# So, what are you reading? (2015 edition)



## Geoffrey

For reference:

The 2014 thread

The 2013 thread

The 2012 thread

The 2011 thread

The 2010 thread

So, what are you reading this year?


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## MichelleB675

My goal for the year is to read all 5 (6 if the next one makes it to the shelves this year).


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## Tommy Muncie

I don't tend to set out a list for the year, but here's what I'm starting 2015 off with:

-_Closure_ By Randall Wood (picked that one up from the author's signature on this board. Really good read, close to the end of it now)

- _The Wind up Bird Chronicle_ By Haruki Murakami

- _Judas Unchained_ by Peter F Hamilton

- _Good Sex Great Prayers_ by Brandon Tietz (try that one if you dare, it's in the Palahniuk realm of transgressive and I think the author actually did a reading at one of Chuck's events recently)

After all those I think I'll try _Lisey's Story_ by Stephen King, just because I recently found out it's said to be his favourite out of everything he's written and I've been a fanboy since my early teenage.


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## Natasha Holme

And Playing the Role of Herself by KE Lane, a lesbian romance, for my Goodreads Lesbian Book Club Book of the Month. One fifth through. Rather enjoying it.


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## phoenix795

Hunger Games finally


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## Tuttle




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## dnagirl

Starting off with these two:

Frozen: Heart of Dread, Book One


Molecules: The Elements and the Architecture of Everything


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## Geoffrey

I'm starting out the year re-reading _The Blade Itself_ as part of a read of the entire _First Law Trilogy_


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## KindleGirl

Started this yesterday and I'm 25% in...good so far!!


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## TammyC

About 70% through  and really enjoying it! Hoping to finish it today. Nice rainy day, ideal for curling up with a good book!


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## Learnmegood

Just finished Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King.  Now picking back up on the Amber series by Roger Zelazney.  On the 4th "book" of it now.


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## alawston

I've just this minute finished it, picking up after a lengthy break over the holiday period. Probably I'll be reading some Paul Cornell next.


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## Debbie Bennett

Working my way through the _Game of Thrones_ books, having gorged on the first 3 series on DVD last month. Being UK and not having satellite tv, I'd never seen it before.

I'm hooked. Currently about 1/3 through


while I wait for season 4 to be released!


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## Avis Black

Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East (Ala Notable Books for Adults)

I wasn't sure I'd like this, since the morbid and depressing history of the Middle East isn't to my taste, but it's turning out to be quite interesting. The network of intrigues is really something to behold.


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## NogDog

Since I left my Kindle at someone else's place on New Year's Day, I picked up my paper copy of _A Canticle for Leibowitz_ (which is _still_ not enKindled  ). For a book written in the mid 1950's it still holds up well and is an amazing read. Finished section 2 of 3 last night, and realized I don't really remember how it ends, except for one aspect of it.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked

I'm a several stories into _The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries_, edited by Otto Penzler:



It's a collection of "impossible" crimes and locked room mysteries ranging from Edgar Allen Poe to Stephen King. 68 stories, almost 1000 pages in the print version. A great way to start off the new year for me. The first thing I did was to turn to Ellery Queen's _The Lamp of God_ and re-read it.

Mike


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## LeeStrauss

I'm reading The Longest Ride by Nicolas Spark.

I don't know how to add the cover...


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## hamerfan

The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan. 
A very good account of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. A horrible time in US history.


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## StarDozer13

*Hannah Sweason. Strawberry Shortcake Murder.*


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## Andra

With the JD Robb books part of the Kindle Daily Deal a few days ago, I went back and pulled out the first book _Naked in Death_ to see if I wanted to purchase the others. (grin - yes!) So I read that one and _Glory in Death_ and then took a break to read the new one from Estelle Ryan that came out yesterday _The Puchelle Connection_.

  

To add the covers, you can go up to the Kboards menu bar near the top of the screen, go to Readers, then Link Maker. Follow the instructions after that.


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## KindleGirl

Love this series but got a couple of books behind...time to catch up.


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## Jaasy

Andra said:


> With the JD Robb books part of the Kindle Daily Deal a few days ago, I went back and pulled out the first book _Naked in Death_ to see if I wanted to purchase the others. (grin - yes!) So I read that one and _Glory in Death_ and then took a break to read the new one from Estelle Ryan that came out yesterday _The Puchelle Connection_.
> 
> 
> 
> To add the covers, you can go up to the Kboards menu bar near the top of the screen, go to Readers, then Link Maker. Follow the instructions after that.


I'm rereading some J D Robb too! Can't wait for the new release in February. I picked up the first 8 in ebook and audio last year this time, I am disappointed that they didn't offer the next 8 in the series. I've been picking them up one at a time every now and then. I do have them all in a mix of paper, hardback, and ebook. Currently reading a Possession in Death...


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## anguabell

Lovely, lovely book by Nancy Singleton Hachisu, *Japanese Farm Cooking*. A cookbook - slash - memoir, full of gentle humor, fascinating facts and beautiful pictures.


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## I&#039;m a Little Teapot

Jasper Fforde's _The Last Dragonslayer_. I love everything he writes.


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## alawston

SevenDays said:


> Jasper Fforde's _The Last Dragonslayer_. I love everything he writes.


I loved his Nursery Crime books, and the Thursday Next series, and Shades of Grey, but I've yet to read the Dragonslayer stuff - does it measure up?


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## alawston

Last night I started on my signed first edition of London Falling by Paul Cornell. Brilliant so far!


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## Thomas Watson

Rereading


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## Atunah

I just started the first in a historical mystery series. Crebel said it was good and I already owned the first, bought it on sale some time ago. Thankfully the rest of the series are at the library as they are each $9.99. Yikes

So far I really like it. Planning on reading 3 in a row. I needed to find something to get out of my reading rut. I kept starting books and putting them down. Just not on the mood. This hits the spot. But then I love historical mysteries.


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## Jen200

Atunah said:


> I just started the first in a historical mystery series. Crebel said it was good and I already owned the first, bought it on sale some time ago. Thankfully the rest of the series are at the library as they are each $9.99. Yikes
> 
> So far I really like it. Planning on reading 3 in a row. I needed to find something to get out of my reading rut. I kept starting books and putting them down. Just not on the mood. This hits the spot. But then I love historical mysteries.


It looks like books 2 and 3 are on sale for $4.99. I also found all 3 books in Scribd.


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## crebel

Jen200 said:


> It looks like books 2 and 3 are on sale for $4.99. I also found all 3 books in Scribd.


Definitely grab the Tasha Alexander's when they are on sale or hope your library has the rest of them. Books 4-10 are $9.99 each, sigh...
It's a great series.


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## adanlerma

Just finished "5 Day Festival" - Modern day horror (placed review on book page)



Am reading "Bucket Full of Lies." - Lol mystery thriller (1/2 way read)



Both very interesting indie work


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## KindleGirl

Reading a couple of short books because a new release book is out tomorrow and I want to dive into that as soon as I can.

Tomorrow I will be reading


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## Andra

I am still working on the first In Death books.


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## Atunah

Well duh, I kept posting in the old 2014 thread 

So I started this historical mystery series. I already owned the first, but thanks to crebel, I moved it up and started it. The rest of the series I can thankfully get from the library. 


I am about half way through and I am really liking it. Many players are being introduced, and mysteries woven along with the reader and the MC still being clueless about most of it. But I am intrigued and that is what I ask from a mystery. I also like the flawed main character who is having to re-evaluate some aspects of her life. 
I love historical mysteries anyway, especially if they involved some artifacts and things like that. 

I am planning on reading the first 3 in a row, I think there are 9 out so far with 10 coming out soon.


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## Andra

Atunah said:


> Well duh, I kept posting in the old 2014 thread
> 
> So I started this historical mystery series. I already owned the first, but thanks to crebel, I moved it up and started it. The rest of the series I can thankfully get from the library.
> 
> 
> I am about half way through and I am really liking it. Many players are being introduced, and mysteries woven along with the reader and the MC still being clueless about most of it. But I am intrigued and that is what I ask from a mystery. I also like the flawed main character who is having to re-evaluate some aspects of her life.
> I love historical mysteries anyway, especially if they involved some artifacts and things like that.
> 
> I am planning on reading the first 3 in a row, I think there are 9 out so far with 10 coming out soon.


Right now she has 9 full-length novels and a short story. The latest novel came out in November. The whole series is addictive and they often go on sale so if you may be re-reading, add them to whatever watch list you have so you can grab them when the prices drop. Having said that, I will admit that I have paid full price for the last 3-4 of them because I enjoy them so much.


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## Atunah

Andra said:


> Right now she has 9 full-length novels and a short story. The latest novel came out in November. The whole series is addictive and they often go on sale so if you may be re-reading, add them to whatever watch list you have so you can grab them when the prices drop. Having said that, I will admit that I have paid full price for the last 3-4 of them because I enjoy them so much.


So I got a bit of time and plenty to go . I'll be skipping the short story, I do that with every series, I hate those short in between thingies. Hate them. Makes me mad if I miss something going from one full book to the next and skipping the shorty. 
Yeah, not going to pay full price on those babies. 9.99 times 5 or whatever is like my whole book budget . Sale is good, but with the library having all the parts in ebook I should be good. As long as they library keeps them "stocked" that is. I'll figure that out when I get there though.

See if they were all up to 4.99 at all times, I wouldn't mind so much outright buying them. But if I have to hunt down the sales, it gets in my way of reading when I want to. My library doesn't have any waitlist on any of them in the series so they most at the moment not be as popular. Good for me and no wait times. 

I figured out that historical mysteries are the only mysteries I like. Those and maybe paranormal. I do not like regular modern day thingies I guess. Has to be either historical or have some other something something in it. Just something about the limits of the past that make it so much more interesting to me. Its why I adore the CS Harris HM series. The way the police work and "crime scenes" are described is so fascinating to me. It makes it more raw for me without all the modern "help".


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## ElleChambers

jmiked said:


> I'm a several stories into _The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries_, edited by Otto Penzler:
> 
> 
> 
> It's a collection of "impossible" crimes and locked room mysteries ranging from Edgar Allen Poe to Stephen King. 68 stories, almost 1000 pages in the print version. A great way to start off the new year for me. The first thing I did was to turn to Ellery Queen's _The Lamp of God_ and re-read it.
> 
> Mike


I love the collections he edits - he picks some really good stories. I'll have to see if my library has this so I can add it to the TBR pile.


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## ElleChambers

StarDozer13 said:


> *Hannah Sweason. Strawberry Shortcake Murder.*


You just reminded me I need to finish this series. I love listening to it on audiobook - the narrator makes the stories even more delightful than they are in print.


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## dnagirl

About halfway through The End is Now (Book Two of the Apocalypse Tryptich) - I believe recommended by Geoffrey. It's an interesting twist on an apocalyptic series where Book 1 (The End is Nigh) focuses on pre-apocalyptic stories, book 2 on stories during the apocalypse (by the same writers, basically a continuation of book 1 stories, but perhaps from a different point of view) and book 3 (not out yet) on post-apocalyptic stories by the same authors.


Also just started The Andy Cohen Diaries. I love trash TV and have a soft spot for Andy Cohen even though he's a total drama queen.


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## Avis Black

A Very Irregular Head: The Life of Syd Barrett

This is a fairly solid biography of Barrett. The author's answer to the perennial question of 'Was he crazy or not?' comes down more on the lucid side. It does seem that the introverted Barrett really hated the music business, but he also seems to me to have been mildly--but not terribly--brain-damaged from excessive drug use, and he could never focus well for the rest of his life.


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## going going gone

For the first time, I'm reading the classic Travis McGee novels.


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## KindleGirl

Started this last night for a book challenge. Good so far....

I'll also be reading this 2nd book in the series as well


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## deckard

Looking forward to a trip to Belgium in May. Among my TBR for the trip is my current read:

All Quiet on the Western Front



Deckard


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## Karen Mead

deckard said:


> Looking forward to a trip to Belgium in May. Among my TBR for the trip is my current read:
> 
> All Quiet on the Western Front
> 
> 
> 
> Deckard


I remember when a rather sensitive friend of mine read that book for an assignment back in high school. He picked it because it was short, not realizing what he was in for...

Currently reading Kim Harrison's _The Witch With No Name_. I have a love-hate relationship with this series, glad it's coming to an end so I can stop being confused- hopefully?


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## Avis Black

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

I admire Chernow's ability to write a biography, so I'd thought I'd give this a try. Rockefeller is not normally a subject I'd have much interest in, but Chernow spends a fair amount of time on his subject's family background and mentality, so the work has enough color to keep it interesting. It's not all dry finance. I hadn't known that Rockefeller's father Bill was a flim-flam artist who peddled patent medicines under a false name and even ran a horse-stealing ring. The old man also was a bigamist who deserted his first family, and young John was forced to become the breadwinner for his mother and younger siblings while still in his teens, a fact that must scarred him psychologically. He spent 6 weeks going from door to door trying to land his first job, and when he finally got one, he was so grateful and happy that he celebrated Job Day ever after the way some people celebrate Christmas.

Chernow also documents the first wildcatting oil boom in the 1850s, when the production of whale-oil used for lighting could no longer keep up with the demand, and people began to look around for alternatives, such as what was then called rock oil. It was an era in which drillers and refiners would send gangs to smash up the equipment of other companies, so it was pure competition at its most venal.


