Hi, this is Pat. I am the owner of A Book For All Seasons and I love books. Right now I am reading The Terror by Dan Simmons which was recommended to me by Kay Kenyon. Kay has already written a good desription of that book in the topic she started on this board. I probably wouldn't have picked it off the shelf but I am really enjoying it; even as my bedtime read, despite my rising angst. I would love to know what you are reading. Post a recommendation or something that you have liked. Help us get the conversation going. Looking forward to hearing from you.
I'm reading Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain. This is a follow up book to Heartsick and it is equally as good. Serial killer Gretchen Lowell returns with a vegeance and she is as twisted as ever! Poor Archie. If you like a good thriller, I highly recommend both Heartsick (which is now in paperback and on the PNBA bestseller list .. of course) and Sweetheart.
I'm currently reading "A World Too Near" written by Kay Kenyon. I read the first book "Bright Of The Sky" which I really enjoyed (otherwise I wouldn't have read the second one I guess lol). I find the characters to be relatable, and the plot has kept me guessing, which is nice. My mom lent me both these books maybe 2 weeks ago and even with work I have almost finished them, which I guess is a testament to how much I've enjoyed them. Cheers, Aki
Right now I'm reading Anathem by Neal Stephenson. If you are a lover of words, word play and word puzzles you'll delight in this sci-fi wonder. Stephenson creates an imaginative new world, using so much word play that after about twenty pages into the book, I had to read the glossary--a delight in itself--to make sense of what I was reading. If you are looking for a book that really stimulates your imagination and challenges your thinking processes, this is the book for you. This is not a fast read and certainly not light reading,--the book weighs a ton--but oh so clever that it is well worth the time it will take me to finish it.
Since I just finished two books at once, one about dracula and one about the devil, I've decided to go in a completely different direction this time. I enjoyed "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova - who doesn't enjoy a good dracula book once in awhile, especially one that's full of Eastern European and Ottoman history as this one is. It was a fun read.
The other is a book that was censored in Russia for many years (And this week is banned books week!), "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov. It isn't what I'd call "a fun read", but it was definitely one of the most interesting I've read in a long time. The devil arrives in Moscow. Among his entourage is a talking black cat (with a fondness for vodka). It picked it up because of my love for Russian literature and it was fascinating reading not only the unique story, but about the time in which it was set - Soviet life in the 1930's.
I said I was changing gears and I've just started a book I've been wanting to read for awhile now, "Strange as this Weather has Been" by Ann Pancake. This is a novel about mountaintop removal mining and its effects. I grew up in KY and WV and saw the horrific damage that strip mining does... All I knew was that my grandfather mined coal underground for most of his life - he didn't work for people who blew up entire mountain tops in an attempt to grab the coal the fastest way possible. Isn't it amazing? These mountains have endured centuries, but they can't endure man and/or greed. Yes... I have an opinion! I'm looking forward to burying myself in this novel - it's gotten such great reviews and since I know the region so well, I have high hopes!
I also read Master and Margarita--a strange tale indeed, but thoroughly enjoyable. Definitely not what I think of as the typical classic Russian novel. I forgot all about that cat's fondness for vodka. Maybe he's a distant relative of Jipkiss, who, it's been said, has a soft spot Jamesons' whiskey. In my opion, a talking cat always adds to a story, especially one that wears a three-piece suit and tophat. Anyway, I just finished a book called Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean: How a Generation of Swashbuckling Jews Carved Out an Empire in the New World in Their Quest for Treasure, Religious Freedom and Revenge. Whew. Take a breath. That's an extremely long title for a surprisingly interesting piece of history that I previously knew little about. I guess it's not necessary to describe the book much further as the lengthy subtitle pretty much says it all, although you may be wondering what the 'revenge' in the title would be referring to. Well, as the book predominantly takes place in the 16th and 17th centuries, it mainly refers to revenge for the Spanish Inquisition, in which countless Jews were expelled, forcibly converted to Christianity or burned at the stake. Though a tragic part of history, the author does not dwell on the details of the inquisition, but looks to describe what happens as a result of these policies, and what a people displaced do in an attempt to surivive in a world changed forever by the "discovery" of the Americas. Now I'm on the hunt for some fiction. Thanks for the recommendations above, and any more will be greatly appreciated.
If you're looking for a "wickedly" funny fiction, I can't say enough about Gods Behaving Badly that I reviewed back in May--side-splitting hilarity.
Lilly-Anne Wilder Reviews: Gods Behaving Badly:A Novel by Marie Phillips
Yes, the Greek gods have survived the twenty-first century, though not in the lap of luxury atop Olympus as you would expect. They are crammed into a dilapidated London town house, their powers waning and forced to take on blue collar day jobs to keep above the poverty level. Artemis walks dogs, Aphrodite is a phone-sex operator, Dionysus is a DJ in a nightclub and Apollo is a cable channel psychic. Needless to say, none of the gods are happy with their current predicament and to relieve their tension, they play cruel little tricks on each other. Two faint-hearted mortals, Neal and Alice, become implements in the gods' antics, resulting in a hilariously wacky fable of clueless gods and unlikely heroism. Full of that dry British humor, I was laughing with every turn of the page.
Hmm, I remember thinking when I read your review in May that i had to read that book, maybe this time it will stick. I could use a bit of good humor right now.
I'll have to check out Gods Behaving Badly. Sounds somewhat similar to Neil Gaiman's American Gods, except that in American Gods it's not only Greek gods who are living in America in the modern age, but gods from all different traditions, a reflection of the diviersity of peoples and cultures that make up America. It follows the story of a likabale ex-con named Shadow, who upon release from prison, is offered a job as a personal assistant for one of these "American gods". Not really having any other option but to accept the pushy god's offer, Shadow begins a slippery adventure, where his dead wife occasionally visits him (not conjugally), televisions talk to him and various gods attempt to hunt him down. He eventually finds himself in the crossfire of a war between the ancient gods (Norse, Celtic, Egyptian, etc.) and modern gods (gods of media, televsion, the internet, etc). I read it a couple of months ago, based on several recommendations, and definitely wasn't disappointed. It's a well-paced, extremely imaginative and sporadically humorous read, with a good helping of action and a couple of creative twists to spice things up. Very entertaining. American Gods is the only Neil Gaiman book I've read, although I've been recommended several others. I'm thinking about trying Anansi Boys next. Has anyone read it and care to comment?
(And this week is banned books week!), "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov. It isn't what I'd call "a fun read", but it was definitely one of the most interesting I've read in a long time. The devil arrives in Moscow. Among his entourage is a talking black cat (with a fondness for vodka). It picked it up because of my love for Russian literature and it was fascinating reading not only the unique story, but about the time in which it was set - Soviet life in the 1930's. 
), televisions talk to him and various gods attempt to hunt him down. He eventually finds himself in the crossfire of a war between the ancient gods (Norse, Celtic, Egyptian, etc.) and modern gods (gods of media, televsion, the internet, etc). I read it a couple of months ago, based on several recommendations, and definitely wasn't disappointed. It's a well-paced, extremely imaginative and sporadically humorous read, with a good helping of action and a couple of creative twists to spice things up. Very entertaining. 