What are you reading-April 2009
 

Another month is here ladies!

Let us all know what you are reading. I started Multiple Blessings last night from Kate Gossling ( from the show Jon and Kate plus 8 )

Currently reading Snow Falling on Cedars and as soon as I'm done with that, I'll start Long Lost.

Just finished "Labyrinth" by Kate Moss. I thoought it was an ok. read, but not a great one.
Started "Friday nights" By Joanne Trollope. Like it fine so far.

I am reading Food Matters by Mark Bittman. It just makes me furious to see what special interests groups have done to the American public. I always liked to think we live in a civilized society, but after the "financial experts" were caught pillaging and looting, it should be no surprise that special interest groups have manipulated nutritional info to the detriment of the American people.

Trying to get thru the Time Traveler's Wife...it's not bad, just everytime I start to read more I get sleepy, lol.

I'm reading Peony in Love by Lisa See. See also wrote Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which I enjoyed. Peony was harder to get into at first and the story is definitely told from an unconventional narrator, but I'm digging it now. It won't be one of my favorites, however, I think. I'm planning a library trip tomorrow.

Still waiting for more Goodreads friends -- come on, it's fun!

I am reading 24-Karat Kids at the moment. So far so good. Chick Lit, of course. But not too heavy on the usual CL topics.

I have Multiple Blessings in my to read list. Let me know how you like it, BornToFly

I liked Snow Flower better than Peony.

I finished Food Matters which was awesome, if the subject wasn't a little infurating. I will probably buy this book when it comes out in paperbook. I'm continuing on my non fiction roll with Outliers.. I am enjoying it just as much as Tipping Point and Blink. Another one I will probably buy at some point.

I just started The Black Prince by Iris Murdoch, and I've been reading Tether's End by one of my favorite British mystery writers, Margery Allingham.

poetry
 

I'm reading a chapbook of prose-poems called "Walter B.'s Extraordinary Cousin Arrives for a Visit & Other Tales" by a person named Sarah Orah Mark. It's published by Woodland Editions. Has anyone else read this one?

The book itself if a lovely object. I think it was letter-pressed, it has beautiful end-papers, and gorgeous creamy pages. It's incredibly well-designed and that, alone, caught my attention at first.

The poems in it are strange and evocative. Some of them are heartbreakingly bold, and others feel a bit like a puzzle. I tend to spend a long time reading books of poetry and chapbooks are especially meant to be savored, I think.

By the way, it's National Poetry Month.

Even at my ever-advancing middle age I'm a sucker for coming of age stories, and I loved this one I happened on at the library, called Stealing Heaven

http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-Heave.../dp/0061122807

Super quick and compelling read if you happen to see it. I also have a soft spot for the celeb biog, loved Val B's, and Carrie Fisher's too!

I liked "The Time Traveler's Wife". I heard that Audrey Niffenegger's second novel ("Her Fearful Symmetry") will be released soon.

Incidentally, She has the coolest webpage I've ever seen.

I've been waiting for her follow up book so long, I hope it can live up to my expectations. I don't want her to Donna Tartt me! (loved Secret History, thought Little Friend was junk).

About to start Dearly Devoted Dexter. Love the series so I thought I'd give the books a try too!

i just finished unaccustomed earth by jhumpa lahiri. i highly recommend it.
this week i started the mayor's tongue by nathaniel rich.

My son just gave me all of the Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum books. I think that will keep me busy for a few weeks!

The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.

A book to read a second time. Great for book clubs too :)

i read the junot diaz last summer. soooo good! i highly recommend it.

I've seen this around a lot. It looks good. Can you tell me more about it? Thanks!

Did you start with the first one? I liked the first 2 (I'm also a huge fan of the show) and thought the last one was horribly, laughably awful. Sure hope the TV show doesn't go in that direction (but it doesn't look like they are).

SO glad you all have this thread!

:book2:

I personally love murder mysteries! Anything by James Patterson is my mental Ice Cream! However I am currently reading "Mr.Perfect" by Linda Howard!

