Just wondering ... what is everyone reading now?

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There's a feisty little chihuahua named Kinky in The Fall Girl by Kaye C. Hill. It's a light-weight mystery that's a nice trade-off from heavier stuff. Not that it's heavier - it's not; but still dipping into The Salmon of Doubt.
 
Sangre Nuestra Tierra Ajena - Ventura Rocha Criollas

Sangre Nuestra Tierra Ajena and its English Translation: Immigrant Named America by Ventura Rocha Criollas, is a beautiful historical saga of his forebearers set against their experiences fleeing and immigrating from Spain to Mexico, and from Mexico to San Antonio, Texas.

Ventura who was a former USA Air Force Engineer, stationed in Torrejón De Ardóz, Madrid had been the first person to open a Mexican Taquería in continental Europe and Spain in 1960.

Thus, today, Ventura is the owner of Todo a Mejico in Madrid.

His historical saga is absolutely fascinating. Cannot put the book down.

M.C.
 
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I have a new book from Amazon arriving this week, The Way To Cook by Julia Child. I was all set to get Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vols 1&2, but decided TWTC was a better entré into her world.
 
I have a new book from Amazon arriving this week, The Way To Cook by Julia Child. I was all set to get Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vols 1&2, but decided TWTC was a better entré into her world.

Yep. TWTC is another winner! I have it too. If you like her enough to get the other book you mentioned then consider the Julia & Jacques cookbook too.
 
I'm still working on The Land of the Painted Caves. There is a lot of repetition, not just background from previous books. I'm finding myself doing a lot of skipping. I'm also not a fan of the "soft porn" details 3 or 4 pages at a time. TMI.
 
Zhizara you reminded me of my criticisms of Land of the Painted Caves. I too don't appreciate "soft porn" details in any novel, not because I'm any sort of prude but because I just don't want to read that stuff, it doesn't entertain me. I prefer the "implied sex" sort where a few words set up what's going to happen and then they cut to a new scene "much later." I appreciate being spared the details and I skip over that stuff too.

I had to skip over the endless descriptions of cave paintings too, which I'm sure were the product of the author's actually visiting those caves. I've seen that stuff in documentary films. I'm not ever going to visit those caves in person. The details went on too long for me.

Also had to skim the song verses. There is some sort of plot relevance to one specific song but skimming suited me just fine.

And I'm glad to not be totally negative, the novel picked up in the last 150-200 pages and made up for some of the dragging earlier. I suspect you'll agree with me, the author is done with the series, I'm done with the series, I'm glad I read it because I just couldn't resist reading the conclusion. I think we're all done! :)
 
One more word about the Earth's Children series... I listened to the Audible versions of all but the last... By the time of the 5th one, Shelters of Stone, there was nothing new happening. Ayla and J... ? traveled about and shared with everyone their adventures from the first four books. Insult to injury... the reader began to give Ayla the strangest (Russian?) accent. Sounded like Natasha on Bullwinkle. I really enjoyed listening to the first three, though.
 
One more word about the Earth's Children series... I listened to the Audible versions of all but the last... By the time of the 5th one, Shelters of Stone, there was nothing new happening. Ayla and J... ? traveled about and shared with everyone their adventures from the first four books. Insult to injury... the reader began to give Ayla the strangest (Russian?) accent. Sounded like Natasha on Bullwinkle. I really enjoyed listening to the first three, though.

I can fully understand why that would be distracting and detract from enjoyment of the novel. A primary principle of fiction is the reader's willing suspension of disbelief, which allows you to reach a state where you accept the novel's reality even if it contracts the real world. But to have a prehistoric character speaking with a Russian accent would be jarring, could (probably would) constantly have you thinking about the reader rather than the story.

One can only wonder if in the Russian audio book they would have Ayla speaking with an English accent. ;)

A Clash of Kings (2nd book of the Game of Thrones series)

I'm still waiting on my copy of Game of Thrones (book 1) from my public library. I'm down to the bottom of my book barrel and starting to worry that I may have to face reality! :eek:
 
Thanks, Greg. At least it's not just me. I don't like poetry (except limericks) and don't read it. I especially hate those chapter intros in books that have nothing to do with the story.

If she introduces Ayla to one more person... The last one was almost a whole page!

Thanks for letting me know it will pick up again. I'll pick it back up after I finish Anne McCaffrey's Planet Pirates that I interrupted to read these last two Earth's Children books.
 
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Zhizara, no it's not you at all, or at bare minimum it's you and me and perhaps Sharon... And that's just here on the DC forum, probably many others share our opinion not on this forum.

That introduction thing really wore me out too, the introduction involving all the person's past and accomplishments and relations and tribal affiliation and clan status... Honestly I suspect that what Auel relates is probably what was life was like in a prehistoric era, where we didn't have first, middle and surnames, and SSNs etc. But the author beats it to death with a club.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I finished the series, I'm glad I read the final novel, the conclusion. I'm glad I wasn't left hanging wondering how it all ended. I think the author ended it well. We can perhaps discuss this when you've finished reading. I'm glad the author chose a good climatic idea. You know Ayla invented everything from fire to the atlatl to medicine to birth control to domesticating animals. (A process that probably took 10,000 years. She must have had a very long and prolific life...) Let's discuss it when you're done and I hope I won't spoil the subject for any future DC members

Auel is now 75. I think in the book and online she's made it clear that this is her final novel. I'm glad I read them all. Think about it, what, 7 novels of several hundred pages each? It was perhaps 5,000-6,000 pages of Auel's fiction. I enjoyed most of it, particularly the earliest novels. If anybody wants to read just one, and has the self-discipline to eat just one, then read Clan of the Cave Bear. Understand that the slope gets steeper with every sequel, and that only true fans will not fall off the edge with the final in the series. I'm still glad I read them all.

