What are you reading?

[Gutmutter]

I was listening to The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory but it was due yesterday and I still had 4 discs to go, so I popped in the last disc while I hit the yard sales and listened to the end. It had really started to bog down, so I didn't feel like I missed anything. I went on Wiki to read a little of the history and will not be tempted to read other of her many books about ancient monarchy. Those people were crazy! Any Philippa Gregory fans here? I don't mind her writing style - I love learning history through fiction - but the monarchs and political power struggles are too anxiety-making for my reading (listening) pleasure.
I returned it and got Michael Crichton's Micro. Pretty fascinating so far. I remember reading The Andromeda Strain years and years ago and really enjoying it, so I hope he's not one of these prolific authors who just goes through the paces as the years go on.

[Critical]

I'm about 100 pages into Seanan McGuire's A Local Habitation, which is the second in a series of (so far) 5 books all about the fae world in the Bay Area. This is the same author who writes the Newflesh zombie series under the pen name Mira Grant. This isn't normally a genre I like, but she is just so creative and I know the Bay Area so well that it's fun to imagine a hidden world in these places that I know. The series is sort of in the detective/mystery genre, but with some fantasy thrown in. Just like with the Newsflesh series, I'm in awe of what an inventive mind she has.

Next up is Natsume Soseki's Kusamakura, a Japanese classic about an artist searching for beauty and meaning as he travels in the countryside. It's for my book club and it is a slooooow read. It's beautifully written and so quintessentially Japanese, but I'm having a hard time with it. My life has been so chaotic lately with business stuff and house repairs and I'm finding it hard to read something that requires so much focus.

[Gutmutter]

I had to skip ahead on this audio book, too. the Crichton book was ridiculously didactic.

[AZChristian]

I just finished the book about Sister Wives by the Brown clan. No real new information in there, but lots of history about how each of the women met Kody and joined in the marriage. Most of what they write confirms what we've discussed on this site about obvious stresses, etc. They don't address how much they make from the TV show, but insist that they agreed to do that show because it was Kody's "calling" to bring the polygamous lifestyle out of hiding, to benefit themselves and all of the other polygamous families who believe as they do. Strangely, they don't mention that they've all filed bankruptcy in the past.

[Critical]

I just finished the book about Sister Wives by the Brown clan. No real new information in there, but lots of history about how each of the women met Kody and joined in the marriage. Most of what they write confirms what we've discussed on this site about obvious stresses, etc. They don't address how much they make from the TV show, but insist that they agreed to do that show because it was Kody's "calling" to bring the polygamous lifestyle out of hiding, to benefit themselves and all of the other polygamous families who believe as they do. Strangely, they don't mention that they've all filed bankruptcy in the past.

Yes, I'm sure it was a totally religious calling and not at all financially motivated! That guy is so sleazy. I can't believe even one woman wanted to marry him!

I'm about halfway through with Kusamakura. As I predicted, it's slow going. It's just really demanding reading and it wears me out. Only 160-ish pages, but it's taking me days to read. Beautifully written, but not easy.

[PhoneGrrrl]

There is a local forensic anthropologist at LSU, Mary Manheim, who is brilliant at her job and somewhat of a local scientific legend. She (like Kathy Reichs) can re-create faces from skeletal remains, can figure out the who/what/where/whatnot of bones found here and about. I was so excited to read her first book, a 160 page little book called "Floating Souls." Good lord, while she's a brilliant scientist, she needed a good, strong editor. The central story is interesting and the book actually has an ending, albeit rushed, but you never know enough about the main characters. Were I her editor, I'd give her another 40-50 pages to flesh out the details.

After I finished that, I picked up to re-read the 5th book (I think) in the Sookie Stackhouse series and got even more angry with Allan Ball.

[JavaJo]

I'm working my way through Gone Girl. Its really good but I keep getting distracted by Big Brother and real life....it's slow going.

[waywyrd]

I'm working my way through Gone Girl. Its really good but I keep getting distracted by Big Brother and real life....it's slow going.

I know! Stupid Big Brother takes up so much of my free time.

I just finished Occultation by Laird Barron, a collection of horror/dark short stories. I really liked a few of them, others not so much. Some of it was really out there, even for me. The author certainly has an extensive vocabulary - I'm not ashamed to admit that I made good use of the dictionary on my Kindle.

[elk]

I'm working my way through Gone Girl. Its really good but I keep getting distracted by Big Brother and real life....it's slow going.

I am halfway through Gone Girl and I am totally loving it. BB has also invaded my summer, so I've given up housework in order to fulfill these other demands!

[cablejockey]

I have just started Broken Harbor by Tana French. I love reading her books and this is the latest! Its so interesting so read about crime set in a place like Ireland. I like the descriptions of the settings and the characters--so different from what I am used to.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012...-french-review