Books on the Nightstand discussion

I just started Arcadia by Lauren Groff. It's been on my TBR list for a while, as I'm trying to read some of the books likely to make it to the Tournament of Books. They should be releasing the long list pretty soon. I'm way more excited than I should be for it.

How's everyone doing on their reading goals for the year? Time is short! December always takes me by surprise, but I only have to read 5 more books to hit my goal.

I am re-reading How I Became a Famous Novelist. I forgot I can't read this in public. People look askance at that person reading and laughing uncontrollably.

trying to decide which book to start... or

I'm finally reading The Poisonwood . I'm 1/4 in and I'm really enjoying it.

Reading The Vacancy by J.K. Rolling.

There are two Jeff Lemires. There's the one who writes the adventures of corporate-owned superhero comics. That one does serviceable, often entertaining work. And there's the one that writes and draws stories about his own original characters. That one does brilliant work, like , , and this graphic novel.

Lemire's art at first seems crude and minimalist, but as you read, you become sucked into the storytelling. The artwork gives you just what you need to both follow the story, to fire your imagination, and to engage your emotions. His work has a quality that may make you feel as though you've lived or dreamed his stories.

This is a book about a father and a son, both divers, who live in a harbor town in Nova Scotia. The father disappeared under mysterious circumstances one Halloween, and his son Jack has been haunted by his father's disappearance ever since. Twenty years later, he's back in the small town working as an underwater welder on an oil rig, with his pregnant wife in tow. The approach of Halloween draws him into a quest to uncover the past before he can commit to the future of his new family.

Spooky and heart-tugging.

Starting the month listening to Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (narrated by Michael York) and also reading The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande.

December motivates me to finish up books I've been picking up and putting down all year. Last night I finished - and really liked it. It brought together a topic I'm very interested in (collective consciousness) and one I've been wanting to learn more about (quantum physics).

Still working away at . A fast read and interesting - it's just so very long!

And I'm still in the midst of my love affair with . Not feeling the need to rush through this one by the end of the year. I want it to go on forever. I want it to always be there for me to open and read something new and fascinating.

I am reading The Age of Miracles, liking it and it's addictive. I'm listening to it as an audio and when I listen while cooking or cleaning the kitchen, then it's additive. . . while I like the premise and the idea and the writing, I don't find the characters compelling. somewhere between 3-4 stars so far and am 5parts/7 done.

Five stars to To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918 which I just finished. I loved this authors other book King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa, really well written history. I got so into WW1 that I got Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World out of the library and started that. . . continuing on the WW1 story through the peace treaty. . .

I feel like I'm in an "end of the world" theme lately, given that I also watched Ken Burn's Documentary The Dust Bowl on PBS. . . sort of comforting in a way to see that while we think this is such an uncertain time to live in, that times like 1914-18 and the '30s were probably worse and much more scary. . .

Started reading two days back. I've never read anything this big before, so we'll see how long it'll take me to finish it. 900+ pages are quite daunting to me; but my dear sweet sister bought me the 1300-paged version of for my birthday, so I have some warming up to do.

i finished which i found intense. i liked the way fountain approaches the war in iraq by taking a look at how everyone regards it stateside.

i started last night.

I'm still picking at Little Fuzzy (by H. Beam Piper)! It's a 129-page novella and I'm only 50 pages away from finishing it but its the same 50 pages that were unread three weeks ago! I know I should just DNF it but there's some sort of perverse streak in me that's keeping the tab open.


I finished reading The Infernals (by John Connolly) and I can't express how much I love these "YA" novels! They are smart, clever and fun! In this follow-up to The Gates, Ba'al (a.k.a. Mrs. Abernathy) succeeds in dragging Samuel Johnson and his dog, Boswell into Hell! Inadvertently, she has also brought over a van full of dwarves, a police cruiser with two policemen inside and an ice-cream truck... Some of the cast from The Gates return along with the blend of science, fantasy and emotional realism that make these novels irresistible; and there are new characters who make this nod to Dante's Classic Comedy interesting too :-)

Next Up:

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (by Roald Dahl)

A beautiful book about the connection through books a mother and son were able to make it the years leading up to her death from pancreatic cancer. I lost my mother to cancer six years ago, and I really envy how Will and his mother Mary Ann were able to find a common language to discuss the questions of life, death, and the possibility of the hereafter.

