April Fiction thread

[NancyR]

It seems our March thread kinda fizzled out so I am hoping to get everyone exchanging ideas again. How about it.....what are you reading these days?
Nancy

I am half way through Blow Flyand although I am disappointed in it I don't feel it is quite as bad as some reviewers have said. I will reserve final judgement until I finish it.

[Kayla]

Hi Nancy!

Thanks for starting this :) The end of the month I was rereading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, one of my favorites. If you haven't read it, I highly suggest it. The story is enthralling. It takes place in the beginning of the twentieth century and focuses its tale on a girl as she comes of age without a father, and with the burden of helping support her family while trying to educate herself at the same time to get herself out of poverty.

Right now I'm reading The Romantic, and am enjoying it so far. Not one of my favorites, but definitely a different sort of story. It's about a young girl whose mother runs away from her and her father around the 50s and 60s. The girl takes to idolizing a mother of a new family that moved into the neighborhood, and then eventually falls in love with her son.

Good read.

:) Kayla

[Jazzmatazz49]

I read Jane Green's Babyville since it was lying here. Pretty good for light reading. Now I'm reading an oldie, Olivia Goldsmith's Pen Pals about an inside trader (female) who goes to jail for her boss. It's good, and although I have pretty much figured out what's going to happen, it is quite entertaining!

[Carolina68]

I really enjoy this thread and I get most of my ideas of what to read next from all of you, however, I seldom participate.
I just recently finished The Secret Life of Bees which I really enjoyed and I'm getting ready to start Angles and Demons tonight. I have been trying to read The Hours which has been in my book stack for quite a while, but I just can't get into the book.

[kcmo727]

I am still slogging through Edward Rutherfurd's Princes of Ireland which is a long fictional account of Irish history. I enjoyed his earlier books on London and the New Forest but this one is just not doing it for me. It goes up to the Tudor Era and the next volume will go to the present but I don't plan on picking that one up. I will say one thing in its favor: it makes Ireland's long confusing history a bit easier to understand.

Next up for me is a book DH gave me for Christmas called Claire Marvel.

[beckms]

I just finished Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer, recommended several times on these threads. I really enjoyed it; it made me want to go live in the woods and be a forest ranger. Her books are hit and miss for me. I loved Poisonwood Bible and Prodigal Summer, but I thought Bean Trees was forgettable.

I'm just starting Jasper Fforde's In The Well of Lost Plots, the third in the Thursday Next series. I love these books...they're like fantasy for book nerds. :p

[foodfiend]

I just began Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. Lots of people love this book, but for some reason I avoided it because I thought it would be serious and overly earnest. Actually it's a lot of fun. I'm only 50 pages into it, but it has helped lift me out of my reading rut (I couldn't get into a book for a long time).

[Lucinda]

I just started The Samurai's Garden and I'm really enjoying it-- it's a very gentle, quiet book, really suits my mood right now. . .

[Kayaksoup]

Originally posted by kcmo727
I am still slogging through Edward Rutherfurd's Princes of Ireland which is a long fictional account of Irish history. I enjoyed his earlier books on London and the New Forest but this one is just not doing it for me. It goes up to the Tudor Era and the next volume will go to the present but I don't plan on picking that one up. I will say one thing in its favor: it makes Ireland's long confusing history a bit easier to understand.
. [/B]

Have you read Sarum or Russka? I loved all but the one i am reading now, Russka. i am tempted by Princes of Ireland. Why isn't it working for you? too boring? long-winded?

I have to finish my current book, can't give up just yet, but once I am done, I have a long list of reccomendations to try
:)

[lindrusso]

I can't remember what I had read when I last commented on the March thread. I have recently read Dan Brown's Digital Fortress and am waiting for Deception Point to become available at the library. Digital Fortress was good - an entertaining mystery.

