Book Snails Book Group discussion

What are you reading, December 2016?

Top 105 Fantasy Books of All Time...
How many have YOU read?

http://www.listchallenges.com/reddits...

(fantasy isn't my fave genre, but I've read 6 of 'em)

I'll be finishing up Wuthering Heights, and I might start Velva Jean Learns to Drive, by Jennifer Niven. I just received the whole Velva Jean series last week, so I'm excited to start them :) I also have We Have Always Lived in the Castle lying around, so I'll probably pick that up too.

StarMan wrote: "Top 105 Fantasy Books of All Time...
How many have YOU read?

http://www.listchallenges.com/reddits...

(fantasy isn't my fave genre, but I've read 6 of 'em)"

I've read 8, currently working on #9 (The Name of the Wind).

"And The Mountains Echoed" by Khaled Hosseini
"Middlemarch" by George Elliot
"The Man Who Laughs" by Victor Hugo

It feels counterproductive to be reading on 3 at the same time. It's also overwelling. But, I only have 2 more weeks of Middlemarch left and then I can focus on the other two.

I've read 20-ish from the fantasy list - in some cases they count entire series as one book (I counted a couple I haven't completed yet). A ton of the others are on my tbr.

Erin, I love The Name of the Wind. :)

December is such a long way off - I have no idea what I'll be reading. ;)

Ok, probably The Sword of Shannara. After I finish The Slow Regard of Silent Things.

Just Elise wrote: "I've read 20-ish from the fantasy list - in some cases they count entire series as one book (I counted a couple I haven't completed yet). A ton of the others are on my tbr.."

That's pretty impressive, Elise. I wonder if anyone here has read more than your 20-ish on that Fantasy list. I doubt it!

Just Elise wrote: "I've read 20-ish from the fantasy list - in some cases they count entire series as one book (I counted a couple I haven't completed yet). A ton of the others are on my tbr.

Erin, I love The Name o..."

My goal is to finish The Name of the Wind by the end of December. I didn't get very far before I got derailed by surgery and having my mom come down for over a week to help me out. I should be able to dive back in tomorrow night...

StarMan, thank you. I'd be curious, too. In the fantasy group I'm in, I usually feel like such a fantasy noob. ;)

Erin, I'm so sorry about your surgery. :( I hope your recovery is going well! I've had a lot going on lately to derail my reading, too, so I can definitely understand how that goes. When you get back to it, I hope you love The Name of the Wind as much as I did. :) It started me on a Kingkiller Chronicle binge, which I'm still working my way through. I love Patrick Rothfuss' writing, and his characters. I adore Kvothe. :)

I picked up this book today for $1 at Dollar Tree. The GR ratings are all over the place (averaging 3.5 or so), but I thought it would make a good Christmas gift for a cat lover:

Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet



The author has also written
Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet,
by the way.

Is anyone buying specific books for the readers in their family? If so, what titles and for what age group?

Or are you kin so difficult to buy for that they get a gift certificate for WallyWorld or Amazon?

Of course, it's fine if your family eschews lots of material gifts in favor of quality (?) time spent together (preferably with good eats). We've pretty much reduced it to stocking stuffers, books, or $10 gift certificates in our family, thank goodness.

Just Elise wrote: "StarMan, thank you. I'd be curious, too. In the fantasy group I'm in, I usually feel like such a fantasy noob. ;)

Erin, I'm so sorry about your surgery. :( I hope your recovery is going well! I've..."

Thanks Elise! Physically, all is well. It's my emotional well-being that will take time to recover (I lost another baby...)

I made it to page 90 in The Name of the Wind and now have to return the book because someone else placed a hold on it. I am liking it so far and don't want to wait to get it back again, so I went ahead and bought it for my Kindle. I hope it's worth that $9 :-P

I also figure, if I do like it and if the author ever publishes the third book, I may want to reread it down the road so it's worth taking a chance on :-)

Oh, I'm so, so sorry, Erin! Keeping you in my thoughts and sending hugs to you! I hope you can find comfort and that you're surrounded by loved ones.

