Books on the Nightstand discussion

Just finished Cutting for Stone and gave it 5 stars which I hardly ever do. It was such a great book! Thank you Ann Kingman for your exasperation with us a podcast or 2 ago, your are such an advocate for this book and it was on my TBR pile far too long. This is a well written story of twins born in a mission hospital in Ethiopia in the 1950s. The medical details are so true, that it gave me confidence that the rest of the story is as well researched. Dr. Verghese is such a great writer; I would read anything that he writes even the back of a cereal box! Thanks, Michael and Ann for the best read of my summer (and year to date)!

Kate, hooray, you made my day! Thank you for trusting me :)

I've started reading Cutting for Stone recently too. I've had it for ages because it was offered for $5.00 for the Nook months ago. I'm just now getting around to it.

I just finished Sarah's Key and The Book Thief both this week. I loved them both, but I am looking now for something light, fluffy, silly, funny. Any recommendations?

Karen have you read , it's a great little series. I love the main character Flavia de Luce, she's 11 and witty and smart and she has a penchant for poison and mystery solving. Give it a try, very good on audio as well.

I just started reading The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Marly wrote: "Karen have you read , it's a great little series. I love the main character Flavia de Luce, she's 11 and witty and smart and she has a penc..."

Hi Marly, yes I have read all the books in the series and really enjoyed these books--I love Flavia, too!

Just finished up Very Valentine for book group. A bit of a light, fluffy read that makes me want to go visit Capri, buy some lovely handmade Italian shoes, and eat manicotti. My only complaint is that the author gets lost in her own descriptions of things, scenes, people, and it takes you out of the story as it is happening. As I am fluent in skimming, I was able to get past it, but people who are more in depth readers may find it tedious.

I also finished Change of Heart on audio, which wasn't bad. Just one thing, people not from here... the state capitol of NH is pronounced "Conkerd", not "Con-corde", like the jet. A native would know that, and I wish the audiobook producer had known it as well.

Callie wrote: "Just finished up Very Valentine for book group. A bit of a light, fluffy read that makes me want to go visit Capri, buy some lovely handmade Italian shoes, and eat manicotti. My only..."

I love all of Adriana Trigiani's books.

I'm about halfway through Everything Beautiful Began After. If you feel the need to be seriously depressed, read this followed by Say Her Name. Both beautifully written; both serious downers.

Just finished The Last Werewolf, and it was SO worth the drama it took to acquire it.

Next up is The Sisters Brothers, which I love already for the cover alone.

Karen wrote: "I just finished Sarah's Key and The Book Thief both this week. I loved them both, but I am looking now for something light, fluffy, silly, funny. Any recommendations?"

Karen, the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella is light and fluffy.

I'm reading Days of Grace by Catherine Hall.

Callie wrote: "Just finished The Last Werewolf, and it was SO worth the drama it took to acquire it."

I listened to that one on audio. The narrator did a great job of depicting Jacob's ennuie and weariness.

I'm now listening to The Leftovers because of Micheal's glowing recommendation.

Callie - Best cover I've seen in a long time. It really ties the plot together.

"Werewolf" grew better in my mind after I'd finished it. Terrific book!

I've just finished Boneshaker which is great steampunk.
I wanted a quick read so I read Daddy's Girl which was a decent thriller but was too light to give me real satisfaction.
Now I'm on Blue Genes by Val McDermid. I loved the Wire in the Blood series based on her books and i am already enjoying the very English writing style.

I put this in August but I really started it in September.I am now reading because I have heard so much about it.Also trying because the publisher offered it for free via Amazon.com .

Callie wrote: "Just finished The Last Werewolf, and it was SO worth the drama it took to acquire it.

Oh, I'm so glad!

Next up is The Sisters Brothers, which I love already for the cover alone."
Will be talking about this on BOTNS soon. LOVED IT!!

Gerald wrote: ".Also trying today and loved it. Great place to start for dipping into graphic novels. This is the graphic novel of a chic cartoonist battling breast cancer. Since I hadn't read graphics or comics, I was impressed by how well you can get to know the characters via the art.

