What book (or books) are you currently reading?

[David McAfee]

At this moment I am reading these books in tandem:

The Dark Tower (Stephen King) half done
Interview With the Vampire (Anne Rice) just started
Carrie (Stephen King) almost finished
Extinction (Lisa Smedman - War of the Spider Queen series) half done

Pluse my wife and I are watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer on DVD.

[maestrowork]

I'm trying to finish The Kite Runner. I have started on Aloft. I try to keep my reading queue short because I have very short attention span.

[WVWriterGirl]

American Gods, Neil Gaiman (about 1/2 done)
Sourcery, Terry Pratchett (about 1/2 done)

WVWG

[triceretops]

The long version of the Stand, and I am pounding my head trying to slough through this epistle without losing my mind. Fantastic Voyage, and Raiders of a Lost World (that most closely resembles my action/adventure writing style, which I'm using as a crutch to get through my WIP).

Tri

[scribbler1382]

Liars And Thieves by Stephen Coonts. The writing is a little clumsy, but it's a fun story.

The next to be read is Dance Of Death by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child unless I manage to find MacDonald's The Deep Blue Good-By. It's the first Travis McGee book and I really want to read it.

[scarletpeaches]

I'm two thirds of the way through We Need To Talk About Kevin, and half way through Children of England - although God knows why I put myself through the bother of reading Alison Weir's books - she may be lauded as a wonderful historian but believe you me, she's not too vigilant when it comes to getting her facts right. She has a nasty habit of forming opinions of certain historical characters with no evidence to back them up, instead presenting her views as undeniable *snort* 'fact'.

[alaskamatt17]

George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones.

I just finished Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov.

[azbikergirl]

George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones.
Just finished it this morning. Absolutely loved it. Next up: Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress. I usually read one or more NF books while I read a novel, and currently those are Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass, and Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell.

[Hang of Thursdays]

Contact, by Carl Sagan. Rereading, actually, but like Triceretops, it's sort of vaguely relevant to my WIP, as I'm seeking to do as realistic a depiction of alien lifeforms and contact as possible. Will soon by rereading Sagan's Cosmos, as well, for much the same purpose.

[aadams73]

The next to be read is Dance Of Death by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

Fabulous book. One of their best yet. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.


Currently reading: Tess Gerritsen's The Surgeon

[KTC]

I am currently reading

MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN by JONATHAN LETHAM

&

THE LIGHT OF FALLING STARS by J. ROBERT LENNON

[LloydBrown]

You guys are reading good stuff. Contact great, AGoT had one of the best ending scenes I have EVER read in a novel, Carrie was outstanding, especially for a writer that early in his career (wasn't that King's first?), and anything Foundation was good. I loved the Stand, btw. Took me two days.

I can read quickly. My best single day was Carrie and Firestarter. That was a school day, too. I read a good chunk of Carrie during calculus.

This is apparently the year I read kiddie books. Reading HP4 now (Goblet of Fire), then finish the rest of the series. The Narnia Chronicles before the movie comes out, then the Lemony Snicket series. I read the Princess and the Goblin a couple of weeks ago, on a challenge from my kid to see if I could do it in two hours.

I just ordered Jenna's How to Make A Living As a Freelance Writer about 10 minutes ago. Maybe you've heard of it.

[ANNIE]

Lady of Sherwood by Jennifer Roberson.

An interesting twist on the Robin hood theme told from Marion's point of view.

[rtilryarms]

One False Move by Alex Kava. She has an excellent style and her descriptions are great.

Next I am re-reading Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. In one of those books I read someone telling Tom or Huck "If you want to know what people are thinking, wear thier face" Or something like that. I was 9 years old and recovering from a sickness but I always remembered that.
I need it for a story.

Anyone remember it? Maybe it was another book and author?

[AdamH]

I'm reading "The Time Traveller's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger.

And I'm trying DESPERATELY not to read a thread I saw earlier on another part of the board discussing it so I don't ruin the ending for myself. It's a pretty good book though.

[blargh]

I'm currently reading:

Raintree County by R. Lockridge--terrific book, by the way.

Enders Game by OS Card

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury.

[Saanen]

I'm reading The White Hart by Nancy Springer. It's not really my favorite style of writing, but I picked it up in a used book store the other day and got hooked.

[alaskamatt17]

I'm currently reading:

Raintree County by R. Lockridge--terrific book, by the way.

Enders Game by OS Card

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury.

I loved Ender's Game. Sounds like you've got some good reading there.

[MarkPettus]

Terry Goodkind's Blood of the Fold is in the latrine.

David Drake and Erik Flint's 1632 is in my PDA.

Herman Wouk's A Hole in Texas is in the CD player in my car.

The 2005 Novel and Short Story Writer's Market is on my nightstand.

There are 3 other books on my nightstand, all with bookmarks somewhere near their beginnings. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard, and Rabbit Redux by John Updike.

