It's February - what are you reading?

[Rowan]

I'm about 150 pgs into 11/22/63 by Stephen King. I'm pretty into it so we'll see how the rest of the 700 pages go.

[Beverly]

Still plugging along on The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks ... I'm starting to agree with you, Rowan. The tone she takes with the family is so condescending that it's really coloring my enjoyment of the book.

[Rowan]

I'm still on 11/22/63 - pp 460 or so. I really like it but it's so huge I hate lugging it around. This would have been a perfect book for the Kindle.

[mellenhead]

I'm about 1/2 way through 2 books:

MWF seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend by Rachel Bertsche - Eh. It's ok, has some amusing parts but I'm already sick of all the analytical crap.

There Is No Dog by Meg Rosoff - (YA book) The premise of the book is that God is a teenage boy. I'm totally enjoying it.

After I'm done with those I'm planning to start on The Orphan Master's Son.

[Rowan]

Finished 11/22/63. I liked it.

I started Bond Girl by Erin Duffy. I'm only 20 pgs in so I really don't know what to expect. Although a little fluff after 850 pgs of King will be a nice change.

[Sílvia]

Rowan, you read 400+ pages in 24 hours? You guys have got to tell me how you do that! Kayley does the same. Is it something they feed children in the US?

[Rowan]

Funny Syl. I've always been a fast reader. Also consider that it was the weekend so I was able to spend some time Fri night reading and finished it Sat AM.

Finished Bond Girl yesterday. There's a ton of hype about this one. It was good fun Chick Lit but certainly not new or earth shattering. Quick and fluffy.

I've started on Josh Bazell's latest Wild Thing. I loved his debut novel Beat the Reaper which was about a mob guy turned med student and Wild Thing has the same character. His writing is great. Hoping for great things in this one.

[mellenhead]

I finished up "There is No Dog" and "MWF Seeking BFF". Loved There is No Dog. Laughed out loud at some parts. MWF Seeking BFF was just eh. I can sum up the whole book: it's hard to make friends when you are an adult.

Rowan I have Wild Thing on my to read list. Will be interested to hear what you think!

[Rowan]

Mellen, have you read Beat the Reaper yet?

[mellenhead]

Nope, I'm picking it up at the library tonight. There is a wait list for Wild Thing so I figure I'll be able to get through Beat the Reaper before it's available to me. I had just read a review on the author over the weekend.

[Rowan]

Definitely read Beat the Reaper first. I really liked it. The dialog is just great.

[Beverly]

I finally finished the Henrietta Lacks book the other day. Irked me in some places, but definitely worth reading.

Now I'm on to a novel my mom sent me called A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian. It's about a woman whose elderly, widowed father marries a much younger woman. I've just started it, but it seems promising.

[mellenhead]

Rowan, I had to read Beauty Queens by Libba Bray since you mentioned it was a little strange and I loved her trilogy so much. You are right. Strange!! It was like it had a ton of potentional to be funny and just wasn't. Anyway.....

I'm a 1/4 of the way into The Orphan Masters Son by Adam Johnson. Fairly decent so far, I'm hoping it picks up a bit.

[Rowan]

Mellen, I got the first book of the Libba Bray trilogy out of the library on Sat.

[Rowan]

Finished Wild Thing by Josh Bazell. I have to say it really paled in comparison to his debut novel. For me, it was too political (I'm pretty apolitical) and the footnote thing while clever in Beat the Reaper was tiring in this novel. Mellen, sorry I don't want to sway you on this book but honestly if I hadn't read BtR first, I probably wouldn't have finished this one at all.

Not sure what's on the pile next....

[mellenhead]

Ugh, Rowan that stinks. And I don't know if I can read another book with the footnote thing. I haven't started Beat the Reaper yet.

I finished up The Orphan Masters Son by Adam Johnson. It was farily decent but nothing fantastic.

Next up is: A Bad Idea I'm About to do: True Tales of Seriously Poor Judgement and Stunningly Awkward Adventure by Chris Gethard

[mellenhead]

Finished True Tales of Seriously Poor Judgement and Stunningly Awkward Adventure by Chris Gethard. It was ok. There were a few funny parts and that was about it. Also reminded me that I had short story type books.


I read Heft by Liz Moore over the weekend. LOVED the book!

Next up is Bond Girl by Erin Duff.

[Spudd]

I finished "World Without End" finally. It was OK.

I read "Before I Go To Sleep" this weekend. Holy page-turner. I really enjoyed it.

[Rowan]

Spudd, "Before I Go To Sleep", is that SJ Watson? I had that in my hand at the library on Sat and put it back for some reason....

[Bugsy]

Well, I finally finished "The Alchemist," and well, it's safe to say that I did not enjoy it. Its message is great, excellent, even somewhat timely for me, but it just seemed really hokey in lots of places. The underlying Christianity also bothered me, as it was not a crucial part of the story. I can see why many people like it so much, and I can also see why so many kind of hate it. Not my favorite for sure.

Also, I never posted that a few weeks ago when Jason and I drove 4 hours north, we listened to "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid" by (and read by) Bill Bryson. He is such a pleasure to listen to! This one is about his childhood, so it explores the 1950s in the US and how times have changed, while also being completely hilarious. There were lots of times that both of us were literally LOLing. He's a really witty writer and a captivating reader as well. Highly recommended.

Next I think I'm going to catch up on magazines for a couple of days and then dive into the 2nd in the "A Game of Thrones" series.