What are you reading?

"Letters from the Dust Bowl" was wonderful. Totally recommend it.

Now it's "The Telling Room" by Michael Paterniti - which has had me chuckling ridiculously for the first three chapters.

I just finished Heretics of Dune, one of my favorites and it took over a course of 4 months to get through it. Been so busy, not sleeping and not feeling well enough. The slowest read ever! Great book though. Gonna take a break until the new years and then get started on my 2014 reading list goal.

Todd Kliman, The Wild Vine: A Forgotten Grape and the Untold Story of American Wine. Thoroughly engaging stories of people, places, and wine. Superb nonfiction.

--Ken

All Quiet on the Western Front.

Invaluable in helping with the WWI sci-fi WIP I'm working on. Lots of things about trench life I hadn't have thought of on my own. Now, to keep writing as my own book and not be too influenced by the research!

Doctor Sleep.

Okay, but lacked punch for me. I felt too distanced from the characters. I thought 11/22/63 was brilliant so had high - perhaps too high - hopes for this one. But I didn't feel any emotional connection to the characters, something King is usually very good at with me.

It felt a bit flabby, and there was no real sense of mounting danger, with the climax being telegraphed rather obviously early on.

Dear Life, Alice Munro. Got it for Christmas, just cracked it open, may disappear for a few days. Damn she's good.

ResearchGuy said:

Todd Kliman, The Wild Vine: A Forgotten Grape and the Untold Story of American Wine. Thoroughly engaging stories of people, places, and wine. Superb nonfiction.

--Ken

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I read that a couple of years ago, Ken, and thought it was great. I've been to both Horton and Chrysalis Vineyards (Chrysalis isn't too terribly far from where I live) and liked their Nortons. Chrysalis, in particular, does a great job with them. (Norton isn't everyone's cup of tea, so to speak, but I think it's interesting.)

Man-Kzin Wars III by Larry Niven

Rough Magic which is a biography on Sylvia Plath. I am really enjoying it.

I'm working my way through the Kate Daniel's Series, by Ilona Andrews. Half the books aren't out here, so my brother was awesome and ordered one in from the states for christmas, and I'm reading the rest on Kindle.

I also read "The Rook", which was very good, and about a woman who woke up with no memory, and only the letters of her previous self to guide her through her truly bizarre life as the administrative head of a supernatural intelligence agency.

The Survivor-Sean Slater
Like it so far, though I'm only two chapters in.

Doppelganger by Marie Brennan and NOS4A2 by Joe Hill. Brennan's book had a good start, but isn't gripping me as much as I'd like it to. I like Hill's book so far. I've liked his other books too so that's not a big surprise.

Simone Cinotto, Soft Soil, Black Grapes: The Birth of Italian Winemaking in California (NY University Press, 2012). A sociological study far more than it is a book on wine, still very interesting to anyone interested in wine. The author busts some longstanding myths. And like any good book, it will lead me to more books.

--Ken

"My Year of the War" by Frederick Palmer.

World War I memoir I'm reading for research purposes. It's really good, and in the public domain on Project Gutenberg if anyone is interested.

Comet Fever--How The World Went Mad in 1910-- Gropman and Mirvis

My grandmother was born under the comet. I remember well my great grandmother and old aunts talking about it so I am enjoying this. --s6

Two Girls, One on Each Knee (7) - Alan Connor

Just began Drug of Choice by John Lange. Never heard of him? It's Michael Crichton! That may be old news to some of you but it's news to me. He wrote 8 novels while at medical school during 1966 to 1972. The opening of Drug of Choice is quite similar to Timeline. I'm a huge fan so will probably buy all of them.

An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris. Absolutely gripping.

Tonight I finished "The Cuckoo's Calling" by Robert Galbraith (pen name of JK Rowling). I didn't like/didn't finish her previous book ("A Casual Vacancy") but this one, a PI mystery, I liked.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. I had read Gone Girl and really enjoyed her writing. This book does not disappoint! I love the story line, I love that I still am not able to figure out the ending despite being half way through. Her writing, her characters, keep you guessing, keep you interested in the story.

seun said:

I'm reading Bill Bryson's Neither Here Nor There and Thinner by Richard Bachman - or Stephen King if you prefer. I've read all the other Bachman books but never got round to Thinner. I'm enjoying it so far.

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I liked Thinner.

Right now, I'm reading The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King. Liking it so far. Not his best, but still pretty darn good.

I just started reading The Eden hole, by Ben Brown. So far I'm really enjoying it.

I just finished Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman.

It was so cute! ♥