I just finished The Secret Life of Bees and enjoyed it very much. It was hard for me to change pace and style after tearing through 3 Dan Brown novels in a row, but once I got used to NOT having a fast-paced thriller in my hands, I thoroughly enjoyed it. :)

Last night and this morning I read The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare. It is a Newberry Honor book - I try to read some of the books my kids are reading if I am fairly certain they are very good (I also read Holes a while ago). It was a good story and I enjoyed it. I would like to read the Chronicles of Narnia series with my son this summer - I remember loving them as a kid but it's been so long, it will be like reading them for the first time.

Happy reading. :)

Alysha

[beckms]

Originally posted by lindrusso
I would like to read the Chronicles of Narnia series with my son this summer - I remember loving them as a kid but it's been so long, it will be like reading them for the first time.

Happy reading. :)

Alysha

I reread the Narnia Chronicles a few summers ago, and they are wonderful. As an adult, they're much quicker reads than when I read them the first time, but the stories are just as good. In fact, I've been meaning to reread them again, and I'm glad you reminded me.

[gertdog]

Originally posted by beckms

I'm just starting Jasper Fforde's In The Well of Lost Plots, the third in the Thursday Next series. I love these books...they're like fantasy for book nerds. :p

I just finished this one and really enjoyed it. I liked that this one took place "inside" the world of fiction- more opportunities for clever puns involving famous plotlines and fictional characters. :)

I've also just read the newest Nevada Barr mystery, High Country, which was pretty good although there was a section toward the end that dragged on too long, IMO.

Also in the past couple of weeks: The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night by (blanking on the name- I know it was posted in a previous thread) which I found to be so well-written and engaging.

I'm now starting on Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.

[Veronica]

Originally posted by gertdog
I'm now starting on Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. I'm about 2/3 of the way through Middlesex and am enjoying it but am anxious to finish it so that I can move on to another book in my stack . . . maybe The Hills of Tuscany by Ferenc Mate. Looks like a good one.

[kcmo727]

Originally posted by Kayaksoup


Have you read Sarum or Russka? I loved all but the one i am reading now, Russka. i am tempted by Princes of Ireland. Why isn't it working for you? too boring? long-winded?

:)

I think my main problem with it is just that the characters are not particularly interesting. But then again, this is not the kind of book that focuses on character, but more on action and showing how history's big event's affected the common man. So maybe I have been a bit harsh on it. It is waaaaay better than Russka , which I found unreadable!

What is interesting in the book is how Irish last names evolved from their various Gaelic, Norse and Norman origins into the common surnames that we know today. For instance, St. Patrick was so deeply revered in ancient Ireland that people took his name on as their last name to honor him but instead of just using the last name Patrick they called themselves "Gilpatrick", with "Gil" meaning "servant of". Kinda cool.

[Kayaksoup]

Thanks for the answer. i have to agree that Russka is unreadable. I stop every 10 pages to proclaim to Rob " I hate this book!" yet I feel obligated to finish it:rolleyes:

[Kayla]

Originally posted by Kayla
Right now I'm reading The Romantic, and am enjoying it so far...

Finished it and ended up thinking it was more than just okay... I fell in love with it :)

[doggerham]

Lessee, a week or two ago I read The Time Traveler's Wife which was recommended here. And a big thanks, because I really enjoyed it.

Now, I'm reading another BB suggestion, The Eight, which I am also enjoying, although the pace is a little slower.

I think that next in line is David Guterson's Our Lady of the Forest I have not read any reviews, but have so enjoyed both Snow Falling on Cedars (which I should re-read) and East of the Mountains. Those two books are utterly different in the type of story, but the writing is wonderful. I'm looking forward to this one.

On another note, does anyone here participate in Bookcrossings? I stumbled on their website the other day, and now I'm totally intrigued. If you haven't seen it, it is a site started by a guy who runs a software company. Essentially it is a centralized location where you can register a book and then "set it free" in your community. If you're lucky, whoever picks it up will log on and comment. This morning I "released" a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, and I have 3 more books ready to go. There are also more controlled book exchanges and rings. Check it out, you might think its neat. http://www.bookcrossings.com

[beckms]

There are BB members who use bookcrossing, because I read about it here. I told my mom about it and now she's hooked. I keep meaning to release a book, but it keeps slipping my mind. It's a neat idea, though!

