Read any good books lately?

[zoebartlett]

Zoe - I've read Ellen Degeneres' "My point... and I have one..." and it was hilarious! It reads just as if you were listening to her talk. I'd love to have her over for dinner!!! OMG - what a blast that would be!!!

I also read Portia DeRossi's "Unbearable Lightness" and developed a whole new respect for Portia. What a rough secret she was keeping. She showed such strength once Ellen came into her life.

As for Kinsey - she's a hoot! I'd like to have HER over for dinner as well!!! A table of strong and entertaining women... want to join us???

Definitely! Let me know when and I'll bring dessert.

I love Elizabeth Berg and I was looking on her website for her latest title. Apparently, I have some catching up to do. It's been a few years since I've read her, but I love her writing and her characters' voices. I put her in the same category as Picoult and Anita Shreve.

I haven't read John Grisham's The Confession but it's on my list.

 

[zoebartlett]

MC, it's great that your kids see you read so much that it makes them want to read, too.

 

[packrat]

Waiting on Sue Grafton's next letter..V..I should check and see if it's out yet. Got Lee Child's latest and greatest Jack Reacher from the library..need to check the website and see, I think I missed a book someplace but can't figure out which one. Working my way thru Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware series, and in between I've been reading any new James Patterson's and John Sanford's that come out, and re reading for the probably 40th time Robert R. McCammon's Swan Song, by far one of my favorite books ever. Thinking of getting the Little House series for London so I can read it to her at bedtime. The set I got from my mom when I was little is falling apart.

 

[zoebartlett]

Waiting on Sue Grafton's next letter..V..I should check and see if it's out yet. Got Lee Child's latest and greatest Jack Reacher from the library..need to check the website and see, I think I missed a book someplace but can't figure out which one. Working my way thru Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware series, and in between I've been reading any new James Patterson's and John Sanford's that come out, and re reading for the probably 40th time Robert R. McCammon's Swan Song, by far one of my favorite books ever. Thinking of getting the Little House series for London so I can read it to her at bedtime. The set I got from my mom when I was little is falling apart.

Yes, Sue Grafton's latest book, V for Vengeance, is out. It's on my list of books to read once I catch up a bit to some of her other books in the series.

I love the Little House series! I'm sure London will enjoy you reading them to her.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close sounds really good. I'll have to check it out.

 

[packrat]

Oh oh oh I KNEW I was going to miss the release! I'll have to call the library on Tuesday and reserve it!

Robert B Parker has a series w/a female PI, Sunny Randall, and it's really good..also a series w/a guy cop, Jesse Stone that is good too. He passed away, so alas, no more books.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

MC, it's great that your kids see you read so much that it makes them want to read, too.

You know what we did that I swear has helped the boys with reading? When we watch DVDs, we do so with the close captioning on. We've done so for years because it's often difficult for us to understand what actors are saying and also because the kids make noises and talk. Once the kids began elementary school and were learning to read, I began to suspect that watching TV and basically reading at the same time has helped them excel, along with the standard hanging out w/mom and reading. Just an idea for teachers & parents who are reading this thread... if the kids like to watch movies, they may benefit from the CC on! Sneak a little education in any and every way you can!

 

[JewelFreak]

I read V for Vengeance recently -- it's her best book since A for Alibi! Really good, the old Kinsey. I love those and Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum -- just read the new one of that & it's good too.

 

[zoebartlett]

MC, it's great that your kids see you read so much that it makes them want to read, too.

You know what we did that I swear has helped the boys with reading? When we watch DVDs, we do so with the close captioning on. We've done so for years because it's often difficult for us to understand what actors are saying and also because the kids make noises and talk. Once the kids began elementary school and were learning to read, I began to suspect that watching TV and basically reading at the same time has helped them excel, along with the standard hanging out w/mom and reading. Just an idea for teachers & parents who are reading this thread... if the kids like to watch movies, they may benefit from the CC on! Sneak a little education in any and every way you can!

HA! That's a good idea.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

MC, it's great that your kids see you read so much that it makes them want to read, too.

You know what we did that I swear has helped the boys with reading? When we watch DVDs, we do so with the close captioning on. We've done so for years because it's often difficult for us to understand what actors are saying and also because the kids make noises and talk. Once the kids began elementary school and were learning to read, I began to suspect that watching TV and basically reading at the same time has helped them excel, along with the standard hanging out w/mom and reading. Just an idea for teachers & parents who are reading this thread... if the kids like to watch movies, they may benefit from the CC on! Sneak a little education in any and every way you can!

HA! That's a good idea.

My son is now reading Animal Farm. I read it in one day and concluded that he may enjoy it b/c the story has all the animal interaction, but he's too young to understand the political dynamics so he laughs at how funny it is that the animals are plotting. He likes that Molly collects ribbons in secret! lol I've been trying to get him to read Watership Down for a long time, but he is resisting. Guess I'll have him read 1984 next. (just kidding - we'll wait until he is 12 for that. hahaha)

 

[Haven]

I'm about 80 pages in to THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY and I'm really enjoying it. The style and pace is reminiscent of Roald Dahl (his work for children, of course) and he's a favorite of mine.

