Current Reads
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Wildog27
Dachelle
dreago
laddical
mo pie
mayram
pamchenko
biakbiak
swsa
xyzzy
Luciano
sagitare
Gillian
draco vulgaris
PrincessCleo
RubyTuesday
Lurker
ariadne
Gilraen
Vmars123
Binky
ulkis
Escape
Shadowlass
mialoubug
Luthien
Auroura76
Morning Angel
dday515
MLIS
Esseilte
Genevieve
Cynara
allochthonous
Raised by wolves
ActonBell
SelfAmused
Disclaimer
Carrie Ann
Jude
Corellderaan
MaddyCat
leone
Me Talk Pretty
midnight radio
jstilwe
Francie Nolan
Ceci
subie5
SarahJanet
stargirl
Red Wolf
Tabby
schwa
Crowbridge
Gallifrey Girl
particle_person
Matinee
puddingcup
gannetguts
Poubelle
QueenSix
Kookla
Swarley
jcpdiesel21
BreezyK
eventide82
Scarlettfish
The Lady of Shalott
epudom
Paris, Texas
paablish
inversed
blooey
Menshevixen
caerbannog
Raksha
whatthedeuce
curryalley
choubetcha
maxell131313
laurelin_kit
Grainne Mhaol
emrie
tothemax
bbridges
Bad Username
mokey75
Algae
Cutebutpsycho
VodouDoll
Instant Monkeys
Queen Esther
punzy
RiverThames
Kiran
katesti
big chicken
Putli Bai
naughty zoot
queenofdenile
Jessica
alexdegenhardt
Unlucky Bear
Jasmine
109 posters
Page 37 of 40
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Re: Current Reads
Re: Barthe DeClements: there's also a fourth grade book, I think called Fourth Grade Wizards--has a couple of the characters but not Elsie, of course, since she was the new kid in fifth grade.
Re: Tana French: I read all her books in order but my sister read them totally out of order and loved them just as much as I did. I don't think it makes a difference. The books aren't traditional sequels; each book takes a minor character from the previous book and gives the character a story of his/her own--the books rarely refer back to previous books.
Re: Tana French: I read all her books in order but my sister read them totally out of order and loved them just as much as I did. I don't think it makes a difference. The books aren't traditional sequels; each book takes a minor character from the previous book and gives the character a story of his/her own--the books rarely refer back to previous books.
stargirl- Posts : 37
Join date : 2011-11-05
Re: Current Reads
My next book, OK, I AM NOT ASHAMED. When I was a teenager my sister and I were obsessed with this book called Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade. I have no idea why. It was about an overweight girl named Elsie who moved to a new town and the kids made fun of her, blah blah, but then she makes friends and y'know, it was a YA (or MR!) novel and it was silly but we loved it for some reason. (We both had issues with Judy Blume's Blubber, and I think we saw this as some kind of corrective. I am actually curious to reread Blubber at some point, because it just seemed assholey to me when I was younger, and I wonder if I was missing something.) So, today I was at the Newton Public Library to see some photos and there was also a book sale and I bought some silly books for 50 cents each. One was a wonderful and SUPER INFORMATIVE book called The Internet. It was published in 2002. I CAN'T IMAGINE why they culled it and sold it for 50 cents. But ANOTHER book that also cost 50 cents was called How Do You Lose Those Ninth Grade Blues? and YES, IT IS A SEQUEL to Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade. I knew there was a sixth-grade one but I didn't know it went beyond that. So my MISSION is to read this book before Saturday, when I'm going to my sister's for my niece's 3rd birthday party, and I will gift this book to her. Probably along with The Internet, which we will hide somewhere in her house. Heh. Anyway, I don't think it will be hard to read this book in four days. And I am LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.
I remember Blubber being disturbing to me as kid. The whole thing about forcing people to show their underwear always struck me as so weird.
I love these types of books though and unashamedly read them as an adult as well. There are a few I'd like to track down, I remember one about a sixth grader named Skye that was all about fears of junior high school but I can't remember the name of it. Google will probably know.
