How many of you are bookworms?

I very rarely buy books, and am running out of space on teh bookshelves - I rarely buy brand new books cos of the cost, at the moment I am going through the library - I get to try lots of different authors that way. I like true crime, and I think the three I have out at the mo are all completely different - Godfather the lost years, the first Philip Pulman dark materials, and I think the third is James PAtterson!!

I read so much I can't get anything else done! Actually, I'm trying to stop reading for awhile -- because I've finally realized that as long as I'm in "taking-in" mode, I'll never put anything out... as in finishing one of my own books and seeking a publisher. Since my 85-year-old father just got a publishing contract in the mail yesterday, I'm really inspired to move forward on my own writing!

But in the meantime... some of my favorite authors are:

Stephen King, of course -- I avoided him for years because I wasn't into horror, but then I picked up "Bag of Bones" (his masterpiece, in my opinion) and realized what an astonishing writer he really is, how beautifully and effortlessly he uses words, and I fell in love. I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on his son's book, "Heart-Shaped Box." The son isn't using his real name, though, because he doesn't want to trade on his father's renown -- so he's publishing as Joe Hill.

Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child -- These guys blow me away, especially when they write as a team! It's heavy on science and rip-roaring adventure, and there's also a very intense vein of characterization, with several characters recurring in multiple books. Douglas Preston's brother is Richard Preston, the author of "The Hot Zone," a non-fiction about horrific emerging pathogens like Ebola... and how close we've come on occasion to having them running rampant right here in the US.

Lee Child -- No relation to Lincoln Child, but one heck of a fun writer. His series is about Jack Reacher, a former military policeman who is just wandering the country at will, mostly on foot, getting involved in one adventure after another. Once I discovered these books last year, I devoured them all in a couple of months... drat it.

John Case -- This is actually a husband-and-wife team, and their books are always worth reading. The one that hooked me was "The Genesis Code," a riveting story based on an incredibly provocative concept. Their other books don't quite live up, but... close enough.

Trevanian -- He's no longer writing, and in fact may have passed away -- but his '70s book "Shibumi" is an astonishing achievement, unlike anything else I've ever read. His other work is... good. "Shibumi" is stunning.

I used to read Michael Crichton religiously, in hardback yet, but his weakness in characterization and his absurd denial of global warming have relegated him to my Used Paperback list.

Luckily, I'm due at an appointment, or I'd rattle on all day...

I started reading at age 3 and haven't stopped. At an early age, I taught myself to speed read, and at age 11 I read "Gone With the Wind" in 3 days flat. That's 1,037 pages, by the way.

I read most of the classics by the time I was 12-13, and therefore was bored silly with Lit classes in college (I skipped high school completely.)

My favorite types of books to read are pure junk food for the brain: horror stories (hate horror movies but LOVE the horror/vampire genre in print.) I refuse to read anything "How To," "Self-Help" or along the lines of Harlequin Romances. Those romance novels are too formulaic for me - just change names, dates and places, and the story is exactly the same. Boy meets girl, girl hates boy, boy ravishes girl (historical romance) or boy pursues girl, then girl decides she loves him, happily ever after.

Not a huge fan of mysteries, but will read them on occasion.

I can't ever eat dinner at home without a book in my hand, been this way for as long as I can remember.

I'm currently reading a book by Allison DuBois (The medium that Medium the TV show is based upon) about how our loved ones never really leave us when they die. I can't get through a single page without tears rolling down my cheeks, and I read half the book in one sitting last night. Could have finished it, but it would have kept me up past my bedtime.

Last week I read: Out of Egypt by Ann Rice and an Odd Thomas novel by Dean Koontz.

When I used to commute by train to work in Boston, I used to literally go through 10-12 paperbacks in a 5-day period. It really is ridiculous, my appetite for the written word.

Oh - and I confess to being able to read up to three different books at a time without getting confused. I have a semi-photographic memory, so if I look at a book and can't recall if I have read it, all I need to do is open it to any page, read a few sentences, and I'l know instantly if I've read it before.

I am a bookworm and have always been one, as an only child it kept me sane, ..barely so it seems.
I was annoyed because I wanted to read at least 200 books last year but only made it to 160. I'm not sure how many I can read in a day, if left undisturbed probably a couple 500 page books easily. I average out at 100-150 pages per hour with distractions.

Used to read some Robin Cook years ago.. but the story with the extremist discussing shooting people kind of creeped me out. Genre wise though, I'm not too picky but I do enjoy fantasy, sci fi, and modern fantasy the most.

I'm moving this to the Paws and Reflect forum where the other threads on this subject are.

I love reading. However it tends to put me to sleep most of the time after only a few pages.

