Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

But since I didn't have my eReader with me this lunchtime, and I bought the Heyers from the sadly defunct BooksOnBoard (so I can't re-download it on my work computer), I've also started The Virgin in the Ice by Ellis Peters, her sixth Cadfael novel.

I enjoyed both very much. Very good stories both.

Then I read Demon's Gate by Steve White. From an old Baen bundle, it was a very readable fantasy set in the bronze age

And then I started reading some of the nominations for the best fiction book of 1901-1910, starting with The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain. This was OK, but didn't particularly appeal to me.

Anne of Green Gables was next, which I found to be an excellent read - and it certainly gets a lot better as it goes along.

And I'm now in the middle of Before Adam by Jack London, which although very different to The Diaries of Adam and Eve, is about on a par with them (so far) in terms of enjoyment.

[Dngrsone]

Originally Posted by HarryT

What does "JCO" mean, please?

Joyce Carol Oates

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And I'm now in the middle of Before Adam by Jack London, which although very different to The Diaries of Adam and Eve, is about on a par with them (so far) in terms of enjoyment.

Well, Before Adam was OK, better than the Diaraies of Adam and Eve overall, but not by much. It hasn't made my choice for 1901-1910 harder.

And now I'm on to The Virginian. Fascinating and fun so far. I'm looking forward to how it continues.

[Rev. Bob]

I have less than 20% of Ann Leckie's Ancillary Sword remaining, and I'm already looking forward to the third book. (Ancillary Mercy, coming later this year.) Not sure what I'll tackle next, though; I should probably switch gears to do some editing.

[HarryT]

Just finished "The Hippopotamus Pool" by Elizabeth Peters; the 8th book in the "Amelia Peabody" series. Great fun as always. Amelia and Emerson discover the almost undisturbed tomb of Queen Tetisheri at Luxor, but the lure of the treasure in the tomb soon attracts those who want it for themselves... Very highly recommended!

[DrNefario]

I'm reading The Magicians by Lev Grossman, a book I bought last year not realising I already had a copy from the Hugo packet a few years ago. I'm really enjoying it so far - I'm about half way through - and wish I'd read it sooner. In some ways it's a more realistic-toned, adult Harry Potter, and in some ways it's less realistic. The sequels have gone onto my Continued wishlist.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

I'm reading The Magicians by Lev Grossman, a book I bought last year not realising I already had a copy from the Hugo packet a few years ago. I'm really enjoying it so far - I'm about half way through - and wish I'd read it sooner. In some ways it's a more realistic-toned, adult Harry Potter, and in some ways it's less realistic. The sequels have gone onto my Continued wishlist.

Good to hear, I have been on the waiting list at my library for a few weeks now. Should be here in only 5 or 6 more weeks (#13 on the list, 7 copies).

[LovesMacs]

I'm now 65% through the Oxford World's Classics edition of War and Peace.

The book is proving a much more interesting read than I had expected, now that I know who is who. Figuring out the varied characters and who is really important was the big stumbling block for me, and I suppose many other readers. This time around I devoted myself almost completely to this one book to keep all the characters sorted out.

I name this particular edition because it uses the Maude translation but leaves the French and German dialogue untranslated in the main text, translated in hyperlinked notes. I find this very welcome though I'm annoyed by the typos in the non-English text. They are the kind that would pass through spell-check but make no semantic sense. There aren't that many typos overall but they are frequent enough that they distract and detract from the reading.

This particular edition also leaves the Russian names sounding Russian and not British: Andrei, not Andrew, for example.


I'm far enough along in War and Peace that I might try reading something concurrently. Something much different. Say, Inverting the Pyramid, something that's long been on my list to be read.

[Hampshire Nanny]

Yesterday, I started the day reading Jack Staples and the Poet's Storm, the third book in the Jack Staples trilogy by Mark Batterson and Joel Clark. The trilogy is allegorical Christian fiction for young adults and this last book is the culminating battle between the Assassin and the Author and his Awakened. But, I was having a bit of a problem getting really engaged and set it aside to start reading Murder Fresly Baked by Vanetta Chapman. Both of these are early reader copies for which I need to write a review, so I cannot stall too long.

And, I just received two books via InterLibrary Loan -- So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba and The Screwed Up Life of Charlie The Second by Drew Ferguson. It's a good thing that this upcoming Monday is a holiday. I'm going to need extra reading time to get both of these read before their due dates.

[Dngrsone]

Currently reading Created and Produced by Total Television Productions: The Story of Underdog, Tennessee Tuxedo and the Rest by Mark Arnold

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Well, Before Adam was OK, better than the Diaraies of Adam and Eve overall, but not by much. It hasn't made my choice for 1901-1910 harder.

And now I'm on to The Virginian. Fascinating and fun so far. I'm looking forward to how it continues.

And it continued very well indeed. A very good book, and I'm pleased to have read it.

Next up: The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers. This one is from 1903.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers. This one is from 1903.

An excellent book, although its author was not a fortunate man. He was executed by the Irish authorities during the Irish Civil War.

[DiapDealer]

Very much enjoying Neal Stephenson's new Seveneves.

[Dngrsone]

Finished Created and Produced by Total Television Productions: The Story of Underdog, Tennessee Tuxedo and the Rest by Mark Arnold; now reading A Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark by Harry Connolly. I bought this book because someone told Connolly that you can't sell a book with an octogenarian woman as the main character/hero. So far, so good; it's well-written, the charactes are rounded out, and I expect good things before the end.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers. This one is from 1903.

Well, it was an interesting story, but it was incredibly slow. I almost abandoned it a couple of times. The character of the narrator wasn't sympathetic (for me), and the other characters weren't very well done, IMO.

Only an average to poor book for me.

Next up: The Golden Bowl by Henry James.