What Are You Reading?

[LDora 7]

Since I'm one of those people who impulsively buys/borrows/rents books based on my mood/the cover design/blurb/the moon's phases, I tend to pick up a lot of books that are, unfortunately, #######. I thought it would be nice to hear what everyone has been reading lately and what their favourite books are (and why), so myself and other people could get some ideas for future reading material. Yes, I'm a nerd.

Note: If someone posts a book that you hate for whatever reason, please keep it to yourself. Everyone has different tastes and what you enjoy may not be someone else's cuppa. To that end, please refrain from telling someone how much their favourite book/author/genre sucks. If I can keep myself from frothing at the mouth every time someone wants to talk to me about Twilight, I am SURE everyone else can be polite to one another, yes?

I'll start.

Currently Reading: "The Crimson Petal and the White" by Michel Faber

What It's About: Period piece about a prostitute in Victorian London and the people she meets and the decisions she makes.

My Impressions: Not nearly so naughty as one might think. Smart, funny, historically accurate, and surprisingly touching at times. It's a behemoth of a book and I'm only about a tenth of the way through.

My Favourite Book: "Swan Song" by Robert McCammon

What It's About: Post-apocalyptic story about the world after the shortest war in history and the survivors, and the idea that supernatural forces are not the greatest enemy we have to worry about.

Why I Love It: Beautifully written, exciting, and full of optimism. Reminds us not to blame outside forces for our own actions, and that people can surprise you in good ways as well as bad ones.

So, VJ, what are YOU reading?

[The_Dude 1,142]

My favorite books are The Ultimate Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams, A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man, by James Joyce, and The Basketball Diaries, by Jim Carroll.

For the past several years, i've been on this kick to re-read all the books that I was forced to read in high school and university. I like to read good stories, but I always resented being forced to read things. So, I think I didn't really get to enjoy them as much as I should.

Mel can read a 1000 page book in like 3 hours. So, I think she's read just about everything printed on the planet. I'll tell her to come post her picks later

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Nice thread topic!

Favourite of all time - a children's book called The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews (yes, Mary Poppins) One of the very first Fantasy literature books I ever read. I have been hooked ever since.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_of_t...at_Whangdoodles

Keeping with that theme, I am currently reading: A Lion Among Men - by Gergory Maguire. (3rd in the series) - an alternative look at the characters from teh Wizrad of Oz story.

http://www.gregorymaguire.com/books/lionamongmen.html

I love reading, it is my favourite way to escape...I could do it for hours to the exclusion of sleep, food and water. English Lit was my major at university - go figure.

[Krikit 1,164]

I have two on the go. One I picked up, for a great price, while visiting with my inlaws. I was bored out of my skull and hated being at their house so I needed something to distract me and take me to another place.

The book is "Roots"

by Alex Haley

It's the 30th anniversary edition. Can you believe it's been 30 years already?!!! I watched the television saga back in the 70's but had never actually read the book before. I find it an excellent read, though somewhat cumbersome when you're trying to decipher the slave patois. I'm about 2/3 of the way through.

The other book I'm reading I picked up at the airport because Roots was too heavy to be taking on holiday.

The book is "Firefly Lane"

by Kristin Hannah

I'm only a few chapters in because I only read it on the plane and I plan to read the remainder on my next trip in a few weeks. So far, it looks like it's going to be a page-turner.

One of my favourite series of books is by Diana Gabaldon with the Outlander series "which tells the story of Jamie Fraser, a Scottish Highlander from the 18th century, and his time-traveling wife, Claire." It sounds silly but it's absolutely fascinating. Anway, it's been quite a number of years since I've read that series so I'm going to read them again.

Thanks for the tip on the Swan Song, LDora. I'm going to pick that one up.

(Okay, it took me so long to write this post that I'm sure there's a ton of other posts above mine. lol)

[Rhiannercakes 14]

If I can keep myself from frothing at the mouth every time someone wants to talk to me about Twilight, I am SURE everyone else can be polite to one another, yes?

Ha. I know how you feel.

Currently Reading: "The Crimson Petal and the White" by Michel Faber

What It's About: Period piece about a prostitute in Victorian London and the people she meets and the decisions she makes.

My Impressions: Not nearly so naughty as one might think. Smart, funny, historically accurate, and surprisingly touching at times. It's a behemoth of a book and I'm only about a tenth of the way through.

I've read this and own this.

It's an amazing, but long book.

Quite a good ending may I add.

Read my favourite if you like the author.

Anyway:

Currently Reading: Abhorsen by Garth Nix

What's it About: Too hard to describe, see the Wiki page ~ Abhorsen Summary

What I Think: If you like fantasy, I think you'd like this. All of Garth Nix's books are AMAZING. I can never seem to put his books down.

