All things books and reading thread - 2016

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natalie_ca

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I'm reading "The Girl in the Spider's Web", the latest book in the Dragon Tattoo series.   I'm having a hard time with it though. I got to page 60 and realized that I couldn't remember who the characters are that I had read about the previous 60 pages, or what they have done over the course of those pages.  So I started over. I'm now on page 30 and am still having difficulty remember the characters.  I didn't have the problem with the previous books.   I may not be able to finish this one since my brain doesn't seem to want to retain anything that I'm reading.
 

artiemom

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I'm reading "The Girl in the Spider's Web", the latest book in the Dragon Tattoo series.   I'm having a hard time with it though. I got to page 60 and realized that I couldn't remember who the characters are that I had read about the previous 60 pages, or what they have done over the course of those pages.  So I started over. I'm now on page 30 and am still having difficulty remember the characters.  I didn't have the problem with the previous books.   I may not be able to finish this one since my brain doesn't seem to want to retain anything that I'm reading.
Is that the 3rd one in the series? Or is it new. 

I know the original author passed away. The series was published post-humorous. I think I read that someone else was continuing the series. 

I read this series several years ago, when it was "making the rounds'.
 

Mamanyt1953

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I have to admit, I'm still rolling around in old favorites...books I had and lost and can now get again...I just re-read the Roberta Gellis "Roslynd" series.  Next month I'll start ordering Charles DeLint.  He has been on my "must have" list for years.  He is a master of myth, and the urban faerie tale.

My guiltiest reading pleasure?  Laurell K. Hamilton...but I don't let anyone who isn't familiar with her borrow them.   I prefer the Meridith Gentry books to the Anita Blakes.  Less angst about who and what she is.
 

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I'm reading "The Girl in the Spider's Web", the latest book in the Dragon Tattoo series.   I'm having a hard time with it though. I got to page 60 and realized that I couldn't remember who the characters are that I had read about the previous 60 pages, or what they have done over the course of those pages.  So I started over. I'm now on page 30 and am still having difficulty remember the characters.  I didn't have the problem with the previous books.   I may not be able to finish this one since my brain doesn't seem to want to retain anything that I'm reading.
The books written after the third book was published and the author died! the next book is written by somebody else and maybe translated by somebody else. The translator in the first three books was excellent. Maybe that's why you can't read it.
 

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I'm still reading Before Jamaica Lane.
It's holding me up all the sex scenes which are described in detail. I flip past those and the rest is OK but I don't recommend it to anybody.
I haven't had time to read as I'm watching too much tv and I'm on TCS.
 

Margret

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I'm reading "The Girl in the Spider's Web", the latest book in the Dragon Tattoo series.   I'm having a hard time with it though. I got to page 60 and realized that I couldn't remember who the characters are that I had read about the previous 60 pages, or what they have done over the course of those pages.  So I started over. I'm now on page 30 and am still having difficulty remember the characters.  I didn't have the problem with the previous books.   I may not be able to finish this one since my brain doesn't seem to want to retain anything that I'm reading.
Huh.  I had the same problem with The Silmarillion.  At least I know why, though.  It covers something like a thousand years of elven history; almost none of the elves die; most of them reproduce; and they keep naming children after their ancestors, which means you have no way at all to keep track of the characters.

I'm currently reading Rhapsody: Child of Blood, by Elizabeth Haydon.  I had read this before, and greatly enjoyed it, so when I got an offer for the ebook at a good price in BookBub I snatched it up.  Epic fantasy, copyrighted 1999.

Margret
 
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Winchester

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I have to admit, I'm still rolling around in old favorites...books I had and lost and can now get again...I just re-read the Roberta Gellis "Roslynd" series.  Next month I'll start ordering Charles DeLint.  He has been on my "must have" list for years.  He is a master of myth, and the urban faerie tale.

My guiltiest reading pleasure?  Laurell K. Hamilton...but I don't let anyone who isn't familiar with her borrow them.   I prefer the Meridith Gentry books to the Anita Blakes.  Less angst about who and what she is.
I love the Anita Blake series! Yes, they are quite graphic, but I tend to devour them when I get them. I like those books more so than the Gentry books, maybe because of the graphic nature of the Blake books. (I do know what you mean about letting just anybody borrow them; I'd have to know the person pretty well before I'd recommend the books.)
 