Did anyone else read the Amy and Laura books? Those really depressed me for some reason, I hated the city setting.
mayram- Posts : 576
Join date : 2011-10-24
Re: Current Reads
Amy and Laura--sisters? And they go to camp in one of the books?
Did anyone else read the series Cheerleaders about the six members of a high school squad? Although, now that I've been exposed to the cheerleading championships and Bring It On, six cheerleaders seem like a really small squad.
Did anyone else read the series Cheerleaders about the six members of a high school squad? Although, now that I've been exposed to the cheerleading championships and Bring It On, six cheerleaders seem like a really small squad.
big chicken- Posts : 683
Join date : 2011-10-21
Re: Current Reads
I did. One was a Texas transplant right? And she'd been cheerleading since like birth, and one other one had an intellectual father who didn't get cheerleading.
I also read Silver Blades, Gymnastics, the Saddle Club, The Pony Club, and the teen series of those books Pine Hollow.
I was so cool.
I also read Silver Blades, Gymnastics, the Saddle Club, The Pony Club, and the teen series of those books Pine Hollow.
I was so cool.
Kiran- Posts : 2583
Join date : 2011-10-21
Re: Current Reads
Thanks for recommending Unwind, Jude! That sounds absolutely creepy and intense. I can't wait to read it!
whatthedeuce- Posts : 2616
Join date : 2011-10-26
Age : 39
Re: Current Reads
I've also read Unwind, and it was definitely intense and creepy, but for me it didn't entirely work as a story about abortion. I won't get too political here, but I'll just say that the "compromise" of unwinding, to me, didn't seem like a realistic outcome that either the pro-life OR pro-choice would want. The story worked better for me as a parable about human trafficking and organ harvesting, and once I looked at it from that perspective, it was a lot more effective.
I also finished Blackout, book 3 in the Newsflesh series.
I also finished Blackout, book 3 in the Newsflesh series.
- Spoiler:
- I was really disappointed when the book revealed that Georgia and Shaun had a romantic/sexual relationship. I didn't even think it was that creepy, given that they weren't blood-related and their parents weren't so much parents as they were...corporate sponsors? But I loved the platonic BFF vibe they were giving off in the first book, and even though bells went off in my mind after Shaun called Becks "George" in the second book, I tried to ignore it, and now...well, can't ignore it anymore!
queenofdenile- Posts : 830
Join date : 2011-10-21
Location : Pigfarts. (On Mars.)
Re: Current Reads
[quote="mayram"]
By Marilyn Sachs, right? Not the most upbeat books, true, but nowhere as depressing as her Veronica Ganz books.
Did anyone else read the Amy and Laura books? Those really depressed me for some reason, I hated the city setting.
stargirl- Posts : 37
Join date : 2011-11-05
Re: Current Reads
whatthedeuce wrote:Thanks for recommending Unwind, Jude! That sounds absolutely creepy and intense. I can't wait to read it!
You're very welcome! Let me know what you think of it, okay?
I totally agree with you on the abortion thing, queenofdenile. I had to really suspend disbelief for certain parts of the book for sure, and that was one of the iffy bits for me as well.
Gosh, I'd forgotten just how much FUN Harry Potter is! Even from the very beginning, even knowing what will happen, even having seen all the movies. It's nice to be reminded after all this time just how well written this series really is, and how much it deserves its accolades.
Jude- Posts : 432
Join date : 2011-10-31
Re: Current Reads
I finished reading The Etched City by K.J. Bishop yesterday and since then I've been trying to figure out why I found it so unsatisfying, in spite of the excellent writing. Now I think I have it: the characters never change. The writing is beautiful and it paints such a vivid picture of a fantastic city full of wonders, but none of these wonders impact the characters. They are the same people at the end of the story as they were at the beginning. While these wonders are taking place, the emotional effect they have (if any) on the characters is fleeting. It's really frustrating and it left me wondering what the point of the book was.
Raksha- Posts : 963
Join date : 2011-10-22
Age : 42
Location : 137
Re: Current Reads
Speaking of Judy Blume, I, errr, acquired a bunch and cannot wait to start the re-read. Don't know whether to start with the Fudge books or one of the others. Also currently re-reading 'Salem's Lot, but not before bed. Still creeps me out.