I'm also reading a manuscript for a publisher and it's the first paranormal zombie romance I've ever read, and I am loving it! It's not totally polished yet, of course, but it's a lot of fun. Anyone have any zombie novels to recommend? I may have just discovered a new favorite genre!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I'm about 80 pages in to THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY and I'm really enjoying it. The style and pace is reminiscent of Roald Dahl (his work for children, of course) and he's a favorite of mine.

I'm also reading a manuscript for a publisher and it's the first paranormal zombie romance I've ever read, and I am loving it! It's not totally polished yet, of course, but it's a lot of fun. Anyone have any zombie novels to recommend? I may have just discovered a new favorite genre!

What reading level would you consider the mysterious bebedict society for? My son was given that book a few years ago, but hasnt shown interest yet... Not sure if he's too young.

The kindle has approx 484 books on it! Lol what i am confused is that there is a pict that stsys on the screen. Will that drain the battery? i thought it would go away after a set time, but woke up this morning with a portrait of some guy named Emerson still up! Lol

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I'm about 80 pages in to THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY and I'm really enjoying it. The style and pace is reminiscent of Roald Dahl (his work for children, of course) and he's a favorite of mine.

I'm also reading a manuscript for a publisher and it's the first paranormal zombie romance I've ever read, and I am loving it! It's not totally polished yet, of course, but it's a lot of fun. Anyone have any zombie novels to recommend? I may have just discovered a new favorite genre!

What reading level would you consider the mysterious bebedict society for? My son was given that book a few years ago, but hasnt shown interest yet... Not sure if he's too young.

The kindle has approx 484 books on it! Lol what i am confused is that there is a pict that stays on the screen. Will that drain the battery? i thought it would go away after a set time, but woke up this morning with a portrait of some guy named Emerson still up! Lol

 

[Mayk]

Reading The Litigators now.... Dragging... So I just paid $13.00 in flight to visit PS.... I'm not sure if I'm pathetic or the book.

Friend in my home town just wrote Death in the Beginning.... I downloaded it so it's next.

I love John Sanford, Patricia Cornwell and Sue Grafton..... Pat Conroy too....

 

[Haven]

MC--I'd say the text difficulty of THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY makes it a good read for a child between 5th and 7th grade, depending on the reader, of course. The content is very kid-friendly, no swearing or edginess, but it is a long book and the word frequency and sentence length make it a bit more difficult than some other books we typically see kids reading in 4th and 5th grade.

Regardless of the reading level, the book will only be worth your son's time when he's interested in reading it. SO, whenever that happens, let him have at it! I'm really enjoying it so far.

It has an 890 Lexile level, in case you're familiar with those. You can read more about Lexile here:
http://www.lexile.com/using-lexile/lexile-at-home/
I don't put much stock in using Lexile levels to match kids with books, but that is just me.

Besides, I'm in 25th grade and loving this book so far, so you can never be too old to read a particular book!

Your Kindle is LOADED! I don't even have 150 books on mine, yet. The pictures stay on my screen whenever the Kindle is turned off, and as far as I know they don't drain the battery. "Some guy named Emerson." You make me laugh, MC.

 

[jewelerman]

I'm on a YA kick at the moment.

I just finished THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy. Amazing. Loved it.
I'm almost finished with LEGEND by Marie Lu. I'm really enjoying it thus far.

I just bought this stack of books to read over winter break, plus THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern and THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY by Trenton Lee Stewart. The last two didn't make it into the photo because I just picked them up yesterday and today.


See what I mean? Total YA obsession at the moment.

today i have heard 3 people talk about the Hunger games and how good the books are.
For Christmas Ive been reading a really good new book called Jacob T. Marley about the life of Scrooges business partner before he makes the visit to Scrooge in Dickens A Christmas Carol.I'm really enjoying it!

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I just read Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children. It is very interesting and the vintage pictures are charming. However, it is quite bleak at times and some things are very disturbing, when you really start to think about it, which I like. I wasn't happy with the ending, as it is just a huge hook for a sequel.

 

[distracts]

So after reading about it here, I bought and read Legacy by Marie Lu. I ripped through it in 4.5 hours - stayed up almost all night to finish it! I found it fast-paced and entertaining. Both main characters WERE almost unbelievably perfect, but the author made it work. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes dystopian YA.

After that I started on Divergent by Veronica Roth. I have been really intrigued by the description for months and was excited to read it, but omg it is so angering. The characters are SO STUPID. I want to punch them all in their dumb little faces. The first half of the book was just complete bull. I am into the second half now and it is rapidly improving, so I will probably not end up hating the book, but I wouldn't recommend it because the first half is so annoying.

 

[TravelingGal]

OK, based on this thread, I'm reading The Hunger Games. Totally not my kind of read normally (I'm not into YA stuff) but it's free to borrow with Kindle prime so I got a sample. I found it very engrossing after about the 3rd of 4th page...a very good sign. The rest of the trilogy is free to borrow as well so I'm good to go! Hopefully I will like it...I know nothing about the book, so there's no spoilers for me!

