What are you Reading (Part 2)?

[Kailash]

I read two more V.I. books by Sara Paretsky. Haven't gone back to The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules yet. 

[Carm_88]

I polished off The Shining with breakfast and will start The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall when I get home!  

[clueliss]

 Finished Janet Evanovich's number Sixteen in the Stephanie Plum series today (thank you summons for jury duty and my need of non electronic reading material) and I finished The Witches: Salem 1692 by Stacy Schiffmehich I read on audio today.  The latter was a really good read.  

[onekidanddone]

Just finished Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs and am going back to Mississippi Blood by Greg Iles

9 hours ago, Carm_88 said:

I polished off The Shining with breakfast and will start The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall when I get home!  

Never read The Shining while camping. Big mistake.

[church_of_dog]

32 minutes ago, onekidanddone said:

Just finished Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs and am going back to Mississippi Blood by Greg Iles

Never read The Shining while camping. Big mistake.

I'd say still better than reading it while staying in a hotel... 

I read a new Stephen King book most Halloweens -- last year was Rose Madder.  I enjoy most of his, don't like a few of them.

Currently I'm listening to the audiobook of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and also working my way through the audio versions of Louise Penny's Armand Gamache/Three Pines series -- love those!  I intend to start moving through the Kathy Reichs Bones series later this summer.

For hard copy books, I just finished one about Rosemary Kennedy, and now about to start one that I think I heard about from FJ:  Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman

[MarblesMom]

On 6/19/2017 at 10:51 AM, Carm_88 said:

Moved onto a little Stephen King with The Shining!

REDRUM.   REDRUM.

Also, when I stay in any hotel with a long patterned carpeted hallway, I have Shining flashbacks.

That being said, that moment can be lost remembering it as "The Shinning."

[Maggie Mae]

17 hours ago, church_of_dog said:

I read a new Stephen King book most Halloweens -- last year was Rose Madder.  I enjoy most of his, don't like a few of them.

I loved Rose Madder. And Duma Key. I didn't finish The TommyKnockers or Dreamcatcher. Maybe I just like the ones that are rooted in human terror vs supernatural things? 

[church_of_dog]

4 hours ago, Maggie Mae said:

I loved Rose Madder. And Duma Key. I didn't finish The TommyKnockers or Dreamcatcher. Maybe I just like the ones that are rooted in human terror vs supernatural things? 

I haven't read Duma Key -- maybe that will be my choice for this year.  Or possibly Mr. Mercedes or Tales from a Buick 8.  Don't think I've read Dreamcatcher either.  I think I liked The Tommyknockers although I read it so long ago I don't remember the details.

I'm with you in not favoring the supernatural stuff much -- although I guess I have a certain threshold below which I still enjoy it -- in fact, Rose Madder had quite a bit of it in the second half

Spoiler

(stepping through pictures and such, plus a bunch of symbology stuff IIRC, that didn't make any sense to me)

 and I liked it less for that, but still really enjoyed it overall.  I like to have the ability to at least pretend "maybe that could really happen" and too much magic just ruins that for me.

But now I'll probably contradict myself by saying that I think my favorite SKs are the epic tales like The Talisman and The Stand, even though I've long since forgotten the details, just that I really enjoyed them when I was reading them (decades ago).  I remember liking Needful Things and Desperation and Insomnia too.  Oh, year before last I read 11/22/63 and really liked that one too.  So I guess I'm ok with some bit of pushing the boundaries of space and time.  Just not TOO much.

[Maggie Mae]

1 hour ago, church_of_dog said:

I haven't read Duma Key -- maybe that will be my choice for this year.  Or possibly Mr. Mercedes or Tales from a Buick 8.  Don't think I've read Dreamcatcher either.  I think I liked The Tommyknockers although I read it so long ago I don't remember the details.

  Reveal hidden contents

(stepping through pictures and such, plus a bunch of symbology stuff IIRC, that didn't make any sense to me)

But now I'll probably contradict myself by saying that I think my favorite SKs are the epic tales like The Talisman and The Stand, even though I've long since forgotten the details, just that I really enjoyed them when I was reading them (decades ago).  I remember liking Needful Things and Desperation and Insomnia too.  Oh, year before last I read 11/22/63 and really liked that one too.  So I guess I'm ok with some bit of pushing the boundaries of space and time.  Just not TOO much.

