Dallas/Ft. Worth Readers Club discussion

I just joined and I'm really interested in finding out what genera everyone reads here! I'm really into paranormal and sci/fi and I'm currently reading Ballad by Maggie Steifvater. (I think I spelled her last name right)

Hi Mj. Wow...paranormal and sci/fi are about the only genres I don't read :(

I mainly read fiction (contemp and classic), crime fiction, spy fiction, and non-fict (history, memoirs).

Currently reading The Criminals by Jim Thompson. Recently read The Deep Blue Good-by by John D. MacDonald, The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson, and The Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly.

Regardless...welcome!

Haha! That's ok. I do like Tom Clancy and have been meaning to read something by MacDonald or Connelly. Was the Deep blue Good-Bye any good? My husband is into non-fic. Any Memoirs you would recommend?

I thought the Deep Blue Good-by was excellent. Took a while to get moving, but the ending is great. I'm looking forward to seeing the movie (in the works) w/ Leo DiCaprio as Travis McGee...I think he'll be a perfect fit...but I'm a Leo sucker. Wait...that didn't sound right, but you know what I mean!

Memoirs tend to run the gamut of subject matter and emotions. There are a number of good guy's-guy type memoirs (James Salter - Burning the Days, Tobias Wolff - This Boy's Life (incidentally, another Leo movie), Tom Bissell - The Father of All Things).

You can throw a rock and you'll hit a memoir about growing up/coming-of-age. That's not to say that there aren't a lot of good ones...there are!...just that towards the late 90s and into the new M there was a memoir publishing craze. The same can probably be said re: death/dying memoirs.

Regardless...I like most them. Thank god for Half Price Books!!

I'm glad to hear you liked Deep Blue Good-by. It will probably end up in my husbands stocking. ;) I've heard good things about Burning the Days from a few other people so I will probably pick that one up as well for him.

I'm always so unsure about memoirs so I tend to shy away from them. Who wants to read the same story almost verbatim 100 times?

I like Half Price Books but I don't shop there very often.However, I have a friend who absolutely wont buy a brand new book at full price so the only place she buys books is HPB.

I however, have such a hard time buying books from there. The problem is not with HPB, it's me; I'm spoiled. For me its a guilty pleasure. I love the way a new book feels, the way it smells when you thumb through the pages and the fact that it has never belong to anyone else.

The not belonging to anyone else part is a big deal to me. You probably wont understand this woman-ism but buying a book that's been owned by someone I don't know is like sharing my eyeliner with a stranger. It just feels so tainted and wrong. Haha!
I'm such a dork, but I really have the hardest time buying a pre-owned book. Do you buy most of your books at HPB?

I forgot to ask, have you ever read Pillars of the Earth?

Yes, I do buy most of my books at HPB, but for me it's really about the search. The pre-owned doesn't bother me, but I do tend to buy very-good condition books from HPB.

I recently found Kerouac's On The Road in like-new condition. When I took it to the counter the girl checking me out was surprised they had a copy. I mentioned the condition and she acted like that was not an issue...that she likes having extra copies around (of her fave books) to give to friends, etc. I'm all for that, but I can't tell you how many times I've passed on buying a book that I really wanted because the spine was creased (and not even a big crease...just a crease). So I certainly understand the appeal of a new book.

The search is a big deal for me. I have 300+ short story collections (98% from HPB). It's becoming increasingly difficult to find something I don't have, and want, but there's a certain thrill I get when I do find something. It's that way with paperback spy fiction from the 70s and 80s...those I have to accept a little lesser quality since I know I probably won't find them again. And, I know I can buy from Amazon...but again....the Search!

I'd say that if I buy from Borders, B&N, Amazon, etc...I go in knowing what I'm looking for. When I go to Half Price...I can spend a lot of time just browsing. I've never been to Legacy...I'd like to go and browse there.

Have not read Pillars of the Earth...looks really long!!

Hello! I just finished reading The Wedding Machine, and it was pretty bad. I didn't like the way it was written, "As she drives down the road Ray..." I got the impression the author doesn't think Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a real illness. Anyway, I about to start reading Against Medical Advice.

Mj wrote: "I forgot to ask, have you ever read Pillars of the Earth? "

Yes, have read Pillars of the Earth and enjoyed it. Being long is a good thing with a good book.

