Does anybody read books here?

[Dogmama]

Just wondering - if you read - what do you read? I'll start.

Currently I'm into lighter stuff - no heavy plot or deep message.

Anna Quindlan's Rise & Shine - good book, good story. Difficult to follow because she bounces between present & past tense without warning.

Sophie Kinsella's Can You Keep a Secret? Cute story about an English girl who gets drunk & scared on an airline flight & spills the beans about her personal life (all kinds of details) to the man next to her - who ends up being the owner of the company where she works.

Most books by Anna Maxted & Mary Kay Andrews are cute too.

Anybody else?

[Lise]

We're a veritable passel of readers around here! If you do a search for "books", you'll find several lengthy threads about favorite books. I'm currently reading I Know You're Out There, by Michael Beaumier, who was the personals editor at the Chicago Reader for 7 years. It helps me feel better about my own comi-tragic attempts at dating.

At the other end of the spectrum, I'm also reading The Great Transformation, by Karen Armstrong, about the Axial Age when the world's major religions were forming.

[Trekhawk]

Just finished reading French Revolutions By Tim Moore. It made me burst out laughing so much that I had to keep reading parts to my husband so he could see what I was laughing at.

Im now reading Points Unknown - A Century of Great Exploration edited by David Roberts. Inside Cover quote "From Robert Falcon Scott's final journal entry to Jon Krakauer's daring solo climb of the Devils thumb to Tom Wolfe's brilliant portrayal of Chuck Yeager shattering the sound barrier, David Roberts and the editors of Outside magazine have gathered the most enduring adventure literature of the century into one heart-stopping volume".

As Lise said plenty of great threads on books here at TE and I have used them as a great source of info when looking for a new book to read.

[Sheesh]

Dogmama - Have you read any Jodi Picoult? Based on your other books, I think you might like her. Her books are quick reads, like the lighter fare, but they hit on some pretty good/controverial topics. So far, my favorites by her are My Sister's Keeper and Plain Truth.

[margo49]

Oh yeah, we sure read here on TE
This is the smartest bunch of women *ever*

I went back to Karen A's TGT btw Lise and am more into it now. Well p.96.
Muhammad is about to go south (to Medina) in her other one. They were being so nasty to him in Mecca that I chucked it and went back to TGT. Muhammad was a re-read so I know how it turns out in the end of course. (Well we all do - 600 years, 2 billion converts, the most popular boy's name on the planet... but I meant the book/biog)

Sweet Jewish New Year and Ramadan karim to us all

[CyclChyk]

I myself am a HUGE Stephen King fan however I have not been too pleased with his later works. The Cell, his last release, wasn't bad, but the last time he wrote a book I thoroughly enjoyed was with Desperation/The Regulators.
Christopher Moore is also one of my favorites. His newest book is entitled "A Dirty Job" about a store owner becoming an assistant to Death. His writing takes a comic twist to bizarre and its rather entertaining.

My favorite book (other than The Little Prince), is called "The Charm School" by Nelson Demille. Its an esponiage book that ties Moscow and Viet Nam to modern day US government (well, the 80's modern day government). Its really an awesome read but by no means "light".

Needless to say, I tend to prefer Fiction literature.

[Lise]

I went back to Karen A's TGT btw Lise and am more into it now. Well p.96.
Muhammad is about to go south (to Medina) in her other one. They were being so nasty to him in Mecca that I chucked it and went back to TGT.

I know, isn't it an incredible story? I left that book with a definite fondness for the prophet Muhammad. For the rest of you, we're referring to Karen Armstrong's biography: Muhammad. http://www.amazon.com/Muhammad-Biogr...e=UTF8&s=books

Well worth reading. Doesn't explain the long, complex history of Islam, of course, but gives an excellent understand of the beginnings of the religion.

[Kitsune06]

I'm trying to hunt down and find anything I can by Frank Herbert... read the whole Dune series (etc) and now I'm trying to get the prequels in...

Stephen King has been pretty good to me- The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon was my favorite...

[Bikingmomof3]

I loved the Dune Series. I am currently reading Dreamcatcher, by Stephen King.

[Kitsune06]

I was torn between Chapterhouse and God Emperor being my favorites... His son did a good job, but they're not quite the same.

Never read Dreamcatcher... how is it?

[Bikingmomof3]

Dreamcatcher is interesting. It definitely keeps my attention as I am constantly curious to see just where he is going with the plot. The book starts out about 4 men, all chums from school, with a very important common bond. From there it escalates into government conspiracy and without revealing the plot (or rather, the plot as I know it now), there are many twists and turns which I find intriguing. I am not a huge Stephen King fan, I read many of his books from the early 80s then nothing until now. Pick up a copy from your local library. If nothing else, it will keep you guessing.

[Veronica]

I read Dreamcatcher on the plane coming back from Maine this summer. It was good.

I really like Carl Hiasson. He writes fiction for both children and adults. I first ran into his books when one won a Newberry - Hoot.

V.

[CyclChyk]

Kit - a GREAT Sci-fi series that I absolutely LOVED is by the authors Randall Garrett & Vicki Ann Heydron. Its called the "Gandalara Cycle." This series is probably more fantasy than sci-fi but so awesome! And the twist at the end will blow you away.

The books are out of print now but I almost always find them at used book stores. They are also available thru Amazon. Originally the series was 7 small Roger Zelazny sized books that have been condensed into 3 Frank Herbert sized books.

If you decide to try them out, let me know what you think!

I wasn't a huge fan of Dreamcatcher myself. Needful Things was very good as was Insomnia.

[Bikingmomof3]

I really like Carl Hiasson. He writes fiction for both children and adults. I first ran into his books when one won a Newberry - Hoot.

V.

All 3 of my boys enjoyed Hoot. All five of us are avid readers. I am thrilled my children enjoy reading as much as I do.

[Lise]

Originally the series was 7 small Roger Zelazny sized books that have been condensed into 3 Frank Herbert sized books.

Aww, now you've gone and done it. You mentioned Roger Zelazny! I harbor a secret (not secret, L, you're posting about it on the internet ), OK, somewhat shameful, yet deep affection for the Amber series! I first read them in college, in 1978, when a cute boy loaned them to me. I took them all out from the library some years later, and re-read them. Was a bit chagrined at how, well, sexist they are! Oh, to heck with it! I love them! They've reprinted the original (9?) books in one large tome.

It's such a fascinating concept. One true world (Amber), of which all other worlds (including ours), are but a Shadow and distortion. One true pattern, deep in the heart of Amber. Ah, but there's Chaos, the polar opposite of Amber. Which is the "true" reality? Could one exist without the other? When faced with something physically or emotionally difficult, I often think of "walking the Pattern" in Amber, when you reach a Veil, and think you can't get through, but concentrate and persist, and you do....

I recommend them, with the caveat that the women don't come off so very well. Roger Zelazny was pretty macho. But his novels are part of my world view now! May he rest in peace.