What are you currently reading?

I am a self confessed bibliophile. I love books, I love the smell of them, the look of them, the weight of them in my hands.

Like Thomas Jefferson says. "I cannot live without Books."

I am also an unashamed, unembarassed romance junkie. So the bulk of my reading tends to be romance novels/fiction. But that is far from my total consumption. I can't find a new website without sharing my passion.

I am a pretty fast reader, and I read alot.

I like to share, compare and find new reads and authors.

So...what are you reading????

A few of the books I've read in the past month.

Valley of Silence... Nora Roberts

Match Me If You Can ...Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Eat & Stay Thin... Joyce Meyer

Light My Fire... Katie MacAlister

Lap-Band for Life... Ariel Ortiz Lagardere

Firestorm... Rachel Caine

Happily banded...happy reader.

Missy

I'm obcessed with books. Honest. I'm a library sciences student. I have more specific areas of obcession within books... but books is the broad category.

Romance: Who doesn't love a good trashy read? I took like Kenyons dark Hunter. Currently I am super into Laurel K Hamiltons Meredith Gentry series. Its about a modern day faerie princess and there is blood and magic and its a fun time.

Mystery: I like anything by patterson. I was surprised by how much I liked Koontz's Velocity. Not that I don't like Koontz, but sometimes he makes me want to not read him for a while because he is just too off or something... Rushed maybe. But I felt that velocity was given a little extra once over by someone. I actually have not read anything by stephen king ever because I am afraid of the dark, sort of. LOL. Movies and tv shows made out of his stories tend to give me nightmares- even if they aren't particularily scarey. (except for shawshank) And I don't like nigthmares so I'm staying away from him for a while until I feel more brave. I also like Kate White-- shes an interesting Girly girl and a smart woman. There are also the classics. The moonstone is great fun and because I like wilkie collins you should check out woman in white too- theres nothing like identity theft and false imprisonment to keep things interesting.

Fantasy. I've always liked fantasy. I'm more partial to that than scifi. Latley I've been reading kids books. I adore children's lit. Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy is brillant. and not too juvenile at all. Its actually a response to the dogmatic ideals in narnia. They are making a movie of the first book in the trilogy, the golden compass. Diana Wynn Jones is fun- check out Howles moving castle. Robin Mckinely's the Blue Sword and Hero and the Crown are favorites of mine since I was a kid. One is a newberry winner and one was a runner up I think- can't remember which is which. I really liked Wicked. I like Maguire. I also sort of have an obcession with Peter Pan. Recent Peter Pan novels: Peter Pan in Scarlet. This is good. Its the only authorised sequel. There are also the Dave Barry and Ridley Peirce Prequels that are fun for a quick read.

some non fiction I have within reaching distance: Organizing from the Inside out. Circle of Fire. Finding Neverland. I also have a nice big book that talks about the history of weaponry in western civ with a lot of pictures. And one book about the english monarchy through the ages with diagrams and family trees (important for understanding things in english lit like who Daniel Defoe worked for (he actually added the de to foe to make it sound more upper crust). I also have the Dummies guide to playing poker because I want to beat people at texas holdem. And of course all my cataloging textbooks.

As far as sixth grade dective stuff goes... There is always Poe. One of the first detective writers and generally lauded as the father of the whodunnit. Currently there are the Blue Balient Books (chasing vermeer)- definitely a mystery there.

Graff, Serena. Blackwell's Island. Delacorte, 2005. Gr. 4-6.

In 1914 New York City, Alex finds himself searching for sunken treasure while eluding lunatics, gangs, and the undead.

Feinstein, John. Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery. Knopf, 2005. Gr. 5-8.

Eighth-grade journalist students investigate a case of blackmail and game-fixing while reporting on college basketball.

Fritz, Jean. The Lost Colony of Roanoke; illus. by Hudson Talbott. Putnam, 2004. Gr. 4-6.

This non-fiction historical mystery provides an account of the disappearance of American colonists from the Island of Roanoke.

Collier, James Lincoln. The Empty Mirror. Bloomsbury, 2004. Gr. 5-8.

When Nick's reflection disappears from the mirror and he is accused of crimes he didn't commit, Nick must investigate the supernatural to solve this mystery.

Smith, D. James. The Boys of San Joaquin. Jackson/ Atheneum, 2005. Gr. 4-7.

In the summer of 1951, Paolo O'Neil helps uncover the thief who has been stealing from the local Catholic church.

Those are some. When looking for books for kids one of my most favorite places on campus (or anywhere really), the center for children's books, has this cool website with all these annotated bibliographies. You can check it out at http://ccb.lis.uiuc.edu/bibliographies.html

For grown up books (because I don't have a car and the bus stop is a cold place to be) I tend to check out books from www.booksfree.com its sort of like a netflix for books only with a much slower shipper. It still saves me money because otherwise I would buy way too many paperbacks.

Kyretha, I love SK and LKH. Two of my fav authors and always on my auto-buy list.

Sherrilyn has a new dream hunter novel coming out tomorrow!!!

As for sci-fi/fantasy...Have you read any of JC and Barb Hendee's books?

The Nobel Dead series is fantastic.

My latest reads: Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs. (paranormal fantasy) This was a great book. I thought book 2 much better than book 1 (Moon Called).