Scott, I like that. I never thought about it as a Search and that puts a very new perspective on it! Whats Legacy? Is that an awesome book store I'm now going to have to visit? Pillars of the Earth is long but it's amazing. You should definitely read it~!

Ashley and Becky its great to have you!

What did you really like about Pillars of the Earth Becky? I thought all the information about cathedrals was very enriching.

I'm currently reading Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater and I just can't finish it. I'm really disappointed because Lament was pretty good. That's saying a lot because I'm really not into Faeries. Especially killer ones. Shiver, however was very amazing. She has such a poetic way of wording things. The book itself and not only the story was really beautiful to read because of the way it was written. Does anyone else here read YA every once in a while?

Legacy is a new-ish bookstore in Plano. It's suppose to be 3 or 4 stories tall??
http://www.legacybooksonline.com/

Shut uP! Are you serious? Now I have to go!

I've heard it is pretty cool. Let me know what u think.

Ooo! I'll have to check out Legacy! I love reading, so I'll give most books a try, including, YA.

Just finished Hard Rain by Barry Eisler. Not bad, but it covered too much of the same ground covered in the first John Rain installment. Regardless, it's still a pretty good entry for the assassin/thriller genre.

Currently reading The Long March by William Styron. Wow...coming from 5 or 6 straight crime/spy fiction reads, the first few paragraphs of The Long March really let you know what "literature" is all about. It's very short...planning on finishing in 2/3 days total.

In my immediate future, since I just got back from the Library (no, I'm not afraid to checkout bks from the Library!!) include:

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
Indignation by Philip Roth
Bearing the Body by Ehud Havazelet
Snow Angels by Stewart O'Nan
A Summons To Memphis by Peter Taylor
Kowloon Tong by Paul Theroux

Hey I checked out the Library at Legacy. I hated it. Way to sterile for my taste. You might be really into it but it just wasn't inviting to me at all.

I'm reading the Vatta's War series by Elizabeth Moon (Sci-Fi), Heat Wave by Richard Castle (Mystery/Thriller) and Green Rider by Kristen Britain (Fantasy). I want to re-read Fall of the Terran Empire again, but I'm one of those people that always has two or three books going at once!

I'm reading Eat Pray Love - it's alright, definitely very memoirish. Recently finished Water for Elephants - fantastic novel!

I'm reading Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. It's pretty hilarious--reminds me a lot of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
I checked out this book from my local library called Buzz Aldrin: What Happened To You In All The Confusion?
It's really interesting so far. I'm enjoying it.

Hey Hey all! I bet the Aldrin book is pretty interesting. Is it a biography or autob? Fayne Nicole: have read Water for Elephants and I have added to the list of books I use for gifts to friends. Have not read EPL yet, but plan to. I just read Crichtons 'Next,' extremely disappointed. This is the 1st Crichton novel or book that I have been so unimpressed with to date. I have Pirate Latitudes to read, so am looking for a little redemption =P
I am currently reading Phantom of the Opera and loving it so far. Still working on the Scarpetta series, but need to get the next book, Predator.

Actually, the Aldrin book is a Norwegian work of fiction by Johan Harstad. It's about a guy who basically idolizes Buzz Aldrin, pretty fascinating, different from what I usually read.
I loved Phantom of the Opera! I read it earlier this year :)

I am still proof-reading my recently released book,"How the Churches Got It Wrong," and, unfortunately, this does not leave me a lot of time for my reading. I do plan to pick up Howard Zinn's "People's History" as soon as possible. BTW, I would not turn down any help offered to me with my proof-reading. Now, I just saying...... www.anewageofvision.com

Right now I am reading this, let's say a biography, called If I Am Missing or Dead: A Sister's Story of Love, Murder, and Liberation. My sister apparently gave it to me (this I did not realize until I found a note in the back page) and it has been sitting on my bookshelf FOREVER. So finally I decided to take it down and read it. I am inthralled! Personally, I have never gone through what the author has throughout her life, but it is interesting to read about her family. I do not know what I would do if I did not talk to my father. Of course, mine does not creep me out. Anywho, it is a great book and I will pass it on. :-)

Check out his latest book.