I am just finishing "Cold Moon" by Jeffrey Deaver (who wrote The Bone Collector). It is a murder mystery with so many twists and turns. I am really enjoying it. I thought it was all over with still 1/3 of the book to go. Oops, another twist!

I just finished "It's All About Him" by Denise Jackson, Alan Jackson's wife.

The him may not be the one you'd expect. I really liked it and gave me time to think.

I'm reading an old book that I've had on my book shelf for ages called "On Leaving Charleston". It's by Alexandra Ripley who wrote "Scarlett", the follow up to "Gone With The Wind". So far I like it & I'm about 1/2 way through. It's just hard to find the time to read this time of year.

I've been reading like a mad woman. I just finished The Notebook, Into Thin Air (Jon Krakauer), and now I'm reading Under the Banner of Heaven (also Jon Krakauer). I just the got The Kite Runner from a friend to read next.

Into Thin Air was one of the most exciting and dramatic books I've read in a really long time about the tragedy on Mt. Everest in 1996, where the author was actually climbing it too. I couldn't put the book down!

I'm listening to The Secret Life of Bees. I've actually read this book a couple years ago but don't remember what happens. I'm almost finished.

I also started another old Stephen King book that a coworker just loved. But I couldn't get into it. I haven't picked it up in a month or more. I'm waiting for a Dave Ramsey book to come in now and that's what I'll probably read next.

I just finished "A Better You" by Joel Olsten. Now, I'm waiting on "Eat...Love...Pray" by Elizabeth Gilbert. I'll probably scan over my Edgar Cayce collection that I have highlights in while I'm waiting.

Gayle

Just finished "The Memory Keeper's Daughter". Was very disappointed, it didn't live up to its promise, I'm afraid. I'd heard such good things about it. Author tried to tell 2 connected, but separate stories simultaneously--which she actually did relatively well, but the ending, when there should have been a big bang, just fizzled away. And she got really hung up on describing children's hands as 'stars' or 'starfish'--she used those terms at least a half dozen times, definitely overdone--that kind of analogy should be used only once per book, not repeated over and over. Also got kind of tired of her always describing people's skin as being so thin you could see the blue veins below (again, a good half dozen or so times).

It was a great premise for a novel, started out very well, but then just sort of plodded in the middle and wimped out at the end. Could have been so much better. Maybe part of the problem was in the editing.

I finished reading Born Free by Joy Adamson recently. Now I've started The Thornbirds by Colleen Mccullough. I find her description of life in the Australian Outback interesting. No idea how the story's gonna unfold, though it seems it's gonna have a tragic end ... has anyone read it? Did you like it?

After this I'll read The Drowning People (by Richard Mason) or Charlotte Gray (Sebastian Faulks). But I'd like to get my hands on Cold Moon by Jeffrey Deaver before that :)

I've been reading NOTHING and hating it! LOL
My pile is gone and money going for Christmas gifts.
I'm going thru withdrawls, but looking for ideas after Christmas!

I'm always reading something, but there is one that stands out. I recently finished a book that I loved and highly recommend it. "Evidence of Things Unseen" by Marianne Wiggins. It is set it Tennessee, time period spans pre-Depression to post-WWII. At it's heart is the love story (not romance- bleck!) of two people you can't help but like. There are a lot of metaphors to scientific and natural phenomon, and a running analogy to "Moby Dick" that just makes it that much more to ponder. But mostly it's the story of this couple's marriage, beginning to end, the ordinary and extra-ordinary events of their lives, set against the social and political events of the time period. It is so beautifully written, sometimes I just could not put it down. It belongs on my book shelf next to John Steinbeck for it's story of ordinary people struggling in extraordinary American times.

i just finished "Rhett Butler's People". its an authorized sequel to "Gone With the Wind", as opposed to "Scarlett", which i also enjoyed greatly.

this was a good book, i enjoyed getting a deeper understanding of what happened in GWTW, but if you have read Scarlett, it doesnt follow that story line at all.

Judy, was Leaving Charleston a continuation of Scarlett, or just by the same author?

anette

I just discovered an author that I had never read. She writes mysteries and I think has only written 3 or 4. I've read the first 2. Her name is Sharon Fiffer and the titles have the word "stuff" in them, i.e. Dead Guy's Stuff. They're fast reading and have been funny. I'm waiting for "A Thousand Splendid Suns" from my library and I can't believe it's taking so long! I was # 12 on the list several weeks ago, and they had 3 copies! I can't imagine reading so slow.

Just finished the first book in Nora Robert's latest trilogy, Blood Brothers. It's a supernatural/romantic thriller. It's going to kill me to wait for book 2!

I'm currently reading "Saving Cascadia" by John J. Nance--I love all of his books.

