Books on the Nightstand discussion

Wow, half of 2014 is over.

I'm still working on Jane Eyre - really like it, but I'm savoring it; Right Ho, Jeeves which I'm really enjoying, but reading as if I were an actor; Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole which is fascinating. In my car, I'm listening to Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln this is good, but it's going to take me quite awhile to finish this since most of my driving is under five miles, then My Accidental Jihad is on my iPad for work, I'm completely captivated (How would you explain Christmas to someone who wasn't familiar?) I have The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History about 25% done when it was returned by the Ohio e-book project, so as soon as my husband is done listening, I get to take his iPod to finish it.

Happy Reading!

I started listening to The Good House this morning, having finished the wonderful The Golem and the Jinni yesterday.

I cannot name the super secret print book I just started reading for my Postal Book Club, but, maybe I can say that it's an ARC and a translation from a Swiss author. Hope that's not giving too much away!

I picked up We Were Liars and Look at Me at a local bookshop over the weekend, which I plan to save for a trip later this month.

No eBook at the moment - I'll have to do something about that.

I am listening to and reading on the Kindle.

Just finishing up Summer House with Swimming Pool. Am going to working on Speaking from Among the Bones: A Flavia de Luce Novel and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy later on today. I might start reading Levels of Life this evening as well.

Just finished We Were Liars (WHOA) and am trying to finish Atonement both of which are making me super anxious! But great books!

Started Neverhome: A Novel by Laird Hunt, which will be released in September, and I'm already impressed by the cadance of the narrative. I hope to finish it over the holiday weekend, then I'm finally going to read The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. I can't believe it's taken me sooo long to get to this book.

reading Flight Behavior & also an e book, due to be released in August, Small Blessings: A Novel

just finished sharp objects by gillian flynn. yikes! -- i enjoyed the first half much more than the second. it almost felt like the book switched genres midway and moved from a mystery novel to a horror novel. way too much blood and vomit plus the ending was drawn out and predictable. i'd give the first half 4 stars and *maybe* 2.5 for the second. that said, flynn is a very good writer who created some memorable characters despite the book not working for me overall.

currently reading:


and

The last time I tried to read Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time, um, life got in the way. (I know, right?) This time I'm going to make it through. Am also nibbling at a volume of Noël Coward's plays and will probably swallow Edward Streeter's comic Father of the Bride in one gulp. Next up: William Kuhn's Mrs. Queen Takes the Train and...and...I don't know what after that. There are at least 40 pre-1923 titles on my e-reader and I may just choose one or two at random.

I finished Bird Box on the 2nd and started A Burnable Book today. Still reading A Game of Thrones in bits and pieces at work. I am on the lookout for a good audiobook for my commute, but haven't yet committed to one, so I am listening to bookish podcasts...including BOTNS.

I just started

Reading through one of my favorites. Lord Peter: A Collection of All the Lord Peter Wimsey Stories by Dorothy L. Sayers

Finished and the play .

A review of the former to follow.

Now on to .

Still working on . I'll have that one done in a week or so, well in advance of Asheville.

I may be able to finish my digital ARC of Jon Clinch's "Belzoni Dreams of Egypt" this weekend too. Giovanni Battista Belzoni is a real-life historical figure: a giant, circus strong man, inventor, and explorer. He is also Clinch's most lovable character yet.

After listening to a podcast IN OUR TIME which featured English college professor fan girls( college professors on this podcast get really excited when discussing their literary favs)talking about I downloaded a sample from Amazon and attempted to read it to purchase. I am sure its very good but its not for me. Deleted.

Citychelle. Owww the entire Sayers Wimsey in one book!

I have just started .

This week I hope to finish and and . Then I'll be reading and . Oh yea, and

That is my July.

Sue, I really liked The Good House!

I'm reading Grand Central.

Melissa, what did you think of Summer House With Swimming Pool? I read it some time ago. Koch must be half crazy, but his books are definitely different.