Also read One for the Money by Janet Evanovich and enjoyed it. Definitely liked the main character, Stephanie Plum, but I'm not much a suspense person and felt teased by the relationship between the main characters (I totally know that's the point). I think I was hoping for a higher romance to suspense ratio, but I see why the series is so popular.

Read

Oops...wrong button.

Read The Paleo Solution last week and found it a decent intro to the concept. The meal plan and recipes look good. The why behind some of the restrictions was not well laid out. There may be better books on the subject.

Marly wrote: "Karen have you read , it's a great little series. I love the main character Flavia de Luce, she's 11 and witty and smart and she has a penc..."

Beth wrote: "I just started reading The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh"

Beth,
I just finished The Language of Flowers and really enjoyed it! Thought it would be darker given its subject matter. Admire the author's writing and her commitment to foster children. I know I'll be checking out her charitable site set up to assist those who "graduate" from the system upon their 18th birthday and are then on their own. Hope you enjoy the book!

In the middle of the night last night (thankfully no full moon!) I was listening to the end of "The Last Werewolf" until 5:30 am - what a great book. The narrator, Robin Sachs, does an amazing job except for his shaky American accents and female 'voices' - I wasn't a fan of that, wish they'd picked either another (female) reader and provided him with a dialect coach. But apart from that he was the perfect match for Jake Marlow.

I am now starting "The Sense of an Ending" by Julian Barnes. I got this one in print, and I'm delighted with the beautiful hard cover, sleeve, high quality paper and print, and the pages are black on the outside which looks very cool. Definitely a keeper for the bookshelf regardless if the content turns out to be to my liking! :-)

I'm really excited about whether I'll like The Last Werewolf, it really seems to be one of the books people either love or hate!

Finishing up In the Garden of Beasts. I just started Lonesome Dove for book group, and I have a feeling its 880 pages are going to take up most of my reading time in September. The next 2 books on my TBR list,if I were to get to them, are Summer at Tiffany and A Fortunate Age, which I have had on my "nightstand"(ie under the bed) for 2 and a half years now.

I just finished Follow Me Downand really enjoyed it. Am now reading The Fall of Rome. I have The Last Werewolf on hold at the library but there are many people in front of me!

I finished reading The Reservoir and enjoyed the story, the setting, and all the details of the time and place. It was obviously well-researched, but he doesn't add details that aren't relevant to the story. The suspense kept me up 'til I couldn't read any more. I don't want to say more because the plot should unfold just as it does and I don't want to spoil anyone's read. I'll probably miss the discussion planned for this month, but I'd be interested in others thoughts.

Now I'm reading Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them. She has great examples of writings and different aspects of novels and short stories, starting with "Words," "Sentences," and chapters on Narration and Dialogue. I didn't like the conversations she quoted in the section on dialogue, but as a writer who writes a lot of dialogue, I learned from this chapter. I didn't feel like I had to go back and reread books from High School like another poster, but enjoyed and learned from Prose's example, including the great "A Hard Man is Hard to Find."

Gosh, I've only just seen that the Alan Hollinghurst book (The Stranger's Child) has NOT been short-listed for the Booker prize. I am shocked!! I thought that was a sure winner (not that I've even read it yet but based on the hype reviews out there by 'the experts'), I ws even going to put money on it at Ladbrokes! Well, hopefully this means that poor old Julian Barnes finally wins the Booker after many years of 'close but no cigar'.

On that note, I'd better crack on with his book.... Night, everyone!

Louise wrote: "I'm really excited about whether I'll like The Last Werewolf, it really seems to be one of the books people either love or hate!"

I think you are right, Louise, and even though I really enjoyed it and thought it was a clever, well-written book, I can also understand that a lot of people would be appalled by it. :-)

So, let us know which camp you're in!! Enjoy the moonshine!

Lil wrote: "Oops...wrong button.