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## MichelleB675

I finished A Game of Thrones last night, I really enjoyed reading and listening to it at the same time... now I'm starting on


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## AmandaLove

DebBennett said:


> Working my way through the _Game of Thrones_ books, having gorged on the first 3 series on DVD last month. Being UK and not having satellite tv, I'd never seen it before.
> 
> I'm hooked. Currently about 1/3 through
> 
> 
> while I wait for season 4 to be released!


OMG! I am doing the same thing - except I only got halfway through the third series before I started reading the book, and I am at about 60% (book 1). I am trying to finish the book before I finish watching the third series. Like you, I am only new to game of thrones because it was on pay tv, so I waited for it to come out on DVD. It is kind of strange reading the book after watching the show, because I know what is going to happen, but it is a great read, and it is interesting seeing the difference between the book and the series.


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## Susan Alison

Have just given up on "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves" - now trying Stephen King's 'Joyland'.


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## Debbie Bennett

AmandaLove said:


> OMG! I am doing the same thing - except I only got halfway through the third series before I started reading the book, and I am at about 60% (book 1). I am trying to finish the book before I finish watching the third series. Like you, I am only new to game of thrones because it was on pay tv, so I waited for it to come out on DVD. It is kind of strange reading the book after watching the show, because I know what is going to happen, but it is a great read, and it is interesting seeing the difference between the book and the series.


Halfway through second book now! One of the few stories I am really appreciating having seen on television first. It's so complex that it helps to have visuals in my mind already.


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## 67499

Reading *The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit, and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War* by A. J. Baime. A great read about how this country built itself into the industrial power that supported all Allied armies in fighting the Nazis and the Japanese Empire. Gives a very different perspective on Henry Ford. But the book has some problems - seems to be based largely on secondary sources and the writer's reading of those sources may be a bit too broad. But the larger story it tells is terrifically exciting.


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## AmandaLove

DebBennett said:


> Halfway through second book now! One of the few stories I am really appreciating having seen on television first. It's so complex that it helps to have visuals in my mind already.


I agree wholeheartedly. I thought I would finish book 1 last night, but I fell asleep while reading. I'm looking forward to reading the last chapter if the series stays true to the books - I loved it when Dany walked out of the fire. I'm also really enjoying his writing style.


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## mphicks

I'm closing on the last bit of GEMINI CELL. Terrific read, and an awesome cover to boot.


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## Thomas Watson

NogDog said:


> Since I left my Kindle at someone else's place on New Year's Day, I picked up my paper copy of _A Canticle for Leibowitz_ (which is _still_ not enKindled  ). For a book written in the mid 1950's it still holds up well and is an amazing read. Finished section 2 of 3 last night, and realized I don't really remember how it ends, except for one aspect of it.


I first read this one in my late teens, having grown up during the Cold War. Last year I read it again from a more mature perspective so I could discuss it on my weblog. I realized that, as a teenager, I completely missed the point of the book. Not this time. Very powerful book.

I'm starting the year rereading an old favorite: 

I usually have one fiction and one nonfiction read going in tandem, so right now the "flip side" is


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## KindleGirl

Started this one last night. Only got to 10% before I got too tired to read, and it's ok so far. It's getting good reviews and supposed to be somewhat like Gone Girl. They have said the ending is not the same as Gone Girl...thank goodness. We'll see how it turns out....


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## Linjeakel

Thomas Watson said:


> I usually have one fiction and one nonfiction read going in tandem, so right now the "flip side" is


I read this a while back and it was really surprising how very little is actually known about William Shakespeare, but it was a fascinating read nevertheless. I always find Bill Bryson's books to be effortless to read - he manages to make every subject really accessible and I can recommend pretty much everything he's written.


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## Paul Kohler

I've picked up on the first short story of a new sci-fi series called Becoming Violet. So far, It's a satisfying ready.


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## Thomas Watson

Linjeakel said:


> I read this a while back and it was really surprising how very little is actually known about William Shakespeare, but it was a fascinating read nevertheless. I always find Bill Bryson's books to be effortless to read - he manages to make every subject really accessible and I can recommend pretty much everything he's written.


It was an interesting take on a subject I thought I knew pretty well - meaning I learned a thing or two, especially about life in Elizabethan England. I particularly enjoyed the way Bryson dismantled and dismissed the "conspiracy theories" regarding Shakespeare's "true" identity. This is the first book I've read by Bryson (finished it last night, in fact) and it won't be the last!

Moving on, I'm just starting an odd little book given to me as a gift a while back.


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## Natasha Holme

Revolution by Russell Brand.


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## Susan Alison

I've been so anxious to get my hands on the next Game of Thrones book, but still don't know when it's going to appear... Just in case it does suddenly appear I've started to read it all again from the beginning so I'm suitably prepared.... Then I'll watch the DVDs as well to get prepared for the next of those, too.


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## Debbie Bennett

Finally finished GoT book 2 - and honestly I feel maxed out by the Seven Kingdoms now. I'm going to have to go read something completely different before I start on book 3. I have a couple of crime books on the shelf that are clamouring for attention next.


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## mphicks

Digging into this one now!


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## Meka

Just started Forty Acres by Dwayne Alexander Smith, only 4% in but starting off really good! 

Sent from my Galaxy Mega using Tapatalk


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## N. Gemini Sasson

Just finished _Isle of Man_, the second in Ryan Winfield's Dystopian series. Really liked it and will definitely read the third. 

Reading _At Any Price_ now and I am really impressed with the depth of the characters and writing: 

Jumping in and out of this one. My husband is going to hate my next purging binge.


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## Andra

I am still working on the early In Death books, but am mixing in some lighter books as well. This is partly to lighten the mood and partly to stretch out the series since I don't have all of them yet.
   

Mix in some "cozy" murders, fiction and science fiction. Some of these were gifts from the Secret Santa thread:
      

I also read through a series of YA fiction (it's an old favorite and the first time all six of them have been available electronically)


And I took advantage of the $72 Prime sale on Saturday, so I borrowed this one for January. I really enjoyed it and I am waiting (im)patiently for February 1st so I can get the next one. I may even go ahead and purchase them. I think I saw this one mentioned somewhere here on the Boards...


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## mistyd107

I've gotten off to a very slow start but so far I've finished:  and started  its started slow for me mainly bc I've been sick and unable to fully concentrate for the last 3 wks. However, its starting to pick up


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## Avis Black

A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter

I just finished this one and enjoyed it. However, I'm the sort who can read endless literary analysis about Austen's books without protest.


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## MyraScott

First book of the year was _Festive in Death_ by J D Robb. Just finished _MaddAddam_ by Margaret Atwood (dystopian future) and I'm about a third of the way in to _Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls_ by David Sedaris. (memoir)

Picked up Miramont's Ghost (historical fiction) from the Kindle First selection this month... was not impressed.

Next up! _One Summer: America, 1927_ by Bill Bryson and_ David and Goliath_ by Malcom Gladwell. I also keep nibbling at _The Goldfinch_ but I'm not hooked.


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## KindleGirl

Finished this one early this morning.... It was ok, but not great in my opinion. A lot like Gone Girl, but better ending.

Going to start this one today...


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## SteveHarrison

I'm really enjoying Glass Shore by Stefan Jackson 

It's a futuristic thriller, a kind of Blade Runner meets Sam Spade.


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## shaunduke

Books!  *drool*

I'm currently reading the following:

--Half-life by SL Huang (sequel to the excellent Zero Sum Game)
--Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear
--Owl and the Japanese Circus by Kristi Charish
--Gemini Cell by Myke Cole

Yeah, all at once.  Two for interviews.  One because I'll read anything by Huang.  And one because it appeared in my mailbox and Bear is amazing.


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## Joel R. Crabtree

I stopped reading The Wheel of Time series many years ago because it became complicated and less enjoyable to wait extended periods for the next installment. Now that the series is complete, I am immersing myself in it and am currently on book three.


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## NogDog

Looking forward to starting this (unfortunately not enKindled) book tonight, based on Sir Terry Pratchett's recommendations in _A Slip of the Keyboard: Collected Nonfiction_:

_Evolution Man: Or, How I Ate My Father_


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## Terry Cronin

Just finished Raising Steam (Terry Pratchett). Takes a bit longer to get going than usual, but hits all the right spots when it does. I particularly like what he's doing with the goblins, I'd like to see their characters built up a lot more.


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## Pikko

I have an ARC of The Mime Order I just haven't had time to really get into since I do most of my reading on my Kindle or phone while I'm out running errands or standing in line. Also, as my sig says, I'm re-reading Elfstones of Shannara in advance of the TV show fiiiinally coming out this year. Elfstones was always my favorite of the original Shannara trilogy, so I can't wait!

I also started a book called When Smiles Fade, but I'm having a really hard time with it because it has graphic child abuse and it's just not something I have the stomach for right now.


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## MichelleB675

A Storm of Swords


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## mphicks

Started in on an ARC of the upcoming Apocalypse Weird release:


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## MyraScott

I picked up the audiobook of _Confessions of a Shopaholic_ but it's really not my thing. The writing is cute and it's well done but the story is...like a sitcom. Based on misunderstandings and false hopes and irresponsible actions.

So, next on the lineup, I've got The Thorn Birds.


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## geezergas

In the kingdom of Ice, Hampton Sides


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## Guest

Quite entertaining. The author really likes knights with broad shoulders  Lots of those in the book.


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## Natasha Holme

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King. LOVING it.


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## Chris Dietzel

I'm reading 'Until I Find You' by John Irving and boy oh boy is it a departure from 'A Prayer For Owen Meany' and 'The World According To Garp'. Those were very charming and whimsical stories. This one is disturbing on multiple levels. If anyone here has read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts.


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## KindleGirl

Started this one over the weekend. It's the first book I've read from David Baldacci. My sister highly recommended it and it is good so far, although I've been spending too much time binge watching Scandal instead of reading this week.


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## nigel p bird

I'm in the middle of a great novel called Unlce Dust by Rob Pierce and published by All Due Respect. It's a heist book in many ways, but there's so much more to it than merely following the bank jobs. It could be seen as a domestic noir where there are also bank robberies. The central character is one to root for and also to despair of, which is something I find powerful in fiction.

http://www.amazon.com/Uncle-Dust-Rob-Pierce-ebook/dp/B00SGGKHOE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423660927&sr=8-1&keywords=uncle+dust


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## Lyndon

I've just started reading Napoleon the Great, by Andrew Roberts

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Napoleon-Great-Andrew-Roberts-ebook/dp/B00MI963OS

I wanted to read a good bio of Napoleon for a long time, this is just out and looks like to have a fresh approach.


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## Avis Black

In anticipation of photography season, I've been rereading this:



How to Photograph Absolutely Everything: Successful Pictures From Your Digital Camera by Tom Ang

I find it an excellent book for suggestions and prompts.


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## Thomas Watson

About to start 

Looks like this one might keep me busy for a while...


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## Atunah

Finished this


A book with a title that also is the blurb. It was so perfect and brilliant. Unfortunately the book didn't live up the the title. . It was really very silly and not silly in a good way. Just silly. It had such potential. Oh well, I had been on a roll until then with great reads.

Now I am reading 


The second in the Veronica Mars mysteries. I am an unashamed Veronica Mars junkie, although I came to it years after the original series was cancelled. Which meant I didn't have to wait as long for the movie as most. 

I just don't want to leave the characters quite yet and I hope there are more books. Liking this already. Since it was TV before book, I do have the actors images in my head and see the words coming out of their mouth as I read. Not something I normally have when I read books. 
Not sure how enjoyable the books would be to someone that didn't see the TV show and movie.

Unfortunately I have to read this book on my tablet with the Overdrive app as there was no kindle version at the library. I'd much rather read this on my Voyage.


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## deckard

Just started this last night:



I love stories about exploration and explorers. Even those when the explorations go wrong.

Deckard


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## SunshineOnMe

Natasha Holme said:


> Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King. LOVING it.


Oh my gosh! I wanted to get it, but wasn't sure. Some of his books are hits and others not so much. I've really liked his last few though. *off to go check it out*


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## KindleGirl

Started this one last night. Not too far in, but good so far.


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## SteveHarrison

Just finishing THE BLACK HOLE BAR by Dave Weaver. It's a terrific science fiction novel with a number of short stories woven into the narrative. Very clever and enjoyable.


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## sstroble

State of Fear by Michael Crichton.  
Very slow going, he has more characters and plots than most miniseries on TV.


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## Atunah

I finished a couple of nice historical romances

A recent release and very enjoyable.

Then I read my prime loan from January which was older back list and a native american historical romance. They don't make them anymore it seems so I am working my way through some authors backlists.


And now I am starting another in the long In Death series by J.D Robb. Not sure if I'll ever catch up with this one. Nora just keeps writing and writing. . 
This is #18 in the series. I still have a long way to go. #40 just came out 10 days ago.


----------



## JE_Owen

I don't have yearly reading goals (but I should...)

But currently: 

Graceling, by Kristin Cashore

TBR Pile:

Thief of Songs, by M.C.A. Hogarth

Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik

The rest of the Fablehaven books


----------



## SteveHarrison

I'm well into reading Ratoon. It's about a young Australian boy's initiation into the world of surfing in 1964. Excellent so far.


