What Are You Reading?

[Tracy 0]

I'm rereading the Outlander series since the next book is due out the end of this year. I also have read the Twilight series to see what all they hype was about too. I read about 3 books a week so I don't have the room to list all my favorites on here...LOL. However for all of you who like to read books in order by series or like to see what author has written this website is pretty awsome for all of that.

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/

[~Laura and Nick~ 5]

Right now I'm reading the Twilight Saga....

I can't believe I never read it before...I love vampires.

I read Twilight in one day...I'm now onto the next book "New Moon"

I purchased the gift set from Amazon.

I love the series!!!!

[jom 4]

The Appeal- John Grisham

[beans 7]

Right now I'm reading the Twilight Saga....

I can't believe I never read it before...I love vampires.

I read Twilight in one day...I'm now onto the next book "New Moon"

I purchased the gift set from Amazon.

I love the series!!!!

lol I'm so glad I'm not the only one! My SO makes fun of me because I'm reading science fiction-ish things probably solely because I made fun of him for liking Battlestar Gallactica lol

[Gypsyangel 11]

I love the Diana Gabaldon Outlander series as well. I've read them all and am currently listening to the series now. I downloaded them from audible.com and listen on my iPod either while walking or in the car. It's a great way to "read" them again. Each book is 30+ hours!! I love it!

Mary Poppins was also my favourite as a kid. I'm now inspired to read it again. Thanks for reminding me. My stepdaughter likes to read Bratz books and the like and I wish so much that she'd read something absorbing like Mary Poppins.

Currently reading: Harry Potter - Goblet of Fire. Don't tell me what happens to Harry Potter! I'm still reading!

Favourite Book: I don't think I can narrow it down, but I love:

Beloved - Toni Morrison

The Temple of My Familiar - Alice Walker

I'm unpacking books today so I'm sure I'll be back to add to the list!

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Right now I'm reading the Twilight Saga....

I can't believe I never read it before...I love vampires.

I read Twilight in one day...I'm now onto the next book "New Moon"

I purchased the gift set from Amazon.

I love the series!!!!

lol I'm so glad I'm not the only one! My SO makes fun of me because I'm reading science fiction-ish things probably solely because I made fun of him for liking Battlestar Gallactica lol

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...now you guys are making me rethink my snotty, haughty .... 'I will not read beneath myself' attitude...is it really that good?

[Reba 2]

I just finished reading Twilight last week or so. I wanted to see what they hype was all about, and my sister kept pestering me that I "just had to read it!". I found it rather....not as interesting as I thought it would be, considering the hype. I mean really! They sparkle!? sheesh that's just not right. I'm glad I did not pay full price for it.

Before that I read Revolutionary Road. It wasn't bad really, and I could totally relate to the suburban doledrums!

I am also reading The Watchmen graphic novel. If you like comic book style novels, I would recommend this one. I saw the movie before I read the book, so there are some differences, but the opening scene and naration of the movie, are almost exact panel to panel from the novel. And Dr. Manhatten is wearing a speedo in the novel, not so in the movie.

Books that changed my life:

The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I've read it more than 20 times I think, though not since the movies were released for some reason. Which is weird. I should pull those out again this summer. How it changed my life: I was a fan before the movies were announced (obviously), but then when the movies were announced, I found this website forum for fans, and that's where I met my husband. We own the site now.

Celtic Myth & Magic, Edain McCoy. My first introduction to Celtic paganism. There are a few historic inaccuracies in this book (common in Llewellyn publishing unfortunately), but it led me to search the history section of religion, rather than sticking to the "new age" section of book stores.

A History of God: The 4000 Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, by Karen Armstrong. Whilst reading this book, I finally "got it" why I just did not fit into the Christian mould, and I actually had an epiphany. I need to re-read this one, and see about reading her other books.

Good Calories, Bad Calories, by Gary Taubes. Another "aha" book for me. Makes complete sense.

Stories I enjoyed reading, that did not necessarily "change my life" but I still highly recommend:

The Tales of Kolmar series, by my dear friend Elizabeth Kerner. Wonderful beautiful lady, and a great fantasy writer. I just wish she'd hurry up with the next series! She's been promising it for a couple of years now! sheesh! Her heroin Lanen is an inspiration, and the Dragons in this series are quite different than from other fantasy dragon stories.

Wicked, and Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire. I loved loved loved Wicked, and naturally followed up with Son of a Witch, which was not quite as riveting, but still a sit until I was numb page turner! When I was younger I loved reading The Wizard of Oz, and I still have my book from way back. The stage musical of Wicked is very enjoyable as well, I wish I could go see it again and take hubby. I've been trying to convince him that a trip to NYC or London is in order.

Harry Potter series: except Half Blood Prince I think. It felt a lot like she had her daughter write it for her

I'll think of some more later. We have so many books, this could go on forever!

[beans 7]

lol I agree. Twilight is not that interesting but you want to know how it ends. Or at least I did and thats how I got suckered. I found the movie really boring and uneventful.

I'm currently reading 'Killing Pablo' its about Delta Force(I think, I'm on the first page, first sentence) killing Pablo Escobar. I will let you all know how it goes.

[antda 13]

Hi Everyone,

Lol..besides reading VJ posts and other immigration-related information...I admit that I haven't been reading much lately, as it's been really hard for me recently to concentrate on long-term reading due to the constant headaches...(I swear, it's "pregnancy brain" related...)

