Book Geeks and Bookniks discussion

what are you reading this week? (Can't quite lose my cl hat yet:)lol)

I've been reading The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard for a couple of weeks now. I really like it, but between work and our new puppy, I don't have ANY time or concentration to read.

Annika, I'm excited about this new group opportunity Carol instigated here! I'm pretty sure it'll be fine for ANY of us to post questions as time goes along, so don't give up your cl hat. (Guess we ALL need cl hats!) Is THE SCENT OF RAIN AND LIGHTNING as good as her first one (THE VIRGIN OF SMALL PLAINS)?

I'm reading Leah Stewart's HUSBAND AND WIFE and am really liking it! She writes about thoughts and emotions in such an in-depth way which really appeals to me!

Mary- it has the same feel, but it's a book that I'm finding easy to put down. I'm enjoying it while reading, but I'm not compelled to pick it back up once I've put it aside. I don't think though that I can give it really fair analysis right now, because my mood and concentration is so funky:)

Leave it up to me to mess this up right away! I meant to delete my comment and I deleted Jennifer's which I was replying to. OMG! (hanging head in shame) Jennifer, 1,000 apologies. And I wanted to find out how you were able to post those clickable links for your reads.

Is there a way to get her message back again?

Right now I'm reading "The Burning Wire" by Jeffery Deaver. Next up is "The Ape House" by Sara Gruen. I'm really happy we're trying something new here - hope it works better for us than the new FL board.

Laurel wrote: "Leave it up to me to mess this up right away! I meant to delete my comment and I deleted Jennifer's which I was replying to. OMG! (hanging head in shame) Jennifer, 1,000 apologies. And I wanted..."

LOL! No problem Laurel!

This past Tuesday, I finished The Book Of Negroes, which is published as Someone Knows My Name in the U.S., and I LOVED it! Right now, I'm reading The Swiss Family Robinson, just finished Dead to the World, and just about to start Sizzling Sixteen, which I only have on loan for a week from the libary since it's a "Hot New Release". I've got a bit of reading ADD this week and seem to be hopping around a bit.

It's very easy to get the book links - look at the top of the box when you're typing in your comment. There's a link that says "add book/author". You click on that and then there are two tabs, one for book and the other for author - just type in your info and it will search for you. When the search is over, you may have to search a number of pages before you actually find your book (depending on how many other books have the same title). You can then find your exact version by clicking on the link "other versions" under the "add" button. Very easy.

Just one word of warning about adding a book link - do it while you're typing in your text, because if you do it at the end, it will place it at the very end of your message and you'll have to cut/paste to put it in the correct place. I learned the hard way! lol

BTW, you can also do italics and bold in your text - there are examples if you click on the "(some html is ok)" link. It's very easy...

Example - to bold, type triangluar brackets (above the comma and period on the keyboard) with a "b" inside, followed by the text you want to bold, and then followed by another set of triangular brackets with a "/b" inside. It's the same for italics, but substitute an "i" in place of the "b".

Hope this helps!

Jenn (jml_417 from iVillage)

Jennifer L. wrote: "Laurel wrote: "Leave it up to me to mess this up right away! I meant to delete my comment and I deleted Jennifer's which I was replying to. OMG! (hanging head in shame) Jennifer, 1,000 apologies..."

Thanks so much, Jennifer. But....what are you reading?! I deleted that!

I'm excited about this new group too! I need to get away from FB! LOL!

I am currently reading The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver for my LBC.

Looking forward to seeing what everyone else is reading!!

Laurel wrote: "Jennifer L. wrote: "Laurel wrote: "Leave it up to me to mess this up right away! I meant to delete my comment and I deleted Jennifer's which I was replying to. OMG! (hanging head in shame) Jenni..."

Oops...just editted my message to add that! ;)

Annika wrote: "what are you reading this week? (Can't quite lose my cl hat yet:)lol)

I've been reading The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard for a couple of weeks now. I really like it, but between..."

You can continue for as long as you want. I just found this "so easy to set up, and at this point, we are all moderators.

I have been so scattered lately and my reading habits mirror that. My Goodreads' shelf says I'm reading Luka and the Fire of Life and Scars of Sweet Paradise: The Life and Times of Janis Joplin, but I might as well put them back on the TBR list. I've only read a few pages of each and I'm not getting anywhere with them. It's not that I don't like them; it's that it's not their time.

I am about halfway through Fred Vargas' This Night's Foul Work . If you haven't read her Commissaire Adamsberg mysteries and if you like unusual, please check these out. I love them! I've also returned to our work book club and this month's read is Bitter Lemons. I have to have it read soon. Our group is an eclectic and fantastic bunch of people....sort of like us!

Annika wrote: "what are you reading this week? (Can't quite lose my cl hat yet:)lol)

I've been reading The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard for a couple of weeks now. I really like it, but between..."