Clan of the Cave Bear was IMO "knock you dead" good! :)



All: I've really enjoyed discussing books here with all you DC members. It's not often that I can find people who have read and enjoyed the same books as I have. I hope some of my comments have helped y'all too!
 
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It took me 4 tries to start Clan of the Cave Bear, I'd heard so many rave reviews, I just knew it had to be good...eventually.I finally forced it one summer and fell in love with the story...I lost that enjoyment at about the 4th book and have not even desired to finish the series.

I was lucky this morning, found The Food of a Younger Land, by Mark Kurlansky, in hardcover for $5.99 as a used book. Also picked up a used copy of Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins) for $4.50, I was able to use credit for that one.
 
PF I was worried when I began reading your reply until I found that you evidently enjoyed Clan of the Cave Bear. I'm sorry to agree that the series seemed to decline as it progressed. I think many of us fans will be glad that Ms. Auel has evidently retired after completing the series. I'm glad I made it to the end, and was relieved that as I've previously stated it picked up in the final few hundred pages. I'm glad the author retired. I hope she takes up cooking, or perhaps is already accomplished in that. :)

I read much of Kurlansky's Salt. I had to return it to the shelf and intend to complete it in the future. Although his style is IMO a bit dry I feel that he has very much to communicate to chefs, both professional chefs and to amateurs like myself.

I'm curious what you have to say about Hunger Games, or will say when you've read it. I've been flirting with the idea of reading it, being it's featured on many top seller lists, but I've been a bit reluctant having read synopsis/summaries of the theme. If you enjoy it then I'd be very much influenced to get it and read it. Please review it when you can.


And from another topic I want to recommend Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay, which many will recognize as the basis for the HBO series Dexter. It's not anything like the TV program, and if you've seen the program then it probably ruined you and maybe you should just leave well enough alone. The novel is a very dark comedy about the funny side of being a serial killer, normally a subject I would never touch, but this novel is so darkly satirically funny that nobody should miss it--unless you've already been ruined by the TV program. And don't bother with Lindsay's sequels either. The first was best and it was IMO all down hill after that, still funny but not screamingly funny, and a bit increasingly gruesome. I think Lindsay succumbed to his initial humor. It's hard to follow up a novel that good, and unfortunately he failed. But Darkly Dreaming Dexter was seriously, satirically funny! I give it a strong thumbs up! (But not the TV series and not the sequels, just the debut.)
 
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PF I was worried when I began reading your reply until I found that you evidently enjoyed Clan of the Cave Bear. I'm sorry to agree that the series seemed to decline as it progressed. I think many of us fans will be glad that Ms. Auel has evidently retired after completing the series. I'm glad I made it to the end, and was relieved that as I've previously stated it picked up in the final few hundred pages. I'm glad the author retired. I hope she takes up cooking, or perhaps is already accomplished in that. :)

I read much of Kurlansky's Salt. I had to return it to the shelf and intend to complete it in the future. Although his style is IMO a bit dry I feel that he has very much to communicate to chefs, both professional chefs and to amateurs like myself.

I'm curious what you have to say about Hunger Games, or will say when you've read it. I've been flirting with the idea of reading it, being it's featured on many top seller lists, but I've been a bit reluctant having read synopsis/summaries of the theme. If you enjoy it then I'd be very much influenced to get it and read it. Please review it when you can.

I loved Salt and Cod. I was very excited to find The Food of a Younger Land. I picked up the used paperback and found it was priced $2 higher than the hardcover...SCORE!:)

Hunger Games is found in the Young Adult section, published by Scholastic. It was a impulse buy for me, mostly because I know a movie is being made. I do enjoy many of the young adult titles and authors, some good things being written. I'll let you know how it turns out. Dystopia stories are fun for me.
 
I'm building up a good list of food/cooking references to read in the near future when I hope to turn from escapism to more practical preferences. I'll look forward to completing Kurlansky's Salt and reading his various other tomes.

Upon your suggestion I was encouraged enough to reserve a copy of Hunger Games at my local public library (LAPL) and I'm #377 for 271 copies, an indication that it will be a very few weeks before I can have my hands on a copy, probably enough time that I will be able to benefit from your review. One benefit of living in such a large city as I do (as opposed to all the liabilities) is that we have pretty good library access to most books, both past and present. I'm usually surprised when I want a book and can't find it in the system.


And having edited my post during your reply, I wonder if anybody else enjoyed reading Darkly Dreaming Dexter (see above).
 
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I, too, don't like to read poetry. Don't know why, just don't. More "Clan of the Cave ..." series? don't really want to do more of that, especially after reading this line. I guess I'm getting old, but reading about sex is nowhere near as fun as doing it was! Right now I'm not sure why I'm wading through two books that for some reason aren't really capturing my attention. The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman and another book that's translated from Korean. "Dovekeepers" just has too much in symbolism and dream sequences for my taste. Probably won't finish it, although in the past I've really enjoyed biblical novels. The Korean book (sorry, it is upstairs, it is 3 a.m. and I don't want to wake hubby) I may finish, simply because I'm almost half was through it and it offers, to me, an insight into a culture I've spent much of my life around.
 
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