----------



## SunshineOnMe

okay, based on Natasha's suggestion, I'm reading Mr. Mercedes. It's great!


----------



## Paul Reid

"Wolf Hall" by Hilary Mantel. I've heard too much about this series to ignore it any longer.

http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Hall-Thomas-Cromwell-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B002RI9ZZ4/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=


----------



## I&#039;m a Little Teapot

I'm rereading an old favorite, Terry Pratchett's _Going Postal_.


----------



## SunshineOnMe

SevenDays said:


> I'm rereading an old favorite, Terry Pratchett's _Going Postal_.


That's the first Pratchett book I read, and still my favorite. Next is probably the Hog Father.


----------



## I&#039;m a Little Teapot

SunshineOnMe said:


> That's the first Pratchett book I read, and still my favorite. Next is probably the Hog Father.


It's my favorite, too! My second favorite is Guards! Guards!


----------



## KindleGirl

Started this one yesterday....


----------



## KindleGirl

Nicknacks said:


> Just started 'Girl on the train', mostly because I'm researching my genre... So far, it's okay. I'm intrigued. But I'm hating every.single.character in the book so far. I know we're not doing reviews here, but yeah - I can't remember the last time I didn't like a single character in a story!
> 
> I might read a light fluffy chicklit after this one, just for some air.


I felt the same way....and it didn't get any better for me. The story may have been better if I could have really cared about ANY of the characters. I don't understand the raves for the book, but then I felt the same way about Gone Girl. At the end of the book I felt like I had wasted time spending it with such crappy people.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Sounds like I don't need to bother with 'Girl on a Train'.  I really don't like to read books where there are no characters with even faintly redeeming social values.

I just gave up on The One That Got Away by Simon Wood. MC was basically TSTL*. Just when I thought she'd grown a brain, she'd do something dumb again.

I gave it a fair shot -- got nearly halfway and then decided I didn't need to waste my precious reading time with it. It's tax season, after all: when I get time to read, I want to enjoy it! 

And, the writing wasn't really that great either . . . . . . . dialogue didn't feel real, and narrative was . . . .ordinary.

*too stupid to live


----------



## mphicks

I loved Book 1, and have been waiting to dive into Book 2 since finishing the series opener. Started in on it last night:


----------



## Avis Black

A History of Food in 100 Recipes by William Sitwell

The author is one of the notorious Sitwell family. I read all of Osbert Sitwell's multivolume autobiography some years ago. His relative's book is respectable reading.


----------



## KindleGirl

Starting this one today...

I love Karen Rose's books...they are hard to put down. Guess I will do my work before I start reading today!


----------



## mphicks

I'm about a quarter of the way through Brian Keene's The Last Level, but not digging it too much. It's a short enough read, though, so I'll muscle through.


----------



## Janet Rochester

Rats. I want to read _The Girl on the Train_, but it won't be as much fun if the characters are irritating. 

 I'm reading _The Dark_, a collection of ghost stories from 2003. A couple of them have been pleasantly unpleasant, if you know what I mean.

But I'm still looking for something to scare the pants off me like _Harvest Home _did back in the 80s....


----------



## Carrie Rubin

Janet Rochester said:


> Rats. I want to read _The Girl on the Train_, but it won't be as much fun if the characters are irritating.


I'm reading "The Girl on the Train" now, and I'm loving it. My favorite book of the year so far. No, the characters aren't always likable, but I've only got about fifty pages left, and I'm still guessing as to how it will play out. Anything that can keep up the mystery so well is always an enjoyable read for me. I suppose it's going to be like "Gone Girl" in that sense that some readers will love it, others will hate it.


----------



## jerrrylaw

I am reading The Imperfect Gentleman by Jacqui Sinclair. Quite and interesting book. Its a combination of love, lust, and betrayal. Jacqui has done a brilliant job with her first book.


----------



## Chris Dietzel

I'm currently reading J.G. Ballard's 'High-Rise'. While it's nothing like 'Animal Farm,' it is the closest I've found to a dystopian story that matches the same approach of using the setting to drive a social allegory. In this case, the high rise and having the lower income residents on the bottom floors, the middle class residents on the middle floors, and the upper class residents on the top floor of the high rise is entirely to drive a commentary on class warfare. Very interesting approach.


----------



## J.T. Williams

Divergent series, Hunger Games, and a so far undecided steam punk novel TBA... I also enjoy short fantasy fiction so essentially any of that I can find.


----------



## N. Gemini Sasson

Recently finished and enjoyed _At Any Price_. One of the best New Adult novels I've read.



Sadly, I started and abandoned about three other books last week that just weren't working for me. I love discovering new (to me) authors, but for now I'm returning to some of my old favorites, so I'm now reading Catherine Ryan Hyde's latest The Language of Hoofbeats and plan to get to the final book in Ryan Winfield's Park Service Trilogy, State of Nature: Book Three of The Park Service Trilogy.


----------



## Thomas Watson

Well, I was right. It's a good read, but it's not a fast read! (Enjoying it, though.)


----------



## anguabell

OwenAdams said:


> I've just started reading Neil Gaiman's Stardust. I have never read any Gaiman before but the guy has a great rep and wrote some of the better Doctor Who episodes recently so I thought it was about time I gave it a try. I must admit to finding his writing style a little flowery and overwrought so far, but I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt.


I loved Neverwhere but I couldn't even make through a sample of Stardust. The movie wasn't bad, though  Each of his books is different.


----------



## Andra

OwenAdams said:


> I didn't realise that Stardust movie was based on this actually. I wonder why I never made the connection, I have come very close to watching that so often but never take the plunge.
> 
> I'm a bit further in now. It's only a short book, and the language is still pretty florid. I get that he's going for a modern fairy-tale feel, but I don't totally love it. I'm still reading because I keep feeling like I'm on the verge of finding it magical and captivating but I'm too cynical to really get swept away. I'm going to try and put away my inner grump before I pick it up next.


Neil reads the audio version of the book and it's pretty good. I also have the illustrated version of it and I love looking at the detailed photos that run through the book. This is one of the few books that I remember watching the movie before I read the book, so I had pictures from the movie in my head as I was reading.


----------



## dnagirl

I just finished The Girl With all the Gifts by M.R. Carey. Really interesting twist on a classic horror genre. My only issue with it was that I got to the end and thought, "wow, that ended more like a short story than a novel." Then, the Afterword said it was an expansion on a short story, so while the ending made sense in that respect, it still seemed a bit cut off for me.


----------



## EmilyG

I am reading _The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II _ for my book club. I read half of it 6 months ago and it just sort of fizzled out. The information is interesting but it is not told in a compelling way. I am finding it hard to get back into it.


----------



## Harry Manners

Finally got around to reading _Watership Down_. It's been sitting on my shelf for about two years. I've taken it on holidays as a backup book a bunch of times, and I was starting to feel guilty.

Rather angry with myself that I neglected it. It's a wonderful read.


----------



## Susan Alison

Ooh, I love this thread - have just bought the first 'Extinction' novel. Thank you! Didn't finish 'And we're all beside ourselves' - reached the the (or maybe 'a') big reveal and it ruined it for me. Couldn't get into 'Gone Girl' - characters too naff. 

Am currently reading Patrick Rothfuss 'Name of the Wind' - bought it years ago but didn't read it. Can't remember why. Am enjoying it now although fairly easily distracted from it because have never been keen on that whole 'telling a story' format. And then when stories are told within stories - hmmm - not so much. Have already bought the next book though...

Have just bought the second Joe Abercrombie Half a King book. Looking forward to that. But whilst there stumbled over a Jack Reacher I don't think I've read - oh no! No work will be done today, then! Plus a Karen Rose and several others I dare not look at to remind myself what they were as I really do have to get some work done today...


----------



## MichelleB675

Just finished A Storm of Swords.. loved it. I'm starting on A Feast for Crows now.



I think after I finish this series I'm going to start reading some of the gifts I've received from the KB gifting thread. I'll definitely need something fun and light after aSoIaF.


----------



## anguabell

Trying to make my way through The Luminaries.



I am at only 15% but so far it is just tedious. We are constantly offered POVs of characters we don't know anything about, except what they look like, and have no reason to care what they think. The plot so far is not engaging enough to keep my attention but I'm trying to give it a benefit of the doubt. I understand the intention of the author's style, which is supposed to evoke a Victorian-style novel but I don't think it is entirely successful in that respect. If this book got Man Booker Prize I can only hope it will get better.


----------



## Chris Dietzel

I just started Margaret Atwood's 'The Blind Assassin' and have high hopes for it after loving everything else I've read by her.


----------



## KindleGirl

Almost half into this one and it's good so far, but would have expected that....


----------



## 67499

I'm re-reading Cecilia Holland's _The Firedrake_ about an Irish "berserker" - a knight who goes war-mad in combat - who fights for Duke William against King Harold at Hastings/1066. That summary makes the story sound thin and brutal. But he's a man who can't quite fit into his own times and his being a berserker may be natural or trained or a fraud. And in those two problems lie the curious core of the book.


----------



## C. C. Genovese

When I'm not reading erotica shorts to see what all the other erotica authors are up to, I like reading dark fantasy and horror. I just finished The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks. It was awesome. On Facebook a lot of people were mentioning Bird Box by Josh Malerman. I'm about 75% finished with it. If you like creepy, end of the world kind of horror that one's pretty good so far.


----------



## TammyC

Just recently finished  and really enjoyed it. I also read one of her other books, Sharp Objects before that one. Both kept me very interested and I had a hard time putting them down.

Right now I'm about 70% through . Really enjoying it so far and I'm anxious to see how it ends.

So many new books added to my TBR list thanks to this thread


----------



## EmilyG

I finished _Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness_ by Susannah Cahalan.  It was very good-a true life (scary) medical mystery.

I just started _Everything I Never Told You_ by Celeste Ng.  I gave it to a friend for Christmas not knowing anything about it besides "1970's, Ohio, Chinese". She lent it back to me saying it was excellent. I am only on page 18 but I really like the writing so far.


----------



## LGOULD

I'm reading _West of Sunset_, by Stewart O'Nan, on Kindle. It's a fictionalized account of F. Scott Fitzgerald's final years as a Hollywood hack, with his wife in a mental institution and his romantic attentions diverted to a beautiful gossip columnist. The writing is as exquisite as much of Fitzgerald's best work.

West of Sunset


----------



## Avis Black

Forty Years in the Wilderness of Pills and Powders Cogitations and Confessions of an Aged Physician

It's a memoir by William Alcott, a physician who practiced in the first half of the 1800s, in which he confesses that not only did the learned doctors of his time not have a clue what they were doing, they inflicted much actual harm and killed plenty of their patients. He also records his endless fights with quacks who took advantage of the weak-minded and gullible. It's an interesting piece of writing about a disgraceful era in the history of medicine. The author was a second cousin (and family friend) of Amos Bronson Alcott, the father of Louisa May Alcott. William Alcott wrote over a hundred books about various subjects, and he was a determined promoter of modern advances in everyday living.


----------



## mphicks

Starting in on an ARC of this:


----------



## Hasse Mori

Halfway through, a dark tale, but enjoying it..


----------



## Thomas Watson

Finished reading  Delightful little book, especially if you indulge in the occasional adult beverage.

Starting


----------



## Geoff Jones

I am about halfway through _The Knife of Never Letting Go_ by Patrick Ness, and I love it (despite the ridiculous title). I don't post in threads like this nearly as often as I should, but I'm so excited about this book I'm looking for places to recommend it. The last series that I had this much fun with was Wayward Pines by Blake Crouch.



> Am currently reading Patrick Rothfuss 'Name of the Wind' - bought it years ago but didn't read it. Can't remember why. Am enjoying it now although fairly easily distracted from it because have never been keen on that whole 'telling a story' format. And then when stories are told within stories - hmmm - not so much. Have already bought the next book though...


I'm right there with you. It's got an enthusiastic following, but it didn't work for me. DNF



> Finally got around to reading Watership Down. It's been sitting on my shelf for about two years. I've taken it on holidays as a backup book a bunch of times, and I was starting to feel guilty.
> 
> Rather angry with myself that I neglected it. It's a wonderful read.


Silflay hraka, u embleer rah!



> Just finished A Storm of Swords.. loved it. I'm starting on A Feast for Crows now.


Hodor!


----------



## Verbena

fiction novels


----------



## Matt Lobby

Usually it depends on my mood on what book I'm going to read, so at the moment, I'm simul-reading 3 novels. One WW2 Military, and two Fantasy (Urban & Court Intrigue).

  

God willing I don't include Saint Odd in that list once I get my hands on it.


----------



## Linjeakel

- The Lost Empress (Jefferson Tayte Genealogical Mystery Book 4) My Prime borrow for February - Tayte investigates a woman who drowned when a ship sank in the early 20th century - or did she? I like these mysteries as they combine some element of history as well as a modern mystery, not outstanding but an OK read, especially for free. 

Followed that with  - The Forgotten Holocaust (Ben Hope, Book 10). This series is normally a regular thriller type, but this one also had a historical element, this time about the Great Starvation in Ireland in the 1840s - the 'forgotten holocaust' of the title. Some fascinating facts about a not particularly proud moment in British history that I found interesting, coupled with a very competent contemporary thriller.

