Just wondering ... what is everyone reading now?

[purple.alien.giraffe]

I have made a note of your recommendations, cheers Greg

Hubby just said, when you have time, try the Tad Williams fantasy series, that they are a fabulous read

It is the Shadowmarch Series

His trilogy "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" is pretty good too if you haven't read it.

 

[Katie H]

Just started "The Dog who Knew too Much" by Spencer Quinn. I like this series (this is #4) about a private detective and his dog. The stories are told from the dog's point of view. Good light reading. A little mystery-thriller, a little comedy.

Sounds interesting, jabbur. I'll have to see if our library has the books. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

My fantasy recommendations:

Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series ("The Hollows" series). Good on so many levels. Each novel can be appreciated on its own and each has a satisfying ending, although they should be read in order of publishing date.

Karen Moning's Fever series (now complete). Novels do not stand alone, or only loosely, but the series is complete so you can read this series from debut to conclusion without any hitch. This series is what really hooked me on fantasy, although Harrison shares the blame too.

BTW these two series are what I would call urban fantasy, IOW set in the present era of cellphones, cars and air travel, etc.

I have made a note of your recommendations, cheers Greg

Hubby just said, when you have time, try the Tad Williams fantasy series, that they are a fabulous read

It is the Shadowmarch Series

Okay, you convinced me. I've reserved the first of the series at my public library. Thanks!

 

[jabbur]

Sounds interesting, jabbur. I'll have to see if our library has the books. Thanks for the recommendation.

The first one is "Dog On It". I bought it on a whim and fell in love with Chet (the dog). Have been collecting them now. Chet The Dog : Buy my book

 

[tinlizzie]

I'm about 50 pages into Tinkers by Paul Harding. Big surprise this morning on NPR's Diane Rehm show -- by sheer coincidence that's the book they were discussing. She and her panel like it a lot, but all agreed that it's slow reading, as valuable for the author's lyrical prose as for the story that's told. I was getting tired of the jumps in time back and forth from the old man who's dying and his memories of his father. It will probably be worth the effort to soldier on. Good bedtime reading anyway.

 

[Zhizara]

I ran out of books on order and went to the "library" downstairs. I had donated many of my books, to make room for more, and to hopefully inspire others to donate theirs.

It worked, and I found a bunch of new authors that I'm gradually trying out.

A bunch of new (to me) authors are Jan Coffrey, Eileen Dryer, and Linda Howard. I have ordered more of their books, because they caught my attention and kept me spellbound.

Right now, I'm reading another one of Iris Johansen's novels. She keeps me in thrall and there are plenty more I haven't read yet.

 

[Kylie1969]

His trilogy "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" is pretty good too if you haven't read it.

Yes Purple, that is another series that hubby has read and enjoyed

Okay, you convinced me. I've reserved the first of the series at my public library. Thanks!

I am so pleased Greg, I have no doubt you will enjoy them...and if you dont, we will blame Steve

 

[taxlady]

I just finished Wintersmith. I had already read the other three in this four book, Disk World, "juvenile" subset, by Terry Pratchett. Loved it. I want more. I love the Nac Mac Feegles - the Wee Free Men, also known as Pictsies (yes, that is spelled correctly).

 

[Alix]

Oh the Wee Free Men are my FAVORITE! I LMAO for most of those books. I envy you being at the start of some fun reads.

 

[taxlady]

Oh the Wee Free Men are my FAVORITE! I LMAO for most of those books. I envy you being at the start of some fun reads.

Unfortunately, I just finished them.

 

[Alix]

Oh lordy. I clearly had too much wine with dinner. I completely misread that post. Sorry TL!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Pratchett makes me laugh all the time. The first one I ever read was "Small Gods" and Shrek thought I was having conniption fits. Took two more Pratchetts before I convinced him he was missing out on some good stories. I gave him "Soul Music" to read first.

 

[vitauta]

the belly of paris, or otherwise known as the fat and the thin, by emile zola. a book about rich versus poor in nineteenth century france. remarkable food descriptions throughout!!! from fish auctions to fish markets to luscious fruit and vegetable displays, to the ever tempting pork shop....who knew zola was a foodie?! i loved this book, and was sorry to have it end. when/if i'm ever flush with money i may come back and buy mark kurlansky's translation of this remarkable novel. the 95 cent version i read is said to be a terrible translation. still, a great read. the main problem as i see it is very poor editing, not the writing. funny how kurlansky keeps popping up now and again at the mention of food and history....

 

[vagriller]

The Strongest Tribe by Bing West. It was written by a combat reporter embedded with the troops in Iraq.

 

[taxlady]

Pratchett makes me laugh all the time. The first one I ever read was "Small Gods" and Shrek thought I was having conniption fits. Took two more Pratchetts before I convinced him he was missing out on some good stories. I gave him "Soul Music" to read first.

I started reading the Disk World series when there was only The Colour of Magic. I have read most of them in order.

 

[Claire]

Forgotten Country by Catherine Chung. Just started it. I've known a lot of Korean people in my life, both immigrants and 2nd generation. So think I'll enjoy it.

In the past couple of weeks I've read The Impossible Dead (Ian Rankin), Beastly Things (Donna Leon)(almost enough to turn you vegetarian), A Room of Bones (Elly Griffiths), Bones in High Places (Suzette Hill)(I don't know why, but I have an ongoing affection for comfy mysteries centered around clergy), Carry the One (Carol Anshaw) (didn't like it, don't care for novels where something happens in the first chapter and the whole novel is about the angst everyone suffers afterwards), and Death of a Kingfisher (M.C. Beaton) (love those mysteries from across the pond!).

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

"THe Casual Vacancy" -- by J.K. Rowling -- her first adult novel!

I have been predicting this since the J.K. Rowling "Potter" franchise was completed. We all speculated where she would go next. Some thought she would eke in another Potter. I disagreed. I opined that she would move to adult fiction and depart juvenile fiction (nothing wrong with that, she just did all that, and succeeded beyond all but the wildest imaginations).

Now the shape of her future has come out. As I predicted, Rowling decided to try her hand at adult fiction.

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling (Amazon link)

From my public library site:

When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils--Pagford is not what it first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the town’s council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations? The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults

(they didn't credit the source)

I knew this was coming! I just found out about the new novel about an hour ago. I've reserved my copy at my local library. I know they'll buy literally hundreds of copies, and my own reservation is in the mid-80s. I'll get my own copy the first week after publication (according to Amazon, September 27, 2012). In my past experience with our excellent public library I will be the very first person to read the library copy that I'll get, probably about a week after the publication date. (The libraries get the copies sooner than publication date, but they are forbidden to distribute the copies early--except for librarian reads of course--and due to the delay in any government agency it will take them probably a week to ship all the copies within the system to any branch other than the one that got the copy originally).

So any of you who want to read this book quickly should either order your copy or should make a reservation at your local public library, soon.

 

[Kylie1969]

Excellent, thanks for that information Greg

We will certainly try to get this on the Kindle, as it will be interesting to see her writing for adults

 

[Dawgluver]

Saw an interview with Michael Wigge, author of "How to Travel the World for Free" on the Today Show this morn. I ordered the Kindle edition for around $4, it's really interesting!

 

[taxlady]

I'm reading, off and on, Anne of Green Gables on my iPhone. I never read it before. It is really well written. I am enjoying it a lot.