What Are You Reading Right Now?

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This is a group where you can tell us what you're reading and what you think of it to give others some ideas. Your choices can be fiction, non-fiction, articles, books, blogs, whatever. Tell us what it is and your opinion of it!

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Jen

I agree with Lillian that how books resonate becomes very personal. I read Alice in Wonderland years ago and found it tedious. I just had to read it again for an independent study I'm supervising and I absolutely loved it. I think love of most books may have to do with the moment as much as the material, in some ways.

Sep 9, 2010
wiffledust

i agree, lillian, that emotional intelligence was dry. it had good info in it, though. but, yes, very dry. excuses begone isn't bad for me but just didn't click with me the way other dyer books do. ......jen, it IS interesting the way books hit us at different times in our lives. and it's also interesting the way some of them are precious to us all our lives, but we get something different out of them each time. i love "gone with the wind", and although it's not the best book ever written, it always seems to give me something with every read, but something different....

Sep 10, 2010
Jen

For me, that book would be Pride and Prejudice. I hated it the first time I started it, though, but I think I was simply too young. I still haven't read Gone with the Wind.

Sep 10, 2010
wiffledust

oh yeah. agreed. pride and prejudice is one you get more out of the more you live. someone put that in front of me when i was wayyy too young too. and it turned me off for years. as for gone with the wind, jen....what are you waiting for??? it's better than the movie, and the movie is fun !!!

Sep 10, 2010
Helen

Right now I'm reading Beyond The Body Farm, by Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson. It's a non-fiction book about various cases that Bill Bass has worked on as a forensic anthropologist. It's probably not for the faint-hearted, but I find it totally fascinating! I can't put it down, which is saying something for me. I usually struggle to keep going.

Sep 14, 2010
wiffledust

forensic anthropology??? so how faces are blown apart and things like that???? YIKES!!!!! tell me what ELSE you're reading, helen!!! ;-)))

Sep 16, 2010
Carole Baker

Dr. Bass' work is wonderful reading. I had the pleasure of meeting him years ago, and he certainly knows his stuff. Right now I am reading The Victorian Celebration of Death by James Stevens Curl. Where I work we do a Victorian Death and Burial Customs presentation in place of a haunted house in October, so I am using this to help put together the presentation. For fun I'm just starting to read Boudica: The Life of Britain's Legendary Warrior Queen by Vanessa Collingridge. What can I say? Very relaxing stuff, huh? :-)

Sep 21, 2010
wiffledust

oh wow, carole!!! i have never heard of this stuff. is it well known or am i under a rock??? it sounds sceeery! but how cool that you do this presentation......!!!! creepy, but fun!!! :-)))

Sep 21, 2010
Helen

Wow, that's so interesting Carole! I've heard so many good things about Dr. Bass. Well, I've heard them since I started reading this book! I will admit that I didn't know of him before that. So Lisa, you haven't been under a rock! Haha!

Your presentation sounds very interesting too, Carole.

To answer your question Lisa, forensic anthropology is basically the study of deceased humans (usually their bones, but also other aspects of the remains that I won't go into) to help ascertain the identity, the cause of death, time since death, and so on, for legal cases. It's a fascinating insight into what happens to the body and also how practically everything that happens leaves a trace on us and the world around us.

I'm not reading anything else right now, but I've almost finished this book so I'll have to find something else soon!

Sep 21, 2010
Helen

So I finished Beyond The Body Farm. I'm going to look into reading some of his fiction books, too. In the meantime, I went to the library at lunchtime and picked up Seinfeld and Philosophy (Yes, that means Jerry Seinfeld!). I've wanted to read this for a while, but it wasn't available. I sat and read the first chapter there and then, and I'm looking forward to getting stuck into more!

Sep 23, 2010
Lillian Gaffney

Finished Wayne Dyer's, Inspiration on vacation and am now reading his, Power of Intention gifted to me by our Aunt who saw me reading Inspiration. She is a big fan of QVC where she purchased this hard copy and his six CD set, stored it in the attic and during our visit to her house in Jim Thorpe she kindly gave it to me. We listened to the tapes on the thirteen hour drive home. I feel so connected to Wayne Dyer, we have a history in common.

Sep 28, 2010
wiffledust

hey lillian! i really like "the power of intention" better than the excuses begone. i'm anxious to hear what you think. glad you're having fun in jim thorpe...such a cute place up here!

