RosieCotton Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I have a few days coming up next week where I will have time to myself. Did I say that? Who said that. . time to myself. Wow. What nice 3 words those make when put together like that. :laugh: I'm heading to the library and need some ideas. I'll dig up the 52 books thread but thought I'd ask for shouts. What have you read this year that you have really enjoyed? Up for anything other than horror :ack2: , and drippy romance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 Just got the "new" Harper Lee book. Only 14 pp in so far. Hard to read a story that comes after To Kill A Mockingbird. I don't want the characters to change! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 Terry Pratchett, at present! But I have 'Indigenous Australia for Dummies' lined up and am much looking forward to it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I am reading The Inheritance of Loss. Yes, always around 10 years late for everything. I enjoyed Haufsfrau before this. Anxiously awaiting the new Ellena Ferrante in the fall as well as the new one from the author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minerva Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I just finished reading Restoration by Rose Tremain. I loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 Just got the "new" Harper Lee book. Only 14 pp in so far. Hard to read a story that comes after To Kill A Mockingbird. I don't want the characters to change! It didn't. There is a huge backstory to the book's release and I am torn about reading it. I have made the decision that I will not be purchasing a copy. If I read it, it will be a library copy. The "new" book was actually a rejected first draft before To Kill a Mockingbird was conceived and written. You might be interested in these 2 articles: http://www.newrepublic.com/article/122318/harper-lees-go-set-watchman-should-not-have-been-published http://www.newrepublic.com/article/122290/suspicious-story-behind-publication-go-set-watchman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I've read three books by Lisa Genova in the last couple weeks: Still Alice, Love Anthony, and Left Neglected. Very enjoyable & easy reads, but I wouldn't call them fluff. I have a couple of Anna Quindlen's books waiting in my library bag that I'll take on a weekend getaway today. Ah July, how I love thee! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I've been poking my way through the Mensa Excellence in Reading lists (http://www.mensaforkids.org/achieve/excellence-in-reading/), mixing from the junior high and high school lists. It's been fun going back and reading some of he classics I enjoyed previously and reading some that I had never gotten around to before. Currently reading Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I liked The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty, Airborn, The Geography of You and Me, Strange Stones, Jerusalem: The Biography, First Stop in the New World, and The Whispering Skull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 My top fiction reads - things I've 5-starred on goodreads - for the year: Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson The Adoration of Jenna Fox - Mary Pearson The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstenhill Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I had actually never read "To Kill A Mockingbird" before (I feel like I should hang my head in shame over that one, given that I have an English degree...though my emphasis was not literature)...so I just finished that and my plan was to immediately start reading Go Set A Watchman. But I just haven't been able to start Watchman yet. I need a few more days or weeks to think on "Mockingbird" first! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosieCotton Posted July 17, 2015 Author Share Posted July 17, 2015 Hey thanks everyone for your ideas. Super fab. While the book lists for the kids are long and researched, I never get to make one for me. Just started one in my One Note! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I just read the Witch of Blackbird Pond for our book club that I host with my kids, but I loved it for me! I had never read that one! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 It didn't. There is a huge backstory to the book's release and I am torn about reading it. I have made the decision that I will not be purchasing a copy. If I read it, it will be a library copy. The "new" book was actually a rejected first draft before To Kill a Mockingbird was conceived and written. You might be interested in these 2 articles: http://www.newrepublic.com/article/122318/harper-lees-go-set-watchman-should-not-have-been-published http://www.newrepublic.com/article/122290/suspicious-story-behind-publication-go-set-watchman I meant that it is set after TKaM, not that it was actually written later. I expressed it poorly. I wouldn't have purchased it either. It was a gift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 Just filled up on some Sherlock Holmes. Before that was A Passage to India. Currently reading "Raising a Thinking Pre-Teen" and instructor guides for next year's curriculum :P 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I have a read few good books lately: Inside the O'Brien's by LIsa Genova Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins Good Girl by Mary Kubica How Dante Saved my Life by Rod Dreher The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz A Presumption of Death