Lately I’ve read The Handmaid’s Tale, by Atwood, which I loved. Up there with The Giver.
After that I read Dune by Herbert. It was all right, great story. If I had more time to devote to the series…
Right now I’m reading The Name of the Rose. Starts off slow but it gets interesting. About medieval times, trying to solve murder mysteries and deal with philosophies.
/Shadez
I just finished Last Act in Palmyra by Lindsey Davis. It’s 72 AD, the emperor Vespasian has been in power three years (mostly cleaning up after the Civil War). Our hero, Marcus Didius Falco, an ‘informer’, is really a rather hard-boiled detective on a case in Syria with his girlfriend Helena, a senator’s daughter. They’re travelling with a theatre troupe trying to solve a murder Falco stumbled over. Reviewers have said “I haven’t read historical fiction this good since I, Claudius” and “If Travis McGee travelled in time … he might be something like Marcus Didius Falco.” I agree!
Now I’m reading another mystery, Musical Chairs by Kinky Friedman. Very strange, very funny (if you don’t worry about political correctness), and very good. (I’d use the ‘happy orthodox Jewish man’ smiley, but Kinky is way too unorthodox for that!)
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier.
One of the best books I’ve read for a long time. I haven’t seen the film yet, but I look forward to comparing it to the book.
Just finished The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud which is youth-oriented fantasy and quite wonderful. First in a trilogy! Yay! The rest aren’t out yet! Boo!
Gave up on The Usurper’s Crown by Sarah Zettel because it’s a prequel and prequels piss me off, especially when I know how they have to end and how utterly horrible that ending is going to be.
Currently reading The Deepest Water by Kate Wilhelm, A Grave Talent by Laurie R. King, and Newton’s Cannon by Greg Keyes.
Julie
I just finished The Sandman: Fables and Reflections (Book 6) by Neil Gaiman and assorted others. I don’t read many comics, but Gaiman always manages to take my breath away. He’s amazing.
Currently, I’m reading By the Sword : A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions by Richard Cohen. It’s not comprehensive, I don’t think, but it’s very interesting and, for a nonfiction writer, he has a very engaging, very personably kinda style. I don’t know if it’s a history of the sword so much as a history of fencing and duelling. It’s a very good book. There are a couple snarky/bitchy reviews over some technicalities on Amazon (to which he responds, on Amazon), but I’m not one for pedantry, so I don’t care.
The most recent book I read was The Locklear Letters by Michael Kun. It’s completely in the format of letters written by one character who claims to have known Heather Locklear in college. Overall, it was pretty entertaining and literally only took me about two hours to read the entire 300 page book, so I’d say it’s worth a go.
Just finished Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett. It’s a Discworld book about vampires and witches. I liked it a good bit, but it’s not my favorite. I’d recommend it to anyone who’s been wondering about Discworld and is interested in vampires, but if you’re just interested in Discworld there are better ones to start with (like Guards! Guards!).
I struck gold with my last two picks. After a long dry spell of terrible, poorly written and boring books, these last two were great.
The first was The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
It’s about a Chicago librarian (Henry) who suffers from Chrono- displacement syndrome. In other words, he randomly and unexpectedly, time travels. The object of his affection is Clare, whom Henry first met when he was 36 and she was 6 years old. They later married when Henry is 28 and she is 20.
Absolutely wonderful - a definate keeper.
The other is Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz. Odd, the main character, sees dead people, and tries to help them. He is also able to see bodachs - malevolent creatures that seem to thrive on chaos, death and terror. Vaguely reminescent of Sixth Sense and Dead Like Me. Highly recommended!
I just read The Gryphon’s Skull by H. N. Turteltaub (who is actually Harry Turtledove). It’s a sequel to Over the Wine Dark Sea and there’s a third book just out, The Sacred Land. The books are about two cousins who are traders in 4th century BC Greece. Overall I’d recommend them for people who enjoy historical fiction.
The best book that I have read to date is Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice.
I am a writer, and still cannot find the words to quite express with what genius this book was written. And, Mr. Bennett…Oh, how I love his humor and personality!