So far it's striking me as an edgier, snarkier Elizabeth Strout novel and I could do with a little bit less explication overall, but, I'm enjoying cringing at Hildy and I definitely want to see where it goes.

Denise wrote: "Sue, I really liked The Good House!

I'm reading Grand Central."

Finally finished my June reads, and , both of which I enjoyed more than I expected to. I'm now starting on David Mitchell's .

Rita, I really enjoyed The Art of Fielding, which is ostensibly about baseball. But it's really about life, and how we react when life throws us a curveball. You don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy this one. I hope you like it, too!

Amy wrote: "Rita, I really enjoyed The Art of Fielding, which is ostensibly about baseball. But it's really about life, and how we react when life throws us a curveball. You don't have to be a ..."

I'd heard that. As luck would have it, I'm a baseball fan too!

Needed a 'fun' book to read alongside and picked . Devoured it in one day and lusting for more!

I finished The Silkworm while on vacation. This is becoming my new favorite detective series. I read that Rowling is planning to write five more books featuring Cormoran Strike.

I finished Bad News. After reading the first book in this series, I did not think that I wanted to continue. St. Aubyn 's series is a fictionalized account of his life. He was molested by his father, fell into drug addiction, and finally pulled his life together. Never Mind (the first in the series) was so devastating in its account of abuse and neglect that I did not know if I could bear reading anymore. A few weeks ago, the New Yorker had an article on St. Aubyn. He has published a new book, but most of the article dwelt on this series and its relation to his life. This article spurred me on to continue reading the series. He is an excellent writer, and the books are not all grim and despairing. Despite (or because of) his background, he has a dry sense of humor that gives relief to some of the darker bits.

I am still talking about Americanah to anyone who will listen. I loved this book. The narration swings between the two main characters. Usually when this happens, I end up being attached to one character and bored with the other. This time, I enjoyed both of the characters and looked forward to the stories joining at the end.

Melissa - I was in the same boat (still am) about the Melrose novels. I have the first three, I believe, released together in one ebook but I could not get through the first. I, too, read the New Yorker piece and felt compelled to revisit, but haven't yet. Thanks for your insight on the series - I hope I'll find the wherewithal to continue!

I also loved Americanah, as well as her short story collection, The Thing Around Your Neck. I listened to both books - narrated by the fantastic Adjoa Andoh.

Melissa wrote: "I finished The Silkworm while on vacation. This is becoming my new favorite detective series. I read that Rowling is planning to write five more books featuring Cormoran Strike.

I..."

Emgee wrote: "Needed a 'fun' book to read alongside and picked . Devoured it in one day and lusting for more!"

Emgee - I hope you enjoy Cloud Atlas - it is my favourite book - such a tour de force

I have just readThe Cuckoo's Callingand agree that this looks like the start of a great new detective series. I have just set aside The Goldfinch for holiday reading in August and I am about to start The Lacuna but definitely interest in Americanah after lots of good reviews - so many books, so little time!

I loved The Art of Fielding!

SarahK, I just recently read Americanah. I liked it a lot. Very smart book.

Emgee wrote: "Finally finished my June reads, and , both of which I enjoyed more than I expected to. I'm now starting on David Mitc..."

I just started Beekeeper's Apprentice on audio today. I'm not sure what I think so far, I'm only a little ways in and not much has happened yet. This series came highly recommended to me by a friend and I didn't even remember buying the first one on audio. I'd rather read it as an ebook, but my library doesn't carry it.

I've started on the list of Booktopia Asheville selections. I was worried I wouldn't make through all of them, but that may not be a problem. I finished This Dark Road to Mercy in two days and am halfway through My Accidental Jihad after just starting yesterday. A few of the others look more substantial. Still, I think I"ll make it. It happened to be my turn to recommend a title for a book club this month, so I offered the Asheville list in order to make sure my reading time wouldn't be diverted elsewhere! We chose Lee Smith's Guests on Earth, which I won't start until later in the month and in the interim can probably check off at least one more Booktopia title.