 

[TravelingGal]

OK, based on this thread, I'm reading The Hunger Games. Totally not my kind of read normally (I'm not into YA stuff) but it's free to borrow with Kindle prime so I got a sample. I found it very engrossing after about the 3rd of 4th page...a very good sign. The rest of the trilogy is free to borrow as well so I'm good to go! Hopefully I will like it...I know nothing about the book, so there's no spoilers for me!

Finished it. Amazing.

 

[Tuckins1]

A few years back, but Unwind by Neil Shusterman was phenomenal!

 

[AprilBaby]

I just took a road trip and got The HungerGames on audible to listen on the road. It was excruciating to get thru. What am I missing? Maybe actually reading would have been better? Trust me, I LOVE a good book, but this was so bogged down with what they were eating. Are the other two books better?

 

[TravelingGal]

I just took a road trip and got The HungerGames on audible to listen on the road. It was excruciating to get thru. What am I missing? Maybe actually reading would have been better? Trust me, I LOVE a good book, but this was so bogged down with what they were eating. Are the other two books better?

I speed read (sort of) so I didn't even notice much of what they were eating. I just loved that when I read it, I totally got immersed in it.

 

[sillyberry]

I just took a road trip and got The HungerGames on audible to listen on the road. It was excruciating to get thru. What am I missing? Maybe actually reading would have been better? Trust me, I LOVE a good book, but this was so bogged down with what they were eating. Are the other two books better?

I speed read (sort of) so I didn't even notice much of what they were eating. I just loved that when I read it, I totally got immersed in it.

I think it might be on the "books better actually read" list. I found the book so atmospherically awesome, but looking back I probably did rush though parts that got a bit bogged down. For me, that was some of the more action-y parts.

 

[TravelingGal]

Just read the second in the hunger games trilogy: Catching Fire. I had to slog through it.

What a disappointment after the fantastically well written and tight first book. This book is sloppy, sloppy, sloppy, and simply does not evoke the emotion of the first.

I am hesitant to read the 3rd!

 

[sapphirering]

Never let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - very subtle, really enjoyed it.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell - I friggin LOVED the book. I devoured it when my second son was a newborn and I was getting like 4 hours of sleep per 24-hour cycle. (Or maybe that's why it was so good? )

I'm currently reading Solar by Ian McEwan. I either love or loathe his work, and this one is chugging along. I'm also reading the City of Thieves by David Benioff and it is a page turner and well-paced.

I'm a huge PD James fan and bought her latest book, Death Comes to Pemberley. I was a bit surprised to find out that the setting is based on Austen's P&P, and it's not getting good reviews on Amazon. But I still have to give her kudos for writing at her age!

 

[Gypsy]

Just read the second in the hunger games trilogy: Catching Fire. I had to slog through it.

What a disappointment after the fantastically well written and tight first book. This book is sloppy, sloppy, sloppy, and simply does not evoke the emotion of the first.

I am hesitant to read the 3rd!

T-gal I loved the second half of the third. The way the series ends is very satisfying (not a 'happily ever after' fake ending).

 

[LittleRiver]

Lately I have been too distracted to read and find myself limited to paging through wedding mags. But I just picked up Kitchen Confidential for my book club and it's perfect. Also, I realized I had read it before

 

[TravelingGal]

Just read the second in the hunger games trilogy: Catching Fire. I had to slog through it.

What a disappointment after the fantastically well written and tight first book. This book is sloppy, sloppy, sloppy, and simply does not evoke the emotion of the first.

I am hesitant to read the 3rd!

T-gal I loved the second half of the third. The way the series ends is very satisfying (not a 'happily ever after' fake ending).

Thanks Gypsy...I'll give the 3rd book a shot. I already invested in two books, so I guess I am still in for the ride. Good to know you liked the ending!

 

[violet3]

Just read the second in the hunger games trilogy: Catching Fire. I had to slog through it.

What a disappointment after the fantastically well written and tight first book. This book is sloppy, sloppy, sloppy, and simply does not evoke the emotion of the first.

I am hesitant to read the 3rd!

T-gal I loved the second half of the third. The way the series ends is very satisfying (not a 'happily ever after' fake ending).

Thanks Gypsy...I'll give the 3rd book a shot. I already invested in two books, so I guess I am still in for the ride. Good to know you liked the ending!

I disagree with Gypsy here - I loved the first and second books, but I thought the third book was dissapointing all the way through. I would absolutely still read it though if I had finished the first and second! I'm going to read them again before the movie comes out!

 

[anitabee]

just finished reading we were the mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates and was completely engrossed in it. her imagery and overall descriptive language is mesmerizing and so engaging that it was hard to get back to my real life. i felt like a member of the mulvaneys existing in the '70s in mt. ephraim.

this is the third of her books that i've read and am now obsessed with everything joyce carol oates. the first of her books i read was under one of her pseudonyms Rosamond Smith called The Barrens - seriously creepy and unforgettable.

i was so seriously touched by we were the mulvaneys that i cried when it was over. i cried a lot through that book in general.

SO HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me!