What are you reading?

[Martina]

Reading Angelica by Sharon Shinn and liking it.

Listening to A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin on audible. i like the HBO series A Game of Thrones, but this book is putting me to sleep. People are always telling one another off or threatening each other. Or carrying out their threats. Kinda dull. I guess the series is the same, but it's visually interesting, and the actors are good.

[Bleu]

Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger

[aishah]

lilith's brood by octavia butler. i'm glad i finally made it all the way through parable of the talents...parable of the sower & parable of the talents are my favorite octavia butler books, and they've changed my life so much.

i forgot - someone mentioned previously that they wanted to know what i thought of fifty shades of grey. i actually haven't made it that far through because it's so terrible, hehe. i pick it up every now and then when i am bored or needing amusement. eventually i'll make it through all the books, just because...i find it humorous that people find things like this entertaining, i guess.

on the serious side, though, it worries me that so many people are really into it because the book, imho, is not a good portrayal of bdsm at all...i mean, i know it's supposed to be fiction and romance and of course it's not like real life, but it's as though she got her ideas about bdsm from a website (the contract looks almost ripped from many websites i have seen) and doesn't know anything about bdsm in real life. which...yes, it's fiction, but dammit, it still gets on my nerves :P it frustrates me for the same reason twilight frustrates me (ironic, considering it was originally a twilight fanfiction) - that is...yes, it's fiction and it's not real and it's romanticized. but yet SO MANY women i have seen are idealizing it as the perfect relationship. that really disturbs me. a lot. maybe it gets better later in the books...i guess i'll find out.

[tonaderspeisung]

headhunters - jo nesbø

a decent commuter read
starts out very intriguing but requires some suspension of disbelief to resolve itself

[homoe]

I just finished Gillian Flynn's Girl Gone. Save your time and money!

I'm now starting a book called Wild by Cheryl Strayed.

[Julien]

I am rereading The Riddle of Gender: Science, Activism, and Transgender Rights by Deborah Rudacille. I read this about 7 years ago when it came out, it made a big impact in my life and my transitioning. There are so many other books I could reread and add to this list.

[cinnamongrrl]

Sadly, I havent been very excited about starting any new books in a long while...other than the Judy Blume one....however...today Teddy surprised me with a visit to my fave used bookstore and i found a gem....
A Country Year: Living the Questionsby Sue Hubbell. its about a woman in her 50s who spends an entire year living alone in the Ozarks. It reminds me of another book I loved, A Year in the Maine Woods by Bernd Heinrich

[Martina]

I read a tiny little book called Fup this morning. By Jim Dodge. Set in rural Northern CA, where I am. It apparently is widely loved, but I wasn't crazy about it. It was sort of an adult Old Yeller with a surprise magical realism ending. This is the second book published by Heyday Books that I have read. I didn't love either of them.

[Leigh]

I'm actually in the middle of three books lol

1) Beat Sugar Addiction Now, by Jacob Teitelbaum M.D.

2) The Biggest Loser Simple Swaps: 100 Easy Changes to Start Living a Healthier Lifestyle

3) Weight Watchers Complete Food Companion

[The JD]

I took a detour from the book I intended to read...now I'm halfway through another book: Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us. Fantastic read!



The "science" is a bit sketchy, but as the authors themselves admit, it's tricky to measure something that is so subjective. Still, it's a fascinating look at the things that universally annoy us (of which there are many), and why.

The authors explore the annoyance of the senses at a fast clip, leaping from sound (nails on chalkboard, the sound of someone vomiting, overheard cell phone conversations) to smell (even skunks hate the smell of skunk, yet an aversion to the smell of poop is learned), to sight (clutter, traffic), to taste (at which age do Mexican children acquire the taste for hot peppers?) to touch (how a cloud of gnats around a pitcher's head can ruin a perfect game).

The last half of the book focuses on the sociological rather than the physical. I haven't yet learned why all the adorable little quirks of one's loved one eventually become annoying, but I have learned how mice show their annoyance when you hide their cheese.

It's a fun read...and if my dog ever gets sprayed by a skunk, it's worth five times the cost of the book just to have a scientifically proven recipe for removing the smell.

[stonewalldog]

She calls me her curmudgeon but really I am a big softie...lol....I am reading the last book of the last book of Radclyffe's Honor Series called "Word of Honor" Yeah...it is mindless trash but entertaining. And yeah....I'd do Blair....emm...and Diane.....but not together...lol...dream on...lol.....

[Talon]

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

[Fancy]

Just finished: Definitely Not Mr. Darcy by Karen Doornebos

It was a cute, fast, fun read with a healthy dose of Jane Austen love mixed with the banal idiocy of reality TV.

Now reading: Canoeing and Kayaking New York (Canoe and Kayak Series) by Kevin Stiegelmaier

and picked up for a little skimming and inspiration...

Leaves of Grass - Walt Whitman


I'm reading everything in sight to get more raffle tickets in the community library summer reading program. Wish me luck!

[Soon]

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Never-Wanted-alcoholism-addiction/dp/0982579438/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342189980&sr=8-1&keywords=everything+i+never+wanted+to+be"]Everything I Never Wanted to Be[/ame]--Dina Kucera (just finished--loved it--true story of a family's struggle with addiction written by the mother who is also a stand up comedian; her wit and perspective amidst so much struggle is amazing)

[Semantics]

Currently reading:

Diane Arbus: A Biography

by Patricia Bosworth

Just finished:

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced

By Nujood Ali

[grenade]

Just finished The Glass Castle- Jeannette Walls.

Good read. Gritty.

[Soon]

Read this today lying out in the sun; devoured it one tense sitting.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Angelhead-Brothers-Descent-into-Madness/dp/0226067645/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342304310&sr=1-1&keywords=bottoms+schizophrenia"]Angelhead: My Brother's Descent into Madness--Greg Bottoms[/ame]

Amazon:
A taut, powerful memoir of madness, Angelhead documents the violent, drug-addled descent of the author's brother, Michael, into schizophrenia. Beginning with Michael's first psychotic break—seeing God in his suburban bedroom window while high on LSD—Greg Bottoms recounts, in gripping, dramatic prose, the bizarre disappearances, suicide attempts, and the shocking crime that land Michael in the psychiatric wing of a maximum security prison. A work of nonfiction with the form and imagery of a novel, Angelhead enables the reader to witness not only the fragmenting of a mind, but of a family as well.

[ONLY]

Just finished "Blood Noir" by Laurell K. Hamiltong (Anita Blake series)

*Waiting to start "Skin Trade" by Laurell K. Hamilton (17th book in the Anita Blake series) for when SS gets home so we can read that one together*

Just started "Eleven On Top" by Janet Evanovich

[Martina]

Just finished Fire Monks by Colleen Morton Busch. It's about the fire that threatened the Tassajara Zen Center in 2008. Disappointing. Not recommended.

It is interesting and noble that monks and others saved most of the buildings when a forest fire rolled through. But so much of the book was about petty decision-making drama, which is part of all organizations' lives, especially when in crisis, but does not make for a good read.

I am sure the five monks who stayed to the end and actually fought the fire are interesting people, but I got little sense of who they are.

I can't believe the SF Chronicle said it was one of the best books of the year. They were probably just enamored of the story behind it all. Or personally acquainted with the author. *snark* (Tassajara is one of the SF Zen Center's retreat locations and its major cash cow.)

[Fancy]

Originally Posted by Semantics

Currently reading:

Diane Arbus: A Biography

by Patricia Bosworth

Just finished:

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced

By Nujood Ali

Hey Would you recommend either? I'm looking for good stuff to read....