Whatcha reading Oct. (08) edition

Here is the October edition of Whatcha Reading? As always here is a link to last month.

I’ve slowed in my reading, I’m not sure why. I am about 1/3 of the way into In the Woods by Tana French. It is slow starting, but I think I’m going to enjoy it. We’ll see.

I am nearly done - after many months - with Slayer (Paperback)
by Karen Koehler
a painfully slow urban fantasy. Why I haven’t put it down, I can’t tell you. A few months back I went through my shelfs and picked out books that I had purchased but didn’t read. I figured I would read them now or get rid of them. This one I should have just gotten rid of, but now I’m nearly done. I don’t recommend it. I’m not even sure why I picked it up, because the cover doesn’t even look good. Maybe it was a gift.

I flagged this so a mod could correct the title.

I’m a little more than halfway through Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth, which, apparently I’m the last person on the planet to read. Really enjoying it, though looking forward to finishing it and picking up something that requires less than a month to read. (I’ve been busy with freelance work recently so have been somewhat limited in my reading time, but yikes, I’m averaging only 200pp./wk.).

Reading Halloween: *An American Holiday, an American History *by Lesley Pratt Bannatyne, about the origins of the observance. Celtic influence, Puritan repression, colonial variations, etc. A little dry, but informative.

Short stories by Richard Yates, and they’re freakin’ awesome, since they’re set in MY era – the 50’s. Yates writes like a dream. He’s a wonderful observer of human nature and he doesn’t get fancy with similes and stuff. Just plain simple good writing.

The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson – #6 (?) in the Malazan series, epic fantasy, will be 22 books when it’s all finished, if we count the companion books written by Ian Esslemont (which I might not read).

Dark Fire by C. J. Sansom – the second Matthew Shardlake book – historical mystery set in the 1530’s.

I thought I was the last person. Read that a few months ago and really enjoyed, now I’m waiting for World Without End to come out in paperback or find a cheap copy.

Currently reading Humors of Blood and Skin by John Hawkes, which is a selection of his writings so I’m just skimming it.

Also reading The Sun Over Breda by Arturo Perez-Reverte. Always good stuff from him.

Just picked up King Leopold’s Ghost since I saw it recommended in last month’s ‘Whatcha readin’ thread.

:o I thought that I *had *corrected the title. Thanks for the help.

Pseudotriton ruber ruber has written about Yates, and teaches him regularly.

Really? Cool! Maybe that’s where I heard about Yates. The book’s been on the shelf for years, and watching Mad Men was the impetus to finally read it.

Inkheart. It’s written for kids (which I did not know), but it’s ok. After that I have Ghost Walk by Brian Keene

I’m reading Fire from Heaven, the first book in Mary Renault’s trilogy about Alexander the Great. So far it’s pretty good, if a little melodramatic for my taste.

I didn’t love it and didn’t read the follow up. I may be wrong, but I think there is a movie in the works.

I finally picked up Cloud Atlas. It’s pretty good so far. Threw me for a loop when the first section ended in the middle of a sentence. I had to flip forward to the back to read the end of the sentence before I could go to the next part.

Nope, I’m the last person. It’s in my bookstack, but hasnt yet risen to the top.

I’m currently reading a summer leftover by James Paterson (Judge and Jury, I think it’s called), a kids’ book called Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and a reading teachers’ book by Fountas and Pinnell called Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency–a real page-turner that one is! :rolleyes:

Rudyard Kipling: Kim

Softspoken, a creepy little contemporary Southern Gothic with a dullard of a ghost (so far). Most of the other characters are fun, though and it’s an engaging little book despite the fact that the writing is occasionally awkward and the Southern dialect seems to come and go as mysteriously as the ghost.

I’ve just started The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip. And by just started I mean not even ten pages into it yet so I haven’t formed a real opinion on the book or the plot.

Next us is either Allen Steele’s Chronospace (which I’m not looking forward to) or Terry Pratchett’s Nation (which I am) depending on who wins the race to get in my mailbox.

I’ll be interested in your feedback. It is one of my favorite books. But at the time I read it, the theme was near and dear to my heart. I haven’t read it in years, I’ll have to see if I can find it on my shelves.

I’m reading both Vertigo by W. G. Sebald and The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon. I’m really enjoying Vertigo but I feel like it needs to be read in small pieces, hence the second book. I’m not really sold on The Yiddish Policeman’s Union yet, but I’m only on the 5th or 6th chapter.

I’m interested in what you think when you’re finished with this one.

Green Eyes is my favorite Lucius Shepard novel. It’s a zombie romance, sorta. I’m pretty sure it’s out of print, but it’s worth looking for.

*The Audacity of Hope *by Barak Obama. Interesting and thought-provoking.

Just finished Firmin by Sam Savage. Was not impressed (but I didn’t hate it either). It was a selection for my book club, so if anyone has read it and has discussion questions/thoughts about it, I’d love to hear them.