[Kayla]

Originally posted by doggerham

On another note, does anyone here participate in Bookcrossings? I stumbled on their website the other day, and now I'm totally intrigued. If you haven't seen it, it is a site started by a guy who runs a software company. Essentially it is a centralized location where you can register a book and then "set it free" in your community. If you're lucky, whoever picks it up will log on and comment. This morning I "released" a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, and I have 3 more books ready to go. There are also more controlled book exchanges and rings. Check it out, you might think its neat. http://www.bookcrossings.com

Heya :)

I've never heard of the website, but just checked it out and it looks really cool! Thanks!

Kayla

[doggerham]

Released my second book this afternoon -- The King of Torts in the dressing room at Talbots!

Oh, and if anyone goes over there and is curious, I am also doggerham over there.

Amy

[Jazzmatazz49]

You forgot to tell us what you bought at Talbot's...

[doggerham]

ummm 2 pair of shorts, a sweater, a couple of t-shirts -- nothing very special, but all on sale!
:) We're going to Scottsdale in a couple of weeks, so I'm trying to buy a few new things. I also went down to Chicos, but just never find anything there. Maybe J.Jill tomorrow...maybe I'll go to the burb and see what Kohl's is all about...

[Kayla]

Originally posted by doggerham
ummm 2 pair of shorts, a sweater, a couple of t-shirts -- nothing very special, but all on sale!
:) We're going to Scottsdale in a couple of weeks, so I'm trying to buy a few new things. I also went down to Chicos, but just never find anything there. Maybe J.Jill tomorrow...maybe I'll go to the burb and see what Kohl's is all about...

Happy travel!

I didn't read too far into the sight, but when you say you released your book in a Talbot's dressing room, does that mean you just left if there for someone to find with a note explaining the 'game'?

Sounds very intriguing :)

[doggerham]

Originally posted by Kayla


but when you say you released your book in a Talbot's dressing room, does that mean you just left if there for someone to find with a note explaining the 'game'?



Exactly. There's a label you can print out, put the bookcrossing id number on, and that's how whoever picks the book up journals it on that site. The label has basic info about the program. In addition (at BC suggestion) I put a stickie on the outside of the book saying something like "I'm not lost, I'm free! Details inside"

[Kayla]

Originally posted by doggerham


Exactly. There's a label you can print out, put the bookcrossing id number on, and that's how whoever picks the book up journals it on that site. The label has basic info about the program. In addition (at BC suggestion) I put a stickie on the outside of the book saying something like "I'm not lost, I'm free! Details inside"

Awesome!

I'm so excited to do this :D

[Paula H]

Originally posted by doggerham
On another note, does anyone here participate in Bookcrossings?

The library I work at is very big on Bookcrossings, but it's had fairly limited success. We put stacks and stacks of books out into the community, and pretty much all of them end up being returned to us! (Although one was taken to Canada by a holidaying staff member, and it's now somewhere in the US - I forget where.)

[HejazSunKat]

I'll play, I'll play...I'm wrapping up The Red Tent. I know loads of people love this book. It's nice, I've enjoyed it but I haven't been riveted. I do like that it's so deeply a woman's story. With so much in the world that tries to make us ashamed of being women (i.e. the media bombardment that's constantly telling us we're not good enough) it's nice to read something that celebrates womanhood and relationships between women, so in that sense I have enjoyed it.

The night table book is Georgiana - Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Forman. I've just started it so not very far yet but I am enjoying the story of this fascinating woman's life in the 18th century (obviously this should not be on the fiction thread!).

Since we're probably going home in August I'm trying to make headway on all the books I've hauled over here (Barnes and Noble is going to miss me) so I can 'set them free' and not have to ship them home!

