I'm curious what everyone's reading these days and why you're reading what you are.
I'm working on a medical series so I've been reading some of Tess Gerritsen's work, which I'm enjoying. I just finished Tim Down's upcoming release, Head Game. I can pretty much pick the books I want to review and I chose this one because I'm currently shopping a psychological thriller and wanted to see how I fared. Tim's is a great book. I'll be writing a review probably today and will post it on Novel Reviews in the next week.
I just started A Pagan's Nightmare by Ray Blackston. I loved Flabbergasted and I like Ray, and well, the cover is really cool, so when the publisher asked if I wanted to review it, I said heck yeah.
Next in my pile is a book I asked to review: By the Time You Read This by Giles Blunt. This one's a secular title from Henry Holt. I write thrillers so I asked for this one because it looked particularly suspensful and I'm always looking to improve in that area.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is something I'm going to bite off in paragraph size chunks. It's a monster of a book but Jess was calling me up reading me passages from it which were just my sense of morbid humor, so I finally bought it. I have too many other books to read and review to take a couple months off for this one. It's a slow read so I'll just take my time with it.
The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles Of Narnia). I'm almost done this book which I'm reading with my nine year old, Jacob. I didn't read through these as a child and I am LOVING this book, more than my son is but he's coming around.
Also in my to be read pile is A Bigger Life by Annette Smith. The book hasn't released yet but a friend who had an advanced copy is gushing over it. When she gushes, I pay attention. I asked her for an advance copy to review. Can't wait to get that.
One more in my TBR pile: Paul Auster's to be released: Travels in the Scriptorium. Another Henry Holt, BEA title. I didn't ask for this one but they sent it and it's really short and has a great cover, and the premise is intriguing, so what the heck? I'll probably read this one when I'm done the others.
I'd love to sneak a classic into my pile and I really want to read Gilead as well. Maybe I can take some time off from reviewing soon to do this. I think I will.
So, what are you all reading? Anything particularly good? Reading for research, review or fun?
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Saturday, November 25, 2006
What R U Reading?
I'm reading, The Foreign Correspondant, by Alan Furst. I'm reading it because I love his writing, and because it's in my genre.
ReplyDeleteRight now I'm in a bit of a C.S. Lewis phase, and am reading (for maybe the tenth time) That Hideous Strength. The only problem with me hanging tight with ol' Clive Staples is I'm working on my own MS (presently being shopped my new agent, yay!), and reading him shows how vary far I've yet to come with the craft. Still, enjoying Lewis is like sitting down to a steak dinner. And sometimes it does a feller good to tuck into some red meat.
ReplyDeleteI love these type of questions. I just finished reading a novel called The Stones Cry Out by Sibella Giorello. It's coming out in January from Revell, and it was incredible. It's about an FBI agent who specializes in geology. The word descriptions and realness of the characters was especially noteworthy. If you get a chance to pick it up, do. I should have a review up at TitleTrakk.com in the coming weeks.
ReplyDeleteI am currently reading a nonfiction title called What it Takes to Pull Me Through : Why Teenagers Get in Trouble and How Four Got Out by David Marcus. This is for research on my latest novel. It's a fascinating read, actually. About several teens who get sent to an academy in the woods to help them.
I also recently read Writing for the Soul by Jerry Jenkins, a nice inspirational writing book.
And ... I am very much looking forward to reading Head Game by Tim Downs. He's an incredible writer, and this one sounds like it's just as good as Plague Maker.
Man, I better stop before I take up all of the comment space ...
Most of my recent reads have been for review - either on my blog, for websites, or for my upcoming newsletter, Waterfall Books.
ReplyDeleteA Pagan's Nightmare - didn't find this as funny as the Flabbergasted books - for a future blog tour.
The Winds of Sonoma - pretty good - for the newsletter and blog.
Taliesin - I'm gradually getting around to the Stephen Lawhead books I've missed, this one no less excellent than others - for fun, first one in a long while.
Thanks guys/gals. I like hearing what you're reading because I don't like to waste time on mediocrity and so John says he's read that book ten times. I haven't read it but if it's good enough to read that many times, I need to check it out.
ReplyDeleteCJ, I'm going to try to review Stones Cry Out. That author won a Pullitzer I think for her non-fiction and I wondered if it would translate into fiction, but you say it has. I'm going to go out of my way to review it then.
Katie, I'll let you know if I agree on Ray's book but so far I'm enjoying it. My sense of humor is sarcastic and satirical so I might like it better than most.
Suzan, that's not a genre I'd normally read but it's cool that you're wise enough to read in the genre you're writing in. When your book comes out, I'll stretch my horizons and check it out!
I finished GERM by Robert Liparulo. True to his form it's a great and gory read!
ReplyDeleteAlmost done with the latest Landon Snow. RK Mortenson sure knows what he's doing with this delightful children's series!