Followed that with  - Einstein's Secret - this one was my March Prime borrow and it was ... OK. I didn't find it as exhilarating as some of the reviews, but I do love me some time travel, so once again, not bad for free.

Now I'm reading  - The Ways of the World: (The Wide World - James Maxted 1). I must have read about twenty of Robert Goddard's books and while all prolific authors have their good days and their bad ones, I've mostly really enjoyed them. He's the master of the double, triple and quadruple twist - just when you think you know what's what .... it isn't! Most of his books are stand alones, this one's the first in a trilogy and so far I'm enjoying it.


----------



## KindleGirl

Read the prequel  then started this last night . Good so far.


----------



## donna callea

I don't usually read nonfiction, but I was intrigued by the premise of Women After All: Sex, Evolution, and the End of Male Supremacy, so I bought it.
After finishing it, I was a bit disappointed. Lots of stuff about lower animals, not much else, except speculation and references to anthropologic studies. Sorry I paid full price.

Now, to cleanse my palate, I'm enjoying The Valley of Amazement. Can't go wrong with Amy Tan.


----------



## Mark E. Cooper

I'm listening to a podcast right now, but for fiction I'm into these two audiobooks by Charlie N. Holmberg called The Paper Magician and The Glass Magician

http://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/The-Paper-Magician-Audiobook/B00MNOJGLK
http://www.audible.com/pd/Teens/The-Glass-Magician-Audiobook/B00OU1H0BM

I haven't read anything by this author before, but this magic system intrigued me. I'm enjoying book 1.


----------



## 67499

I'm working on _*The Collected Stories of Evan S. Connell*_ covering 50 years of his short stories. Watching characters (and they are _characters_) like Leon & Bebert develop across the years of his work is fascinating, and his descriptions of flying WW2 fighter planes make terrific fun. He also wrote *Son of the Morning Star: Custer and the Little Bighorn*, which I liked but not as much as this collection.


----------



## A. S. Warwick

Right now I've started re-reading The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett and then will do the same for most of the rest of the discworld series.


----------



## geezergas

New C. J. Box, Endangered.  Joe Picket #15


----------



## MichelleB675

I finished A Feast for Crows last night. It was my least favorite of the series. I loved it but missed my favorite characters.. though there were some pretty awesome moments (that I hope they include on the show).. the audio wasn't quite as good either, the narrator kept changing pronunciations of names.. but with his age, I can forgive that. He has done an awesome job on the series up until that book and a different person wouldn't have been as good.

Starting on..


----------



## Shelly0905

Hi! I dont think this has been mentioned, but for anyone interested in young adult Dystopian Novels, I am reading this,



I'm loving it so far! haha I'm also trying to get into a GOT Series.  Thats my, (too short of a list), for 2015 so far XD


----------



## donna callea

I'm re-reading The Shore of Women: The Classic Work of Feminist Science Fiction


I first read it almost 20 years ago, when it was first published, in hard cover. Now I've got it on my kindle. It really holds up. I thought it was groundbreaking back then. Still is. It's a thought-provoking dystopian novel that would probably be classified as YA if it were published today.


----------



## Linjeakel

I've now read the second in the trilogy  The Corners of the Globe: (The Wide World - James Maxted 2). I'm enjoying the story enough to want to know how it ends, so I'll read the third book when it comes out in July, but I'm not convinced Goddard's writing style suits trilogies - I prefer his stand alone stories.

I've moved on to  The Catalyst which has finally been made available on Kindle in the UK. Enjoying it so far, but I'm really just waiting (not so) patiently for the next _Tyler Locke_ book from this author. It seems _ages_ since the last one.


----------



## cml101495

I am readin through the fires. A great story about a man's business and the power of honesty and integrity.

http://www.amazon.com/Through-Fires-American-Business-Turbulence-ebook/dp/B00P81LFOG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1428077331&sr=1-1&keywords=through+the+fires


----------



## KindleGirl

I finished this last night  and I'm going to start this today while on the treadmill


----------



## mlewis78

I've been reading Bring Up the Bodies, by Hilary Mantel. Her second book that revolves around Thomas Cromwell as advisor to Henry VIII. The TV show starts April 5th (10PM here in NY).

http://www.amazon.com/Bring-Up-Bodies-Novel-Wolf-ebook/dp/B00779MU6O/ref=sr_1_1_ha?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1428184259&sr=1-1&keywords=bring+up+the+bodies


----------



## anguabell

Finally reading _*Maids of Misfortun*_e from my long TBR list. I didn't actually think I'd like it much (I got the book when it was free) but it is much better than I expected. A talented writer, nice research.

As always, I resent the inevitable "romance" side-line, and I wish female writers did not feel compelled to add it compulsively to everything they publish. So I'm just ignoring it the best I can


----------



## 67499

_*The Murder of My Aunt*_ by Richard Hull (orig published 1934) - manically (ie, not belly laugh) funny, like P. G. Wodehouse writing an inverted detective story. I'll be sorry to finish it.


----------



## MichelleB675

I finished A Dance with Dragons.. Now I'm going to start working on some of the gifts I've received from the lovely KB members  (but I'm saving the Outlander series for next year.)

So next up is 

Thanks again to "kb secret book buying club" for this one!


----------



## rchapman1

Currently reading The Silence of the Stones by Rebecca Bryn - a great writer.


----------



## MichelleB675

Brownies and Broomsticks was a very fun, light read. It was just what I needed after a series of long books. The audiobook version is very nice too. I will definitely be picking up the rest of the series.

Now I'm reading 

Thanks again to "happy friday the 13th"!


----------



## KristiBelcamino

Joelle Charbonneau is awesome!



Shelly0905 said:


> Hi! I dont think this has been mentioned, but for anyone interested in young adult Dystopian Novels, I am reading this,
> 
> 
> 
> I'm loving it so far! haha I'm also trying to get into a GOT Series.  Thats my, (too short of a list), for 2015 so far XD


----------



## KristiBelcamino

Happy Thursday! What are you planning on reading this weekend? I'm reading Chelsea Cain's ONE KICK and it is soooo good I can't wait for the weekend so I can get back to it.

_Kristi, I've edited your post. PM me if you have any questions._


----------



## Mike D. aka jmiked

I'm currently reading _Hespira_, by Matthew Hughes.



The third volume in the Henghis Hapthorn series. Hapthorn is a "descriminator", known to our time as a private detective/investigator. The series takes place tens of thousands of years in the future at a time when magic is beginning to take ascendancy over science, an event that cycles back and forth every few thousand years. The series is a good read, remining me a bit of Jack Vance's _Dying Earth_ series.

Mike


----------



## 67499

Just picked up *The Edge of the Sky: All You Need to Know About the All-There-Is*, an astonishingly short history of cosmology that uses only the 1,000 most common words in English, making it read like a kind of poetry. At long last a book I can understand about the Big Bang and everything else!


----------



## mlewis78

I'm reading Alison Weir's non-fiction: The Six Wives of Henry VIII.

http://www.amazon.com/Six-Wives-Henry-VIII-ebook/dp/B008UX8G5A/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1429858971&sr=1-3&keywords=alison+weir

A long time ago I read her bio of Elizabeth I in paperback. The current series Wolf Hall on PBS has gotten me into the mood to read this. Finished Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies last week.


----------



## Coleen Kwan

Just finished a great book Every Secret Thing by Emma Cole/ Susanna Kearsley. If you're a Mary Stewart fan, you'll like this mystery/suspense/romance.


----------



## Andra

Every year I start posting in this thread with good intentions to keep up and I barely make it a few months... This year was no different.
I have blown through the remainder of the In Death books by JD Robb and gone back through Katherine Kurtz's Deryni novels. In honor of Sir Terry, I am working my way back through the Discworld books. I am also reading some Victoria Holt gothics newly purchased electronically, finished up Rick Riordan's Heros of Olympus series, and have read quite a few different cozy mysteries.
The latest ones are listed below:
   

   

Next up is another cozy from the KB gifting thread and then I'm going to try some of Ed McBain's 87th Precinct Mysteries since I picked them up on sale a little while back.


----------



## Linjeakel

Finished  The Catalyst by Boyd Morrison. This is one of the author's earlier books, only just published on Kindle in the UK. I enjoyed it, as I do all his books, though I don't think it was quite up to the quality of his later books. Still a good read though.

Next I read  F In Exams: The Best Test Paper Blunders by Richard Benson. I got this for 99p as a Daily Deal and frankly it was barely worth that much. Not because it wasn't amusing, because a lot of it was. But it was so short - and I suspect that some of the 'genuine' answers were doctored or wholly concocted by the author.

Then it was  Walking Home: My Family and Other Rambles by Clare Balding. Clare is a TV and radio presenter here, so this probably wouldn't be of interest to anyone outside the UK. It's the second part of her autobiography and centres on the people and places discovered in her walks for the radio show _Ramblers_, though it does cover other stuff as well. No shocking revelations or titillating gossip, that's not her style, just a nice comfortable read.

Then came  The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. This wasn't quite what I was expecting, but I really enjoyed it. The story is about the life of a dog called Enzo, told by Enzo himself. It's a dog's eye view of the human world as told by a dog who's frustrated by his tongue that can't speak and his lack of opposable thumbs. But after watching a documentary program on Discovery about Mongolia, he believes when he dies he'll be reincarnated as a man, if he's ready. And Enzo intends to be ready. His master, Denny, is a semi professional racing car driver (hence the title) and much of the story that Enzo tells (and it's by no means a cute fluffy puppy story) about his life and Denny's life, is mirrored by the metaphors of how the best drivers succeed at racing. Well worth the read I thought.

Now I'm reading  Linear Shift by Paul B. Kohler. This is another in my life long quest to find the ultimate time travel story (though I don't think this is going to be it!). Originally published in four parts, the complete book is now available. It's .... OK. The story isn't bad but the writing seems a bit stilted at times, a little amateurish, but it's by no means too awful to finish. I do actually want to find out what happens, so I suppose that's a plus point in it's favour.


----------



## MichelleB675

I finished Blood Milk and Chocolate late last night... next up



Thanks again Secret Santa!


----------



## MichelleB675

Starting on 

Thanks again Tammy!


----------



## seveneyes

I'm a real scifi junkie so I loved this one that was recommended to me by someone:



I can't believe I never read it before. It turns out they made a movie too.


----------



## Andrei Cherascu

seveneyes said:


> I'm a real scifi junkie so I loved this one that was recommended to me by someone:
> 
> 
> 
> I can't believe I never read it before. It turns out they made a movie too.


My all-time favorite novel, and the book that got me into writing scifi inthe first place. You won't regret reading this one (or any of the original six - "God Emperor" is another outstanding one in my opinion).

Right now I'm reading Mark Barek's "Mind Engine" 

Its delightfully over the top.


----------



## Natasha Holme

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. Quarter of the way through. Rather good.


----------



## Thomas Watson

Still working my way through The First World War, which is informative but rather dry. For fiction, finally finished Great North Road, an amazing science fiction novel that isn't for the faint of attention span! Followed it with This Immortal, a very quick read (and good) read. There's the long and short of it, so to speak. And now, finally getting around to reading


----------



## KindleGirl

Starting this one tonight....


----------



## anguabell

For a long time I had avoided reading China Miéville (for reasons unrelated to his writing). Now I am finally reading _*Embassytown*_ and it has completely blown me away. All I can say - amazing. 
The story is difficult to describe but it involves a different concept of a language, something I find fascinating as a translator. It is a very smart and well-constructed book, not a fast read by any means, but well worth the effort.


----------



## Tallytally

anguabell said:


> For a long time I had avoided reading China Mieville (for reasons unrelated to his writing). Now I am finally reading _*Embassytown*_ and it has completely blown me away. All I can say - amazing.
> The story is difficult to describe but it involves a different concept of a language, something I find fascinating as a translator. It is a very smart and well-constructed book, not a fast read by any means, but well worth the effort.


Oh man...Embassytown is SO GOOD. I'm so glad I picked that one up at random off a shelf. I'd never even heard of Mieville before that!

Speaking of picking things up at random, I was in the library the other day and ran across _Flatland_, by Edwin Abbott, so I've been breezing on through that one recently.


----------



## James Loscombe

I'm re-reading Stephen King's 'The Stand' again. The first time I read it was years ago and I hadn't really read many of his other books, now that I've read pretty much everything he's written, including The Dark Tower series I'm getting a lot more out of it.


----------



## MichelleB675

I loved The Stand! I have loved pretty much everything of King's that I've read so far.

I'm starting  later today. FINALLY!


----------



## Jim Johnson

Just finished reading The Book of Killowen, by Erin Hart. Great premise, great start, but it turned into a slog. Held me to about 95%, then I skimmed to the end.


----------



## Genevieve Mckay

I'm reading* Rebel Women of the Gold Rush* by Rich Mole. It's a series of true stories of women caught up in the gold fever of the 1890's. It is super interesting. Apparently women in this period of history weren't quite as prim and boring as I'd believed lol. I think typically most people would assume women in the Klondike were working in brothels but that was rarely the case! Reporters, field nurses, mine owners, prospectors, sled dog mushers, restaurant owners and much more. The conditions were terrible for both men and women and many people died of cold and starvation so everyone had to be smart and determined in order to survive. 
There is one story in the book of a dirt-poor but extremely intelligent, hard working 13 year old Irish-American girl who worked as a Nanny for a nice family and saved up all her money so she could buy a restaurant with some friends which was very successful. When the gold rush hit she sold everything and worked as a stewardess on a ship heading up north and used her savings to buy and work her own gold mine. Using her own wits and a lot of luck she went from having absolutely nothing to being a millionaire.  Pretty amazing stories.