I wish my mother and I had had that common language. And I wish my stepfather, through his own bitterness and lashing out, hadn't poisoned my process of mourning by making some very cruel statements. I'm still processing the loss six years later, as a result.

Reading this book may help bring peace to many people. I recognize how good it is, but it's brought up a lot of angst for me. But at the same time, it's helped me to rid myself of a lot of misplaced guilt that I had been placing on my own head. I do tend to do this; to beat myself up unjustly. I need to stop doing that.

But I remember the time in the hospital room when my mother and I acknowledged death's approach and our love for each other. No one else was a party to that conversation but her and me. And no one can judge that or take that away from me.

Thank you, Eric.

a very thoughtful review eric. thanks for sharing. i wish you peace in your healing.

My biggest goal is to finish all the books on my "currently reading" shelf. Most I begun as part of my master's program, and didn't quite finish before I had to begin the next.

Then it's time for which I have been dying to get to since Booktopia Santa Cruz, and

Willem wrote: "Started reading two days back. I've never read anything this big before, so we'll see how long it'll take me to finish it. 900+ pages are quite daunting to me; bu..."

To me, Fall of Giants didn't feel like a 900 page book at all. Once you have finished it, you will definitely want to pick up the second book in the trilogy, Winter of the World, which is just as big and just as good.

I'm currently reading , based on Ann's strong recommendation.

I started The Thirteenth Tale over the weekend for this month's book club next Monday. Then I will finish up the third book of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. I thought the first one was bad, but this one is pretty awful too. I don't know why I feel compelled to finish it, but I do. Then onto my final oldest TBR and TBR on my physical bookshelf on my 2012 challenge: Waveland and Sleeping Arrangements. Then, reading The American Heiress with some girlfriends for a girls night out dinner/book discussion. The I hope to read Best Food Writing 2012, The Summer We Read Gatsby, Dinner: A Love Story, and Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child... all books that sparked my interest from other books I read earlier in the year.

I'll finish up White Girl Problems on my iPod and then start listening to Seating Arrangements.

I am about a third of the way through A Game of Thrones, pitched to me by Brit at Booktopia Vermont 2012. I'm thoroughly hooked, and have the feeling I'm now committed to a looooot of pages! I've barely started Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life for book club, to be read by Dec. 11. Guess which one is progressing more quickly! *v*

I am really enjoying Fall of Giants by Ken Follett.

Eric, thank you for sharing. I have not had a chance to read that yet but I hope to shortly.

I just started Learning to Swim..it's got a great grabber of a first chapter. I'm 2/3 way throught The Panther on audio..
and a few days ago finished Where'd You Go Bernadette...which I loved!

Joanne wrote: "I am about a third of the way through A Game of Thrones, pitched to me by Brit at Booktopia Vermont 2012. I'm thoroughly hooked, and have the feeling I'm now committed to a looooot of pages! I've b..."

I went AWOL from the world for a delicious or two as I read through the entire George R. R. Martin series . My book group didn't get it! The second one is a little slower than the first, but important for the entire series, and then the 3rd takes off again.

Katie wrote: "I went AWOL from the world..."

Hi, Katie! Loved your comment. I was curious about the series, but a bit daunted by the length. Also, I'm not much of a fantasy fan, and didn't know how "other world" this series was. But I'm happy to read outside of my usual genres when I get a strong recommendation. Hope you're well!

Reading though last years best Americans, and starting on Gamboa's Necropolis.

Mttabor wrote: "Reading though last years best Americans"

Ooh, was I one?

Finished The Cat's Table for one of my book groups and gave it 4 stars. Need to finish The Light Between Oceans and then on to Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan.

Eric wrote: "

A beautiful book about the connection through books a mother and son were able to make it the years leading up to her death from pancreatic canc..."

: > )

Eric, that's beautiful. I think you were brave to read this book. And even more brave to write what you did here.

I'm continuing these books from November. I seem to be stacking the end of my year with YA Fantasy & Sci-Fi:

1. Days of Blood & Starlight - I was really excited to start this book, but I'm not as into it as I expected to be. I loved the first book. This one seems to have a lot of setting up and explaining to do. I'm 1/3 of the way through and waiting for more to happen.

