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New ParentDish Feature: What are you reading?
Categories: That's Entertainment
We are starting a new weekly feature. On Fridays, I am going to tell you about what I am reading, and ask you, Please God, to tell me what YOU are reading. I tend to eat books. But I should warn you: My reading habits are pretty... lowly. I read dry medical texts most of the time, and then in the evenings I am busy harassing encouraging my kids to do their homework, making dinner, putting kids to bed, shaping young minds, (you know, the usual) so when I am reading for leisure, I want the book (and Calgon) to take me away.
But! I am always open to suggestions for really good books to read. It's not that I can't read stuff that isn't crap-- it's just that the crap is so very easy to read, and doesn't toy with my emotions like quality literature sometimes does.
Also, I am opening this feature up to more than just books. Heck, on Fridays, most of the time when I am at the grocery store, I am slipping a magazine of some sort into my cart. Again, though, I tend not to read quality stuff (like, say, Harper's or The New Yorker)-- but I'd like to start! Usually if someone points me to a great article in The New York Times or Salon.com, I'll go read it.
Also, if any of you are interested, we could even start a monthly book club, where we take turns choosing books that you recommend in the comments, and we can then talk about them once a month.
Ultimately, if someone can help me with this, I'd also like to start some lists we can all follow on Amazon.com. I love seeing what other people recommend, because it helps me find authors I wouldn't have otherwise thought of.
[You will notice that I have not mentioned what I am reading to my kids, with my kids, or encouraging them to read. That can be a whole other column if you are interested. Just tell me in the comments! But this one is for Grownups.)
So, click on the fold to find out what I'm reading this week.
My best friend from college has turned me onto some amazing books over the years. And I owe her in a big way. Most recently, she mentioned to me a couple of times that I should go and check out these vampire books she had just read. I happen to love vampire books (please don't stop reading this column based on that statement, LOL), but I didn't rush out and get the books. She mentioned them to me two other times before I finally was having a bad day and decided to do some book retail therapy at the local bookstore. They only had one of the books she had recommended, in hard back, but I got it because I was in a really bad mood, and decided I deserved a hard back. The book is Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.
The books in this series are also juvenile literature. I should say that I enjoy juvenile fiction, but I also like murder mysteries, romance novels, fiction and non-fiction, so don't take this week's selection as a sign that this will be a column of any particular kind of reading material. But in case you are interested or concerned, this book is absolutely clean in terms of language and sexuality. I would absolutely recommend it for young readers, too.
I started reading the book that evening, and I stayed up til 3:00 a.m. reading it. I did close it at about 1:00 a.m. and TRY not to pick it up again. But I simply could not put it down. Before I had actually finished the book the next day, I was at Amazon ordering the second book, New Moon, for next day delivery (I pay an annual fee that lets me do this pretty cheaply). The day New Moon arrived, I had a huge work project, so I forced myself not to start the book until I had finished the work project. Good thing, because I stayed up til 5:00 a.m. reading it, sobbing in the wee hours of the night at its conclusion.
The premise of these books is that a teenage girl moves from Phoenix to a small town called Forks, Washington. She moves in with her father, after her mother remarries a traveling baseball player. Bella Swan is the daughter of the police chief, and instantly a new wonder at the small high school. She finds herself drawn to five students who are different from the rest: pale, beautiful, aloof. These five are the only students in the school who appear to have no interest in her-- until she finds herself seated next to Edward Cullen in her biology class, and the recipient of his seething hatred.
Bella is intrigued by Edward and his odd behavior toward her. He saves her life one day, sort of accidentally, and they forge a type of friendship after that that blooms into a taboo kind of love: Edward, of course, is a vampire. And Bella's blood is as potent to him as vampire heroin. And yet, he cannot bring himself to kill her. So, he is torn between not being able to stay away from her and always being tempted to harm her. Bella is simply irretrievably in love with Edward.
The plot turns toward a small group of vampires who try to kill Bella (apparently, her blood is potent to other vampires as well), and then leaves us bracing ourselves for the next book.
New Moon is, if anything, better than Twilight, which was absolutely compelling. I don't care if Bella and Edward are teenagers: I challenge you not to fall for Edward Cullen. Even typing his name gives me a cheap sort of thrill. In New Moon, Edward decides it is too dangerous for him and his family to be around Bella, so he leaves her, forever, and strips her of all pictures, CD's, any reminders of their time together. He tells her that he will never return, and that it will be as if he has never existed. Meyers' treatment of how Bella handles Edward's leaving is absolutely searing: If you have ever loved and lost, this book will hit you where it hurts.