Sep 28, 2010
Lillian Gaffney

Funny Lisa, reading self-help books for twenty years now, and am in constant repeated information. And yet, I never seem to tire of them. These books are like companions that feed my spirit and keep me on the good foot. It's like reading a daily affirmation, or having a best friend that shed's light on a daily basis. I'm sure I will enjoy his book.
I love Jim Thorpe, only stayed one night there.

Sep 28, 2010
Helen

Ooh, I've been to Jim Thorpe! (Please excuse my random interjection!)

I've never read any self-help books, but whenever I've come across those kind of messages I've found it interesting that it feels like someone telling you something you already know, but you just didn't realise it.

Sep 29, 2010
Sheree

Just finished Hillary Jordan's "Mudbound" and have started Jeannette Walls' "Half Broke Horses."

"Mudbound" was an amazingly well-written story that had my interest from the first page. The dialogue is very real and the characters come to life immediately. Post WWII cotton farming in the Delta, white land-owner with sharecroppers (black and white), broken down farm that becomes isolated from civilization when it rains, KKK. Excellent read. I'd never heard of it before I saw it on the shelf.

The Jeannette Walls book is one I've heard about for awhile and follows her memoir, "The Glass Castle." It's the true-life novel about her grandmother, Lily Casey Smith. I'd seen Jeannette on 20/20 a few years ago and found her life fascinating. Homeless to well-heeled daughter with a mother living in an abandoned New York tenement. I haven't read her memoir but plan to if the novel doesn't disappoint. Just now, I'm having a bit of trouble with her writing style and find her a bit hard to follow. The chapters are short and choppy and so far I'm having a hard time staying interested.

Sep 29, 2010
wiffledust

thanks, sheree! what a great title...mudbound!!! and what a terrific description you gave. you made me want to reach into that story right now...and i just may!!! helen, the self help books tend to say the same thing over and over again, it's true. once in a little while, though, someone does something with a new twist that's fun.

Sep 29, 2010
Bettina Woolard

I'm reading The Country of the Pointed Firs, by Sarah Orne Jewett. I think that it was written around the turn of the last century. As a New Englander by birth now living in the South West, it makes me nostalgic.

Here's another book I read recently that I really enjoyed: My Father's Paradise. It's a biography of the author's dad, who's the world's leading expert on Aramaic. That may sound dry but, believe me, it isn't.

Sep 29, 2010
wiffledust

hi, bettina!so glad you're back! thanks for those great suggestions. as someone who is in the northeast, i must say that autumn is a great time to be up here. after that, though, bettina..be happy you are where you are!!! ......maggie, to kill a mockingbird is without a doubt one of the best books ever written and certainly one that changed my life. they are great characters for sure. and a great american story in every way. but you're so right that the accents are done so perfectly. it reminds me of how well they're done in huckleberry finn. .....

as for self help books, at one point in my life, i was totally into them. but i'm much less so now. now it has to be something really great. and sometimes they come along. but they DO prey on people's misfortunes when they are the same old thing cranked out. and they make up such a huge section of borders compared to the literature, it DOES make you wonder!

Sep 29, 2010
William Joseph George-Stilianess

I am currently reading, A Movable Feast, by Ernest Hemingway. I had come across is quite by accident as it was mentioned in a film and played a significant role in the film. (City of Angels) I wish to read this book to make further connections and broaden my literature understandings. Has anyone else read this book? If so, what are your thoughts?

Oct 3, 2010
Carissa Galow

Lisa said I should share this with the group, so here it is....on facebook, a friend started this thing called 20 books. He said to take a few moments to think of 20 books that have stuck with you over the years...so this is what I came up with:

1) Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

2) Eragon by Christopher Paolini

3) Chronicles of Narnia (all seven) by C.S. Lewis

4) Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

5) The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

6) The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks

7) The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

8) New York (multiple authors)

9) The book of Psalms (In the Bible)

10) The book of Revelations (Bible)

11) Ephesians (Bible)

12) A Tangled Web by Judith Michaels

13) To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

14) The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

15) Daughter of Fire by Quinn Taylor Evans

16) White Oleander by Janet Fitch

17) Winne the Pooh on Problem Solving by Roger E. Allen & Stephen D. Allen

18) The Alchemist by Michael Scott

19) The Tale of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

20) The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin

Oct 9, 2010
wiffledust

i thought this list was great, carissa. although the book of Revelations is scary as can be!!! isn't The Alchemist by Paul Cuelo? is that a different one you've got there? I didn't know anyone past my generation still read Go Ask Alice, but I enjoyed that when I was young. And the Chronicles of Narnia...yay! So glad you have Mockingbird and The Scarlet Letter on there....excellent choices. Great list, girl!

