What are you reading now?

[zoebartlett]

BEG -- there's a new Shopaholic book?! I haven't seen it yet but I'll have to pick it up soon. I love those books. They're perfect light reading, in my opinion.

ETA: I just picked up The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I haven't even finished the first chapter but I'm hoping to get a lot of reading done this weekend.

 

[Bunny007]

Princess- Ditto both your posts!

I did like Like Water for Elephants but I was expecting more. It was an easy read, I guess.

And BRIONY, don't get me started. She's up there on my fictional hate list with Amy from Little Women. I just couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the movie- one of the rare instances where I thought the movie was better than the book (this and the Godfather)

Bunny- I have known since seeing your GOB avatar we would have the same views. Amy from LW. Could.Shake.Child. Seriously!? You MARRY Laurie, Jo's long time love?!? Girl, I would have not made it in 'old school' America, if that was ok. I would have brought the business side of a backhand over to Amy...and burning my book? Yeah, she would have had some therapy in the future. I digress....

Hahah I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. I haven't read the book in probably 15 years and I'm still steamed! In fact, I think this is the third time I've raised the issue on PS Let's just say I can hold a grudge.

 

[Strawdermangrl]

Princess- Ditto both your posts!

Let's just say I can hold a grudge.

Wait, are you Italian, too? Loves it.

 

[perry]

Up to now I've generally avoided this thread: I read an average of at least a couple books a month (some of them are rereads); but I thougth I should mention the book I just finished:

The Twilight of the Bombs by Richard Rhodes; recently released.

This discusses the various factual and political issues and events with worldwide atomic bombs from about 1990 to recent - with the exception that it left out the Iran situation.

Its not a light read - but it has a lot of details in it (technical and political) that will provide a real eye opener for many (I knew the outline of some of this).

I instantly picked the book up when I saw it in the bookstore and paid full price because I am very familiar with his other books: The Making of the Atomic Bomb - 1986 - which is the definitive history of both the technical and political achievements and issues world wide; and Dark Sun - 1995 which continued the story into the development of the Hydrogen bombs (and the fundamental moral questions that their designers started to ask).

It turns out that Richard has written a book in the middle (Arsenals of Folly) that I did not know about. Something for me to order.

A very interesting tidbit.... The nuclear inspectors who went into Iraq in 1991 carried with them the book "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" - and the history and drawings in that book of a very long ago abandoned enrichment technology (Calutrons) was one of the keys to identifying what Iraq had been doing (the inspectors looking for centrifuges were completely baffled).

Have a great day,

Perry

 

[Cehrabehra]

I just read the first two books in the #1 Ladies Detective Agency and loved them... have 3 more to read! We really lucked out in that there are two african women in my book club (one from sierra leone and one from nigeria) and they hosted the evening and made us african food and told us all sorts of things about the african culture and even argued about some aspects that differ between their countries. Totally cool. I have just started Shanghai Diaries about a jewish girl and her family who left germany and went to china for 8 years during WWII. So far it is an easier read than I anticipated, and I'm really looking forward to getting to the parts about china. Other girls in my group have said it hasn't changed as much as one might think. This is still a filthy country.

 

[digitaldevo]

Research papers on indepth studies about the effects of the irradiation on tourmaline in general and that which is specifically from Afghanistan and Brazil. Quote interesting honesty and an eye opener as well sadly.

 

[dragonfly411]

Currently I am reading The Witching Hour and I'm debating on either reading Wizard's First Rule, or some sort of something really scary.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I just finished Carmen Bin Ladin's Inside the Kingdom. Hated it: badly written (she mentions the same incidents and describes the same things over and over - maybe it could work as a drinking game?), arrogant and absolutely flat. Carmen is openly dismissive of nearly everyone she meets and then complains that no one is friendly towards her. No other character has personality, from her mentor (she was a lovely, motherly woman - but is never showed doing anything lovely or motherly) to her husband, pasing through her children. She sets herself up as the ideal western woman: honest, forthright, hardworking, intelligent, wants her freedom, great business sense, raises her children perfectly, etc - which sounds very, very fake.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I just finished Carmen Bin Ladin's Inside the Kingdom. Hated it: badly written (she mentions the same incidents and describes the same things over and over - maybe it could work as a drinking game?), arrogant and absolutely flat. Carmen is openly dismissive of nearly everyone she meets and then complains that no one is friendly towards her. No other character has personality, from her mentor (she was a lovely, motherly woman - but is never showed doing anything lovely or motherly) to her husband, pasing through her children. She sets herself up as the ideal western woman: honest, forthright, hardworking, intelligent, wants her freedom, great business sense, raises her children perfectly, etc - which sounds very, very fake.