I have read criticisms of New Moon that talk about co-dependency and Bella being too reliant on a man for her own self-esteem and happiness. But if you can overlook that obvious criticism and read these for what they are: a terrific story of love and loss, then you will have a great, intense, two-day reading love affair. I gave these books to my neighbor and warned her that if she started them at night, she wouldn't sleep. She insisted that she would. The next day she came over sheepishly and said she had been up til 3:00 a.m. also. She described the books as "book crack. Better than french fries!"
So, I hope you will check them out and then come and tell me what you think!
What are YOU reading? (And for guy readers who may not so much be into the vampire romance, don't worry, I will talk about Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus novels, too!). And can you help me out with the Amazon list thing? Do you have any Amazon lists?
But! I am always open to suggestions for really good books to read. It's not that I can't read stuff that isn't crap-- it's just that the crap is so very easy to read, and doesn't toy with my emotions like quality literature sometimes does.
Also, I am opening this feature up to more than just books. Heck, on Fridays, most of the time when I am at the grocery store, I am slipping a magazine of some sort into my cart. Again, though, I tend not to read quality stuff (like, say, Harper's or The New Yorker)-- but I'd like to start! Usually if someone points me to a great article in The New York Times or Salon.com, I'll go read it.
Also, if any of you are interested, we could even start a monthly book club, where we take turns choosing books that you recommend in the comments, and we can then talk about them once a month.
Ultimately, if someone can help me with this, I'd also like to start some lists we can all follow on Amazon.com. I love seeing what other people recommend, because it helps me find authors I wouldn't have otherwise thought of.
[You will notice that I have not mentioned what I am reading to my kids, with my kids, or encouraging them to read. That can be a whole other column if you are interested. Just tell me in the comments! But this one is for Grownups.)
So, click on the fold to find out what I'm reading this week.
My best friend from college has turned me onto some amazing books over the years. And I owe her in a big way. Most recently, she mentioned to me a couple of times that I should go and check out these vampire books she had just read. I happen to love vampire books (please don't stop reading this column based on that statement, LOL), but I didn't rush out and get the books. She mentioned them to me two other times before I finally was having a bad day and decided to do some book retail therapy at the local bookstore. They only had one of the books she had recommended, in hard back, but I got it because I was in a really bad mood, and decided I deserved a hard back. The book is Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.
The books in this series are also juvenile literature. I should say that I enjoy juvenile fiction, but I also like murder mysteries, romance novels, fiction and non-fiction, so don't take this week's selection as a sign that this will be a column of any particular kind of reading material. But in case you are interested or concerned, this book is absolutely clean in terms of language and sexuality. I would absolutely recommend it for young readers, too.
I started reading the book that evening, and I stayed up til 3:00 a.m. reading it. I did close it at about 1:00 a.m. and TRY not to pick it up again. But I simply could not put it down. Before I had actually finished the book the next day, I was at Amazon ordering the second book, New Moon, for next day delivery (I pay an annual fee that lets me do this pretty cheaply). The day New Moon arrived, I had a huge work project, so I forced myself not to start the book until I had finished the work project. Good thing, because I stayed up til 5:00 a.m. reading it, sobbing in the wee hours of the night at its conclusion.
The premise of these books is that a teenage girl moves from Phoenix to a small town called Forks, Washington. She moves in with her father, after her mother remarries a traveling baseball player. Bella Swan is the daughter of the police chief, and instantly a new wonder at the small high school. She finds herself drawn to five students who are different from the rest: pale, beautiful, aloof. These five are the only students in the school who appear to have no interest in her-- until she finds herself seated next to Edward Cullen in her biology class, and the recipient of his seething hatred.
Bella is intrigued by Edward and his odd behavior toward her. He saves her life one day, sort of accidentally, and they forge a type of friendship after that that blooms into a taboo kind of love: Edward, of course, is a vampire. And Bella's blood is as potent to him as vampire heroin. And yet, he cannot bring himself to kill her. So, he is torn between not being able to stay away from her and always being tempted to harm her. Bella is simply irretrievably in love with Edward.
The plot turns toward a small group of vampires who try to kill Bella (apparently, her blood is potent to other vampires as well), and then leaves us bracing ourselves for the next book.
New Moon is, if anything, better than Twilight, which was absolutely compelling. I don't care if Bella and Edward are teenagers: I challenge you not to fall for Edward Cullen. Even typing his name gives me a cheap sort of thrill. In New Moon, Edward decides it is too dangerous for him and his family to be around Bella, so he leaves her, forever, and strips her of all pictures, CD's, any reminders of their time together. He tells her that he will never return, and that it will be as if he has never existed. Meyers' treatment of how Bella handles Edward's leaving is absolutely searing: If you have ever loved and lost, this book will hit you where it hurts.
