I'm Busy Reading....

[clvrlad]

to redirect way from the lascivious material,

ive just finished reading the long earth

thumbs up 3/5, a good read in general

[Bunnylump]

Didn't have you down as the shining light of moral virtue, Clvrlad!! I'm reading* Eternal Love by Ian McEwan. So far so good - it certainly has a startling beginning!

*Shock horror report, I finally have some new reading glasses which make me able to read a bit better (so they should, they cost me hundreds of pounds). Mind you, when I look up, the whole world looks like a giant blur, and they are, bizarrely, useless for reading a computer screen.

[LAT]

Do you mean Enduring Love?
Yes it does have a rather memorable start doesn't it?

[Bunnylump]

Yes. I did. I'm not actually reading it at this precise moment, as you can tell!!

[clvrlad]

Didn't have you down as the shining light of moral virtue, Clvrlad!!

i dont know first you think im not a gentledog
now you think im not virtuous

[Scurra]

Just reverting to the previous subject for a moment; I quite enjoyed this:

Fifty Things that annoy me about Fifty Shades of Grey

I have to admit that I didn't realise that this book was originally a piece of Twilight fanfiction in which the author had basically gone through and search/replaced all the Twilight names with new ones... (I guess it's harder to do that with a Harry Potter story without it being a tad more obvious. )

[giraffe]

I enjoyed that. (No intention of reading the book though)

[Laura]

I'm ridiculously overexcited about my next book. Bit of background info - I will quite happily re-read books I like many times over, but I love a new book as well. Tomorrow I have the best of both worlds.

I have a readers digest book which has 4 abridged versions of different stories in it. I've read them all, but one of them, Silence and Shadows by James Long, I absolutely love. It's a fiction book with an archaeological theme, but with this song running through it that one of the characters has had passed down through his family.

And now I have the full unabridged version!!! Can't wait to get started on it and see what extra things there are in there.

[clvrlad]

if any pratchett fans want to borrow the long earth ive finished my copy :-p

[supersleuth]

Carol Shields, a Canadian writer. Just love her. Have just finished Duet, which is two early novels, Small Ceremonies and The Box Garden, now published as "companion" novels. I had read both of these some years ago, but coming to them again I was struck by her insight and humour and skill in observation.

[Bunnylump]

...My new Kindle Paperwhite.

Have just read Dear Lupin. Letters to a Wayward Son by Roger and Charlie Mortimer

Which was a whole set of letters from a Father to his son over the years - as he progresses (and flunks his way out of) Eton, through all his disasterous "career" and lifestyle choices. It's actually a lovely insight into the Father's (rich and privileged, and rather sad) life but also into the loving relationship between father and son, and how the Father's expectations change over the years. Rather touching, I thought and also witty.

I'm now on to The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers, which is a soldier's story, and so far is breathtakingly written.

[MBH]

I've not read a paper book in ages now. With my phone always with me, and every fanfiction author having their own list of favourites, I've worked on the idea that if I've enjoyed what they've written I might well like what they've liked.

So I'm now reading the last of a very comprehensive list of stories by an author calling herself SECOOPER87, which are crossover stories starring all the cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and at least 3 regenerations (and a few companion characters) from Dr Who. Very clever interweaving of known stories from their individual shows along with whole new adventures and she's having a lot of fun with 'cause and effect' in 4 dimentions.

Not for everyone (I know some people object to crossovers on principle), but very well written. [There are other stories on her list, but mostly played for laughs - like the Dr Who / Fururama crossover]

[Bunnylump]

I'm now on to The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers, which is a soldier's story, and so far is breathtakingly written

Now finished - a truly shocking story but also very touching and acutely observed. Definitely worth a read...although not for the faint-hearted.

[kathlyn]

Rod Stewarts Autobiography

[Bunnylump]

I bet that's colourful!!?

[kathlyn]

Only started it today so will let you know

[Bunnylump]

Just Finished The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. I wouldn't personally recommend it - I found it a bit laboured and difficult to identify with any of the characters. I could see what the writer was trying to achieve - a tale of darkness and loss, rolled up with survival, both physical and metaphorical, and with a little sprinkle of "magic" for good measure. But I don't personally think she pulled it off. However, it did have some good descriptive writing about life in 1920s Alaska. The most annoying thing about it was that the writer didn't use speech marks for speech...which I am sure was SUPPOSED to make it more mystical, actually, it just made it exceptionally difficult to read.

[Laura]

I'm currently working my way through the Earth's Children series by Jean Auel. It's set in the ice-age and is all about the life of a 5-year old Cro-magnon girl who is orphaned and adopted by a clan of neanderthals. If you have any interest in pre-history it's absolutely fascinating. It describes everything about how life would have been (or could have been), like hunting, making tools, medicine, religion. I've learnt more in the first three books than I did in my A-level archaeology course!

[Bunnylump]

I've just finished The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

I bought this book for 20 pence on my Kindle. Best 20p I ever spent! It's written in a very unusual, matter of fact, witty style, with a quirky story and had me laughing out loud in several places. If you have a Kindle I would thoroughly recommend it.

[eirian]

ooh, I bought that but haven't read it yet. Will read it once I've finished Great Expectations.
Curiously, reading Oliver Twist at school made me never want to read Dickens again. A friend finally made me realise that even my memory of how tedious Dickens is doesn't compare to some of the other books I've read since, so I bit the bullet and got a couple free on my kindle. Am really enjoying it. Think that friend deserves a massive thanks!