ETA: And I HAVE to get Tana French's latest. I'll have to check with the library. I loved her previous books so much.
ETA: And I HAVE to get Tana French's latest. I'll have to check with the library. I loved her previous books so much.
gannetguts- Posts : 278
Join date : 2011-10-21
Age : 39
Location : Australia
Re: Current Reads
I'm saving Tana French for vacation. I just started "Little Face" by Sophie Hannah and it's a bit off-center. Not in a bad way but an interesting one. Anyone read her stuff before?
mialoubug- Posts : 517
Join date : 2011-10-21
Re: Current Reads
Gone Girl totally lived up to the hype! I am torn because while I liked the note it ended on, I also want a sequel because
- Spoiler:
- I can only imagine the insane shit Amy would put a child through
choubetcha- Posts : 338
Join date : 2011-10-25
Re: Current Reads
I finished Sybil Exposed today. DAAAAAAMMMNNNNN. As someone who was completely fascinated by the Sybil story as a youngster, and loved Dr. Wilbur (especially the Joanne Woodward version of her), I found it almost wrenching to see the story completely dismantled, but man, the author makes a damn good case. It was also a HORRIFYING depiction of psychiatry in the '40s-'50s-'60s. The drugs! The hypnosis! The assumptions based on then-universally accepted Freudian doctrine! Just crazy. Basically it sounds like Dr. Wilbur pulled the whole multiple personalities, horrific child abuse, schizophrenic mother stuff OUT OF THIN AIR. And then wouldn't back down from it because she was writing a book. While reducing Shirley (Sybil's real name) to a cowering drug addict (she got addicted to Pentothal, among the other like, twelve drugs that Dr. Wilbur put her on) who couldn't work or go to school and became financially dependent on her. No wonder there are people who think that all psychology is crap. I never thought I would begin to see the Scientologists' point.
I think the part that stuck with me the most was this anecdote about how (earlier, like in the '40s) they would give patients this drug, I forget the name, to try and chemically "shock" them to get them to stop being manic or whatever, but this drug was, y'know, poison so it caused these dramatic spasms and convulsions. So then, some guy came back from South America and had discovered CURARE. Which paralyzes you. So they would give the patients this horrific drug and then also curare to make them unable to convulse so this poison could do whatever it was supposed to be doing. Then they would say you were cured. Gawd. And that's the tip of the iceberg. Anyway, completely fascinating book.
I think the part that stuck with me the most was this anecdote about how (earlier, like in the '40s) they would give patients this drug, I forget the name, to try and chemically "shock" them to get them to stop being manic or whatever, but this drug was, y'know, poison so it caused these dramatic spasms and convulsions. So then, some guy came back from South America and had discovered CURARE. Which paralyzes you. So they would give the patients this horrific drug and then also curare to make them unable to convulse so this poison could do whatever it was supposed to be doing. Then they would say you were cured. Gawd. And that's the tip of the iceberg. Anyway, completely fascinating book.
Instant Monkeys- Posts : 1783
Join date : 2011-10-21
Re: Current Reads
Today I finished If You Follow Me by Malena Watrous. The last 3 books I've read have had really misleading descriptions and blurbs on the covers and I'm sick of it. This book was billed as warm, funny, fish-out-of-water love story about an American who moves to a small Japanese town to teach English after her father dies. It's actually a gloomy, awkward story about a woman who moves to Japan with her obnoxious, hypocritical girlfriend and how the both of them are equal parts unable and unwilling to adapt to their new home.
The book I read before that was The Etched City, which was described as a wild adventure through a city teeming with wonders actually turned out to be another gloomy story about two miserable assholes determined to be miserable and untouched by everyone and everything around them.
And before that was Tipping the Velvet (which I believe I also complained about here), which was described as a sexy, sensual story about a young woman figuring out who she is and how to love, turned out to actually be about a depressing story about a self-centered moron who repeatedly runs off after whichever fancy catches her interest in the moment and to whom other people are at best inconsequential.