I have read criticisms of New Moon that talk about co-dependency and Bella being too reliant on a man for her own self-esteem and happiness. But if you can overlook that obvious criticism and read these for what they are: a terrific story of love and loss, then you will have a great, intense, two-day reading love affair. I gave these books to my neighbor and warned her that if she started them at night, she wouldn't sleep. She insisted that she would. The next day she came over sheepishly and said she had been up til 3:00 a.m. also. She described the books as "book crack. Better than french fries!"
So, I hope you will check them out and then come and tell me what you think!
What are YOU reading? (And for guy readers who may not so much be into the vampire romance, don't worry, I will talk about Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus novels, too!). And can you help me out with the Amazon list thing? Do you have any Amazon lists?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Ann Adams 4-27-2007 @ 3:35AM
I already told you about my nasty habit of reading People for free with my drink at Barnes & Noble so I could truthfully say I never buy it.
I haven't had a chance to sit and read an entire book since forever but I love this latest idea from Parent Dish. You all must have spend a lot of time brainstorming with great results.
Reply
Ann Adams 4-27-2007 @ 3:37AM
P. S. You and my Elcie would get along famously. She's absolutely hooked on vampires and anything that goes bump in the night.
Reply
daisy 4-27-2007 @ 10:57AM
Jen, I love vampire stories too! Usually they are terrible, so it's nice to hear about a good one. I just read a great vampire novel, really funny: You Suck, a Love Story, by Christopher Moore. Here's the amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/You-Suck-Story-Christopher-Moore/dp/0060590297/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-0741932-9038209?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1177684645&sr=8-1
It should meet your criteria of being light, funny, and addictive.
I also want to read Bloodsucking Friends by the same author (which I guess technically I should have read first).
Let's see, as far as other authors go: if you like young adult lit, have you read the Sabriel series by Garth Nix? Excellent.
Reply
Miss 4-27-2007 @ 10:42AM
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - recently finished it. INCREDIBLE.
The Effects of Light - Staid topic done in a wholly new angle. I doubt there are many who wouldn't enjoy it - it's got a sort of mass appeal.
Reply
Miss 4-27-2007 @ 10:43AM
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - recently finished it. INCREDIBLE.
The Effects of Light - Staid topic done in a wholly new angle. I doubt there are many who wouldn't enjoy it - it's got a sort of mass appeal.
Reply
mamaloo 4-27-2007 @ 10:58AM
I am (impatiently) waiting for the hubby to pick up Book 3 of Kevin J Anderson's Saga of the Seven Suns (Horizon Storm).
Yes, I am a scifi nut. The series is really good. I love grand space operas. And I love series novels as 500 pages just doesn't cut it for me anymore!
Since I have entered the no-sleep-zone of the third trimester, I read late into the night/morning while Kieran is asleep. And, while I may not be the fastest reader, I'm rather voracious. I finished Book 2 two days ago, asked the hubby, who works next to the library, to pick the next one up for me and then snapped when he came home empty handed due to a busy, rainy day. Frankly, I think nothing at work could be as important as satisfying one's very pregnant wife, a woman who's a little demanding at the best of times and definitely feeling a renewed surge of testy hormones, but, obviously my husband and I see things differently :)
I'm also reading The Labor Progress Handbook, by Penny Simkin. I AM a doula, after all!
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Lauren 4-27-2007 @ 11:20AM
Well, I haven't read any vampire lit, but I do have a few faves that I have finished in the last few months:
"I know this much is True" by Wally Lamb is the best book I have ever read. I love this guy, and it is the kind of book that will have you laughing, crying, shouting and just feeling elated. I re-read it about once a year, I love it so much.
I also really enjoyed "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger. It is a very intersting story and will keep you occupied and wondering. It is also her very first novel, which is AMAZING, because it such quality writing. Great book!
When I feel like reading fluff, I enjoy chick lit and my favorite author is Whitney Gaskell. I especially liked "Testing Kate" and "Pushing 30". She is an awesome writer and even has her own Mommy blog, which she has been maintaining for years, even before it was "cool" to have a blog. I have been a faithful reader for the last four years. Her blog is www.whitneygaskell.com.
Have fun!
Reply
thordora 4-27-2007 @ 11:41AM
Right now I have going:
The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan, and I'm about to reread Cosmos as well, since I remember how awesome reading it made me feel as a teenager
Perfect Madness-Judith Warner
The F Word- Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner
Just finished "You're not the boss of me" by Erika Schickel-a friend sent it, and I wish I could say I enjoyed it more, but I really didn't. It's ok...
and I'm buying the latest Steven Brust tonight if I can get there. (cause his Taltos series is the best fantasy series in my eyes)
I'm sure I have a few more that i'm working on, but the kids always run off with them. I tend to read a few at a time....
