This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

eamon234

Almost finished Ben H. Winter's Countdown City - the sequel to The Last Policeman. Loved the first book really enjoying this one.

Honey-ec

Made the mistake of buying the first four books in Michael Grant's Gone series the other day. Got halfway through book two and literally threw it across the room in frustration last night. Absolute drivel. It's actually a young adult series, but going by the critical blurb on the back I thought I was going to get something in the style of the Hunger Games (although I think this was actually published slightly before THG). No such luck.

So, let that be a lesson to everyone - never waste your money by buying a whole (or part of a) series until you've at least read the first book. At least they were on 3-for-2...

Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects it is, so.

SarahBM

Tom Joad wrote: »

Read it recently and absolutely detested it - found it was a real struggle to read.

Really??? compared to other books I have read translated from french and from that era, I found it quiet easy to read, which surprised me. I was very wary of it at first as I have never read a book in that style before. I thought just reading letters would be hard, but I found it quite refreshing. :rolleyes:

I have just started Room and Im only about 20 pages in and Im not liking it very much. Im already thinking about what to read next which is a bad sign.

Tom Joad

SarahBM wrote: »

Really??? compared to other books I have read translated from french and from that era, I found it quiet easy to read, which surprised me. I was very wary of it at first as I have never read a book in that style before. I thought just reading letters would be hard, but I found it quite refreshing. :rolleyes:

I have just started Room and Im only about 20 pages in and Im not liking it very much. Im already thinking about what to read next which is a bad sign.

I didn't like the letter format and some of the names were close enough so I found myself flicking back and forth - just didn't let me get into it - also not helped by reading it on a kindle.

Although it could be just me as I'm going through a phase of enjoying nothing I read - am reading A Prayer for Owen Meaney and started off liking it but now half way through I just want it over so I can read something else!! I'm a grumpy git lately when it comes to reading

Callan57

Finished The Innocents by Laura Lippman .... brilliantly suspenseful & absolutely compelling reading. Loved it.

Now I have Holy Orders the latest Benjamin Black

SarahBM

Tom Joad wrote: »

I didn't like the letter format and some of the names were close enough so I found myself flicking back and forth - just didn't let me get into it - also not helped by reading it on a kindle.

Although it could be just me as I'm going through a phase of enjoying nothing I read - am reading A Prayer for Owen Meaney and started off liking it but now half way through I just want it over so I can read something else!! I'm a grumpy git lately when it comes to reading

One reason I would hate to get a kindle is the not being able to remember where abouts a certain thing happened and not being able to flick back. at least with a book in your hand you can make a rough enough guess. Also I love admiring my read pile getting bigger. but unfortunately my to read pile is getting bigger too

Not liking Room so far but going to stick with it. Im going home for a wk to house sit, not sure what to bring for that.

littlema

sadly, just finished a thought provoking book, really well written and not over stuffed with background dross so you concentrate on the subject : WONDER by R.J.PALACIO. It's a small book....one sitting read, but try not to do that, savour it and let your brain tick over the chapters one at a time!

Also finished The City of Bohan and thoroughly enjoyed it, even had the accents off to a "T" !!!!!!

Tom Joad

SarahBM wrote: »

One reason I would hate to get a kindle is the not being able to remember where abouts a certain thing happened and not being able to flick back. at least with a book in your hand you can make a rough enough guess. Also I love admiring my read pile getting bigger. but unfortunately my to read pile is getting bigger too

Not liking Room so far but going to stick with it. Im going home for a wk to house sit, not sure what to bring for that.

Its a drawback but I have to say the advantages far outweigh the negatives - I'm never without a book as it perfectly fits the back pocket of my jeans is one massive advantage plus I can have any book I want when I want

A week with reading time - sounds like bliss - if it was me with that time on my hands would re read Les Miserables, Anna Karenina or Gone with the Wind

MagicMarker

SarahBM wrote: »

One reason I would hate to get a kindle is the not being able to remember where abouts a certain thing happened and not being able to flick back. at least with a book in your hand you can make a rough enough guess. Also I love admiring my read pile getting bigger. but unfortunately my to read pile is getting bigger too

Not liking Room so far but going to stick with it. Im going home for a wk to house sit, not sure what to bring for that.

If you come across a page/passage on a kindle that you think you'll flick back to, all you have to do is add a bookmark.

Although I've never had to flick back more than a page or two myself tbh.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Just finished "Wanting" by Richard Flanagan. It intertwines the story of an aboriginal child in Tasmania "adopted" by a Sir John and Lady Jane who try to "civilise" her by educating her as a white child. This story interweaves with the story of Charles Dickens writing a play inspired by a meeting with Lady Jane years later in London.

I'm not sure I actually liked the book, but it does raise some very interesting points about what separates the "civilised" from the "savages", and the history of Australia and the appalling treatment the natives received from the British settlers. So in that respect I found it very interesting.