At one time I used to be able to devour a book in one reading before going to sleep and constantly had a stack of books waiting to be read through.

Then in the mid 1990's I returned to school and spent so much time reading medical stuff for school that after I graduated I couldn't even stomach to look at a newspaper! It was 6 years before I read another novel, and 4 more before I started to read more than 1 novel in a year. Now I read about 2 books in a month.

I love reading but don't get much of a chance during the school year.

So many great readers here! I'm embarassed that I don't read as much as some of the others who started reading at an early age. The classics! I'm impressed Ginger'sMom! (Btw, I noticed the bike in your avatar? Do you own/ride your own bike?)

Anyone possibly interested in picking a book (or two) to read and discussing it? Maybe we could call ourselves the 4 Paws Book Club.

I dont like the classics!! I would be interested in that group, can't guarantee always being able to get hold of certain books though, but might make me try different authors.

I love reading...most of my books are true crime I am into true crime because its real life u know, Also I will admit this...I read romance novels I got books at the flea market one day (not knowing that I ended up picking a romance novel) and I started it and relized it was a romance novel, and well I ended up buying almost all of that writers books and I read alot of them already but now I am getting my kittie books and well I can read a book in a week if I am really into it maybe up to 2 weeks but this chicken soup for the cat lovers soul is gonna be done by tomarrow night and I got it yesterday But now I am looking at more kittie books, any recommandations anyone?? But reading was something I was never really into but I also do have alot of books on Marilyn Monroe as well as true crime, then I have my romance novels so thats mainly what i read

Also I dont like to start 2 books at once, i often get somewhat confused if i do that

Originally Posted by GingersMom

I started reading at age 3 and haven't stopped. At an early age, I taught myself to speed read, and at age 11 I read "Gone With the Wind" in 3 days flat. That's 1,037 pages, by the way.

I read most of the classics by the time I was 12-13, and therefore was bored silly with Lit classes in college (I skipped high school completely.)

My favorite types of books to read are pure junk food for the brain: horror stories (hate horror movies but LOVE the horror/vampire genre in print.) I refuse to read anything "How To," "Self-Help" or along the lines of Harlequin Romances. Those romance novels are too formulaic for me - just change names, dates and places, and the story is exactly the same. Boy meets girl, girl hates boy, boy ravishes girl (historical romance) or boy pursues girl, then girl decides she loves him, happily ever after.

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altho there are some good romance novels out there - try some by these authors: Roberta Gellis [my all-time fave!], Johanna Lindsey, Nora Roberts [her later ones, in particular]. i also like junk novels - Charlaine Harris's vampire/telepath novels, etc. & GWTW is my all-time favorite novel, have read it many, many times - i stopped counting at 100. so over 100!

Originally Posted by GingersMom

Not a huge fan of mysteries, but will read them on occasion.

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again, try some of these authors & be surprised: J.D. Robb [another fave - Nora Roberts writing futuristic romance/mystery], Shirley Rousseau Murphy [cat mysteries, better than The Cat Who series].

Originally Posted by GingersMom

Oh - and I confess to being able to read up to three different books at a time without getting confused. I have a semi-photographic memory, so if I look at a book and can't recall if I have read it, all I need to do is open it to any page, read a few sentences, and I'l know instantly if I've read it before.

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i'm the same way!

Originally Posted by Sprocket

Anyone possibly interested in picking a book (or two) to read and discussing it? Maybe we could call ourselves the 4 Paws Book Club.

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Originally Posted by booktigger

I dont like the classics!! I would be interested in that group, can't guarantee always being able to get hold of certain books though, but might make me try different authors.

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possibly... it would depend on the book - i'm really picky, even tho i read in practically every genre, i tend to read specific authors in those genres. & i really dislike books i consider 'formulaic' like the harlequins, many mysteries or fantasies, lots of best-sellers...

Originally Posted by Sprocket

Anyone possibly interested in picking a book (or two) to read and discussing it? Maybe we could call ourselves the 4 Paws Book Club.

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Sounds like a plan to me. If I can find it at the library, I'll read it. And since we have interlibrary loans, there are tons and tons. As long as no one picks a current bestseller. Those take forever to get and I refuse to buy a book I'll only read once. Well, sometimes I read them more than once, but not on purpose. Unfortunately I don't have that photographic memory, and I usually read a couple of chapters before I remember I've read it. Then I can't remember how it turns out, so I finish the whole thing again.

I love true crimes and real stories of it all. I want the OJ book but only because I hope it is true...

Originally Posted by GingersMom

Oh - and I confess to being able to read up to three different books at a time without getting confused. I have a semi-photographic memory, so if I look at a book and can't recall if I have read it, all I need to do is open it to any page, read a few sentences, and I'l know instantly if I've read it before.

