Book Geeks and Bookniks discussion

It's July 4th week! What are you reading this first week of July? Are you doing anything special for the holiday?

I jus finished Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz which I just adored and The Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar which I like fairly well it was just kind of slow. Now I'm listening to Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman and am reading Iron House by John Hart. I'm also about to pick up Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn that I'm really looking forward to reading:)

I finished A Nation of Wusses: How Americas Leaders Lost the Guts to Make Us Great, and I plan to start Beautiful Ruins.

I finally finished The Passage. Took me 2 months about. However, glad I took my time with it. Loved it!!

Just started No and Me and think I'm going to love it as well. Should be a quick read. I hope!! So far behind on my 2012 challenge of 50 books.

I have no plans for the 4th. My daughter will be with her father for the fire works so think I'll take her swimming during the day and spend as much time as I can reading.

I am really enjoying The Stranger's Child, which so far is exactly the kind of historical fiction I adore.

No big plans for the 4th except for maybe not working as much. It's supposed to be really hot, but right now, with the breeze coming off the lake, I've opened the windows to catch the cool.

Annika wrote: "I jus finished Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz which I just adored and The Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar which I like fairly well it was just kind of slow. Now I'm listening to Anansi Boys b..."

Annika, I am really looking forward to A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar and Gone Girl--hopefully before the summer is out.

Annika wrote: "I jus finished Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz which I just adored and The Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar which I like fairly well it was just kind of slow. Now I'm listening to Anansi Boys b..."

I read The Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar as a read and review for Waterstones - I didn't dislike it but it didn't light any fires! I also had Gone Girl too as a read and review which I hatd I couldn't even finish it.

Lynne - The Book Squirrel wrote: "Annika wrote: "I jus finished Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz which I just adored and The Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar which I like fairly well it was just kind of slow. Now I'm listening t..."

Lynne - that was my feeling about Lady Cyclist's. The story was fine it, but I found myself skimming it rather than enjoying every word. It's gotten such great reviews that I expected better. I got about 15 pages read of Gone Girl last night.

In addition to The Riverman: Ted Bundy and I Hunt for the Green River Killer, I am reading The Fifth Child and will start Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion just as soon as I can get to the library, where it's waiting for me on the hold shelf.

Caroline wrote: "In addition to The Riverman: Ted Bundy and I Hunt for the Green River Killer, I am reading The Fifth Child and will start Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion just as ..."

I don't know why but kind of interested in the Scientology book. Always fascinated by Joseph Smith, Jim Jones, David Koresh and the Branch Dividians. What was the one with the spaceship coming to get them??? If anyone has read anything worth reading about any of these I'd love suggestions.

I'm reading The Last of the Last: The Final Survivor of the First World War at the moment and plan to start The Scenery of Dreams this evening. Also hope to start Wise Children this week, after that who knows!

While staying with my Aunt Doris here in WA, I finished the what seemed like a huge pile of library books I brought with me. Well, actually I have one left to take with me to Eastern WA. Anyway, I finally started reading the Mitford books by Jan Karon. Such lovely books - I'm on the 4th one now. I need to hit the wonderful used bookstore here in downtown Tacoma before I leave to grab a couple more books for the rest of the trip.

I've finished The Last of the Last: The Final Survivor of the First World War and The Scenery of Dreams, have managed to start Wise Children and will also start Deep Jungle: Travel to the Heart of the Rainforest this evening :-)

I have 7 books on the go. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Wind Through the Keyhole: A Dark Tower Novel, The Waste Lands, Divergent, Land of Marvels, Seraphina and Fifty Shades of Grey.

Two are on audio, one is on my kindle and the others are dead tree books including a library book.

Lynne - The Book Squirrel wrote: "I have 7 books on the go. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Wind Through the Keyhole: A Dark Tower Novel, The Waste Lands, Divergent, Land of Marvels, Seraphina and Fifty Shades of Grey.

Tw..."

Lynne I'm always so impressed with the amount you read and jealous!!

However, I'm curious, consuming so much how much do you retain over the year. All? Few stand outs??

This sounds pathetic but most I read in a year was 57. Sadly, most of them I don't recall. I know I read but few left a lasting impression.

I know there are a lot of you hear who read 100+ a year. What are your experiences with reading SO MUCH!!

@Gretchen - I have always read more than one book at a time from a kid. It just come natural now for me. Must admit there are books that don't leave a lasting impression and some that do, whether its a good read or a bad one.

I am lucky to work nights with end of life patients in their own home and it means lots of hours observing so reading books passes the night away.

Gretchen, I only remember a few standouts, too. If I think about it too much, I get a little depressed that so many books (that I know authors worked long and hard on) can be so quickly forgotten.

Books have to have that certain "something," in terms of plot, how well the reader connects with the way it's written, and other intangibles, to linger in the reader's memory. I'm never totally sure when I read a book how well I'll remember it, the details and its overall lasting impression, a year from then. Sometimes I'llI LOVE a book at the time and months from then I'll struggle to remember why I'd reacted so emotionally to it while reading it; other times characters, events, and feelings are crystal clear months later after I'd initially liked the book but not really flipped over it. How all this comes together is really hard to define.