My friend loves Dreamcatcher. I think i was spoiled by the movie (which was terrible.) 

I remember liking Needful Things and Desperation, but at some point I just stopped reading. Loved The Stand but it's been a really long time. 

He does suspense really well. I think sometimes the story just goes on too long with world building. But at least he's a consistent writer, unlike George RR Martin who just world builds and world builds and takes long breaks and rewrites and i'm never getting Winds of Winter, am I? 

 

[Carm_88]

22 minutes ago, Maggie Mae said:

But at least he's a consistent writer, unlike George RR Martin who just world builds and world builds and takes long breaks and rewrites and i'm never getting Winds of Winter, am I? 

I don't think so.  Sadly. I feel like I've been waiting forever! 

[church_of_dog]

48 minutes ago, Maggie Mae said:

But at least he's a consistent writer,

Amazingly so.  I recall instances where I started a book and within just a few paragraphs felt like "yes, this is Stephen King's voice".

 

49 minutes ago, Maggie Mae said:

unlike George RR Martin who just world builds and world builds and takes long breaks and rewrites and i'm never getting Winds of Winter, am I?

Thanks for the heads-up.  I haven't read any of his and wasn't sure it would be of interest to me, but whenever some story becomes such a part of the lexicon of people I interact with, I always do consider it.  (I will probably read Harry Potter at some point in the coming decades for just this reason, even though the story itself is distinctly not the kind of thing that interests me in the slightest).  I would find the interminable storybuilding to be really frustrating, so I'll probably skip GRRM.

[Maggie Mae]

53 minutes ago, church_of_dog said:

Thanks for the heads-up.  I haven't read any of his and wasn't sure it would be of interest to me, but whenever some story becomes such a part of the lexicon of people I interact with, I always do consider it.  (I will probably read Harry Potter at some point in the coming decades for just this reason, even though the story itself is distinctly not the kind of thing that interests me in the slightest).  I would find the interminable storybuilding to be really frustrating, so I'll probably skip GRRM.

The first book is not bad, he had an editor. They go downhill from there. I love the world and would read short stories or anything else about it. But lots of people are frustrated with the pacing and like the show more. 

[Carm_88]

I finished The Best Kind of People, did not like it, at all. I'm starting on The Secret Keeper by Kate Mortion.  

[PennySycamore]

Somebody upthread a page or so back mentioned reading a book by Joe Hill.  Joe is Stephen King's son.

I'm still reading through Stephen's book of short stories Bazaar of Bad Dreams.  In the introduction to the story "Drunken Fireworks" , Stephen talks about running into the old woman at the supermarket.  She says "You're Stephen King!  I don't like your books.  They're too scary!  You wanna know what I like?  I like things like that Shawshank Redemption."  Stephen says to the old lady "Well, I wrote that too".  and she replies "No, you didn't" and walks off.

I picked up Al Franken's Giant of the Senate about a week ago and Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World by Bill Nye.  Both are great in their own way and very funny too.  I bought a copy of Harry Potter and the  Philosopher's Stone today.  It's not that I haven't read it, but we are re-reading it at the Pottermore book club and discussing it on Twitter.

@church_of_dog,  I highly recommend Mr Mercedes.  It's fantastic as are it's two sequels.  

[church_of_dog]

6 minutes ago, PennySycamore said:

I'm still reading through Stephen's book of short stories Bazaar of Bad Dreams.  In the introduction to the story "Drunken Fireworks" , Stephen talks about running into the old woman at the supermarket.  She says "You're Stephen King!  I don't like your books.  They're too scary!  You wanna know what I like?  I like things like that Shawshank Redemption."  Stephen says to the old lady "Well, I wrote that too".  and she replies "No, you didn't" and walks off.

I love stories like this.  And I bet he's got a million of them.

 

7 minutes ago, PennySycamore said:

@church_of_dog,  I highly recommend Mr Mercedes.  It's fantastic as are it's two sequels.

