Pikes Peak Library District discussion

Let us know what book(s) you are reading now. Would you recommend it to anyone else?

I just finished Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. I am not into historical fiction, but I really enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it! I am actually looking forward to the movie.

Just finished Rot & Ruin . I enjoy a good YA adventure now and again, and this was worth reading for its level of contemplation that shows a post-apocalyptic world that, to some extent, mirrors the one in which we currently live. If you are okay with moderate violence and some snogging in your supernatural adventure books, I'd recommend this one.

I am currently reading a mystery - Gone with a Handsomer Man. So far, it is pretty funny - she has been arrested for pelting her philandering fiancee with unripe peaches.

I'll keep you posted! I enjoyed this author's other novels, so I have a good feeling about this one!

Melissa wrote: "I just finished Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. I am not into historical fiction, but I really enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it! I am actually looking forward to the movie."

I really enjoyed this book as well. The transition between the historical aspect of the story and the current/modern storyline kept me flying through the pages to find out what actually happened. Heartbreaking!

Sarah's Key was truly heartbreaking but definitely an amazing read. I just finished "A Primate's Memoir" - a fascinating tale of a neuroscientist's adventures studying baboons in Africa. It's definitely not a genre I would normally read but it is funny, adventurous and overall, a delightful book.

I just finished "A Primate's Memoir" - a fascinating tale of a neuroscientist's adventures studying baboons in Africa. It's defin..."

I've had "A Primate's Memoir" in my home library for years. Thanks for reminding me this one. I've never read it but I will plan to now...

I'm reading "Dandelion Fire," the second book in the middle grade 100 Cupboards series. I adored "100 Cupboards," but I'm having a hard time getting into this one. Maybe because I've only had time to read a few pages at time the past few days.

I am reading " The Night Strangers" By Chris Bohjalian. So far so good!

My recent reads that I gave 4 or 5 stars to include a diverse selection:

Down the Great Unknown: John Wesley Powell's 1869 Journey of Discovery and Tragedy Through the Grand Canyon
This book was historical research for the third book in my RM Outdoor Adventures mystery, which will take place in Cataract Canyon, part of Powell's journey. I found the book to be a fascinating adventure/survival tale.

The Roald Dahl Omnibus: Perfect Bedtime Stories for Sleepless Nights
A wonderful collection of perfectly creepy stories!

Heaven's Keep
William Kent Krueger's Cork O'Conner series is my favorite outdoor-oriented mystery series, and this book was yet another example of his excellent writing.

I'm reading Killing The Blues, a Jesse Stone novel. It's written by Michael Brandman who also worked on the TV series. I'd never read any of Parker's Jesse Stone books, although I've read all his Spenser novels. Brandman has managed to maintain Parker's voice, and the character is true to the one I know from the television movies.

I'm also reading Crunch Time by Diane Mott Davidson. I was pleased to be able to get this one from my library downloaded to my Nook. Living in Divide, it's a schlep to the library, and I love that we can get ebooks right from home.

And, downstairs, on my exercise bike, I'm reading Silk is for Seduction by Loretta Chase, which I got at a conference. I don't usually read historical romance, but Chase has managed to capture me. (Which is good, because that's the motivation I need to go downstairs and pedal the bike!)

I'm currently listening to Innocent, by Scott Turow. Very compelling. It's making me want to go back and reread Presumed Innocent.

I just started Room. The story seems like it will be good, but I find the voice of the child narrator a little offputting. It doesn't ring real to me.

Shannon wrote: "Just finished Rot & Ruin. I enjoy a good YA adventure now and again, and this was worth reading for its level of contemplation that shows a post-apocaly..."

I want to read that book!

Currently I'm reading Northanger Abbey. I think I've read it before, beacuse it seems familiar.

I just finished The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains and then went to the presentation by the author that ppld hosted. It was really interesting!

