Books on the Nightstand discussion

Keeping one of my 2014 goals in mind I started two books I own:

The Grimm Legacy

and

Eat, Pray, Love

The Goldfinch!

I am continuing , The Goldfinch. I had hoped to finish it yesterday, but I have been sick since the day after Christmas and only managed to get a little bit of reading done. Not sure what I will read next, I have 2 library books and may read or may return them.

Started this morning

So glad all of you are starting the year off with The Goldfinch. An absolute gem, wish I was reading it again for the first time.
I am still thoroughly enjoying & Sons (my gift from the BOTNS Secret Santa). I think this was a sleeper book, but the NYC atmosphere reminds me of The Goldfinch.
Happy reading and happy new year!!

I'm reading "Samedi the Deafness" by Jesse Ball. I read one of his other books, "The Curfew", and thought it was brilliant.

Trying to take advantage of devises.
Kindle .
Paper .
Audio .
Also trying to get into short stories with a podcast Selected Shorts,and reading from the classic short story collections I have.

The goldfinch also

I just finished Longbourn by Jo Baker. I read it with Pride and Prejudice, alternating sections. It made Jane Austin so much easier to read! Enjoyed both books.

Yay me! After a year, I finally finished , my Secret Santa gift from last year from Helen! I'm not sure why I never got around to reading the last 50 pages or so, since I was enjoying it, but as time went on, it just became less important to finish to me. So today I did. And I'm glad! And thanks, Helen, if you see this, I did enjoy it a lot!

The American Heiress

I am reading Shakespeare: The World as a Stage.

I finished What She Left Behind this morning. Have started an arc of Alice Hoffman's The Museum of Extraordinary Things.

Linda wrote: "Keeping one of my 2014 goals in mind I started two books I own:

The Grimm Legacy

and

[book:Eat, Pray, Lov..."

I found Eat, Pray, Love surprisingly good. I would never have picked it up if it wasn't a book club read. Glibert has the sharpest wit and I laughed out loud several times. The movies doesn't do it justice.

Right now, and

Started The Goldfinch yesterday. I am still working on and and

Just started -- the latest find from my local charity shop. After that it's and .

Carolyn CATCH 22 is a thought provoking masterpiece. A wonderful novel.

Sonia wrote: "I found Eat, Pray, Love surprisingly good. I would never have picked it up if it wasn't a book club read. Glibert has the sharpest wit and I laughed out loud several times. The movies doesn't do it justice. "

One of my book clubs is reading Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage this month. Coincidence!

Sue wrote: "The Goldfinch!"

Just finished "The Goldfinch". Long but very good. I!m now reading "The Good House" by Leary.

Time to start the 2014 reading goals (aka reading challenges):

Complete 2009 TBR: The Complete Persepolis and The Falls
Finish Series: The Angel's Game
Random TBR: An American Tragedy
Published in 2014 (and to purchase at Prairie Lights indie bookstore): The Invention of Wings
Booktopia: The Cartographer of No Man's Land: A Novel
I will hope to start my quarterly historical read: The Men Who United the States: America's Explorers, Inventors, Eccentrics and Mavericks, and the Creation of One Nation, Indivisible

Also, reading Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage for one of my book clubs.

Trying to finish up One Summer: America, 1927 on audio and will start Cartwheel.

I finished and really enjoyed it. Last evening I started which I found in the library.

I'm currently reading The Dovekeepers for one bookgroup and Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison for another. Also started re-reading Interview With The Vampire over the break (I'm not sure what made me pick it up, but I'm kind of glad I did). Still listening to A Clash of Kings, I stalled out over the holidays, but picked it back up.
After reading this thread, I want to jump on The Goldfinch bandwagon...need to finish some of my books in progress first!

The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara. About 3/4 of the way done and enjoying it much, much more than expected.

Gerald wrote: "Carolyn CATCH 22 is a thought provoking masterpiece. A wonderful novel."

I'm really looking forward to it! It's been on my list for ages.

I'm continuing with The Goldfinch, too. Halfway through and still loving it.

Tawny wrote: "The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara. About 3/4 of the way done and enjoying it much, much more than expected."

This makes me so happy!

I'm now halfway through the Ruth Ozeki For the Time Being. Interesting book. my book club is planning to see her talk in a few weeks,

I just finished & Sons. It was a decent, albeit long read. Now I am trying to decide between Want Not and We are Water. Decisions, decisions...
Happy reading!

