Literary Exploration discussion

What do people plan to read this month

I'll be reading Never Let Me Go, of course, The Big Sleep for the Pulp Fiction Group, and Lucky Jim for the Humour Club. I still need to finish two other group reads - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72. Then there's the stack of library books I brought home the other day - Doc, The Cut, and Bossypants. AND, one of my goals for this year is to wedge in as many books of short stories as I can. I guess I'd better get crackin'!

Rang out the old year with The Big Sleep. Ringing in 2012 with Never Let Me Go. Leisurely strolling through Collected Stories by Raymond Carver. A Month of Sundays by John Updike is queued up and waiting. Wishing you all a good 2012. Read. It would be a heckuva note if those Mayans were right. So many books, so little time. Thank you Mr. Zappa.

I also have Never Let Me Go and Lucky Jim marked as to-reads for this month. With classes starting back up, my list is much shorter, but I hope to squeeze in The Fault in Our Stars and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. I should probably finish reading The Mrs. Dalloway Reader, too.

I envy Melki A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I am lonely for that book. As a child and teenager I'm pretty sure I must have read it about ten times.

I bought Never Let Me Go, also The Art of Fielding. A re-read of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is scheduled for this month too.

I'm going to read Annabel and The Rose Garden. Neither are anything I would pick up on my own. But I think it's why we join book clubs; if I just wanted to read what I read I'm already doing that. And maybe I'll really love them both.

Finally, I am in the midst of Death Wishingand so far it's delicious.

I've had A Month of Sundays on my shelf for years now. I eagerly await your review, Mike.

Deborah, I'm enjoying "Tree". Hope you like "Kavalier and Clay" as much as I did.

Death Wishing is now the 200th book on my to-read shelf.

This month I have Never Let Me Go and The Big Sleep for book groups. I may join in with 11/22/63 in another group but only if I can find a way to somehow convince myself it's worth the current hefty price tag.

Aside from that I have some unfinished bits from 2011 to finish up, A Christmas Carol & Name of the Rose, and a couple of library books to try and read. My reservation for The Sense of an Ending has also come in at the library so as it's only short should probably be able to fit that in.

I plan to read Never Let Me Go and hot to also finish Reamde, A Book to Love, The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School and Bedtime Stories for Children You Hate.

After that, I'm not sure; if my preorder of The Fault in Our Stars comes in time, I'll be reading that

I have to finish Forever and then I'll probably read My Side of the Story, also The Lovely Bones. For my studies is going to be a must: Stone in a Landslide. And if I feel like it: The Outsiders.
I've heard really good reviews from "Never let me go". It's in my wishlist.

I'm planning to read Never Let Me Go, Soulless, The Master and Margarita, The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack, Gullible's Travels: The Adventures of a Bad Taste Tourist, Three Bags Full as well as finishing the books I'm currently reading.

Oooh, Forever is amazing! I want to read it again, but first I´ll go through my christmas presents. The Night Circus, Never Let Me Go and a few others.

Wait - didn't Kim say he'd be too busy to read much this year?

And another member joins the "get-in-line-to-smack-Holden-Caulfield" club ;P

And Then There Were None, Two for the Dough, Murder on the Orient Express, and school books.

Agatha Christie! I love her novels - though I have to admit I never read them in English. It´s time, don´t you think? :)

For now: Kristin Lavransdatter which I didn't expect to like as much as I do and soon: The Waves and The Mill on the Floss. I read Never Let Me Go just recently, so won't read it again, but I am curious to see what everybody thinks.

I am busy, that's why I'm staying to around 8-10 books a month :P

I've only read Le Petit Prince et Le Fantôme d’Opéra in another language (French).

I got six books for Christmas, which I imagine I'll start in on. I've already started Wittgenstein's Mistress, which I am loving so far, even though it is strikingly similar to This is Not a Novel.

I've also got The Art of Fielding and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay in the queue as book club reads, and I'm trying to finish In the Night Garden, which is now overdue at the library.

I read this book before and loved it!

Laurin wrote: "And Then There Were None, Two for the Dough, Murder on the Orient Express, and school books."

Cool, I like Agatha Christie's novels, and am planning to read Murder on the Orient Express at some point (have the book sitting on the shelf, but haven't got around to it). I've read And Then There Were None and The ABC Murders and liked them both.

For this month, I'm finishing Drood and reading the noir choice, The Big Sleep as well as this group's choice, Never Let Me Go.