I generally insist on reading serieses (? is that a word?) in order.  And someone else also recommended Mr. Mercedes to me.  So I think that's probably the one for this fall.  (Unless I decide to read it sooner, lol.)  

The other day I was pulling rotation from our main library to come to our branch for a few months, and I almost grabbed End of Watch, but then I realized it's one of the sequels, I think?  So I decided to bring that one over later this year when I might be ready to read it in its proper order.  

(I try not to focus *too much* on my own personal reading interests when choosing books for the library, but on the other hand, hey, I'm a patron too, right?)

[PennySycamore]

@church_of_dog,  I'd highly recommend  you start the Bill Hodges trilogy with Mr Mercedes.  You might be able to follow and enjoy End of Watch if you read that one first, but the Mr Mercedes is great and gives a lot of essential background for End of Watch and Finders Keepers.  

[church_of_dog]

22 minutes ago, PennySycamore said:

@church_of_dog,  I'd highly recommend  you start the Bill Hodges trilogy with Mr Mercedes.  You might be able to follow and enjoy End of Watch if you read that one first, but the Mr Mercedes is great and gives a lot of essential background for End of Watch and Finders Keepers.  

Exactly what I plan to do!  I hatehateHATE reading serieses out of order.

Extra irony:  I know both a Bill Hodge and a Bill Hodges in real life.  It will be hard not to have weird reactions to reading about a Stephen King character with that name...

[Carm_88]

I finished The Secret Keeper, it was really good. I might be prejudiced because I love Kate Morton! I've started One for the Money by Janet Evanovich. 

[onekidanddone]

4 hours ago, Carm_88 said:

I finished The Secret Keeper, it was really good. I might be prejudiced because I love Kate Morton! I've started One for the Money by Janet Evanovich. 

I know somebody who works in Trenton.  She says Evanovich's depiction is very accurate.

I'm almost done with Mississippi Blood and then I'll go back to reading the biography of George Washington.

[Carm_88]

I finished off One for the Money and have jumped into Two for the Dough. These books seem like they are easy to like!  

[Carm_88]

Two for the Dough was equally as likable as One for the Money but I have decided to switch a bit and read Under the Banner of Heaven. Needed something a little meatier! 

[Kailash]

@Carm_88 I vaguely remember reading a couple of the Stephanie Plum books but like you felt I wanted to read something meatier. 

I finished the latest Harry Hole book The Thirst by Jo Nesbo.  Loved it! I haven't been able to read much lately but I plan to remedy that in the next few days.

[clueliss]

I'm going t name drop and say I've met Janet Evanovich back when I was very active with a local chapter of sisters in crime.  She was coming to the city for a book tour and one of the members made contact with her and arranged a dinner meeting with her before the signing.  She's very nice and funny.  

I finished the Audio version of The Girl on the Train.  I'd seen the movie not long ago and decided to read the book to study it as a writer to try to identify what it is that people love since everything right now gets compared to it.  I actually liked it, unlike a book it got compared to - Gone Girl.  

[LacyMay]

I just finished Fiona Barton's The Child 

I didn't read The Widow  but after reading The Child and enjoying it as much as I did I might do The Widow later this summer. Usually I wouldn't read a series out of order but I've read that they are very much standalone with one common character. 

On 22/06/2017 at 8:30 AM, Carm_88 said:

I finished The Best Kind of People, did not like it, at all. I'm starting on The Secret Keeper by Kate Mortion.  

I started the best kind if people and could not get into it at all. After hearing all the hype I'm so happy I'm not the only one who wasn't head over heels for it. 

[CTRLZero]

I love the Oregon coast, and Astoria is one of my favorite towns, so when a book entitled "Astoria" by Peter Stark popped up on my Kindle, I downloaded it.  This non-fiction book is pretty bare bones, but the author pulls together a lot of disparate historical threads to make an easy-to-read narrative of the dealings of John Jacob Astor, Thomas Jefferson, and a multitude of explorers, government and business interests, etc.

I have read a lot of books about Lewis and Clark, but had not really known about these trailblazers who arrived by sea and overland just a few years later.  If you have an interest in the establishment of the Oregon Trail, this might be of interest.   Maps, too!