I’m about 130 pages into The Given Day by Dennis Lehane (of Mystic River and Shutter Island fame). Stunning read so far, set in Boston in 1918.
Have any of you read Jonathan Franzen??
Em reedin Trainspotting, likesay.
I just finished reading the four Emperor novels about Julius Caesar by Conn Iggulden. Pretty good historical fiction that stays very close to the actual history but that explores some of the lesser known issues like why Brutus really betrayed Caesar etc. Good read if you enjoy history and historical fiction.
Just started reading Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother to see what all the fuss is really about.
I just finished reading “The Three Emperors” about Kaiser Wilhelm II, George V, and Tsar Nicholas II. Very interesting period of history, cousins that started off on good terms and ended up in tragic consequences. Just started on Andrew Marr’s “The Making of Modern Britain”.
I bought a copy of Star magazine. They have a lot of pictures of celebrities and I don’t even know who most of them are. I guess that’s the good thing about living over here. You aren’t caught up in the current celebrity narrative.
I am ordering a big motherload of books and I was wondering if he is any good???
“how to talk so kids will listen &listen so kids will talk”. It’s long recommended by other moms and it is good, except I already read it’s sequel "Siblings without rivalry’ so the format is a bit boring and repetitive.
Snookie got arrested. And I don’t know who Snookie is. And I’m glad. Glad. Glad.
Isn’t she the fat busty chick that apparently always gets hit in Jersey Shore?
Maya Angelou’s, ‘The heart of a woman’. 176 pages into it, it is neither captivating, nor inspiring, nor well written. 
I read Hudson Smith’s autobiography. Author of The World’s Religions, he wrote this one from his retirement home at 90 years old. An amazing life. Particularly enlightening if you are interested in religion. He grew up in China, lived and studied at least three major religions, did acid with Huxley, raised a family and was still a thoroughly decent bloke even in his nursing home. I know I mentioned that before but seeing how he dealt with that makes it all especially meaningful.
I finished reading Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Not bad, actually. Nothing at all like we thought it would be in that thread about the article about the book.
Currently reading Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. Nice bit of fantasy set in London. Classic Gaiman.
How many more pages to go? Just put it down. I used to feel the need to finish reading anything I started. But I got over it.
I Wish I Had A Red Dress by Pearl Cleage. This is the second of her’s I’ve taken up and I’m really enjoying it. She may be a new favorite writer for me. I think all my favorite writers are black women. I wonder why that is? No. John Irving. He’s a fave, too.
I just finished “A Confederacy of Dunces” . Great reading. I have some friends from the US that didn’t find it funny, could never get that.
The Windup Girl Freshest thing I’ve seen in SciFi in a long time. It was like reading Burning Chrome for the first time.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Child et al.
I haven’t read a lot of fantasy novels, although I love my sci-fi and fantasy movies. I did Narnia when I was young and The Lord of the Rings later. Anyway, I picked up Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea saga (4 books) rather whimsically and because it was in the sale pile at Page One (NT$200) and because she was a name I had heard of.
I’m pretty much enjoying it. I’m only 50 pages in and feel I haven’t connected with the character Ged yet, but I am, nevertheless, pleasantly surprised. As far as popular fiction goes, it’s much better than detective books I’ve tried, and I’ll motor on for a while. It’s relaxing to be in a world of dragons and wizards and after Ged arrived at his school of wizardry, I kind of realized where J.K. Rowling had got some of her ideas from. Kind of a young adult’s book (I moved past that age range a while back), but it’s not badly written (so far).
Is there anybody who has read the entire series? Any ideas?
Sorry readers - this thread was getting somewhat unwieldy at over 70 pages. At least we know forumosans have been reading something over the last decade.
We’d best do a new list for each year. 2011 is now here: [url]What (Book) Are You Reading?
What is next to your bedside table (I mean reading-wise)?