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Post by Pru Freda on Nov 19, 2017 12:47:15 GMT -5
Thought it might be an idea to have a thread about our current reading with a (non-obligatory) comment or two.
Non-fiction - I've just started reading Nick Erik's The Writer's Productivity Crash Course. It apparently started as a series of 5 emails. I'm only on the first, so it's a little early to tell how useful this will be, but I'm already beginning to twitch. Like most Self Help books it asks the question, "where do you want to be in 5 or 10 years time?" To which my answer is, "alive"!
I've always enjoyed the author's posts over on KB, so we'll see how it goes.
Fiction - Have recently finished The Fabric of Murder by William Savage, a murder mystery set in the Georgian era. This author is new to me, but I enjoyed the book, which is set in Norwich, England's second largest city at the time. I'm hoping there will be more to come, the protagonist was very likeable, the historical research well done but not heavy-handed, and the mystery intriguing and well-plotted.
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Post by carlos on Nov 19, 2017 16:24:57 GMT -5
I was in the library two days ago and came across a John Sandford 'thriller' I had never read (or, at least, do not recall reading.) I will carry it with me to visit the g-children tomorrow--maybe I'll get a chance to read it during the week--they do not seem to require, or desire, as much attention from grandparents as they did ten years ago. Sandford is the premier crime thriller writer in America today--but as the title suggests, MORTAL PREY, is far removed from vicars investigating suspicious deaths in the village tea shop.
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Post by djmills on Nov 19, 2017 16:30:14 GMT -5
I downloaded it and checked the index. All basic stuff. :-)
I am busy doing the Teachable Summit along with writing, etc so only about 15 mins reading of Clive Cussler's Valhalla Rising (again) before sleep.
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Post by Daniel on Nov 20, 2017 8:14:27 GMT -5
Good idea for a thread, Pru Freda! I'm currently reading The Enemy by Lee Child. Although I'm enjoying the story, I've been having trouble staying awake long enough to read more than about twenty pages at a time. That tells me it isn't as gripping as some of his other stories because a really good book will keep me awake. When I'm done with the Child book, I'll probably move on to a Dick Francis. I recently discovered Francis and he quickly became a fan of his writing. I picked up a whole box of Francis paperbacks at a used book store last year, so I'll weave them into my other reading like a kind of dessert. I've also been reading The Times Concise Atlas of World History. It's fascinating stuff with maps that show the movement of early man across the globe as well as the development of agriculture and society. While reading it last night, I noticed a pattern that developed very early in human history. Periodically, the barbaric tribes overrun the more developed and sophisticated cultures and set things back a century or two. I can't help but draw a parallel to what's happening in the US right now. |
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Post by scdaffron on Nov 20, 2017 9:32:18 GMT -5
We got a bunch of books at the used book store and I'm reading a Susan Mallery novel called Hold Me, which is part of her gigantic Fool's Gold series. So far, I'm not really buying into the "issues" the main character is having, but whatevs. Nonfiction-wise, I've been reading the lessons in the writing course I'm taking. Day job-wise, I'm reading about stuff NO one wants to hear about  |
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Post by ameliasmith on Nov 21, 2017 7:28:38 GMT -5
I'm flipping through a bunch of things on the Kindle and reading Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts. I'm also reading the second Courageous Princess book, and browsing recipes.
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Post by quinning on Nov 21, 2017 14:53:41 GMT -5
Non-fiction: Self-Publishing Unboxed by Patty Jansen.
Fiction: Finishing up Night School by Lee Childs. Beta reading another book whose title I have forgotten. Then will start I don't know what. I have a BUNCH of books on my Kindle to choose from.
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Post by Daniel on Nov 22, 2017 7:33:36 GMT -5
The Enemy by Lee Child really picked up at the end. I blazed through the third act, which kept me up late on Monday night. That would have been fine except that the next morning, one of our dogs decided that four AM was a good time to barf loudly. After scrambling to deal with that and taking all three dogs outside, going back to bed would have been a pointless effort. We made coffee and got the day started.
Last night, I started on Wild Horses by Dick Francis. After such an early start on the day, I didn't get far.
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Post by Miss Terri Novelle on Nov 22, 2017 9:04:44 GMT -5
I'm currently rereading the Harry Potter books...I don't even know why. And I'm also reading Spells and Jinglebells (not my story in it, but the rest of them) and also On Writing by Stephen King. These are the kindle books currently queued up. In paperback, I'm reading Misty Copeland's autobiography, but that's been slow going since I have to hunt down my glasses every time I want to read it.
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Post by Pru Freda on Dec 2, 2017 10:05:12 GMT -5
Still reading The Writers' Productivity Crash Course - guess I'm not crashing through it. In the fiction department, I've just finished A Match Made in Spell by ReGina Welling and Erin Lynn. This isn't my usual sort of fare at all and there were times when I struggled with it - simply because of some of the phrasing. There is a greater difference between American and British English than I realised!  On the whole, I enjoyed it very much, and was always eager to get back to it, although the ending came suddenly (and too soon for me). Now, I shall have to read the next one.  |
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Post by Miss Terri Novelle on Dec 2, 2017 13:58:50 GMT -5
If you'd like a freebie of the next book, you have only to ask! I've got Instafreebie codes at the ready and will PM you them at any time. And thanks for the compliment!
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Post by ameliasmith on Dec 3, 2017 9:26:54 GMT -5
I think I mentioned in the other thread that I just read Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday and found it quite inspiring.
