Currently Reading Ch.6 - Page 33

Im reading the secret life of bees by sue monk kidd pretty good book..

Hashed my way through Sebastian Faulks' "France trilogy" The Girl at the Lion D'or, Birdsong and Charlotte Gray

I read Birdsong about three years ago, and have read it about five times (it could well be one of my favourite books, if not at least top 3), and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the other two which I don't think have got the same amount of, er, air time so to speak..

Lots of nice little links between the books mainly the second and third, and there was a really heartwarming moment when Wraysford from Birdsong is mentioned in Charlotte Gray. Overall, good reads. Got through the first in about a week, C.G. was more spread out and was a bit of a lull in the middle, Birdsong remains my fave.

Also literally JUST read The Great Gatsby in one sitting. Immensely powerful book, loved every minute of it and could easily pick it up and read it again. The way it's written, kind of poetic but almost reminding me of a script at times with the dialogue. Top notch book, can see why it's loved to this day by so many. Shot up into my top all-time fave. books list.

Now deciding on whether to continue my reading with some Stephen King (have started Bag of Bones, Skeleton Crew and another that I can't remember the title of before), the A Song of Ice & Fire series, or Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. Or might order The Book Thief. Hmm.

Alright, so since my last post I've polished off The Lions of Al Rassan (Guy Gavriel Kay) and it was okay. It wasn't terrible in the slightest but it didn't live up to my expectations. I was even left a little confused at the end of the book from a whole series of factors that weren't really explained. The ending almost felt rushed.
Overall? 6/10

I just finished reading Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. I was after a couple of easy reads before I dive back into something more intense, but this book really surprised me. Despite starting off being about conceited, popular girls in high school it really turned around towards the last half of the book. Quite a powerful read, although probably not something I could see a lot of guys getting into.
8/10

Currently I'm reading another of Oliver's books, Delirium. The concept is that in the future love is considered a disease and a cure has been made. But, of course, there's a resistance and the main character ends up falling in lurrrve. I'm hoping it'll wind up as touching as Before I Fall was, but at the moment all I can think of is that there's quite an interesting basis and idea that the author hasn't fully explored. So far it's missed the mark.


I'm also reading Brandon Sanderson's Way of Kings which is just...awesome. He is so skilled at creating a new world with new creatures and each new chapter has a full page dedicated to a map or a sketch of some of the wildlife, which helps it become more immersive. I'm very much enjoying it ^^

Managed to complete a few other books since last post:

The Scarlet Letter: I was actually never forced to read it during high school, so I figured I might as well give it a shot. Turns out it's one of my favorite books of all time. I can see where people who say the book is too long winded and grammatically all over the place. I actually thought that made the book that much better. Despite those "flaws" the story flowed nicely and I look forward to re-reading it in the future.

Also managed to read Republic of Pirates... and The Lobster Coast by Collin Woodard. Both were incredibly interesting to read. (The latter dealt with a general survey of Maine, which you don't hear about very often.) It was great to see a bit more info on Maine culture when it comes to fishing and the lobster trade.

Currently I'm reading Death of an Empire: The Rise and Murderous Fall of Salem While it began without a solid introduction, I'd say it's a decent read so far. It goes beyond the usual story behind Salem (witch trials)

Mouldy Cheese, that Brandon Sanderson book, is that recently new?

It's been a while since I've posted here, since I last posted here I have read only a few books which I'm ashamed of since I should have been reading more often but have only recently gotten back into it.

I've read - Before They Are Hanged and The Last Arguments of Kings, the last two books in the First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. If you are a fan of fantasy than I highly recommend these books, they are a bit on the more brutal and darker side though so beware.

I have also read Best Served Cold and The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie, they take place in the same world as the two aforementioned books but they have different characters and separate stories but there are cameos and things that you will recognize if you had read the previous books.

Another book I've read is The Black Prism by Brent Weeks, another great fantasy author, I'm going to go to a book signing of his next Saturday to meet him and get 5 of his books signed by him, I am SUPER excited about that.

As for what I am reading right now - I am reading A Dance of Cloaks by David Dalglish, it is a really good read and it is somewhat edgy and dark. As you can see I am a big fan of fantasy. If you enjoy fantasy then you should check out all those books above because they are all fantastic.

quote Mouldy Cheese

quote SoraCloud

Mouldy Cheese, that Brandon Sanderson book, is that recently new?

It's relatively new. It came out in 2010 but it's only really gaining momentum at the moment. He's a terrific writer and really, really fantastic at creating fantasy environments. The whole terrain reads as somewhat alien and there's so many little elements that just make you wonder how on earth he came up with that.

Ah so its not part of that one trilogy he has is it? I know he is a really good writer so I might pick that up after I finish reading the books I have, still have 10 books to read though, I'm really far behind on my reading,

I've just started re-reading Moby Dick. I read it a few years back at uni and absolutely loved it, despite all its flaws (such as the somewhat punishingly long-winded chapters on cetology and the history of whaling). I've been meaning to read it again for a while as my fiancee bought me a lovely hardback leatherbound edition, and while I did start re-reading it earlier this year, most of my reading is done on the train and I didn't want to risk spoiling the nice version so just gave up. In the end I just downloaded it for free on Kindle and started again from scratch.

I was slightly worried that outside of the university environment and without my literature student hat on it might not live up to how I remembered it. But gladly that's not the case and I'm pleased to say that second time around I'm still really enjoying it.