All things books and reading thread - 2016

[stewball]

The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory.
It's about Margaret Pole who was a plantagenet, white rose,after Richard III was killed and Henry VII put the crown on his head . It was very dangerous to be a plantagenet in those times but Margaret was married off to a Sir Pole. Henry's wife was also a plantagenet and Margaret was her closest friend and cousin. Henry VIII wasn't supposed to be king. He was the second son. Arthur, the first son, was brought up and educated at Margaret 's house under the tutelage of sir pole. He was married to Katherine of aragon when they were about 15. He died of a fever and in accordance with Arthur's instructions she said she was still intact as he had been unable to do his duty. He wanted her to marry his brother and teach him how to rule with a soft hand. It took for his dad to pop off before he too married Catherine of aragon. Before that sir pole dies leaving Margarets almost destitute with 5 kids. Eventually 2 older boys went to a cousin to be educated. 1 to a monastery and she and the other 2 to a nunnery. As soon as Catherine got married she sent for Margaret who went to court with her 5 kids. Henry was a very spoilt child and grew into a spoilt man. We all know how horrid he was.
The book has 600 pages with small print but I love her books.
Imagine if Arthur hasn't died England would be completely different.
Worth reading.

 

[Winchester]

I managed to read two books in the last couple of weeks:

Crimson Shore (part of the Pendergast series) - Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston (I am a huge Preston/Child fan and I love the Pendergast series)

The Gangster (part of the Issac Bell/Van Dorn Detective series) - Clive Cussler (I think I've read every book that man has written, both by himself and with others)

 

[stewball]

I'm still reading The King's Curse. I'm up to page 277 and enjoying it immensely.
[@]Winchester
Have you heard of John Connolly?

 

[Margret]

A book discussion has threatened to take over a thread in New Cats on the Block, so we're moving it here.

Any and all books discussed.  If there's something you loved, say so (and consider writing a review).  Likewise for books that you hated.

As a conversation starter, I'm officially recommending http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/, and its sister project, https://librivox.org/

The admittedly impossible goal of Project Gutenberg is to make all out-of-copyright, published English language books available in electronic format.  The equally impossible goal of Project LibriVox is to put all of the Project Gutenberg books in audio format.  The reason these are impossible goals is that we're talking about moving targets here.  More books go out of copyright every day.

Please bear in mind that out-of-copyright books include most of the works of both Kipling and Mark Twain, as well as The Wind in the Willows, Dr. Doolittle, Three Men in a Boat, to Say Nothing of the Dog, by Jerome K. Jerome, The Three Musketeers, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Shakespeare, basically all of the classics.

Highly recommended:  http://www.gutenberg.org/files/27771/27771-h.zip 

http://librivox.org/once-on-a-time-by-a-a-milne-2/

This is Once on a Time, a delightful fairy tale meant for grown ups (though children will also enjoy it) by A. A. Milne.  There are multiple formats available; the Gutenberg one I linked to is the .html version, complete with all of the original illustrations.  The audio link is to the dramatic reading of this book.

Margret

 

[sivyaleah]

Just started Jim Harrison's "The Raw and the Cooked". 

Jim is the writer of Legends of the Fall and other well known books.  He was (was - he recently passed) also a foodie and wrote extensively on that genre. The book I'm reading is a collection of food/life related essays. Not for the faint of heart 

 

 

[foxxycat]

Still reading Robynn Carr's Only Wish. Really good book about a woman who was a champion skater and decides to dump her family and live elsewhere with a simple life as a flower shop owner.

The more I read this novel the more I long for a simple life.

I will have to look up all the books I have read..been reading chapter books for 30+ years..that's alot of books!!! In junior high I read 2 or 3 a day. in high school i moved on to historical novels like Phillipa Gregory and Johanna Lindsey as well as Georgina gentry who is the queen of Indian history.

I absolutely love to read novels.

 

[AbbysMom]

Still reading Robynn Carr's Only Wish. Really good book about a woman who was a champion skater and decides to dump her family and live elsewhere with a simple life as a flower shop owner.

