What Are You Reading?

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Not 20th C China but I think you might enjoy the two Empress Orchid novels, Kathryn. I can't remember the author but one of them is entitled Empress Orchid. I think the other one is the Last Empress. Anyway, they are really good.

Thanks for the recommendation Y&E, I'll give them a look too . I've also got Amy Tan's The Kitchen God's Wife waiting to be read. I just love finding used books on line and buying them with the shipping for around $4!

Edited June 24, 2010 by Kathryn41

[Flames9_RN 358]

Just to let ya know the Kindle is now down to $189 and barnes & nobles kindle is down to $199 for the wifi and 3G, or if u just want Wifi, it only $149!!! I had bought my wife the Nook Wife/3g 1 for $259 10 days ago, just returned it, so I could order the $149 (wifi only) Nook as we dont really need the 3G access!! Lot of good free books to be had, which ever system you go for! I believe the Kindle 3 is coming out July/August! I do believe there are more free books on the nook, but people know the kindle more, as amazon did a great job advertising it!

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Just to let ya know the Kindle is now down to $189 and barnes & nobles kindle is down to $199 for the wifi and 3G, or if u just want Wifi, it only $149!!! I had bought my wife the Nook Wife/3g 1 for $259 10 days ago, just returned it, so I could order the $149 (wifi only) Nook as we dont really need the 3G access!! Lot of good free books to be had, which ever system you go for! I believe the Kindle 3 is coming out July/August! I do believe there are more free books on the nook, but people know the kindle more, as amazon did a great job advertising it!

How is the Nook? The one time we looked at it, it seemed rather slow page to page and the display was not as good as the Kindle. Don is going to wear his Kindle out - he loves it.

Edited June 24, 2010 by Udella&Wiz

[Flames9_RN 358]

Nook used to be super slow, but this past spring they put out a new firmware update!! i think the kindle may be still a tad faster at turning pages,but I belive the Nook has more free books, as it supports more formats than the Kindle!! I know at our public library, it states that the Kindle may not be able to handle all of its free books! Of course there are a lot of "backdoor" (secret)applications for both that open them up even more! Can't really say personally which is better, as have never seen the kindle in person! good website for reviews: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/

[Kathryn41 3,205]

I just thought I would bring another excellent book that I just finished reading to everyone's attention: Sylvanus Now by Donna Morrissey, W.W. Norton and Co., 2005 . For one thing, this book is totally Canadian - here is the back cover information: "On the coat of the great 1950s Newfoundland fishing banks (Grand Banks), Sylvanus Now is a rugged fisherman who treasures the traditions of his small village and his time alone with the vast sea. Yet, when he sees Adelaide, a fiery proud beauty from a neighbouring outport, he is mesmerized and steadily pursues her. Adelaide, meanwhile, dreams of travelling across the seas and becoming a missionary, but she is more eager to escape her squealing younger brothers and sisters. She soon marries Sylvanus and the mismatched couple is forced to face one of the great environmental catastrophes of our time: the collapse of the largest fishing grounds on earth. Through this story of love, loss and transformation in a dissolving community, Donna Morrissey plumbs the depths of authentic relationships and breathes potent life into the ravaged Newfoundland landscape."

The book is very well written and is hard to put down. You sense the amazement and then the despair as the realization strikes the outport fishermen that their way of life is indeed gone - killed at the hands of the factory fishing tankers from around the world that deplete what was once thought to be an unending source of fish. Gone with the fish is their way of life as fishermen can no longer fish, their families are moved into centralized communities where they can get jobs working in the fishing factories, and their outport homes are destroyed by the government to prevent them returning 'home' when they realize life in the larger communities demands even greater sacrifices and losses. It is a sad, inspiring and eye-opening book that I highly recommend.

[JlovesA 109]

I'm currently reading The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas. It's set in Melbourne, Australia. The tagline is "At a suburban barbeque, a man slaps a child that is not his own."

Every chapter is the aftermath faced by each person who attended the barbeque. It details how they feel about what happened and how things changed because of their being witness to it. It's really intense, I can barely put it down.

Also, it won the Commonwealth Writer's Award and was nominated for some other awards. Highly recommend it!

Edited June 28, 2010 by JlovesA

[arya 22]

I'm reading Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell and Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

[Marilyn. 340]

I need some suggestions for reading material.. I want something similar to Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia

[Udella&Wiz 325]

I just thought I would bring another excellent book that I just finished reading to everyone's attention: Sylvanus Now by Donna Morrissey, W.W. Norton and Co., 2005 . For one thing, this book is totally Canadian - here is the back cover information: "On the coat of the great 1950s Newfoundland fishing banks (Grand Banks), Sylvanus Now is a rugged fisherman who treasures the traditions of his small village and his time alone with the vast sea. Yet, when he sees Adelaide, a fiery proud beauty from a neighbouring outport, he is mesmerized and steadily pursues her. Adelaide, meanwhile, dreams of travelling across the seas and becoming a missionary, but she is more eager to escape her squealing younger brothers and sisters. She soon marries Sylvanus and the mismatched couple is forced to face one of the great environmental catastrophes of our time: the collapse of the largest fishing grounds on earth. Through this story of love, loss and transformation in a dissolving community, Donna Morrissey plumbs the depths of authentic relationships and breathes potent life into the ravaged Newfoundland landscape."