----------



## KindleGirl

I finished  the other day. It was good, but not outstanding like Harlan's other books. I was a little disappointed.

I started this one  last night and it's good so far, but all of Irene's books that I have read so far have been very good. I'm hoping this one is no exception.

Suddenly about 6 ebooks have come in at the library so I guess I need to be reading quickly.


----------



## MichelleB675

Starting on  next. Thanks again KB Secret Santa!


----------



## Natasha Holme

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Was expecting something quite heavy. It's really amusing.


----------



## danpadavona

Motoring through Terry Brooks' Shannara fantasy series, and just finished up The Gypsy Morph, part of the pre-Shannara trilogy. The pre-Shannara books are more dystopian than fantasy.


----------



## Kathleen Kaska

Geoffrey said:


> For reference:
> 
> The 2014 thread
> I'm reading The Bones of Paris by Laurie R. King
> The 2013 thread
> 
> The 2012 thread
> 
> The 2011 thread
> 
> The 2010 thread
> 
> So, what are you reading this year?


----------



## 67499

I'm a military history junkie and just finished *World War II in Numbers: An Infographic Guide to the Conflict, Its Conduct, and Its Casualties* by Peter Doyle. It's a fascinating statistical survey of World War II, largely from a British point of view, told in pie chart graphics, some of which have been so simplified as to be hard to understand. But the statistical analysis of relative power capacities between Germany and Russia at the Battle of Kursk, the greatest tank battle ever fought, is itself worth the price of the book, and a reminder that political and military leaders choosing war need to consider the enemy's logistical capacity - and determination to use it - before succumbing to their own dreams of conquest.


----------



## N. Gemini Sasson

Almost done with the third of Tracy Brogan's Bell Harbor books. Love Me Sweet is the best one yet. Humorous, plenty of twists and conflict. Never knew what was going to happen. Loved, loved, loved the characters.


----------



## niahflame

Starting this one now.


----------



## MichelleB675

Reading  now.


----------



## glowinghope

This year I'm hoping to complete all 10 of Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series. I'm on book 4 now.


----------



## Thomas Watson

I finished reading Good Omens yesterday. I expected it to be amusing, from what friends said of it. It was. The ending was a surprise though, having a lot more heart than I would have expected. Well done and highly recommended.

Rereading Heinlein's novel The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.


----------



## Shei Darksbane

I'm reading:



And



Someone tell me how to link these books properly? I just grabbed random images from Amazon.


----------



## niahflame

I'm reading The Drifting Classroom manga. It's the best horror manga I've read so far.


----------



## N. Gemini Sasson

Shei Darksbane said:


> Someone tell me how to link these books properly? I just grabbed random images from Amazon.


Up top, hover over the Readers tab. You'll get a pull-down menu. Click on Linkmaker. Self-explanatory from there on.


----------



## niahflame




----------



## KindleGirl

Finishing this one up today  This is the first book I've read by this author, but I will definitely be reading more. I kind of expected a fluffy beach read but it is not that at all. It's been sad in some places, but wow, it really pulls you into the book and you live right along with the characters. I have 15% to go and can't wait to find out how it all ends.

Next up is


----------



## niahflame

Finished



Now it's the 50 Shades trilogy. God help me.


----------



## MichelleB675

Starting on Four: A Divergent Collection (Divergent Series Story).


----------



## William Meikle

Just today started Dan Simmon's THE FIFTH HEART - Sherlock Holmes meets Henry James. Brilliant so far - dense and immersive.


----------



## MichelleB675

I'm reading  now.

Love the cover, so cute!

thanks again KB Late Night Shopper.


----------



## 67499

Just finished Donald Hall's *Essays After Eighty* - the first chapter so outshines the rest of the book that reading it alone is enough to cheer for all that Hall has to say, especially the line "I feel the circles grow smaller, and old age is a ceremony of losses, which is on the whole preferable to dying at forty-seven or fifty-two," which helps you understand that old age is a burden but also a gift.


----------



## Chris Dietzel

I just started 'Reunion', by Hannah Pittard, and am enjoying it a lot.


----------



## N. Gemini Sasson

Just finished _Miracle on Wolf Hollow Lane_. Incredibly awesome story about a dog's loyalty and courage. Rich descriptions, intense action, characters I really cared about.


----------



## anguabell

A first book by two young authors. The descriptions doesn't do it justice - more of a love story that the usual trite assassin adventure. So far, surprisingly engaging. A bit rough around the edges and can use a little additional editing, but obviously very talented writing.


----------



## catguy

I'm reading Teacher's Pet by Richie Tankersley Cusick on my Kindle Fire.


----------



## Atunah

Reading this historical romance right now. Its the 3rd in a series I was enabled to by fellow readers here in the book corner. 


Half way through and I love it just like the previous 2. Great find for a new author for me in historicals. Those are getting more rare than unicorns now with everything being contemporary.


----------



## MichelleB675

LOVED Fat Cat at Large! I'll have to grab the sequel to read soon.

starting on  next.


----------



## loriann

I'm reading Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson by Peter Ames.  Inspired by seeing Love and Mercy earlier today.


----------



## loriann

Portrait of Jenny by Robert Nathan. Perfect dreamy read before sleep.


----------



## devxtreme

I read harshal mehta s new book


----------



## Linjeakel

Everything to Lose by Andrew Gross. Hilary loses her job, she can't pay the rent, she has a son with Asperger's in a special school she can no longer afford, and her ex husband won't help despite having a new rich wife. Then she witnesses a fatal car accident and finds a satchel full of cash in the dead man's car. In a moment of desperation and completely out of character, she takes the money. But there's a lot more going on than she can possibly know and suddenly Hilary is running for her life. Good thriller which I enjoyed.

 The Runestone Incident (The Incident Series Book 2) and  The Bellbottom Incident (The Incident Series Book 3) by Neve Maslakovic. These were my May and June Prime borrows and although they're not bad, I probably only persisted with this series because I could get them for free. Still trying to find my ultimate time travel yarn. Still looking!

 The Martyr's Curse (Ben Hope, Book 11) by Scott Mariani. I've followed this series from the beginning and while it's pretty typical of it's genre it's nevertheless a decent thriller.

 Just One Damned Thing After Another (The Chronicles of St Mary Book 1) by Jodi Taylor. My current read and yet another time travel series - though I haven't gotten far enough into this book for there to be any yet. I do like the writing style and the subtle humour and there are several more to the series so they should keep me busy for a while.

I've also got my eye on a couple of historical mysteries I'd like to get to. That makes it seem like I have a nice manageable TBR list when in truth it's so huge I'm utterly frustrated by the fact that I'm adding to it far faster than I can read them. Sigh.


----------



## Natasha Holme

40% through. It's gripping.


----------



## 67499

Here is (strange to say) a good, _light_ read about war: *Went the Day Well? Witnessing Waterloo *by David Crane is a wonderful cherry-picking of events of ordinary life in Britain and Belgium as they contrast with scenes of dreadful combat on the Waterloo battlefield on June 18, 1815, when Napoleon was finally smashed. Yes, it sketches the battle and the wars that led to Waterloo. But the book concentrates on human incident away from the battlefield that shows the world stumbling toward a post-war half-century of error and disappointment and into the "anesthetic of victory" that made Britain's military leadership unprepared to fight World War I. It's an easy but galvanizing read.


----------



## MichelleB675

I finished Zoo earlier. Starting on the Monster Haven series now.


----------



## loriann

Started The Witching Hour by Anne Rice. Pretty cool so far. Haven't read her for 20 years.


----------



## alawston

Last night, I finished Turn Coat by Jim Butcher. It was my first Harry Dresden novel, picked up for a quid at a remainder bookshop in Stratford on Avon. I read most of it on set for a film in which I'm an extra (we had to hand in our devices...). It goes without saying that I came in halfway through the series...


And as I couldn't sleep straight away, I picked up Elmore Leonard's Out Of Sight again. I don't know what's happening with this book and me. I really like it, I love Leonard's style, the clean prose, the wit, everything. But I just can't seem to get through it. This time for sure, though!


----------



## loriann

Wool by Hugh Howey. OMG, so great. I read Dune forty years ago and enjoyed it, but Sci Fi was never my thing. Because of Wool, I may be a convert. Riveting.


----------



## MichelleB675

Everyone is reading such awesome stuff 

I'm on  now. Loved the first book and the first short story. Very much looking foward to the rest of the series.

Thanks again to "book inhaler" for gifting this one!


----------



## kai_andersen

Currently clearing out my shelves (in the process of moving) and I saw a book I haven't read yet. LOL So, am reading that now.

The Bride Price by Anne Mallory

(sorry, don't know how to do the book cover thingy yet)


----------



## Jane917

I am quite enjoying this book.


----------



## Avis Black

Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991

I'm only part way through this, but it's been intriguing reading so far. I do have some disagreements with the author's perspective since he and I differ quite a bit on what's important in indie rock.


----------



## Huffleclaw

I just picked this one up. I'm excited to read about my favorites: Anne of Green Gables, Jane Eyre, Elizabeth Bennet, and The Little Mermaid.


----------



## 67499

I like stories of desperate heroism (well, who doesn't?) and just finished Brendan Simms' *The Longest Afternoon: The 400 Men Who Decided the Battle of Waterloo* about the astonishing fight of the King's German Legion barricaded in a stone farmhouse holding off massive French attacks until the Prussian army could join Wellington to win the Battle of Waterloo, deciding the shape of Europe pretty much up to today. The book is small but based on previously unused eyewitness accounts, and they are terrific accounts. Reminds me of the Alamo and the battle at Rorke's Drift.


----------



## Linjeakel

In the last fortnight I've read 5 books and 3 short stories in Jodi Taylor's The Chronicles of St. Mary's series and now I'm waiting for the next instalment out in August.

So I've finally found a time travel series I enjoy - though it's as much the dry sense of humour that appeals to me as anything else. It's a world where the most hazardous occupation you can have is to be an historian at St. Mary's. History, adventure, comedy, romance, tragedy - it's all there.

I love the fact that one of the main "baddies" is always referred to as Isabella "Bitchface" Barclay - Isabella Barclay is one of the author's other pen names.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

I saw those in your sig, Linda, and they looked good .  . . so I found 'em on the US Zon . . . . gonna give 'em a try.


----------



## Linjeakel

Ann in Arlington said:


> I saw those in your sig, Linda, and they looked good . . . so I found 'em on the US Zon . . . . gonna give 'em a try.


I think the sense of humour/irony is quite British - but as you lived in the UK for a while I hope you'll 'get' it.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Linjeakel said:


> I think the sense of humour/irony is quite British - but as you lived in the UK for a while I hope you'll 'get' it.


I don't think I'll have any problems . . . I even got the Jammy Dodgers references in Doctor Who and knew what both Fish Fingers AND Custard were without having to look it up.


----------



## Linjeakel

Ann in Arlington said:


> I don't think I'll have any problems . . . I even got the Jammy Dodgers references in Doctor Who and knew what both Fish Fingers AND Custard were without having to look it up.


Wait. You don't have Jammy Dodgers, fishfingers or custard in the US? Man, and I thought you were a _civilised_ country .....


----------



## anguabell

Linjeakel said:


> In the last fortnight I've read 5 books and 3 short stories in Jodi Taylor's The Chronicles of St. Mary's series and now I'm waiting for the next instalment out in August.
> 
> So I've finally found a time travel series I enjoy - though it's as much the dry sense of humour that appeals to me as anything else. It's a world where the most hazardous occupation you can have is to be an historian at St. Mary's. History, adventure, comedy, romance, tragedy - it's all there.
> 
> I love the fact that one of the main "baddies" is always referred to as Isabella "b*tchface" Barclay - Isabella Barclay is one of the author's other pen names.


I picked up the first book in the series, and am enjoying it very much. Thank you for recommendation!


----------



## MichelleB675

Thanks again to "happy spring"


----------



## jd05uk

I'm reading the fantastic new novel 'The Figment Wars' - surely the next bestseller! [the figment wars][/the figment wars] [www.thefigmentwars.com][/thefigmentwars.com]


----------



## Silvia_Writes

Great suggestions all around here. I'm reading A Foreign Country, an international mystery. Love, love a good literary mystery and if the writer throws in a few spies, an international setting, and beautiful prose, I'm all in.


----------



## Atunah

I just joined KU again and this was my first pick from the list


I had seen Betsy pop up in my goodreads feed and she read another series of Amanda so I wanted to try her. Since I am OCD about order, I picked the oldest series and so far I am loving it. I am constantly cracking up at Avery. Really strong in characters and humor. I keep wanting to know what happens next.

Its listed as a mystery I think, so no clue yet where it is going. But its a ride I want to be on.


----------



## Linjeakel

anguabell said:


> I picked up the first book in the series, and am enjoying it very much. Thank you for recommendation!


