(No, John still hasn't done my page. JOHN! :)
(This is synched from my blog, penbitten.com, for those on Facebook. Facebook users should also note that I'm tagging people ACTUALLY mentioned. I kinda hate it when it says "So-and-so mentioned you in a note," instead of, "so-and-so just wants you to read their note so will pretend they actually mentioned you." Facebook needs a "wants you to read their note" tagging option.)
A brief respite from the q-and-a for booktalk!
The first time I asked, on our PotterCast vlogs, what people were reading, I was rewarded with an unbelievable glut of recommendations. I knew PotterCast listeners were heavy readers but I had no idea how excited they'd be about talking about books. Therefore I try and talk about a book I've just read on each vlog, and this has turned into doing Monday night live chats where we talk about books and what we think they mean. It is literally some of the most fun I can have online, because I work alone at my desk, whether it's Leaky or research or something else, and getting to interact with Leaky fans / Harry, A History readers / PotterCast listeners / book lovers is always exciting and rewarding. Fighting with taxes all day, or spending hours ripping my hair out over what project to settle on next, can really be frustrating, so I find myself really looking forward to the immediate interaction and the thoughtfulness our group of listeners / watchers always brings to intelligent discussions. I've always felt sort of strange / discomfited by the idea that someone would enjoy watching us on the Internet, but bringing our joint enthusiasm about books to it has deflated all the weirdness and made it feel like an awesome, enormous book club that meets on Monday nights.
Anyway, I've been asked frequently by these guys to make a list of what I've read / am reading. Here it is, though I am sure I'm missing things. And I'm going to try and do Amazon links because authors need their stuff bought. (And you should buy that stuff in person, at an independent bookstore, ideally. If you must buy online, then use the links.)
This year's (incomplete) reading list so far (a "*" indicates a re-read):
(There's also, now, a cool MyLeaky group to keep track of all this reading! Awesome!)
The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (you can get the boxed set here; the fifth book comes out in May):
The Lightning Thief
The Sea of Monsters
The Titan's Curse
The Battle of the Labyrinth
The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
The Great Gatsby*, F. Scott Fitzgerald (needs to be read now and then)
Looking for Alaska, John Green
An Abundance of Katherines, John Green
Let It Snow, John Green, Lauren Myracle, Maureen Johnson
(Note to Nerdfighters, don't shout Paper Towns at me: I read that in 2008, please drop your rocks and let me pass unharmed)
Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell
The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger (I love this author's name)
The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama (which I started in 2008 but didn't quite finish until 2009)
Currently Reading (I am always reading a lot of books. I need to have one open to suit every mood, so that I can dip right in when I need to):
The Season*, William Goldman (I read this once-a-yearish but it's been two now; one of the best writers ever, and I think I even prefer his nonfiction to his fiction)
Movies in 15 Minutes, Cleolinda Jones (this is not yet out in the states but I scored a copy: she is so funny she will make you cry. Google "Twilight in 15 Minutes" to see what I mean.)
Absolutely Maybe, Lisa Yee
Marcelo in the Real World, Francisco Stork
Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin (this is long and takes forever and I'm reading it uber-slowly)
Most of Edna St. Vincent Millay's collected poems* (This is a constant-read; it is always on my currently reading list because it hangs around my apartment for opening at spontaneous intervals; I want more poetry in my life, recommendations please?)
Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert
Such a Pretty Fat, Jennifer Lancaster
Everything and More, A Compact History of Infinity, David Foster Wallace (recommended by Rosianna)
Several nonfictions that are research and therefore I feel protective about the topics and don't want to talk about them just yet.
Other books I want to read in 2009
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, E. Lockhart, recommended to me often by Cheryl.
The Graveyard Book, Newbery-winning Neil Gaiman :)
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, M.T. Anderson (volumes I and II, of course). This is one of those books I feel like I SHOULD read, and despite everyone telling me how amazing it is my wish to read it hasn't reached anything above "but I really ought to" yet.
I'd like to reread the His Dark Materials series because it's that good.
A re-read of The Catcher in the Rye would be nice, as I remember nearly none of it.
And more. I'm forgetting books I've read, books I'm reading, books I want to read. I'd like to read ALL THE BOOKS. Ughh, to stop time and read all the books.
As always, suggestions are always welcome! Because clearly I'm not reading enough things at once! And you should list yours, and treat this as yet another meme.
Hey Melissa, I made a book list like that on my facebook too. It is nice keeping track of what I'm reading. I also read multiple book at one time.
Have you checked out Demigod Files by Rick Riordan. It just came out and it has 3 short stories from the Percy Jackson story and some extra little tidbits. Oh, and I finished The Hunger Games last night. I loved it! It was insane!
Hi Melissa, great idea to make a book list, I'm part of the Virtual Bookclub group on Facebook at the moment. It's basically a challenge to read at least thirty books in the year and we post what we've read (and what number it is) and then any reviews we'd like to make. It's a fairly good resource for new reading material.
Two poets I quite like are Maya Angelou and Sylvia Plath.
I've bought the first Percy Jackson thanks to you - still not read it though, I have such a pile of books to wade through before that one.
I was wondering if you've read anything by Paulo Coelho - I'm also wondering if you've mentioned him and I missed it, which is why right now I don't know, but never mind -- 'Like the Flowing River' is a favourite of mine, and a very easy read in that the chapters are short. But it's filled with insight, so it's not always an easy read content wise.
*sending thanks to Hilary for the FB group mentioned, will check it out*
Have you ever read anything by Diana Wynne Jones? Her Chrestomanci books are fantastic, and Dark Lord of Derkholm is one of the funniest books I've ever read (it goes along with The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, which is like a mock-travel-guide to the fantasy genre).
