bookworm mommas! - Page 4

[just_lily]

Originally Posted by elanorh

I have an unfortunate tendency to buy the books; our library doesn't have a broad selection, and if they can get it in on interlibrary loan, there's still a fee. So I tend to buy if the library doesn't have it right there. I probably should donate some of the books I've read so that other people could check them out, eh?

You have to pay for interlibrary loans? That is cruddy! I would be much more picky about my library selections if I had to pay for them individually. I pay something like $15 annually for my card and that is it.

But then I get days like today... I've read (or skimmed and rejected) the books I have out, and none of my other holds are in. I am really, really tempted to head into the book store tonight.

[LaLaLaLa]

Ah, I've found you again!    The more I read about other people's libraries, the more I appreciate mine.  We're part of a consortium of maybe a couple dozen libraries, and there's an online system to request books from any library in our consortium.  There's no charge whatsoever for this service, and no yearly fee to belong to the library, either.  We also don't have overdue fees on anything.  It's really fantastic to have such a good system at our disposal, especially since I'm constantly requesting stacks of books.

Right now I'm reading "The Magus" by John Fowles.  I had forgotten that when I was in grad school I read his "The French Lieutenant's Woman" and really enjoyed it, although I don't remember the details of why.  This book is also really good, and a little strange.

My kids have just gotten into the "Secrets of Droon" books, so I'm reading a lot of those out loud, too.  They are okay, definitely better than the horrific rainbow fairies that had been a favorite until we ran out of them.  DD is six, and just about at the point where I can tell her she'll have to read the fairy books to herself, so my brain doesn't rot from exposure to them.

[MsBirdie]

LaLa- I am reading Uglies right now and so far iti is really good.  Thanks again. 

[Arduinna]

I'm rereading Clan of the Cave Bear which I haven't read in over 15 years, I'm about 1/2 way through but it got pushed to the back burner while I finish Decision Points.

[katybear mama]

Count me in!  I have about 20 books littering the floor by my bed...that's not including the hundreds on my shelves.  I just finished Anthropology of an American Girl by Hilary Thayer Hamann.  I loved this book!  Did anyone else read it? 

[AAK]

I just had to say "hi"--I am a bookworm.  Big time.  My kids were laughing at/with me the other day as I let a "lesson" about the parts of a book for my second grader go a little crazy as I told how much I love a good index and how most people think nothing of the copyright page--but I find it a very valuable source of information!

Prior to having kids, I became a librarian.  I worked predominately with children and young adults--and I must say that I still love to read books that would be shelved in those areas.  There are some very well written books there.  And, I can finish them in an afternoon.  Which, just so happens to be a good thing because I have been known to let everything go (dishes, laundry, cooking, sleep, etc.) until I finish a book that has gripped me.  

Amy

[LaLaLaLa]

MsBirdie--I'm glad you're enjoying "Uglies;" I thought it was a neat story.

Arduinna--I remember reading and really liking the first few "Clan of the Cave Bear" books, but then something made me feel embarrassed to check them out any longer.  I got the idea that they were meant for people younger than I was or something, and started to get insecure, like the librarians were judging me for reading them.  It was a weird phase.  Now that I'm far past that, I should hunt them down again.

katybear mama--I haven't heard of the book you mentioned; I'll have to add it to my very long list.

I just finished "The Magus" by John Fowles.  It was interesting, compelling, fascinating, frustrating.... I liked it, but can see why people would be infuriated by it.  Nothing that you think is real, is.  A layer is peeled off and just when you're starting to think that THIS is the real thing, you find out it's not.  And so on.  The whole story is one huge mind game played on the main character, who never actually figures out what is going on.

I'll have to read something lighter next.  I'll probably start in on "The Wave," which has been compared to "Born to Run," a book that changed my life.  Well, sort of.  It at least made me feel more confident about running.  :)  Anyway, this book says it's about oceanography and legendary waves and surfers.  Sounds like it will be fun!

[MariaMadly]

Originally Posted by AAK 

My kids were laughing at/with me the other day as I let a "lesson" about the parts of a book for my second grader go a little crazy as I told how much I love a good index and how most people think nothing of the copyright page--but I find it a very valuable source of information!

Amy

Yes, this!!!  I love non-fic with an extended notes / index / bibliography section.  The Coming Plague was riveting.  Am now on a JD Robb binge (guilty pleasure), though, but also have The Bitter Road to Freedom at hand as a non-fiction fix.  I find I need both.

The kids made DH and me read Watchmen and V before seeing the movies.  Anyone read Lost Girls?