Before going on an all-Booktopia binge, I finished the last book in two different trilogies: Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor and Raging Star by Moria Young. I also read a fascinating slim novel by Barry Unsworth called Morality Play in which a group of traveling "players" or actors in Medieval England stops in a village where a young boy has just been murdered and a young woman accused and likely to be hanged within a day or two. The leader of the actors decides that creating an impromptu performance about the crime, rather than the Biblical stories that actors were supposed to be limited to, would generate a lot of attention and badly needed cash. While working out their drama, they become "detectives" of a sort and realize that the crime is linked to the town's most powerful authority figures: the local lord and the church, and even hinting at their involvement is extremely dangerous. The book was a great change of pace from all of the contemporary fiction I've been reading lately.

My audiobooks are not Booktopia selections, mainly since only two or three are available on audio via the library, and so far none of them have become available. My current read is A Map of Glass by Jane Urquhart. The two before that were Carl Hiaasen's Bad Monkey (hilarious) and The Nobodies Album by Carolyn Parkhurst.

Eric wrote: "Finished and the play .

A review of the former to follow.

Now on to and the play .

A review of the former to follow.

Now on to [bookcover:The Day o..."

Eric, thanks for the tip on Thomas Wolfe's Look Homeward, Angel. I can't believe I haven't read Wolfe. What great writing and perfect for Ashville.

I was first up for the library copy of California by Edan Lepucki. Many others on the list now, so I'll probably make quick work of this post-apocalyptic tale.

I'm hoping to get to California - in the literary sense - this summer. Can't wait to hear what you think!

Angie wrote: "I was first up for the library copy of California by Edan Lepucki. Many others on the list now, so I'll probably make quick work of..."

I'm currently reading by J.F. Penn. Pretty good so far. A cross between Indiana Jones and a Dan Brown novel with a kick-butt heroine. Will post a review when I finish.

Mary wrote: "Eric, thanks for the tip on Thomas Wolfe's Look Homeward, Angel. I can't believe I haven't read Wolfe. What great writing and perfect for Ashville."

I read this book years ago, long before I moved to Atlanta, which is just a few hours from Asheville, and began to occasionally visit the city. I think I toured the house on one of those visits, but that, too, was not recently. I believe it's time to put that book on my read again list! Thanks for bringing it back to my attention.

i have abandoned susan choi's book: because her elaborate prose style is not my favorite. i'm now on to alfie kohn's new parenting/education book:



really loving this so far. it's a good counterpoint to

I didn't know Alfie Kohl had a new book. I stopped reading parenting books when my kids started grade school, but now that they are tweens / teens, I think it's time to start again!

Adore wrote: "i have abandoned susan choi's book: because her elaborate prose style is not my favorite. i'm now on to alfie kohl's new parenting/education book:

[bookcover:The M..."

^ sue, i don't even have kids, but i'm really into parenting books for some reason! maybe i'm trying to re-parent myself on some level. :)
anyway, i recommend this. he dismisses a lot of anecdotal evidence about helicopter parenting, competition and the nature of rewards, etc.

I'm down with anything that gives me permission to go back to my instinctive, but frowned upon, method of parenting: benign neglect.

I think it's interesting that you read parenting books without having kids. I would imagine they offer a lot of cultural perspective that might be useful and interesting for anyone.

Adore wrote: "^ sue, i don't even have kids, but i'm really into parenting books for some reason! maybe i'm trying to re-parent myself on some level. :)
anyway, i recommend this. he dismisses a lot of anecdota..."

Im reading...

Pretty good so far:)

I just started The Farm on audio based on the Books on the Nightstand recommendation. It sounded like the perfect story to keep me from thinking about how hot I am walking in 90 degree Georgia weather! So far, I am not disappointed.

Debbie Who is the author of THE FARM. Thanks

Gerald wrote: "Debbie Who is the author of THE FARM. Thanks"

The author is Tom Rob Smith.

Debbie THANKS

I'm reading The Book of Unknown Americans and can barely put it down.

starting

Reading . Enjoying.