August! What are you reading?

[Rowan]

I'm currently reading Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler. I'm really enjoying it. It's the story of a road trip of a 90 year old woman and her 40 year old hairdresser. It moves from 1940s to current day.

[mellenhead]

Spudd, moving this question over to August (totally didn't realize it was Aug 1 when I posted this morning!) - what do you think of Wool? I couldn't put it down.

[Spudd]

I'm working through City of Thieves by David Benioff. I'm really enjoying it. It's a historical novel set in Russia during WWII. It's really charming.

I haven't read Wool yet, it's up next.

[mellenhead]

And I clearly can't read either! For some reason I thought I read that was the one you were reading.

[Sílvia]

I'm reading Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews. Total beach read, and I'm unimpressed, but so far it's readable. Plus the bookstore fucked up the delivery of my 2 Brazilian historical fictions, so I'm stuck They claim the delivery guy couldn't find my house. That happens often because we have odd and even-numbered houses on both sides of the street, but couldn't the guy have called? Nooooo!

[Rowan]

Stayed up late to finish Calling Me Home last night. I really liked it! Thumbs up!

Not sure what's up next. I really need to get to the library but its closed on the weekends for summer and not sure I'll make it tonight.

[mellenhead]

Mind is closed on Sundays in July and August and it drives me crazy!

[Rowan]

Sucks. It is only open on Saturdays during the school year. They stopped Sundays all together a few years ago.

[mellenhead]

I finished Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggach. Eh. Wouldn't really recommend it.

Néed to decide what to read next. Still have The Engagements and just picked up Joyland, Coming Clean, Lexicon, Cuckoos Calling and The Society of Timid Souls.

[mellenhead]

I whipped through The Hedge Knight at Jeff's hockey game last night. It's a graphic novel prequel to George R.R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series. It was really good - anyone that likes the books would enjoy it.

Planning on starting The Engagements today as it's due back later this week.

[Sílvia]

I finished Summer Rental. It was terrible. I only finished because it was a really easy read. But it was boring and predictable. There were zero surprises. Now I'm gonna start one of my Brazilian historical fiction novels that arrived today.

[Spudd]

I'm about halfway through Wool now, and loving it. It's such a page-turner.

[mellenhead]

Got about 50 pages into The Engagements and was bored. Just not in the mood for that kind of book right now.

I started Lexicon by Max Barry at lunch and I'm hooked. It's really good so far (only 100 or pages in), hopefully it stays that way.

[mellenhead]

Finished Lexicon. HIGHLY recommended. The whole premise is that words have power. Taking linguistics to the point that it's almost "magic". And of course there is a mysterious government agency trying to control the world. I need to seek out some of Max Berry's other books.

I think next up is Joyland by Stephen King

[Rowan]

Mellen, I just read Company by max Barry because Lexicon sounded good but there was a wait. I liked it although it was a bit odd. I thought of Spudd because she works for a big company.

[mellenhead]

Finished Joyland. Vintage King, I loved it.

I picked up Dark Places by Gillian Flynn today. Will probably start that instead of the other books I should be reading because they are due back first.

EDIT: Finished Dark Places. It was VERY good. I think it's her best book, better than Gone Girl or Sharp Objects but it's not as completely bizarre and twisty as the other two.

I started The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith aka JK Rowling last night.

[Sílvia]

My 2 Brazilian historical fictions didn't grab me at all. The first has been done to death: woman in love with a priest. And it was set 200 years ago, so the writer tried to sound like the writers from then. The second seemed more promising: story of a family, set in a more interesting time, when slavery was abolished. Bah. What a waste. There were way too many characters and each chapter was set in a different time (like 50 years apart). I like a little bit of flashback, but this was annoying. It took me 2 pages at the beginning of each chapter to realize who he was talking about and WHEN. Not to mention the flowery language and the lack of plot. Bah.

Now on to Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. And hitting the bookstore today to see what's next.

[mellenhead]

Finished The Cuckoo's Calling - it was good! I'll definitely read the next one.

Next up is either Lost Girls by Robert Kolker or The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

[Rowan]

HELP!!! I need a book to get me back into reading.

Have you read anything easy (smart chick lit/YA/etc) lately that you've loved?

Thanks!!!!
Desperate in Cinncinnati

[Spudd]

I just read "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" which was pretty good. Before that, I read "Wool Omnibus" which I loved.