Your Book Activity - June 2013

[chesilbeach]

I hope it picks up for you; I read it when it was first released and really enjoyed it. I am a pretty big Maggie O'Farrell fan though.

 

It's the second Maggie O'Farrell book we've had at book group, but I didn't read the last one as I was away when it was chosen, but everyone raved about it. I'm struggling with the two disparate time periods, and I've never been a big fan of reading about pregnancy and new mothers, so it's really not appealing at the moment. That said, I'm over a quarter of the way through, and I'm not finding it so offputting that I can't pick it up, so I'll keep going for now and see how I get on.

Edited June 17, 2013 by chesilbeach

[Kidsmum]

I finished The Last Runaway  Tracey Chevalier this afternoon & have started Black Flowers  Steve Mosby, this isn't something i'd normally go for but it's my first book group read so i'm hoping i'll enjoy it especially as the author is coming to the next meeting 

[Timstar]

Reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne which is up to his usual standard as well as Domain by James Herbert which is the third in the 'Rats' trilogy and my favourite so far.

[pontalba]

I'm reading The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos.  The same guy that wrote for The Wire.  Very good.

[Kylie]

Frankie, I doubt I would have been so accommodating to that lady. I would have been wishing for the courage to say (and perhaps even saying) 'excuse me, I'm going to read my book now'.

 

I went away last weekend and managed to finished Groucho and Me in between very long naps. I'm now getting back into Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson.

[Karsa Orlong]

I was trying to decide whether to read James Ellroy's The Black Dahlia or David Gemmell's The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend next.  Couldn't make up my mind, so I'm carrying on with The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn for the moment.  It's good, but it's not the sort of book I can read for long stretches (lots of names and dates to digest, as you would expect), so I'll have to continue to read it in short spurts whilst reading something else as well.

[Eleonora]

I loved The Black Dhalia when I read it years ago.

 

I went to the library yesterday and I took Long John Silver by Larsson.. I'm really enjoying it so far.

[frankie]

Frankie, I doubt I would have been so accommodating to that lady. I would have been wishing for the courage to say (and perhaps even saying) 'excuse me, I'm going to read my book now'.

 

 

I don't mind talking to people on the train

 

I finished The Help yesterday and loved it Then I tried picking up a few different books, but it was a while until one of them stuck: Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood.

[Verna]

I don't mind talking to people on the train

 

I finished The Help yesterday and loved it Then I tried picking up a few different books, but it was a while until one of them stuck: Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood.

 

I liked The Help, too.  It's one of those books that you can't put down.  Alias Grace is on my book shelf.  I read it several years ago and enjoyed it very much.

 

I'm almost finished Run by Ann Patchett.  Next is Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie.  I've already read a few pages. 

[chesilbeach]

I've just finished The Hand That First Held Mine - I can't say I enjoyed it, but it kept me interested until the end, although I did see roughly how it was going to pan out from a pretty early point.  I'm sure it will provide a lively discussion at my book group though!

[pontalba]

I don't mind talking to people on the train

 

.

It can be annoying, but usually the ones that do that are just lonely....doesn't cost anything to be kind.  As long as they don't get creepy.

 

I finished and loved The Night Gardener by George Pelecaons, thumbnail review on my book blog thread.

 

I'm over a hundred pages into Night Bus by Giampiero Rigosi, it's quite good.  Original in Italian, this is translated to English and I really believe he must have caught the Italian flavor of the story.  A sort of accidental heist, from very bad people, story.

[chaliepud]

I haven't read much fiction lately, I have been reading puppy training books instead. Tried Khaled Hosseini's latest book but couldn't get into it, the time frames jumped around too much and I kept losing track of who was who and what point in time I was at..

 

Have started City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare, it's very readable but I'll see how it goes.

[Kylie]

I don't mind talking to people on the train

 

I finished The Help yesterday and loved it Then I tried picking up a few different books, but it was a while until one of them stuck: Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood.

