July! What are you reading?

[Rowan]

Knocked out a bunch this past weekend, will update later.

[Spudd]

I'm reading "A Discovery of Witches" by Deborah Harkness. At the beginning it was bothering me because the writing style was pretty pulpy. But now I'm used to it, and I'm enjoying it. I'll probably finish it this weekend, as we're going up to a friend's cottage for the weekend and I should have lots of time to read.

I am still listening to "Room". It's taking a while because I mostly commute by bike now and I can't listen to my MP3 player on my bike.

And yesterday, I didn't have anything to read while taking the subway downtown, so I started "Vanity Fair" on my Kindle app. I guess once I finish the Discovery of Witches I'll continue with Vanity Fair. "Discovery" is a library book so it has top priority.

[Beverly]

I finished Started Early, Took My Dog while we were on vacation, and it was so good. Kate Atkinson's books just get better and better.

Now I've started The Time Traveler's Wife, a million years after everyone else read it. So far I'm equally captivated and confused.

[Malanee]

Here's my updates on last month's books:

The name of the wind / Patrick Rothfuss. Decent
Sweetheart / Chelsea Cain - part of a series on a female serial kiler Love this series
The post-birthday world / Lionel Shriver. Couldn't get into it
Booky wook 2 : this time it's personal / Russell Brand Loved
The power of myth / Joseph Campbell,Decent
The China study : the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted and the startling implicatInterestint
All that is bitter & sweet : a memoir / Ashley Judd - finished, sad at times and she does seem to get on a high horse once in a while but a good read
Love, lust & faking it : the naked truth about sex, lies, and true romance / Jenny McCarthy.Funny
Lies that Chelsea Handler told me / by Chelsea's family, friends, and other victims - finished, hilarious!Very Funny
Dead reckoning / Charlaine Harris.Good fluff reading
The peach keeper : a novel / Sarah Addison Allen.Absolutely LOVED everyone must read it!
Oogy : the dog only a family could love / Larry Levin.cute, but the cat dies

July:

Birdman / Mo Hayder. Creepy, very explicit, can't decide if I liked it
Walking on broken glass / Christa Allan.
Speed / William Burroughs Jr.
Swan song / Robert R. McCammon
City of bones / Cassandra Clare. Good, but hated twist at end
A game of thrones / George R.R. Martin.
Pale Demon (The Hollows, Book 9) / Kim Harrison Really fun read

[Sílvia]

Now I've started The Time Traveler's Wife, a million years after everyone else read it. So far I'm equally captivated and confused.

Ooh, you hadn't read it?? I'm jealous! Don't worry about the confusion, she does a good job of explaining every little thing. Trust me, I'm too stupid to follow complicated story lines

I'm still working on the Mario Vargas LLosa. 25 pages from the end. It's very well written, as all his books, but it reads almost as non-fiction, and I'm kinda bored. The main character WAS a very interesting character, but maybe 390 pages on his life are too much for me.

[Bugsy]

Now I've started The Time Traveler's Wife, a million years after everyone else read it. So far I'm equally captivated and confused.

I only very recently read this, so don't feel too bad! fwiw, I thought it was wonderful. One of the best books I've read in a while. Hope you like it too!

[mellenhead]

I LOVED The Time Traveler's Wife!!

I read Ten Thousand Saints by Eleanor Henderson. It was decent but I did not like the ending at all.

I'm about half way through The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin and loving it. Filling the gap til Downton Abby is back on TV!

[Beverly]

Finished The Time Traveler's Wife, and I'm sorry to report that it left me a little meh. I liked it okay, but I didn't love it.

Now I'm starting The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. It got mixed reviews so I'm a bit apprehensive, but we'll see.

[Sílvia]

Beverly, I just finished The Postmistress the other day and found it super boring, but I also loved The Time Traveler's Wife, so what do I know?

I started The Wrong Mother by Sophie Hannah last night and I'm totally hooked. It's the second of hers that I read and I think I may have found a new (to me) author! I'm not even much of a thriller reader, but she's good.

[Bugsy]

Aw, too bad it had that effect on you, Beverly. Ah well, everyone's tastes are different.

