What're You Reading? (General Book Discussion Thread)

[lizzywednesday]

I know it hasn't been a long time since we had a "what are you reading?" thread, but I wanted to know if maybe we could do this as a monthly thing?

Anyway, I wanted to share what I've read over the past month and a half and what's on the immediate TBR (as in "books I got for Christmas or are lurking unread on my eReader") until I prioritize my long-term TBR list (as in "books I keep meaning to read, but never actually do because SQUIRREL!") and see what else folks are interested in.

In December and January, I read:

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Steifvater - this is HIGHLY recommended and it explores questions of faith, self-help/self-sufficiency, and mysticism, as well as culture and nostalgia. I loved it and think I need to buy it.

Norse Mythology as retold by Neil Gaiman - this is also HIGHLY recommended, because even though I've read some of the tales, in Mr Gaiman's hands, they somehow seem more immediate and real than they had in the past. It's also moved Mr Gaiman's Odd and the Frost Giants up on the TBR list.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker - after several months' obsession with the most recent revival of the Broadway musical adaptation, with the glorious voice of Tony Award-winner Cynthia Erivo, I finally broke down and read the novel. I had no idea it was told in the epistolary fashion, had no idea how closely the Stephen Spielberg film adaptation hewed to the story (oddly, it was extremely close in my hazy memory), and had no idea what I might be missing in Ceilie's experiences and inner life without having read the novel. It is brutal and beautiful and joyful and sad all at once.

The Temple of My Familiar by Alice Walker - this is Walker's follow-up, not-quite-sequel-sequel to The Color Purple, as it follows Ceilie's extended family's story in a multiple-POV narrative through the 1960s and 1970s.

Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker - this is the last in the cycle, often sold as "The Color Purple Collection" (which is how I bought it for eReader), and it's also not a sequel, but deals with characters in the previous two novels. It also presents a case against female circumcision as it tells the story. Keeping this in mind helps make sense of the story, and helped temper my expectations of what would unfold.

I also re-read Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery, and am considering reading it out loud to/with DD after we finish The Ordinary Princess.

Now that it's February, I've just finished:

Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston - I was supposed to read this in college, for a course on folk narratives. I read some of it. I should have completed the assignments. This is a fascinating collection of folklore - folk tales in the Southern Black tradition (tracing back to slavery days, with echoes of the little I know about West African folk tales, like Anansi the Spider from Ghana and so on) as well as a strange summary of hoodoo/voodoo practices and recipes. It is fascinating. My inspiration for reading it came from Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys, which reminded me of the little I'd read from it back in college so strongly that I found it almost distracting.

I'm switching to nonfic next - either the Chernow biography of George Washington or Joanne Freeman's Affairs of Honor.

Concurrently, I've read A Wrinkle in Time (Madeline L'Engle) to/with DD and we're currently making our way through The Ordinary Princess by MM Kaye, both of which were among my very favorite books when I was a kid.

[jgenie]

I know it hasn't been a long time since we had a "what are you reading?" thread, but I wanted to know if maybe we could do this as a monthly thing?

Anyway, I wanted to share what I've read over the past month and a half and what's on the immediate TBR (as in "books I got for Christmas or are lurking unread on my eReader") until I prioritize my long-term TBR list (as in "books I keep meaning to read, but never actually do because SQUIRREL!") and see what else folks are interested in.

In December and January, I read:

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Steifvater - this is HIGHLY recommended and it explores questions of faith, self-help/self-sufficiency, and mysticism, as well as culture and nostalgia. I loved it and think I need to buy it.

Norse Mythology as retold by Neil Gaiman - this is also HIGHLY recommended, because even though I've read some of the tales, in Mr Gaiman's hands, they somehow seem more immediate and real than they had in the past. It's also moved Mr Gaiman's Odd and the Frost Giants up on the TBR list.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker - after several months' obsession with the most recent revival of the Broadway musical adaptation, with the glorious voice of Tony Award-winner Cynthia Erivo, I finally broke down and read the novel. I had no idea it was told in the epistolary fashion, had no idea how closely the Stephen Spielberg film adaptation hewed to the story (oddly, it was extremely close in my hazy memory), and had no idea what I might be missing in Ceilie's experiences and inner life without having read the novel. It is brutal and beautiful and joyful and sad all at once.