I thoroughly enjoyed Neither Wolf Nor Dog. It was such an out-of-the-ordinary read.
Barry James Hickey
In this 1996 Minnesota Book Award winner, Kent Nerburn draws the reader deep into the world of an Indian elder known only as Dan. It’s a world of Indian towns, white roadside cafes, and abandoned roads that swirl with the memories of the Ghost Dance and Sitting Bull. Readers meet vivid characters like Jumbo, a 400-pound mechanic, and Annie, an 80-year-old Lakota woman living in a log cabin. Threading through the book is the story of two men struggling to find a common voice. Neither Wolf nor Dog takes readers to the heart of the Native American experience. As the story unfolds, Dan speaks eloquently on the difference between land and property, the power of silence, and the selling of sacred ceremonies. This edition features a new introduction by the author. “This is a sobering, humbling, cleansing, loving book, one that every American should read.” — Yoga Journal
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I just finished , and it was a fascinating read. I also just read a novel about Ernest Hemingway and his first wife. I really didn't know much about Hemingway, and I enjoyed this novel quite a bit.

I just finished Troubled Bones (great read) and have started a Madam of Espionage Mystery. I am listening to Fool Moon audio on CD...from the library!

I am listening to "Where She Went", I really liked the first book in this series. I am about to start "Divergent" I have heard great things about this book so I will keep you posted.

Just finished the Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum. FANTASTIC.

Now I'm on to essays by James Baldwin and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by the awesome John LeCarre.

I just finished Stephen King's 11/22/63. I've never been a King fan but actually pre-ordered this one and waited anxiously for it to arrive. I wasn't disappointed one bit, this book was about the best I've read in a really long time. Highly recommended.

I'm reading Harlan Coben's Live Wire and finding it to be very enjoyable. Now I'll have to go back and catch up on the other nine books in the series that preceded it!

I'm reading The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides who wrote Middlesex which won the Pulitzer. I'm not finding it quite as compelling as Middlesex but very interesting characters. Jury is still out on this one.

I'm reading my first Frederick Forsyth novel, The Negotiator. So far so good even though it is a bit dated. It's the end of the Cold War era and one of the major concerns near the beginning of the book is gas prices. What will Americans do if they have to pay $2.00 a gallon for gas?

Alfred wrote: "I'm currently listening to Innocent, by Scott Turow. Very compelling. It's making me want to go back and reread Presumed Innocent.

I just started Room. The story seems like it will be good, but ..."

...I've just started listening to Room on CD. I agree that it is a challenge to get into the child narrator. It's a book group read so I'm hoping that it gets more interesting.

I just finished Catching Fire and Uneasy Spirits . I am now reading A Gentleman of Fortune. I recommend them all.

Krista wrote: "Let us know what book(s) you are reading now. Would you recommend it to anyone else?"

I love reading Christmas stories any time of the year and especially Christmas romances and Christmas mysteries. I have just finished reading 3 Chsistmas books. "1225 Christmas Tree Lane" is Debbie Macomber's
final book in her Cedar Cove series. I hate to see this series come to an end. The characters have become old friends and family. (I hope she starts a new series for next year.) The second Christmas story is "The Nine Lives of Christmas" by Sheila Roberts. Two people are brought together by a rescued cat who has a job bringing about a happy ending. In "The Paper Bag Christmas" by Kevin Alan Milne, two young boys find the true meaning of Christmas when they work with hospitalized young cancer patients during the Christmas season. Unexpected friendships are formed and a Christmas message comes from an unusual source. I must warn you that the last may require you to have several Kleenexes on hand.

None of the three books is a heavy read, although the last is more serious than the other two. Any one of the three is a good "cozy" read - just in time for the holidays.

Enjoy!

I just started reading "The Boy in the Suitcase" this afternoon.

I ama trying to read all athe Debbie Macomber Christmas novels by Christmas --- right now I am in "The Perfect Christmas"

I am re-reading Crime and Punishment. Not very cheerful, and certainly not cozy, but the onset of winter seems a good time to read Russian lit.

Mary wrote: "I love reading Christmas stories any time of the year and especially Christmas romances and Christmas mysteries. I have just finished reading 3 Chsistmas books. "1225 Christmas Tree Lane" is Debb..."

I'm trying to get into the holiday spirit with Christmas books too. I just started Dickens's Christmas Carol - reading it for the first time.