Oct 9, 2010
Carissa Galow

Thanks :) Yeah, The Alchemist by Michael Scott is the first in a series of four, though the fourth one isn't out yet. It's based on Nicholas Flamel, who was a real guy. He is also referenced in the first Harry Potter book, the creator of the Sorcerer's Stone. Anyway, yeah I like to read a variety of things. Revelations can indeed be scary, but it's also a view of what's to come...it makes you think and hopeful for when it's all over and we're with Him.

Oct 9, 2010
wiffledust

oh this sounds good...you have to come back and tell us what to do!!!!!

Oct 19, 2010
wiffledust

oooo this is fun, mary catherin! i'm going to put this on fb to share with the folks there! thank you!!!

Oct 20, 2010
Jen

I loved the first Stieg Larrson and have waited for the other two for times when I'm on "break". Right now I've been reading Huck Finn and Dune for classes that I'm teaching. I finish them both next week and then start on The Great Gatsby and Stardust by Neil Gaiman. I'm eagerly awaiting the end of the semester when I can go back to "free reading"! I have to say, though, that I enjoy all the books I re-read (and re-read) for teaching. I'm especially enjoying Huck Finn this time around.

Oct 24, 2010
wiffledust

hey jen! every time i've read huck finn, i get something new out of it. it is truly a brilliant work. i sometimes wonder how one man could have had so much talent. he managed to capture an american voice so well! i really liked the great gatsby too, but for opposite reasons from huck finn. although they both tell an american story but so differently. that's worth a re read!!

Oct 24, 2010
Karrie Furrow

Just finished the Ted Dekker series of Black, Red, White and Green. Those are absolutely amazing...Also, now that I have a Kindle I am reading non-stop...Even more than before!

Oct 24, 2010
wiffledust

thanks tony and karrie! karrie, how's the kindle? can you adjust the size of what you're reading? in other words, can you skip the glasses?

Oct 24, 2010
wiffledust

I'm curious you guys abou the following question. If you were to go to a brand new hideaway apartment , and you could only have 20 books in there...what would they be? Obviously these would not be your favorites,because there are only 20 and in your space. So this is asking what you would want in your personal space with you RIGHT NOW? I'm thinking about my list.......!

Oct 26, 2010
wiffledust

ooo that's a good plan, maggie!!! well i don't mean a hidey hole like a retreat. i mean let's say you had to go to a new apartment and leave everything behind. so it's your first night there, and you are surrounded by only 20 books. which ones would you want RIGHT NOW? you gave a good start!!! the question has made me think about which ones of mine i want to THROW OUT !:-))0

Oct 26, 2010
wiffledust

oh nice choices...esp gabriel garcia marquez!! so you'd read these books over and over again? i'm not sure if i'd pick fiction or non fiction. i tend to gravitate towards non fiction for the books that surround me, and i'm not sure why. sometimes i just want to pick up a piece of wisdom and then put it down. one of the reasons i thought of this exercise, is because in your regular home library you'd have shakespeare, right? but then i think of the last time i actually READ a whole play by shakespeare, and it's not realistic if i only had 20 books. i sat here and thought and realize i have NO IDEA!! i gave everyone an exercise i can't do!!!!! yikes!

Oct 27, 2010
wiffledust

i would definitely take the books that comfort me. i have a couple of self help ones that do that. although most of that genre is trash. and i'd take some "sorta" children's stuff, because that comforts me to have near me. not cat in the hat. i don't mean that. but perhaps something like little women..or something i read when i was younger like daddy long legs or the secret garden. i'd probably have gone with the wind, becausei go to it.that's my point. i'd probably rather have gone with the wind nearby than the collected works of shakespeare if i could only have 20.but in my home big library, i would have all of shakespeare. but late on a stormy night, i'm more likely to reach for gone with the wind as a good friend! i think i'd like an anthology of poetry,because i like that more now that i get older. i know! i'd have biographies, because they inspire me. yep. ...still thinking...