Read The Paleo Solution last week and found it a decent intro to the concept. The meal plan and recipes look good. The why behind some of the restrictions was..."

Lil -- this is probably off topic, but I don't think there is a better book on Paleo yet. Don't know if you know this, but our family has been eating paleo for the past 8 months. I've never felt better. Feel free to email me if you want more info or want to chat about it...
ann@booksonthenightstand.com

Kats wrote: " am now starting "The Sense of an Ending" by Julian Barnes. I got this one in print, and I'm delighted with the beautiful hard cover, sleeve, high quality paper and print, and the pages are black on the outside which looks very cool. Definitely a keeper for the bookshelf regardless if the content turns out to be to my liking! :-) "

Kat, I hope the US edition is as beautiful when it comes out! I just started it, and about 30 pages in found out that it had just been shortlisted for the Man Booker prize.

I'm a bit more than halfway through The Sisters Brothers, and I really am enjoying it. It feels like a mix of Waiting For Godot, Of Mice and Men, and The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers.

Which is to say (I now realize) that it features 2 men who have somewhat terse conversations. This is why I'm not a lit critic.

I'm almost finished with The Help which I have loved and just now really getting into My Life in France

I'm about a third of the way through Stefan Kanfer's Groucho: The Life and Times of Julius Henry Marx and so far am enjoying it. GoodReads was incorrect in thinking that this Terry Pratchett fan would enjoy Diana Wynn Jones, so I'm about to take up another recommended humorous-fantasy author, Craig Shaw Gardner. Wish me better luck this time, please. Next up on my list: Roger Angoff's memoir Let Me Finish, Jerome K. Jerome's comic essay collection Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow (via Kobo), and Brent Walker's film history Mack Sennett's Fun Factory. So much to read, so little time!

I'm reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacksand Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Childrenand I'm listening to A Breath of Snow and Asheson audio.

The first podcast of BOTNS I listened to included a discussion of Cutting for Stone, and the book has been floating around my "I must read that soon" list since then. I just finished it, and what a wonderful read it was! The characters were so interesting, and the story was fabulous. To be over 600 pages, it was a very quick read! BOTNS never leads me to a bad book (my favorite finds from the podcast being Cutting for Stone, Geek Love, Let the Great World Spin, and Await your Reply)!

I am currently reading In the Garden of Beasts by Eric Larson. The man could make a file cabinet sound interesting. I am really enjoying the book so far, even though it is not an easy subject to read about.

I'm reading FatherMotherGod by Lucia Greenhouse. Not usually my cup of tea but I find that I'm enjoying it and learning along the way.

Flora wrote: "I'm almost finished with The Help which I have loved and just now really getting into My Life in France"

Those are two wonderful books! My Life in France in particular is to my mind the perfect memoir. Enjoy!

Libby wrote: "the plot should unfold just as it does"

That's actually what I disliked about it. Everything happened exactly as I predicted and should have ended after the trial in my opinion. I didn't think anything after that point was suspensful or added to the story. I actually was debating whether or not to continue reading it.

I spent a few days up at the US Open Tennis Championships and when I came home I dove into Open: An Autobiographyby Andre Agassi and I absolutely love it. I always enjoyed watching him play and the more I learn about his life and personality and love him more. There is still quite a long way to go though...

In addition I'm reading Across the Universe by Beth Revis which is an enjoyable diversion. Space/mystery/romance, you know, your typical novel!

I've been trying to get through Martian Summer: Robot Arms, Cowboy Spacemen, and My 90 Days with the Phoenix Mars Mission by Andrew Kesslerbut it's not grabbing me as much as I'd hoped. I think I need to return this one to the library and come back to it when Im in a more patient mood.

I actually just read the first two books in the Morganville Vampires series, via the new omnibus re-release: 2-in-1.
The Morganville Vampires: Volume 1
I hadn't really heard of them or never bothered with them until I heard something about one of the characters having multiple personalities and is apparrently amazing, scary, hilarious in turns. He's not in the first few books, of course. lol

The books get back to the old idea of vampires are scary and evil, and the fact that this town (Morganville) looks like a ghost town because the vampires run this town with an iron fist. And once you learn the town's secret, the vampires own you or eat you, and if you try to leave town they hunt you down and kill you.