I love Jhumpa Lahiri! Have you read her short story collection Interpreter of Maladies? One of my favorites.

I just started "The Hour I First Believed" by Wally Lamb.

Currently in rotation:

Losing It: America's obsession with weight and the industry that feeds on it.

Food, Inc: The promises and perils of the biotech harvest.

I'm reading:

The Wettest County in the World: A novel based on a true story by Matt Bondurant

Out of Mao's Shadow: The Struggle for the Soul of a new China by Philip Pan

I loved The Time Traveler's Wife but found that you had to make the mental choice to just let the pace wash over you and take you away. And I really enjoyed a different Jhumpa Lahiri (sp?) book The Namesake. I've been wondering about her new book and am glad to read that people have been enjoying it! I'll have to check it out.

yep, I did read the first one. I liked the show better though, I think. But I'm a huge fan of Michael Hall. I don't have showtime tho, so I always have to wait till it comes out to DVD.

is that the one she won the pulitzer for? i think i'll try and borrow it from a friend. she lives pretty near me, so it's kinda cool reading her stuff.

Crossed Bones by Carolyn Haines

Yes, Interpreter of Maladies won the Pulitzer! It's a good read...especially if you like short stories. They fit into my schedule more easily than novels often.

It is about The Dominican American experience as impacted by Trujillo, a dictator that the US helped put into power. The characters are wonderful and have great depth. The writing is terse, somewhat explicit and powerful, and the story unfolds through an artist's hand.

check it out! (and, no, I do not stand to financially gain from this pitch ;))

Thanks kittycat40!

I just finished Secrets of a Shoe Addict. It was okay, pretty light and fluffy and apparently a sequel. The author can write some funny dialogue so I might check out her other stuff.

Spoilers below
***
Well, I say it's light and fluffy until I realized the book had: male prostitution, blackmail, felons, phone sex operators and cheating husbands. So, it was light and fluffy with that stuff.
***

i will check it out after i finish the book i just started. that would def be good for the subway.

have you read any susan choi?

Just read City of Thieves. Has anyone else read it?

Glory, I read Secrets of a Shoe Addict a few weeks back. It wasn't all that bad. But yes, I must agree with you on your Spoiler.


I just finished Mommy Tracked by Whitney Gaskell. She has a few others, but am not sure what one's I may pick up next. It was a pretty good read. Lots of characters to keep under wraps. A chapter dedicated to each character. All in all I liked it.

Off to add some chick lit books to my library cache.

Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life by Henry Cloud and John Townsend

NOTE: *Lord knows I have boundary issues!*

Next, I am reading The Five People You Meet In Heaven

I finished Snow Falling on Cedars and will start the new Harlan Coben today.

Just finished Gucci Gucci Coo. It was a good read, I'll admit. The author (Sue Margolis) has a few other books, I may add to my library cache.
We are heading out to B&N in a bit, off to look for a few other MUST ADD TO MY COLLECTION reads. Hoping to find some Emily Giffin books on clearance there. Doubtful though. If not I'll ask my parents to get me them for my birthday.

I have been reading Sue Grafton books for a while, and just finished J is for Judgment, but decided to have a change. I am trying to read A Body to Die For by Kate White, but I have a feeling that I may just need a break from this genre for a while.

I bought Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett while we were in the US, and now that I have two weeks' vacation I may try to get that read. I am so tired after a day at school, with keeping kids focussed all day, that I just don't have the mental energy to face anything too deep and thought-provoking in the evenings.

I am SO envious of the price you pay for books in the US. We pay close to double over here, if not more. We bought quite a few books while we were over there. Some because we couldn't get them over here, and others because it was simply cheaper, even with the postage to get them home.

Hey Zelma - I hope you like Pillars! It's one of my top 10 books of all time. Years later, he actually wrote a "sequel" (with different characters, in a different time period). If you like Pillars, you can check out World Without End - it's nearly EXACTLY like it (in a good way and a bad way - good, well, it's more of the same; bad, hello lazy writing)