The Temple of My Familiar by Alice Walker - this is Walker's follow-up, not-quite-sequel-sequel to The Color Purple, as it follows Ceilie's extended family's story in a multiple-POV narrative through the 1960s and 1970s.

Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker - this is the last in the cycle, often sold as "The Color Purple Collection" (which is how I bought it for eReader), and it's also not a sequel, but deals with characters in the previous two novels. It also presents a case against female circumcision as it tells the story. Keeping this in mind helps make sense of the story, and helped temper my expectations of what would unfold.

I also re-read Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery, and am considering reading it out loud to/with DD after we finish The Ordinary Princess.

Now that it's February, I've just finished:

Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston - I was supposed to read this in college, for a course on folk narratives. I read some of it. I should have completed the assignments. This is a fascinating collection of folklore - folk tales in the Southern Black tradition (tracing back to slavery days, with echoes of the little I know about West African folk tales, like Anansi the Spider from Ghana and so on) as well as a strange summary of hoodoo/voodoo practices and recipes. It is fascinating. My inspiration for reading it came from Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys, which reminded me of the little I'd read from it back in college so strongly that I found it almost distracting.

I'm switching to nonfic next - either the Chernow biography of George Washington or Joanne Freeman's Affairs of Honor.

Concurrently, I've read A Wrinkle in Time (Madeline L'Engle) to/with DD and we're currently making our way through The Ordinary Princess by MM Kaye, both of which were among my very favorite books when I was a kid.

Thanks for starting this thread and sharing your picks! DS1 and DS2 LOVE Anne of Green Gables! I think your DD falls between my guys age wise. We did it as a read a loud. They listen to the Audible version now and DS1 has read it again on his own.

[Charlie]

Oh I love these threads! I always look to them for recommendations.
So far this year (January / February) I’ve read:
I’ll Give You the Sun - currently reading, YA
Descent - thriller, a little too slow
All the Bright Places - ok, YA
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things - liked more than I thought I would, read in 1 sitting which has never happened before
Behind Closed Doors - this is a psychological thriller and was my favorite out of all the ones listed
Everything, Everything - probably my least favorite
The Girl With all the Gifts - post-apocalyptic zombie book. I was slightly disappointed.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - too slow, YA
The Sky is Everywhere - YA, enjoyable
The Breakdown - a good suspense, mystery, recommended
Certain Dark Things and Notorious RBG - I couldn’t finish these as I thought they were too poorly written
The Girl on the Train - I was a little late to this but liked it.
Strange the Dreamer - I loved the author’s other series (Daughter of Smoke and Bone) and am looking forward to the next installment but it was a slow start.
The Kitchen House - historical fiction. I enjoyed it but was also annoyed by it.
180 Seconds - wouldn’t recommend but better than Left Drowning (both by Jessica Park and I loved her Flat Out Love series)
Left Drowning - wouldn’t recommend

[JBaxter]

Books so far this year
Beyond denial
Beyond Temptation
Beyond Addiction
Beyond Possession
Beyond Innocence
Beyond Ruin ( Kit Rocha)
Post apocalyptic series
Gathering Storm Scorpius syndrome series #4 Rebecca Zanetti ( Post apocalyptic series)
Fire& Fury Ruby Dixon ( post apocalyptic dragon shifter series)
Hidden Warriors of Hir series #4 by Willow Dane SciFi romance
Vincent - Vampires in America series DB Reynolds
Blaze Erupting Scorpius Syndrome #4.5 Rebecca Zanetti
Their Carpenters Helper
Their independent bride Both by Marla Monroe ( these were fairly crappy )
Wicked Ride - Realm enforcer series by Rebecca Zanetti ( spin off of her earlier dark protector series)
Kidnapping Casey
Tempting Rever
Berrr's Vow By Laurann Dohner scifi romance
Darkstar mercenaries by Anna Craven ( sciFi romance)
Currently I'm doing Wicked Burn #2 in Realm enforcers by Rebecca Zanetti on audible
Destroyer Hidden Planet series by anna craven on my kindle


I kind of go in spurts of what I read I've been on a post apocalyptic kick since the first of the year but I'm swinging back to the paranormal at the moment.

