Anybody reading lately?

DDD

DDD

Well-Known Member
I've been slack lately but just finished Marmee & Louisa by Eve Plante. It's a dual biography of Louisa May Alcott and her Mom Abrigail May Alcott. The author is a relative who used personal diaries etc. to tell the story. I enjoyed it. I would have enjoyed it even more IF I had a good sense of American history. on the other hand Abrigail was a true Warrior Mom and all of us can relate to that!

Any suggestions for what to read next? I have Ike and Dick set aside because of a blurb I read. It intrigued me to read that Richard Nixon was never invited to the President's quarters when he was Ike's VP.......and only got his first view once he was subsequently elected President and was given the traditional tour of the White House. That peaked my curiosity! DDD
 
Hound dog

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
I've been picking up Dean Koontz books at GW........some I haven't read, which aren't many, and quite a lot that I have read that are hardbacks. I'm quickly replacing my paperback versions with hardback because he is a family favorite and paperback tends to get worn out much more quickly. I'm currently re-reading the Odd Thomas series and am on Brother Odd.

I went through the house hunting for Fred's Robert Heinlein books..........most of were pretty worn out. I can only find a few, which is majorly ticking me off as he had every one the man wrote. I plan to buy newer versions as they're also a family favorite.

I'm also wanting to get The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. I finally got to sit down and watch the movies from start to finish........and I have a strong feeling the books will be sooo much better. Not that the movies aren't good but that is just the way it is.

Otherwise, not much new reading here. I've picked up a few I plan to read but haven't made it to actually sit down and read them yet.
 
HaoZi

HaoZi

CD Hall of Fame
Yes, I love the Odd Thomas series, read one of them. The Frankenstein series, too. And the Chris Snow series.

Love Heinlein as well, but the library doesn't have many of his books. Then I'll go back to cycling through Stephen King, Kim Harrison, Patricia Cornwell, Laurell K Hammilton, Kat Richardson, and Janet Evanovich again.
 
GoingNorth

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
Just finished "The Rope" by Nevada Barr and have started "Port Morturary" by Patricia Cornwell. I had to make myself quit downloading cheap and free books to my ancient Kindle until I read through some of what I've already got.
 
I

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Oh, you mean fiction.
Sorry.

I have this HUGE stack of books beside my chair that husband gives me a very bad time about... until I pull another "rabbit out of the hat" and it works. These are... antique cookbooks. And BOY am I ever learning a lot.
 
TerryJ2

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
I love Lisa Scottolini. :)

DDD, if you like American history, my husband really like the love letters from Ronald Reagan to his wife. Actually, it's very little history and heavy on the love letters. :) Which makes it easy to read if you're a Democrat.
Also, there are several Lincoln books out that are good.

I just finished RUNNING, by Patrice Fitzgerald. It's about a presidential race between two women, a Democrat and Republican, and the Democrat is the VP. Then someone leaks a story about her past ... fun and fast read.
I'm almost finished with SELF PROMOTION FOR INTROVERTS. Kind of a waste, stuff I already knew. But good to know I'm in good company.
I'm halfway through Bill Moyers, THE LANGUAGE OF LIFE. Interviews with-various poets and samples of many of their poems. I love it.
90% finished with-TRAUMA STEWARDSHIP, which would probably be useful for this group (CD parents). I would skip the first 30 pp and just get into the meat of it. I like the testimonials and background stories, and there are useful ideas on how to figure out when you've had enough. The problem is, the majority of the people interviewed can leave their jobs (firefighters, ER surgeons, etc.) and what do we parents do?

Next up for me: THE HOUSE GIRL, Tara Conklin; THE RED QUEEN, Philippa Gregory, and two poetry books.
 
hearts and roses

hearts and roses

Mind Reader
I have at least 15 books I've downloaded into my Nook...yet I have not read any of them, I feel like such a slacker. on the other hand, I feel like I'm on a non stop roller coaster ride in recent months and don't think I'd be able to focus. The one book I have been reading of and on is a book about inflammation and triggers for same...it's relevant for me because I deal with it every day. I think it's called Inflammation Nation.
 
S

scent of cedar

New Member
The Book of Lost Frgrances MJ Rose

The Power of Now Eckhardt Tolle

If you haven't already read them: Sho Gun, Tai Pan, Gai Jin, Noble House All by James Clavell

Spiritual Partnership ~ Gary Zukov

Mama Gena's Guide to the Womanly Arts (?) I'm not sure about my title, here. Mama Gena has a whole series of books out on reclaiming the power of being a woman.