I edited the topic title to include yesterday's date, just so we can keep the weeks organized. One of the groups I'm in doesn't keep it organized and there's a "What are you reading" thread with 1000+ comments - they just keep adding and adding and adding...! lol

Annika wrote: "what are you reading this week? (Can't quite lose my cl hat yet:)lol)

I've been reading The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard for a couple of weeks now. I really like it, but between..."

I am kind of in the same boat. I just can't seem to stick with anything right now. I started I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb a few weeks ago, and although I am enjoying it, I have still barely made a dent in it. Now I have picked up Blessed are the cheesemakers, hoping that something lighter will be easier to stick with. I read Scent of rain and Lightning this summer, and really enjoyed it.

thanks for doing that Jenn - it will help us stay organized!

Libby - I read I Know this Much is True ages ago and loved it, but it's really, really long. I think you definitely have to be in the right mood to really enjoy it. How was Wally Lamb at Literary Sojourn? I saw him speak on CSPAN (yep, I'm a nerd:)) and he was fabulous on there. I'm still so bummed I missed it.

I just started Mockingjay and I have to admit I'm a bit confused. Maybe because it's Friday after a very long week, but I'm not remembering where we left off in the story that well. I'm sure it will be fine. I'm looking forward to a full weekend of reading!

Libby wrote: "Annika wrote: "what are you reading this week? (Can't quite lose my cl hat yet:)lol)

I've been reading The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard for a couple of weeks now. I really like it..."
Annika, Wally Lamb was great at Sojourn, though not one of my favorites as far as his speaking. He wrote a narrative about his life & writing process and read that. It was beautifully written and very interesting, but it felt like he was just reading from one of his books. When he answered questions at the end he was great and showed much more of his personality. I just think it is so much more enjoyable to hear them speak "off the cuff." He was very approachable during the breaks and the signing time. He seemed more than happy to talk to those who approached him and showed genuine interest as well.

I think I'm replying to Libby....so, Libby, I recently read Blessed are the Cheesemakers. The cool thing about being on GR is that you can see who has read the book your reading AND the rating and comments :)

Annika wrote: "what are you reading this week?

I finished Half Broke Horses on the flight home last night and really liked it! It wasn't quite as captivating as The Glass Castle, but it was still good. I just received Blink by James Patterson. I'm about 50pgs in.

I woke up about 6:30 this morning so I thought I'd just read for a little bit & then go back to sleep. So I started "Ape House". About noon I finished it. Really enjoyed it! I liked how things turned out for everyone. So I guess my next book is "Wanna Get Lucky" by Deborah Coonts.

Can't wait to get and read Ape House. Was at the gym and saw someone reading Water for Elephants all I could do to keep myself from going and bugging her about what she thought.

I loved Half Broke Horses but was more endeared to The Glass Castle.

I just recently read WATER FOR ELEPHANTS for the first time and loved, loved, LOVED it! The reviews I've been reading for APE HOUSE aren't as glowing as for ELEPHANTS. What's your take on that, Liz? Agree or disagree?

Mary wrote: "I just recently read WATER FOR ELEPHANTS for the first time and loved, loved, LOVED it! The reviews I've been reading for APE HOUSE aren't as glowing as for ELEPHANTS. What's your take on that, L..."

Well, "Ape House" is more contemporary & the human characters are probably a bit more "ordinary". But the apes were fascinating & reading the Author's Notes at the end & finding that a lot of their interactions were based on actual behaviors was pretty amazing. I really liked them both in their own ways. But I can see why "Water for Elephants" got the better reviews - it was so different.

I'm putting down Don't Blink and starting The False Friend by Myla Goldberg.

Just checked out THE FALSE FRIEND on Amazon, Stacey, after I saw your other post that you'd bought it. I'd remembered seeing not great published reviews of it and had been leery of it. I was surprised to see it had 4.5 stars (6 reviews) on Amazon and am now newly intrigued by it. I'm glad you're putting aside your other book and starting it right away. The synopsis DOES sound good! Can't wait to hear what you think!

Mary wrote: "Just checked out THE FALSE FRIEND on Amazon, Stacey, after I saw your other post that you'd bought it. I'd remembered seeing not great published reviews of it and had been leery of it. I was surp..."

I'll be interested to hear what the two of you think of The False Friend. I was frightened away by the reviews, at least for the time being.

Theresa wrote: "I just finished "Room" and will pick up "Kitchen House" from the library this afternoon. I really liked "Room," but it's pretty intense reading for such a slender volume."

I have this one, Theresa, and I'm looking forward to reading it. What did you think of the Room? Or is that a message in another folder?

I bought The False Friend without reading any reviews(which I never do). I was very spontaneous w/my 40% Borders coupon. However, I have to put it down to read Cold Rock River for a swap I'm in @ PBS. I have this week off so I should get both of those read this week.