Logophile wrote: "I got six books for Christmas, which I imagine I'll start in on. I've already started Wittgenstein's Mistress, which I am loving so far, even though it is strikingly similar to T..."</i>

[book:Wittgenstein's Mistress sounds really good, and now sits nicely next to Wittgenstein's Nephew on my virtual TBR-shelf :) The man's got family.

Hi - so far reading The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by Brady Udall and 11/22/63 by Stephen King.

I loved A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I've read it twice, the last time about 6 years ago. Great book...

I'm reading Never Let Me Go, but find when I am home I'm not in the mood to read it so at home I am reading Secrets to the Grave by Tami Hoag, and while commuting I am reading Never Let Me Go.

Tami Hoag had written a friend of mine into her last book as a standing character and she did a great job describing his personality. He told me he was in this one too so I am reading it but haven't "met" him in this one yet.

After that I need to read The Help before I see the movie and I have to see the movie before the Golden Globes so I can guess who is going to win for each category- and then I'd like to finish up the Austen novels... I have four left.

I won't get all of those done in January but hopefully I'll make it to one of the Austen novels (Emma) before February!

Melki wrote: "And another member joins the "get-in-line-to-smack-Holden-Caulfield" club ;P"

Actually all of us older than Holden Caulfield deserved to be smacked at one time or another. We just recognize it more easily now. It's sort of like O'Connor's statement concerning the penchant for Southerners to write about freaks. We still recognize them. And, we recognize the Holden that was in all of us.

Anyone get through adolescence without telling one or both parents, or whoever raised you that you hated the very ground they stood on? It normally happens around age 15, as I recall. *ahem*

A good friend, who was a single working mother at the time, dragged herself home after extra hours at work. Her son got the tensed shoulders, chin out, balled fist stance and shouted at her, "I HATE YOU!"

She puffed a curl off her forehead and sighed, "I hate you too, you little s..., but we're just stuck with one another."

Jr. was so stunned that was the last time he used that line.

So, I can still see Holden in myself. I remember my smart-a.. retorts to my mother and some of the most stupid things imaginable that I attempted to pull off.

I've always wanted to meet Holden and say, "Son, a few more years and all this will be behind you. You'll be fine just as soon as you've gotten over Fool's Hill. And, by the way, there's a whole lotta folks lined up right now wanting to smack you. Just thought you'd wanna know."

Im reading Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and cant wait to start 1Q84 Book 3then i will have to look at my tbr shelf which seems to be getting bigger and bigger!

Wendy wrote: "Im reading Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and cant wait to start 1Q84 Book 3then i will have to look at my tbr shelf which seems to be getting bigger and bigger!"

How is Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell? It's sat on my shelf for years. I'm nearly always intimidated by its size!

Me too! Plus, it seems to be one of those love-it-or-hate-it books...

Only about 100 pages in still waiting for it to grab me and pull me in. I like reading long books just because i get really dissappointed when a book i like ends. Will let you know how i get on.

Melki wrote: "Me too! Plus, it seems to be one of those love-it-or-hate-it books..."

I know what you mean. I'm a bit apprehensive about commiting all that time to a book I may absolutely hate. I think that's possibly why I haven't got around to Game of Thrones yet either.

Currently working on Stephen King's IT and Heller's Catch 22. Next on deck are Never Let Me Go, Tenant at Wildfell Hall, and A Prayer for Owen Meany. Then I'm thinking I will go for a classic - maybe a Dickens.

I will be reading Never Let Me Go, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

As well as finishing

I hope not in that order. ;)
I´m currently reading "The Fallen" - again, but I think I´ll put it off. For school I have to read "The Postman" and "Kiterunner" and then I´ll read "Never Let me Go". If I´m lucky, I can move on to my other books by monday - if school doesn´t spoil my plans.

I hope to read/finish "Sherlock Holmes: Complete Novels and stories volume 1," "Never let me go," "Annie Stuart's Out of Print Gems," and hopefully "A letter of Mary" by Laurie King

Deborah wrote: "I envy Melki A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I am lonely for that book. As a child and teenager I'm pretty sure I must have read it about ten times.

I bought Never Let Me Go, al..."

I feel exactly the same about A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I read The Art of Fielding a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it. Happy reading!

Melki wrote: "Me too! Plus, it seems to be one of those love-it-or-hate-it books..."

Hated it!