Any author that can make me put everything else down... is a welcome treat. On October 11, when Robert Jordan publishes again... I'll drop everything to read the Knife of Dreams.

[David McAfee]

Terry Goodkind's Blood of the Fold is in the latrine.

David Drake and Erik Flint's 1632 is in my PDA.

Herman Wouk's A Hole in Texas is in the CD player in my car.

The 2005 Novel and Short Story Writer's Market is on my nightstand.

There are 3 other books on my nightstand, all with bookmarks somewhere near their beginnings. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard, and Rabbit Redux by John Updike.

Any author that can make me put everything else down... is a welcome treat. On October 11, when Robert Jordan publishes again... I'll drop everything to read the Knife of Dreams.

Blood of the Fold is good, but Faith of the Fallen is the best one in the series, in my oh-so-humble opinion.

I have the 2005 Novelist and Short Story Writer's Market in my computer room. :)

The last Jordan book I read was the 6th one.

[rowriter]

I've got several first chapters going right now (just finished Where are the Children by Mary Higgins Clark):

Firestarter, Stephen King

Enders Game, O. Scott Card (thanks to Alaskamatt's recco a few weeks ago)

Wedding Ring by Emilie Richards

and Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich

[WannabeWriter]

I recently bought a collection of all the Sherlock Holmes stories and novelettes. I'll be reading them soon.

[inexperiencedinker]

American Gods, Neil Gaiman (about 1/2 done)

WVWG

I thought American Gods was a good book...and a very different take than the usual humdrum.



Currently I am reading John Sandford - Shadow Prey and they are GREAT!

I am only on #2, so I am sure I will get burnt out, but I really enjoy his characters and his action packed scenes. I am following some of this style for my own WiP



I just finished Aspirin's Phule series, pretty funny!

I am half way through his MYTH series, but they are fizzling on me fast.



If you all wanted a new read, you could critique the prologue on my WiP! Link included, lol.

[BradyH1861]

I am currently reading:

American Scoundrel: The Life of the Notorious Civil War General Dan Sickles by Thomas Keneally

The Center Cannot Hold by Harry Turtledove

The Confederate Dirty War: Arson, Bombings, Assassination and Plots for Chemical and Germ Attacks Upon the Union by Jane Singer. (actually I finished this one last night)

Brady H.

[David McAfee]

You guys are reading good stuff. Contact great, AGoT had one of the best ending scenes I have EVER read in a novel, Carrie was outstanding, especially for a writer that early in his career (wasn't that King's first?), and anything Foundation was good. I loved the Stand, btw. Took me two days.



Yup, that was his first novel. A very fast read, but it's my "john" book, so I don't read much of it per day. Once it's done I plan to start on The Once and Future King.

[LloydBrown]

Once it's done I plan to start on The Once and Future King.

That's awesome. I so tear up in the 3rd part, The Ill-made Knight. Okay, at the sword-pulling scene, at the end of The Sword in the Stone, too.

[Hang of Thursdays]

Currently I am reading John Sandford - Shadow Prey and they are GREAT!

I am only on #2, so I am sure I will get burnt out, but I really enjoy his characters and his action packed scenes. I am following some of this style for my own WiP

Are you reading the books in order all the way through? That's how I started.

I used to be a big fan of the series, but my enjoyment of the series has dropped appreciably in recent years. I think the last good one was Easy Prey. Everything else hasn't, well, *thrilled* me as much. (But. Easy Prey is book #11 in the series, and that's a good run for any series character.)

And by the way, Eyes of Prey, #3, is my absolute favorite. Strangers On A Train meets Jack the Ripper. Great story.

[cwfgal]

I'm currently reading Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island and next up is Killer Smile by Lisa Scottoline.

Beth

[Andrew Dugan]

I'm reading Max Barry's Jennifer Government, Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes, and Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas.

I'm currently reading Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island and next up is Killer Smile by Lisa Scottoline.

Beth

Dennis Lehane is brilliant. I just recently finished Mystic River. Loved it. And I have Shutter Island in line to be read next.

[alanna]

I read The Bridges of Madison County last night. I have to say, I have never come across a book in which I had to re-read so many sentences, just because they were so beautiful I couldn't move on without paying them more attention. I loved it! I'm also reading The Last Herald Mage series by Mercedes Lackey- for the hundredth or so time. A few Alias books for brain-dead kicks (sorely needed in my current state of wired exhaustion), and I will possibly start another Toni Morrison novel tomorrow.

[hpoppink]

1984, George Orwell

Lillith's Brood, Octavia Butler

Well of Lost Plots, Jasper Fforde

Farenheit 451, Ray Bradbury

[stace001]

One False Move by Alex Kava. She has an excellent style and her descriptions are great.