[Smillow]

Lizzywednesday, I read those Alica Walker books back in the early 90’s. I really like them and they really resonated with me especially the last 2 (at the time, I found The Color Purple quite depressing.) I think I will read them again to see how 25 years of life experience changes my perspective!

[rlu]

Lizzywednesday, I read those Alica Walker books back in the early 90’s. I really like them and they really resonated with me especially the last 2 (at the time, I found The Color Purple quite depressing.) I think I will read them again to see how 25 years of life experience changes my perspective!

I read To Kill a Mockingbird in 8th grade and don't remember liking it too much. I think part of that was due to having to not read ahead and answer questions after each chapter. My family book club read it not too long ago and I found so much more to it now. My sister agreed with both not liking in 8th but liking as an adult but isn't ready to re-read Lord of the Flies which we both detested in high school and I'm not sure any amount of time will change that.

I usually read a book a week, some more intense than others, although work/home priorities can affect that. The Olympics coverage is taking my down time right now.

I don't keep a list of books I've read, although viewing my library slips I see I read the following in and since December (not in order)
The Noel Diary - I got this before Christmas but just read recently after the intense The Hate U Give; Light.
News of the World - good, recommended for book club
Everyone Brave is Forgiven - intense (eta: I really enjoyed the sly humor contrasting with the utterly horrifying background of London during the Blitz and the war fronts; the idea that there is always humor and good will despite the circumstances, etc.)
Everything I Never Told You - heavy
The Redbird Christmas - light, read just before Xmas, sweet
The Truth of Me by MacLachlan - very J, quick read (eta: I think I read this after Everyone Brave is Forgiven as way to refresh)
Allie & Bea - good, considering rec'ing to book club
The Hate U Give - truly intense, breathtaking, the cover quotes of "riveting" and "stunning" do not oversell. I am rec'ing to certain members of our book club, but frankly I think it would shock some of the members. Also book club does not do YA.

Currently reading A Dog Named Boo.

[lizzywednesday]

Thanks for starting this thread and sharing your picks! DS1 and DS2 LOVE Anne of Green Gables! I think your DD falls between my guys age wise. We did it as a read a loud. They listen to the Audible version now and DS1 has read it again on his own.

DD will be 8 next month, so she's juuuuust about old enough to meet Anne.

If I recall correctly, I was about the same age when the Megan Follows/Colleen Dewhurst/Richard Farnsworth CBC/PBS adaptation was broadcast on TV, and with the success we've had with A Wrinkle in Time and The Ordinary Princess, I'm hopeful that I can suggest Anne as our next read-aloud. (Besides, the whole "read 20 minutes" requirement for her daily homework absolutely demands that we raid my personal library instead of sticking with picture books, so I'm able to suggest more varied classic novels.)

[vonfirmath]

Anne of Green Gables[/I] by LM Montgomery, and am considering reading it out loud to/with DD after we finish The Ordinary Princess.


Unfortunately, I do not do a good job of keeping track of books I read!

I just finished _The Cat of Bubastes_ by G.A. Henty -- I'd heard a LOT about him but figured the books would be old-fashioned and hard to read so drug my heels on actually reading. As I approached the end of the book, I went out and purchaed 2-3 more and am eager to read them.

I also just finished _Gates of Zion_ by Brodie and Brock Thoene for a reading club book and enjoyed it so much (especially learning parts of Jerusalem/Israel history I was not that aware of), I am now part of a reading club where I will be reading more books in that series over the next few months (one book a month)

And I just finished Anne's House of Dreams audiobook.