I downloaded two new books to my kindle last night from Overdrive, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and Alanna by Tamora Pierce, both of which are good so far.
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Post by elephantsbookshelf on Dec 10, 2017 7:48:41 GMT -5
I'm in the tail end of Medicis Daughter by Sophie Perinot. It's historical fiction -- not my usual bill of fare. I'm enjoying it, especially the third act. The initial build up took a while. It's well written, but I find some of the nuance a tad slow.
I'm also reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to my kids at bedtime. This is the one movie I've not seen, so most of it is new to me, too, since I'd not read the books.
Nonfiction, I'm in the midst of Brian Meeks's Mastering Amazon Ads. It's very helpful and potentially game changing for my publishing company. While I may have some issues with the writing, I'm fully engrossed in what it's trying to teach.
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Post by Daniel on Dec 10, 2017 8:41:31 GMT -5
For entertainment, I'm reading Without Due Process by J.A. Jance. I'm also alpha reading The Hound of Music, Susan's next Alpine Grove novel, and re-reading Vaetra Unveiled in search for back story bits I can use for my Vaetra prequel. (Not that those aren't entertaining. ) |
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Post by ameliasmith on Dec 10, 2017 9:23:30 GMT -5
I'm still making my way through Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness series, with about one more book to go. I honestly don't know how I missed these back in the 80s when they came out. I like them now, but I think I would have loved them even more then. I've also checked out a couple of more political books which I might have a go at, but are a lot less fun.
What I really need to do is to go back in an re-read Scrapplings, red pen in hand.
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Post by quinning on Dec 10, 2017 17:48:26 GMT -5
Irritated. Just finished a book, first in a trilogy. Supposed to be a thriller. I was really enjoying it until it CUT OFF as the lead character is about to meet the killer. It's like the last 15-20% of the book was cut off and put at the beginning of book 2. Other than that I was really enjoying it. Now, out of irritation, I don't want to read book 2.
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Post by Daniel on Dec 10, 2017 19:01:49 GMT -5
Irritated. Just finished a book, first in a trilogy. Supposed to be a thriller. I was really enjoying it until it CUT OFF as the lead character is about to meet the killer. It's like the last 15-20% of the book was cut off and put at the beginning of book 2. Other than that I was really enjoying it. Now, out of irritation, I don't want to read book 2. I had a similar experience. I read Robin Hobb's Dragon Keeper, the first book of her Rain Wild Chronicles. When I reached the end, I thought part of the book was missing. It literally ended in the middle of the story. It's like Hobb wrote a longer book and arbitrarily chopped it into pieces with no attempt at transition or a satisfying story/character arc. I seriously would have thrown it across the room if it hadn't been a library book. I was so irritated that I've never picked up any of the sequels. |
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Post by djmills on Dec 14, 2017 1:37:31 GMT -5
I just printed out "Getting started with Ubuntu" from a pdf file. Now reading that (138 pages) plus the BIOS configuration for my new HP laptop which I am going to keep off the net, and only use for writing & creating cover images. :-)
Thankfully, I got this forum's link from Becca so I could bookmark it again on the rebuilt old laptop I will connect to the net. Now off to get more bookmarks set for blogs I follow. :-)
If there are cliffhangers at the end of stories I quickly forget the author and series. :-)
I am quite happy with cliffhangers in the story, but I want all subplots tied up before the end, so that only the main, overarching story plot carries over into book 2, 3, etc. :-)
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Post by quinning on Dec 14, 2017 7:44:14 GMT -5
I just printed out "Getting started with Ubuntu" from a pdf file. Now reading that (138 pages) plus the BIOS configuration for my new HP laptop which I am going to keep off the net, and only use for writing & creating cover images. :-) Thankfully, I got this forum's link from Becca so I could bookmark it again on the rebuilt old laptop I will connect to the net. Now off to get more bookmarks set for blogs I follow. :-) If there are cliffhangers at the end of stories I quickly forget the author and series. :-) I am quite happy with cliffhangers in the story, but I want all subplots tied up before the end, so that only the main, overarching story plot carries over into book 2, 3, etc. :-) Exactly! I felt a very visceral reaction in that the murderer should have been revealed at least. then the main characters got at least an HFN. If you want your bad guy to carry over another book, so be it. But I also felt that the detective in the book at least was a strong enough character to carry another book in the series with a new crime. I am working my way through Romancing the Beat. Good stuff. I've read romances for years, but you know, never quite picked up on the different story beats. DUH! Adapting the newest book now and so much more pleased with it... |
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Post by elephantsbookshelf on Jul 22, 2018 7:35:23 GMT -5
Thought I'd bump this back into currency. I'm reading a thriller called The Tesla Secret by Alex Lukeman; it's part of his "The Project" series, but it's the first work of his I've read. From the perspective of a reader jumping into a series, I think he's done a good job. It's easy to pick up the relationships of the characters. The story line seems fairly standard bill-o-fare for thrillers, but it's entertaining, and that's what I was looking for.
I'm also still reading Harry Potter to my daughters at bedtime. In almost exactly a year, we went through the entire series, including the Beedle the Bard stories and The Cursed Child play. Now we started over from the beginning and are 100 pages into the Prisoner of Azkaban.
And I just finished reading a book that I'm turning into a review for work. It's about nonprofit media relations. A good book if you're into that type of thing.
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On the whole, I enjoyed it very much, and was always eager to get back to it, although the ending came suddenly (and too soon for me). Now, I shall have to read the next one. 
