What are you reading, 5/20 - YouLookFab Forum

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What are you reading, 5/20

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Thought we could use a new thread for the new month. My hold came up for A Discovery of Witches and I've gotten part-way through but man I'm struggling. I've heard it described as the new Twilight for grown-ups but it's more of a general urban fantasy sort of situation - witches, daemons and vampires are real but most people don't know. And there's a strong nerd aspect since the protagonist is a historian doing research on 17-18c alchemy at the Bodleian Library at Oxford. I should dig all that stuff but I just...don't? I don't know how to describe it, exactly, none of the characters have really grabbed me and kept me reading. Part of it is that vampires are really not my thing at all.

I haven't been doing much other long-form reading, mostly news and online stuff. I did start George Zaidan's Ingredients, about food and the human body, and it's great. Good if you like Mary Roach and that sort of thing.

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46 replies

Latest reply was from Laurie

rachylou

Veteran

Omg. Can I go off again about how Deborah Harkness in that book describes a Jaguar as the ultimate in luxury comfort? And all that nonsense about ‘fine wine’ tasting. It’s like her research consisted of reading advertisements from stolen airplane magazines. 400 pages of that before the story starts. I think I read two of the books before I allowed myself to stop.

... And now I’m in the same position reading The Witcher series. I’m waiting until I get permission from myself to stop. They’re horrible. The show is fun tho.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

OMG rachylou, thank god it's not just me. And the witch-daemon-vampire yoga classes??

I read a bit of The Witcher - some of the stories in the anthology set before the first novel. I liked them but the worldbuilding was super-complicated and I didn't work hard enough to follow everything. I don't have a subscription to wherever the show is but someday I'll watch it just because whats-his-name is so darn pretty.

The Cat

Veteran

I find it interesting to read about what the Bible actually says about the spirit realm, angles, demons, etc. Here is a link to a website with questions and answers about such subjects: https://www.jw.org/en/bible-te.....rit-realm/
As you scroll down the above page, you will se article titles like:
● Who or What Are Angels?
● Is the Devil Real?
● Are Demons Real?

rachylou

Veteran

Preternatural yoga is so wrong on so many levels... Ahahaha!

rachylou

Veteran

You know what I like to read about, The Cat? Heaven. This idea that Heaven is a place where the human soul goes forever, as if the body were just a garment. It’s interesting how we put that on the concept of heaven. I’m not sure it’s even taught. People just do it.

Sal

Veteran

I have read two recently:

Me - Elton John Autobiography,

Very entertaining and an easy read. Music came easier to him than many other aspects of life.

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

A thriller, I read it quickly and enjoyed it but it is pretty light ultimately.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

(about 2/3 of the way through). I got off to a slow start but am enjoying it now. Love the evocation of the marshs in North Carolina.

From the last books thread I am just adding that I love Anne of Green Gables!! I read every single one of LM Montgomery's books as a child including the Emily and Pat books. But Anne was the best. I had to quit Anne with a Capital E after they changed the plot.

Nostalgia/easy/comfort authors for me:

Agatha Christie, Georgette Heyer, Jilly Cooper!!

But only some of each authors titles as they all are quite prolific and the quality varies. Happy to make recommendations if anyone is interested.

Anonymous

I post pretty much everything I read on Instagram : I’m a voracious reader ( But not as voracious as Sarah !) and like to share my thoughts about the books I read . I’m lpearce2 on insta.

Bonnie

Veteran

I just finished rereading Donna Leon's Earthly Remains, a mystery set in Venice, Italy, and just started rereading Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad. I've been enjoying mysteries and classics lately. Usually I read four books a month but lately I've been reading more and read eight books in April.

kkards

Veteran

Ha, A Discovery of Witches....i tried, I really tried, but I’m not even sure i got 1/2 thru...it seemed promising, but, I don’t know, maybe it needed editing or maybe it just wasn’t for me, but it seemed to me it was a lot, without being anything.

between covering the work of the 3 people on my team that where furloughed, the stress of worrying about my family and the dreariness of isolation (because i live alone), I’ve found it hard to read. But I’ve enjoyed listening to audio books. Anne of Green Gables, Re listened to this some of the Harry Potter series, and now starting the Harry Bosch series

Flytigress

I had a similar reaction to A Discovery of Witches, although I did enjoy the tv series.
I'm reading The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. It's a YA novel. Main character's voice is fresh and authentic. Enjoying it.
I recently read Where the Crawdads Sing, and apparently I'm the only person in the world who didn't love it! Especially disliked the exaggerated dialect of the black characters. I only finished it for my book club meeting. I thought the shady past of the author, Delia Owens, was more interesting than her book!

https://slate.com/culture/2019.....frica.html

Christina F.

Veteran

A Discovery of Witches is kind schlocky, for all its academic pretensions. I do like vampires, and future books have some historical stuff that's my jam, so I was able to tolerate it pretty well.

So let me preface my reading suggestions with a disclaimer--I am a refugee from academia, where I studied Shakespeare era lit. I actually am only slowly adding really literary works back to my repertoire, but I prefer works that are historical: more series works, nonfiction, mysteries and even romance novels.

I recently finished The Mirror and the Light by Hillary Mantel, the end of her Cromwell trilogy. It was excellent, but I loved the first two and love that era of history. I recommend the whole trilogy if that kind of thing is your jam.

In a similar vein, I read the most recent in the Shardlake series, called Tombland, set in the same era, more or less. This book was pretty depressing, and while good, I don't recommend it right now.

On the lighter side, I read Julia's Quinn's latest, First Comes Scandal, which was a nice read. As romance goes, she's one of the better writers in terms of actual quality of the writing. (Another romance writer, Eloisa James, has a new book coming out soon--she was my dissertation mentor in her other life as an academic. Her stuff is good too. It's a bit weird for me to read her sex scenes, since I know her, but most of you won't have that problem!)