I'm reading Kate Wilhelm's series featuring lawyer Barbara Holloway...very good, mystery plots involviing law, not too much courtroom back-and-forths. Set in Eugene, OR.

Trying to read "The Golden Compass" to see what the fuss is all about.

jennmonkey -- you should read "Into the Wild", also by Jon Krakauer, which the recent movie was based on. Movie was excellent, too.

I just got Sue Grafton's latest "T is for Trespass" - can't wait to start it!

Pranjal: "Thorn Birds" is FANTASTIC! I read it so many years ago. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Vannie: Sharon Fiffer has written 5 "stuff" books:
Killer Stuff (2001)
Dead GuyÂs Stuff (2002)
The Wrong Stuff (2003)
Buried Stuff (2004)
Hollywood Stuff (2006)

I love mysteries. Here's one of my favorite sites for finding new authors.

Ellen

Here is a link that might be useful: link for mystery lovers

I'm reading the God of Animals. It's the story of a lonely pre-teen girl who lives with her parents on their horse ranch. I won't know if I like it or not until I finish it, but it reads along very well.

Link below in case anyone is interested.

Here is a link that might be useful: God of Animals

I recently finished Into The Wild and would love to see the movie!
I went to the library yesterday and found, to my amazement, A Thousand Splendid Suns on the "check out for a week" shelf. I snatched it up as fast as I could....and when I got home, I found out it was in large print. What a bonus.
I stayed up until 2 AM reading it.....started reading at 10 PM and will finish it tonight. I could have finished it last night but knew I had to get up this morning to do some chores.

Azzalea-I just finished the Memory Keepers Daughter also and couldn't agree with you more!! Thought the premise of the book was quite good, but the end was just blah!! It was almost like two different people wrote the beginning and ending! I was disappointed! (But glad someone wanted to discuss!)

My Book club is reading "The Myth of You and Me" for December. I haven't started it yet, but it seems like a good story.

Last month was "Dream when you're feeling blue" by Elizabeth Berg. Story of 3 sisters during World War II. Good read and ended differently then I expected.

I am dying to read T for Trespass! I've read all the other ones at least 2-3 times each!! Such a fun easy series!

Also read Skipping Christmas (funny and easy) and Christmas Jars-Jason Wright (notice a theme here??) X-mas jars was okay and nice thought, but a bit too cheesy and predictable for my taste, but VERY short if you need a quick book.

Nelles, thanks for the link. I subscribed to the newsletter and will pass it to my sister who is the biggest mystery reader ever. I find one author and read everything he/she's written and that's how I found this author--going through the stacks at the library looking for something new.

Just finished...

The Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
Memoirs of a Somalian woman who questions the beliefs of the Muslim culture and how she sought asylum in the Netherlands and became an important women's activist. Loved it.

The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede.
Not great writing but interesting stories about the 6,500+ people stranded in a small town of 11,000 people in Newfoundland when America's airspace was closed down for six days following the terrorist attacks on 9/11.

This book makes me want to travel to Newfoundland, see the sights, meet the people and join our very own Casey while she takes daily photo walk.

Currently Reading...

Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Fascinating story that weaves in an out of a story within a story. Can't really comment more because I only just begun reading it. The writing style is lovely.

Jodi-

I also just finished reading Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke. It takes place in New Orleans and surrounding area around the time of the Katrina hurricane.
I love James Lee Burke and someone here got me started reading his novels. Thanks to whom ever it was!

mtwomanbc- I have!!! I read it quite a while ago. It's my favorite Krakauer book. I loved it so much. I haven't seen the movie yet but we are going to, especially because Sean Penn directed it and Eddie Vedder (from Pearl Jam) did all the music soundtrack, and my boyfriend is obsessed with Pearl Jam.

jennmonkey, I read Into Thin Air and Into The Wild and loved them both. But I just couldn't get into Under The Banner of Heaven.

azzalea, I enjoyed The Memory Keeper's Daughter, although several in my book club didn't like it.

Jodi, I read Shadow of the Wind several years ago and thought it was a very interesting story!

I usually read every day, but for some reason I haven't picked up my book since before Thanksgiving! I had started A Good Year by Peter Mayle. I will probably take it with me to the doctor on Friday and try to get back into it.

Shattered Dreams by Irene Spencer. She is a former sister wife in the LeBaron polgamy family. Very interesting what she endured, a way of life I just can't imagine. Kathy

I am now reading Water for Elephants. I have been reading a series of books by Shirley Rousseau Murphy. The first one is Cat on Edge. Each of them is Cat something. These are talking cats. I know that probably does not sound that good, but these cat solve mysteries. I have J D Robb's newest one coming and I want to read the book Teri Irwin wrote. Also Jan Karon has a new one.