[slawrence]

I bought Peace Like a River and want to start that-Denver is doing one of those ONE BOOK/ONE CITY things. It was good motivation to get it started.

[beckms]

What is One Book One City? Does everyone in Denver read the same book at once?

I was just at brunch with some family and my brother recommended Tom Robbins' new book, Villa Incognito. I absolutely loved his Skinny Legs and All, and then promptly burned myself out by reading all of his other books. So maybe it's been long enough that I can read another one.:rolleyes:

Also recommended by my brother's girlfriend's sister: Milan Kundera's Identity. Or possibly Ignorance. I got home and looked it up online and found both titles, so I'm not sure which one she said. But I loved The Unbearable Lightness of Being, so I'm sure I'll like either of the others. Does anyone have any comments about any of the ones I've mentioned?

[NancyR]

Well, I finally finished Blow Fly and I'm sad to say that I have to agree with others who gave bad reviews of this book. It was really a waste of my eyeballs going back and forth. If anyone here is a Scarpetta fan don't read this book expecting to see her again. The character is just a ghost of what Scarpetta used to be :( . At least I am done. I'm dying to start The Time Traveller's Wife.

[slawrence]

Not to hijack, but One Book/One City (Denver) takes a book, it gets promoted, book clubs encouraged, discussions, speakers, etc. A radio personality tried it a couple years ago and it was lukewarm success. This has the mayor behind it, along with a major hospital. The idea is to get people talking, connecting. If you go to Denvergov.org, it will explain it better than I can.

[scrappycat]

I am currently reading The Three Junes by Julia Glass. At first, I didn't really get into it, but now I'm slightly more than half way and I'm enjoying it more.

I've been to the Bookcrossing site and keep thinking about trying it and then I forget! I would love to find a book that someone released, that would be so cool!

Pam

[Angela]

I've been reading Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (his first novel) for the past 2 weeks. It's been a slow read for me, but it's very interesting...I recommend it.

[doggerham]

They've done the One Book/One City three times here in Houston. I read all three books, but was unable to go to any of the events last year. I just love the idea, and the schedule of speakers, book groups and related events is usually pretty interesting. I think its done in the fall here.

[cniles]

I finally got Time Traveler's Wife from the library before we went to Arizona - I lugged this thing on the plane but had to put it down before the ending because I knew I was going to be bawling my eyes out!!! (and I did later in my hotel room!!:rolleyes: ) Wonderful book!!!

I then read House of Sand and Fog - another winner!! And another tearjerker - geez louise I used all of my kleenex! This story really stayed with me.

Now I'm onto Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier... It was so cool to have lots of time to just read (and sit by the pool;) :D )

[Lucinda]

Originally posted by doggerham
on another note, does anyone here participate in Bookcrossings? I stumbled on their website the other day, and now I'm totally intrigued. If you haven't seen it, it is a site started by a guy who runs a software company. Essentially it is a centralized location where you can register a book and then "set it free" in your community. If you're lucky, whoever picks it up will log on and comment. This morning I "released" a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, and I have 3 more books ready to go. There are also more controlled book exchanges and rings. Check it out, you might think its neat. http://www.bookcrossings.com

I've been a devoted Book Crosser for about three years (as a matter of fact, I am releasing two books today at lunch). I think it is one of the coolest sites on the Web! Most of my releases have disappeared into the ether, but every once in a while I get a notification that one of my books was sighted somewhere in the world. One just ended up Germany. I highly recommend checking out Book Crossing.

[lisas3575]

Originally posted by HejazSunKat
I'll play, I'll play...I'm wrapping up The Red Tent. I know loads of people love this book. It's nice, I've enjoyed it but I haven't been riveted. I do like that it's so deeply a woman's story. With so much in the world that tries to make us ashamed of being women (i.e. the media bombardment that's constantly telling us we're not good enough) it's nice to read something that celebrates womanhood and relationships between women, so in that sense I have enjoyed it.