I've read all the books in that series.

 

[stewball]

Still reading Robynn Carr's Only Wish. Really good book about a woman who was a champion skater and decides to dump her family and live elsewhere with a simple life as a flower shop owner.

The more I read this novel the more I long for a simple life.

I will have to look up all the books I have read..been reading chapter books for 30+ years..that's alot of books!!! In junior high I read 2 or 3 a day. in high school i moved on to historical novels like Phillipa Gregory and Johanna Lindsey as well as Georgina gentry who is the queen of Indian history.

I absolutely love to read novels.

Do you mean Indian or native Americans?

 

[foxxycat]

native American=sorry didn't realize the words wrong..

and I read the entire series by
Robynn Carr of virgin river series all 20 novels=I absolutely loved those-thunder point is still missing a few books.

Maybe tonight I will read another chapter...love to read..oh I said that already

 

[AbbysMom]

native American=sorry didn't realize the words wrong..

and I read the entire series by

Robynn Carr of virgin river series all 20 novels=I absolutely loved those-thunder point is still missing a few books.

Maybe tonight I will read another chapter...love to read..oh I said that already

I've read all the Virgin River ones also.

 

[rubysmama]

 
and I read the entire series by

Robynn Carr of virgin river series all 20 novels=I absolutely loved those-thunder point is still missing a few books.

Maybe tonight I will read another chapter...love to read..oh I said that already

@foxxycat  : I'm currently reading the Outlander books, so won't be looking for another series for a little while. 

  I am curious, though, about the Robyn Carr Virgin River series.  Are they continuing stories with the same characters/family?

 

[foxxycat]

yes. Virgin river is a community on the west coast-I want to say Oregon? And it is each story about the newcomers who help build the community. If you ever read Debbie Macomber # series its a similiar idea but Robynn covers more nitygrity subjects. She has a good mix of modern life and getting involved with someone. I cant remember exactly what each book is about but they are not repeditive going over what each other book was about like some authors-which frankly irritates me BUT I have issues with short term memory and somethings its a good thing...I just love her style. When I get home I will get a list of similiar type authors...

I have been reading for so long=that I had so many books someone said I should sell them..so I used to sell at the fleamarket for many years. I also started selling on ebay but that turned into more of a headache than worth the work of all the typing and packing/shipping. I was a strictly historical romance gal until someone got me started with Patricia Cornwell and Lisa Gardner and Lisa Jackson. which are NOT romance..oh Karen Rose is good! So I went through so many different authors all from my regular customers recommending different books...so I finally branched out but I could never get into sci fi or fantasy.

Back in the 1990s when Paranormal romance was very new I read all 4 of Linda Lael millers vampire romance series=to this day I still remember some of the parts and I love her writing..

I have not read the Outlander ones yet but I heard they are really good. I used to read lots of time travel during that era-before it became so popular like it is now..

Off the top of my head authors..

Susan Wiggs

Deb Macomber

Daniel Steeles newer books

Brenda Novak and Sharon Sala/Dina Mccall

Bertrice Small

Phillipa Gregory

Jodi Picoult

Sandra Hill

Bella Andre

Laura London

Emilie Richards

Karen Marie Moning

Sylvia Day

Johanna Lindsey

Sara Orwig

Heather Graham

Gena Showater

Nicholas Sparks

sophie Kinsella

I know there are more but i just can't remember the names-I memorize books by cover

 

[rubysmama]

The Virgin River books sound like something I'd enjoy, as I love continuing stories.   I checked and my library has them as e-books, so I've marked them on my wish list for something to read eventually.  The Outlander books will take me a while yet.  I'm on book 4 of 8 and they have 800-1000 pages each!

I'm a big fan of Debbie Mcomber's books - particularly the Cedar Cove series which I loved.

I've also read Sophie Kinsella's Shopoholic Series, but no others of her books.  I've read a couple of Nicholas Sparks books.   A bunch of Danielle Steele books - but a long time ago - haven't read any recently. 