Todays read: Close to you by Kathryn Shay. 1/2 done and so far pretty good. (romantic suspense)

Charlotte have you read Anne Rices sleeping Beauty trilogy? It's very different from her usual stuff, I believe. I guess thats why she used a false name. What's that called? I got hit by a log yesterday, and can't remember anything..............jk

Kristi

Hello KristiB,

Yes I read the sleeping Beauty trilogies several years ago!! Anne Rice used the name A. N. Roquelaure for those books. I discovered them after I read "Exit To Eden", and she used the name Anne Rampling for that one! But, I thought they were good, very complex for soft porn..lol.

Also James Patterson's new book came out last Tuesday, "Step On A Crack". I already devoured it and it was excellent, as is all his books!

OOPS sorry KristiB, forgot to answer your question, the log hit me after it hit you...

She used a "pseudonym"!!

Hi fellow wordaholics!

I love anything by the Irish writer Mave Binchey---check her out, esp. Tara Road andScarlet Feather. I go mostly for cozy mysteries (not much gore or profanity) I love the Hamish Macbeth series. I live in Nora Roberts' hometown and see her around sometimes. She will sign stuff for the locals. I don't know how she ended up here, it's just a small town with a couple stoplights. But she has a bookstore. Anyway, I'm so glad there are still people who read. They say it's better for your brain than visual images.

Charlotte, that is what I thought it was called, then changed my mind. I guess I was right all along. I really DID get hit by a tree limb, though. I am off work for a week or so, healing up. I guess I will pick up a book, since I watched all of season 5 Smallville today. Geesh, I need to get off the couch, but my leg hurts.

Kristi

I haven't read a Maeve Benchy in a while. May have to give one a try again.

I really enjoy most Nora Roberts books, but I have to admit, she is a hit or miss for me. Some books I really really love, others are just so so.

My fave Nora Roberts. Honest Illusions, Carnel Innocence and Blue Smoke. Her last 2 trilogies, the flower one and the paranormal were ok, but made no lasting impression (can't recall the names at the moment. .)

I loved her "dream" trilogy and "island sisters" trilogies.

todays book: The Killing Hour by Lisa Gardner. really like her recent work.

TBR stack: Chasing Stanley by Deidre Martin and The Callahan brothers trilogy by JoAnn Ross.

Just love to read

a few of my favorites

James Patterson, Janet Evanovich, Leannn Sweeney, Stuart Woods, SIDNEY SHELDON, Kathleen Woodweiss, Sue Grafton, J A JANCE, John Grisham, Patricia Cornwell, Lisa Gardener

Most of these authors jsut can't put out books FAST ENOUGH for me

Love that Evanovich will do the little paperbacks with other authors

Oh, I've found my corner. I'm addicted to reading. Have always been, from the moment I knew what a book was.

I'm open to reading some of everything. But, my favorites are Romance, Fantasy, Mystery.

I'm the type that finds a good book, and then holds on to that author until I find another good book by a different author. I haven't run across too many books in my life that I didn't enjoy.

As for Romance, I've followed Johanna Lindsey...Catherine Coulter...Nora Roberts...good grief, I can't even remember them all right now. I love series, they allow me to hang around with my new friends for longer time periods.

Right now, I'm in love with Christine Feehan's Ghostwalkers series. I also love the Drake Sisters...not to big on the Carpathians (but that's only because me and Vampires have a love hate relationship... :mad: ) I've read one book from her Leopard series, not quite my thing - but it will do in a pinch.

While I've been waiting for her latest Ghostwalker...I've found a Highlander series by another author who's name is slipping my mind. It was fairly good, too. She kind of lost me on the last one, but the rest were really good.

Do any of you get like that...where you've read so much of one author - when there's a storyline you think is going off track, you want to call them up and get them back to where YOU think the characters should be?

LOL. yes. I call it my editing bug. I will find myself reading something and mentally rearranging the paragraph in my head so it is better composed. Or correcting grammar as I read various things, or thinking that various points in the plot line could have been arranged better or eliminated, etc. Sometimes I have to just let go and remind myself that I am only reading this book. That this is a fun book. I also tend to go into analysis mode like I do when I am analyzing a book for criticsm for a paper or class or a review-- the sticky notes and pencil comes out and I'm noting parallelisms and all sorts of other things. So I take a deep breath. And I put the book down for a little bit.

One author I have such a strong urge to do this with is Evanovich (stephanie plum books). I have considered going into editing, but I'm a horrible speller.

i know most of the romance I have read has been written by women, but there is one novel that is historical romance by a man. Its by James Houston? I believe, and its called Ghostfox, or Ghost Fox. I need to buy it from ebay or something like that, I could read it over and over again. It was very good, of course that was when I was 20something, so maybe its not as good as I remember, but I still love it.

Kristi

Kristi! Your book recommendation intrigued me, I had to go to amazon.com myself and do a search. The book is called Ghost Fox by James Houston. It is actually a YA book, but it sounded really good, had great reader reviews. I have put in on my wish list.

Thanks for a good recommend.

Currently reading: Black Ice by Anne Stuart.

On my TBR: Moon Awakening by Lucy Monroe.

Just finished The Dream Hunter. I am a huge fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon's books. IMO, this wasn't one of her greater books. I was more fascinated by the secondary characters than by the hero/heroine.

It was ok, but not memorable.

!!! (i am waiting anxiously for Ash's books)!!!

currently reading "Russka" by Edward Rutherford. I enjoy his books becuase of the way he shows the trend of history from so many diffrent angles and "social" classes.

Missy- i am just part way in to Dream Hunter and had high hopes for it as I also love her books. So far it seems that something is just "off"- can't put my finger on it but the characters don't feel right somehow. It is too easy to put down and walk away- something that rarely happened with the dark hunter books. Also waiting for Ash's story!