Discovery of Witches , the latest Flavia De Luca book and Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels #3) for fiction. I am making my way through Vulture's Picnic for a non-fiction.

just finished Debbie Macomber's 'The Perfect Christmas' which was good, but the bonus story included in the paperback 'Can this be Christmas' is probably the best thing she ever did. [keep in mind written beofre the era of cell phones etc.]

I liked the last Flavia de Luce book. A dark holiday story to be sure.

Right now I'm getting through The Marriage Plot. I don't know what to make of it yet. I haven't read any of the author's other books, but I have seen the movie based on The Virgin Suicides.

On my eReader I've got Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen. I only use the eReader at the gym and I find this book very motivating while on the treadmill!

During my recent vacation to Mazatlan, along with scouring the galley proofs for Wicked Eddies for errors, I managed to read 2 mystery books while lounging by the pool or ocean. I enjoyed Carolyn Hart's Engaged to Die, and I very much enjoyed Nancy Pickard's The Whole Truth. In fact, I put the other two titles in that series on my to-read list, and my husband is reading THE WHOLE TRUTH now.

Currently I am reading Winds of Fate by Mercedes Lackey. Just finished up with American Gods by Neil Gaiman (wow what a good read that was).

Going on a bit of a historical fiction bent with one of my favorite authors in that genre: by Bernard Cornwell

Currently reading "An Old Fashioned Girl" by Louisa May Alcott as part of a LMAlcott challenge I'm participating in this year.

Just finished the first three of Fern Michaels Godmjother series. Okay, but not up to the Sistesrhood series by a pretty fair amount. Haven't decided wether to continue or not.

Am also re-reading "Pig Boats", the very, very interesting and informative history of the Navy Submarine Force in WWII. Highly reccommend to anyone intersted in either WWII or Submarines.

I just finished reading Defending Jacob: A Novel . This is a excellent courtroom drama mystery. It starts slowly, drawing you in like an anaconda systematically squeezing its victim. By the time you reach the middle, you are trapped, the book stuck to your hands as the air is squeezed out of you. The story keeps changing as surprising revelations are casually dropped in your lap until you read the last two scenes with your mouth hanging open, finishing with a satisfying "Whoosh" for your last breath. Then the book lives with your for days afterward as you replay scenes in your mind. For me, that's what indicates a book deserves 5 stars. I highly recommend it!

I'm presently reading Cold April. It is quite a fascinating look at Victorian society, a Gentleman and a Governess.

Almost done with book 2 in the Game of Thrones Series. Good stuff.

Currently reading The Wars of the Roses

Making my way through Stephen King's Magnum Opus "Dark Tower" series. Currently on #3,

I have started both Three Little Words and Looking for Alaska

I can not wait to see how they unfold.

I have just started Colm Toibin's "The Empty Family", stories, rather then my usual novel. I enjoyed two of his earlier books "Brooklyn" and "The Master", so I thought I would see how his short stories compare.

currently everything I can get my hands on by Carolyn Hart---when I can spare time from writing

I just finished "Raising Abel" the upcoming book club book. I started reading and couldn't stop! Can't wait for the future discussions. I just downloaded her new book "The Trunk Key" and am looking forward to reading it too.

Rod wrote: "currently everything I can get my hands on by Carolyn Hart---when I can spare time from writing"

Rod,
I love Carolyn's books, too, and the woman herself. I've talked to her at a few mystery cons, and she is as sweet as can be. I hope that you get a chance to meet her soon, if you haven't already.

theelfqueen wrote: "Currently reading "An Old Fashioned Girl" by Louisa May Alcott as part of a LMAlcott challenge I'm participating in this year."

I remember reading that as a teen. I loved it!

Am reading fellow local author, Gary Penley's 'Deep Venture' It is VERY GOOD. Those who have never experienced what it is like to be on a submarine can experience it almost as if you are there. Those who were ever in the Navy-at least the modern Navy will enjoy Gary taking them back to re-live arrival at boot camp and several other experiences. I don't think PPLD has the book yet, but they should. It is an excellent read - - the best for me so far this year.