Whatcha readin' October edition

OK, I’m a day early, sue me. :slight_smile:

I thought if there were enough interest we might start doing this monthly. I always enjoy hearing what others are reading.

I also want to encourage both positive and (courteous) negative feedback. I often am reluctant to speak up and say I didn’t like a book that someone else enjoyed because I don’t want to be rude. But a courteous discussion doesn’t seem out of line.

I am reading Raven’s Strike (The Raven Duology, Book 2). The first one started slowly but eventually I really enjoyed it. I’m about 1/3 done now and it is slow again. I’m hoping it picks up soon.

I’ve started Hannibal Rising. It too is very slow. The only reason I’m reading it is because I’ve read all the others. But I may put it down.

On deck: The last Potter book.

What are you reading?

I just started re-reading Gravity’s Rainbow.

I’m thinking of reading John Keegan’s The Second World War as my non-fiction book, but I’m not sure yet. It’s either that or Godel Escher Bach.

Just finished Broken Angels by Richard K Morgan, following his first novel Altered Carbon. Awesome sci-fi detective/battle stuff with a bit of Martian artifacts thrown in for color. Oh yeah I like me some Takeshi Kovachs.

A couple of mysteries by Elizabeth Sanxay Holding. I need to check and see if any of her books were filmed. The one I finished last night reads like a 40’s movie. I’m picturing Robert Cummings as Hugh Acheson, the slightly judgmental (only he calls it being “observant”) young man who won’t let anyone get away with anything! :slight_smile: It was almost comedic, lots of running back and forth, socializing with people who don’t like each other, some misunderstandings due to hearing only parts of conversations, and a couple of husbands who wanted to murder their wives. Holding writes psychological mysteries. You know what everyone is thinking but even so, the books are full of surprises.

I don’t know if it’s a quirk or if it was the style in the 30’s and 40’s, but when Holding writes someone’s thoughts, she puts them in quotation marks. It took awhile to get used to, especially when one guy was planning his wife’s murder. “You’re not going to get away with it if you tell her!” But he was just thinking. The quotes threw me off.

I’ll be reading Carrie for the horror book club at SFF World, and then I’ll probably tackle the three big fat Steven Erickson books that have been calling out since spring. Or I’ll re-read The English Passengers, since koeeoaddi was kind enough to replace the copy I lost.

I just started Julie & Julia, about Julie Powell’s quest (and blog) to cook every one of the recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year. So far I like it.

I just picked up Salem’s Lot and Lisey’s story. I’ve never read Salem’s Lot not being particularly enamored with vampire stories but I decided to give it a shot. Lisey’s story was just to round it out my King reading.

I’m finishing up a rereading of Roger Welsch’s Love, Sex and Tractors. Next in the queue is either S. M. Sterling’s The Sunrise Lands or Robert Irvine’s Mission: Cook! Then the list gets kinda fuzzy…

Before this summer, I hadn’t read any of the Harry Potter books. Right now I’m near the beginning of the sixth book.

I’m also reading The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance

Earthborn by Orson Scott Card. I’m finishing up the series. Pretty good stuff, especially now that the irritating sibling rivalry has turned into international warfare.

Crafting the Very Short Story edited by Mark Mills. This was one of the books used in a flash fiction/prose poetry course I took this summer. We read selections from it then, I’m reading the whole thing now. Great stories, but the critical selections should be in a separate section in the back I think.

A Pipe for February by Charles H. Redcorn. A story about the Osage oil murders in 1920s Oklahoma told from the perspective of an artist. Beautiful writing and a thoroughly compelling story.

The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. I hesitated to pick this up because I read and hated The Map that Changed the World. I haven’t started reading it yet, but I’m hoping that the promised linguistics and murder will be present, unlike the undelivered controversy in TMTCTW.

After this I’m embarking on a course of Charles de Lint and Adrienne Rich.

I just finished reading Dave Barry’s new book The History of the Millenium (so far) and Frederick Forsyth’s The Afghan, and am still reading a collection of Eric Frank Russell’s stories, Somewhere a Voice.

I’m reading Strange Piece of Paradise by Terri Jentz. It’s Jentz’s account of being almost killed by an axe-murderer while she’s camping with a friend and then going back 15 years later to find the man who did it. It’s pretty good so far.

I’m reading Dave Barry’s History of the MIlleneum too. Love his stuff. I wish I could read it aloud to my kids but they they would be all screwed up on history for school. I love his ‘history’ books.

The Book of Ebenezer LePage . I’m not sure how this book came to my attention. Possible via the Dope, maybe a Farker or one of the sordid knitting forums I wallow in, but it is so far so good. ( Foreward and first chapter.)

The Yiddish Police’s Union, recommended by many a doper, is next on the docket.

Just finished the fifth Thursday Next book, “First Among Sequels.” My library book is “The Experts Speak” a collection of quotes from experts throughout history showing they got lots of stuff totally wrong. I’m halfway through Cryptonomicron, and I’m about to start “Wintersmith,” latest in pTerry’s Tiffany Aching series. Plus I’m working on my book for my next book review, not yet published (book or review).

The Alien Years by Robert Silverberg. My wife swears it’s an excellent read.

Wonderful book! I haven’t run across anyone else who’s read it – at least not since it first came out, back in the 80’s.

Is it still in print or did you have to search for a secondhand copy?

ETA: I clicked on the link. Never mind. :o

Next up! Brave New World by Aldous Huxley – can’t believe I haven’t read this yet.

Library.

I’m a cheap read.

I dig these!

I’m reading The Map that Changed the World and maybe a couple of Jonathan Stroud’s YA books this week.

I just finished The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker. I gave it to my daughter to read, and I’ll probably pick up copies for my SILs.

Now, it’s back to the Dark Tower series…I’m on Wolves of the Calla. Yes, I read it, but I want to reread it in one big chunk.

Just finished White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, by Joe Boyd, record producer extraordinaire. He produced all my favorite guys: Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, The Incredible String Band, Sandy Denny, Martin Carthy, Vashti Bunyan, Maria Muldaur, John Martyn, Richard and Linda Thompson, Taj Mahal. I liked it, but then I would. It was much, much too short.

Last night I started July, July, by Tim O’Brien and I’m listening to Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen. So far, I like both of them.