What I’m Reading

I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately. I’ve pretty much given up on night time television.  There’s nothing on that I care about watching – not enough to give up sleep for, anyway! What I'm reading right now

So, instead of vegging in front of the TV, I’ve been reading. Once the monkeys go to bed, I snuggle up in my chair in our sitting room and read until I can’t focus anymore. Some nights, that’s five minutes, some it’s more.  It just depends.

I’ve been really lucky, too, in that I’ve found some really great books to read.

I think the last one I shared with you was Juliet or maybe it was Septimus Heap?

I thoroughly enjoyed Juliet. It was a really great book. One I would recommend to anyone.

I have taken a break from Septimus Heap because Big Girl is reading it, too, and she wanted to catch up to me in the story so we can talk about it. So, I’ve been reading other books while we get to the same point in the story.

Here are some of the books I’ve read in the past few weeks:

Prayers for Sale
by Sandra Dallas

This was a really, really good book. I gobbled it up in a matter of days, enjoying it like I would a delicious dessert for my mind.  The characters are really well-written and the story consists of an 80-something year old’s reminiscences of her youth in a gold mining camp in the mountains of Colorado and her current relationship with a young, newly-married girl.  I was hooked within the first few pages and couldn’t wait to sit down and read in the evenings. I was sad when the story was over, wishing I could spend more time with the characters (always a good sign, in my mind)

I would highly recommend it to you. Especially if you are in the mood for something a little bit different.

 

The Lace Makers of Glenmara
by Heather Barbieri

This one just captured me from the very beginning.  It is the story of a heartbroken young woman who is traveling through Ireland trying to recover from being jilted by her fiancé (for another woman, of course).

She ends up in a small village that has a lace making group – middle-aged women who each have stories of their own.  The book weaves their stories, and Kate’s (the main character) together beautifully, and the imagery is spectacular.

I finished this one last night and am hoping to find more stories by this author.

Another one I’d highly recommend.

 

Now, I’m starting The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry.

It’s the story of a young psychotherapist, Zee Finch, who is thrown in a tailspin when one of her patients commits suicide.

She travels back to Salem, where she is from, and finds her father in poor health and needing care.

I’m not much further into the book than that, but I loved The Lace Reader, another book by Barry, so I am looking forward to reading this one.

I’ll let you know how it turns out.

 

 

 

And what about you?

What are you reading these days?  Any recommendations?

What I’m Reading Right Now

What I'm reading right nowI’ve been tossing back and forth between books since finishing Juliet. It was such a good book and I was having trouble deciding what I wanted to read next. There were quite a few books I wanted to read, but my budget wasn’t allowing me to go nuts and buy them all right now. And they are on “wait” at the library, so I had to decide to either read a “real” book that I already had on the bookshelf at home, or an existing book already on Beatrice.

I got lucky and Barnes & Noble had a Free Friday book that looked promising. I’m hooked now. Big Girl is reading a library copy of the same book, which is fun because we can talk about the story as we go. 

There are six (or seven?) books in the series, so I am sure B&N will get their tithe at some point, unless we get lucky and find them either at a used bookstore or the library. I may just go ahead and purchase the “real” book so that Big Girl and I can share them more easily. She likes to take her books to school and read them when she has free time and I’m not too keen on letting Beatrice take a trip to school.

So, now I am reading Septimus Heap, Book One, Magyk which, although, I think, a children’s book, is really very entertaining.  It’s about a family of wizards who adopt what they think is an abandoned baby girl but who turns out to be a princess who was rescued just as her mother, the queen, was killed.  It’s all twists and turns and lots of fantasy and magic, but it’s a nice escape from reality right now.  The story is engaging and the characters are interesting, if not too deeply developed (so far).

Big Girl is really enjoying it, which I love, and hates to put it down at night when it is time for lights out. I think it will be fun to read together and have something to share, especially if she makes it past the first book and on into the others in the story.

 

Who knows, maybe some Harry Potter will be in our future one day?

What are you reading right now?

What I’m Reading Right Now

I caught up (a little) on some reading over the Thanksgiving break.What I'm reading right now

I managed to read A Simple Amish Christmas and finally finish The Venetian Betrayal  (that book seemed to never end!)

The Amish Christmas book was charming. While it was very formulaic and pretty predictable, I liked the characters and was sad when I finished. I am hoping the author has some others to offer. It was a nice light read – perfect at the end of the busy holiday days.

I started Private by James Patterson last night.  So far, it looks good.

image

It’s about a private investigator, former CIA agent, who finds out his best friend’s wife has been murdered.  He pours all of his agency’s resources into finding her killer (along with the other open cases they are handling) and I don’t know much else yet – hey, I just started it yesterday!

I’ll let you know how it turns out. There were good and bad reviews online, so I’m holding out my opinion until it’s done. But, it interested me enough that I made the purchase after my free sample on the Nook.