Next I am re-reading Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. In one of those books I read someone telling Tom or Huck "If you want to know what people are thinking, wear thier face" Or something like that. I was 9 years old and recovering from a sickness but I always remembered that.
I need it for a story.

Anyone remember it? Maybe it was another book and author?
I'm a huge fan of Alex Kava, but that book disappointed me. Have you read any of her Maggie O'Dell books? Just fabulous. One False Move wasn't her usual characters, so maybe that's all that put me off. Her writing, however, was as good as always.

I'm currently reading, Must Love Dogs by Claire Cook, re-reading the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich (all of which make me laugh out loud, all the time. Just hysterical) and for a little depth, True at First Light, Hemingway's last novel. Brilliant.

[Diana Hignutt]

I just finished PREY by Michael Crichton, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

diana

[David McAfee]

I just finished PREY by Michael Crichton, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

diana

That is a great book! My wife and I loved it. Almost as good as JP.

[blargh]

I loved Ender's Game. Sounds like you've got some good reading there.

I've already gotten Enders Shadow to read next. Card is a really good writer. Damn, I wish I could write like that...

[JANE007]

I just finished reading Miss Wyoming a few weeks ago (loved it) and I am now reading Microserfs. I absolutely love Douglas Coupland... The last book of his I had read was Generation X, and that was a few years ago, so I feel like i've kind of "rediscovered" him.

[alaskamatt17]

I've already gotten Enders Shadow to read next. Card is a really good writer. Damn, I wish I could write like that...

Me too. I'm really bashing my self esteem this summer, only reading works by authors who have won Hugos or Nebulas, or by C. S. Lewis. It's all so good!

[Simran]

I just finished reading two great novels - Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan and The Ashram by Sattar Memon.



Homeless Bird:

Like many girls her age in India, thirteen-year-old Koly is getting married. Full of hope and courage, she leaves home -- forever.But there's been a terrible mistake. The husband chosen for her is too young, and he's very ill. And as tradition dictates, it's too late to turn back. On her wedding day, Koly's fate is sealed. Her future, it would seem, is lost.Alive with the crush of marketplace crowds, the thick smell of funeral garlands, the cooling rush of the holy river Ganges, and the sting of injustice as a girl's life is forsaken, master storyteller Gloria Whelan transports readers into the heart of a gripping tale of hope. Here is a story of one rare young woman who, by standing against the powerful current of tradition, discovers her own remarkable future.

The Ashram:


Dr. Jonathan Kingsley travels to an ashram in India, trying to escape his suicidal thoughts after the death of his wife. Hoping to find peace by helping others who seek out the shelter of the ashram, Jonathan encounters practices and rituals he never knew existed. As he searches for a reason to keep on living, a young woman struggles to keep her own husband alive, not only out of love, but for her own safety.

[circusrunaway]

Terry Goodkind's Blood of the Fold is in the latrine.

David Drake and Erik Flint's 1632 is in my PDA.

Herman Wouk's A Hole in Texas is in the CD player in my car.

The 2005 Novel and Short Story Writer's Market is on my nightstand.

There are 3 other books on my nightstand, all with bookmarks somewhere near their beginnings. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard, and Rabbit Redux by John Updike.

Any author that can make me put everything else down... is a welcome treat. On October 11, when Robert Jordan publishes again... I'll drop everything to read the Knife of Dreams.

It looks like we have v. similar tastes, Mark! I was in a production of R&G are Dead about a year ago. Have you read Arcadia yet? It's hard to pick one, but I think it's my favorite Stoppard play.

I'm currently working my way through John Irving's work, and I'm reading <b>A Son of the Circus</b>. I admit I chose it partially because of my username and partially because it had an elephant on the cover (my current wip is called About Elephants). It's not a typical subject matter for me, but I'm really enjoying it.

I'm also reading <b>The Princess Bride</b> since I wanted to pick up something lighter the other day. I'm a huge WG fan and I had been meaning to read it for years when I finally bought it.

Finally, I've been reading voraciously anything greek (have been scouring Aristotle) as research for my novel.

[Jaycinth]

My daughter is rebelling against me by reading what SHE thinks is her brother's copy of The Foundation Trilogy. (Tee Hee Hee.)

Rebelling, you ask? AH, she's decided she's 'Goth' so I suggested she read Lovecraft. So she rebelled and...(Hah Hah Hah)

I'm reading "War of the Flowers" by Tad Williams and I'm waiting on a copy of "Accelerando" by Charles Stross. I just read the SFWA handbook again(again) and some novel about a bookstore, by Ramsey Campbell that was supposed to be horror, but didn't have a tangible ending.

I've been reading some of the excerpts people are posting around here, but I haven't had an intellegent thought in my head for weeks so I've hesitated to respond. I've liked most of everything I've read so far.

[LloydBrown]

WG's intro to the Princess Bride is at least as good as the story content. I've been known to pick up the book and just read that part. He's excellent. Really. Ishtar was just a collective bad dream.

