Tea & Books - What are you reading?

I enjoyed all of those. Now the 5 year wait for the next one…

Dresden Files is great. I always read them in less than a day.

Cold Days is so good, I think you are going to love it!

I’ve loved the whole series! Claire, did you read his other series? The Codex Alera was the title, I think.
Lariel, I’ve been known to camp in the bubble bath with a book & tea for way longer than I should. I just keep adding more hot water & bubbles. Sadly, the tea runs out fairly quickly. I’ve been trying to avoid reading obsessively (as in 3 hour baths, reading until 3am, reading instead of doing (whatever it is I’m really suppose to be doing). Otherwise I never get things done, and being self-employed, I really need to get things done! BUT, I will finish this book pretty quickly!
The Steepster book club will start a new book in a few days.

I’ve read the first book in Codex Alera but didn’t get into it much, so I haven’t read the rest of the series yet. I’m sure I’ll get to it some day. :)
First day of class and I’m starting Everyman and Medieval Miracle Plays, Heart of Darkness, and Northanger Abbey. I’m actually really excited about this term!

I read them all. They weren’t nearly as interesting as Dresden, but I didn’t have anything else to read at the time.

I tend to have a “too many good books” problem. I’m always reading at least 2 books for school, people know I love to read so I get books as gifts quite a bit, and my partner is an avid reader and we share a kindle library. I basically have a never ending supply of good books to read! Oh, and of course I work in the library.

Keep us updated on The Casual Vacancy. I want to read it since it’s Rowling, but I haven’t heard too many things to make me really want to read it :-/

I made it 7% through the Casual Vacancy before giving up. She just throws SO many characters at you and gives you zero reason to care about any of them. Go back to fantasy, JK!

It took 50% of the book before a story started to emerge. It is a grim and depressing story with very predictable ending. Disappointed :(

I adore Murakami, The Wind Up Bird Chronicle is one of my all-time favorite books. I have IQ84 but it’s dauntingly massive!

I haven’t read The Wind Up Bird Chronicle yet, but I am planning to buy more books of Murakami after I finish 1q84.

Wind Up Bird is my favorite, but pretty much everything he writes is magical. I’d highly recommend A Wild Sheep Chase and Dance Dance Dance (which loosely go together)

I read 1Q84 right after it came out in the states and I have to say that it wasn’t a favorite of mine…I wonder why it didn’t click with me. My favorites so far have been Sputnik Sweetheart and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (in part due to its influence on Haibane Renmei).
I’m so excited that people on here like his writing too!

I have read 1Q84 (but not any other books by Murakami).
I was hugely disappointed. I would even go as far as describing it as adolescent fluff.

I read 1Q84 and enjoyed parts of it, while being annoyed at other bits. I’m happy I tried it though as it was quite refreshing. Maybe I’ll try another Murakami book.

Murakami is definitely an acquired taste, though considering how well-respected and renowned he is I think “adolescent fluff” is taking it a bit too far. ^^; The issue most people have with his books that there is rarely any explanation for what is going on. It’s like… Japanese-style magic realism infused with French ennui.

I like your description Alpha! I think that the cult aspect of 1Q84 is what I was looking forward to most and it really wasn’t what I thought it would be. I think that the whole thing could have been said in about 1/2 the pages. Murakami is an acquired taste for sure! Sometimes I look at my shelf and wonder how I started collecting his books.

His books do meander a lot, in terms of plot they could definitely be slimmed down. But to me, that’s part of the charm—he definitely captures that modern life malaise very well.

Perhaps I did take it a bit too far :) I was so disappointed because I had such high hopes.

I don’t think his big books are the best to start with since they’re so dense and tend to meander a lot—something thinner might be better, maybe Dance Dance Dance or Kafka On The Shore? But he’s definitely…. weird, and not for everyone at all. (However, ‘weird’ happens to be my favorite genre) XD

Ooh that sounds aMAZing!
Come on over and talk Anna K. with us over there any time. We are picking up a new book soon, but I for one will always be glad to check back and talk Anna with you.

Thanks Serenity, I will definitely take you up on the Anna discussion.

Those are both series I keep meaning to read, but don’t get around to it. I used to like reading fantasy trilogies, and waiting until the third book was out.

I have the first book of the Wheel of time, & have had it for a great deal of time, but have yet to read it. It’s like I have this aversion, so it’s just sitting there waiting…
I read all of the Song of Ice & Fire books last spring or summer.

I’ve decided to finally tackle the Wheel of Time series this year since Brandon Sanderson took over for the last 3 books and I am a huge fangirl when it comes to his work.

actually, the anarchy evolution book sounds interesting :)

Was that the one about the deer?

I tend to read a lot of young adult books too, grown up books aren’t as much fun. And I love talking animals, Watership Down is still a favorite of mine.

I’m not sure if they talk or not, but I have “The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents,” a YA by Terry Pratchett in the to-be-read pile. Good fiction is good fiction, no matter what age it’s written for!

Lazey – Yup! One of my favourite books ever, next to Watership Down too!

gmathis – I will DEFINITELY check that book out. And I do agree, good fiction is good to read no matter what.. but I’ll take a day of reading Percy Jackson over an Oprah Book Club novel any day…

I teach fifth graders at my church, so not only do I stumble across some good reads, it keeps me in touch with what’s current with my kids. A librarian buddy fixed me up with a couple of Riordan titles, but I think they’re from the Kane Chronicles. Ever read those? (I’ll be an old lady with cataracts before I get to the bottom of Mount To-Be-Read.)

I love the Percy Jackson series, I need to read that spinoff series.

Hahaha, no, not yet. The paperback of the third book is coming out in May so I plan to then get all the Kane Chronicles then and read it after I brush up on my Egyptian mythology.

Oh and me too. There’s so many books I want to read but then work gets in the way (or the library calls needing them back)

I read the first Kane Chronicle book and didn’t like it as much as the Percy Jackson books. I read the first Heroes of Olympus book and thought it seemed good but haven’t had time to read the next book, I read so many other books.