I'm so effing sick of publishers using such horribly misleading descriptions because they think it will sell better. ARGH! Next up is Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey. Someone please tell me that this one really is a dark tale about an orphan who has inherited supernatural gifts who becomes a vigilante! And please tell me it's good, too! Because the more I think about the last 3 books I've read, the more I dislike them. *sigh*
The book I read before that was The Etched City, which was described as a wild adventure through a city teeming with wonders actually turned out to be another gloomy story about two miserable assholes determined to be miserable and untouched by everyone and everything around them.
And before that was Tipping the Velvet (which I believe I also complained about here), which was described as a sexy, sensual story about a young woman figuring out who she is and how to love, turned out to actually be about a depressing story about a self-centered moron who repeatedly runs off after whichever fancy catches her interest in the moment and to whom other people are at best inconsequential.
I'm so effing sick of publishers using such horribly misleading descriptions because they think it will sell better. ARGH! Next up is Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey. Someone please tell me that this one really is a dark tale about an orphan who has inherited supernatural gifts who becomes a vigilante! And please tell me it's good, too! Because the more I think about the last 3 books I've read, the more I dislike them. *sigh*
Raksha- Posts : 963
Join date : 2011-10-22
Age : 42
Location : 137
Re: Current Reads
Whispers Under Ground is the third book in the Rivers of London series about the tiny supernatural division of the Metropolitan police, and I loved it. It was much better than the second book (where the plot, such as it was, basically involved Peter having sex a lot). The plots are still pretty secondary to the character interactions, but Aaronovitch continues to get London and the people who live in it in a way that few other authors (fantasy or otherwise) seem to. I wonder if the occasional pop culture references (Doctor Who, Terry Pratchett and Harry Potter all make their way in there) will date it pretty quickly, but for the moment it's a great series.
I've loved everything I've read by China MiƩville so far, so I was really disappointed that I found Perdido Street Station such a slog. Slow-moving, unbearably turgid and over-written prose and unengaging characters, all of whom end up dead or miserable by the end. It does have some brilliant flashes of originality, but not enough to sustain my interest through seven hundred(!) pages. Nowhere near as good as The City and the City or Embassytown, IMO.
So I had to console myself by rereading Northanger Abbey (I just googled "Northanger Abbey" and got "Northanger Abbey and Angels and Dragons". Is that a thing, and if so, why?). Henry Tilney: most fanciable Austen hero or most fanciable Austen hero? And I always forget how funny it is, what with Catharine's desparate attempts to be a Gothic heroine constantly being thwarted. Come to think of it, I belive it's the only Austen I haven't seen a TV adaptation of, which obviously needs to be rectified. Does anyone have any strong opinions about the quality of the various adaptations out there?
I've loved everything I've read by China MiƩville so far, so I was really disappointed that I found Perdido Street Station such a slog. Slow-moving, unbearably turgid and over-written prose and unengaging characters, all of whom end up dead or miserable by the end. It does have some brilliant flashes of originality, but not enough to sustain my interest through seven hundred(!) pages. Nowhere near as good as The City and the City or Embassytown, IMO.
So I had to console myself by rereading Northanger Abbey (I just googled "Northanger Abbey" and got "Northanger Abbey and Angels and Dragons". Is that a thing, and if so, why?). Henry Tilney: most fanciable Austen hero or most fanciable Austen hero? And I always forget how funny it is, what with Catharine's desparate attempts to be a Gothic heroine constantly being thwarted. Come to think of it, I belive it's the only Austen I haven't seen a TV adaptation of, which obviously needs to be rectified. Does anyone have any strong opinions about the quality of the various adaptations out there?
Last edited by allochthonous on Sun Aug 05, 2012 5:41 am; edited 1 time in total
allochthonous- Posts : 246
Join date : 2011-10-22
Re: Current Reads
My copy of Whispers Under Ground just arrived today. I'd been wondering if I should read it now, or go with something else from the pile. You sold me, allochthonous. I suppose that it's what I was thinking all along. I'm getting to the point where I prioritise books by how often I read the author's blog. Aaronovitch is weekly. One other author in the pile is whenever I feel the urge, and the other is, currently, never. But we'll see if that changes. :)
Red Wolf- Posts : 710
Join date : 2011-11-01
Re: Current Reads
My friend gave me Perdido Street Station as a birthday present last year and explained that MiƩville was one of his favourite authors, so I haven't had the heart to tell him I ditched it after a few chapters as I found it so tedious. Perhaps I should try one of the others you mentioned, allochthonous, to relieve the gift-guilt.