Started The Visionist yesterday. I won this ARC here on goodreads.

I just started The Goldfinch
Then on to Sycamore Row
East of Eden

Deb wrote: "I just started The Goldfinch
Then on to Sycamore Row
East of Eden"

sounds familiar!

Heather wrote: "I just finished The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Gaiman. Adored it! This was my first book by Neil and I can't believe I waited this long to pick him up. I just downloaded Stardust and American..."

My first 2 Heather & I wondered the same thing!! I actually was able to see/hear him at a book signing so when I read the book, it was his voice I heard!

That's it! I'm buying The Goldfinch since I couldn't finish thus book by library loan in the busy holiday pre-season! Instead picked up Alice Munro's stories Dear Life: Stories and am enjoying it immensely.

Julie wrote: "That's it! I'm buying The Goldfinch since I couldn't finish thus book by library loan in the busy holiday pre-season! Instead picked up Alice Munro's stories [book:Dear Life: Storie..."

I've been wanting to read Dear Life Stories!

Finished The Art of Hearing Heartbeats last now and now I have begun The Goldfinch.

I finished The Maid's Version byDaniel Woodrell and really enjoyed it; he might be my new favorite author. I just started Angle of Repose which I selected for one of my book groups. I don't have to read it until mid-February but it is pretty long and I need to finish it since I picked it :)

Melissa wrote: "Finished The Art of Hearing Heartbeats last now and now I have begun The Goldfinch."

I loved The Art of Hearing Heartbeats. Wish I'd heard the author at Booktopia.

I am 70 % of the way through The Finkler Question and am not enjoying this book at all but refuse to give up! Please tell me it's worth it.

I started Kitchen Confidential and Around the World in Eighty Days, rather a strange combination I have to admit. I want to read more classics this year. Even with degrees in lit and history, there are SO many books that I've never read. Usual thought, eh?

I'm reading The Luminaries since it will probably be on the short list for The Tournament of Books over at The Morning News.

Just finished and I really enjoyed it. It was a quick read. It seems to have mixed reviews due to its backwards plot and people find that to be gimmicky, I guess, but I enjoyed it. And it had lots of twists and turns, some I saw coming but numerous ones I did not.

Am finishing up Villette; should be able to finish it up this evening.

Deb wrote: "I just started The Goldfinch
Then on to Sycamore Row
East of Eden"

I could not put East of Eden down! One of my all-time favorites.

Just finished The Deepest Secret, an ok read but I am so spoiled and haunted by The Goldfinch that nothing quite measures up. Take heed fellow BOTNS followers — after The Goldfinch, everything else will pale in comparison.
Thinking of Wally Lamb's We Are Water to rinse this bad taste out of my reading brain. I do love Lamb's work.
Happy reading!!

Chanda2426 wrote: "Just finished The Deepest Secret, an ok read but I am so spoiled and haunted by The Goldfinch that nothing quite measures up. Take heed fellow BOTNS followers — after The Goldfinch, everything else..."

At 60% progress with The Goldfinch…..& I loved We Are Water, difficult subject material also but Wally has a way to make it not seem so awful….not sure if that makes sense….

I'm a third of the way through The Goldfinch and I love, love, love Donna Tartt's writing but I see a lot of similarities to The Secret History - as in, Theo could be a young Richard Papen. Not necessarily a bad thing but I was expecting more originality, I suppose? She has a thing for tragic childhoods and off the charts crazy drug and alcohol use, that's for sure.

I was very disappointed by We Are Water. I was so hoping to love it - I thought it could have used a LOT more editing. I disliked most of the characters, and found much of the writing trite and plodding. That said, it did stay with me after I finished it - sort of keeps percolating after it's over.

Chanda2426 wrote: "Just finished The Deepest Secret, an ok read but I am so spoiled and haunted by The Goldfinch that nothing quite measures up. Take heed fellow BOTNS followers — after The Goldfinch, everything else..."

I am reading a great book on Oil and Canadian politics. Arno Kopecky's The Oil Man and the Sea is about the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline that Enbridge wants to build from Alberta's tar sands to Northern BC's coast, right smack dab in the middle of the very vulnerable Great Bear Rainforest. It is a bit disheartening to read the optimism of the author, the activists and First Nations community members - who fear that a spill would be an inevitable outcome as the coastal waters are treacherous for smaller ships let alone huge oil tankers - knowing that the project just received approval from the review panel. I can only hope that the courts will be more sensible than the government and the farce that was the review process.