Oct 27, 2010
Steen Krause

Currently reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and listening to the Pride and Prejudice audiobook.

Nov 26, 2010
wiffledust

pride and prejudice is one of the best novels EVER EVER! is this the first time for you on that one? and what is the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy about???

Nov 26, 2010
Steen Krause

Yes, first time reading P&P. Hitchhikers is about hitchhiking through the galaxy! By Douglas Adams. :)

Nov 26, 2010
Darla Walker

I just finished The Hand That First Held Mine, by Maggie O'Farrell. Now I'm reading Outside the Ordinary World, by Dori Ostermiller. They're both very good. I find myself completely involved with the characters. The stories are very real, which is important to me.

Nov 28, 2010
wiffledust

folks, oprah just picked charles dickens for holiday reading. i'm SO glad she did this, because i think so many people think dickens might be over their head. he's not. he's a great novelist, and even young people can enjoy the great storytelling. i urge everyone to take another crack at a tale of two cities, oliver twist, a christmas carol, and all of them! they are a beautiful use of the english language!

Dec 6, 2010
wiffledust

steve martin has a good book out...i think it's called "an object of beauty". it has "object of beauty" in the title. he's a talented writer, and worth checking out!!! norah ephron also has a fun book out called "i remember nothing". she's always good for a giggle. both are available on the list to the right from amazon.....

Dec 9, 2010
Darla Walker

I just finished reading The Summer We Read Gatsby. I liked it a lot! Loved the dry humor in it, and the relationship between the 2 sisters.

Dec 16, 2010
wiffledust

i so appreciate you posting what you're reading, darla. i'm going to share this. has anyone tried jonathan franzen yet??

Dec 16, 2010
Vanessa Dowdy

I finished reading Freedom by Jonathan Franzen a few weeks ago. I thought it was well written but I have to say it just didn't impress me as it seems to have impressed Oprah and others.

Dec 16, 2010
wiffledust

thanks, vanessa! i am surrounded by books i've yet to get to. i haven't read any jonathan franzen yet, which is why i asked. i have an editor friend who says he's great too. but i don't know WHAT is great...which is why i asked. so i appreciate your very honest opinion!

Dec 16, 2010
Paul Halpern

I'm reading a fascinating book about time travel back to 1940s London. It is by the amazing Connie Willis, and called "Blackout." The sequel "All Clear" is next. I hadn't realized the severity of the London blitz before I read the book.

Jan 7, 2011
Rick Reiley

I am reading 'Saving Jesus from the Church' by Robin Meyers a UCC minister from OKC. It's about how professing beliefs and living them are often at odds with one another. He is pastor at the Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ in OKC. Love the guy. Really enjoying the book.

Jan 15, 2011
wiffledust

thanks so much, paul and rick! i would never have thought of these or known about them and i bet i'm not alone. that's what i love about this group. i'm so glad you're participating!

Jan 15, 2011
Bettina Woolard

Right now working on 2 books, very different from each other. One is Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen (very funny in spots) & the other is Lives Shot from a Gun, by Lyndall Gordon. It's a hew bio of Emily Dickenson & super interesting. The reason I'm reading both is that the ED one is from the library & I have to return it soon, but I'd already started the other one. Capiche?

Jan 15, 2011
Bettina Woolard

Oh, & A Thousand Splendid Suns is also a recent read. Very good, very upsetting. Same author as The Kite Runner. Can't remember his name & am too lazy to look it up right now.

Jan 15, 2011
wiffledust

oh! hi bettina! i had no idea that franzen could be funny...really? i'm going to have to read him if i can just get some extra time. but i always read several things at once,so you reading more than one thing doesn't phase me at all! i've heard good things about the kite runner, but upsetting stuff is freaking me out lately. so i'll skip that one for now. but i think it'll be a fave with folks here. i didn't know there was a new bio of emily dickenson..that must be fascinating! was she agoraphobic or just a recluse? they are very different things...

Jan 15, 2011
wiffledust

oh and si! io capisco!

Jan 15, 2011
Bettina Woolard

Lyndall Gordon (author of the Emily D bio) makes a very good & convincing case for ED being epileptic, which was the reason for her not leaving her property. In those days it was shameful & one didn't discuss it, esp in the case of women, because it was thought that seizures were caused by sexual thoughts! Duh, duh, duh!

Jan 16, 2011