Disclaimer- Posts : 27
Join date : 2011-10-22
Re: Current Reads
Ooh, I didn't know Aaronovitch has a blog *googles*
Disclaimer, I would suggest giving The City and the City a go - it's clever and twisty, with a really original concept that plays out superbly, and is much more tightly-written and edited than Perdido Street Station (it's less than half the length!); it also comes with much less thesaurus abuse (that I noticed, anyway). I recommend it aall the time, and even people who don't "do" fantasy or sci-fi have enjoyed it.
Disclaimer, I would suggest giving The City and the City a go - it's clever and twisty, with a really original concept that plays out superbly, and is much more tightly-written and edited than Perdido Street Station (it's less than half the length!); it also comes with much less thesaurus abuse (that I noticed, anyway). I recommend it aall the time, and even people who don't "do" fantasy or sci-fi have enjoyed it.
allochthonous- Posts : 246
Join date : 2011-10-22
Re: Current Reads
ETA: And you already answered my question. Nothing to see here.
rivki8699- Posts : 162
Join date : 2011-10-22
Age : 42
Location : NYC
Re: Current Reads
I'm reading Ender's Game at the moment -- never read it, part of the sci-fi canon, etc. -- but I have The City and the City out from the library and that will be next. I liked Embassytown a lot.
Instant Monkeys- Posts : 1783
Join date : 2011-10-21
Re: Current Reads
So I had to console myself by rereading Northanger Abbey (I just googled "Northanger Abbey" and got "Northanger Abbey and Angels and Dragons". Is that a thing, and if so, why?). Henry Tilney: most fanciable Austen hero or most fanciable Austen hero? And I always forget how funny it is, what with Catharine's desparate attempts to be a Gothic heroine constantly being thwarted. Come to think of it, I belive it's the only Austen I haven't seen a TV adaptation of, which obviously needs to be rectified. Does anyone have any strong opinions about the quality of the various adaptations out there?
I actually enjoyed this one quite a bit, though it's been a few years. It's not a particularly fancy adaptation, but it is close to the spirit of the novel, and I enjoyed it. JJ Feild is a charming and funny Tilney.
Fiammetta- Posts : 107
Join date : 2011-12-26
Re: Current Reads
I finished Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey today and it was excellent! Finally, a book that doesn't suck with a main character I didn't want to smack! This was a surprisingly sweet story, considering it's set in a small town in what used to be Texas that is now an isolated, militarized buffer zone between the US and Mexico. But it was great!
Raksha- Posts : 963
Join date : 2011-10-22
Age : 42
Location : 137
Re: Current Reads
Was trying to get through 11/22/63 and just gave it up. Could not get into it. Now awaiting Code Name Verity from the library and doing my annual Yearling reread.
Menshevixen- Posts : 181
Join date : 2011-10-26
Re: Current Reads
I finished Code Name Verity yesterday afternoon (thankfully, when I got home, and not on the bus). It gutted me. It took me a while to get into, but man, once I figured out what was actually going on, I couldn't stop reading.
I was going to start Caleb's Crossing last night, and then decided that I needed something fluffy. So I'm reading Matched instead. Which actually works out, because I didn't want to lug it on the plane next week (it's a library hardcover), and CC is on my Kindle.
- Spoiler:
- I sobbed when she had to shoot Julie. And the ending, with the letter from the mother, who was leaving the window open for her? Oh sweet baby jeebus.
I was going to start Caleb's Crossing last night, and then decided that I needed something fluffy. So I'm reading Matched instead. Which actually works out, because I didn't want to lug it on the plane next week (it's a library hardcover), and CC is on my Kindle.
mokey75- Posts : 1289
Join date : 2011-10-21
Re: Current Reads
My absolute favorite line from Code Name Verity is
- Spoiler:
- It's like being in love, discovering your best friend.
big chicken- Posts : 683
Join date : 2011-10-21
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