The Day After Tomorrow by Allan Folsom. Would I recommend this book to anyone? No. No, no, no, no. It was bad. Horribly, appallingly bad. Not to mention hackneyed, predictable, and long. It included lines like “She was young and sexy. Too sexy for a cop.” The authors portrayal of women makes me think he hasn’t met many. The final, shocking revelation, in the last sentence of the book, was something I’d guessed at on page 20, and knew for a fact when there were still 300 pages to go. Go ahead, read the spoiler; it’ll save you hours of your life.There’s a modern-day Nazi conspiracy, and there are headless bodies and bodiless heads turning up…what immediately springs to your mind? Here’s the final sentence, concerning what comes rolling out of a box someone’s been toting around Berlin for the last 40 chapters:
"The severed, deep-frozen head of Adolf Hitler."What scares me is that this book was a bestseller, and there are reviews of it on Amazon citing it as “the best book I’ve ever read” and “great literature.”
The book before that was To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. It’s a fun, light time-travel romp in Victorian England. It has its problems, but it made me smile and long for a quiet day on the river in a striped jacket and straw boater.
I just finished reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom and I thought it was incredible. It’s very short, but I can’t remember the last time I read something that actually evoked emotion in me. If you follow that link, you can read the first chapter.
Hmmm. I also enjoyed Year Zero by Jeff Long.
…and finally, I always recommend Dracula by Bram Stoker. Very entertaining.
The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood. It’s about four women who meet in college, and the effect one of them (Zenia) has on all their lives.
I’d recommend it. I’m still digesting it, and how I feel about Zenia – she did good despite her evil intentions – but I wouldn’t want her (or anyone like her) in my life.
I just finished the forth in the Last Rune series: Blood of Mystery . It is the weakest of the 5 so far, but I recommend the series over all.
I recently finished Polgara the Sorceress, but I never recommend David Eddings. People laugh at me when I do. 
I think a fried of mine (who is an actual published writer ) said it best in reference to Eddings and his work: Gourmet feasts are a treat for the eyes and palette, but sometimes you just crave a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and fries!*
FB
*paraphrasing
I just finished The Light of Other Days, by Arthur C Clark & Stephen Baxter. Didn’t exactly bowl me over. Everything about this book was lazy. Characters seem to jerk around like puppets, the plot is non-sensical & disconnected, and the reading about the many changes wrought upon global society is (literally) like reading a shopping list. It did gain a little momentum at the end, only to be derailed once again by a predictable bit of deus ex machina.
The Dive from Clausen’s Pier, by Ann Packer.
It has been on my list for quite a while, mainly because it is set in Madison, WI, where I went to college, but I found it to be a well written and interesting novel.
I just read “They Marched into Sunlight” by David Maraniss. What a tremendous book.
Dealing with two temporally-linked, but totally independent events in 1967 (the ambush of a US army battalion in Vietnam and a major anti-Dow, anti-involvement-in-Vietnam protest), the book is a wonderfully written modern history lesson, social commentary, cultural study, biography, adventure, and tragedy.
If you are at all interested in the 60’s in general, or Vietnam and/or “the protest movement” in particular, I guarantee you’ll enjoy it.
One of the best non-fiction books I’ve read in many years.
well I haven’t read many new books but some books I’ve recently re-read
Briar King most promising first book I’ve read since Wizards First Rule which might not be a recommendation in some peoples eyes.
Watchmen Ok I know I’m probably the last person to read this but still ‘wow’.
Echoes of the Great Song eh it was ok. The totally psychotic character was the only thing interesting in the book. I hope he’s the main character in the inevitable sequel.
I just read Darkness at Pemberley, which is a spiffy little 30’s-era classic-type detective novel, set at Pemberley (and Elizabeth is an old family name). No other connection to Pride & prejudice, just the location. And the neat part is that it’s by T H White, before his Once and future king days. If you like murder mysteries or thrillers, it’s well worth reading.
I’ve read four out of seven of H G Wells’ SF stories, and am currently taking a short break. They’re a lot of fun, and I was inspired to read them by Oliver Sacks’ Uncle Tungsten, which I liked so much that I plan to buy it.
Am currently reading The doctors’ plague: germs, childbed fever, and the strange story of Ignac Semmelweis, an interesting and gruesome account of how doctors figured out childbed fever. Do not read this if you’re pregnant. 
And, I’m also (slowly) reading Mary, Queen of Scots and the murder of Lord Darnley, by Alison Weir. I don’t get a chance to read much at a time, but am enjoying it. It’s not light reading, and has a huge and complex cast of lords and such, all of whom were devious, crafty, powermad, and generally rotten. But, if you read it, you’ll find out that there really was a person named Edmund Blackadder, which is a thoroughly happy discovery.
…Ooo, Lyllyan, I loved The time-traveller’s wife. Another vote for that one.