I vaguely remember reading this some years back. Clearly it didn't make much of an impression on me.

Currently reading the new Discworld book!!!

 

[Matata]

The Fall, book 2 of the Strain Trilogy. Steven Hawking's The Grand Design is next.

 

[zoebartlett]

Help please! I canNOT get into The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I'm still at the beginning (really before the story starts I think), but I can't read much without falling asleep every time. I'm all for giving a book a chance to get interesting, but seriously, this is ridiculous. Is it really THAT good or should I give up and switch to something else?

 

[perry]

Currently I am reading The Witching Hour and I'm debating on either reading Wizard's First Rule, or some sort of something really scary.

Wizards First Rule (Terry Goodkind) is an awsome book... and will start you down a series that is about a dozen books long (I think). A few of the middle books seemed somewhat dull to me.

Been home sick for several days - Polished off "Od Magic" and "The Bell at Sealey Head" by Patricia McKillip. I fell in love with this author long ago (The Forgotten Beast of Eld and The Riddle Master of Hed series) - and had to buy the books when I saw them.

 

[Gayletmom]

Am I the only person in the world he was totally turned off by The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo? I just finished it last weekend and I am still traumatized. I thought it was a totally enthralling thriller but the extreme sexual violence against women (multiple) completely creeped me out. If it were just one scene I would have been able to let it slide but the multiple episodes and graphic descriptions really got under my skin. Why is this entertaining?

Don't read any further if you haven't read the book **SPOILER ALERT**.
Then, after reading about this young, vunerable girl being raped and sodomized and many pages about kidnapping, torture, rape and mutilation I made the mistake of reading the preview of the next book which was pasted into the back of my copy. Turns out it's about... more rape and sexual violence against a 13 year old girl who's chained to a bed!!!! Great, just what I want, more of this cr*p. What's wrong with this guy? Is he incapable of writing a compelling book without extreme and horrendous violence?

So here's my problem, I love a good mystery or thriller but I don't want to lie awake at night b/c it's so terrifying. And I certainly don't want to read, in graphic detail, about horrible things being done to people-especially children and young people (I have four of my own). Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

The Fall, book 2 of the Strain Trilogy. Steven Hawking's The Grand Design is next.

How is The Fall? I haven't picked it up yet but it's on my list for sure!

Help please! I canNOT get into The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I'm still at the beginning (really before the story starts I think), but I can't read much without falling asleep every time. I'm all for giving a book a chance to get interesting, but seriously, this is ridiculous. Is it really THAT good or should I give up and switch to something else?

Same here! Despite the hype I just can't get past the first 15 pages.

Currently I am reading The Witching Hour and I'm debating on either reading Wizard's First Rule, or some sort of something really scary.

Wizards First Rule (Terry Goodkind) is an awsome book... and will start you down a series that is about a dozen books long (I think). A few of the middle books seemed somewhat dull to me.

Been home sick for several days - Polished off "Od Magic" and "The Bell at Sealey Head" by Patricia McKillip. I fell in love with this author long ago (The Forgotten Beast of Eld and The Riddle Master of Hed series) - and had to buy the books when I saw them.

I read Wizard's First Rule a couple years back but just couldn't get into the (massive) series. I really want to read The Riddle Master of Hed though - I wish it was available in e-book format!

 

[Tuckins1]

Now i'm mostly on pregnancy books!

 

[dragonfly411]

Currently I am reading The Witching Hour and I'm debating on either reading Wizard's First Rule, or some sort of something really scary.

Wizards First Rule (Terry Goodkind) is an awsome book... and will start you down a series that is about a dozen books long (I think). A few of the middle books seemed somewhat dull to me.

Been home sick for several days - Polished off "Od Magic" and "The Bell at Sealey Head" by Patricia McKillip. I fell in love with this author long ago (The Forgotten Beast of Eld and The Riddle Master of Hed series) - and had to buy the books when I saw them.

I've read the series several times. I just love re reading them

 

[Modified Brilliant]

More Davids Than Goliaths by Harold Ford, Jr.

I always thought that he would become President someday...but never went beyond Congress.