Iam also just starting A Pagan's Nightmare. I too, have a strange sense of humor, so I'm likin' it!
All are for CFBA book reviews in the coming weeks and months!
Yeah, Liparulo definitely has the thriller thing down. Thanks Bonnie. I think Randy Mortenson said he was going to be putting out an adult novel. I'm very interested in that one. And he just had another baby I heard. Man, that's one busy dude.
ReplyDeleteThat Hideous Strength, I found, to be slightly harder to read than the first two books in the series Out of the Silent Planet & Perelandra, which I greatly enjoyed. Heck, it's like three or four times their length, too.
ReplyDeleteI recently read Kacy Barnett-Gramckow's book "The Heavens Before" and LOVED it! Few fiction books are keepers for me once I have read them, but this one will be. If you want a perfect example of how to show, and not tell, in your stories, Kacy's book is it.
ReplyDeleteI've also read Battling Unbelief by John Piper and How to Avoid the 10 Mistakes Single Women Make by Michelle McKinney Hammond to review for Armchair Interviews.
I just finished the audio book of Drama City by George Pelecanos. This book was amazing. Pelecanos writes characters that are so real and multi-layered. Just a warning: The language in this book is pretty rough, so if that bothers you, I wouldn't recommend reading it. But after I finished the book, I felt I had a better understanding of God's heart of compassion for this lost world. After all, He hears language like that every day, and sees people making horrible choices in their lives, and yet He loves them still.
I read Annette Smith's book for endorsement and really enjoyed it. It releases in January...and when it does, go out and buy it!
ReplyDeleteAm reading the Swan House by Elizabeth Musser--lovely so far, and The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan--really, really well written.
I'm looking forward to reviewing Annette's book, Mary, glad you thought it was worth it.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of "The Heavens Before" but sounds like a great one. Man I wish I had more time.
The Rest of God, is that fiction?
I went through years where I only read non-fiction and now I rarely read non. Thanks for sharing. Aren't books awesome?
A room without books is like a body without soul ...
ReplyDeleteAfter hearing so many suspense writers name Dean Koontz as a favorite, I've started reading them myself and now I see why. He's pretty amazing. I loved velocity and now I'm reading Intensity, which is really creepy. But good. For quite the contrast, I'm reading Songbird, by Lisa Sampson for my church's book discussion club. The woman's methaphors are magical. She's brilliant and I'm jealous. In between I'm reading short stories by Flannery O'Connor. With my girls, I'm reading Farmer Boy, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. And of course I've got books "to be read" stacked all over.
ReplyDeleteLOL, by the time you read this, I'll have finished the book I was reading and will be on to another one. :o)
ReplyDeleteWith Novel Reviews, I'm reading fast and furious, but just finished two very good ones: Annette Smith's A Bigger Life and Kate Lloyd's Portrait of Marguerite. About to start Balancing Act by Kimberly Stuart.
Ane, that's my biggest problem -- I don't read fast enough! So many books, so little time.
ReplyDeleteI also loved "The Heavens Before" and its two sequels. I reviewed the first book for Christian Library Journal a while back. When I received book 2, "He Who Lifts the Skies," one of the media quotes on the back looked familiar. The quote was credited to CLJ - it was from my review!
ReplyDeleteI'm slow too CJ. Ane reads like a maniac. I pick only books I'm fairly certain will be good to read/review because I'm going to be with them awhile. I have to understand each sentence and go back and read a great line or passage several times to see how a writer pulled it off. Plus my attention span isn't the best.
ReplyDeleteThat's cool about your blurb, Katie!
I have to agree Kacy's Genesis trilogy is exceptional! I am partway through Freefall by Kristen Heitzmann and it is great. Will be rereading Reconstructing Natalie by Laura Jensen Walker for my book club - a must read for all women. Laura infuses such a serious topic as breast cancer with humour and realism. A Pagan's Nightmare is also in my TBR pile and Scoop by Rene Gutteridge it ever finds it's way to Australia - both for review. Lastly, Siri Mitchell recently sent me part of her manuscript - Moon Over Tokyo - to check the Aussie jargon! It should be great. I love reading too much to become a writer (other than reviews!)so blessings on all of you who manage both :)
ReplyDelete.............and am reading Dragonspell by Donita K Paul to my 8 year old daughter - great fun!
ReplyDeleteJanet, thanks for reading Songbird! I hope you're still enjoying it at the last page. :=)
ReplyDeleteI'm a SLOW reader. Word for word. I so wish I was faster. Right now I'm reading The Awakening by Kate Chopin. (Thanks Rachelle!) And I just finished my first Agatha Christie novel.
I grabbed a copy of Annette Smith's A Bigger Life when I was out in CO Springs and I had it finished in 2 days. That's miracle for me folks. I really had a hard time putting it down and I can SO easily put books down, even if they're wonderful, because I'm so ADD.
