[JessieW]

Laurie,
Anne Tyler is one of my favorites but I think you just have to have a taste for her writing! Her newest book was pretty good, but I can't remember the name of it right now! I love Saint Maybe.

Also love Maeve Binchy, although I was disappointed with Nights of Rain and Stars. It just didn't dig into the characters like her books usually do.

Currently I am trying to finished A Million Little Pieces which I have been reading for like five weeks!

Jessie

[annarenee]

I am nearly finished with Son of a Witch the sequel to Wicked. I made my summer book list at the library last week and it includes an Audrey Hepburn bio, Pride and Prejudice, and about 5 other books (how I think I'm going to read 7 books in 4 months...I don't know)

[beachgal]

Annarenee, I can SO relate to having tons of books to read and not enough time! I have two boxes of books I bought at used book sales, used book stores, and at half.com...not to mention the list of 30+ I'd like to read, and the ones I keep putting on hold at the library... I have way too much that I'd like to read! I loved Wicked, so am really looking forward to reading Son of a Witch. I've loved all of Maguire's books, but Wicked was very special. Sorry you didn't like it, SunLit!

Yes, SunLit, I liked She's Come Undone. It made me uncomfortable at times, but considering my lifelong battle with food, I really took a lot of it to heart. Yeah, I finished Breathing Lessons and though I respected her ability to create interesting characters that were very realistic, the story didn't do that much to me. I felt like it ended in the middle, but I didn't want more. Sad. But I'm glad I tried it. It's great to try new things!

Jessie, I love Maeve Binchy too. <happy sigh> She's fabulous! I've read every book of hers that I could get my hands on through the library...then I bought a couple. I don't think I've read the one you mentioned, though.

It's so fun to hear what you are all reading! Million Little Pieces is on my list...I have a copy a friend gave me, but haven't read it yet. I feel like it's one of those books I should read but don't really want to read. However, some of those have become my favorites!

I just finished Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler, and am almost done listening to a book on CD called Freakonomics. It's really mind boggling and not at all my usual genre. It's a non-fiction piece about the questions an economist asks (and finds answers to) about the world. Weird questions like, "If crack dealers make so much money, why do they still live with their mothers?", "What do realtors and the Ku Klux Klan have in common?", "Do Sumo wrestlers and teachers cheat?" "What was the real reason for the huge drop in violent crime in the 90's?" (you'll never believe what he found!). It's really engaging and very interesting.

I'm trying to decide between books right now. I have two from the library, both self-help ( A Course in Miracles and one by Melody Beattie that is about loving yourself) that are overdue (I renewed them...but they're due back soon), I really want to read another Geneen Roth considering that my eating seems out of whack, but I also want to read something for fun! I have the newest book from my favorite author of all time, Sarah Waters, on hold at the library and I think I'd really prefer to read that first. I'm praying that I'll like it--she has written three books that take place in the Victorian Era in England and are quite Dickensian in tone. This one takes place after WWII, so we'll see if the move in time period changes her writing. I hope not!

[JessieW]

I agree with the too many books, too little time! The last few months we have had hard books in book club--Wicked (which I had read in high school, but read agin), The Kite Runner (I would HIGHLY recommend you read it!), and A Million Little Pieces. Which I really didn't enjoy but yeah, I felt like I should read it. And then I didn't even go to book club! Which isn't that bothersome, since my book club doesn't even really discuss the book half the time and most of them don't finish it. *SIGH*

Laurie, Nights of Rain and Stars is Maeve Binchy's newest and it just wasn't like her other books. My favorite of hers are Circle of Friends, Scarlet Feather, and Firefly Summer. I have read almost all of hers, and I have them all too because I get them cheap at used bookstores.

Right now I am also trying to read the South Beach book, March by Gwendolyn Brooks, and a book called Q that my husband got me for Christmas.

Jessie

[Ruthxxx]

I'm reading The Birth House by Ami McKay and just love it!
I just finished Elizabeth and After and loved it too. It is supposedly set in a small town near here.
Can you tell I love Canadian Authors?

[beachgal]

Ruth, what was The Birth House about?

