Books on the Nightstand discussion

So what are you reading this month? I just got and read Catching Fire, and I absolutely loved it. It could have been longer, but it was still very well done. ^_^ That's probably my only beef with this series, is that they could have been more to chew on.

I'm reading The Hunger Games and Room - two very different books but both good so far.

I'm over 2/3 of the war thru The Oracle of Stamboul and about half way thru Clockwork Angel and so far I love both of these.

@Claire: I love the Hunger Games series, I just finished the second one and really want to go out and buy the third, but am being a good girl. Bills to pay FIRST. lol Glad you are enjoying it.

@Flora: Glad you are enjoying Clockwork Angel though I just couldn't get into it. The characters all want to be Jace, Alec, Isabel, and Clary when they grow up, lol. I am greatly looking forward to City of Fallen Angels though.

currently embarking on Wolf Hall for book club and Hay Fever (non-fiction) but her sanctimonious tone is making me loathe it!

Claire wrote: "I'm reading The Hunger Games and Room - two very different books but both good so far."

i have book one waiting on the libary i so can not wait

Just started The Wordy Shipmates on audio, and I'm very much enjoying it, although the author's voice took me a few minutes to get used to- she is pretty funny though! As a New Englander with Puritan ancestry (1640's Rhode Island) I'm finding it especially interesting.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through Double Black on my Nook, and it's a very enjoyable mystery, especially because I don't think I've correctly guessed the ending yet (which is unusual for me). I'm definitely going to order a physical copy of the book for my sister, who is a wannabe VT ski bum!

I just finished The Hunger Games, and am trying to make myself wait before reading Catching Fire. I'm reading another YA book, Lily's Crossing now. Room is next on my list for my book club.

Dead Man's Cell Phone: a play by Sarah Ruhl.

I just landed a role in this play today (the dead man of the title, who is much more animated than the name implies). I immediately purchased it as a Kindle book and read it. Wow. It's funny, touching, dark, disturbing, witty, and fun. It promises to be magic if we pull it off! And speaking for the other creative talent involved, I have great expectations of success in that.

Without giving too much away, here's the initial premise: Jean, a woman in a cafe, annoyed by the ringing cell phone of the man at the next table, tells him to answer his phone. She soon finds out why he's not answering. He's dead. Intrigued, she appoints herself caretaker of the phone, and insinuates herself into the lives of the dead man's loved ones. Gradually, we find out more and more about the deceased, Gordon Gottlieb, and Jean finds out more about herself.

I am currently reading Jane Eyre and although I'm only four chapters in I am hooked already. I am ashamed to admit this is the first time I'm reading it...

Nicole wrote: "I am currently reading Jane Eyre and although I'm only four chapters in I am hooked already. I am ashamed to admit this is the first time I'm reading it..."

No need to be ashamed -- it took me four or five tries to get through it the first time. I'm impressed that you are hooked after only four chapters.

I'm currently reading The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield and A Man in Uniform by Kate Taylor.

I just started reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry for a read-along with some friends.

I'm beginning Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. This is part of this groups +11 in 11. My +11 are classics Ive been meaning to read for years. I read A Tale of Two Cities Last month. So this is number two. I'm doing the unabridged version so its probably going to be the only book I read in March ( challenge killer) Only at page 97 but loving it.

Well, I though I would start March off with Room. However, I threw it in my suitcase for a roadtrip this last weekend (in case I finished Something Missing - which I did) and ended up reading THE WHOLE THING on Sunday, which was still in February - LOL!

I started Unfinished Desires by Gail Goodwin for fun. I am finishing up Blink by Malcolm Gladwell and a Marketing textbook for me MBA. Next on my TBR (if I get to it) is Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich and Beginner's Greek by James Collins.

Room
Blink
Framework for Marketing Management, A
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
Beginner's Greek

@Nicole: Yeah, don't be ashamed. lol I just bought them to add to my "To-Read" Stack that is EVER GROWNING!!! because I have never read it either. Or any Jane Austen..... lol Though I did see Jane Eyre several years ago and it was great.

I just finished The Oracle of Stamboul and thought it was a wonderful story. I hated to see it end.

I'm also 2/3 of the way thru Clockwork Angel

I watched a few adaptations of the book Jane Eyre made by the BBC a few years back and always meant to read the novel. The time seemed right to give it a shot!

@Misty, I'm glad I'm not the only one who hasn't read it yet! I hope you get the chance to tackle it and some Austen soon :)

I've been in a huge reading slump, plus no free time, but I got a chance to spend some quality time with a book and I chose . I can't believe it took me so long to get around to it. OMG! God Bless Steve Toltz! And Michael! This book is amazing and falls into some rare category that Toltz might have just invented. But WOW-O-WOW, this may be my new favorite book! Love, love, loving this rollicking, roaming, quirky, epic, family adventure story. I've always outlawed bending page corners in books, but this one had need to mark elements every couple of pages. Witty, brilliant magic.

Michael - please let us know if Steve Toltz has anything in the works?