2. The Knife of Never Letting Go - I'm reading this one on my Kindle during lunch or doctor's visits. It's enjoyable, but I read a synopsis of the second book which gives away a huge part of the ending of this book. I should learn not to do that. I'm a quarter of the way through and taking it slow.

3. The Shadows - My 5-year-old nephew and I are reading this one. He actually requests to read the book about Olive and her "spektcles" (as he pronounces them). We're 3/4 of the way through, and there have been a couple major twists and one fake-out twist. He's thoroughly enjoying it.

4. The Kill Order - A prequel to the Maze Runner (which I haven't read yet, although it's on my TBR list). Friends have said I'm reading it in the wrong order, kind of like watching Star Wars movies I-III before movies IV-VI; even though it's a prequel, I was supposed to read the Maze Runner 1st (since it was published first and now I'll supposedly know the secret from the beginning). Oh well. I'm half-way through. Too late now.

5. Incarceron - I'm listenin to this in my car. I'm 80% through and want to keep driving so I can find out how it ends. There's a second book, so I assume it ends without something bad happeing to the majority of the main characters.

I finished Ann Patchett's State of Wonder and am now on Nate Silver's The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail - But Some Don't. I'm almost done and then I can finally start Justin Cronin's The Twelve, which I've been saving for a while! Can't wait to start it.

I'm not quite sure which thread to post this on, but I wanted to highlight this article in the NYTimes yesterday about the Oxford American literary magazine, which mentioned the wonderful Square Books that we got to know at Booktopia Oxford, MS. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/04/boo...
I was introduced to the magazine, and many of the authors mentioned in the article at Booktopia Oxford last year. One of my new BOTNS friends said she had been subscribing to the magazine for years. So with this in mind, I've now asked Santa for a subscription. Square Books, although not featured, is mentioned by other independent booksellers in the book as a favorite independent bookstore other than their own. Read This!: Handpicked Favorites from America's Indie Bookstores

Last month I started reading . At about a third of the way in I've decided to set that book aside for a while. There was a major shift in the story and I'm having trouble staying interested (not ready to give up on it yet so I'll likely be returning to it before the end of the month).


I've got a few TBRs that have been sitting on my Kindle for a while: and . Next I'm going to finish a couple of books that I started a while back: and .


I think I'll also throw in some new books: and . The former is a library book that just came in and the latter is something I just bought today.

Oh, and I'd be remiss if I didn't try and get to one of my hard copy books. That will be . And since I didn't listen to month last that will be my audio book for the month.

A pretty aggressive reading goal I realize, but I have some time off and I'd like to finish the year off strong!

I am reading 'The Mysteries of Pittsburgh' by Michael Chabon, my first Chabon book.

Still trying to get through audio version of Wolf Hall although my commute's not long enough!

Also finishing Hidden Children of the Holocaust: Belgian Nuns and Their Daring Rescue of Young Jews from the Nazis because my father was one of those children.

And hopefully finishing Swim: Why We Love the Waterwhich has been sitting on my nightstand for a LONG time.

Which will leave more time to finish Gone Girl. So far--love Flynn's prose; don't like her characters.

Holy feelings, Batman! Arcadia was so great and much, much more than I thought it would be. I will be devastated if this doesn't make the Tournament of Books.

In preparation for the TOB, I'm reading The Vanishers by Heidi Julavits and What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank by Nathan Englander after that.

I'm halfway through both Harvey J. O'Higgins' 1914 collection Silent Sam: And Other Stories of Our Day and Terry Pratchett's new , which was dictated and transcribed and, unfortunately, reads like it. At lunchtime I'm working on Margaret Talbot's biography of her father, character actor Lyle Talbot, . Next up are three library books: Mark J. Noonan's , Henry Hitching's , and the 1930 reminiscences of a police detective, Memoirs of a Murder Man. Once those are out of the way I've decided to stay out of the library until my owned-but-not-read shelf is considerably shortened.

Kelly wrote: "Holy feelings, Batman! Arcadia was so great and much, much more than I thought it would be. I will be devastated if this doesn't make the Tournament of Books.

In preparation for the TOB, I'm read..."

