chesilbeach Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I finished The Radleys today - loved it! So good, and I loved how their story was resolved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I finished the YA book The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruiz Zafón today. It was enjoyable enough, but not as good as The Prince of Mist. I've only managed about 30 pages of Titus Groan, but sadly I think I'm going to have to give up. It's just so... waffly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 I've only managed about 30 pages of Titus Groan, but sadly I think I'm going to have to give up. It's just so... waffly. I wanted to give it up at 20 pages, it didn't get better. Well, momentarily. /sigh/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 It's very frustrating - I hate giving up on books. I've put it to one side and started Sue Townsend's The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year, but I'm not sure if I'm going to get on any better with that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 I've just read my third short by Philip K. Dick. I'm enjoying these. I've been reading some of his short stories as well, the first volume of the complete collection: Beyond Lies the Wub. Some mediocre but some really good ones, right from his early years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie H Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 I've started reading Girl, Stolen by April Henry this morning, and it seems okay so far. Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - read up to page 68, good book, and I have to finish it for library reading group discussion on 27th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 I've only managed about 30 pages of Titus Groan, but sadly I think I'm going to have to give up. It's just so... waffly. Oh dear Janet .. the curse of Titus Groan strikes again .. hope you get on better with your next read I didn't find it waffly .. but then probably everybody's got a different waffle tolerance Am about halfway through The Luminaries .. most unfair as after 400 pages I would have finished practically any other book I'm enjoying it but feel a bit daunted by a further 440 pages Also reading Winter Ground by Catriona Mcpherson and struggling to keep interested It's a murder/mystery set partly in a circus .. I don't really like circuses .. The Night Circus had tricked me into thinking I did but no .. it must've been a one-off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dex Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 I'm on page 236, The Fruits of Boldness of Before They Are Hanged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 I'm about halfway through The Grapes of Wrath. I have exams next week so reading has taken a backseat to study. I did plan on reading some more of it tonight, but I had a bit of gin to relax me, and now I can't focus on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 I finished Gormenghast this evening i really enjoyed it but not quite as much as Titus Groan, i felt it could have done with a bit of editing as it did drag in places. I've decided to take a break before i start on the last book in the trilogy so i've been tempted by the recommendations for Death & The Penguin Andrey Kurkov so making that my next read Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 I finished Gormenghast this evening i really enjoyed it but not quite as much as Titus Groan, i felt it could have done with a bit of editing as it did drag in places. I've decided to take a break before i start on the last book in the trilogy Oh that's a bit of a shame KM .. and I think the last one is said to be not as good as the other two In which case you are wise to postpone i've been tempted by the recommendations for Death & The Penguin Andrey Kurkov so making that my next read I thought it was brilliant .. hope you do too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 It's very frustrating - I hate giving up on books. I've put it to one side and started Sue Townsend's The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year, but I'm not sure if I'm going to get on any better with that! Good luck with the new one. I've been reading some of his short stories as well, the first volume of the complete collection: Beyond Lies the Wub. Some mediocre but some really good ones, right from his early years. Hmmm interesting. Just received The Penultimate Truth in the mail.../fingers crossed/ Oh dear Janet .. the curse of Titus Groan strikes again .. hope you get on better with your next read I didn't find it waffly .. but then probably everybody's got a different waffle tolerance Am about halfway through The Luminaries .. most unfair as after 400 pages I would have finished practically any other book I'm enjoying it but feel a bit daunted by a further 440 pages Also reading Winter Ground by Catriona Mcpherson and struggling to keep interested It's a murder/mystery set partly in a circus .. I don't really like circuses .. The Night Circus had tricked me into thinking I did but no .. it must've been a one-off Very interested in your reactions/review of The Luminaries. LOL re Circuses... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnderTheDome40 Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 (edited) It's very frustrating - I hate giving up on books. I've put it to one side and started Sue Townsend's The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year, but I'm not sure if I'm going to get on any better with that! Janet i couldn't agree with you more. I simply cannot quit on a book once it;s started and I don't know why. It can be really unbearable too when you get the feeling like it's dragging and notice you aren't reading as much because of it. I am going through this now with my current read, it's called "In the Lake of the Woods" by Tim O Brien. And it's not even in my normal genre of fiction that i usually read, just had a real catchy summary so i bought it but the good thing is many people on GoodReads site told me it gets much better, just has a slow start. I hope they're right.. Edited November 15, 2013 by UnderTheDome40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mila Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 Finished On Writing by Stephen King yesterday. Listening to Gaiman's and Pratchett's Good Omens audiobook became so frustrated with the speed of reading that finished it by myself. Yeah, I kind of forgot about