What Are You Reading?

[cat in a bag]

Started the third Mitford book after End of Watch. Thought I wanted something light and funny, but I read the introduction (that was written by someone else) and it had a spoiler in it! There is a "heartwrenching death"

Have not had much time to read so am only 50 pages in and it has already made me laugh out loud several times. Dreading finding out about the spoiler, though.

 

[Haunted]

The Character development is great.

I made note of the characters earlier. I am very pleased that his writings are evolving in this direction. A story is a story but it is the characters that carry the tale.

 

[skimom2]

Wonky?

One of my technical writing terms--lol. It's uneven. Proper names used too many times, characters jumping from overly proper speech to dialect while speaking to the same person (sometimes in the same conversation), inappropriately flowery or poetic language coming at strange times... things that sound nothing like natural speech. Natural dialogue can be hard to write! We're spoiled by Mr. King--he makes it look easy. This writer is on her second book, so I suspect she'll get better at it. Her settings are spot on, and some of the narrative is lovely. She needs a better editor, though. That's a big problem with publishing houses now--editing has gone by the wayside, because a good editor ain't cheap. In an ideal world, this would have been the draft sent to the editor, and it would have been worked over at least one more time to get the bugs out before publication.

 

[Haunted]

One of my technical writing terms--lol. It's uneven. Proper names used too many times, characters jumping from overly proper speech to dialect while speaking to the same person (sometimes in the same conversation), inappropriately flowery or poetic language coming at strange times... things that sound nothing like natural speech. Natural dialogue can be hard to write! We're spoiled by Mr. King--he makes it look easy. This writer is on her second book, so I suspect she'll get better at it. Her settings are spot on, and some of the narrative is lovely. She needs a better editor, though. That's a big problem with publishing houses now--editing has gone by the wayside, because a good editor ain't cheap. In an ideal world, this would have been the draft sent to the editor, and it would have been worked over at least one more time to get the bugs out before publication.

THANKS! Dialogue is tough, I' spect as a reviewer it is especially hard to read. I know as a reader, I give up and put the book down.

 

[skimom2]

THANKS! Dialogue is tough, I' spect as a reviewer it is especially hard to read. I know as a reader, I give up and put the book down.

That really is an unexpected benefit of reviewing: I've become a more educated, but more compassionate, reader. One one hand, it's hard to read without seeing the 'seams' now--the places where story is stitched together from words, if you get what I mean--even when I'm not trying to do that. On the other, I don't have the option to just toss a book aside (or at least it doesn't seem courteous). To give a fair review, I need to read the whole thing. Sometimes one aspect doesn't work (and I'd love to get rid of it early on), but ultimately it turns out to be an okay book (not a great book, or maybe even really good--those require that ALL the parts are decent) because the other parts work. Does that make sense?

 

[Haunted]

That really is an unexpected benefit of reviewing: I've become a more educated, but more compassionate, reader. One one hand, it's hard to read without seeing the 'seams' now--the places where story is stitched together from words, if you get what I mean--even when I'm not trying to do that. On the other, I don't have the option to just toss a book aside (or at least it doesn't seem courteous). To give a fair review, I need to read the whole thing. Sometimes one aspect doesn't work (and I'd love to get rid of it early on), but ultimately it turns out to be an okay book (not a great book, or maybe even really good--those require that ALL the parts are decent) because the other parts work. Does that make sense?

yeppir!!!!!!!

 

[morgan]

Finally finished The Fireman and am so excited to start End of Watch!

 

[TayG]

city of bones the-shadowhunter, writer is cassandra clair.

 

[skimom2]

A Certain Age (Beatriz Williams). Very good so far!

 

[Tery]

The Fireman

 

[Steffen]

I've started back my old habit of reading several things at once, so it's hard for me to finish a single book in a relatively short period. I'm in the middle of:

Finders Keepers
(re-reading) The Lord of the Rings
Clive Barker's Abarat series (finished book 1)
(re-reading) Edgar Allan Poe complete collection
HP Lovecraft complete collection

Honestly, if I became an overnight billionaire, I would retire to my own island and just read. You'd all be invited over, of course. Bring snacks.

 

[kingricefan]

I've started back my old habit of reading several things at once, so it's hard for me to finish a single book in a relatively short period. I'm in the middle of:

Finders Keepers
(re-reading) The Lord of the Rings
Clive Barker's Abarat series (finished book 1)
(re-reading) Edgar Allan Poe complete collection
HP Lovecraft complete collection

Honestly, if I became an overnight billionaire, I would retire to my own island and just read. You'd all be invited over, of course. Bring snacks.

You're a billionaire and you want us to bring snacks?

 

[Steffen]

You're a billionaire and you want us to bring snacks?

Hey, hey, you're already getting invited to my sanctuary. I'm not gonna totally spoil you people!

 

[kingricefan]

Hey, hey, you're already getting invited to my sanctuary. I'm not gonna totally spoil you people!

Will there be Fireball?

 

[king family fan]

Will there be Fireball?

Can I come? I will bring Fireball.

 

[kingricefan]

Can I come? I will bring Fireball.

Steffen is a billionaire. He should supply the Fireball.

 

[Blake]

wikipedia on the actors Steve Franken and Robert Hogan.

 

[RichardX]

"Everybody's Fool" by Richard Russo. The sequel to "Nobody's Fool." Now this is a novel! Funny, dark, well written account of the grim realities of small town. It is hard to get the excellent Paul Newman film out of your mind for some of the characters, but reading Russo is fun and the writing is at a level well beyond most current authors.

 

[Haunted]

Still alternating every 100 pages between The Fireman and The City of Mirrors.

 

[RichardX]

I somehow got almost a $200 credit today from BN based on a class action lawsuit against Apple. Weird. I thought only lawyers benefited from those settlements but that sets me loose for some ebook recommendations.