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I just finally finished two books this week that I started reading earlier this year. large trade size paperback type novels-interconnected-

Jacquelin Sheehan- Lost and Found is book 1 and Picture This book 2.  Book 1 lays the ground work for the characters-and its near my area-takes place near Portland Maine which is 90 min from me so I was familiar with some of the land marks she spoke about. I thought each book was good-any book that talks about animals and rescuing our souls is a winner in my eyes..even though these came out several years ago I still enjoy them.
 

stewball

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I love the Anita Blake series! Yes, they are quite graphic, but I tend to devour them when I get them. I like those books more so than the Gentry books, maybe because of the graphic nature of the Blake books. (I do know what you mean about letting just anybody borrow them; I'd have to know the person pretty well before I'd recommend the books.)
Graphic in what way? ,
 

stewball

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I'm reading a strange book. It's called Reuben Sachs by Amy Levy. Written in 1888 by a young British Jewish girl who doesn't seem very simpatico with her people. The book is about Jews in the I
1800's. Oscar wilde gave it a good write up. She committed suicide when she was 27 or 28. What a sad girl.
The book is quite rowdy but not noisy.
The pleasant female is called judith and she's in love with one of guys who won't marry66
 

stewball

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Sorry. I'm tired.

Her as she has no money.
That's sort of how far I've got.
Let's see how it goes
 

Margret

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I'm reading a strange book. It's called Reuben Sachs by Amy Levy. Written in 1888 by a young British Jewish girl who doesn't seem very simpatico with her people. The book is about Jews in the I
1800's. Oscar wilde gave it a good write up. She committed suicide when she was 27 or 28. What a sad girl.
The book is quite rowdy but not noisy.
The pleasant female is called judith and she's in love with one of guys who won't marry66
Sorry. I'm tired.

Her as she has no money.
That's sort of how far I've got.
Let's see how it goes
That's too bad; she must have been a very unhappy person.  It sounds like a form of Stockholm syndrome, identifying with the people in power.

I'm still working on my Advanced Reader's Copy of Bladelore, by Krista Walsh.  Epic fantasy, and the third book of a trilogy.  If you're interested you'd do better to start with Bloodlore, followed by Blightlore, to get to know the characters and the nasty situation they're coping with.

So far I'm greatly enjoying it, but I expected that since I liked the earlier books and I want to know how it comes out.  I'm quite certain the good guys win, but how they win is beyond me.

Margret

Margret
 
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stewball

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That's too bad; she must have been a very unhappy person.  It sounds like a form of Stockholm syndrome, identifying with the people in power.

[rule]
I'm still working on my Advanced Reader's Copy of Bladelore, by Krista Walsh.  Epic fantasy, and the third book of a trilogy.  If you're interested you'd do better to start with Bloodlore, followed by Blightlore, to get to know the characters and the nasty situation they're coping with.

So far I'm greatly enjoying it, but I expected that since I liked the earlier books and I want to know how it comes out.  I'm quite certain the good guys win, but how they win is beyond me.

Margret
Margret
Strangely enough she was a strong person. A suffragette. Went to Cambridge University although females didn't get degrees. Unfortunately a lot of these Jewish female writers of depressing books and poetry seem to commit suicide or try too.
 

Margret

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Strangely enough she was a strong person. A suffragette. Went to Cambridge University although females didn't get degrees. Unfortunately a lot of these Jewish female writers of depressing books and poetry seem to commit suicide or try too.
Ah, strength.  Yes, I know that one.  All too often that means you give up your inner core to fit into a man's world, ask for help from no one, and your soul dies a little more every day.  That's probably why she wrote depressing books, she was depressed.  And when depression goes on long enough, without assistance, it frequently does lead to suicide.  I can't tell you how grateful I am for effective antidepressants; there are times when only a really good drug will do.



Our foremothers went through a very great deal to get us the right to vote, to get a proper education, to get proper health care and appropriate payment for our work.  It hasn't all been achieved yet; there is still a glass ceiling and we still don't make as much money as men do in the same jobs, and the right to health care (at least in the U.S.) is under constant attack, but we're getting closer all the time, and we owe a huge debt to those women who went before, one that we can only pay forward.

