What are you reading?

[lph]

Do do do read Gaimans latest, the Ocean at the End of the Road. I looooove Gaiman. And it was beautiful.

[Catrin]

Do do do read Gaimans latest, the Ocean at the End of the Road. I looooove Gaiman. And it was beautiful.

Thanks for the recommendation LPH! I've only read one of his books before now (American Gods) and have considered reserving all of his works from my library and reading them in order. Does it really matter in which order I read his books? I thought if I read them in publication order that I would have the benefit of watching his style evolve. Unsure why I like him so much, but I really did enjoy American Gods.

[Veronica]

Gaiman won a Newberry (best American children's book of the year) for The Graveyard Book. It's a little creepy for children's lit., but when you consider that all Disney's main characters are missing at least one parent and often both... it doesn't seem so weird.

Veronica

[lph]

I wouldn't say it makes any difference which order you read them in, but they're quite different. American Gods is pretty heavy going compared to some of the others. I didn't like it that much first time around, but after having read his lighter and easier stuff like Stardust and the short stories I appreciated it much more and read it again. "Ocean" is my favourite so far, and the Graveyard Book, childrens book or not :-)

[Catrin]

I wouldn't say it makes any difference which order you read them in, but they're quite different. American Gods is pretty heavy going compared to some of the others. I didn't like it that much first time around, but after having read his lighter and easier stuff like Stardust and the short stories I appreciated it much more and read it again. "Ocean" is my favourite so far, and the Graveyard Book, childrens book or not :-)

This is good to know, and I think I've read some of his short stories over the years. I almost checked out the Graveyard Book before Neverwhere and will read that and Ocean next. There appears to be a book that Gaiman and Pratchett collaborated, trying to find a copy of that one

[OakLeaf]

The collaboration between Gaiman and Pratchett is called Good Omens and it is HILARIOUS. I actually re-read it this past fall.

I enjoyed The Ocean at the End of the Lane too, but I think American Gods is my favorite of what I've read of his. Didn't care so much for Neverwhere, haven't read Stardust but considering the movie I'd like to get around to reading it, also enjoyed his collection of short stories called Fragile Things.

[salsabike]

Do do do read Gaimans latest, the Ocean at the End of the Road. I looooove Gaiman. And it was beautiful.

Yeah, I thought so too!

[SheFly]

As an English major and voracious reader, I am embarrassed to admit that I haven't even heard of most of these books! I'm strictly (almost) a pulp fiction reader - I want something that will entertain me, and that I can easily escape into. Basically, I want a TV show without TV (I once had an English professor who said that novels should be like TV for the mind. I guess it stuck). So, I read Kristen Hannah, Sandra Brown, Elin Hildebrand, Jodi Picoult, Anita Shreve, Chris Bohjalian... I do like to read New England-based authors - makes it slightly easier to envision the location of the story.

I do deviate on occasion, and have been pleasantly surprised by some of the books I've chosen. Maybe I'll check out some from this list.

SheFly

[emily_in_nc]

As an English major and voracious reader, I am embarrassed to admit that I haven't even heard of most of these books! I'm strictly (almost) a pulp fiction reader - I want something that will entertain me, and that I can easily escape into. Basically, I want a TV show without TV (I once had an English professor who said that novels should be like TV for the mind. I guess it stuck). So, I read Kristen Hannah, Sandra Brown, Elin Hildebrand, Jodi Picoult, Anita Shreve, Chris Bohjalian... I do like to read New England-based authors - makes it slightly easier to envision the location of the story.

I am kind of the same, SheFly, and also haven't heard about most of the books or even authors being discussed in this thread. I like some of the same authors as you, along with southern authors, since I'm from the southeast, so authors like Anne Rivers Siddons, Dorothea Benton Frank, and others I can't even think of now fulfill that southern part of me. I also like crazy gory murder mysteries by James Patterson, Andrew Gross, Patricia Cornwell, and Jeffrey Deaver, Jonathan Kellerman, and the like. I make no apologies. Some of what I read is truly on the up and up, "literature", as it were, but as a psychology major, anything psychological is appealing to me, including biographies.

I read nothing but nonfiction for decades after graduation, for some reason, and have only started delving back into fiction since I retired in 2011 -- and realizing how very much I have been missing. My mother is very into British lit and British mysteries, so I've been getting into some of those as well, as she passes them along to me. I was skeptical but have ended up liking them quite a bit!

[salsabike]

The books others have mentioned aren't, I don't think, different from the ones that you guys just listed. I always feel a little badly when people put down what they read--to me, reading is GOOD. I don't really care what people read or whether it's in book, Kindle, audio, or any other form. Reading is wonderful, period.

By the way, Anne Rivers Siddons wrote one of the scariest books I have EVER read: "The House Next Door". I have reread it many times and every single time it is so quietly terrifying. Just got the goosebumps again thinking about it.

[OakLeaf]

I always feel a little badly when people put down what they read--to me, reading is GOOD. I don't really care what people read or whether it's in book, Kindle, audio, or any other form. Reading is wonderful, period.

+100 !!!!

I think I was pretty clear that I read a whole lot of noise in proportion to actual signal. I mentioned Seanan McGuire because she's some of the more entertaining trash I've read lately, but I read a LOT of trash that doesn't necessarily deserve any kind of a recommendation here. Reading is good!

[emily_in_nc]

The books others have mentioned aren't, I don't think, different from the ones that you guys just listed. I always feel a little badly when people put down what they read--to me, reading is GOOD. I don't really care what people read or whether it's in book, Kindle, audio, or any other form. Reading is wonderful, period.

By the way, Anne Rivers Siddons wrote one of the scariest books I have EVER read: "The House Next Door". I have reread it many times and every single time it is so quietly terrifying. Just got the goosebumps again thinking about it.

Thanks, Salsa, both for the encouragement and the recommendation for The House Next Door -- that's one I haven't read. I put it on my "want to read" list.

By the way, I don't know how many on this thread are members of goodreads.com, but I find it a great place to read reviews, review and mark what I've read (so I don't forget - ha!), and get recommendations on other books I might like. It's a really fun site if you enjoy books.

[salsabike]

And it's ELEGANTLY written--just beautifully, quietly done. Let me know what you think whenever you get to it!

[lph]

I agree, Salsa, it's all good. I read the way I listen to music, to fulfill some need or desire. It can be entertainment or comfort or to challenge myself. I enjoy good writing much more than a good plot, a terrific plot described With cliched writing makes me want to chew my arm off, but I'll happily endure pages going nowhere if I enjoy the way it's described.