The book is very well written and is hard to put down. You sense the amazement and then the despair as the realization strikes the outport fishermen that their way of life is indeed gone - killed at the hands of the factory fishing tankers from around the world that deplete what was once thought to be an unending source of fish. Gone with the fish is their way of life as fishermen can no longer fish, their families are moved into centralized communities where they can get jobs working in the fishing factories, and their outport homes are destroyed by the government to prevent them returning 'home' when they realize life in the larger communities demands even greater sacrifices and losses. It is a sad, inspiring and eye-opening book that I highly recommend.

Soudns really good Kathryn...I'm going to look it up since I'm going back home on July 1

[Udella&Wiz 325]

I need some suggestions for reading material.. I want something similar to Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia

Have you read any David Eddings? He's an excellent Fantasy author....you will not be able to put them down once the first book grabs you. Start with Pawn of Prophecy which introduces you to the many personalities in the story line.

The Belgariad series

Pawn of Prophecy (1982)

Queen of Sorcery (1982)

Magician's Gambit (1983)

Castle of Wizardry (1984)

Enchanters' End Game (1984)

The Malloreon series

Guardians of the West (1987)

King of the Murgos (1988)

Demon Lord of Karanda (1988)

Sorceress of Darshiva (1989)

The Seeress of Kell (1991)

I am pesonally reading the Druidholme series by Douglas Niles...also quite good...but not as good as Eddings

1.Prophet of Moonshae (February 1992)

2.The Coral Kingdom (September 1992)

3.The Druid Queen (March 1993)

[OBX 51]

I have discovered a new author (new to me anyway) who has me mesmerized! Lisa See. I picked up Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - and half way through it, I had to go out and get Shanghai Girls . They were both on sale at Costco. I started Shanghai Girls and knew I would want to read more so went on line and ordered Peony in Love , which I am now half way through. It is my favourite one yet! This writer is remarkable - she writes about Chinese women from their perspectives and she totally captures whatever time period she is writing about. Her research is impeccable, her writing style very easy and her stories captivating. You enter their lives, their emotions, their reality - I can hardly put the books down while I am reading them! I can't begin to recommend them enough!

Now, I need to go on line and track down some of her other work - Flower Net, The Interior, Dragon Bones and On Gold Mountain . Lisa See was named National Woman of the Year in 2001 by The Organization of Chinese American Women for her novels.

By the way, Shanghai Girls will give you a very different view of US Immigration and is incredibly timely considering the current concerns about illegal immigrants. It is set in the early and mid-20th century before and after the Chinese Exclusion Act in Shanghai, Hong Kong and the US. Disturbing, inspiring and emotionally demanding - it is an excellent novel based on historical fact. All of the books are.

Just finished Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and have just begun reading Peony in Love. I am really enjoying them, thanks for the recommendation Kathryn.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

I'm glad you're enjoying them .

I'm now reading Amy Tan's 'The Hundred Secret Senses" which I am thoroughly enjoying. I haven't read the "Joy Luck Club" but did finish "The Bonecutter's Daughter" . I am apparently still on my 'Chinese' kick and it doesn't look like it is about to abate soon. I've got "The Kitchen God's Wife' waiting for me next. I also picked up a copy on sale of "Pearl of China" by Anchee Min, which is a 'biographical novel' about Pearl S. Buck that looks intriguing. I've got to stop going to the Thrift stores - I am accumulating books faster than I can read them!

[OBX 51]

My library card is getting a good workout that is for sure.

I particularly enjoy the details about Chinese customs...my former in-laws were born in China. My ex-husband is the youngest but he is the only son so when my boys were born they became the "golden grandchildren" (I always felt sorry for my sister-in law who was older but obviously a girl.) The books are opening a whole new world to me; one that my mother-in-law was probably very familiar with. Very interesting stuff.

Edited July 14, 2010 by OBX

[Darnell 8,478]

I need some suggestions for reading material.. I want something similar to Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia

Sorry for the late-ish reply.

How about 'The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever' ?

http://product.half.ebay.com/Chronicles-of-Thomas-Covenant-the-Unbeliever_W0QQprZ1248515QQtgZinfo

for ISBN #'s - should be able to check it out, or get it in, at yer local library.

[Krikit 1,164]

I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I hate that it ended. lol. I'm going to be making my way through the series. I've also started The Private Patient by PD James. And now I've just read the first review on that site:

"For most of the novel you wish someone would murder the lot of them."

I finished a really good book last week and am now drawing a blank as to what it was.