I really liked the books, could not put them down. It doesn't have witty sarcasm being thrown around like i like, but everything just keeps going wrong and the characters are trying SO hard to just get one step ahead so they don't drown. Nobody is really content to give them that chance.

I just finished The Paris Wife, loved it and started A Movable Feast,
also just started In the Garden of the Beast. I may dip into something
totally thrillerish on audio..any suggestions?

Jake Marlowe is the last werewolf. They've been hunted to near extinction and a werewolf bite can no longer turn a human. Jake doesn't care. At 200 years old, he's fed up with life and doesn't want to put up a fight when the hunters come for him. Jake narrates the story, and his voice is similar to that of Humbert Humbert from "Lolita". He's jaded, erudite, and able to make you understand, even like him, although he makes no attempt to conceal his Curse-born cruelty and murderous nature from the reader.

Rather, we end up asking the tough question: what separates us from him? Run your tongue over your canine teeth. Have a rare steak. Recall the times you've lost yourself in passion. We all hunt, kill, and rut. We just conceal the fact beneath a veneer of civilization.

This book isn't just a think piece. There's a plot, which I won't give away. But I will say that there's room for a sequel here. You see, there are also vampires in the world Duncan has created, and they have their own society, which is tantalizingly hinted at. Maybe Duncan will write a book concerning the vampires. We'll see.

I've just finished Blue Genes by Val McDermid. The mystery part of the story was OK but what I really enjoyed the fantastically English turns of phrase. She had me laughing out loud several times.
Now I am on Smilla's Sense of Snow. I'm looking forward to learning something about Greenlanders.

I am in the middle of The Last Werewolf and so far am really enjoying it. I am also listening to The Snowman. Very creepy in that great mystery sort of way.

Just started the audio version of The Last Werewolf and it made for a very enjoyable commute to work today. Thanks Eric.

Just picked up The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern today! Can't wait to get into it. The reviews were very positive.

I started Murder under Cover... and it was not a good choice for me. I think I just don't like cozy mysteries? Or possibly the tone is just too different from what I've been reading lately. In any case, I'll give it a bit more time, but this may be the first one in a long time that I put down without finishing. I feel like it's too self-aware, in the "Oh goodness, my life used to be so normal and now I'm constantly surrounded by homicides that I'm helping the police to solve," kind of way. Yes, I get it, the police are all your best friends now. Hilarious.

Read City of Fallen Angels and am sad to say I was terribly bored with it. I know the premise is all the characters having to learn to live regular lives and having to adjust to interacting with each other in a peaceful setting rather than "Oh hey, we're lucky if we'll see tomorrow" and none of them is really very good at it, not to mention they'd gotten so use to the break neck speed of trying to survive by their fingernails that now they're left bouncing on their heels wondering what to do with themselves.

The book didn't suck me in, even though i love the characters and the world. It didn't have the energy of the other books and I think it's because the series was suppose to be a trilogy and for whatever reason she ended up continueing it and adding a prequel series. Blah. If it's great, let it go.

Currently reading Beastly, I was given it for my birthday last Friday along with several other books including The Dust of 100 Dogs. The books is cute, but predictable, and at times a little cliche and awkward trying to be too true to the orignal fairly tale and including quotes that don't really fit "Who dares disturb my roses?!" even the main character is like "Who TALKS like that anymore?!", yet he's the one that said it.

I just got my preordered copy of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I've been looking forward to this debut novel since Anne mentioned it on our Boston Walking Lit Tour.

My first purchase using Amazon Prime and they came through, I got the book the day the book was released.

Marly wrote: "I just got my preordered copy of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I've been looking forward to this debut novel since Anne mentioned it on our Boston Walking Lit Tour.

[bookco..."

I hope I get mine today. My Amazon tracking says it's on the delivery truck.