What are you reading right now?
Any recommendations?

Enhanced by Zemanta

On the Nightstand

I’ve been doing a lot of reading this summer. I made a conscious decision at the beginning of summer that I was going to watch less TV and do more reading. I’ve got a ton of shows on TiVo and, surprisingly, I don’t even care if I don’t catch up on them.  BUT, I am really enjoying reading again.  I have been devouring books like they were bon bons and spending lots of time curled up on the sofa with a glass of iced grape kool-aide and my faithful kitty cat, Scooby Doo.  (aka Gabriella Pussycat… the nickname is a story for another day)

My new Nook (named Beatrice Nook by Big Girl) has been a constant companion, too. I have been really enjoying it and the fact that just about ANY book is accessible to me anywhere (even 38,000 feet in the air as I flew to/from San Francisco a few weeks ago).  I have also been enjoying being exposed to new writers (that I probably would never have considered) as I have been taking advantage of the Free Friday eBooks on Barnes & Noble’s website. Why not try a book if it’s free? Nothing to lose, right?

Details

If you have been considering a Nook (or Kindle) you can read my review of Beatrice here.  She is my new best friend (and Big Girl’s, too)

Here are a few of the books I’ve read in the past few weeks:

Weddings Can Be Murder by Christie Craig: Download Cover

Weddings Can Be Murder
Christie Craig

This was a Friday Freebie.  I would’ve probably not bought it otherwise.  It was light, cotton-candy reading.  Predictable plot, although great escapism.  Not too crazy about the language in the book (lots of F-words) but I just skimmed them and kept reading.

Basic plot is centered around murders of brides-to-be who all share the same wedding planner (who is killed in the first 100 or so pages) and the Cop/PI brothers trying to solve the murders and save the girl.  There’s also a sub-plot which was focused on Kate (the bride) and her fiancé and best friend.  Without spoiling the story, that’s about all I can tell you.

Would I read it again? Probably not.  But it was good, escapist summer reading – and for free, that’s not bad.



The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Well After Weight Loss by MS, RD, LD Furtado: Download Cover

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery
MS, RD, LD Furtado

I picked this up on the airplane heading out to San Francisco. ON THE PLANE. At 38k feet. How cool is that? LOVE it.  Love my Nook.

Anyway. 

Very, very informative book. I thought I had learned pretty much all I needed to know about life after surgery already but was pleasantly surprised to find that this book had tons of good information for me. Particularly about carbohydrate intake, protein needs, etc. 

I’m still reading it – I have to be in the right frame of mind for this type of book – but I am really glad I bought it. If you are a WLS patient, I strongly suggest making the investment.


The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium Trilogy Series #1) by Stieg Larsson: Download Cover

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Stieg Larsson

Is anyone not reading this book (or one of the books in this series)?

I mean, really, everyone seems to have this book on their to-read list these days.

I have started it. I haven’t finished it. I keep getting distracted with other books. The story just hasn’t grabbed me yet.

Anyone have any thoughts about it? I’m wondering what all the fuss is about, since I can’t seem to get going on the book. Maybe I just need to get over my ADD and focus on reading it for a few days and see if it gets better.




Darkfever (Fever Series #1) by Karen Marie Moning: Download Cover

DarkFever
Karen Marie Moning

This was another Friday Freebie (which is probably why I can’t seem to finish the Dragon story!)

I was a little skeptical that I’d like it, but once I got into the story (in about three chapters) I was hooked.
I read this in about 2 days. 

It’s a sci-fi/paranormal story (not a romance at all) and focuses on this stereotypical Southern Blonde whose sister is mysteriously killed while attending an exchange program in Dublin, Ireland. She goes over to pressure the police about finding her sister’s killer and finds herself embroiled in the world of the Faery, magic and mystery.

There are five books in the series. I have already downloaded #2 & 3 on my Nook. I can’t wait to read them. The stories are engrossing and the dialogue and plot are very well done.  I really had no clue what was going to happen from page to page – which is really important to me.


Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert: Download Cover


I started this a long time ago. Really, really enjoyed it.

Then I got the Nook and got all sorts of distractions.

I am stuck somewhere in India.  At an ashram. Maybe that is why I haven’t finished?
I WANT to finish it. It’s a really good story about finding oneself and growing up.

I WILL finish it.

Maybe after the kids are back at school.





And, then, finally, I am reading this –

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer: Book Cover

I got re-hooked into the saga after seeing the new Twilight movie last week. I’m already more than halfway through the book (started reading it Saturday night) and I just HAVE to finish it to see where things go.  Didn’t think I would get sucked back into the Twilight series again, but here I am, reading like a crazy woman.

Like I said, I’ve been devouring books lately. 

What are YOU reading?

Anything I should add to my wishlist?