Glad to hear it - I hope you like it well enough to stick with the series - it's well worth it.

In the meantime, I've just finished  Bones on Ice: A Temperance Brennan Short Story by Kathy Reichs. I've never seen the TV series of _Bones_ but I do enjoy the books that inspired it. I like Kathy Reichs writing style, the often short sharp sentences that manage to convey what the characters _aren't_ saying out loud. There's a new full length story out later this year.

Currently on my July Prime borrow which is  Enoch's Device by Joseph Finley. Not exactly earth shatteringly original, very much of it's genre. But it seems well written enough and the action is proceeding at a pace, so I've no doubt I'll finish it. And of course it has the advantage of being free ...


----------



## SamanthaManuel

I am still trying to finish The Bean Trees. Surprisingly interesting! It's one of those raw reads that keeps you curious and entertained.


----------



## John Robert Mills

I'm reading _The Map of Time_ by Felix J. Palma. Really loving it. I am also reading _All The Green Year_ by Don Charlwood (as I have to teach it ).


----------



## alawston

I'm on to Microserfs by Douglas Coupland. So far I'm really enjoying it, though it's a bit of a shame I read JPod first, I think, as there are certain themes that are very similar.


----------



## KindleGirl

I'm almost finished with  and really enjoying it. This book is really different from what she normally writes, but very good.


----------



## sstroble

Finished Camp of the Saints by Jean Raspail.

http://www.amazon.com/Camp-Saints-Jean-Raspail/dp/1881780074/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1436397348&sr=1-1&keywords=camp+of+the+saints+by+jean+raspail


----------



## MichelleB675

I finished Fairies in my Fireplace last night, love what I've read of that series so far.

Starting on  (thanks again to "Enjoy your Magical book=)")


----------



## loriann

Just finished Dying To Be Me by Anita Moorjani. Best NDE memoir I've read. Great writer.


----------



## LGOULD

I'm finding that Amy Poehler's _Yes Please_ has a lot of good advice for aspiring writers and performers.


----------



## Joe Mynhardt

Can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm still reading _The Book Thief_. I love the book, but I just don't have a lot of time for leisure reading. Most of my reading is
submissions or possible projects for the future. Basically unpublished books or stories.


----------



## Susan Alison

The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking Trilogy) by Patrick Ness - I don't know how I missed this one last year...


----------



## mlewis78

I am almost finished with the first Poldark novel by Winston Graham. I have been watching the series on PBS.

http://www.amazon.com/Ross-Poldark-Novel-Cornwall-1783-1787-ebook/dp/B003D8V7DK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1437102094&sr=1-1&keywords=ross+poldark


----------



## N. Gemini Sasson

Reading Catherine Ryan Hyde's _Worthy_ right now. Halfway through and love, love, love it so far. I enjoy the simplicity of her novels. And the theme is always about the formation of unconventional families or friendships and the strength of those bonds.


----------



## Linjeakel

mlewis78 said:


> I am almost finished with the first Poldark novel by Winston Graham. I have been watching the series on PBS.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Ross-Poldark-Novel-Cornwall-1783-1787-ebook/dp/B003D8V7DK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1437102094&sr=1-1&keywords=ross+poldark


I couldn't watch much past the first half of the first episode of the new _Poldark_ because I remember the original series too well - it was one of my favourites at the time (not sure if you ever got that one in the US). BUT the books by Winston Graham are excellent - I read about twelve of them back in the day and still have them on my bookshelf. The original TV version followed the first few quite closely.


----------



## mlewis78

Linjeakel said:


> I couldn't watch much past the first half of the first episode of the new _Poldark_ because I remember the original series too well - it was one of my favourites at the time (not sure if you ever got that one in the US). BUT the books by Winston Graham are excellent - I read about twelve of them back in the day and still have them on my bookshelf. The original TV version followed the first few quite closely.


I missed the TV series from the '70s, but I love this one. Actually it follows the 1st book very closely, except that the pace is quicker, since they cover the 1st two books in 8 episodes (episode 5 airs tonight). Eventually I may watch the 1st TV series if I can find it without buying it.

I've just started reading the 2nd book, Demelza.


----------



## 67499

Sometimes _Game of Thrones_ is a lot less exciting than a true story from the Middle Ages, and the book I just finished is a great example: _*The Greatest Knight: The Remarkable Life of William Marshal, the Power Behind Five English Thrones*_ by Thomas Asbridge. It's a terrific story of the clever and determined yet surprising rise of a virtual nobody to become the most successful and richest warrior/politician of the Middle Ages, with plenty of technical details of individual combat, military strategy and execution, and court life. Asbridge's account is close to an annotated version of what appears to be the first, and near-contemporary, biography of a medieval knight - _The History of William Marshal_ - written in 1226. Too bad that Asbridge's writing tends to be flat, but the excitement of the facts he piles up carries along the story.


----------



## Avis Black

Home Life in Colonial Days (Dover Books on Americana)

I've read various books by Alice Morse Earle and I greatly admire them.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Linjeakel said:


> I couldn't watch much past the first half of the first episode of the new _Poldark_ because I remember the original series too well - it was one of my favourites at the time (not sure if you ever got that one in the US). BUT the books by Winston Graham are excellent - I read about twelve of them back in the day and still have them on my bookshelf. The original TV version followed the first few quite closely.


I've not made an effort to watch it for the same reason . . . though I don't think I read quite that many of the original books.


----------



## MichelleB675




----------



## 67499

Don't know how I missed *Money for Nothing* the first dozen times I went thru the great Donald E. Westlake's oeuvre, but I'm glad I found it now. Scary but with Westlake's trademark wry humor.


----------



## KindleGirl

I know I'm late to the party, but I've finally started


----------



## pandeysatyendra

a romantic love story with some science fiction in it. I am reading Six Ten. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0120AQ6VO


----------



## Meka

Steven Hardesty said:


> Don't know how I missed *Money for Nothing* the first dozen times I went thru the great Donald E. Westlake's oeuvre, but I'm glad I found it now. Scary but with Westlake's trademark wry humor.


Money for Nothing sounds really good, adding it to my want to read.

Sent from my Galaxy Mega using Tapatalk


----------



## crebel

Linjeakel said:


> In the last fortnight I've read 5 books and 3 short stories in Jodi Taylor's The Chronicles of St. Mary's series and now I'm waiting for the next instalment out in August.
> 
> So I've finally found a time travel series I enjoy - though it's as much the dry sense of humour that appeals to me as anything else. It's a world where the most hazardous occupation you can have is to be an historian at St. Mary's. History, adventure, comedy, romance, tragedy - it's all there.
> 
> I love the fact that one of the main "baddies" is always referred to as Isabella "b*tchface" Barclay - Isabella Barclay is one of the author's other pen names.


I purchased the first in the series after seeing your post and several others talking about them on the board. Time travel/history is not my usual fare, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and am on to Book 2. Thanks for the recommendation!

btw - is "sarnie" a sandwich, like some U.S. folks say "sammie"?


----------



## dfmnola

A friend of mine in AA shared a book with me that his group read last year, and I just finished it and was blown away. It's called The Nephew Letters. I got it at Amazon on Kindle but the paperback seems reasonably priced too. It opened my eyes to the struggle people go through with alcohol. I HIGHLY recommend it.

http://www.amazon.com/Nephew-Letters-Notes-Failed-Sobriety/dp/1494499134/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437952326&sr=8-1&keywords=the+nephew+letters&pebp=1437952354044&perid=0DMD6WMBCFKP3ZV1EDJS


----------



## Linjeakel

crebel said:


> I purchased the first in the series after seeing your post and several others talking about them on the board. Time travel/history is not my usual fare, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and am on to Book 2. Thanks for the recommendation!
> 
> btw - is "sarnie" a sandwich, like some U.S. folks say "sammie"?


Yes - a 'sarnie' is indeed a sandwich! Can also be called a 'butty' - particularly when referring to a 'chip butty' -and that's chip as in french fry, not chip as in crisp! (Who was it who said that that the US and the UK were 'two nations divided by a common language' .... ?)


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Linjeakel said:


> Yes - a 'sarnie' is indeed a sandwich! Can also be called a 'butty' - particularly when referring to a 'chip butty' -and that's chip as in french fry, not chip as in crisp! (Who was it who said that that the US and the UK were 'two nations divided by a common language' .... ?)




But, in a way, no more so than some parts of the US are divided . . . . there are words used in every region that are meaningless -- or mean something completely different -- in other areas. Not to mention pronunciations! It's just a good thing, I guess, that the English language as a whole is so flexible.


----------



## MichelleB675

Kindlegirl, I haven't read that either. I'm planning on reading the whole series next year.

For now, I'm getting ready to start reading


----------



## alawston

I had some extra work on a TV drama on Friday, so naturally I managed to get through a full 400 page book while waiting around on set... Gaie Sebold's Babylon Steel was pretty awesome.


And now I've gone back to finish off Douglas Coupland's Microserfs. I like Coupland's stuff, and I'm glad I read this one after jPod. I loved jPod when I read it but there's no denying that the earlier and highly similar Microserfs is a much richer novel. 


Next up are a few books written by friends. That's always fun


----------



## German_Translator

http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Dark-Del-Rey-Impact-ebook/dp/B004QZA3CA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438107167&sr=1-1&keywords=drawing+of+the+dark









The *best *zymurgical fantasy novel in the world .... well, as far as I know, the *only *zymurgical fantasy novel in the world ...


----------



## dfmnola

Not sure if this is the thread I shared this book on, but I just finished The Nephew Letters by Nathan D. and am still astounded by it. If you or anyone you know has struggled with alcohol keeping you from your family, this is a must read. And I got it free through Kindle Unlimited. Can't recommend this book more.


----------



## going going gone

re-reading Simon Winchester's book on Krakatoa. It's research, but it's a darned good book, too, so work + play.


----------



## 67499

I audiobooked Winchester's _Krakatoa_ on my long work commute and think it a terrific read. Right now I'm reading Ta-Nehisi Coates' *Between the World and Me*, a very powerful assessment of American culture and history written in the form of a letter from Coates to his teenage son.


----------



## MichelleB675




----------



## Brian Niemeier

_Stranger in a Strange Land_, Robert A. Henlein

_Three-body Prolem_, Liu Cixin

_Hyperion_, Dan Simmons

_There Are Doors_, Gene Wolfe

_The Architect of Aeons_, John C. Wright

_Console Wars_, Blake J. Harris


----------



## MichelleB675




----------



## Atunah

I just finished


I immensely enjoyed this. Its kind of a self discovery, adventures in Scotland kind of book. I was amused and I needed something lighter than this in between some heavier reads. Its in KU.

Now I am starting a book in one of my favorite series. Oh its so delish. Historical mystery which can be a bit more on the darker and macabre side. This is the 4th in the series that just came out. Highly recommend this one. 


I literally just read the 1st chapter and I am already totally absorbed. Something about it.


----------



## SteveHarrison

Spartacus: Talons of an Empire (Spartacus Chronicles)

This is a very good alternate history tale about Spartacus.


----------



## MichelleB675




----------



## RosieB

I've just finished Under Your Skin, by Sabine Durrant. Judging by the reviews people seem to either love it or hate it; I found it clever and gripping all the way through. 

I've also finally got round to reading Gone Girl (only a few years after everyone else...)  I thought it was utterly brilliant - dark, funny, full of twists, and beautifully put together.


----------



## Linjeakel

Been a while since I updated - the best of the bunch since then are:

 Speaking in Bones (Temperance Brennan Book 1 by Kathy Reichs. Another outing for Temperance Brennan - not a bad mystery/thriller though I find the amount of trouble she gets herself into a tad unrealistic at times - would a forensic anthropologist really go investigating like she was cop? As the author really does that for a living, I guess she should know!

 The Ends of the Earth: (The Wide World - James Maxted 3) by Robert Goddard. The last in a trilogy and although I mostly enjoyed the story, I think it would have been better had it been shorter overall. The biggest disappointment was the ending (my usual bugbear). It didn't so much finish as just ... stop. I got to what I thought the was the end of a chapter, tuned the page to see what happened next and ... nothing. Just the 'author's notes' which told me I had reached the end. What?! I do generally like this author, but I still maintain he does his best work in stand alone stories - his earliest ones in particular were very good.

 Gray Justice (A Tom Gray Novel Book 1) by Alan McDermott. A new author to me and not quite my ususal sort of read, but this was my August borrow so I thought it worth a go for free. An interesting premise and well thought out plot - although again the ending disappointed - mostly I think because it was setting up the character for the sequels. I don't think I'll be reading them.

 Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay. Only the second book by this author that I've read so far and judging by the reviews he gets, his offerings are pretty hit and miss. For me at least this one was a definite hit. An intricate plot, with many a twist and turn - some I guessed, many I didn't - that keep you on your toes right up to very last page. I thought the shifts in POV - part of it is in the first person, part third person - might be annoying as I generally don't like that, but it worked well in this book. It may be called _Trust You Eyes_ but pretty much nothing is what it seems in this book. Good ending too - and I'm very hard to please when it comes to endings.


----------



## KindleGirl

Finished  the other day. Awesome book! Watched the first 8 episodes and those were great too! Can't wait til I can see the next 8! Debated between reading a library book and going on to Firefly in Amber, but decided I needed a break and something that I could get through faster. So I opted to read the library book that I saw the author being interviewed about the other day:  Enjoying it so far.


