All things books and reading thread - 2016

[Winchester]

 
love those authors. RaeAnn is an up and coming author that I have been selling like crazy in my book booth. I love those kinds of stories. I have read all of Susan Mallerys newer books. I have a ton of her silhouette special editions she published  a decade ago or so. Deb macomber is another great author. I love the Yarn stories. I have not read all of numbered the series yet. I got up to book #5. I love her books-have some of her books from the 1980s that are silhouette romance=those skinny ones. I kept them because I felt having the original copy is cool. Nora Roberts too. read all her early stuff=her silhouette intimate moments ones rock. those are from the mid 1980s. (that's what I read as a kid in the 1980s).

Haven't tried Harry Potter-not sure I would enjoy it but maybe some day I will try.

@Winchester  JJ Jance is great-I love that her's take place in Arizona. Good mystery/suspense.

Have you tried Karen Rose or Lisa Gardner? I think you would like those.

I do like JA Jance and have read several of her books. I've read all of Lisa Gardner's books and like her, too, although she gets pretty dark sometimes.

I've read some Debbie Macomber, Robyn Carr, Susan Mallery. 

Any Joanne Fluke fans from the Hannah Swanson series? Janet Evanovich from the Stephanie Plum series? I used to read them, but quit several books ago. Also Diane Mott Davidson's Goldie series. 

Every once in a while, I like to bring this up again. It's a neat way to get new authors: http://www.literature-map.com/  Go to the link, type in the name of an author you like, and you will get the names of similar authors who write in the same vein. The closer the names are to your original name, the more similar they are. I've gotten some really excellent books that way.  I bring this link up about 1-2 times a year because we have new people and they may not have heard about it. Try it; I think you'll enjoy it.

Another good link is http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/ If you like murder mysteries and cozy mysteries, you'll like this site.

 

[foxxycat]

 

 
love those authors. RaeAnn is an up and coming author that I have been selling like crazy in my book booth. I love those kinds of stories. I have read all of Susan Mallerys newer books. I have a ton of her silhouette special editions she published  a decade ago or so. Deb macomber is another great author. I love the Yarn stories. I have not read all of numbered the series yet. I got up to book #5. I love her books-have some of her books from the 1980s that are silhouette romance=those skinny ones. I kept them because I felt having the original copy is cool. Nora Roberts too. read all her early stuff=her silhouette intimate moments ones rock. those are from the mid 1980s. (that's what I read as a kid in the 1980s).

Haven't tried Harry Potter-not sure I would enjoy it but maybe some day I will try.

@Winchester  JJ Jance is great-I love that her's take place in Arizona. Good mystery/suspense.

Have you tried Karen Rose or Lisa Gardner? I think you would like those.

I do like JA Jance and have read several of her books. I've read all of Lisa Gardner's books and like her, too, although she gets pretty dark sometimes.

I've read some Debbie Macomber, Robyn Carr, Susan Mallery. 

Any Joanne Fluke fans from the Hannah Swanson series? Janet Evanovich from the Stephanie Plum series? I used to read them, but quit several books ago. Also Diane Mott Davidson's Goldie series. 

Every once in a while, I like to bring this up again. It's a neat way to get new authors: http://www.literature-map.com/  Go to the link, type in the name of an author you like, and you will get the names of similar authors who write in the same vein. The closer the names are to your original name, the more similar they are. I've gotten some really excellent books that way.  I bring this link up about 1-2 times a year because we have new people and they may not have heard about it. Try it; I think you'll enjoy it.

Another good link is http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/ If you like murder mysteries and cozy mysteries, you'll like this site.

I too read all of Lisa Gardners except for the 2 latest. (I haven't been thrift store shopping as much in 2 years), The ones about revenge are great.
The survivors club is excellent. Lisa Jackson is another good one but those can be dark too.

If you like military suspense Suzanne Brockman is really good.   Iris Johansen is another of my favorites.

Another good author Sharon Sala (she's on facebook) and her other pen name Dinah McCall. She's been writing since the 1990s. I love her books-most of them come in 3s. but some are stand alone. She has native American in her ancestry and often weaves it into her stories. I think you would like her.

I haven't read the Stephanie Plum ones yet because I am waiting until they are all finished so I can read them one after another. Those used to sell like hot cakes. Joanne Fluke too. Same with Diane Mott Davidson. There's another murder type novels that take place in Maine=I have one sitting in my bookcase and I can't remember the title/author-it's a cartoon cover and it's like fix it murder=Sarah Graves!!! I love her books! Wicked Fix I read in two days. I think you would like her. if you haven't already discovered her.

I did a quick search on Amazon=holy smokes I don't think I will ever read all the books they have on there. What a great way to expand your reading!

