Topeka & Shawnee Co. Public Library discussion

Welcome! This ongoing discussion is your place to share what you are reading and what you think about it!

I spent most of October reading lots of short stories for a program I'm working on. I've read some great stuff by Charles Baxter, Alethea Black, Miroslav Penkov, Tobias Wolff and many others.

As much as I've enjoyed reading the short stories, for November I am looking forward to moving on to something longer (and lighter), so I think I'm picking up Colson Whitehead's Zone One next. It's about zombies! and by one of my favorite writers.

I am almost finished with David Cullen's Columbine. After two years I have finally decided it was time for me to read it! What a great, in-dept book! I did not realize a lot of what happened and how the media turned a school into an event. Great book that really explained a lot and gave insight to the two boys that changed the way students, parents, teachers, and the community would look at schools. Columbine

Right now I'm reading one of my favorite historical mystery authors, Paul Doherty. The book, A Treason of Ghosts, is the twelfth in the Hugh Corbett mystery series (our library doesn't own this copy but it has many others in this series).

Hugh Corbett is a clerk for King Edward I and is trying to solve the brutal murders of numerous women in a small market village. Since the King's justice may have incorrectly killed an innocent man for previous slayings, Edward has an interest in these murders. Many suspects are introduced and Hugh checks them off his list through logical reasoning and his attention to detail.

If you enjoy reading authors like Sharon Kay Penman, you should give Doherty a try.

I've always loved short stories, therefore when I picked up one of my favorite authors - Elizabeth Berg - and found The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted is a book of short stories, I could hardly wait to get started. Last night I fell asleep laughing at the title story. I don't know what the rest may bring, but, for sure, it will give me much to think about and enjoy. The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: And Other Small Acts of Liberation

I recently finished reading/listening to Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe. This was a really fun autobiography, I find I like listening to Hollywood autobiographies especially since the last two, this and Carol Burnett's This Time Together have been narrated by the authors. Rob Lowe is a few years older than me so much of what he talks about sounds familiar from growing up in the 80's. He was moved out to California after his parents divorced and was smack dab in the middle of every Hollywood actor and ioconic happening I remember reading about all through my teens. He was like the Forrest Gump of Hollywood. He seems to have known everyone and been a part of everything. His neighborhood buddies were the Sheen's and the Penn's. He auditioned and or starred with most young actor's of his generation in films like The Outsiders and St. Elmo's Fire. He even had a relative who worked on the original Star Wars. It was a nice walk down memory lane and he tells his story in an even and engaging manner.Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography This Time Together: Laughter and Reflections

I'm still obsessed with behavioral sciences and am reading Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships with Dogs by Suzanne Clothier and Karen Pryor's Reaching the Animal Mind: The Clicker Training Method and What It Teaches Us About All Animals. My New Year's resolution will be to move on to a fresh topic for 2012.

I have been slowly reading American Brutus
by Michael Kauffman. It is a detailed history of John Wilkes Booth, from his acting roots to his assassination of President Lincoln. I have read a lot about Lincoln and Booth, but this book has kept me intrigued and entertained. I would highly recommend this book to any history buff.

After nine years of waiting the final book in the "Inheritance Saga" came out on Tuesday, I was at a midnight release and got myself one of the first copies of the book. I haven't had much time to reach but I'm over 400 pages into it and I'm almost half way done with it.
I was really disappoint at first because the beginning was slow, but sure enough the book just about exploded in my face arround page 300. I've had a hard time prying my eyes out of it since!

I'm reading The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan. I had a very difficult time getting past page 7 because I would get interrupted. I'm reading this with the Kansas Humanities Council and I find this to be a great partnership the library has with them, and the discussions are fantastic even if you did not enjoy the group. I'm now getting close to the half way point, and really enjoying it. This is about "The Dirty 30s" with the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. It is intersting and funny little stories. A very fat man in Texas had to have his overalls special made in Wichita. A lady ends up sticking a note about "looking for a real man" with her name and address. They later married.

Right now I'm reading One Day by David Nicholls and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I'm having a hard time getting through a slow part of The Night Circus, and maybe it's just because I keep thinking about school! I just got the audiobook yesterday so maybe that will help. One Day is a book centered around the relationship between Em and Dex. I'm only about 100 pages in, but I really like it so far. I've also been reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books by Jeff Kinney. I just got The Ugly Truth yesterday, so soon I'll be caught up for the new book! They are hilarious graphic novels for kids, but they are so funny and keep me entertained with a very light read during the very busy times of school and whatnot. And then finally, I'm also looking through a couple of cookbooks including Good Eats 3 by Alton Brown, Kitchen Simple by James Peterson, and Baking by Dorie Greenspan. If you haven't seen the Cooking Neighborhood at TSCPL, I highly recommend you stop by!

