What book are you currently reading?

Some parts are a bit hard to get through. I've just finished The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan, Artemis Fowl, and the Mortal Instruments Trilogy by Cassandra Clare. But I'm not done A Perfect Spy yet!

I've just finished some short stories by J.M.G. Le Clézio and I started Millenium volume II (one of my friend lent me the english version).

Eden, is Millenium the trilogy name written by Steig Larsson? It seems to me I saw it referred to as that.

Of course it is. Sorry I forgot to indicate the author. I've read the first volume two years ago and I've just started the second one.

Ah, okay. I've just recently read the first volume, and have a review of it in the Review section, a few places down from this one. If you would like to give your own review I would love to read it! If not, that's all right.

I finished reading Candide by Voltaire yesterday. I love his satirical wit and how he straightforwardly mocks his real-life enemies in the book. I can't delve too much on its philosophy without sounding shallow and pretentious, but it will make you think.

Now I'm starting Rilla of Ingleside by Lucy Maud Montgomery, the last book in the Anne series. Also, I'm trying my hand at fantasy, so I picked up The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. When my friend first mentioned it to me, I immediately said no because of my indifference toward that genre. (Some of you guys know of my reluctance to ever read Harry Potter) I'm only trying it out because it has Greek mythology (which I'm obsessed about) mixed in. We'll see.

I actually have a copy of "Candide" sitting around that I've never read. I should get to it.

I bought the sequel to "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo", titled "The Girl Who Played With Fire". I'm not sure when I'll get to it. I also bought "Drood" by Dan Simmons, whose previous novel, "The Terror", I loved. "Drood" is a fictionalized account of Charles Dickens' last years. It has gotten good reviews, and I do enjoy Dan Simmons. When I do read it, I will post a review in the review section.

Just finished Never Let Me Go, after Nicholle did. It's a great piece. Ishiguro is a master of the understated tragedy. I will be posting a review soon.

I started on Rilla of Ingleside yesterday and finished today. I was up till the morning hours, I couldn't and wouldn't put the book down. It's been lying on my shelf for months and yesterday, it was a dark and gloomy day, I just had a hankering to read it without stopping. The atmosphere certainly matched the theme of the book.

It's far more depressing than the other Anne books because this is set during World War I, where Anne's family struggles as their loved ones enlist and must succumb to the effects a war brings. I found myself shedding a tear during one part. Lucy Montgomery must have loved dogs a lot because there is a little story on just how faithful, loyal and kind-hearted a dog can be.

It's the last in the Anne series and I'm being so nostalgic at how Anne has come so far! ...so I'm kind of depressed...

Kayatina wrote:

Just finished Never Let Me Go, after Nicholle did. It's a great piece. Ishiguro is a master of the understated tragedy. I will be posting a review soon.

God, I loved that book, although it took me quite some time to wrap my mind around the obvious. I found Madame especially tragic.

I know. I sniffed every time she said "Have I said too much?" and "Shall I go on?" Her and Miss Emily are the perfect bringers of bad news. Madame's contained disgust, and Miss Emily's contained calmness relating the horror.

I have started "All The Pretty Horses" by Cormac McCarthy, the first book of what is commonly called his "Border Trilogy". So far it is starting out like classic McCarthy (which means that, so far, I like it). When I finish I will post a review.

I am reading the third volume of Millennium by Stieg Larsson. Actually, you cannot really finish the second one and not starting right away the third one. (and the friend who lent me the books is going back to Greece in one week, I have to hurry).

Eden wrote:

I am reading the third volume of Millennium by Stieg Larsson. Actually, you cannot really finish the second one and not starting right away the third one. (and the friend who lent me the books is going back to Greece in one week, I have to hurry).

If you'd like, post a review of books two and three in our Review section. No spoilers, of course, but just tell us your impressions of these books with a brief synopsis of each. We would love to read them!

I've done the unthinkable: I've begun reading a Sherlock-Holmes-novel that was not written by Sir A.C.D., but by an American of the late 20th century: Sherlock Holmes and the Giant Rat of Sumatra. And it's actually quite good. Plus, the writer has really made an effort to stay very close to the original stories as far as style, characters and expressions are concerned. I'm now about a third into it, and think I'll finish it today.

Grace wrote:

I've done the unthinkable: I've begun reading a Sherlock-Holmes-novel that was not written by Sir A.C.D., but by an American of the late 20th century: Sherlock Holmes and the Giant Rat of Sumatra. And it's actually quite good. Plus, the writer has really made an effort to stay very close to the original stories as far as style, characters and expressions are concerned. I'm now about a third into it, and think I'll finish it today.

YAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Down with the impure infidels!

Nah, just kidding. Sounds interesting, though. I know there's a lot of Sherlock Holmes ripoff trash and there's also good spinoffs. How's it going?