I will check out that site you posted.

I finished Echoes by Steel last night. It was well written but since I didn't pay attention in history class I am not sure if it's accurate but I like the way they tried to undercut the Germans. Clever.

Have you read James Patterson? He's ok but I don't like how simplistic some of his books are. I feel like the female authors go indepth a bit more. But that's just me.

 

[Winchester]

I like Suzanne Brockmann....love the Troubleshooter series. I like Iris Johansen. And Lisa Jackson and Sarah Graves. I just discovered Sarah Graves a couple months ago. 

I like James Patterson's Alex Cross series; I do not care for his other books.

What about Heather Graham? She writes, I guess it'd be called paranormal romance. Her books aren't bad, but are predictable. I think I've read them all now.

Karen White wrote The House on Tradd Street and similar books; I liked them. I think they're the Charleston Mystery Series, something like that.

Other favorites: Mary Daheim, David Baldacci, John Sanford's Virgil Flowers series, Clive Cussler, Mary Burton. I could continue......

 

 

[foxxycat]

Oh I just discovered a new book by Kristin Von Kreisher- An Unexpected Grace I read last year-she has a new book out- (Earnest) I just ordered it second hand. I loved her writing. I read the sample 2 chapters=yep I will like it!

For those who like dog stories- Jacquelin Sheehan has 2 books that go together- Lost & Found (excellent) and Picture This that goes with it-not bad-took me a while to get back into it but they are a story about a woman who lives near the coast and it's Maine. I seem to be drawn to books that take place in Maine.

I ordered a few other dog books- Unsaid is one I just ordered-written by a lawyer who works with animal welfare. I can't wait to dig into that one. Read on ladies!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

For light reading, I've recently discovered Miranda James.  She has two series of mysteries right now, both amusing and interesting.  The first is the Cat in the Stacks series, featuring a Maine Coon and his owner, and the second is The Southern Ladies series, about two elderly sisters and their dog and Abyssinian cat.  They are interconnected through the main characters, who are friends, and both feature cats who are just cats.  They are not endowed with super intelligence, nor do they talk, but they are ExPERTS at being cats!

 

[catspaw66]

Oh I just discovered a new book by Kristin Von Kreisher- An Unexpected Grace I read last year-she has a new book out- (Earnest) I just ordered it second hand. I loved her writing. I read the sample 2 chapters=yep I will like it!

For those who like dog stories- Jacquelin Sheehan has 2 books that go together- Lost & Found (excellent) and Picture This that goes with it-not bad-took me a while to get back into it but they are a story about a woman who lives near the coast and it's Maine. I seem to be drawn to books that take place in Maine.

I ordered a few other dog books- Unsaid is one I just ordered-written by a lawyer who works with animal welfare. I can't wait to dig into that one. Read on ladies!

And gentlemen.

 

[foxxycat]

Wasn't sure that there were any men on this thread! My apologies! Read on ladies and Gents!!

Today reading Trust me by Blake OConner. It's about a dog but also a bit of romance between the two leads-no swears in this book-no graphic sex. Just a nice story about a couple and a mean old man who is determined to keep them apart because the mean old man wants the young lady as his own despite her telling him to kiss off several times.

 

[Margret]

Mirror of Erised.jpg

• Margret
• Dec 21, 2016

Margret

 

[Kat0121]

Margret

There is coffee all over my monitor now. 

  

 

 

[Margret]

Margret

There is coffee all over my monitor now. 

  

 

I refuse to apologize.

Margret

 

[Kat0121]

 
I refuse to apologize.

Margret

I didn't either despite the odd looks I received. 

 

[Mamanyt1953]

 

There is coffee all over my monitor now. 

  

 

DId you spit it or SNURK it out your nose?  It makes a difference in how many points you get.

 

[Margret]

I was a little bit worried that it might violate the family friendly rules, so I had it vetted before posting.  I hope no one is offended.  That is something that I would apologize for.

Margret

 

[Margret]

 
@Margret  Per your purraise, I meant HP and the Cursed Child when I mentioned the "the latest one".  I also have Fantastic Beasts on hold and am 1 on 3 copies on that one, so it will be available pretty soon.  Have you read either of them? 

I bought The Cursed Child in pre-order, and was rather disappointed with it.  I'm about half way through and have put it on hold until I finish The Assault on Reason.  I may check out Fantastic Beasts from the library, but I think I'd rather just go to the movie, especially if I can find a showing in 3D.  (It's not the plot of The Cursed Child that bothers me, it's the format.  I thought I was buying a book, not a script.)  There are several small new books by J. K. Rowling that are set in the Harry Potter universe and are real books, not scripts.  I have three of them, all bought at a discount via either BookBub or Early Bird Books:

• Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists
• Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies
• Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide

and I confidently expect a discount edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard to show up soon.  (I think Beedle is also a movie, so it could be another script.)  I haven't read any of these yet; pretty much everything is on hold currently, while I study The Assault on Reason and deal with Christmas and health insurance and such.