IvyTheTerrible

SarahBM wrote: »

One reason I would hate to get a kindle is the not being able to remember where abouts a certain thing happened and not being able to flick back. at least with a book in your hand you can make a rough enough guess. Also I love admiring my read pile getting bigger. but unfortunately my to read pile is getting bigger too

Not liking Room so far but going to stick with it. Im going home for a wk to house sit, not sure what to bring for that.

It's funny, I actually find the kindle great for that. There is a search function on it. When I read "real" books, I'm never able to find where something happened before, but with the search thing it's easy.

Monkeybonkers

Gullivers Travels by Jonathan Swift

snollup

Recently finished three Sebastian Barry books, The Secret Scripture, A Long Long Way & On Canaan's Side. Wonderful writer. Recommend all three.

emeraldstar

Monkeybonkers wrote: »

Gullivers Travels by Jonathan Swift

Great book.


Just started The Count of Monte Cristo. Have wanted to read it for ages but kept putting it off due to the size. I hate knowing I won't be able to read anything else for quite a while!

IvyTheTerrible

emeraldstar wrote: »

Great book.


Just started The Count of Monte Cristo. Have wanted to read it for ages but kept putting it off due to the size. I hate knowing I won't be able to read anything else for quite a while!

I would love to be reading that for the first time again!

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

So many mentions of The Count of Monte Cristo on here, and all good. I suppose I better put it on my list.

emeraldstar

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

So many mentions of The Count of Monte Cristo on here, and all good. I suppose I better put it on my list.

That's how it ended up on mine!

MagicMarker

You won't regret it, my favourite book. Absolutely incredible.

Belle E. Flops

It is amazing. It took me ages because I didn't have a lot of time for a few months but then tore through it. Absolutely loved it and I was sorry it was over when I got to the end.

SarahBM

the sheer size of the Count of Monte Cristo is putting me off. Read the Three Musketeers when I was about 16, and I remember finding it a bit tough, but a great story. I think I will try the Man in the Iron Mask first.

Monkeybonkers

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

So many mentions of The Count of Monte Cristo on here, and all good. I suppose I better put it on my list.

emeraldstar wrote: »

That's how it ended up on mine!

It'll also be on mine too. I'm on a bit of a classic book buzz at the moment. Just finished Ivanhoe and have just started Gullivers Travels. I also have Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and ........... etc. etc. well, I think you all know how it goes. So many books...

Jimmy Iovine

I have The Count... on my shelf. I think it'll stay there for a while more though. I bought The Fight by Norman Mailer at the weekend. I must get started on it asap.

Monkeybonkers

Jimmy Iovine wrote: »

I have The Count... on my shelf. I think it'll stay there for a while more though. I bought The Fight by Norman Mailer at the weekend. I must get started on it asap.

Have you read any other stuff by Mailer. I've been meaning to read something by him for a while, any reccommendations?

Jimmy Iovine

Monkeybonkers wrote: »

Have you read any other stuff by Mailer. I've been meaning to read something by him for a while, any reccommendations?

Unfortunately, no. I saw the book a few months ago and put in my basket on Amazon. That basket is cursed. Once an item goes in it will never be bought.

I did pick it up in Manchester though and read a few pages.

As such, the only recommendation I can give is the first four pages of The Fight. They're really good. Some of the best pages I've ever read :pac:.

IvyTheTerrible

Monkeybonkers wrote: »

Have you read any other stuff by Mailer. I've been meaning to read something by him for a while, any reccommendations?

I liked The Naked and the Dead. But it is LONG.

Slattsy

The Count of Monte Cristo is the best book you'll ever read.
Its the only book i actually wanted to go to bed early for so i could read it in bed for an extra hour!! Its very very hard to put down.

And for those worried about the size of, fear not, as once you get near the end you'll wish you had even more

SarahBM

A little off topic but would people listen to music when they read?

I listened to a lot of Feeder when I was reading the Dark Materials trilogy, and it seemed to fit really well with it. So now I associate that trilogy with Feeder. Mad, isnt it? I would like to go back and read them again. I remember enjoying them a lot. I wish I was a faster reader.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

SarahBM wrote: »

A little off topic but would people listen to music when they read?

Nope. I need complete silence when I'm reading otherwise I can't concentrate. Even someone talking in the next room distracts me

Belle E. Flops

Finished Valley of the Dolls. It's a book that I've been meaning to read with a few years but I found it quite depressing. It was a very easy read but I doubt I will read it again in the future.

Have started Robert Galbraith aka JK Rowling's new book 'Cuckoo's Calling'. I wasn't a fan of her last book but this one has gotten good reviews so we'll see.

baconsarnie

Just finished Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front". Truly remarkable stuff. For such a short book, it packs quite a punch and has lost none of its relevance.

Just started "Lanark" by Alasdair Gray