Happy Reading :O)

Barbara
 
nerfherder

nerfherder

Active Member
You're going to laugh...

I lost a bet. And as a result, I have to read "Dianetics" cover to cover. It's... well. Hubbard needed an editor worse than Anne Rice. Think of some Pop Psychology thing mixed with some things that could *almost* be right (if you substitute "reinforced traumatic pattern from the amygdala" for "engram" it could be not horrible.) But then it gets beyond tiresome in so many places, and it's written in that GEE WHIZ! style of 1940's pulp science fiction chattiness. I got better personal development advice out of doctor Smith's "Lensman" series.

Also I'm reading Xenophon's biography of Cyrus, the "Cyropaedia." (Free download from gutenberg.org!) I love that style of writing, 'though if you're just starting out reading that kind of historical biography, I suggest Suetonius' "The Twelve Caesars." It would make a fantastic mini-series! Oh wait, BBC adapted Graves' "I, Claudius" for the little screen, and that's basically what it is. :)

What else? I'm sure there's more. Just got home from a 520 mile drive down south for Mom's 94th, and boy is my tuchis tired. :) Gorgeous drive once I got out of the Foreclosurevilles of Riverside and San Bernardino County, CA.
 
M

muttmeister

Well-Known Member
If you haven't already read them: Sho Gun, Tai Pan, Gai Jin, Noble House All by James Clavell



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Click to expand...

Loved all of those; definitely worth a read.

I suddenly have an extended family living here (my mother and 3 grandkids) so I'm not reading as much as usual.
Did finish Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin - the movie Lincoln was based partly on it.

I read through all of the Spencer for Hire books in the library and have now started on the Jessie Stone ones - both series by Robert Parker.

Read In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith. I love that series so much I'm going slow to try to make it last.

REad Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham; it's on the list of 1001 books you must read before you die. I found the main character to be somebody I'd like to whack upside the head. LOL Also read The Spy Who Came in from the Cold byJohn leCarre, from that list.

Read the new one by Patricia Cornwell - The Bone Bed.

I ordered the last 3 Hamish MacBeth books (M. C. Beaton). I love that series too. The same author also writes the Agatha Raisin books and our library just got in a bunch of those so I've read several of them. I like Hamish much better than Agatha but as long as I don't have to pay for them they're kinda fun.

For book club in April we're reading Eighty Days by Matthew Goodman and The Innocent by David Baldacci. I don't think I've ever read a Baldacci that wasn't good (and I"ve read most of them).
 
nerfherder

nerfherder

Active Member
Muttmeister, you like mysteries? Have you read anything by Stuart Kaminsky? His "Toby Peters" series is fantastic! I started reading them while I lived in SoCal, it really helps to be nearby and read about LA in the 30's and 40's while seeing how it's changed - and reading them while the Red Line was being reconstructed was just delightful. He has another series about a Russian police detective that reads almost like it was written in Russian and then translated back to English, also delightful.
 
N

Nomad

Guest
The Red Tent is one of my favorite books!!!

Would like input re: the following books: The Bloodletter's Daughter and Pope Joan.
Did they keep your interest, etc.?
 
TerryJ2

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Nerfherder, ROFL! Dianetics! Yeah, bad stuff, no matter which way you look at it. I don't even want to know what kind of a bet that was.
I really liked the first two Anne Rice books. After that it was all downhill, redundant and heavy and, well, you get the idea.

Nomad, I haven't read those. Looks interesting.
 
Dixies_fire

Dixies_fire

Member
I'm a heavy reader even though I've read less over the past year than ever in my life.
Anything by Phillipa Gregory laurel k Hamilton like the earlier books better. Robert heinie in time enough for love is my favorite and I read him the most when I am sad. Right now I am re reading daughter of the empire servant of the empire and mistress of the empire by Raymond feist and janny wurts. Um charlaine Harris.
I read a book called the 19th wife which is about Mormonism and polygamy can't remember the author it was interesting though. I liked exit to Eden and Belinda by Ann rice they were written under pseudonyms and are not vampire books or Christian books. I also liked the witching hour which is a witch book but has tie ins with Terryn vampires if you read enough of her fiction like Merrill ad black wood farm. I think she needs a editor badly and yes some of it is heavy but it can be lyrical and provocative and those are the books I like the best. Husband and I are reading the odyssey by homer because that's his speed and he is having problems reading with the headaches, so I've been reading out loud Andy tk has been listening in.
 
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