That was my take on The Red Tent too-- liked it but didn't love it. Two other great women-centric books that I did love were Mists of Avalon and Into the Forest. I wasn't at all expecting to like Mists of Avalon (not my genre) but I just loved it. It's the story of King Arthur and the round table told through the women. Fascinating and empowering.

All of a sudden all my books that have been on hold at the library for ages are all coming in! It's kind of stressful. :p Recently I've read Dry by Augusten Burroughs for book club (great), and I'm about half through The Time Traveller's Wife. I didn't finish before it was due back to the library, so I went and plunked down the $25 to buy it. :eek: I haven't bought a book in ages. I just picked up Angels & Demons off hold and then got another notice that our next book club book is in for me to pick up: Five Smooth Stones so I think I'll return Angels & Demons unread and pick that up.

Too many books! Not enough time! :D

[Kayaksoup]

After the trauma of Russka I stopped with teh fiction for a while. But i am working on a book now called Salamander by a Canadian author, Thomas Wharton. It has a feel of trying desparately to be deeply literary, a trend I have noticed with several Canadian authors. But I am not giving up. It is still holding my interest at this point.

[crlykat]

Has anyone read the new Pultizer Prize winner, "The Known World" by Edward Jones? I saw a review in The New York Times and am very curious. Its about free blacks in the antebellum South who own slaves themselves. I hear it is a difficult read both for his writing style and incidents in it.

[SueK]

I just finished The DaVinci Code. I liked it up until the ending - just didn't care for that part. It seemed kind of anticlimatic for some reason.

I am going to start Reading Lolita in Tehran soon. If I recall, it got reviews on this board, and it sounds pretty interesting.

[MaryH]

Originally posted by beckms
Also recommended by my brother's girlfriend's sister: Milan Kundera's Identity. Or possibly Ignorance. I got home and looked it up online and found both titles, so I'm not sure which one she said. But I loved The Unbearable Lightness of Being, so I'm sure I'll like either of the others. Does anyone have any comments about any of the ones I've mentioned?

Anything by Kundera will be good. After you read the book, if you haven't seen it, rent the movie. One of the few movies I would say is almost as good as the book. I think his "latest" (this was a couple of years ago) is titled Immortality (I know it's a one word title :cool: ) and that was also very good.

I am in the middle of Middlesex which I happened to see at Target. I had no idea what it was about but saw it had won a Pulitzer. I am enjoying it immensely because what the author says about Greeks applies almost 100% to the Armenian community as well. To me its, My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets the Kinsey Report. It's hilarious.

[ccooney]

Just finished reading The Game by Laurie R. King. It's the latest in her series of Mary Russell mysteries. It takes place in India in 1924. I love that all the books are so well researched & I always learn a lot about the time period and the setting she places them in. The following is a brief description of the series that I found that describes it better than I could:

"King is a witty, literate author with two continuing series of mysteries. The better of the two concerns a feminist woman named Mary Russell who, in the early part of this century, first befriends and then marries Sherlock Holmes. This series does not consist of Holmes pastiche, by any means; this is, so to speak, the real Holmes, not the caricature presented by one Arthur Conan Doyle. The effect strikes me as a cross between Dorothy L. Sayers' Peter Wimsey and Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody. I've enjoyed the series immensely to date, and look forward to any future books." William Duquette, Ex libris review

[cniles]

Finished The Virgin Blue by Tracey Chevalier. Good read but didn't knock my socks off.

I am now reading Peace Like a River - I'm halfway through - fast read for me... I really like this one - I love the poems that the sister writes, you're getting a little substory in the midst of the main story. I have a feeling I'm going to need the kleenex box AGAIN for this one.

[tbb113]

I've been reading alot but I haven't posted :o Lots of quick, fast reads for example Flirting with Pete. I just finished The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. Very fast read but at least in my opinion...not that great for all the hype. I enjoyed Tuesdays with Morrie much more than this book. Anybody else read this?