[MsBirdie]

Maria - Which Lost Girls?   I just finished Lost Girls:  A Sherry Moore Novel 

It was a random pick up at the library.  Good but very disturbing.  

OMG Just finshed The Killing Game by Iris Johansen.  Read it in one evening.   A super scary mystery novel that gave me nightmares.  

[MariaMadly]

Originally Posted by MsBirdie 

Maria - Which Lost Girls?   I just finished Lost Girls:  A Sherry Moore Novel

It was a random pick up at the library.  Good but very disturbing.  

OMG Just finshed The Killing Game by Iris Johansen.  Read it in one evening.   A super scary mystery novel that gave me nightmares.  

Alan Moore's Lost Girls.  Looks very, very, dark, though. 

I've read Iris Johansen -- she's got some great one-sitting work!

[just_lily]

Ok, I need to make a confession... I am stuck in a "fluff" phase.  I have been reading a *lot* of paranormal romance and can't bring myself to even be interested in anything more substantial.  I have been having a rough time with my home daycare lately (feel like I am going out of my mind) and I think I just need the escapism without having to think about it too hard. 

I picked up a few different novels from the library and was disappointed by the lack of vamps, shifters and weres... LOL.  So I've decided not to fight it and will just ride this out until I am truly sick of the genre, and then will read something that actually challenges me.  But for now.... it is all about the supernatural alpha males.  Can't help it. 

So I have been reading through the Black Dagger Brotherhood, the Night Huntress series, and Immortals after Dark.  I flip back and forth between the series as my requests come in to my library.  I have been consuming four to five novels a week. 

I have a serious problem.  I know. 

[LaLaLaLa]

just_lily--I spent a lot of time reading through romance stuff for awhile.  I don't think reading is ever a bad thing, regardless of subject matter.  I like some "Literature" literature, but also really love young-adult novels and thrillers and romance.  It's all good; it all keeps my mind cranking.

I'm in the middle of "The Wave" by Susan Casey.  It's about monster waves (upwards of 100 feet) and has touched on what causes them, the damage they are capable of, and the surfers who chase them.  There's some interesting science and a lot of really cool insight into the surfer community, especially focusing on Laird Hamilton.  As promised, it is a bit like "Born to Run" in that it exposes this hidden community of elite athletes who do really scary and dangerous things.  I'm really liking the book and since my little guy is home sick today, I'll probably be able to finish it.  If I can shut down my computer long enough to pick up a book.  :)

[marieangela]

I am a bookworm.  I love our library system and use it a lot.  I go through stages with reading.  I had a Russian authors phase when I was just out of college.  I've had straight fiction phases, fantasy, mystery, etc.  I just read a ton of fantasy/horror books-mostly series of the vampire and werewolf variety.  I liked not having to think about what to read next when I had a long series to read. I have  Summer of the Big Bachi by Naomi Hirahara waiting for me at my local library.

My 2nd grader seems to be taking after me and I'm thrilled.  He reads before bed every night (sometimes for hours), I have to tell him to close the book while he walks to the car reading, and he gets excited when I come home with books for him from the library.  His current favorites are The Secrets of Droon series and A-Z Mysteries. 

[MsBirdie]

Originally Posted by just_lily 

Ok, I need to make a confession... I am stuck in a "fluff" phase.  I have been reading a *lot* of paranormal romance and can't bring myself to even be interested in anything more substantial.  I have been having a rough time with my home daycare lately (feel like I am going out of my mind) and I think I just need the escapism without having to think about it too hard. 

I picked up a few different novels from the library and was disappointed by the lack of vamps, shifters and weres... LOL.  So I've decided not to fight it and will just ride this out until I am truly sick of the genre, and then will read something that actually challenges me.  But for now.... it is all about the supernatural alpha males.  Can't help it. 

So I have been reading through the Black Dagger Brotherhood, the Night Huntress series, and Immortals after Dark.  I flip back and forth between the series as my requests come in to my library.  I have been consuming four to five novels a week. 

I have a serious problem.  I know. 

LOL.  I went thru that faze.  