human's need to sleep Like always... Now I have Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, and trying to find new audiobook. I really, really hope to find free time this Saturday or Sunday to write my thoughts about finished books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 I downloaded this off amazon, Are there more of his short stories available? I've just read Beyond Lies the Wub and am reading The Defenders now. The complete collection comes in 5 volumes, but you probably won't find them cheap anywhere: 1. Beyond Lies the Wub 2. We Can Remember it for you Wholesale 3. Second Variety 4. Minority Report 5. The Eye of the Sibyl There in rough chronological order, but the names of them have changed over the years depending on the publisher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 Janet i couldn't agree with you more. I simply cannot quit on a book once it;s started and I don't know why. It can be really unbearable too when you get the feeling like it dragging and notice you aren't reading as much because of it. I am going through this now with my current read, it's called "In the Lake of the Woods" by Tim O Brien. And it's not even in my normal genre of fiction that i usually read, just had a real catchy summary so i bought it but the good thing is many people on GoodReads site told me it gets much better, just has a slow start. I hope they're right.. I used to not be able to give up on a book, once started. I finally concluded, for me at least, that I was wasting valuable reading time. Life is just too short. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnderTheDome40 Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 (edited) I used to not be able to give up on a book, once started. I finally concluded, for me at least, that I was wasting valuable reading time. Life is just too short. Pontalba you are so right. I don't know what to do lol.. I'm one/third of the way through it and only 200 pages left but yet it feels like im looking ahead at 450 pages left because it's just so slow. I love your advice though, i either have to shake off this worry about quitting or i have to man-up and read fast lol. Tbh there are some decent parts to it, i just hate the way the story is told. Anyhow, thanks again Pontalba. Edited November 15, 2013 by UnderTheDome40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie H Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 Started How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton. The first chapter was How To Love Life Today, and I made remember how much I love the way de Botton writes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 Finished Edge of Always by J.A Redmerski, was ok, bit too samey and dull compared to Edge if Never. Can't decide what to start.. Might try Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dex Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 I'm about halfway through BTWH and I'm thinking of reading an inbetween. It maybe I'm so used to formula that I don't like change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Oh that's a bit of a shame KM .. and I think the last one is said to be not as good as the other two In which case you are wise to postpone Don't get me wrong i still really enjoyed it & gave it 4/5 but without giving too much away there's a side story with Irma Prunesquallor & the headmaster that was very funny but lawks it did go on There's a publisher's note before the last book which explains that the book has been cobbled together from Mervyn's notes because he was unable to finish it due to his dementia so i can see why it wouldn't be as good as the first two but i couldn't not read it after getting so far Thanks to the men of the house hogging the TV for the football i got over half Death Of A Penguin read last night . What can i say..... i want a penguin like Misha for christmas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Don't get me wrong i still really enjoyed it & gave it 4/5 but without giving too much away there's a side story with Irma Prunesquallor & the headmaster that was very funny but lawks it did go on There's a publisher's note before the last book which explains that the book has been cobbled together from Mervyn's notes because he was unable to finish it due to his dementia so i can see why it wouldn't be as good as the first two but i couldn't not read it after getting so far Yes .. what a great shame for Mervyn I'm going to read the whole trilogy .. like you I must know what happens. Thanks to the men of the house hogging the TV for the football i got over half Death Of A Penguin read last night . What can i say..... i want a penguin like Misha for christmas I started wanting a penguin when reading it (but penguins don't like living in the Cotswolds apparently ) .. Misha is adorable Progressing with The Luminaries and halfway through The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells .. ooh it is good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dex Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 I've just read Simon Kernick's short story The Debt, Very Good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 I started reading Christmas Books by Charles Dickens, which includes A Christmas Carol and four other Christmas themed short stories written by Charles Dickens. So far I'm enjoying the story (of A Christmas Carol) but the language used and the writing style are a bit complicated for me. I have to ask my boyfriend for words or look them up, and it seems to me the same things could've been said in an easier, shorter way rather than how it's written down. I'm also reading Martine Delfos and Marijke Gottmer - Leven met Autisme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 it seems to me the same things could've been said in an easier, shorter way rather than how it's written down. Dickens doesn't do shorter or easier Gaia and of course, written back in 1843, the language used is fairly unfamiliar these days. Hope you're able to continue and enjoy it though .. it is worth the struggle imo I found The Chimes a much bigger struggle and it's not one I've re-visited since but I'm glad to have read it all the same. Progressing well with The War of the Worlds This is another story that I wish I could have come to without any prior knowledge at all (of the story I mean .. I'm not wishing to be witless ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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