A couple of weeks ago I finished "The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson and started immediately on "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest," also by Larsson. Seems that this trilogy loses steam as it progresses, but I'm only maybe 1/5 of the way through the final installment. We shall see.

[Beverly]

Bugsy, the middle of the Larsson trilogy was the weakest, I think, and the third one does pick up and get better, if I remember right.

I think my main problem with The Time Traveler's Wife was that I couldn't make my brain let go of trying to figure out the logistics and just roll with the story. I've spent the past several nights lying in bed thinking about it all before I go to sleep, so it did grab hold of me for sure.

[Bugsy]

Bugsy, the middle of the Larsson trilogy was the weakest, I think, and the third one does pick up and get better, if I remember right... I've spent the past several nights lying in bed thinking about it all before I go to sleep, so it did grab hold of me for sure.

Ha! That happened to me, too, after reading "Time Traveler's Wife." It kind of haunted me in a good way, if that makes any sense.

And good to know about the trilogy. I'm close to halfway through the last one now, and I guess it's getting a bit better. The story is just so complex...so many characters and unfamiliar names (of people and of cities!). But it's interesting, and I'm glad I'm reading it.

[Beverly]

Oh, wow ... The Postmistress was a *terrible* book. Bad writing, bad plot, just bad, bad, bad.

I've just started Water for Elephants now, and so far I'm liking it.

[Spudd]

I finished "A Discovery of Witches" last night. It was one of those endings where she's totally setting it up for a sequel. Talk about annoying. After 578 pages, oh guess what, nothing's really resolved and now you have to wait for the next book.

I'm back to reading "I am Legend" which I was in the middle of when "Witches" came in for me at the library. It's a very good book so far.

[mellenhead]

Spudd I'm pretty sure I read somewhere she's planning a trilogy. I really enjoyed the book but disliked the non ending as well.

I finished An American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin. It was kind of a trashy romance novel. LOL. It was a decent story, kind of like Downton Abby in book form. I liked it.

I don't know what I'm reading next. I have The Hypnotist and The East (or West?) End Witches from the library. Jeff bought me A Game of Thrones to read on vacation after I mentioned I wanted to read it but I barely got 15 pages in. Now I'm kinda in a book funk and don't know what to read.

[Rowan]

I finished Faith by Jennifer Haigh earlier in the week. I really like it but I have liked almost all of her books. It takes place in Boston in the 90's when all the priest controversies were going down. Its told in the voice of a woman who's brother (a priest) has been accused of molesting a young boy. One of the best books I've read this year.

Last night I finished Parents Behaving Badly by Scott Gummer. The story revolves around a kids little league, their parents and all the hilarity that ensues. I thought it was ok. There were some really well written and funny parts but the rest was just kinda meh.

I'm on to Swamplandia. Mellen, you had read this right?

[mellenhead]

Yep, I read Swamplandia. It was pretty good - the middle sort of wandered but I liked it overall.

I needed something to read on the train going home yesterday and didn't have a book with me (the horror!!) so I picked up State of the Union by Brad Thor at the downtown library. I've been slowly making my through his "Scot Harvath" books. This is an older book (written in 2004). It's good, I'm almost done with it. I like that his books are fast paced quick reads.

I think I'll read The Hypnotist once I'm done.

[Spudd]

I read Swamplandia! too, it was kind of strange, but I enjoyed it.

[mellenhead]

I read The East End Witches by Melissa De La Cruz today. It was decent. It's another witches/vampires/warlocks book but I did enjoy it. Apparently she wrote the "Blue Bloods" series, I've never read it though this is clearly setting up to be another series as the last paragraph ended in a cliffhanger.

Up next is The Hypnotist by Lars Keplar.

[Sílvia]

I finished The Wrong Mother yesterday and found it VERY gripping. I'm not much of a mystery reader, but I was hooked. That said, if you're not sure you don't want kids, you might wanna skip it. If you already have them or are sure you don't want them, it's fine. There are parts of what is supposedly a mother's diary in the book that are disturbing to say the least. The woman hates being a mom. Yet you wanna know how it will turn out.

Then I started Night Watch by Sarah Waters. Beverly, you said you loved this one, right? I'm only 4 or 5 pages in, so no opinion yet, but I'm hopeful!