by Jill Patton Walsh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeachyDoodle Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 I'm 3/4 of the way through The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton. It's the first thing of hers that I've read, but I think I'll look for more. Really enjoying this one. (ETA: Finished it tonight, and it was excellent.) Just finished The Secret History by Donna Tartt (guess I've got a thing about secrets). Pretty good. A little weird, but good writing. Also read the first two books in the Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo in the past week. They weren't highbrow lit by any means, but fun easy reads, if you like fantasy and/or YA. I usually have one "heavy" book in the works while I'm reading others -- something that takes awhile because I have to read a little, then stop and digest. Right now, that's The Genius of Luther's Theology by Robert Kolb and Charles P. Arand. Very dense, but I HIGHLY recommend if you're into that kind of thing! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaLisa Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Reading (back and forth) Charles Martin's Where the River Ends and a review copy of Emily Freeman's upcoming release Simply Tuesday. The latter is a great non-fiction about living in the small, unassuming places instead of the pull of hurry. But, it won't release until next month. Put it on your list though if you like non-fiction! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 All the Light We Cannot See... like everyone else this summer. At least, the people who aren't reading The Girl on the Train... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikslo Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman Oh, I loved that book! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momto4inSoCal Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 I've been poking my way through the Mensa Excellence in Reading lists (http://www.mensaforkids.org/achieve/excellence-in-reading/), mixing from the junior high and high school lists. It's been fun going back and reading some of he classics I enjoyed previously and reading some that I had never gotten around to before. Currently reading Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I'm doing the same. I finished Anna Karenina about a month ago. Since then I've taken a break from the list and I've read The Core, Why Students Don't Like School and I have 20 pages left in Climbing Parnassus (LOVE this book). I think realizing my daughter is going into 5th grade spurred me to rapidly educate myself as much as possible. I have dabled in classical education for a while but now I really want to solidify my teaching methods and figure out a path towards high school. After summer I will get back to the mensa reading list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Just filled up on some Sherlock Holmes. Before that was A Passage to India. Currently reading "Raising a Thinking Pre-Teen" and instructor guides for next year's curriculum :p One of my favorites of all time. I had a huge crush on Aziz when I was a teen. :) I plan to re-read it soon! I've finished all the Kate Mortons that I could get my hands on. The Secret Keeper was quite good but I feel that The Distant Hours is her best. I'm re-reading Jane Eyre and Middlemarch in preparation for a planned Brit Lit study. Also on my nightstand are The Teenage Liberation Handbook and The Complete Stalky by Kipling. I just bought a used copy of Clifton Fadiman's The Lifetime Reading Plan for ideas. We have put Watchmen on hold for later, after the hype dies down. I don't think I can take it right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 I just read the Witch of Blackbird Pond for our book club that I host with my kids, but I loved it for me! I had never read that one! This is one of my favorite books ever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smudge Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 So far since May I have read, The Girl on the Train, All the Light We Cannot See, Unveiling Grace, Ghost Boy, Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture. Currently reading Viper Pilot, and after that I have Monuments Men. I have been in a reading frenzy of late.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 I'm reading The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. I've been wanting to read it forever. I'm about half-way done and am really enjoying it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 I recently read Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything and found it interesting and fun. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosieCotton Posted July 18, 2015 Author Share Posted July 18, 2015 Yes more great titles. Keep them coming! :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Well, based on some recommendations from a thread I started back in May ("Any good sci-fi or fantasy book recommendations (pub. in 2000 or more recently)? For me, actually…"), I've really enjoyed these light sci-fi works: - The Martian (Weir) - Ready Player One (Cline) - Ancillary Justice (Leckie) Sadly, for the past 6 weeks, I have unexpectedly had very little time to read due to difficult life circumstances beyond my control. However, I have read some new-to-me books since January; these are titles I esp. enjoyed: Fun, "Complete Fluff" Reads - William Shakespeare's Star Wars (Doescher) - Sorcery & Cecelia, Or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot (Wrede & Stevermer) - Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Sloan) - The Deception at Lyme (Bebris) -- #6 in the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy mystery series -- says it all ;) - Austenland (Hale) -- chick lit and a bit too romance-y, neither of which is a genre I ever read, but the Austen connection made me willing to try this one, and it made me laugh out loud a few times Good Reads - The Doomsday Book (Willis) -- future time travel/pandemic mash-up with detailed historical fiction - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Shaffer & Barrows) -- charming - Daughter of Time (Tey) -- mystery; such quality writing makes this a delight to read Really Good Reads - Invention of Wings (Kidd) - Name of the Wind; Wise Man's Fear (Rothfuss) - The Thief (and the 3 sequels) (Turner) -- the first 2 in the series were esp. good; the 4th is weak, but still enjoyable "Classics" -- okay, I confess... I read these last year, not recently ;) - Never Let Me Go (Ishiguro) - The Thirteenth Tale (Setterfield) - Jane Eyre (Bronte) - Northanger Abbey (Austin) -- while this may be her lightest work, it's really quite fun and well-executed Still trying to get to Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (Clarke) … sigh... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 I really enjoyed Ancillary Justice and Ancillary Sword by Anne Leckie, mentioned by Lori. Ready Player One was a fun read, especially if you played video games in the 80s! Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey was really great, too. These were all 4-star reads for me this year. A few others: Set This House in Order - Matt Ruff - about a character with multiple personality disorder World War Z - Max Brooks - I enjoyed this much more than I expected to. It's written in the style of an investigative report, interviewing survivors of the zombie war. Light on horror, heavy on the human impact. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman I hope things get better soon, Lori. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLMom Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Death Comes for the Archbishop and A Tree Grows in Boston. These are the two I have read so far this summer. Loved both of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 I hope things get better soon, Lori. :grouphug: Thank you for the kind wishes, Rose! Yes, we've turned the corner, and are into slow recovery mode, so much less stressed now! Thank you. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
history-fan Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 I am halfway through Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. I watched the movie and am now reading the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drjuliadc Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 I am very encouraged that any of you have time to read anything. The more I read about homeschooling, the more it seems impossible. I guess it is summertime though. I don't read fiction usually because I really need to eat and sleep and I never had the discipline to put it down. I am presently reading The Core and Thimerosal, which is about the extreme folly of still allowing mercury and aluminum in vaccines. I am a fast reader and love to read but I have still been taking months to read The Core. I'm pregnant and would just rather sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 I've been taking some time to read a few novels. Junk that I won't mention. I think it's been good for me though. Books worth mentioning Everyday Matters and Art Before Breakfast by Danny Gregory. The Artist's Way One Day in the Life of the English Language. It's a surprisingly readable grammar book. A small hardcover. I have an elastic band around it and have been keeping it in my bag and using it to distract myself while waiting. I've been having to do some waiting lately. This book is calming to me. Partly I like how it feels in my hands, I guess. It's very light for a hardcover. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jlynn Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Broadstreet Gate...good so far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rachelleoliver Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 I just finished Unbroken. So worth the read. My favorite novel from the last year though was The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Such a good book!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegs Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Terry Pratchett, at present! Me too! Those novels are so delicious. Yum yum yum. I'm also reading, "Miss Smilla's Feeling For Snow". P Høeg. (In English) Various works. J Dewey. Various works. N Noddings. "Godel Escher Bach". D R Hofstadter. "The Pure Gold Baby". M Drabble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplejackmama Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 This summer I've read: A man called Ove (must read!) The husbands Secret Big little lies Inside the O'briens Left Neglected Love Anthony All the light we cannot see Some may be a little more fluff than you like, but I enjoyed them all. Happy Reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momto4inSoCal Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 The library didn't have Philosophy of Tolkien but DD did get The Hobbit. I came home with Deconstructing Penguins, The Soul of Discipline, Science Matters and The Knowlege Deficit. I need to take a break after this and do some fun reading. My brain is about to