----------



## MichelleB675

My two big reading projects for this year were reading all of A Song of Ice and Fire.. I finished that months ago.. now it's time to start the second project. Kim Harrison's The Hollows series.


----------



## Mortiferus

Chiefly i'm enjoying these days John Dos Passos' Manhattan Transfer. Others readings include Herzog, by Samuel Bellow (spanish), The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Guns of August, by Barbie Tuchman


----------



## xandy3

MichelleB675 said:


> My goal for the year is to read all 5 (6 if the next one makes it to the shelves this year).


 Same here. Also, reading Mercedes Lackey's _500 Kingdoms_ Series.

Re-reading_ the Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings. _


----------



## niahflame




----------



## gina1230

It was published back in the nineties, and it's funny to read about inserting 25 cents into the payphone. I'd almost forgotten about payphones.


----------



## Matthew Stott

Giving this a read. She usually writes more straight ahead romances, I think, but also writes Dr Who stuff. This is leaning more into the Dr Who loving side:


----------



## Thomas Watson

Been a while since I dropped by. Most recent read was The Martian: A Novel, which was enormously entertaining. Currently reading *Lord of Light *by Roger Zelazny and *Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul* by John M. Barry.


----------



## Susan Alison

Mr Mercedes - Stephen King


----------



## Pikko

End of Days by Susan Ee
Nomad by Matthew Mather


----------



## tcmetivier

Going back to some fantasy classics with the Rigante series by David Gemmell.


----------



## Linjeakel

The Genghis Tomb by Daniel Leston. Oh dear. Where to start. I've read a fair few of this genre and generally I enjoy them. They all require a certain suspension of disbelief but this one was just too unbelievable. The coincidences, good luck and ease with which the heroes managed to locate what others have failed to find over many centuries was bordering on laughable. I might have been able to forgive this but the language was so stilted I actually thought it might be a bad translation from another language or written by someone for whom English isn't their mother tongue. Apparently not. It could also stand a damned good proof reading being done because typos and missing words abound in the Kindle version. Not good.

 1,227 QI Facts To Blow Your Socks Off by John Lloyd. I really enjoyed this, it was a very entertaining and informative read. Very frustrating though as it's just impossible to remember it all!

 What Could Possibly Go Wrong (The Chronicles of St Mary's Book 6) by Jodi Taylor. Still thoroughly enjoying this time travel series - it appeals to my sense of humour and my love of history. This is a full length novel but there's another short story out in November. Can't wait. 

 Any Witch Way You Can (Wicked Witches of the Midwest Book 1) by Amanda M. Lee. A pretty lightweight murder mystery with a supernatural flavour to it. My September borrow - it was OK for free. Might read more in the series if I can borrow them too.


----------



## Elexia Q

Reading a thriller that has been chilling Its been really good just little disturbing and lots of twist though. The Corners www.smashwords.com/books/view/576807 T


----------



## CMH

Just finished 'Heresy' by S.J. Parris.  Mainly on Audible.  Will probably pick up some of her other books.


----------



## juliannwhicker

Just finished the Nevermore trilogy. Being a fan of Poe, I enjoyed those elements of the books.


----------



## anguabell

Linjeakel said:


> /I/51iqvRSqojL._SL160_.jpg[/img][/url] What Could Possibly Go Wrong (The Chronicles of St Mary's Book 6) by Jodi Taylor. Still thoroughly enjoying this time travel series - it appeals to my sense of humour and my love of history. This is a full length novel but there's another short story out in November. Can't wait.


I've almost caught up with you - just finished the book 5! What an excellent series, thank you for recommending it. I wish the main character didn't wake up in the hospital that often but all things considered, this (and the tea) can hardly be avoided 

Also, just finished The Strange Affair of Spring Healed Jack, which is a steam punk novel with a bit of time travel. Writing is a tiny bit heavy-handed, but otherwise a really good book, with all sorts of real and not-so-real historical facts thrown in. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series waiting in my TBR pile.


----------



## Linjeakel

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh. Good story, well written. There was a twist about half way through I'd seen coming almost from the beginning and another one towards the end that I DIDN'T anticipate. But. There were three POVs - one third person, one first person present tense and one first person telling their story in a prolonged flashback. I think if I had to list my top five pet hates in a book, those would be four of them - changing POV, present tense, 1st person and flashbacks. It's a personal preference of course but it did irritate me enough to take the edge off my enjoyment of an otherwise pretty good book. If those things don't bother you them I'd say it was well worth giving it a go.


----------



## CMH

World War Z - Max Brooks.  Read it when it first came out so I listened to it this time.


----------



## Linjeakel

The Hunters (The Hunters 1) by Chris Kuzneski. I've been meaning to read some of this author's books for some time and just never seemed to get around to it. Good thriller with a bit of history thrown in. I enjoyed it - and it's the beginning of yet another series. My TBR list is expanding exponentially.


----------



## Natasha Holme

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. It's good fun.


----------



## SimonGreenback

Brain Maker - I really liked it - it's a very interesting read!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0316380105/


----------



## nevilrohinton

Manhattan Malhotras

Clever, Soul Searching Dramedy ... It's easy to get drawn into the lives of the Malhotras living in Manhattan. Finding love, success and self "once again" - intertwined into the journey of 3 women over 3 generations.

Women from Mumbai to Manhattan must read.

Kindle book @ http://amzn.to/1KZQDZE


----------



## MichelleB675

I love this series.


----------



## Thomas Watson

Just finished Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny, an amazing work of science fiction.

Next up...


----------



## DCWolf

As soon as it hits my Kindle. I've pre-ordered.

Warheart by Terry Goodkind

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WR9O8B4?


----------



## CMH

jUst finished Star Wars:Aftermath by Chuck Wendig.  New book following on from the movies.  Was slow to start, but fine by the end.


----------



## DiegoDinardi

I'm reading the wonderful Wuthering Heights. It's so, so, soooo bleak and grim, but I can't let it down for some reason


----------



## Lewis Mills

_The Great British Dream Factory_ by Dominic Sandbrook http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0241004659/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d7_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=desktop-4&pf_rd_r=1P9HW4VEW0K4SZSE5JAT&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=577049067&pf_rd_i=desktop

_The Face of Britain_ by Simon Schama http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Face-Britain-through-Portraits/dp/0670922293/ref=pd_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=017JG67JGYA41J5VQNM7&dpID=51hRzhizHoL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL200_SR131%2C200_

and _Dynasty_ by Tom Holland http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dynasty-Rise-Fall-House-Caesar/dp/1408703378/ref=pd_sim_14_11?ie=UTF8&refRID=1DA86R2BAFJ29QN31GM4


----------



## Linjeakel

Uprising by Scott G. Mariani. I've read and enjoyed a lot of the author's thrillers and was surprised to discover that he'd also written a series about vampires. Having been assured by reading the reviews that there were no sparkly _Twilight_ style vampires in this and that it was just a thriller with a supernatural element to it, I decided to give it a go. Essentially it's about a war between two factions of vampires - the traditionalists who are every inch the evil, murdering, bloodsucking vampires of legend who see humans as less than cattle and the more circumspect vamps who believe that to survive in the modern age without being found out and hunted to extinction by humans they need to keep a low profile, cover their tracks wherever possible, not kill the humans they feed on and keep their interaction with them to a minimum. I actually thought it was quite good and will probably read the sequel at some point.

 The Plantation (Payne & Jones Book 1) by Chris Kuzneski. Hot on the heels of reading and enjoying the first in one of the author's other series I decided to try this one. I didn't finish it. Not because it was badly written or anything but because I found it..._unpleasant_...to read. ***PARTIAL SPOILER ALERT*** The book is basically about a bunch of black guys, who's ancestors were slaves, kidnapping a bunch of white families who's ancestors were slave owners and taking them to an old plantation in Louisiana and subjecting them to the same kind of treatment the slaves had received. I have no doubt that that treatment was at times horrific and shouldn't be forgotten about or swept under the carpet, but frankly I don't want to read about it in a book I bought for entertainment. I found myself getting to the point where I didn't want to pick up my Kindle and read. I don't doubt that the 'good' guys - the Payne and Jones of the series title - (conveniently one white and one black so as to show no bias) would win out in the end, but I decided to give the rest of it a miss.


----------



## Michael Marnier

http://www.amazon.com/English-Spy-Daniel-Silva/dp/0062320130/ref=sr_1_1_twi_har_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1443891655&sr=1-1&keywords=daniel+silva

The English Spy by Daniel Silva

I love international thrillers.


----------



## CMH

The Martian War by Kevin J Anderson.  Just listened to on Audible.  Good solid story as usual by Anderson.


----------



## Avis Black

Though I dislike flying, I have a weakness for reading about plane crashes. For those who are disaster-minded, I recommend:



Flight 232: A Story of Disaster and Survival

It was an enjoyable read, though it did delve too much into the technical aspects from time to time.


----------



## CMH

Reading quite a bit at the moment.  Just finished 'The Dead Sun' by BV Larson


----------



## KA Poe

I am reading more books at once than I ought to be. I am halfway through _Sea of Monsters_ by Rick Riordan, just began reading the latest of the _Beautiful Creatures_ novellas, while also reading _Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children_ on the side. So far, it has surprisingly not been confusing at all.


----------



## Avis Black

The Last Battle: The Classic History of the Battle for Berlin

I've read A Bridge Too Far 

and The Longest Day  by Cornelius Ryan, both of which were terrific, and I'm finally getting around to the third book in his histories of World War II. The pace is a bit slower than the other books, but it's holding up well.


----------



## RobertVillegas

The Innocent by Alexandra York, a novel
The WHYS Way to Success and Happiness by Betsy Speicher

Both are highly recommended


----------



## MichelleB675

I finished The Hollows series by Kim Harrison last night.. so now I'm starting on a cozy series


----------



## Natasha Holme

The City & the City by China Miéville. It's a bit bonkers.


----------



## Gary Ponzo

I'm reading Elmore Leonard's "Be Cool," for the 2nd time.  The master.


----------



## Guest




----------



## SakuraMazaki

The Mortal Instruments: City of Heavenly Fire and when I'm cooking, The Vampire Diaries: Stefan Diaries: The Compelled


----------



## 67499

Just finished Clive James' *Latest Readings*. It's terrific, and terrifically thought-provoking. James, facing early death from cancer, decides "[if] you don't know the exact moment when the lights will go out, you might as well read until they do." That may sound a dull response to impending death but I think it heroic. Because what James aims to do up to his last moment is to continue to seek to understand human beings and the world they inhabit. Which makes his book both a clever analysis of his favorite literature and, through his readings, a better understanding of himself and of our lives on this planet.


----------



## AngryGames

Speaking of reading a story more than once...

"Who Censored Roger Rabbit" by Gary K. Wolf is what I'm enjoying again. 

If you're familiar with the movie ("Who Framed Roger Rabbit"), "Censored" will be a bit of a shock in some ways as it is NOT a Disney story for kids.


----------



## Natasha Holme

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. 40% through. Loving it.


----------



## Natasha Holme

A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood. 

Older gay man's life partner dies. The book recounts 24 hours in the older gay man's life. 14% through. Enjoying the prose.


----------



## Avis Black

The Thirty Years War (New York Review Books Classics) by C.V. Wedgwood.

This book is one of the few times I think a work suffers from too much detail. Nearly all the European powers are involved in this conflict, and just keeping track of what all the tiny little Germanic states were doing/allied to is a real challenge. Wedgwood has a dry sense of humor, which is helpful, but I'd advise reading a brief overview of the war before attempting this. Any conflict that covers thirty years is not going to be a subject you absorb quickly.


----------



## Natasha Holme

Neuromancer by William Gibson.


----------



## Natasha Holme

Along with Neuromancer, I'm reading The Establishment: And How They Get Away with It by Owen Jones. I'd never thought to read a fiction and a non-fiction together before. I'm liking it. Might continue.


----------



## 864

Hey Everybody...

I'm reading The Goldfinch by Deborah Tartt.



It's engaging even with a heavy topic... It's about a boy who is in the middle of the 9/11 attacks and how it impacted his life afterwards...

It's been a while since I"ve been able to concentrate enough to actually read so it's nice to have one that's engaging.


----------



## mistyd107

I haven't had much time to concentrate in reading this year, sadly which is why I have not been around Kb much.  I've been reading the outlander series this year.  I'm loving it but it is much more involved than i anticipated.  I'm about half way through The Fiery Cross.  Hoping to be caught up on the series by year end.
PS has the way we add book links changed


----------



## Brownskins

mistyd107 said:


> PS has the way we add book links changed


Should be the same - you can use the "Link-maker" at the bottom of the page.


----------



## mistyd107

Brownskins said:


> Should be the same - you can use the "Link-maker" at the bottom of the page.


thank you. I was looking right at it and still totally missed it lol. one of those days i suppose


----------



## Mark0600

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norell – it's good but could be shorter.


----------



## Linjeakel

The Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson. Not everyone likes this author but I've read almost everything he's written and have always enjoyed his books. With this one he's back to his travel writing, which he seems to have neglected recently and while I enjoyed it, I don't think it's his best.