Am going to have to quit the KT. Yesterday I ordered from the bakery recommended by Lydia, and tonight I ordered one book by Kate Wilhelm and one by Sharon Fiffer. We are about to visit younger DS and DIL and our first grandson, who live in Eugene OR. Thanks mtnwomanbc! And I have "stuff" and love "stuff", so thanks also, nelles.

Right now I'm reading Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, by Georgina Howell. Bell's life was so amazing that, if it weren't well-documented, it would be unbelievable. In the late 1800s and early 1900s she traveled by horseback on several trips through Syria, Turkey and Mesopotamia, covering 20,000 miles altogether, an astounding feat, especially for a middle-age English woman. She is considered the Mother of Modern Iraq and is revered by the Arabs.

Jodi - have you ever seen a movie called The Shipping News? It takes place in Newfoundland and is a favorite of mine. Quite a different picture of the place than in the book about Gander, but a great story, and it was beautifully filmed there.

I liked 'Cold Moon,' too, NaughtyKitty. Jeffrey Deaver writes books that are full of suspense with lots of twists and turns so he is an author I enjoy.

I recently finished 'Sphere of Influence' by Kyle Mills. Another page turner filled with suspense and where the good guys are not always good, and the bad guys are not always bad. The paperback was issued in 2003.

For lighter reading I like the Robert B. Parker books -- the Spenser series; he's written over 30 of those, I think. They are quick reads, good dialogue (some of which can be quite comical) although he dates himself somewhat with his references. Those books were the basis for the TV show back in the 80's: Spenser for Hire (a private detective) starring Robert Urich.

More light reading but by a female author is, of course, what a lot of people call the 'alphabet books by Sue Grafton. Her protagonist is Kinsey Millhone, a private investigator in her 30's. She started off with 'A is for Alibi;' 'B is for Burglar,' and her latest is 'T is for Trespass,' just released in hardbound.

Ditto, sable re: The Shipping News movie...loved it, and have the book on my shelf, hesitating reading it (usually I love book first, then hesitate re: movie adaptation).]

The Thornbirds, both book and mini-series, are among my most favorite books/films ever. Wonderful story and make sure you have an extra large box of Kleenex nearby.

On a similar note, the best, although not exact, adaptation of a book-to-movie I've ever seen is "Sophie's Choice", by William Styron, who also adapted the screenplay...maybe why this complex story retains its integrity in the translation.

I just finished listening to Running With Scissors. I finished because I skipped to the last cd.

I listen to books for entertainment and this wasn't. It doesn't always have to be light and pleasant and happy ever after. I just didn't like it.

I'm reading Light In August by William Faulkner. I don't actually care for his wordy writing style but I'm interested enough in the story to keep reading. My workouts have flown by while reading this at the gym.

When I'm done I'm going to have to do some research on this book because I'm sure I have 'missed' a lot. There are so many descriptive words that I end up just glossing over entire paragraphs.

Hey, I never claimed to be a scholar!

Sable, I both read The Shipping News and saw the film. Really enjoyed the book, luke warm on the movie. I didn't think Kevin Spacey should have been cast for the part of Quoyle and I'm a HUGE Spacey fan.

MaryAnn, I'm really having a tough time putting Shadow of the Wind. Lots of intrigue and beautiful writing.

Jodi-

Hm. I have The Shipping News on my bookshelf. I started it several months ago, read maybe 50 pages, and just didn't get into it. I guess I'll try again, maybe I didn't give it enough time. Something must have appealed to me in summaries and reviews for me to have ordered it in the first place. I did not know there was a movie. Now I'm curious.

I LOVED Running with Scissors. I found it both disturbing and hilarious, but it is very dark humor, so I've heard other people say they didn't like it either. I really liked Dry also, but not quite as much as Running with Scissors.

Have any of you joined goodreads.com? It's kind of a social networking/book site. It's great, you can sign up and then you put down books you have read and rate them. You have "friends" on there and you can recommend books to each other, see what other people have said about certain books. I really like it.

Annette - "On Leaving Charleston" is a continuation of "Charleston" I think, not related to "Scarlett" or "Gone With The Wind", but the same author as "Scarlett". So far I'm enjoying it but it does get into some detail at times.

Jodi - interesting about our reaction to Kevin Spacey. I don't like him all that much - to me he's rather scary - but I loved him in The Shipping News. I kept thinking to myself - "that man just HAS to find happiness..."

I haven't picked up anything in awhile...I bought the new JD Robb the day it was out and had it finished by the next day...so now I wait for the next one...I wish Sue Grafton would come out with "T" is for...or a new John Grisham, or JA JANCE or Perri O'Shaughnessy...I need a good mystery!!

I haven't joined yet, but here's a website for swapping books for just the cost of postage.
Paperbackswap.com

Might be a great way to save some $$$.

I got "Make your own groceries" from the library today. Had to get it on Interlibrary Loan, so I can only have it for 3 weeks, and can't renew.