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So can I! When I was younger I started about 4 or 5 books at the same time and was able to remember where I was in each book and what was going on just by rereading a few lines at the end of the last chapter. I will probably start doing that again soon because I have 16 books to read now. I have plenty of books to readtill the Harry Potter book comes out. Anyone else waiting for that one??

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I am a bookworm and have always been one, as an only child it kept me sane,

..barely so it seems.
I was annoyed because I wanted to read at least 200 books last year but only made it to 160.

I'm not sure how many I can read in a day, if left undisturbed probably a couple 500 page books easily. I average out at 100-150 pages per hour with distractions.

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I'm an only child also. I actually hated to read. Then my mom made me read every day for an hour and I started to get into books. Now I can't stop.

GingersMom -- I started at three, too, by accident. One night my father got bored with a Donald Duck comic book and started paraphrasing as he read, and I stopped him and said, "Daddy, you left that word out." He said "What word?" and I told him. He asked me several words from the comic, and then to be sure I hadn't simply memorized it, he tested me on the newspaper. Sure enough, I knew how to read... and that was the end of the nice comfy lap sessions of being read to!

Also... I read that Allison DuBois book, too. Have you read any John Edward? I saw him speak a few years ago, and I'm convinced.

I read at least two books at a time -- one that lives in my purse and one that lives by the bed. Can't risk being caught with nothing to read!

Snuzy -- your Tabby Tykes are beyond precious!

Bookworm here! I read 2-3 novels a week, several magazines, two daily newspapers, all the online news I can get hold of, soup labels, the toothpaste tube, etc..... I have it bad. I used to get in trouble in school fo reading AHEAD of the lessons and not paying attention to what was being discussed that day. Doesn't help that I'm a librarian.... aviation technical manuals are my world.

I prefer sci fi and military thrillers/spy novels, except John Le Carre. The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and anything Dune. Love Terry Goodkind.

I'm game for a book club. Long as its not some romance thing (I agree with Betsy on those.)

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

GingersMom --

Snuzy -- your Tabby Tykes are beyond precious!

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Thanks, those were my foster babies a couple of times ago. They were great kitties. I really have to get a new siggie made with my new kitty LUcky. (He loves having foster babies to play with.)

I read a JD Robb novel the other week and was pleasantly surprised - I tried another new author that week too, and would read more of hers, I was specifically going for the Godfather book last weekend though. I dont like reading more than one book at a time though, i have trade mags from work to just pick up and down at home, as it was getting quite confusing!!

Originally Posted by Duchess15

I have plenty of books to readtill the Harry Potter book comes out. Anyone else waiting for that one??

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Yup! It's on my Amazon pre-order list!

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

Also... I read that Allison DuBois book, too. Have you read any John Edward? I saw him speak a few years ago, and I'm convinced.

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I've seen his show, although I haven't read his books, and I'm a little bit skeptical, but not a complete doubter. I know that we are all made of energy, and that when we die, that energy has to go somewhere.

My family has a photograph that was taken in my late Aunt's home one Christmas that CLEARLY shows the figure of a soldier with a tri-cornered hat and a bayonet over his shoulder. The Revolutionary War was fought up here, and we assume that he may have lived where the house was built or perhaps was buried on or around that spot. Looking at the photo gives me chills - it is REALLY clear to see, and not a trick of the light at all.

I just finished Allison DuBois' book last night, and even if she is a crock, there were a lot a REALLY nice messages in the book about how to help us deal with our grief.

However, I had some strange and interesting experiences last summer within the first few weeks after one of my best friends was killed on her motorcycle, and if you'd like, I'll PM you about it. Because of those experiences, I'm more inclined to believe in Ms. DuBois and what she says is her reality.

Originally Posted by neetanddave

Bookworm here! I read 2-3 novels a week, several magazines, two daily newspapers, all the online news I can get hold of, soup labels, the toothpaste tube, etc..... I have it bad. I used to get in trouble in school fo reading AHEAD of the lessons and not paying attention to what was being discussed that day.

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Me too!! OMG - way too funny. I always read my grammer school reading textbooks the first week of school, then was bored the rest of the year, so my teachers would send me to the higher grade classrooms for reading materials. By the time I finished 2nd grade, I had exhausted not only the 8th grade collection of books, but the school library's as well, in addition to the Children's section at the public library!

If I have no new books to read, I'll read whatever is at hand - cereal boxes, shampoo bottles, cat treat packages, whatever! It's a sickness, LOL!!!

I am also a bookworm! Love to read a variety of books - history, mystery, uplifting stories...whatever catches my eye!