I assume that all the Harry Potter fans here have discovered this website?: http://thesetupwizard.tumblr.com/tagged/setupwizard/chrono   Very funny stuff, and they're adding to it constantly.

On @Mamanyt1953's recommendation, I'm currently considering spending $9.49 on Naked Came the Sasquatch.  Given her comment on how hard it is to find, I was surprised to discover that it's available in electronic format.

By the way, I strongly recommend Harry Newberry and the Raiders of the Red Drink, by Mel Gilden if you happen to enjoy children's fantasy.  It's hilarious.  Copyright 1989, available from used bookstores (especially online ones -- I think I got my copy from Abe books), and I found one website that said you could download a .pdf of it for free, if you join their site.  Roger and I originally read it together years ago, checked out from the children's department of our local library.  But I couldn't remember the name of it, so when I wanted to re-read it I asked Roger for everything he remembered about it, put it together with what I remembered, and went to the library to talk with a research librarian.  The library no longer had it, but the research librarian managed to track down the title and author for us and suggested Abe books.  Research librarians are wonderful!

Margret

 

[Margret]

I checked the balance on my debit card and then decided to splurge.  I now have Naked Came the Sasquatch.  And, regretfully, I'm about to remove it from the home screen on my Nook, so it won't distract me from The Assault on Reason.  I have a book of short stories on the home screen as well, for when I need just a little distraction.

Margret

 

[Winchester]

Margret

 Thankfully I had swallowed my mouthful of coffee before I saw this.

I started reading Ice by Kevin Tinto. It's pretty good, kind of reminds me of a Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child kind of book. So far, I like it. It's a free Kindle book that I have on my Nook.

 

[rubysmama]

 
I bought The Cursed Child in pre-order, and was rather disappointed with it.  I'm about half way through and have put it on hold until I finish The Assault on Reason.  I may check out Fantastic Beasts from the library, but I think I'd rather just go to the movie, especially if I can find a showing in 3D.  (It's not the plot of The Cursed Child that bothers me, it's the format.  I thought I was buying a book, not a script.)  There are several small new books by J. K. Rowling that are set in the Harry Potter universe and are real books, not scripts.  I have three of them, all bought at a discount via either BookBub or Early Bird Books:

• Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists
• Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies
• Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide

and I confidently expect a discount edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard to show up soon.  (I think Beedle is also a movie, so it could be another script.)  I haven't read any of these yet; pretty much everything is on hold currently, while I study The Assault on Reason and deal with Christmas and health insurance and such.

I assume that all the Harry Potter fans here have discovered this website?: http://thesetupwizard.tumblr.com/tagged/setupwizard/chrono   Very funny stuff, and they're adding to it constantly.

On @Mamanyt1953's recommendation, I'm currently considering spending $9.49 on Naked Came the Sasquatch.  Given her comment on how hard it is to find, I was surprised to discover that it's available in electronic format.

By the way, I strongly recommend Harry Newberry and the Raiders of the Red Drink, by Mel Gilden if you happen to enjoy children's fantasy.

Margret

The fact that The Cursed Child is a screenplay is why I'm not stressing over the long wait time, as I'm not sure I'll even enjoy reading that format.  Not really sure about Fantastic Beasts either, though I don't know much about it so I'll probably give it a chance. I haven't seen the movie, and would rather read the book first, if I'm going to read it.

Neither of the Harry Potter short stories or Naked Came the Sasquatch or  Harry Newberry and the Raiders of the Red Drink are available as e-books at my library, and I'm just borrowing e-books these days.  I will check out that HP website. Sounds interesting.

Speaking of children's fantasies, I recently read Holes by  Louis Sachar  and it was pretty good.

I ended up returning Snowfall on Haven Point by RaeAnne Thayne  as it looked like it was too long for me to finish before Christmas. So I've now borrowed Long, Tall Christmas by Janet Dailey.  Since there's a cowboy and a puppy on the cover, I think it will fit the bill for a sappy Christmas story. 

 

[Winchester]

 
The fact that The Cursed Child is a screenplay is why I'm not stressing over the long wait time, as I'm not sure I'll even enjoy reading that format.  Not really sure about Fantastic Beasts either, though I don't know much about it so I'll probably give it a chance. I haven't seen the movie, and would rather read the book first, if I'm going to read it.

