Literature What are you currently reading?

[Susanne A.]

I'm currently reading 'It' by Stephen King. I would recommend for those of you who enjoy longer books (it has more than 1000 pages). I've also just finished 'A Little Life" and I'm COMPLETELY devastated by it.

 

[Second Summer]

Just finished reading Viking Britain by Thomas Williams. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who's interested in history and British-Scandinavian relations. My knowledge of British history and the Viking Age has been vastly expanded after reading this! The author is a curator at the British Museum, author of numerous academic articles and a children's book about the Viking Age. Viking Britain is a readable book, and it gave me several good chuckles thanks to the author's good story-telling technique and good sense of humour. Still, it also feels quite authoritative, with numerous footnotes and references to other works on the topic.

 

[Poppy]

Fear, by Bob Woodward.

 

[richy]

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Rereading the whole HP series since the last time I read it when I was a preteen. Finally able to grasp things I weren't able to before!

 

[Brian W]

The Eye of Zoltar (The Last Dragonslayer, #3) by Jasper Fforde. Finishing a hilarious series of books that my wife recommended to me having read Fforde's Tuesday Next series.

 

[Moll Flanders]

I have about 55 books on my kindle at the moment.

I started reading Drink: The Deadly Relationship Between Women and Alcohol last night - Ann Dowsett Johnston.

Over the past few decades, the feminist revolution has had enormous ramifications. Women outnumber their male counterparts in postsecondary education in most of the developed world, and they are about to do the same in the workplace. But what has not been fully documented or explored is that while women have gained equality in many arenas, they also have begun to close the gender gap in terms of alcohol abuse.

The UK doesn't come off very well! The author refers to us as the Lindsay Lohan of the international set. I read recently that women now drink as much as men here.

Next I am going to read The Murder of Harriet Monckton - Elizabeth Haynes. A Victorian crime novel based on a true story.

 

[hungryraccoon]

I picked up 'The tattooist of Auschwitz' by Heather Morris in the supermarket whilst shopping - no idea why as I never do that but hopefully its a good read.

 

[Andy_T]

Re-Reading the "Night Watch" series by Sergeij Lukyanenko.

Suggest it to anybody who likes fantasy books (specifically: "Urban Fantasy"), very well written, and, because it is by a Russian author, a different take on the classic subjects, fresh to read, even though the first book was written already 20 years ago.

 

[Andy_T]

Rereading the whole HP series since the last time I read it when I was a preteen.

As I normally re-read a whole series before a new book comes out, if it has been a long time since the last read, I calculate that I have read the whole Harry Potter series about 5 times.... still like it

 

[hungryraccoon]

Re-Reading the "Night Watch" series by Sergeij Lukyanenko.

Suggest it to anybody who likes fantasy books (specifically: "Urban Fantasy"), very well written, and, because it is by a Russian author, a different take on the classic subjects, fresh to read, even though the first book was written already 20 years ago.

One of my favourite series of books!

 

[Jamie in Chile]

I am reading China in 10 words.

 

[Moll Flanders]

29 Gifts.

At age thirty-five, Cami Walker was burdened by a battle with multiple sclerosis, a chronic neurological condition that made it difficult for her to walk, work, or enjoy her life. Seeking a remedy for her depression after being hospitalized, she received an uncommon prescription from an African medicine woman: Give to others for 29 days.

29 Gifts is the insightful story of the author's life change as she embraces and reflects on the naturally reciprocal process of giving and receiving.

 

[Mikkel]

"Warlock" by Wilbur Smith.

 

[Katrina]

I just finished reading "A Scanner Darkly" by Philip K Dick. I'll probably put a hold on another of his books at the library... I'm trying to read all of them.

 

[Mark Mywordz]

The Last Tudor by Philippa Gregory. I buy her books when they are on offer on Kindle.
I have just bought A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr and Warlight by Michael Ondaatje. They are my next reads and were recommended by a German friend.

 

[Tom L.]

As I normally re-read a whole series before a new book comes out, if it has been a long time since the last read, I calculate that I have read the whole Harry Potter series about 5 times.... still like it

I don't think I've read any of those more than once, although I have read them all. I wonder if I read too fast? maybe I missed a few things.

Maybe 2 years ago, I read something from Piers Anthony's "Xanth" fantasy/comedy series: "Board Stiff", which my library had just gotten. I love puns, so I enjoyed it as far as that goes, but I found out later that he has a sexist reputation for his treatment of female characters in his books (and maybe for other reasons). His "Xanth" books generally have a humorous tone, so I hadn't paid all that much attention.

Over the past month or so, I read 4 more: "Swell Foop", "Jumper Cable" (the main character is a jumping spider!!??), "Stork Naked", and "Esrever Doom". Overall, I think his female characters are as strong and virtuous as the males- even though the female main character in "Board Stiff" is literally a board(???!!!) most of the time and cannot choose to resume permanent human form until the man who found her catches on.

Anyhow, I've had enough of Anthony and Xanth.

 

[Val]

"Rigveda" (Mandalas 1-10 in translation).

 

[Jamie in Chile]

I just finished reading "A Scanner Darkly" by Philip K Dick. I'll probably put a hold on another of his books at the library... I'm trying to read all of them.

I love Philip K Dick. I think he is one of the greatest science fiction writers ever. Some of his books were made into movies 50 years later with hardly any changes and still seem plausibly futuristic and ahead of their time - I think he was a generation ahead of his time. I've read that book you mentioned (and the movie). I might have to take up some of those at some point. In fact now I think about it I can't remember the stories very well. I may be able to reread the ones I read without remembering what happened.

 

[Jamie in Chile]

Unconditional Parenting
by Alfie Kohn
is the book I'm reading right now. I reccommend this for parents.

I may have mentioned it before, as this is not the first time I've read it.

 

[Katrina]

I love Philip K Dick. I think he is one of the greatest science fiction writers ever. Some of his books were made into movies 50 years later with hardly any changes and still seem plausibly futuristic and ahead of their time - I think he was a generation ahead of his time. I've read that book you mentioned (and the movie). I might have to take up some of those at some point. In fact now I think about it I can't remember the stories very well. I may be able to reread the ones I read without remembering what happened.

Agreed that his ideas were ahead of his time. It really surprised me when I looked at the publishing dates of his books. I feel like they could have been written recently.