Favourite: Under The Skin by Michel Faber

What's it About: Yet again, Wiki article ~ Under The Skin Summary

What I Think: Absolutely my favourite book. I couldn't put this thing down for the life of me. I actually didn't get that they were aliens until I read the wiki article. The change in the main character's personality through the book is probably what made me not want to put it down. It really is a great book. I'm about to re-read it. I really do recommend it.

[DairyFarmer 1]

I have so many favourite Books the first two that come to mind are A Scandalous Life: A Biography of Jane Digby - Mary S. Lovell . She is a fascinating character in history the below blurb is stolen from Amazon. My other fave is Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - Patrick Suskind - the imagery is magnificent you truly can see the smells.

The biography of Jane Digby, an 'enthralling tale of a nineteenth-century beauty whose heart -- and hormones -- ruled her head.' Harpers and Queen A celebrated aristocratic beauty, Jane Digby married Lord Ellenborough at seventeen. Their divorce a few years later was one of England s most scandalous at that time. In her quest for passionate fulfilment she had lovers which included an Austrian prince, King Ludvig I of Bavaria, and a Greek count whose infidelities drove her to the Orient. In Syria, she found the love of her life, a Bedouin nobleman, Sheikh Medjuel el Mezrab who was twenty years her junior. Bestselling biographer Mary Lovell has produced from Jane Digby's diaries not only a sympathetic and dramatic portrait of a rare woman, but a fascinating glimpse into the centuries-old Bedouin tradition that is now almost lost.

And I am currently re-reading the Outlander series almost through Dragonfly in Amber as per Krikit's favourite.

One of my favourite series of books is by Diana Gabaldon with the Outlander series "which tells the story of Jamie Fraser, a Scottish Highlander from the 18th century, and his time-traveling wife, Claire." It sounds silly but it's absolutely fascinating. Anway, it's been quite a number of years since I've read that series so I'm going to read them again.

[Tankgurl38 0]

OMG Udella&Wiz I read that book The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles in elementary school and it is the one I remember the most. A few years ago I borrowed it from the library and read it again as an adult. It is one of my favorites and I totally forgot about that book until reading your post.

Did you have to read The Secret Life of Og by Pierre Burton in Elementary school? It is another one I remember.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_World_of_Og

[Krikit 1,164]

And I am currently re-reading the Outlander series almost through Dragonfly in Amber as per Krikit's favourite.

I've just finished Cross Stitch, but now I've got to figure out which is the next book in the series. What a pain. You'd think they'd list it on the inside cover or on the jacket somewhere.

[LDora 7]

Awesome guys, keep them coming! I'd been sort of eyeballing that Outlander series for a while but it just sounded so wild I wasn't sure if I could take it seriously or not. I guess I'll have to pick one up at the library!

"Under The Skin" sounds amazing, even if that wikipedia article did totally spoil the ending for me. I'll still pick it up!

[DairyFarmer 1]

And I am currently re-reading the Outlander series almost through Dragonfly in Amber as per Krikit's favourite.

I've just finished Cross Stitch, but now I've got to figure out which is the next book in the series. What a pain. You'd think they'd list it on the inside cover or on the jacket somewhere.

Its actually bloody hard to figure out, but the next one recommended is Dragonfly in Amber and then Voyager.

[beans 7]

I sadly became a 14 year old girl the past few weeks and read the entire Twilight saga It all started because I saw it at the library and was like I want to see what all the fuss is about. And then I read one I couldn't very well leave it at that. Oh no!

[Rhiannercakes 14]

@LDora

Whoops.

Sorry I spoiled the ending for you D:

If you can call it an ending really, you'll see what I mean if you read it.

Edited April 3, 2009 by Rhiann

[LDora 7]

No worries, Rhiann. It sounds like the experience is worth it, anyway!

[JillA 2]

Right now reading Marley and Me

Just finished Obama's 2 books, they were quite good.

[SonoranSongbird 3]

Marley and Me is hilarious, especially if you are a dog person (especially if you are not a particularly good at disciplining your dog person). Grogan's writing style adds a lot, though, so I'm a little unsure about the movie version.

Currently reading Ruth Reichl's memoir "Garlic & Saphires: Memoirs of a Critic in Disguise."

Not sure I could pick any ONE favorite book. There are so many different books---and different KINDS of books---that I've enjoyed for different reasons. A few recent ones I've especially loved were Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible, Amy Tan's Saving Fish From Drowning, and The Case of the Dog in the Nighttime (can't think of the author's name off hand). Books that were pretty influential for me when I read them were Claude Brown's Manchild in the Promised Land and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The latter is really geared towards teenaged girls. I read it when I was 13 and it was one of the few books I read that was for my age group, usually read adult books instead (I mean that in the clean sense of the word). My sixth grade teacher read Watership Down to us, and I loved that enough to re-read it as an adult, and it still held up.

I read Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land one summer in college and as I got towards the end, I started reading slower, re-reading pages, and deliberately putting the book down so it wouldn't end. Not sure I've quite done that with any other book, so maybe if I had to pick one "favorite," I'd pick that.