I don't think you'll be disappointed with The Name of the Wind. If you like it so far, I'm sure you'll like the rest. I was enthralled starting on page one. :) I'd say it's most definitely worth the $9! I'm already planning my re-read of the first two whenever book 3 has a publication date. :) If you get sucked in anywhere near as much as I have, then buying them is a good investment. :)

I'm almost 100% certain I'm going to be a cat lady when I'm older, and that book looks really cute and interesting!

My dad and my aunt are really the only other ones in my family who love reading, and I've picked my dad up Orphan X (among a few other things) for Christmas. I got a really great deal, too. It was only $8.

For my aunt, she really loves history and historical fiction, and I saw this Civil War book at Marshall's that seems interesting. It was only $4, too! My uncle loves history, but doesn't like reading much, so my aunt will probably read the book out loud to him before bed each night. They're very cute in that way :)

Erin, first off, I'm so incredibly sorry to hear about that. Keeping you in my thoughts as well! I agree with Just Elise, too. I've never read the book, but I don't think you'll be disappointed, as it has a 4.55 star rating here, which is super high!

StarMan wrote: "I picked up this book today for $1 at Dollar Tree. The GR ratings are all over the place (averaging 3.5 or so), but I thought it would make a good Christmas gift for a cat lover...

Is anyone buying specific books for the readers in their family? If so, what titles and for what age group?"

I just ordered Not Dead Yet: The Memoir by Phil Collins for my dad. He'll be 60 next year and I grew up listening to Genesis!

My 1 year old son is getting Star Wars: ABC-3PO, Bedtime Peekaboo!, and A Is for Apple. He may also be getting Disney's Bedtime Favorites (3rd Edition) if they have it at BJ's (I have a coupon for $5 off :-)

And I bought Babar and the New Baby for my brother-in-law because he and my sister are expecting their first child, a daughter, who was conceived when they were in Paris. (My sister is getting a gift card for Motherhood Maternity!)

I thought about buying Shift and Dust for my almost 30 year old brother (he's the one who turned me on to Wool Omnibus), but he's getting married next year and still has a ton of work to do on the house he bought in foreclosure, so he's getting a Home Depot gift card instead!

Kelsey wrote: "Erin, first off, I'm so incredibly sorry to hear about that. Keeping you in my thoughts as well! I agree with Just Elise, too. I've never read the book, but I don't think you'll be disappointed, as it has a 4.55 star rating here, which is super high!"

Thanks Kelsey! My doctor believes nothing is wrong and that it was just "bad luck," so I'm hoping and praying and wishing that our luck turns around in 2017.

Jumping off StarMan's post about books you're buying for family, does anyone have any recommendations for the following:

10 year old girl
8 year old boy
6 year old girl
5 year old boy

I was thinking it might be nice to get a book for each of my nieces and nephews in addition to the checks we always send for each one (they have about a million toys so we don't even bother with that)
I'd love to get The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants for my niece when she gets a little older. And I think The Chronicles of Narnia would be great for my nephew in a few years. But I don't have any ideas for their current ages :-P

The Chronicles of Narnia is a great series for kids old enough to read it. Officially, it's recommended for ages 8 and up, but I'd think 10 & up might be more realistic? I guess it depends on the child's actual reading level.

Here are 2 sites with suggestions by age:

http://books.disney.com/age-range/9-12/

http://www.scholastic.com/parents/boo...

~~~~~

I remember being briefly fascinated by Watership Down when I was 11 or 12 or so... but at 478 pages, it's probably best reserved for kids 13+, young adults, or folks who like thicker books.

5 and 8 year old boy: something Star Wars, unless they are some of the rare kids not into it.

A popular cat series recommended for ages 8-12 is:

Warriors Box Set: Volumes 1 to 6: The Complete First Series



For kids age 6 to 106:

Just finished A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold ... 5/5 ..... my review