose Black Forest – Eoin Dempsey
In the shadows of World War II, trust becomes the greatest risk of all for two strangers.

 

[foxxycat]

If you like WW2 books- Try Freda Lightfoot

Theres dozens of female british authors who write lovely novels during those time periods..I read a dozen of them a few years ago.
Anna King, June Francis, Grace Thompson etc.
I read Freda L Polly's Pride a few weeks ago- its about the 1920s union era-very good read. I highly recommend anything by Freda- just a nice fresh break from Nora Roberts/Deb Macomber light reading..