I thought we had this thread somewhere, but I can't find it so I am starting a new one. What books are you reading now or have finished recently? I have been on a book binge this past month or so. I just finished The Rosie Project (which I loved) and am currently reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I am working on a book of devotions for Lent and have gardening books scattered about.
Since I got hired to teach 5th grade next year, I'm planning to read a lot of children's lit. I recently finished Wonder (loved it) and am now reading the first Harry Potter book. For some reason, I just never read that series (I'm a little embarrassed to admit that), so I am finally doing it. I love it so far, so I'm pretty excited.
"First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently" Curt Coffman and Marcus Buckingham
I also read The Rosie project and just finished the Invention of Wings. Need to see what on my iPad from the library for next up!
I'm already looking to stock my summer reading pile-so this is a good thread for me (not a good one for my budget, but...). I read Claire of the Sea Light which I thought was extremely well-written-it was more like a bunch of short stories that were interconnected. I also read The Weight of Blood which I though had a lot of suspense. I am attempting to tackle a very heavy one now (both in size and depth) called The Woman Who Lost Her Soul.
Ha! If I bought all the books I wanted to read I wouldn't be able to pay my mortgage and be homeless (then I would have nowhere to put my books LOLOL)! I have a bunch of books on hold at the library and downloaded on my tablet all ready for Spring break! Right now I'm reading The Winter People. Weird story but good so far.
I've been collecting books for my summer, outdoor reading. I tend not to read on my kindle when I'm outside. Divergent, Mitch Albom's newest book and a few others are stacked on my dresser waiting.
Technically it's for school, but currently I'm reading "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" by Mohsin Hamid. I love it so far. I also have to read "Heart of Darkness" for the second time :|
Lately, I've been reading youth literature based on what I'm teaching. Endless Steppe, code Talkers, garden of my Imaan, Breadwinner trilogy, and I'm starting Year of Impossible Goodbyes (also a group of 3 books). If anyone has used these in class, pm me. Soon I'll be starting my personal reading again. Have Princess, I'll be seeing you, the boy in the suitcase, thunderstruck, multiple exposure, and daddy's girl on the nightstand. Keep the ideas coming!
I just finished Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. It is a beautiful, quick read and I highly recommend the book. It is the best book I've read in a really, really long time. I also recently read the Rose Gardner mystery series by Denise Grover Swank. They are a lot of fun. Sort of Stephanie Plum-ish (Janet Evanovich) only southern and with less crass. I liked the first one, but I wasn't totally in love with it. As I continued to read the series, I was completely enamored! I literally had a book hangover and couldn't read for days. (Which is very unlike me- in the summer I read 5-10 books per WEEK.) I'm counting down until the next one comes out in June. Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes is the name of the first one.
The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak. I recommend it if you're into historical fiction. I've been itching to finish it but uni has been pretty full on lately!
HP is hands down the best series I've read. I do a re-read every year. I'll start my annual reread next month to prepare for the Muggle Tour I'm taking in London this fall. I'm so excited!
I also have a very tall stack of books on my dresser - some finished, some given up on for another book that came along, some waiting to be read. I just reread Eleanor & Park (Rainbow Rowell) and I'm reading The Selection (Kiera Cass) now. I highly recommend the first if you love YA fiction/teen love stories. The verdict is still out on the second.
I just finished Look At Me by Jennifer Egan. It was great. I'm reading Around the World in 80 Days with a student. It is not great.
I am reading a lot of ya fiction. Currently working my way through the Witch and Wizard series (almost done with the third one). Also reading the Lost Files series that goes with I Am Number Four. And just about to start the sequel to The Compound by S.A. Bodeen. Btw Giraffe, I also read Between Shades of Grey this year. Could hardly put it down. Also read Prisoner B-3087 and found it hard to put down.
I'll have to look up the other one. I read Between Shades of Gray in two school days, so I obviously devoured it. I actually think I finished by 7 or 8 pm the second school day. I read at least 2/3 that first night! I have been recommending it to everyone!
How cool! I finished The Sorcerer's Stone tonight, so now I'm moving on to Chamber of Secrets. That looks really good! I've added it to my Amazon wish list.
Ok, just put that on my Goodreads list! I love books that are part of a series. I can usually binge read a bunch of them on vacation.
Right now, I'm reading Stephen Colbert's: America Again - Becoming the Greatness We Never Weren't. He's hilarious.
I am rereading the entire series as well. I've read all the books multiple times, but never in quick succession. Sweets bought me a box set with the new cover art for Christmas (my old copies are falling apart) and I am making my way through them. Her mastery of the writing craft amazes me. I love how she brings in all sort of references to other books and mythologies and often does it so subtly you almost don't catch them.
I read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn after all the hype surrounding it. I liked it a lot! Plenty of twists and turns, written in an interesting way (don't want to go into detail so as not to spoil anything) and even though the ending was somewhat ambiguous, it was ultimately satisfying.
I'm reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. It is a really long book and I'm having trouble getting into it (only about 1/8 the way through) but it seems like it will be good. The only other book I have read by that author was The Secret History and that was fantastic so I have high hopes for this one.
I really liked Gone Girl. I read it when it first came out so I guess I missed all the hype about it. I did enjoy the twists!
All of Gillian Flynn's books are really good. Sharp Objects and Dark Places are the other two. Dark Places is also being made into a movie.
I just wished she published more than once every 3 years! Sharp Objects- 2006, Dark Places- 2009, Gone Girl- 2012. I'm assuming (and hoping) that something new will be released in 2015.
I know you didn't ask me, but I re-read the series every summer. It takes me 1-2 weeks. I'm a super fast reader. I read each book the same day it was released when they first came out.
Just finished Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts and I am halfway through The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom. It is very good. My next read is Killing Jesus by Bill O'Reilly.
I'm in the middle of Twelve Years a Slave, and I'm struggling with it. The story is fascinating, but the writing style is very...dry. Typical of the era, but it reads so cold.
The last time I read it I was sick so I was literally on my couch for two months. I read all seven books in two weeks. Normally, it would take me about six weeks, if I had to guess.
I had a hard time, too. I kept having to tell myself 'it was written 150 years ago, it was written 150 years ago' when I found it difficult.
I recently started ''Snowflower and the Secret Fan''after finding a copy in a used bookstore.I love books about asian culture, especially when it discusses foot binding.
I've read that, and I feel the same way about Asian culture/foot binding books! I highly recommend Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah. I read her autobiography, Falling Leaves, but it didn't grab me like the novel did. Also check out Ties That Bind, Ties That Break by Lensey Namioka.
OMG, I read Chinese Cinderella as a teenager and loved it! I also really enjoyed the Joy Luck Club (only the movie, never read the book unfortunately). I'l have to check out the Ties that Bind. I think I saw it once on a shelf at a book store. Have you read the YA book "Little Sister"? It doesn't mention foot binding since it takes place in Japan, but I loved that one too. I also loved "Shizuko's Daughter". There was another one I loved, but I can't remember the name. It takes place in Korea I believe during the Rainy Season. A young boy loses his parents and comes to live at the protagonist (a young girl about his age) house.