Margret
 

Mamanyt1953

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~stretches and yawns in the warm spring breeze coming through the open windows~  I'm doing lazy reading today.  I'm actually rereading "The Gallaghers of Ardmore" trilogy by Nora Roberts, a very simple, quick and charming trio, perfect for lazy spring days.  I don't want anything complicated right now. 

I'm saving up to buy a couple of out of print books written by cousins, both about life in antebellum Alabama, and both centered around differnent branches of my own family.

~GRIN~  I'm also gonna order a copy of "The Southern Belle Primer," just cause it's so blasted funny!
 

Kat0121

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~stretches and yawns in the warm spring breeze coming through the open windows~  I'm doing lazy reading today.  I'm actually rereading "The Gallaghers of Ardmore" trilogy by Nora Roberts, a very simple, quick and charming trio, perfect for lazy spring days.  I don't want anything complicated right now. 

I'm saving up to buy a couple of out of print books written by cousins, both about life in antebellum Alabama, and both centered around differnent branches of my own family.

~GRIN~  I'm also gonna order a copy of "The Southern Belle Primer," just cause it's so blasted funny!
Those books are good. I have the trilogy in one hardback book. It makes the stories seamless. I really like Nora Roberts. Another of her trilogies that I really liked was the Three Sisters Island series. 

Right now, I am on the 3rd book in the Outlander series. Claire has just reminisced with us how things went just prior to Frank's death. I didn't like that guy in the first book. I wasn't wrong. 
 

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@Mamanyt1953    Oh, please tell me the names and authors of those two books about antebellum Alabama. I have two family lines that lived in Alabama at that time - in Sumter County and Tuscaloosa.
 

Mamanyt1953

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@Mamanyt1953    Oh, please tell me the names and authors of those two books about antebellum Alabama. I have two family lines that lived in Alabama at that time - in Sumter County and Tuscaloosa.
Well, I'm having a very hard time locating "Fun on Children's Street."  It doesn't come up on Google, but I'll keep trying.  It was really for younger readers.  The one that you will want is "Locust Hill," by Mary Wallace Kirk.  She lived a Locust Hill plantation, and used to visit her cousins (my direct family) at Boxwood Plantation.  PM me if you will...we may have some relatives in common!  I'm doing the family tree on ancestry now.  It is available from Amazon, and they have used copies for under $2
 
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Mamanyt1953

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Those books are good. I have the trilogy in one hardback book. It makes the stories seamless. I really like Nora Roberts. Another of her trilogies that I really liked was the Three Sisters Island series. 

Right now, I am on the 3rd book in the Outlander series. Claire has just reminisced with us how things went just prior to Frank's death. I didn't like that guy in the first book. I wasn't wrong. 
The Three Sisters Island trilogy was my first experience with Nora Roberts.  I have those, and reread them on a regular basis.  I love her handling of the Craft, although it gets Hollyweird.  I'm willing to put up with that for the good story.  I've heard a lot of people spout off about being hereditary witches, and not one of them can back that up.  Having ancestors who were accused or convicted doesn't cut it.  HOWEVER...that aside, and the fact that the magic in the books is, as I said, Hollyweird, I love her handling of the subject.

I've read all of Outlander, except for "Written in My Own Heart's Blood" and "The Outlandish Companion."  I'm going to start rereading book five, "The Fiery Cross" in the next day or two, this time with my post-it tabs next to me.  These books hold, for me, some profound wisdom, and when I run across something, I tab it, and when I finish the book, I transcribe it into my One Note.  I have all sorts of collected wisdom there...even the beginning and ending quotes from a bunch of Criminal Minds episodes, all in their own little sections, organized.  I read them on occasion, and can generally find a quote for any situation! 
 

natalie_ca

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Is that the 3rd one in the series? Or is it new. 

I know the original author passed away. The series was published post-humorous. I think I read that someone else was continuing the series. 

I read this series several years ago, when it was "making the rounds'.
The Girl in the Spider's Web is the 4th book of the Millennium series.  The first 3 were written by Stieg Larsson.

The Girl with the Dragon Tatto
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest

The 4th book was written by David Lagercrantz.  It's a different style of writing and I'm pretty sure that is why I can't focus and remember what I've read from one paragraph to the next.

I started the book over and am now around 100 pages in and if you were to ask me what happened to each of the characters thus far, I wouldn't be able to tell you.  It's just jumping all over the place from one character to the next.   I may end up waiting for the movie to come on television.
 
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