What are you reading?

Tallulahbaby, I also read and enjoyed The Glass Castle a few months back. It was very engrossing as you say. And on my shelf just waiting for me is Brick Lane! I'll get to it soon I hope!

The book I finished most recently was The History of Love by Nicole Krauss....I loved, loved, loved it! :blush

Right now I am finishing up Night (yes, on Oprah's recommendation). Can't believe I've lived 38 years and not read it. :whistle

On tap for me next is Wicked by Gregory Maguire - selected by a book club I just was invited to join. Now I'm no longer a book club virgin! :yay

I read Brick Lane last year and LOVED it! If you both enjoy it, you'd probably like Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake as well.:up

I'm slooooowly reading my way through Graves' I, Claudius. Now that school has started, I only have a little bit of time for fun reading. :(

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Originally Posted by SueEllenMishke

I'm about halfway through The Tattooed Girl by Joyce Carol Oates, and I'm really enjoying it. A few months ago I read one of her short stories and was really impressed- so far the full length novel is not letting me down.

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SueEllenMishke, Joyce Carol Oates is probably my favourite author if I had to narrow it down to just one. Glad to hear you're enjoying The Tattooed Girl. Her writing style is just excellent, isn't it? If you feel like reading something else by Oates when you're done, I'd recommend Blonde. Don't let the 800+ pages intimidate you; it's practically a page-turner. It's an honest, moving, and beautifully written fictionalized account of the life of Marilyn Monroe. One of my all-time faves. The Falls is another great one. Good news if you want to explore the world of Joyce Carol Oates: she's insanely prolific, so you have loads and loads of novels, novellas, and even crime novels written under pseudonym (Rosamond Smith and Lauren Kelly) to look forward too!

I'm reading Cell by Stephen King and am starting to avoid incoming calls on my cell phone! :lol I'm way too busy with course-related work to read as much as I'd like, but so far it's a fun, scary gore fest with a similar feel to old-school zombie movies. It's definitely no coincidence that Stephen King dedicates the book to George Romero.

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Originally Posted by geek the girl

Good news if you want to explore the world of Joyce Carol Oates: she's insanely prolific, so you have loads and loads of novels, novellas, and even crime novels written under pseudonym (Rosamond Smith and Lauren Kelly) to look forward too!

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Honestly, this is one of the reasons I wanted to read her so badly- I knew I would have reading material for months, (years?) if I liked her work.

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Originally Posted by geek the girl

SueEllenMishke, One of my all-time faves. The Falls is another great one. Good news if you want to explore the world of Joyce Carol Oates: she's insanely prolific, so you have loads and loads of novels, novellas, and even crime novels written under pseudonym (Rosamond Smith and Lauren Kelly) to look forward too!

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The Falls was the first book I ever read by Joyce Carol Oates and I was hooked. I've read a couple of her shorter books, but definitely want to read Blondie when I have more time.

Her book entitled Zombie was just so disturbing(!) to me ... I wasn't even able to finish it. To top it off, there's a guy where I work who reminds me so much of Quentin P. ... I'm still almost terrified to walk near him even months after reading it.

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Originally Posted by SueEllenMishke

Honestly, this is one of the reasons I wanted to read her so badly- I knew I would have reading material for months, (years?) if I liked her work.

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Try decades! :lol

Right now I'm reading Rebel Angels, the companion to A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. It's targeted for a younger audience than most of people people here so I don't know if it's "sophisticated" or anything but I'm definitely enjoying it! :up

Best in Show by Laurien Berenson. It is the latest in a mystery series. They books center around dog shows. They are really good, but very light reading.

Annie Proulx's Bad Dirt - Wyoming Stories 2. I'm not a huge short-story fan, but these are just so well-written that I find it hard to put down. I'm on the wait list for part 1 - I'm dying to read Brokeback Mountain. I've always avoided reading The Shipping News (what a terrible movie) but I'm encouraged to give it a try now.

Another reason not to be discouraged by a book because the movie sucked! :lol Remember The Bonfire of the Vanities? I saw the movie - dreadful, and horrendously miscast - and then read the novel, which I absolutely loved.

I picked up Cell by Stephen King last night at Sam's Club (about $16) because even with my misgivings of a rehash, it'll still be a good rehash, and well, paperbacks are almost as expensive as the hardcovers these days.