I highly recommend Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series, as a Harry Potter and LOTR fan. They're certainly unique, especially once you get past the first book, and all of the books can easily match OOTP in length.
Oh and I forgot to share a handy tip - I've been making lists of which books I read for several years now (Excel is useful), but took it one step further in 2007 when I not only wrote down title and author, but also what date I finished the book and some spontaneous thoughts about each book. Great for going back and seeing what I thought about a certain book - and very useful too as in the past two years I have been patiently going through the entire Wheel of Time series mentioned by redwall (a good read, I do so want to know how it ends, but boy there are lots and lots of details to keep track of by now!).
As for poetry, I have started on Stephen Fry's 'The Ode Less Travelled', but Wheel of Time kind of took over my reading time... Fry's writing is superb though, as always.
Have you ever read any books by Jodi Piccoult? She is an excellent author that I love to read when I am not in the mood for fantasy stuff. I really find myself becoming emotionally attached to the characters in her books and once I start them, I can't put them down. I will warn you that a few of them have a bit of a depressing side to them. The first book of hers I read was "My Sisters Keeper" it is still my favorite and I have read many more of them. I also highly recommend "Picture Perfect", "The Tenth Circle", and "Salem Falls". Those are my other favorites of hers and I am still going through the list. She has quite a few.
Yes, I'm into the Percy Jackson series thanks to you! Going to pick up the 4th book today! And I've recommended it to my mom, who is a 4th grade teacher, who has in turn recommended it to her school librarian. It's spreading, Melissa!
I hope to join you one Monday evening. Sounds like fun!
Yes, I'm into the Percy Jackson series thanks to you! Going to pick up the 4th book today! And I've recommended it to my mom, who is a 4th grade teacher, who has in turn recommended it to her school librarian. It's spreading, Melissa!
I hope to join you one Monday evening. Sounds like fun!
Thanks Melissa!
I took down a lot of the books you've already read and I'm on my way to Barnes and Noble in a little bit. Keep posting these please. =)
Hey Melissa!
Thanks for posting the list. A couple of months ago I starting using a site called Shelfari to try to catalogue my books, because, like you, I can't keep track of all the books I've read, am reading, and want to read. The site still has some room for improvement (and if anyone out there has suggestions for other sites that are better, I'd be happy to hear about them) but it's been fun going through all of my boxes of books and seeing them appear on my "shelf". Sadly, I own so many that I had forgotten about, so I'm really glad to be making my way through them.
I missed last week's Monday night chat, but I'm looking forward to tomorrow's. Talk to you then!
thanks alot melissa
I live in Mexico so it might be a little hard for me to find these books but I'll try, please keep posting these
Have you read "An Ancient Gesture" by Edna St. Vincient Mallay? It's really good.
Have you read "The Host" by Stephanie Meyer? It's pretty good. I like it more than the Twilight series.
I am really into anything by Charlaine Harris. Her Sookie Stackhouse series is now a show on HBO - True Blood. Anyways, the books are really addictive.
So many books, so little time...
:-)
I think you should make a tentative schedule for the books you are going to discuss so we can follow you. your list is crazy cause you have 8 books going at once, though there is nothing wrong with that!
Hey Melissa!
I was wondering if you've heard about The Pendragon Adventure by DJ Machale it's an amazing series that really keeps you on your toes. There are nine books in the series at the moment with the tenth and last one coming out in May.
Thanks for recommending The Hunger Games they are a great read!
'The Historian' by Elizabeth Kosvoa (sp?!?!) is one of my fave fiction books!
I love the Percy Jackson series! They are such a great read (and re-read). As much as I'm looking forward to reading the 5th one, I'm also dreading it because I don't want to see them end ... gee I remember thinking that about another series ... wonder who that was :).
If you haven't read her yet, you should totally check out Gabrielle Zevin. Her books are so well crafted. Oh and Siobhan Dowd! Her stuff is gripping. Right now I'm in the middle of Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan & I am really enjoying it.
I love Kite Runner and A Thousand Spelndid Suns by
Khaled Hosseini.
Thanks for the heads up regarding John Green. You flagging his books led me to discover Nerdfighters, Brotherhood 2.0 and then on to my local bookshop (independently owned!) where i snapped up 'Paper Towns' - it's been an enjoyable couple of days thanks to you and the talented Mr Green.
The Time Traveler's Wife is one of my all time favorite books. I read it for the first time in November, and then reread it again in January. It's a lovely book.
I also keep track of the books I read. It's nice to actually see the books I've read in one place. Rather then just sort of vaguely recalling that I read a lot of books last month.
Recommendation: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. There's a good chance you might have read it before. But, I just reread it a month ago and am finally getting around the rest of the series. It's an awesome historical romance set in Scotland in the 1700's with a time traveling twist. It's a nice hefty book with great characters.
The pen-bitten thing... that was clever. :)
You know, I wasn't that impressed with "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing." It was a great concept for a book and there were times when it had this fantastic gothic-mystery feel... but I thought it was too predictable, and that made me not really care about the characters.
If you haven't read any Jasper Fforde ever, definitely check out "The Eyre Affair." You'd think it was hilarious. :)
Hey :D
I just finished reading your book (which I looovelovelovelove :D) last night, so now I'm doing some online research ;)
I actually (re)read Gatsby, the Disreputable history and all of John's books this year.
And I'm planning on (re)reading the Hunger Games, Ocatavian nothing and Catcher in the rye :)
If you haven't as yet, you've got to complete "The Time Traveler's Wife"..I've read it twice, it's such a beautiful love story.