Started reading The Golden Compass today. Never read it before, and I'm kind of leery. There are so many elements to it that are just kind of out there for me, or scientific terminology that they throw at you that I'm like "Okay is that something real that I'm stupid for not recognizing, or is it made up?" The main reason I'm reading this is only because the idea of the deamons/familiars/astrals/companions/whatever you want to call them- are cool. i remember seeing a trailer for the movie when it came out, and that was the only reason I wanted to see it- talking animal companion/guardians. I think the person I saw was Nicole Kidman and she has a panther or something. The mental image of it just stuck with me.

Never saw the movie either, btw. Christians were doing such a huge boycott over it.

Eric, congrats on landing the part - the play sounds VERY interesting. Wish I were in the area to see it because you're so talented & I'd love to see you in another production . . . break a leg!

Thanks, Bobbi!

Misty- It took me a bit to get into The Golden Compass, but I ended up loving all of the books. If you're having a hard time getting into them, you might want want to try out the audiobook version- the voice actors were great, and the story just felt like it was meant to be read aloud. Plus, it helped my issue with coming across words I don't know how to pronounce and getting stuck (a huge problem I had with the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo)- when someone else is reading it for you, pronunciation becomes their problem! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

I finished Double Black today, and decided to go back to Kraken... I am determined to finish this book!

Eric wrote: "

Dead Man's Cell Phone: a play by Sarah Ruhl.

I just landed a role in this play today (the dead man of the title, who is much more animated than the name ..."

Congratulations, Eric! The play sounds very intriguing.

I'm currently reading The Yellow House for my face-to-face book club, and also The Woman in White. I'm wishing I had a huge chunk of time, like an entire day, to really make some head-way in the TWIW. This one may take a while ...

I just finished Unexpectedly, Milowhich I gave 3 stars (I really felt like it was a 3 1/2 stars). Am continuing War and Peace for the read-along and Kate Vaiden for one of my book groups. A Novel Bookstore just came into the library on hold, so as soon as I can pick it up I'll start reading it.

Kate wrote: "I just finished Unexpectedly, Milowhich I gave 3 stars (I really felt like it was a 3 1/2 stars). Am continuing War and Peace for the read-along and Kate Vaiden for one..."

A Novel Bookstore is really good!

Finished up Clockwork Angel and loved it. I'm looking forward to the next in this series.

Just now starting The Secret of Lost Things

For my lunch-hour book this week I've finally taken up Terry Pratchett's I Shall Wear Midnight (Tiffany Aching, #4), purchased just before Christmas. It's terrific so far, just as expected. At home, I'm alternating between two nonfiction books that would be dull if read in their entirety but work nicely in one- or two-chapter chunks: Kathryn Schulz's Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error and Adam Leith Gollner's The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Obsession, Commerce, and Adventure. My reward for finishing both will be the new Flavia de Luce mystery, A Red Herring Without Mustard, by Alan Bradley. Can't wait!

I just started Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth last night. I read the sample on the Kindle and it seemed pretty interesting to me - reminded me of Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster, which I really enjoyed. Not sure if that comparison will hold up with more reading, but that was my first impression.

Super Sad True Love Story: A Novel-Gary Shteyngart
Decoded-Jay-Z

Amy wrote: "Well, I though I would start March off with Room. However, I threw it in my suitcase for a roadtrip this last weekend (in case I finished Something Missing - which I did) and ended up reading THE W..."

I LOVED Beginner's Greek!!!!

Jenn wrote: "I can't believe it took me so long to get around to it. OMG! God Bless Steve Toltz! And Michael! This book is amazing and falls into some rare category that Toltz might have just invented. But WOW-O-WOW, this may be my new favorite book!"

Well, um, I haven't yet been able to persuade Michael to read A Fraction of the Whole. I believe it's on his TBR pile and that's where it will probably remain until enough of us gang up on him and force him to start it.

As for what else Toltz is working on, I really don't know. His website mentions nothing about a work in progress or even what he is doing now.

Glad you loved it, Jenn!!

Ann wrote: "Jenn wrote: "I can't believe it took me so long to get around to it. OMG! God Bless Steve Toltz! And Michael! This book is amazing and falls into some rare category that Toltz might have just inven..."

Ugh! Sorry Ann! I had in sitting on my nightstand since I heard it mentioned on the podcast and forgot who recommended it I guess. So, my many, many thanks go to you! I am truly in awe of A Fraction of the Whole. Book perfection - at least for myself and my reading tastes. BOTNS saves the day once again.

LOVE U GUYS & THE PODCAST! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

Ann - guess we need to force Michael to read it!

I finished 2 books in the last 2 days and gave 4 stars to both.
The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee This author is a fellow bibliophile and book-luster.
Night Road by Kristin Hannah was a first-read win. Very moving so keep the kleenex box handy!

I just finished Everything Asian: A Novel, by Sung J. Woo. This was a case of the cover and title grabbing my attention as I wandered past the New Books shelf at the library. I brought it home and was immediately drawn into this story of a Korean family's transition to life in small town New Jersey in the 1980s. I love the juxtaposition of the wide-reaching title against the very particular, small story told primarily through a 12 year old boy's eyes. I couldn't put the book down for two days!