Kelly, how are you guessing which books will make the TOB?

Lisa wrote: "Last month I started reading . At about a third of the way in I've decided to set that book aside for a while. There was a major shift in the story and I'm having tr..."

I felt the same way about the plot shift... In addition to just being confused. But I suck with it and am glad I did.

Working myself up to reading The Twelve. I think it'll be part of a reading challenge I do in 2013, so it'll be awhile before I get there.

Just finished The Year of Magical Thinking, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, and The Sparrow. Ann, why did I not listen to you sooner on The Sparrow? Seriously. This is the best book I've read this year by miles, and maybe the best book I've read in the last 3. So excellent - thank you BOTNS for the recommendation!

I have numerous books that I'm scheduled to read this month, including: All the Broken Pieces, Whip Smart: Lola Montez Conquers the Spaniards, Dangerous Deception, Beyond Parallel, Dead Running, Invisible, Olive Kitteridge, and Major Pettigrew's Last Stand.

Most of these are commitments for blog reviews and the last two are for local book groups. I'm also hoping to read some books for pleasure, and am currently reading Daughters of the Witching Hill.

Ann wrote: "Kelly wrote: "Holy feelings, Batman! Arcadia was so great and much, much more than I thought it would be. I will be devastated if this doesn't make the Tournament of Books.

In preparation for the..."

Ann, the judges posted a watch list in the last match commentary, so I used that to make a Goodreads list. In my experience, followers of the TOB have a pretty good track record at guessing who's going to make the cut. I'd be glad to know which ones you think will make the brackets! Here's a link to the list:
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/27...

Reading loving so far. Up next

Willem wrote: "Started reading two days back. I've never read anything this big before, so we'll see how long it'll take me to finish it. 900+ pages are quite daunting to me; bu..."

Fall of the Giants will go very quickly. I can't wait to read Winter of the World. It's near the top of my "To Read" pile (literally). Work has been too crazy for anything else right now!

Started reading and . Just reserved a bunch of Christmas reading at the library too; suggestions welcome!

Eric wrote: "

A beautiful book about the connection through books a mother and son were able to make it the years leading up to her death from pancreatic canc..."

It is indeed a beautiful book.

Peace to you, Eric!

Eric wrote: "

A beautiful book about the connection through books a mother and son were able to make it the years leading up to her death from pancreatic canc..."

Thank you for the recommendation Eric. I'm a palliative care physician and I just took a new job doing home visits for a hospice. That book will be good for me on many levels I think.
Mainly for better understanding the grieving process of families. I've been hearing about it and heard the author interviewed on another podcast but now I'm going to put the book on my TBR.

The last memoir on the subject that I really loved was The Year of Magical Thinking about Didion's husband's death and how she coped. For some reason her follow up, Blue NightsI did not find nearly as compelling. . . not sure why.

Thanks again. . .

Just finished reading Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. I picked it up because I had just finished reading
Gone Girl and was completely mesmerized, both by the writing and character development, and also by the number of crazy twists and turns that surprised me throughout.

I must say that Sharp Objects is just downright scary. One thing I've read in the reviews for both is how depressing the characters are and that they are hard to like. I found that in spades with this book. By the end of the book you understand why the main character is the way she is, but I found it hard to sympathize with her. So I will probably only give this one two stars.

As far as her third book, Dark Places, I will put it back for now. I need to read something a bit more uplifting before attempting to read another of her books. She is a very, very talented writer, and I have very much enjoyed reading Gone Girl especially. But my goodness. Her books make for some very emotional reading!

After Ann and another friend's recommendation I am reading To the End of the Land. I heard a lot of praise for this book when I worked in the library but wasn't sure I was up to reading it in the Hebrew original. When the English translation came out I decided to give it a go.
Unfortunately the post-modern self-obsession of the main character is becoming unbearable for me. I have already had to take several breaks from it and am reconsidering reading it in Hebrew.
I know I should be more sympathetic but I just have the greatest urge to smack her upside the head and yell 'Get over yourself!'

Would not recommend The Innocent on audio. 1 star. Review:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/....

Really liked The Arrival, a wordless graphic novel. 4 stars. Review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/....

Wanted to love Flight Behavior, but did not. 3 stars. Review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/....