 The Forbidden Tomb (The Hunters 2) by Chris Kuzneski. Pretty good action adventure story about the search for Alexander the Great's tomb. Somewhat improbable though the historical background info was interesting.

 The Emperor's Tomb: Cotton Malone 6 (Cotton Malone series) by Steve Berry. This series has been a bit hit and miss - this one was OK. It's largely set in China and there's a wealth of historical detail included about China's past both ancient and more modern which I had no idea about and found fascinating - in fact I enjoyed that aspect of the book almost more than the story itself.

 The Short Drop by Matthew FitzSimmons. I got this for free as part of the Kindle First program - it's not officially released until December 1st. Unlike the one I picked last month which I couldn't even finish, this was a good thriller with a lot of twists and turns in it.


----------



## GSDavis

Although I think Stephen King is a wordsmith, I'm not typically one of his readers. With that said, 11-22-63 won me over, and I'm currently reading Finder's Keepers (after reading Mr. Mercedes).


----------



## T.K.

Me? I'm reading a local newspaper. A real one. Made of paper. That you hold in your hands. Sounds crazy, but I haven't read one in... well I can't remember.  Everything I read in the way of news is online. Funny, but I actually read articles in the newspaper I hadn't seen anywhere before. Which leads me to wonder what others are reading - ebook or paperback? Newspaper or online? What do you prefer?


----------



## Kessie Carroll

I'm beta-reading a friend's book, digitally, of course. It's funny, I've been reading a lot of physical self-help books, and I read fiction in ebook.


----------



## jlmarten

Umm . . . your thread in Writer's Cafe.   Too literal?

I dropped in Starbucks the other day just to get out of the house for a bit. I decided to leave my laptop home and instead took the craft book "Spunk & Bite" with me to have a read through again. Other than the woman who came in after me,  grabbed up one of their newspapers--the WSJ or NY Times or something--tore through it like she was searching for coupons  then shoved it in a heap back on the stack when she was done, everyone had their heads in their electronic devices.

So yeah, print pages can seem like a throwback these days. I suppose most people, as you discovered, T.K., aren't aware of what they are missing. What's the old adage? We don't know what we don't know?


----------



## T.K.

> Posted by: Kessie Carroll
> I'm beta-reading a friend's book, digitally, of course. It's funny, I've been reading a lot of physical self-help books, and I read fiction in ebook.


I don't know why but when I read digital or online, I read fast and gulp it all in and then move on. But physical books/papers I slow down, take my time. It becomes more of a leisure activity. It's nice. 



> I suppose most people, as you discovered, T.K., aren't aware of what they are missing


I think you are right.


----------



## TheGrandAdmiral

Jack London's _Call of the Wild_


----------



## Marilyn Peake

I've just finished reading some articles online. I love reading books on my Kindle. I'm currently reading books by a couple of KBoarders. I'm on the first book in Annie Bellet's *Twenty-Sided Sorceress* series and a third book in David VanDyke's *Plague Wars* Series.


----------



## geronl

I am reading Andrei Cherascu's "The Vintages" (ebook) and am coming to the big ending I think.


----------



## Nancy_G

I'm actually reading, along with my son, _To Kill a Mockingbird_ for his class reading. He's brilliant in math and science, but when it comes to reading, he hates it, so I read it out loud for him to "grasp" the meaning of the story more. I'm enjoying it! For my own personal enjoyment, I also just started reading a book by an author friend I've met on Goodreads, called _Mixers_, a vampire book. She's also reading my 3rd book in my series, so we support each other.

As for readers, I prefer Kindle Fire as I make the text nice and large. My family teases me about that all the time!


----------



## DarkScribe

T.K. Richardson said:


> Me? I'm reading a local newspaper. A real one. Made of paper. That you hold in your hands. Sounds crazy, but I haven't read one in... well I can't remember. Everything I read in the way of news is online. Funny, but I actually read articles in the newspaper I hadn't seen anywhere before. Which leads me to wonder what others are reading - ebook or paperback? Newspaper or online? What do you prefer?


It's a sign that says "You are going the wrong way". I wondered what it means? (Damn, that another car that almost ran into me. Modern driving standards are deplorable.)


----------



## MarilynVix

I've pretty much got most of my reading on my Kindle. There's only a few books I read this year that are made of paper. _Go Set A Watchman_ was my only hardbound this year. I'm currently reading: "Starlight" Peaches Monroe #2. Great romantic, chick lit read. Technically it's research too.


----------



## Nic

"Altered Carbon" by Richard Morgan, in the paperback version.


----------



## Andrei Cherascu

geronl said:


> I am reading Andrei Cherascu's "The Vintages" (ebook) and am coming to the big ending I think.


I think it's the first time that one of my books is mentioned in a "What are you reading?" thread. Floyd, you are awesome!  Let me know what you think of the big ending. Also, after I'm done checking a manuscript for a friend today, the next book featured in this thread will be New Arrivals (or Oasis - haven't decided on which will be first yet). I'll keep you posted!


----------



## Marilyn Peake

MarilynVix said:


> _Go Set A Watchman_ was my only hardbound this year.


I read that book and loved it.


----------



## stoney

jlmarten said:


> So yeah, print pages can seem like a throwback these days. I suppose most people, as you discovered, T.K., aren't aware of what they are missing. What's the old adage? We don't know what we don't know?


And some of us are totally aware of what we're missing when we read digitally. Cramped hands, having to find strong light, tired eyes, uncomfortable neck strain...

*Start with Why* by Simon Sinek.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

you know, we have an ongoing -- like for the last 6 years -- thread in the Book Corner on this topic.  Easy to find: its generally the top 'sticky' topic. That thread is only 2015, but includes links to threads back to 2010.

In a bit, I'll go ahead and move/merge this thread with that one.


----------



## StarWriter

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov


----------



## LadyG

_Angel of Fire: The Breath of Immortality b_y KJ Somerlea. I just found out the author is someone I grew up with, so I had to check it out.


----------



## GoneToWriterSanctum

_The Case Of The Lucky Legs_, a Perry Mason mystery (#3, to be exact) by Erle Stanley Gardner.


----------



## SomethingClever

Currently reading:

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (in paperback) for book club

The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen (in paperback)

Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (in audiobook)

I haven't been reading as much as I should but I'm trying to read more. I read mostly in paperback unless it's a self help or marketing book. I read those on my Kindle.


----------



## KellyIRose

purchased from Google play store, "The Power of Habit" I am reading this! one of the best selling books of 2015!


----------



## alawston

In paperback, I started _The Universe Versus Alex Woods_ yesterday. It's kind of awesome so far!

I'm also keeping up with the KBoards writers with _Mindguard_, which I'm loving and am 21% of the way through!


----------



## Michael Marnier

FIRST SEALS


I learned that the first extensive use of underwater combat missions was in WWII by the Italian Gamma men. The Brits were also into this early on but the US effort and the birth of what now are the SEALs came much later. The Gamma men actually rode on steerable torpedoes (they called them _maiali_ or pigs) into netted and mined harbors like Alexandria, Egypt and successfully sunk many Aliied ships.


----------



## I Write Monsters

I'm finishing up the year with the Welcome to Night Vale novel. The writing style is just like the podcast, which took a dozen pages of getting used to, but I love it. Few books can vacillate between existential silliness and a sudden, serious consideration of growing up biracial.

Also, reading Carlton Mellick III's Clownfellas: Tales of the Bozo family. His bizarro books fascinated me, so I jumped when I saw his novel about genetically-modified clown gangsters on BookBub. It's one part Sin City and one part Roger Rabbit.


----------



## Linjeakel

Hue & Cry: A Hew Cullen Mystery: Book 1 by Shirley McKay. I picked this as I hoped it would be along the lines of CJ Sansom's excellent _Shardlake_ series, but it didn't quite live up to expectations. I found the story unbearably slow and in an over enthusiastic attempt at realism the author had peppered the whole thing with so many 16th century Scots colloquialisms that I was checking the dictionary every two minutes and rarely getting an answer. I actually didn't finish it.

 Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings - A Chronicles of St Mary's Short Story by Jodi Taylor. As I think I've said elsewhere on KB, the latest _St Mary's_ offering - just a wee morsel this time - had me giggling before I'd even got through the character list at the beginning. If you love this series as I do, you won't be disappointed with this. If you're into your audio books then check out the series on Audible - a great performance by the narrator, Zara Ramm. A note of caution: there's a short prequel out on Kindle on Christmas day that's already available on Audible, but read by the author. Let's just say she should stick to the writing. 

 Open and Shut (Andy Carpenter Book 1) by David Rosenfelt. A little too heavy on the court room 'action' for my tastes, but an OK mystery. I was hoping the dog mentioned in the blurb would be in it more, but she's only mentioned in passing most of the time. 

 Up in the Air: The real story of life aboard the world's most glamorous airline by Betty Riegel. I decided to go for a bit of non-fiction with this one - the autobiography of a British girl who worked for Pan Am in the 1960s. Interesting look at a bygone era of plane travel.

 Elisabeth Sladen: The Autobiography. I've had this one on my Kindle for ages and finally got around to it. I suppose my main reason for wanting to read this was as a fan of _Doctor Who_ and so naturally I found those parts of her story the more interesting. The book was published posthumously and Lis herself only wrote the first draft and never had a chance to review it before she sadly passed away. Unfortunately, for me the book reads like a first draft too and even with the _Who_ connection - while there are some fascinating insights into TV production in the 1960s and 70s - overall it isn't a very scintillating read.


----------



## Avis Black

A Son of the Middle Border by Hamlin Garland

I like to read works of Americana from time to time, and this has been on my list for ages.


----------



## Natasha Holme

My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Just finished  The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.

*I rate this book at ******

Yes, that's FIVE stars. Rare for me, but I really really liked this book.

The bulk of the story takes place in France during WWII and centers on two sisters who are dealing with the German occupation each in her own way.

But it starts out with an old woman in Oregon in 1995 going through an old trunk in preparation for her move to an assisted living home. The reader jumps back and forth several times and part of the interest is trying to work out WHICH sister the old woman is. Or is she someone else entirely?

Nothing about the Occupation of France, or the dangers to members of Resistance, or, indeed, ordinary French citizens, is sugar coated. Often the brutalities are related in stark terms. Which just makes it all the more powerful.

So . . . elements of adventure, historical (of course), and romance -- though I wouldn't call it "a romance novel". Rather, it is, in part a love story. Mostly, it's a story of human perseverance in the face of horror.

I was lucky enough to pick up the kindle book as a Black Friday special price of $1.99 . . . it's back up to $9.99 now, but well worth it even at that price. Probably also available through the library.


----------



## Natasha Holme

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.


----------



## MichelleB675

I'm going to finish out the year with The Walking Dead.


----------



## Geoffrey

MichelleB675 said:


> I'm going to finish out the year with The Walking Dead.


I'm at 60% on Descent now. Some the first two were fantastic; I loved the Governor's full backstory. The parts that ran parallel to the comics were less fantastic and now I'm enjoying this story of what happened to Woodbury after the attack on the prison. Enjoy.


----------



## MichelleB675

Geoffrey said:


> I'm at 60% on Descent now. Some the first two were fantastic; I loved the Governor's full backstory. The parts that ran parallel to the comics were less fantastic and now I'm enjoying this story of what happened to Woodbury after the attack on the prison. Enjoy.


I loved Rise of the Governor. I thought the evolution of that character was interesting, and surprising. So far I'm enjoying The Road to Woodbury, but I'm still in the beginning of that. I do love that world that was created in The Walking Dead.. I don't just mean the zombies, the human element is what gets me. Much like most of Stephen King's work, no matter what horrifying creatures are around the humans are usually worse.


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## Natasha Holme

Because it appeared in several people's 'top five favourite books' list on a recent KBoards thread, I'm reading A Time to Kill by John Grisham.


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## Michael Marnier

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Greaney continues Clancy's legacy series starring Jack Ryan, his son and a host of worthy antagonists topped by a greedy Russian president. Many battle scenes on the ground in Europe, above and below the Baltic Sea contain the detailed military jargon, weaponry and personalities that have become the norm for this series. The usual plot with very interesting subplots that divert the Campus team to Belgium, and then the British Virgin Islands, all moving steadily to a successful end. But not without some loss along the way. Predictable but still energy-charged and entertaining to the end. Can't wait for the next book.


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## Ann in Arlington

Michael Marnier said:


>


I'm reading this too . . . currently at about 80% . . . . borrowed from the Library . . . as you say, predictable in the sense that it's exactly what you expect of a "Clancy" novel.


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## RD

Wow, I haven't read a Clancy book in ages. I need to get on that.


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## Avis Black

Napoleon's Marshals by R. P. Dunn-Pattison

I've been meaning to get more into Napoleonic-era history, and this book is pretty decent so far. David Chandler's book on the same topic is the classic study in the genre, but even so, Dunn-Pattison still has interesting information to add. There's so much room to cover that there's not a large amount of overlap between these two biographies. Dunn-Pattison was writing for the general reader, so the prose is lively without being labored.


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## SteveHarrison

I'm reading the first volume of Robert Caro's epic political biography of Lyndon Johnson, The Path to Power. It's stunning.


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## LGOULD

I am enjoying Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography, which explains in great detail the process of converting Laura Ingalls Wilder's original memoir into the eight classic Little House novels.


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