Talk Healthy

Whatcha reading?

I'm currently on p.3 of Strangers at the Feast by Jennifer Vanderbes. I know.........seriously I had 3 minutes to read yesterday. I'm also trying to learn German so I'm spending some free time with that.

Mellen, I loved Room too! I thought it would be hard because I have a son but I thought it was really well done. One of my favorites for the year.

Spudd, sorry your organizing book wasn't what you were looking for. I recently read a clutter book that I thought was very good (not sure if that's your problem). http://www.amazon.com/Throw-Out-Fifty-T ... 044650579X She had some good ideas and I started with some but (of course) got side-tracked.

Thanks for the recommendation, Rowan! I'll see if I can get that from the library.

I'm still reading "Olympus" by Dan Simmons. It's just not very exciting. It has the occasional flash where I get interested and it keeps me going through the slow times, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it.

Rowan, I thought Room was going to bother me as well, but I just loved it.

I'm about a 1/4 of the way through Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. His writing exhausts me. It's good but man, it's going to take me awhile to get through it. Sidenote for those on twitter - follow @emperorfranzen - it's not really him, but very funny.

I just picked up Travels in Siberia by Ian Frazier tonight at the library so that will be next once I get through Freedom.

I have to read Before we were FRee for book club aside from that just medifast stuff and magazines right now

I put "Room" on hold at the library yesterday. I'm 1356 of 1372 holds as of today. Damn that book is popular! But they have 277 copies, so if my math is correct, I should get it in about 15 weeks.

Last night I finished "Our Lady of the Forest," by David Guterson. It was decent, but I kind of expected more. Next up is "Olive Kitteridge," by Elizabeth Strout. That'll be book #18, so I'm not far from my goal of 20 for this year!

Wow Spudd, that's a crazy number of holds. I"m lucky to go to a library that has a decent selection but that the online hold option isn't used by the masses. I think the longest I waited was for the Henrietta Lacks book which was 17th or so.

I've been on a decent roll lately with good books. Just finished:

The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard
I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman

Both were 4 stars in my book (out of 5) but I'm really stingy with my 5 stars.

Also breezed through Supercompetent by Laura Stack last night. I love her Leave the Office Earlier book. This was good but not nearly as good as her original.

Up next is Skippy Dies by Paul Murray.

Rowan, I'm on the hold list for Skippy Dies - let me know what you think of it!

I just finished Star Island by Carl Haissian (sp?). It was good - lots of different characters and funny at times.

I have Half a Life by Darin Strauss up next.

I finished "The Tower, The Zoo and the Tortoise" and really enjoyed it. Thanks for the recommendation, Mellen! Now I'm reading "The Tenth Circle" by Jodi Picoult. This is only my second of hers. After that I'll read "The Love Market" by Carol Mason.

I'm still reading that Spanish book (see October thread). I like it. Don't love it, but like it. I still have about 130 pages to go. Heh, I'm a slow reader with an almost 3-year-old who stays up late.

Half a Life didn't really interest me so I gave up.

I started Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King this morning on the train. I'm not sure if I like it yet. I realized it's actually 4 different stories in one book. I usually HATE short stories so we'll see how long I last.

I picked up The Distant Hours by Kate Morton and Why....Because we STILL like you by Jennifer Armstrong from the library tonight.

Here's my list of books checked out from the library so far in 2010. (I took off the ones I checked out for Leslie and the ones I decidec not to read.)


Hello Kitty must die by Choi, Angela S.

My fair lazy : one reality television addict's attempt to discover if not being a dumb ass is the new black, or a culture-up manifesto by Lancaster, Jen

Poor little bitch girl by Collins, Jackie.

One season of sunshine by London, Julia.

The nobodies album : a novel by Parkhurst, Carolyn

How Clarissa Burden learned to fly by Fowler, Connie May.

The last time I saw you : a novel by Berg, Elizabeth.

My lost daughter by Rosenberg, Nancy Taylor.

The fixer upper by Andrews, Mary Kay,

The walk by Evans, Richard Paul.

The connected child : bring hope and healing to your adoptive family by Purvis, Karyn Brand.


Not my daughter by Delinsky, Barbara.


The explosive child : a new approach for understanding and parenting easily frustrated, "chronically inflexible" children by Greene, Ross W.


Just listen : a novel by Dessen, Sarah.

Along for the ride : a novel by Dessen, Sarah.


Orchid blues by Woods, Stuart.

The post-adoption blues : overcoming the unforeseen challenges of adoption by Foli, Karen J.

Beyond consequences, logic, and control. Volume 1 : a love-based approach to helping attachment-challenged children with severe behaviors by Forbes, Heather T.

Parenting your adopted child : a positive approach to building a strong family by Adesman, Andrew.

Orchid Beach : a novel by Woods, Stuart.

A bone to pick by Harris, Charlaine.

Every which way but dead by Harrison, Kim.

I'm really enjoying "The Love Market" by Carol Mason.

I only liked one of the short stories in Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King.

Travels in Siberia seemed too daunting the other day so I start The UnNamed by Joshua Ferris. It was excellent, though I didn't love the ending, even though I don't know how else the book could have ended.

IDK what I'm going to read next. I have The Help waiting for me at the library. I feel like I *HAVE* to read it now because everyone else has (here, at work, on goodreads) and raved about it.

I read two books over the Thanksgiving break:

An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin - Loved it. It's set in the 90's in NYC dealing with the high end art scene.

The Athena Project by Brad Thor - not one of my usual choices but I liked it. Good thriller, I'm going to look into another book of his that is on some "Best Thrillers" list by NPR.

I'm reading Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger (author of The Time Traveler's Wife). I'm about halfway through and not terribly impressed. It's readable, but there isn't much of a plot and the 2 main characters are boring as hell. I'll finish it and let you know.

Sil, I liked the ending but the first 3/4 of the book was incredibly boring. Which fustrated me because I loved The Time Traveler's Wife.

Mellen, I wasn't expecting much because I think amazon readers' average rating was only 2.5 or 3. I wasn't expecting TTW level at all. But a leeeetle bit more action would be nice. So far I like Martin better than anyone else. And Elspeth. She should have been alive the whole time, it would have been much more interesting.