Tomorrow I plan on starting All the Pretty Horses. I will admit that I am late to the Cormac McCarthy party.

I'm rereading Great Lent : Journal to Pascha for my Church book club. It's an amazing book explaining the Orthodox Christian Lenten season.

My "regular" book is Read Herring without Mustard. I adore Flavia deLuce. I don't really have an audio book going. Nothing on my MP3 player is really speaking to me (no pun intended).

Nicole wrote: "I am currently reading Jane Eyre and although I'm only four chapters in I am hooked already. I am ashamed to admit this is the first time I'm reading it..."

I haven't read it yet either, Nicole - its on my tbr shelf though....

On the February board, I got into a discussion with Ellie, Shruti, Misty and Vanessa (another Vanessa, not me weirdly using the third person :) about In the Woods. Some people didn't like the way it ended.

And, wow. Not me. I just loved it. Tana French's writing just knocked the wind out of me and the story is so beautifully constructed and melancholy. At times, I hated the narrator but I couldn't put it down (and obviously French wanted him to be unlikable in those moments.) I resented that I had plans one night because I wanted to read. I must read Tana French's other two books immediately.

Because a friend of mine threatened to write an essay on the series' merits if I didn't pick it up, I'm starting A Study in Scarlet now, which Arthur Conan Doyle fans will recognize as the first Sherlock Holmes book.

Oh-and Misty I loved The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife. I didn't like The Amber Spyglass as much but it's worth reading to finish out the series. I wanted to cry when it was over because I loved Lyra so much and there was no more to read about her.

Vanessa wrote: "On the February board, I got into a discussion with Ellie, Shruti, Misty and Vanessa (another Vanessa, not me weirdly using the third person :) about In the Woods. Some people didn't ..."

I just finished listening to that one, and mostly enjoyed it. The ending didn't bother me too much, I don't need everything wrapped up neatly all the time, and at least there was some resolution. I think I might go back and read it sometime, I wasn't crazy about the audio production. I think I would have really loved it had I read it.

Now I'm in the middle of reading The Likeness, and wow! I am really enjoying it, but I feel so involved with these characters that I'm having all sorts of crazy dream :o) I love mysteries, but I also love character-driven stories. Most mysteries are more about the plot, so Tana French is a revelation to me. I also recently read A Small Death in the Great Glen, which has some really interesting characters too. I hope this is a new trend, because I love it!

I've just finished The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. It was such a pleasant read and put me in a good mood.
Now I'm reading The Gargoyle. The descriptions are a brutally graphic. Not only do they make me feel a bit queasy but part of me disapproves of these kind of shock tactics. I'm waiting to see whether it is justified by the story or simply a cheap trick to capture the reader's attention.

I just finished Kraken, and anyone who has been reading my comments about it will be shocked to find out that I LOVED the ending. To anyone struggling through it, I say push through- the last 20% flies by, and the ending was very satisfactory.

I am not sure what I'm going to read next, I have a little stack of graphic novels to get through, so I'm probably going to move on to those. I'm almost finished The Wordy Shipmates on audio as well, so I'll have to find something to fill that void as well.

Esther wrote: "Now I'm reading The Gargoyle. The descriptions are a brutally graphic. Not only do they make me feel a bit queasy but part of me disapproves of these kind of shock tactics. I'm waiting to see whether it is justified by the story or simply a cheap trick to capture the reader's attention. "

I felt the same way about the beginning of The Gargoyle but ended up really liking the book. I'd give it a chance.

Marne wrote: Now I'm in the middle of reading The Likeness, and wow! I am really enjoying it

Cool! I have that one on reserve now actually. I read it was about Cassie so I have to read it.

I've just finished Mr. Chartwell and really enjoyed it. I found myself smiling through chapter after chapter at little phrases and at pictures drawn well by the author. Michael's description of this book on the podcast was spot on! Thanks!! I'm also just beginning A Red Herring Without Mustard and am looking forward to logging some time with one of my favorite gals, Flavia de Luce!!

Jenn wrote: "Ann wrote: "Jenn wrote: "I can't believe it took me so long to get around to it. OMG! God Bless Steve Toltz! And Michael! This book is amazing and falls into some rare category that Toltz might hav..."

Jenn...I also loved A Fraction of the Whole. i also read it based on Ann's recommendation from I think the very first podcast I listened to. It has become one of my all time favorite books. I recommend it to everybody and I cant wait until he puts out another book!

Well I have had kind of a slow start to the year. Due to lots of stuff going on at the moment, I haven't had time to read at all and am really behind...but I have just finished The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay which took me forever to finish but once I got in to it I really enjoyed it. I also read The Clothes They Stood Up In which was a quick read and today I just finished one of Michael's most recent receommendations - Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef which I absolutely loved!!! I highly recommend this memoir to anyone, even if you are not interested in the culinary world. I had one day off and instead of doing all the things I should have been doing to catch up on in the house I read this book--couldn't put it down.

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