Monday, November 26, 2012

What We're Reading

Sure, it's the start of the holiday season and our busy lives are about to get even crazier. But there's always time for reading, right? Instead of the usual hustle and bustle, here's what some of us Inkies are burying our noses in this week!


Ellen Booraem: I’m reading Bill Bryson’s A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING, which is a total gas. As the title indicates, it’s about everything, from the beginnings of the universe to the nature of viruses. There’s a lot of history: who discovered what we think we know now, when they discovered it, and how. Did you know that Yellowstone National Park is one giant volcano? That a square centimeter of skin has a hundred thousand bacteria? On a side note, I just finished GRAVE MERCY by Robin LeFevers, and if the sequel doesn’t hurry up I plan to hold my breath until I turn blue.


PJ Hoover: I am reading SCARLET by Marissa Meyer! I've been waiting for this sequel to CINDER since I finished the first book, and couldn't be more excited. Cyborgs. The future. It's all so awesome!

Katherine Catmull: I'm slowly savoring Philip Pullman's FAIRY TALES FROM THE BROTHERS GRIMM -- a great collection of stories, from hilarious to creepy, and the prose is clear as water.

Hillari Bell: The last book I read was CAPTAIN VORPATRIL'S ALLIANCE--a fabulous new addition to the Vorkosigan series. These are SF books with deep and wonderful characters, which I'd think would appeal to fantasy readers  (And besides, Lois McMaster Bujold has a delightful sense of humor!). Start this series with either SHARDS OF HONOR, or WARRIOR'S APPRENTICE. Captain Vorpatril's Alliance is a great book, but it's a long way down the series, and a lot of the joy of it is that you know all these people so well, and care about them so much.

Amy Greenfield: I've just finished Stephanie Burgis's A RECKLESS MAGICK, the rollicking end to her delightful Regency trilogy. (It'll be published in the US in April as STOLEN MAGIC.) Now I'm reading WITCHLANDERS by our own Lena Coakley, which is a gorgeous, spellbinding story, a great wintertime read.

Lena Coakley: I'm reading the hilarious Jasper Fforde's second book in the Thursday Next series, LOST IN A GOOD BOOK.

Keely Parrack: I'm reading I CAPTURE THE CASTLE by Dodie Smith and loving the curious old fashioned sense of pacing and quirky storyline. Before that I read UNDEAD which is pure zombie fun! Like Sean of the Dead meets MEAN GIRLS! Next I'm reading WE'VE GOT A JOB by Cynthia Levinson.

Lisa Amowitz: I am reading DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT by Laini Taylor, and of course, GOBLIN SECRETS by Will Alexander. I've been busy, so I'm finding less time than I'd like for reading. I do have to say that, though I started DAYS before GOBLINS, I am finding myself drawn to the latter. The writing is beautiful and twisted and the macabre style calls to mind Neil Gaiman's THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. I am loving it.

William Alexander: Just cracked an advance copy of DOLL BONES by Holly Black. Comes out in March. It's beautiful, scary, and costing me sleep.

Leah Cypress: I just finished PROMISED by Caragh O'Brien, the final volume in the dystopian Birthmarked trilogy. I can't say much about the book itself without spoilering those who haven't started the trilogy yet, but I will say that I read the entire thing in a single day. At one point, I discovered that my 15-month-old son had pulled it off the couch and was sitting with it open on his lap, turning pages, apparently trying to figure out what was so interesting. Next up is BREATHE by Sarah Crossan, another dystopian novel with a fascinating premise.

Nancy Holder: I'm listening to the audio book of THE POE SHADOW by Matthew Pearl. I'm a huge Poe fan, so this is a really fun mystery about how Poe "really" died.

5 comments:

  1. Fun to see what you're all reading. I just finished Prophecy by Ellen Oh, a great, multi-cultural fantasy and have just started Grave Mercy.

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  2. I just finished Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson, a retelling of Bluebeard. It was a great read and a fascinating re-imagining of the tale.

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  3. Thanks for the great reading run-down. Anything by Bill Bryson gets an A+ from me. I've read all of his books, and I never stop craving more of his brilliant sense of humor.

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  4. Oh, I completely agree. I can't seem to make it through five pages of his without reading some paragraph aloud to whoever's within earshot. I particularly recommend AT HOME.


    By the way, Robin, sorry I misspelled your name. LAFevers. *blush*

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  5. PJ---I am so jealous that you're reading Scarlet already! I convinced our library's adult book discussion group to do Cinder this month. Everyone loved it, even those that typically dislike fantasy/sci-fi fiction. They were out for blood when they got to the end and realized it was a series and they would have to wait for the next installment. (giggle)

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