 

Yes, because you're a friendly and personable person. I'm not.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed The Help. It's yet another book that is languishing on my book shelf, along with Alias Grace, so I look forward to hearing what you think of it.

[Cookie]

Finished The Heretic's Daughter - Kathleen Kent. I really enjoyed this one, I kept reading even though I knew something bad was going to happen and I got quite upset towards the end.

 

I checked out the prequel to it on Amazon but it's pretty expensive at the moment so have put it on my wish list in the hope it will go down in price.

 

I have started reading Blood and Ice - Robert Masello. The premise sounds good so I'm hoping I will enjoy it.

Edited June 20, 2013 by Cookie

[itsmeagain]

 

I haven't read much fiction lately, I have been reading puppy training books instead. Tried Khaled Hosseini's latest book but couldn't get into it, the time frames jumped around too much and I kept losing track of who was who and what point in time I was at..

 

Have started City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare, it's very readable but I'll see how it goes.

Hello Chalie. I finished Human Traces a week ago, excellent it was too. Seb gives the impression of having done loads of reading on issues around psychoanalysis, and European history.The family dynamics are very well described throughout, yet I did find it odd that two psych doctors could end up in a situation where one weds the other`s patient, the other weds his friend`s sister.  Kept on thinking how excruciatingly embarrassing it must have been for Thomas..."my sis is married to my ex buddy Jacques, who tried to have my wife Kat classified as insane." or Jacques saying " I am married to my ex pal`s sister, I  thought his wife, who I see socially daily now, was a hysteric."

I love the grand panoramic storyline, the sweep of history across many decades in 800 pages. I just loved the book..though I loathed the way animals are treated throughout, especially the cold clinical detail of Jacques cutting up frogs, it sickens me and I know mrs meagain could not read a book with such sickening descriptions in it.Regensburger said prior to Africa trip that Africa is a big country...really? I think in 1898 the intelligentsia would have it as a continent.

And Regensburger should have been done for murder after callously killing a porter in an African journey. Overall a very good book, best read in ages.

Edited June 20, 2013 by itsmeagain

[chesilbeach]

I'm going to try and see the film of The Great Gatsby this weekend, as you have to see Baz Luhrmann films on the big screen, so despite the fact that I didn't enjoy the book when I read it about 20 years ago, I thought I'd re-read it again before I go to the cinema.  I'm about a third of the way in so far ...

[Inver]

Just finished and thoroughly enjoyed 'the Lollipop Shoes' by Joanne Harris.

[pontalba]

Just finished Night Bus by Giampiero Rigosi 4/5  Reviewed on my book thread.

[chesilbeach]

I'm almost finished with The Great Gatsby now, and I've picked up my next books for my reading group too, which are The House on the Strand by Daphne Du Maurier () and House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds (a 500 page science fiction novel ).

Edited June 21, 2013 by chesilbeach

[Janet]

I'm reading Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen    Well, I say reading, but I haven't actually had time to pick it up since Monday and I've only managed the first chapter!     I'm hoping next week might be slightly quieter!

[Alexi]

With some trepidation (simply because I loved the previous two novels and I'm concerned my expectations might be too high!) I've started And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini.

[chesilbeach]

I did finish The Great Gatsby this morning in time for going to see the film at the cinema this afternoon.  I've now started the third book in the Chocolat stories from Joanne Harris, Peaches for Monsieur le Curé, and I'm already a third of the way through and loving it!  In fact, if the film hadn't been about to start, I think I'd probably have finished it by now.  Fab read so far.

[Janet]

With some trepidation (simply because I loved the previous two novels and I'm concerned my expectations might be too high!) I've started And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini.

I really want to read this, but I don't like hardbacks so I fear I'll have to wait for the paperback.  I hope you enjoy it.

[Sofia]

about halfway through Needful Things

[chaliepud]

With some trepidation (simply because I loved the previous two novels and I'm concerned my expectations might be too high!) I've started And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini.

I didn't get on with this when I started it a couple of weeks ago, I found it flitted from one time zone to another rather too much, but I will give it another try at some point...