I do best reading/scanning multiple books at once. It must be from reading multiple books at once for classes!

Kara, I have tried reading Eragon by Christopher Paolini in the past and couldn't get through more than 50 pages... I think I need to try again because everyone, including my husband, rants and raves about the Inheritance series!

Tricia, I'd be interested in hearing how Columbine is different from what I remember hearing and seeing in the media. I was in 5th grade when that happened, so I'm sure a lot of stuff would make more sense to me now than it had at that point in my life. I'll have to read David Cullens' book at some point!

Tricia wrote: "I am almost finished with David Cullen's Columbine. After two years I have finally decided it was time for me to read it! What a great, in-dept book! I did not realize a lot of what happened and ho..."

Tricia, I recently finished listening to Columbine...I found it disturbing yet fascinating, it's definitely worth reading.

Right now I am listening to Watchers by Dean Koontz and thoroughly enjoying it. Einstein is the best dog character ever--he's a genetically engineered Golden retriever with human intelligence. It's gory and creepy in parts but most of the book is really about the couple who discover Einstein and how they form a family. It's a bit corny and contrived but a lot of fun.

Erin wrote: "Tricia, I'd be interested in hearing how Columbine is different from what I remember hearing and seeing in the media. I was in 5th grade when that happened, so I'm sure a lot of stuff would make mo..."

I thought Columbine was a thorough and interesting look at the events at the school and of the media response afterward.

An excellent fictional counterpart is Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin. It gives the perspective of the mother of the killer, and is one of the most disturbing books I've read.

Just got Tina Fey's Bossypants and it is a fun read.

I just finished The Silk House - its the first Sherlock Holmes novel endorsed by the Conan Doyle Estate in 150 years. They selected Anthony Horowitz (Alex Rider Series, among other, also the originator and screen writer for the Foyle's War series on BBC/PBS). This is a great book for the Holmes fan. The first halve is spot on Holmes or rather Watson in tone, language and setting. However, just when you are concerned that you have half of the book to go and Holmes seems to have wrapped up the case. Wham! the whole thing takes a turn that is unexpected. The remainder of the book, pay homage more to the importance of the format Conan Doyle created that is still used as one of the main stylistic formulas for the "Detective Mystery". As Conan Doyle was famous for taking headlines out of the press and turning them into a Holmes case. Horowitz does this with the real heart of the case in this book. Although the tone, style and language remains true to Victorian England and Conan Doyle. The story rings right out of todays headlines and brings the book out of a quaint, homeage to Holmes and has it finish a great case.

If you enjoy Tina Fey I highly recommend Bossypants. It is also a great book about women in the comedy industry. I just finished The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan and I think it was a great book. This is about the Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas near the panhandle. After reading I understand why they are referred to as The Greatest Generation.

Just started "Stories I Only Tell My Friends" by Rob Lowe. If the rest of the book goes as the first chapter it should be an excellent read.

Melanie wrote: "If you enjoy Tina Fey I highly recommend Bossypants. It is also a great book about women in the comedy industry. I just finished The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan and I think it was a great boo..."

I really enjoyed Bossypants too. It was a quick read and I liked the inside perspective to her SNL work. Right now I'm finishing up Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich. Another good book if you're looking for a quick funny read.

Kelli wrote: Right now I'm finishing up Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich. Another good book if you're looking for a quick funny read.

I'm on the waiting list to read it. I'm eager to see One for the Money on the big screen in January.

I third Bossypants. If you enjoy audiobooks, I highly recommend it. It is so funny!

Yesterday I finished reading the Great Gatsby for the second time, though I'm not sure if the first time counts since it was in high school and I skimmed through a lot of the book. I am so glad I went back and read it. It meant a lot more to me now that I'm older and wiser (at least I like to tell myself that!).

Right now I'm on Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger. So far, so good.

Melanie wrote: "Kelli wrote: Right now I'm finishing up Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich. Another good book if you're looking for a quick funny read.

I'm on the waiting list to read it. I'm eager to see ..."

I'm glad they're making a movie, but I thought the series would have adapted better into a TV show.