I recently finished Violet Dawn by Brandilyn Collins. Loved it. Also, Heartland by Davis Bunn. This book had a unique premise. It was about a man that ended up on a television sound stage staring in a series about his own life. Interesting. I enjoyed it because I am partial to Westerns. I also just finished The Saddlemaker's Wife by Earlene Fowler. Again, the westerns just really draw me in. Currently, I am reading At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks. I am surprised how slow it is going. With him being such a reknown author I really expected to be wowed. It just goes to show that the Christian fiction market has really stepped it up when it comes to great stories and great writing. As I wait for word from my publisher regarding my next release, I've distracted myself with reading. I find I write best when I am reading a great story. The energy I get from reading a well-written story parlays into my own desire to make sure my stories are just as riveting. My stack of "yet to read" is at least fifteen deep. Someday I will have enough time.
ReplyDeleteMatt: thanks so much for your kind words about my first book. Just so you know, there are two more in the series out so far (wink wink nudge nudge *G*). I'm super cranked about working with my new agent (you-know-who, Gina!), and seeing what he can do. May this new year bring great things for all of us!
ReplyDeleteTamara, I know what you mean about reading great works inspiring you to write better. After I finished Charles Martin's, When Crickets Cry my writing took a literary leap. My critique partners asked me what happened. Charles inspired me to do better I guess. If you all haven't read him, you seriously need to. Off the charts talented.
ReplyDeleteMatt, thanks for answering my question and for telling us about "Champagne for the Soul". Sounds more fun than plain old chicken soup. Ha. Sounds like a book I should check out. Listen, if you hear it goes to reprint, let us all know. Writers are depressive types, we need a little champagne.
John, did you sign with Chip? I thought he and I agreed that I would be his only client. If so, I can't sing the man's praises enough. But then if he never sold a thing for me I'd feel the same. I just really like that man. He's the coolest, besides you and Matt of course. :)
Gina - you are right about Charles Martin :)LOVED all his books especially When Crickets Cry. Charles was kind enough last month to spend over an hour chatting with my book club all the way Down Under! I have transcribed the interview and will be posting it soon on my blog. My reviews of The Dead Don't Dance and Maggie are there already! Looking forward to Chasing Fireflies next year.
ReplyDeleteCharles is a cool guy. I got to chat with him on the phone for his interview with us and he mentioned that he enjoys the bookclub conference calls. It's surprising how young a guy that gifted and skilled is.
ReplyDeleteVery cool that you'll be offering the transcription on your blog. Let us know when that goes up.
Will do, Gina!
ReplyDeleteMatt: if you mean Sock Monkey Blues, this past February I got the rights to that back, and have been noodling around with it. The three Joe Box novels out with a for-real publisher are Until the Last Dog Dies, When Skylarks Fall, and To Skin a Cat (I'm about forty pages into the fourth). And Gina, you're right, it's Chip! And you're further right, he IS rather cool... *G*
ReplyDeleteHe was cooler when I thought I was his only client ...though I'll allow Lisa Samson to stay since well, she's cool too. Okay, just us 3 then. :)
ReplyDeletePS. Lisa, I'm glad to know you're a slow reader too.
Somebody needs to stop me on the review thing. My TBR pile of obligations keeps growing because there's so many books I HAVE to (read that as want to) read coming out soon. Must get faster.
C.S. Lewis is one of my favourite writers, though I found his sci-fi a bit of a tough read (very good, I just don't read a lot of sci-fi). Laura Ingalls Wilder is another favourite. Currently, I'm rereading Roanoke by Angela Elwell Hunt - a bit of research as she's speaking at our upcoming writer's conference. She writes very good historical fiction; I'm really enjoying her use of historical language to make her characters come alive. I tend to be a fast reader, but I like reading books several times as they are always better the second time through (when I know the plot and can see all the clever little clues the writer is planting!).
ReplyDeleteI agree on the rereading thing being wonderful to pick up metaphors, and other tidbits you miss first time around. I wish I had time to do more of that.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm so late the party, but I can't resist adding to your list. I have drunk the Neil Gaiman Koolaid -- I read "Neverwhere" last week. I really liked it and now I know why everyone sings his praises. I also read a mystery -- "The Man With the Iron-on Badge" by Lee Goldberg. That's a fun read, too. (very secular fiction, language-wise, but there's some good character development)
ReplyDeleteI'm re-reading, for the umpteenth time, The Lord of the Rings. It just seems like the right time of the year to go to Middle Earth. :)
For my small group, we've been reading A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. That's by Eugene Peterson -- excellent, excellent little book.
I'm also still working on A Prayer for Owen Meany. I like it a lot, but it's not a fast read.
And I've got a pile of to-be-read. :)