I have though been reading, "What to expect when you're expecting", and other pregnancy-related and parenting-related books, magazines, articles, information, watching tv shows, etc. Heck, I've even got my husband doing the same too..lol..So I hope by reading such, "we'll be ready"!...

As for one of my favourite books of all-time, I would have to say: "Anne of Green Gables" (Oh how Canadian that is!). Just reading this book takes me back to the beauty and nature of Canada, and its works of literature from such talented authors...

Ant (Still waiting for I-751, Still waiting for Baby...)

[defunct 0]

Currently reading: Watt by Samuel Beckett

What it's about: It's hard for me to sum up. It's a character-driven novel examining the absurd and the mundane through the eyes of Irish servants and passersby. The narration shifts several times and the book is extremely humourous, sometimes difficult, and always precise.

Excerpt: "Whole days, and even entire weeks, would glide away without Mary's having opened her gob for any purpose other than the reception of her five fingers fastened firmly on a fragment of food, for to the spoon, the knife, and even the fork, considered as aids to ingestion, she had never been able to accustom herself, in spite of excellent references."

All-time favourites: I cannot pick one. Here is a short-list:

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Who didn't read this in high-school? Holden Caulfield remains as one of my favourite literary protagonists.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Compelling story woven through the history of a family to uncover the cause of narrator's hermaphroditic affliction.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Classic tale of love between mortal and devil.

The Stranger by Albert Camus

Existential philosophy in prose-form - A funeral, a murder, and death row.

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami

What happens when a class of 42 ninth-graders are forced to kill each other or be killed by a totalitarian government program? This is.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

Sweeping work involving a seemingly mundane man, who in the process of looking for his lost cat comes across a myriad of curious characters including a sixteen year-old neighbour girl, a war veteran, an insane politician, and a psychic prostitute.

[Marilyn. 340]

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.

I read a book of hers called Mandy, about this girl who lives in an orphanage and finds an abandoned cottage in the woods... it is one of my favourite books

Edited April 4, 2009 by *Marilyn*

[Autumnchik 6]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE books! Hubby built me a huge bookcase and the shelves are overflowing. I probably have maybe 500 books at home and then 200 or so at work (my clinical stuff). I reread books over and over and get pleasure out of them each time.

Some favorites:

From when I was a kid ... The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, Candide by Voltaire (I lived with my father for a summer when I was 12 and he hated me reading Sweet Valley High books, considered them pointless trash, so he made a rule that I could not read them and could only read what he considered worthwhile books. I disagree with how he went about it, but it did get me reading books I might not otherwise have read), Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck (from the same summer), Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block.

Current favorites:

The Thief of Always by Clive Barker, Cowboys are my Weakness by Pam Houston, The Chosen by Chaim Potok, Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev, Rosemary's Baby and The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin, the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella, the Southern Vampire/Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris, the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, the Incarnations of Immortality series by Piers Anthony

Currently, I have several books I am reading ... one in my bedroom, one in the den, one in the living room ... I tend to read books simultaneously. I began rereading the Harry Potter books when hubby took Declan to Vancouver a month ago and I am on the final book. That's the book I read before bed. In the den is Going Coastal by Wendy French, a chick lit book that my SIL sent back with hubby for me to read ... not bad so far. In the LR is The Bad Seed by William March.

[Carlawarla 1]

I'm like autumnchik, I read several books at a time. I also walk daily, and listen to audiobooks. I read approximately 5 books a week.

What I'm listening to right now:

Dry, by Augusten Burroughs: A Memoir of his entry into alcohol/drug rehab. If you've liked his other books, you'll love another adventure for Augusten.

What I'm reading right now:

Inside the Kingdom, My Life in Saudi Arabia by Carmen Bin Ladin: Osama Bin Ladin's sister-in-law talks about the struggles within her marriage and her divorce from Osama's brother who by Saudi Law, gets custody of their children (3 daughters) upon divorce. I won't disclose that outcome.

My favourite books:

A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry : A horrific tale of contemporary India that chronicles the sufferings of outcasts and innocents trying to survive in the ``State of Internal Emergency'' of the 1970s. Rohinton is originally from India himself, however now resides in Canada.

I Know This Much Is True, Wally Lamb: A fictionalized account of one man's twin brothers descent into mental illness.

Edited April 6, 2009 by Carlawarla

[sera77 35]

The World I Made For Her, by Thomas Moran = my fav book to loan out to others because it's not too long so it doesn't overwhelm ppl who aren't also avid readers but is an excellent read and really grabs you. I've yet to get a negative response, everyone loves it. Oh, and they almost all read it through within a day or two because they can't leave it alone once they start it.

The Gabaldon Outlander series is always good for a reread, the characters are just so fun to get into and well written.

Grave's 'I, Claudius' and 'Claudius the God' are two of my fav historical reads... Full of subtle humour but historically accurate and very well written.

Virgina Lanier did a series of mystery type books set in Georgia about a woman doing search and rescue with bloodhounds that was fun. First in the series is Death in Bloodhound Red.

For science fiction I keep going back to CJ Cherryh, she's done a lot of books that are in the same 'universe setting', also several series that I've enjoyed.. I think the Foreigner series is the most popular...

[Krikit 1,164]

Ohmygosh, I had completely forgotten about The Phantom Tollbooth! I should probably read it as an adult so I can see what went over my head as a child.

I remember when I was in grade school I used to be obsessed with reading Ray Bradbury books. They were awesome.