Neither of the Harry Potter short stories or Naked Came the Sasquatch or  Harry Newberry and the Raiders of the Red Drink are available as e-books at my library, and I'm just borrowing e-books these days.  I will check out that HP website. Sounds interesting.

Speaking of children's fantasies, I recently read Holes by  Louis Sachar  and it was pretty good.

I ended up returning Snowfall on Haven Point by RaeAnne Thayne  as it looked like it was too long for me to finish before Christmas. So I've now borrowed Long, Tall Christmas by Janet Dailey.  Since there's a cowboy and a puppy on the cover, I think it will fit the bill for a sappy Christmas story. 

You know, maybe that was my problem with the Cursed Child, too. I really didn't enjoy it, didn't even get a third of the way through it, and set it aside. Never looked at it again and it expired on my iPad from the library. I really didn't care for it at all and maybe it was the play-type format.

 

[Margret]

I've said this before, but it's worth periodic repetition:

If you like free books (and who doesn't) check out these two sites:

• https://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/
• https://librivox.org/

Project Gutenberg has set itself the quixotic goal of making all English language public domain books available in electronic format for free download.  (U.S. copyright law; if you live elsewhere some of these books could be illegal for you to own.  Check your own laws to be sure.)

Librivox is a sister organization to Project Gutenberg.  They're trying to put all of the Project Gutenberg books into audio format.  They do this with varying degrees of success.  In general, if several versions of a book that you want are available, your first choice should be a dramatic reading (these are done like radio plays, with a narrator and voice actors), second choice should be a book with a single reader, and third choice should be a book with multiple readers.  Sometimes with multiple readers there will be one reader who keeps mispronouncing.  If it's a single reader, and he or she regularly mispronounces, it's fairly easy to simply let it pass.  But with multiple readers, one grits one's teeth every time the mispronouncing reader comes up.  (At least, that's my experience.)  If you have a smart phone, there's a Librivox app available for it, for either Android or iPhones.

Margret

 

[Margret]

 

 
I bought The Cursed Child in pre-order, and was rather disappointed with it.  I'm about half way through and have put it on hold until I finish The Assault on Reason.  I may check out Fantastic Beasts from the library, but I think I'd rather just go to the movie, especially if I can find a showing in 3D.  (It's not the plot of The Cursed Child that bothers me, it's the format.  I thought I was buying a book, not a script.)  There are several small new books by J. K. Rowling that are set in the Harry Potter universe and are real books, not scripts.  I have three of them, all bought at a discount via either BookBub or Early Bird Books:

• Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists
• Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies
• Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide

and I confidently expect a discount edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard to show up soon.  (I think Beedle is also a movie, so it could be another script.)  I haven't read any of these yet; pretty much everything is on hold currently, while I study The Assault on Reason and deal with Christmas and health insurance and such.

I assume that all the Harry Potter fans here have discovered this website?: http://thesetupwizard.tumblr.com/tagged/setupwizard/chrono   Very funny stuff, and they're adding to it constantly.

On @Mamanyt1953's recommendation, I'm currently considering spending $9.49 on Naked Came the Sasquatch.  Given her comment on how hard it is to find, I was surprised to discover that it's available in electronic format.

By the way, I strongly recommend Harry Newberry and the Raiders of the Red Drink, by Mel Gilden if you happen to enjoy children's fantasy.

Margret

The fact that The Cursed Child is a screenplay is why I'm not stressing over the long wait time, as I'm not sure I'll even enjoy reading that format.  Not really sure about Fantastic Beasts either, though I don't know much about it so I'll probably give it a chance. I haven't seen the movie, and would rather read the book first, if I'm going to read it.

Neither of the Harry Potter short stories or Naked Came the Sasquatch or  Harry Newberry and the Raiders of the Red Drink are available as e-books at my library, and I'm just borrowing e-books these days.  I will check out that HP website. Sounds interesting.

Speaking of children's fantasies, I recently read Holes by  Louis Sachar  and it was pretty good.

I ended up returning Snowfall on Haven Point by RaeAnne Thayne  as it looked like it was too long for me to finish before Christmas. So I've now borrowed Long, Tall Christmas by Janet Dailey.  Since there's a cowboy and a puppy on the cover, I think it will fit the bill for a sappy Christmas story. 

So far as I know, Harry Newberry is not published in electronic format, except for the one website I saw that said you could download it as a free pdf if you joined up.  I have found a couple of sequels/prequels available for Kindle.

I saw a movie named Holes a couple of years ago, with Shia LaBeouf, Henry Winkler, and Sigourney Weaver.  It was a pretty good movie, and on checking it out on IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0311289/?ref_=nv_sr_1) I find that it was based on this book.  Thanks for pointing this out.

Margret