explode with information overload. To many idea's at one time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeaCookiesBears Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 This summer I decided to take a break for the most part and concentrate on me,my development and sanity. So far I have read: The War Against Grammar The Latin Centered Curriculum Aesop Fables Grimm Fairy Tales Memoria Press magazine articles (Classical Teacher) The Read Aloud Handbook (reading now) Grammar land Audio book ( I know I am a big kid ) Plan to read: What the Internet is doing to our brains The price of privilege The Miseducation of black children Is Google making us stupid Excellent sheep the miseducation of the American Elite Where you go is not who you will be : an antidote to the college admissions mania Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalmia Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 A Buzz in the Meadow: The Natural History of a French Farm and A Sting in the Tale: My Adventures with Bumblebees both by Dave Goulson Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee A Bird in the Tree by Elizabeth Goudge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanezomom Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Jaber Crow by Wendell Berry. Love it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sillymommy Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Finn by Jon Clinch is a great story of Huck Finn's father. He's a vile old river man, and the story is told beautifully! The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng Sense and Sensibility I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enigmatic Entity Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Read Recently: Ghost Boy-Martin Pistorius The Miniaturist-Jessie Burton Salvage the Bones-Jesmyn Ward Ocean at the End of the Lane-Neil Gaiman Room-Emma Donoghue The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time-Mark Haddon The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August (just started this) Want to Read: Shock of the Fall-Nathan Filer Night Circus-Erin Morgenstein The Martian-Andy Weir Still Alice-Lisa Genova Swamplandia!-Karen Russell ETA: Room has a lot of sensitive topics. The main characters are a 5 year old boy (Jack) and his mom. The mom has been kidnapped and Jack is a result of rape by her captor. She also mentions that she had a miscarriage before Jack, and tries to commit suicide about 3/4 of the way through the book. It's told from the perspective of Jack who sees nothing wrong with living in 'Room' because he has never seen 'Outside' so it's not a super dark and depressing book, but I figured it was worth mentioning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Jaber Crow by Wendell Berry. Love it I reluctantly read that for a book club a few years ago and really enjoyed it too. I've since read his other books set in the same area, they aren't really a series but many of the characters overlap. I love his writing style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SemiSweet Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Not necessarily in order but this is what I've read this year. Arabian Nights (In progress) How to Talk so Kids Will Learn (in progress) The Bluest Eye The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Slaughterhouse 5 It Starts with Food Never Let Me Go Of Mice and Men The Greatest Show on Earth (IP) The Stand Siddhartha The Red Tent Brave New World (IP) Beyond Outrage: What has gone wrong with our economy… A Perfect Life Strong Curves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 I'm 3/4 of the way through The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton. It's the first thing of hers that I've read, but I think I'll look for more. Really enjoying this one. (ETA: Finished it tonight, and it was excellent.) Just finished The Secret History by Donna Tartt (guess I've got a thing about secrets). Pretty good. A little weird, but good writing. Also read the first two books in the Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo in the past week. They weren't highbrow lit by any means, but fun easy reads, if you like fantasy and/or YA. I usually have one "heavy" book in the works while I'm reading others -- something that takes awhile because I have to read a little, then stop and digest. Right now, that's The Genius of Luther's Theology by Robert Kolb and Charles P. Arand. Very dense, but I HIGHLY recommend if you're into that kind of thing! I just started Secret Keeper! I like it so far. I finished the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I enjoyed it. Oh and I just finished My Antonia. I'm also reading The Core. Next up: What Alice Forgot and A Homemade Life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 I'm in the middle of A Taste For Death by PD James. I realized after i brought it home that I have read it before, but her novels are good enough to re-read. I am also part way into Spirit of Place by Lawrence Durrell which I am enjoying. i haven't read anything of his before, but I have read most of his brother's books, (Gerald Durrell the naturalist.) He has one which is also a collection of essays that he titled Fillets of Plaice which I own and very much enjoyed, so when I saw Spirit of Place on the shelf I thought I would give it a try. Though I find it hard to take Lawrence too seriously after reading so many of Gerald's descriptions of him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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