I am getting ready to jump into "Cemetary Dance" by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. This is the newest (in paperback) in a series of books that feature the character of Aloysius Pendergast, an FBI agent that is a cross between Sherlock Holmes and something from the "X-Files". Throughout the series the writing has been very good and the character of Pendergast, along with other regular characters, has been kept interesting. Which means I have high hopes for this book.

I will post a review when I am done!

I have finished "Cemetary Dance" (I will post a review hopefully soon), and am now starting "The Girl Who Played With Fire" by Stieg Larsson, which is the sequel to "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo". I am about thirty pages into it and liking it so far.

It's been a while I have been there. I finished the third volume of Millennium (and now I have to write a review about it). I have read The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster and started For whom the bell tolls by Hemingway. So far I found it amazing even if it's a bit hard for me to understand everything immediatly (I often need to read two times a sentence).

Eden wrote:

It's been a while I have been there. I finished the third volume of Millennium (and now I have to write a review about it). I have read The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster and started For whom the bell tolls by Hemingway. So far I found it amazing even if it's a bit hard for me to understand everything immediatly (I often need to read two times a sentence).

I've read "For Whom the Bell Tolls". I liked it, but it seems that there are just as many readers who dislike Hemingway as like him. I have not read much of Hemingway beyond this (just a few short stories). I feel Hemingway is a decent writer, but I would hesitate to name him a literary titan.

About Hemingway a few years ago I have read The old man and the sea and I found it awfully boring. On that contrary I really liked For whom the bell tolls much more epic. I don't really know what to think about Hemingway for the moment, but I have been really moved by the last one.

I came back to France four days ago and I really enjoy the fact that I can read all the books waiting in my room. I finished Les valeureux by Albert Cohen (don't know if he is famous outside French-speaking countries, have you heard about him ? He wrote Belle du seigneur), Scarlett si possible by Katherine Pancol (some contemporary piece of literature, not that great but enjoyable as I expected) and I am currently reading Mars by Fritz Zorn (the swiss writer, from the german-part of Switzerland).

From my point of view, Mars is highly interesting. The author describes the bourgeoisie in Zurich and how all his life he was unable to have a personal opinion. It is obviously a depressing story but the for once an autobiography has really an interest. I don't know how to explain that, a lot of autobiography of great characters are interesting, but this one is from someone unknown and appears as a story which NEEDS to be narrated.

I have not read much from Hemingway, but I did read "For Whom the Bell Tolls", and like you, Eden, I did like it. I have not read "The Old Man and the Sea" yet. I would like to pick up another of his novels sometime.

I am going to have to look up those other authors you mentioned. Albert Cohen does not sound familiar to me, but as you said he may be more popular in Europe than in America. Still, I should look him up, along with Zorn and others. Thank you for introducing us to those writers!

I borrowed my friend's (signed) copy of Me Talk Pretty One Day recently, and ate that up in about a week. It's good stuff, but I don't understand Sedaris' raving, foaming-at-the-mouth fans. Sedaris' sense of humor was overwhelming at times.

I'm currently reading Fingersmith, by Sarah Waters. Perhaps I'll post a review after I finish it.

You're more than welcome Paul. I go on with french-writers. I finished Les mémoires d'une jeune fille rangée by Simone de Beauvoir. I am pretty sure you heard about her (she was Sartre's companion). I started it years ago and I don't understand how it's possible that I didn't finished it. Loved it.

I also read an english writer, but unfortunatly in French (it was one of my friend's book)... All passion spent by Vita Sackville-West. Hopefully the translation was great and I appreaciated to discover this writer... so elegant.

I came back to French authors and started a book of my favorite one : Le père Goriot by Balzac. It's probably the most famous one of this writer (in France everyone read it for school) but I've read twenty novels of this writer before taking the time to read that one. I don't have any regret... it's one of his best. And one of the best novel of my favorite writer it's just amazing.

Right now I am reading "Drood" by Dan Simmons, which is a fictionalized account of Charles Dickens's last years. The theme is very dark, which Simmons used to good effect in his book before this, "The Terror", another fictionalized account of an actual historic event, in this case the disasterous search for the Northwest Passage by the Franklin Expedition in the 1840's, where every single crew member of two ships perished in the frozen arctic wastes. "Drood" starts with the real-life incident of the deadly Staplehurst train accident in which ten people were killed and Dickens was one of the survivors. At this horrific scene he meets a very creepy character who calls himself "Drood" (this is now part of the book, not real life), with whom Dickens becomes obsessed and is somehow tied in with the real life unfinished Dickens novel "The Mystery of Edwin Drood". The book is told by the POV of Wilkie Collins, a real life Dickens associate. I will post a review when I'm done!