My daughter (6 years old) and I are listening to the Anne of Green Gables audiobook as we have time. She seems to be really enjoying it. (I started out trying to read it but she was having trouble paying attention. It works better -- and we get better progress -- letting her listen to the audio book I've got on my phone (through audible) while we do things together -- drive, sew, etc.

ETA: I was just reminded (by the Newberry and Caldecott being announced today) that I read -The War I finally Won- by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley in January as well. I liked it even better than the first book in the series.

[anonomom]

I spent January devouring Elin Hilderbrant's backlist on Kindle (mindless summer stories about ridiculously wealthy people make for surprisingly good snow-day reading), and re-reading Laurie R. King's Mary Russell novels. Most of those, I hadn't read in a few years, and I'd forgotten how good the whole series is.

I have Cutting School, by Noliwe Rooks, on my nightstand and it's very well-written, just a touch depressing. I keep going back to the fluff. :-)

[Simon]

I love these threads, too!

An Enchantment of Ravens Best of my most recent reads. YA novel with
Stalking Jack the Ripper YA novel with a decent female lead character but I just didn't love it.
American Street by Ibi Zoboi YA novel set in Detroit. Some overlap with themes in The Hate U Give. Heavy on DV in teen relationship.
Devils and Thieves by Jennifer Rush Good not great. Suspense and mystery with a combo of magic and motorcycle clubs
Before We Were Yours Good not great. Worth a read. Creepy and based on real events.
Me Before You Yes, I'm late to the game on this one, but I haven't seen the movie and enjoyed the book.
Grit by Angela Duckworth Non-fiction but very well written. I haven't finished but am enjoying it thoroughly.

Up next for me is Deep Work (non-fiction, Cal Newport) and Class Mom (fiction, Laurie Gelman)

[lizzywednesday]

Lizzywednesday, I read those Alica Walker books back in the early 90’s. I really like them and they really resonated with me especially the last 2 (at the time, I found The Color Purple quite depressing.) I think I will read them again to see how 25 years of life experience changes my perspective!

What I find in re-reads is that while the story may be the same, but I'm not, so I sometimes feel like a familiar story is brand-new because I'm seeing it with new eyes after gaining more life experience.

I have a few books I'd like to revisit now, especially ones I read nearly to pieces when I was younger.

[lizzywednesday]

Unfortunately, I do not do a good job of keeping track of books I read!...

I'm really erratic about keeping track.

Right now, I'm kind of obsessive because I need to prioritize my TBR list and that means checking the library catalog to see what I can put on hold or reserve.

It also helped me do a "theme" for my personal summer reading last year - that ended up being "Inspired Broadway," which meant I read stuff like Fun Home by Alison Bechdel and War Paint: Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubenstein - Their Lives, Their Times, Their Rivalry by Lindy Woodhead.

[legaleagle]

Currently making my way through the Lady Darby mystery series (one of many historical British female sleuth series I've read in the last year or so).

[NCGrandma]

Currently making my way through the Lady Darby mystery series (one of many historical British female sleuth series I've read in the last year or so).

I’ve also been inhaling several similar series, but set in NewYork City in early 1900s, most recently the Molly Murphy Mysteries series (by Rhys Bowen) and the Gaslight Mystery series (by Victoria Thompson).

Since I’ve now finished both series, until the next ones come out, I stumbled on a couple of others that I liked much more than I expected to. Highly recommend.

—The Radium Girls by Kate Moore, a somewhat fictionalized account of the true (and dreadful) story of young women who painted radium on watch dials before anyone knew how dangerous this was... Fascinating.

—A Tangled Mercy by Joy Jordan-Lake, a novel set in Charleston with parallel story lines set in 1822 (the Denmark Vesey slave rebellion) and 2015 (a young woman from an old Charleston family searching for family secrets). Very engrossing.