Finally, if you like books about time travel, the Jodi Taylor St. Mary's series is catnip. I devoured the available books when I discovered it. It's can be very funny and enjoyable, but she also has a thing for putting her characters for hell (not quite Diana Gabaldon or GRR Martin levels, but bad enough).

Flytigress

Just remembered two other novels I really enjoyed: The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.

The Cat

Veteran

rachylou - Yes, there are many different conceptions of heaven--and of the soul. Many people get surprised when they find out what the Bible really says about these subjects. You can read the Bible's answer to questions like "What is heaven?" and "Who go to heaven?" here: https://www.jw.org/en/bible-te.....rit-realm/

The Bible's answer to the question "What is the soul?" can be found here: https://www.jw.org/en/bible-te.....is-a-soul/

Anonymous

Just finished American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. It's a harrowing tale indeed, about a woman and her young son escaping from a drug cartel boss in Mexico. The suspense is literally non-stop, so much so that I could only read a few pages at a time before I had to take a break. I consider Mexico as my second home, and I connected with this book in a very emotional way. I recommend it highly, just don't read it at bedtime, or you won't be able to sleep!

Helena

Veteran

I'm reading Untamed by Glennon Doyle - a great inspirational memoir-is read, and written in chapter-long vignettes, so easy to pick up and put down.

deb

Veteran

I just finished Wolf Hall by hilary Mantel and started Bringing up the Bodies, the second of the trilogy. This trilogy is good for fiction based on fact.

Flytigress

Deb, I really enjoyed the PBS Wolf Hall series.

L'Abeille

Veteran

At last I have something new to contribute, and it isn't even fantasy or scifi! I just finished The Alice Network, staying up late last night to do so before my library ebook expired. Highly recommended! Historical fiction, involving a female spy in WW1, plus an unwed mother in 1947, most of the action taking place in France.

Sal

Veteran

I just finished "Where the Crawdads Sing" and Flytigress - thanks for the link to the author's past - fascinating. I enjoyed the book in some ways especially the writing about nature. And the last 1/3 was gripping and kept me going. I can understand the unease about the voice of the Black American's in the book although the characters are sympathetically written.

I am thinking of tackling "War and Peace" which I have never read. Jon loved it. My copy has very small writing though which puts me off!! I do try and read a classic that I have missed every so often.

AJ

Veteran

I'm in a book club and we are on our second week of War and Peace. I was dreading it, but so far the beginning reads like a soap opera!

Anonymous

Helena - I have Untamed on my list to order, or to buy in the kindle version . Someone recommended I start with her first book before dipping into Untamed - so that's what I'm doing. Have you read her other/first one ?

Runcarla

Veteran

My guilty pleasure is regency romance novels. I own, and am re-reading the entire Georgette Heyer output. Just finished ‘The Unknown Ajax’ and have ‘The Corinthian’ lined up. I adore her use of language,

You could have knocked me over with a feather when I learned Shondra Rhimes (of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘How to Get Away With Murder’ and other hits) optioned Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series of novels and already has one season of 8 episodes in the can for Netflix. I haven’t watched TV in ages, but I’ll check this one out.

Roxanna

Veteran

Also wondering the same about Untamed!

Currently reading ‘Everyone knows you go home’, an #ownvoices alternative to American Dirt, which has received a lot of controversy for its marketing. I’m loving it. Also reading more of Louise Penny (finally got into it in Book #5!)

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I just finished a memoir called Scratched: A Memoir of Perfectionism. It's by Elizabeth Tallent, an author whose short stories I admired in the 90s and then who disappeared for decades.

Also read Girl, Woman, Other, by Bernadine Evaristo, and Cleanness, by Garth Greenwell.

Oh, and I am reading SO MANY STUDENT MANUSCRIPTS.

JAileen

Veteran

AJ, when I was in 4th or 5th grade, the vice principal at our elementary school came in our classroom after lunch every day, and read us War and Peace. I don’t remember any of it.

Sal

Veteran

Carla - I love The Corinthian. My favourite Georgette Heyer novels are The Grand Sophy, Regency Buck, Frederica and The Corinthian.

I might try and chase down a version of War and Peace with larger words or try it on my ipad!!

Anonymous

Started on "A Coming of Age". Its a sci fi book about kids that have telekenisis but lose it at puberty. I don't like how they change perspectives w/ no warning during chapters, but unique premise (that I've seen).

Committing to "War and Peace" is not gonna happen!

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

One of my goals a few years ago was to read War and Peace. I started it and it was pretty engaging (I think it was the recent translation by the Russian-American couple whose names escape me at the moment) but it got put aside and never completed. I should see if it survived my recent moves.

The Wolf Hall trilogy is on my TBR - to be honest, as someone who's got a master's in history the fact that a series of long books about Oliver Cromwell has been so popular cracks me up. You never know what will next be trending I guess.

I enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant a great deal. Resonated much more for me than My Year of Rest and Relaxation or Where'd You Go Bernadette.

I've read romances since I was a kid but the couple of Georgette Heyer books I've read bugged the tar out of me. I don't even know how to explain, exactly, it's just that no character seemed worth knowing and there's a lot of icky behavior.

I should reread Anne of Green Gables or The Chronicles of Narnia or something along those lines. That's about where my brain is at the moment; all the ebooks I've gotten from the library are languishing on my Kindle in favor of watching HGTV or Superstore on Hulu.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Plowed through The Year of Living Danishly last night when I couldn't sleep, all about the author and her husband moving to Denmark from the UK and adjusting to the different style of life. It's part of Kindle Unlimited. Funny and not dry.

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