Have you ever read Victoria Holt's books?  They are historical romances.   She also wrote a series of books under Philipa Carr called the Daughters of England.  They were a continuing series of 1st person written books starting in the 1600's (I think) and each book was a generation later and written by a daughter of the previous books main character.  The series continued up to the 2nd world war.  It's one of my favourite series ever.

 

[stewball]

native American=sorry didn't realize the words wrong..

and I read the entire series by

Robynn Carr of virgin river series all 20 novels=I absolutely loved those-thunder point is still missing a few books.

Maybe tonight I will read another chapter...love to read..oh I said that already

I like books about Indians in India. Especially when the Brits were there.

 

[stewball]

I'm still reading The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory. I've reached page 472. There's 600 pages.

 

[misty8723]

Currently, I'm re-reading the entire Stephen Donaldson Covenant Chronicles series: one of my many perennial favourites (just finished Runes of the Earth). An excellent series, but talk about angst central in some places! Donaldson seems unable to create a central character without at least one appallingly nasty flaw, suffering or circumstance!

Magister, if you like Stephen R. Donaldson, have you ever read his Mordant's Need series (The Mirror of Her Dreams and A Man Rides Through)?  Those are two of my all time favorite books, and I re-read them every so often. Might have to see if I can get them for my Kindle.

As for what I'm currently reading - I have been downloading free books to my Kindle for a long time and read some of that before bed at night. Usually nothing I'd care to recommend to anyone, what I refer to as "fluff" books, light reading. And if it's bad I can delete it and not feel bad about forking over any cash because it was free.

Otherwise, I'm re-reading GRRM's Game of Thrones (on my Nook). I'm on book three (forget the name). I actually started re-reading it with the hope that he would be publishing the next installment before the series starts back up but, alas, I should have known better.

  In any case, I'm enjoying the re-read.

 

[Margret]

Currently reading A Wicked Chill, by A. W. Hartoin.  It's the latest in her Away From Whipplethorn series, which I suppose are technically kid's books, but I'm thoroughly enjoying them.  Fantasy -- our heroine is Matilda Grace Whipplethorn, a young (13 years old?) wood fairy with a talent for healing and magically starting fires (which makes her suspect to most wood fairies, who have a horror of fires).  Very brave, will do anything necessary to take care of her patients, friends, and family.

Margret

 

[stewball]

Currently reading A Wicked Chill, by A. W. Hartoin.  It's the latest in her Away From Whipplethorn series, which I suppose are technically kid's books, but I'm thoroughly enjoying them.  Fantasy -- our heroine is Matilda Grace Whipplethorn, a young (13 years old?) wood fairy with a talent for healing and magically starting fires (which makes her suspect to most wood fairies, who have a horror of fires).  Very brave, will do anything necessary to take care of her patients, friends, and family.

Margret

That sounds like fun.

 

[stewball]

I spent 4 hours in the hairdresser today changing the colour, streaks etc so I had plenty of time to read. Finally hit page 500. Only 100 to go.

 

[catspaw66]

 
Magister, if you like Stephen R. Donaldson, have you ever read his Mordant's Need series (The Mirror of Her Dreams and A Man Rides Through)?  Those are two of my all time favorite books, and I re-read them every so often. Might have to see if I can get them for my Kindle.

As for what I'm currently reading - I have been downloading free books to my Kindle for a long time and read some of that before bed at night. Usually nothing I'd care to recommend to anyone, what I refer to as "fluff" books, light reading. And if it's bad I can delete it and not feel bad about forking over any cash because it was free.

Otherwise, I'm re-reading GRRM's Game of Thrones (on my Nook). I'm on book three (forget the name). I actually started re-reading it with the hope that he would be publishing the next installment before the series starts back up but, alas, I should have known better.

  In any case, I'm enjoying the re-read.

Isn't it nice to have both the Kindle and the Nook? If you can't get a book in mobi, usually you can find it in epub or pdf.  I know I am spoiled with both of them. I actually have a Nook First Edition, a Nook Color and a new Kindle Fire.