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[NCGrandma]

I spent January ... re-reading Laurie R. King's Mary Russell novels. Most of those, I hadn't read in a few years, and I'd forgotten how good the whole series is.
. :-)

I was excited to discover that there’s a new Mary Russell novel coming out in June! It’s called Island of the Mad, and it’s now on my Kindle wish list.


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[Kindra178]

I just started Radium Girls and I love it. Thank you NC!


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[smiles33]

I rarely have time to read for fun these days, but a friend, Jasmine Guillory, published her first novel, The Wedding Date! It falls in the "chick lit" category. It's about two ambitious/professional people (Drew is a pediatric surgeon, Alexa is an attorney-turned-policy-person who's chief of staff to the mayor of Berkeley) who meet in a hotel elevator. Romance develops after Drew asks Alexa to be his plus-one at his ex's wedding. What I love about it are the references to good food (they eat A LOT in this novel!), the clever humor, the on point racial dynamics (Alexa is black, Drew is white), and Alexa’s public interest job and how much she cares about it. I read it in one night even though I had planned to save it to read on vacation--I just couldn't put it down!

[dogmom]

Just read Dennis Lehane’s “Since We Fell”. If you haven’t read any of his books -Shutter Island, Another World, Mystic River, Gone, Baby Gone (the Kenzie/Gennaro books)-they are all good.

[legaleagle]

I’ve also been inhaling several similar series, but set in NewYork City in early 1900s, most recently the Molly Murphy Mysteries series (by Rhys Bowen) and the Gaslight Mystery series (by Victoria Thompson)]

Are the molly Murphy books light & funny like her Royal Spyness series or more somber?

(And if anyone wants more series in this vein I just typed out a long list of series I
Like from the last couple years)

An acquaintance of mine wrote a YA novel about the radium girls it's called Glow and has been very well reviewed.

[NCGrandma]

Are the molly Murphy books light & funny like her Royal Spyness series or more somber?

(And if anyone wants more series in this vein I just typed out a long list of series I
Like from the last couple years).

The Molly Murphy series is definitely much grittier, maybe even somber, than Royal Spyness . In the first book, Molly emigrates from Ireland to NYC, and deals with the voyage, Ellis Island, and being very poor in an unfamiliar country — fun times, right? I almost gave up after the first couple of books but I’m glad I persevered because they become much more interesting and balanced.

I’m always on the lookout for more series, both light and more serious!


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[anonomom]

I read Luckiest Girl Alive this week. Probably poorly timed, because it deal with really difficult issues, and I felt like my soul needed a bath afterwards, but I do think it's a good read.

[gatorsmom]

I’m reading The Heir Apparent which is a biography of King Edward VII of England. It’s an interesting look at the British Royal Family at the turn of the 20th century. It’s long but an easy read.

[lizzywednesday]

...

—The Radium Girls by Kate Moore, a somewhat fictionalized account of the true (and dreadful) story of young women who painted radium on watch dials before anyone knew how dangerous this was... Fascinating. ...

This is on my TBR list because another friend also recommended it highly!

[hillview]

I am up to my eyeballs on Finance books (yawn?). I actually find them interesting.

Reading now:
"You Need A Budget: The Proven System for Breaking the Paycheck-to-Paycheck Cycle, Getting Out of Debt, and Living The Life You Want"

Reading tomorrow:
"How to Retire with Enough Money"

:jammin:

[fauve01]

I just started "The Night the Lights Went Out" by Karen White and it's the first book this year out of several i've tried that has me wanting to pick it up and read. I've read other books by her and liked them as well.

[doberbrat]

So far this weekend I've read
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BFQDFG4 Seducing Cinderella
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017GWG1FW The Surprise Conti Child
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FTQ2C8S What the Greek's Money Couldn't Buy

I'm halfway through both The Bride who Said No https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073P6LGTY and Devil's Embrace https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OCXIGC

I'm a little sleep deprived but thrilled that I'm on vacation next week!!!

[Philly Mom]

I just finished Little Fires Everywhere. Loved it. Also loved Hum if you Don’t know the words.


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