[inexperiencedinker]

Are you reading the books in order all the way through? That's how I started.

And by the way, Eyes of Prey, #3, is my absolute favorite. Strangers On A Train meets Jack the Ripper. Great story.

That is tonight, as I am about to finsih Shadow Prey. I had a rant on another post about how series usually start sucking halfway through, and although I like Davenport (what a sexy name!) I didn't really think he would be any different.

I'm reading "War of the Flowers" by Tad Williams
I was just talking about Tad Williams! his mirror of glass, (can't remember the actual title) book was difficult to read. I felt like he used a thesaurus to chance every third word into a ten syllable nightmare! but he creates great worlds.

[aadams73]

I am now reading Microserfs. I absolutely love Douglas Coupland... The last book of his I had read was Generation X, and that was a few years ago, so I feel like i've kind of "rediscovered" him.

I loved Microserfs. One of the funniest books ever.

[JANE007]

I loved Microserfs. One of the funniest books ever.

Yes, i'm loving it too actually!! It's kind of addicting... I'm always jonesing to read it. I carry it around everywhere with me. I'm about half-way through.

Next on my Coupland hit list is Life After God!

[Vomaxx]

I'm reading "Western Warfare in the Age of the Crusades, 1000-1300," by John France.

I write fiction, but I read mostly history.

[Diana Hignutt]

That is a great book! My wife and I loved it. Almost as good as JP.

Yeah, Crichton loves to rewrite Frankenstein, doesn't he? Well, he's very good at it.

Diana

[Jaycinth]

Dean Koontz is re-writing Frankenstein too. Different. I want my friend to give it back so I can read it, now that I have a little more time.

My dear 'inexperiencedinker' ( aren't we all?)
Tad Williams. I think the book is "Mountain of Black Glass". You are right. I had to keep my dictionary at hand. Boy do I love a challenge like that.

It is part of his Otherland Series which I heartily reccomend reading starting with the first book.

[kristie911]

I'm currently reading The Twelfth Card by Jeffery Deaver (love his Lincoln Rhyme series)

and I just finished The Perfect Lie by Dinah McCall and The Falls by Karen Harper
both excellent books that I picked up at yard sales.

And I e-bayed for The Killing Game by Linda Howard and Chill of Fear by Kay Hooper so if those come before I finish Deaver, I'll probaby be reading all three at a time.

I've also been reading Lord of the Rings for the past year but I have to be in the mood for that, so I'll pick it up and read a chunk then not pick it up for another couple of months...same with True at First Light by Hemingway.

[arodriguez]

the corean series from L.E Modessitt

otherland series from Tad Williams

[MarkPettus]

It looks like we have v. similar tastes, Mark!... I'm currently working my way through John Irving's work, and I'm reading <b>A Son of the Circus</b>. I admit I chose it partially because of my username and partially because it had an elephant on the cover (my current wip is called About Elephants). It's not a typical subject matter for me, but I'm really enjoying it.

I'm also reading <b>The Princess Bride</b> since I wanted to pick up something lighter the other day. I'm a huge WG fan and I had been meaning to read it for years when I finally bought it.

I just finished Irving's The Fourth Hand, and it wasn't his best work.

The Princess Bride I know only as a movie, but I rate it as one of my two favorite quirky flicks (the other one is Real Genius). I did my turn as the Dread Pirate Roberts several years ago.

"Sleep well, for in the morning I'll most likely kill you."

[Unimportant]

Now that Vomaxx has broken the ice, I'll admit to my geekiness too :-):

Feudal Britain: The completion of the medieval kingdoms, 1066-1314 (G Barrow)

The Shield and the Sword: The Knights of St John, Jerusalem, Rhodes, and Malta (E Bradford)

[SeanDSchaffer]

I just finished Elvenborn by Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey tonight.

I will most probably start reading either The Skies of Pern by Anne McCaffrey or Atlanta Nights by Travis Tea within the next couple days.

[Jacquie]

I just finished Paulina Simmons Tatiana and Alexander books, and am starting to reread Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series from the beginning, in preparation for the new edition coming out. I have never enjoyed rereading until I started on these!! I also have several texts on nutrition and research on the go, but always look for a chance to ditch them, lol!

[Niku]

Tend to read a couple of books at a time and very quickly.

Just finished Arundhati Roy's "The God of Small Things" and Jose Saramago's "Blindness" and Haruki Murakami's "Wild Sheep's Chase" - all brilliant in very different ways and would recommend them all to you, if you like a good turn of phrase, a concept-driven story as a break or alternative to the twists and turns of the likes of Koontz and King.

Now started Andrea Levy's "Small Island", now and Sartre's collection of short stories entitled "The Wall" and am trying to get back into Michel Feber's "Under the skin" after having given up on it a few months back.