I am also reading Never Let Me Go, but I'm having a hard time getting into it. I finished Run this afternoon and really enjoyed it. I took 4 from the library today, but I'm not sure which will be up next.

Heather wrote: "Melki wrote: "Me too! Plus, it seems to be one of those love-it-or-hate-it books..."

Hated it!"

Haha... I didn't care for Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell much either...

I'm trying to limit myself to just one book at a time (not including school books). So idk if I should stop the other ones and restart them later, or just pick up where I left off.

Damien wrote: "I've been reading The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler, my second Chandler book. I've got 20 pages to go and I'm a little sad that it's about to end. I went to the book shop this ..."

Funny how your currently-reading list, resembles my really-want-to-read-very-soon list. Want to finally read some Chandler, received "Wolf Hall" for Christmas and "There but for the" sits on top of my "I-shouldn't-be-spending-money-on-any-more-books-but-I'm-afraid-I-will-anyhow"-list.

Still reading Kristin Lavransdatter and will start on Woolf's The Waves soon.

Jenny, what do you think of Kristin Lavransdatter? It's on my shelf, just waiting...all 1069 pages of it.

I've started on Never Let Me Go and Gullible's Travels: The Adventures of a Bad Taste Tourist. Will try and read on the flight home though I said that last time and didn't :p

Melki wrote: "Jenny, what do you think of Kristin Lavransdatter? It's on my shelf, just waiting...all 1069 pages of it."

The book really surprises me, I am still trying to figure out what makes it so different from the average historical novel (it's 14th century Norway). It never has this fairy-tale feeling to it, that a lot of these novels have. She keeps a respectful distance to her characters, yet she's extremely good in making you feel what it is like to be a woman in that time. Or a man. What it is like to really FEAR god. To slip into their skin somehow. I red a lot about the philosophy and the understanding of Christian religion in medieaval times recently and in this book it turns from theory to flesh somehow, which is very nice. I am halfway through by the way, let's see how it goes.

Melki wrote: "Me too! Plus, it seems to be one of those love-it-or-hate-it books..."

I loved Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. Philippa, I think you'd know pretty early on whether you'd love or hate it, so if you're not one of those people who refuse to abandon a book once they've started, give it 30 or 40 pages or so and see what you think!

Im halfway through Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrelland really enjoying it.

I just finished The Remains of the Day which I purchased after reading Never Let Me Go last year and then totally forgot about. I ate it up even faster than NLMG, it blew me away basically. Though in a dignified manner, of course, indeed, sir.

I plan to spend the rest of the month reading ahead for my next semester at university, which is literary history. I am reading Gulliver's Travels for this at the moment, and next up is Beowulf, parts of Canterbury Tales (which, knowing myself, I might not need to read in full...) and King Lear (which will be a second reading).

Inbetween novels I am working my way through Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, one short-story at a time. I have never read any of Murakami's novels but I am really liking his style. My favourite one so far is the second in the collection. It is called Birthday Girl and I highly recommend it.

Logophile wrote: "Melki wrote: "Me too! Plus, it seems to be one of those love-it-or-hate-it books..."

I loved Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. Philippa, I think you'd know pretty early on whether yo..."

hmm... ok. I might give it a go. Usually I'm quite determined to finish what I start but if I don't actually sit down to read it properly just to skim the first chapter or so I should get an indication either way and can just put it down if it's going badly!

Currently about half way through The Sense of an Ending. I can see why it won the Booker it is very well written. Not entirely sure if I'm going to enjoy it for the overall plot but I can appreciate Barnes' skill.

Wendy wrote: "Only about 100 pages in still waiting for it to grab me and pull me in. I like reading long books just because i get really dissappointed when a book i like ends. Will let you know how i get on."

Hi Wendy, I finished
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrelllast month. It took me quite a long time to finish it. It's long. I liked it, but I didn't love it. I liked the characters in the book and I like her style of writing.

Pupukat wrote: "Wendy wrote: "Only about 100 pages in still waiting for it to grab me and pull me in. I like reading long books just because i get really dissappointed when a book i like ends. Will let you know h..."

I cant put this book down. Not sure what it is that appeals to me but i just have to find out what is happening to the characters next.I am finding it a really easy read and am getting through it really quickly.

I just finished And Then There Were None. I'm either going to continue reading some Sherlock Holmes (can't remember which one off the top of my head), continue Three to Get Deadly, or start a new book. I have over 50 books on my bookshelf waiting to be read, plus about 20 on my kindle app that I just downloaded. So many choices.