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

[CRussel]

Next up: To Serve Them All My Days by R. F. Delderfield. This is the story of the son of a Welsh miner who is invalided out of WWI with "shell-shock" and becomes a teacher in a small, remote public school. Which doesn't begin to do it credit. I read this 30 years ago, as well as watching the BBC/PBS version of it. But I really remember very little of it and am very much looking forward to this reread.

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by tecweston

I read the first chapter and it didn't grab me, plus I'm just in a mood right now to read Game of Thrones and Sherlock Holmes, so I'm going to stick to those for the time being. I returned Norwegian Wood to the library.

And here I was just thinking of re-reading it

It's a great book. However, sometimes I find that I'm in the mood for certain books, too, and at those times even old favourites don't seem to appetizing. Enjoy the "Game of Thrones", my husband always says that he envies people reading the series for the first time, it really is a terrific experience. I've got Sherlock Holmes on my TBR list, incidentally.

I've had a really rough month and I need a pick-me-up book. I'm deciding between Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and The Dark is Rising right now to start on tonight (although neither particularly seem like pick-me-ups, they are both books that I've been meaning to read for a while, and that I suspect that I will enjoy). Right now I've got school stuff to read, I'll get to the fun stuff later tonight.

[Chi Cygni]

Snow Flower is quite depressing... will not lift your spirits. I would recommend L'Auberge by Julia Stagg (lighthearted) or The Time in Between by Maria Duenas, and that IS a page turner!

http://www.thetimeinbetweenbook.com/

[ElsieC]

Hi. I am new to MR and recently bought my first eReader (a used Sony PRS-505). I like the PRS-505 very much so far. I have learned to use Calibre and download books from my local library. I have just finished:

Highest Duty by Chesley Sullenberger (the pilot/captain of the plane that landed on the Hudson River after losing both engines due to hitting geese).

How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming by Mike Brown (the man who discovered an object beyond Pluto which started the debate that eventually led to Pluto being "demoted" as a planet).

I usually read Mystery/Thriller/Suspense but enjoyed these two non-fiction books very much. The book by Mike Brown was much more enjoyable than I anticipated.

I am currently reading Scott Turow's Innocent.

I've enjoyed reading all the posts here and look forward to more book suggestions.

ElsieC

[tecweston]

Originally Posted by Latinandgreek

And here I was just thinking of re-reading [Norwegian Wood]

It's a great book. However, sometimes I find that I'm in the mood for certain books, too, and at those times even old favourites don't seem to appetizing. Enjoy the "Game of Thrones", my husband always says that he envies people reading the series for the first time, it really is a terrific experience. I've got Sherlock Holmes on my TBR list, incidentally.

Yeah, don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike it, and I added it to my wishlist, but right now I'm deep into books 4 and 5 of "A Song of Ice and Fire," and I just bought a bunch of non-canonical Holmes books, so I'm just itching to read those. Murakami will wait.

[tecweston]

Originally Posted by ElsieC

How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming by Mike Brown (the man who discovered an object beyond Pluto which started the debate that eventually led to Pluto being "demoted" as a planet).

That was really good. Much more of a memoir than I thought it would be, which gave it more of a human touch than just talking about the science of discovering new dwarf planets in our solar system.

[ElsieC]

Regarding How I Killed Pluto:

Originally Posted by tecweston

That was really good. Much more of a memoir than I thought it would be, which gave it more of a human touch than just talking about the science of discovering new dwarf planets in our solar system.

I agree! I especially liked where he describes his frustration with doctors not knowing precise data for how many expectant mothers go into labor early vs. on time vs. late (his wife is expecting), as well as writing software to track his newborn's eating/sleeping pattern, hoping for some sort of control over these events.

[jenniferkathleen]

right now I'm reading The Disenchantments by Nina Lacour:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-...our/1103631975

[jgaiser]

Finished the second of Joe Abercrombie's First Law series, Before They Are Hanged. These books are definitely not stand-alone novels. Some things are resolved. Somethings are left hanging. Logen Ninefingers is still my favorite character, but Inquisitor Glokta runs a close second. Looking forward to the third and final book, Last Argument of Kings.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Voyager In Night by C. J. Cherryh, which doesn't seem to be available as an ebook at the moment. (I got it at fictionwise in 2008.) A stand-alone SF story, apparently.

And an interesting stand-alone SF story it was, too Recommended, if you can find it.

Next, the last of my February 2012 purchases: Fellowship of Fear by Aaron Elkins.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by Latinandgreek

And here I was just thinking of re-reading it

It's a great book. However, sometimes I find that I'm in the mood for certain books, too, and at those times even old favourites don't seem to appetizing. Enjoy the "Game of Thrones", my husband always says that he envies people reading the series for the first time, it really is a terrific experience. I've got Sherlock Holmes on my TBR list, incidentally.

I've had a really rough month and I need a pick-me-up book. I'm deciding between Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and The Dark is Rising right now to start on tonight (although neither particularly seem like pick-me-ups, they are both books that I've been meaning to read for a while, and that I suspect that I will enjoy). Right now I've got school stuff to read, I'll get to the fun stuff later tonight.

While I'm probably late to sway your decision, I really enjoyed Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.

[paulsalter]

I have been having a total change from my usual reading the last couple of days

went back to my childhood and read a few of the Famous Five stories

[WT Sharpe]

I haven't read anything all day except for posts. I went out on the deck a while ago with my Kindle, and just as I began to open it my ex-DIL showed up with her kids. Oh well. She's gone now, time to go out and read. Catch y'all later.

[tecweston]

Currently reading:

- A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin (68%)

- A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin (44%)

- Whitechapel: The Last Stand of Sherlock Holmes by Bernard J. Schaffer (30%)

- Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain (~20%) [on hold]

Whitechapel is pretty good, but it's way different from any Sherlock Holmes novel I've ever read before. The point-of-view switches between Watson, Jack the Ripper, Irene Adler, Lestrade, and other characters, and only Watson's chapters are in first person. There are some typos but that's understandable since this is a self-published book.

Also, it's not a mystery but more of a thriller. Nine chapters in so far and Sherlock has barely appeared, the book preferring to switch between modern day and flashback of Jack the Ripper's messed-up childhood.

The only thing I don't like is the abundance of profanity. Not that such a thing offends me, but it doesn't fit in the Victorian-era Holmes novels. I read "Angel of the Opera" recently, and when a character used profanity at one point, Holmes' cousin Dr. Henry Vernier exclaimed "watch your language!" Not so in this book:

Inspector Gerard Lestrade spat on the ground and muttered, "This is bollocks. We are Scotland f****ing Yard."

If you're familiar with the Holmes canon, you probably cannot imagine Lestrade saying that. It's really out of character. But despite that, the novel is still really enjoyable and gripping.

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by Chi Cygni

Snow Flower is quite depressing... will not lift your spirits. I would recommend L'Auberge by Julia Stagg (lighthearted) or The Time in Between by Maria Duenas, and that IS a page turner!

http://www.thetimeinbetweenbook.com/

Thanks of the recommendation, I will see if I can get a hold of those books!

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

While I'm probably late to sway your decision, I really enjoyed Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.

I started reading it last night - bad idea, I couldn't put it down