Jessie, I loved Scarlet Feather too. Did you read the sequel? I liked that very much as well. I don't remember Firefly Summer...perhaps I haven't read it yet? Circle of Friends is great. Evening Class is lovely too, and I liked Tara Road as well. The Copper Beech was the first MB book I read, so it's a sentimental favorite. I think it's a bit different than the rest of the books of hers I've read. It's a shame that your book club members don't always read the book and don't talk much about it. I think most groups have diversions into other conversations while discussing the book, but usually spend at least some time talking about it. What seems to be a problem for our group is when none of us liked the book. There's only so much you can say about why you didn't like it.

[beachgal]

Ooh...one more thing!

I'm currently reading a fabulous book: 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet: Because We're All In This Together written by our very own Suzanne, Jennifer, and Amy!

It's wonderful! Not only interesting and funny and well written (with some amazing recipes... ), but you also get to enjoy reading quotes from people you know here at 3FC!

Check it out! You can order it via Amazon by using the "Preorder our book from Amazon" link at the top of the page.

[beachgal]

Met with book club last night to discuss Breathing Lessons. Guess I liked it more than I thought, once we started discussing it. One of the girls said that Accidental Tourist (by the same author) is fabulous. Has anyone read it?

Also, has anyone read Labyrinth by Kate Mosse? I'm interested in that one. I'm currently reading The Night Watch by Sarah Waters (my favorite author!!!). It's really fabulous...juicy and so fun to read...I both want it to last forever and want to finish it tonight...it's so hard not to just sit and read and read until I'm done because it's so intriguing!

[JessieW]

Laurie,
It's been a LONG time since I read them, but I do think I liked Accidental Tourist a lot more than Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler. I saw that she has a new book out, I may try to read it (when I am done with the other 18 books I am reading???). I have read the sequel to Scarlet Feather, although I think I read it first--oops! Oooh, I really love Evening Class too. Most of her books are just such fun character sketches!

My book club is reading Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner this month--she is my favorite fluff author. I've already read it though, so I am trying to play catch-up on my other fun books! I just started a job as a copy editor though, so I read all day, and sometimes when I get home I just want to read a magazine or watcg TV!!!

Jessie

[TropicalKitty]

Hola readers!

Thought I'd chime in with my recent literary adventures. I've been reading the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella. Absolutely hilarious. There are 4 books currently in the series. They are about a british girl who *drum roll* loves to shop. She gets herself into all sorts of problems: debt, lies. The series starts with her as a financial journalist who is barely scraping by because of her addiction to cuture. She tries to curb her spending, but always finds an excuse: "Oh it was on sale!" "It's really an investment" "WOW A free gift!" She's very eccentric and very witty. A very funny set of books. Easy and quick read. Great for taking a break from hefty reading (esp. if you are a student) or to give yourself a nice pick-me-up read.

[beach bum]

I just finished Dean Koontz :
Watchers and now I'm reading his Dragon Tears. Both books are the supernatural kind. I love these kinds of books,call me weird

Hugs BB

[lottie63]

I used to LOVE Dean Koontz, his writers companion is HILARIOUS, the last book of his I read was Odd Thomas...Can't wait to get around to reading Forever Odd...

Right now I'm reaidng The Forest for the Trees: An editors advice to writers

[JessieW]

Lottie,
Since you are a writer...have you read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott? Absolutely my favorite, most hilarious writing book ever.

Jessie

[lottie63]

No but it's recently been suggested to me..so I will have to pick it up.

[beachgal]

Jessie, I'm SO jealous of your new job! I'd love to be a copyeditor! I hope you're finding it really fun, though I can totally understand why you might not feel like reading when you get home. I adore Jennifer Weiner too...I just cried and laughed my way through Good in Bed and really liked In Her Shoes too. I didn't read her third book...had heard that it has to do with the death of a child? Didn't sound like the others and, like you, I have a gazillion books to read first ...is Goodnight Nobody her new one or is that the 3rd one? Hope I'm remembering this right...

Thanks for telling us about the Shopaholic books, Kitty! My friend Emily adores them and is always telling me to read them. They sound great! I saw the second and third books at a yard sale last week, but didn't have the first one, so I didn't get them. Have you read Bridget Jones' Diary? Do you think there's any similarity in the type of humor/wit in BJD and the Shopaholic books?

Love the suggestions for writing books!