[Smokering]

Currently reading The Man Whose Teeth Were All Exactly Alike by Philip K Dick - seriously, that guy comes up with the best titles. Also halfway through The Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England - yes, I'm a sucker for good titles - by someone-or-other. And just finished A Woman's Place, a depressing but strangely gripping story about a woman getting a divorce. Miscarriages of justice and an OK husband suddenly turned evil and so on - terribly cheesy really, but I couldn't put it down. Pregnancy hormones or something. :p

I've decided I don't really like chick lit. I love Bridget Jones and the sequel, but it seems they're the pinnacle of the genre - all the rest I've read have been incredibly lame and feature the gay best friend with the great fashion sense, and an incredibly boring hunk of a man with whom the heroine gets together in the end, even though the book is ostensibly about self-improvement and empowerment, presumably to reward her for having finally started up her own business or broken into the fashion industry or something. I thought they could be a light guilty pleasure for when I'm feeling too sick to read deep, meaningful stuff... but they just make me want to vomit. So no more books with pink covers and perky titles, I think!

[just_lily]

Originally Posted by Smokering 

I've decided I don't really like chick lit. I love Bridget Jones and the sequel, but it seems they're the pinnacle of the genre - all the rest I've read have been incredibly lame and feature the gay best friend with the great fashion sense, and an incredibly boring hunk of a man with whom the heroine gets together in the end, even though the book is ostensibly about self-improvement and empowerment, presumably to reward her for having finally started up her own business or broken into the fashion industry or something. I thought they could be a light guilty pleasure for when I'm feeling too sick to read deep, meaningful stuff... but they just make me want to vomit. So no more books with pink covers and perky titles, I think!

I agree.

Yes, you read that right.  I am a paranormal-romance-aholic and I turn my nose up at chick lit.  LOL!

But seriously, all of the chick lit I have read has been completely inane.  Most of the time I can't even get past the back cover.  Anything about traveling pants, shopoholics, or evil bosses wearing designer clothing makes me want to run screaming in the other direction. 

If anyone really likes the genre and has a title suggestion I am willing to give it another try (once I am sick to death of the vamps and weres of course) but for the most part I am just not interested.

[Indigo73]

Just popping in to subscribe.  I am a crazy voracious reader and can slam through 20 books in a good month.  But I have gone back to school so 5 is about my average at the moment. 

No particular favorites... for example I am rereading the JD Robb in Death series, with anything and everything in between.  Hm, Disappearing Spoon, Wicked Plants and Wolfbane are three I can think of off the top of my head.  

I currently trying to find some narrative geology books.  I am researching soils / environment for my Archaeology class and now I am in a "mood."

[MariaMadly]

Originally Posted by Indigo73 

Just popping in to subscribe.  I am a crazy voracious reader and can slam through 20 books in a good month.  But I have gone back to school so 5 is about my average at the moment. 

No particular favorites... for example I am rereading the JD Robb in Death series, with anything and everything in between.  Hm, Disappearing Spoon, Wicked Plants and Wolfbane are three I can think of off the top of my head.  

I currently trying to find some narrative geology books.  I am researching soils / environment for my Archaeology class and now I am in a "mood."

I'm on the library's wait list for Indulgence in Death and am being insufferable to people around me at home!  Wuthering Heights in the meantime, though Heathcliff tries my patience more than he used to.  Shouting "Red flag!  Red flag!" to Isabella, things like that.  Still, I'm less involved in the characters than when I read it years ago, and am getting more out of the tone and sense of place. 

We have a couple of roadside geology books my DH has enjoyed (we're in New England).  And he was delighted when I found him a well-loved "Nature and Properties of Soils" text on a buck-a-book shelf.
 

[dantesmama]

Joining in here - I've found my ladies! I've been a hopeless bookworm since as far back as I can remember, and I love that my kids are following in my footsteps. I just finished The Secret Life of Bees (wasn't crazy about the story, but I loved the language), and in the last few weeks I've read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time (loved it), We Were the Mulvaneys (did not enjoy this, but it was like a train wreck... I couldn't look away), Random Family (intriguing, but terribly depressing), The Color Purple (also depressing), Out of My Mind (YA novel; great story), Room (hands-down, the BEST book I've read in a long, long time. I very highly recommend it. Brilliant.) . . . The Well-Trained Mind (homeschooling book), The Kitchen House (loved it), Anything But Typical (another YA novel... was so-so), and Listen (fast-paced, easy, suspenseful read). My 5 year old and I are also reading through the Magic Tree House series, if that counts! 

I live two blocks away from the library, so we are there at least once or twice a week. I just requested Outlander, which I've heard good things about, and I'm looking for a book to pick up tomorrow to read before Outlander comes in. I need something light, since I've been diving into all of these depressing books lately (I actually picked up Beloved last week, got a few chapters in, and made myself put it down because I just can't handle any more of that now!).

[MsBirdie]

dantesmama- Room looks very compelling.  I put a hold on it, but I am 65 uugghhh.  I really need to get my youngest a library card so I can put holds on her account also.