Reply
Gwen 4-27-2007 @ 11:50AM
Apparently the third in the trilogy Eclipse is also to. Here is the amazon.co listing:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316160202/ref=reg_hu-wl_item-added/702-2913331-5455250
For those Canadians that would rather the amazon.ca just take out the com add ca and keep the rest the same. :)
I have been reading the Septimus Heap Books by Angie Sage: Magyk, Flyte, and the third on is just out I can't remember the name. The So You Want to Be a Wizard Series by Diane Duane is excellent as well.
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sandymaple 4-27-2007 @ 1:09PM
I eat books, too! I like a good historical novel and have just completed Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See.
It's set in 19th century China and details the lifelong friendship of two women living in a society where girls are considered worthless. If you ever wondered about the Chinese practice of foot-binding, you'll find all the disturbing details in this story.
Reply
Amanda 4-27-2007 @ 1:49PM
Great new addition to ParentDish. I am a voracious reader, and also am always looking for a good read. I can't wait to see what you come up with, and I am ready to read the ones you suggested. Currently I am trying to work my way through some of the books on the 1001 books to read before you die list but I don't ever expect to ready every single one of those!
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j-mom 4-27-2007 @ 1:30PM
I love this thread, as I love to read and make time at the end of (nearly) every day to do so.
I second Laura's choice of "The Time Traveler's Wife", and my boyfriend and I loved this book so much that we chose the name Henry for our son's middle name.
A book that I just currently finished reading is "Oryx and Crake" by Margret Atwood is a page turner also. I have a thing for post-apocolyptic, dis-utopian novels, and this one is an interesting take on where society could take us.
A great funny novel is "White Teeth" by Zadie Smith, and an all-around favorite author of mine is Jonathan Lethem.
I could go on forever with a list of favorites, so I think that I may do an Amazon list...that is a great idea, and I would love to see other people's favorites.
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Maureen 4-27-2007 @ 1:36PM
On my nightstand right now are The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain and The Thin Place by Kathryn Davis.
The Thin Place is interesting and the writing style is so out of the ordinary. It is a book that isn't in my "comfort zone" but I'm trying to expand my literary horizons.
I also have a secret passion for books by P.D. James -- detective books have a warm place in my heart. I went through a lot of her books while I was nursing my youngest.
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Anna V. 4-27-2007 @ 1:48PM
Since I'm trying to make my time until the last Harry Potter book comes out go by quicker(oh, and the last Sword of Truth book too), I'm reading as much as I can. Right now I'm reading "Empires of the Word - A Language History of the World." It's written by a protege of Noam Chomsky (Nicholas Ostler), and it makes for a neat non-fictional read. Nothing like learning and having fun at the same time.
I think this kind of weekly post os a fab idea, and a refreshing break from some of the other (beat-to-death) topics.
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Jacqui from the Bay Area 4-27-2007 @ 2:21PM
I love to read about other busy moms who are voracious readers and have several things going just to sate their appetites.
Like many of you who have posted, I am a working mom of three rambunctious boys but I still make it a point to read books (or listen to audio ones in the car on the way to work). Right now, I am listening to "Swapping Lives" by Jane Green and going through two books - reading "I've Heard That Song Before" by Mary Higgins Clark and the new Stuart Woods books (left the book in the car and I cannot even remember the title).
As you can see from my choices, I prefer light reads. But I cannot wait to read The Time Traveller's Wife - it has been sitting on my shelf for so long I have to crack it open soon. I also have several library books waiting for me on a corner table - Nora Roberts' "Angels Fall" and Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "Memories of My Melancholy Whores."
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rebecca Biernesser 4-27-2007 @ 2:33PM
hmmm, I love to read smut...lol...actually, I can read just about anything good. My favorite author is Nora Roberts b/c not only does she include a bit of romance into the books she is great about going into different areas like murder, magic, etc. She also writes a series under the name J.D.Robb. I believe I own just about all her books.
if you are into smut books, another writer , that is new is celeste bradley. SHe has two series out, but they tie into each other, set back in early England. She writes alot of humor into her books, you know the one liners that makes you laugh humor.
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Jacqui from the Bay Area 4-27-2007 @ 3:03PM
And thank you, Jen, for sharing with us your penchant for vampire stories. My first foray into that genre is not even hard-core - Nora Roberts' 2006 vampire trilogy - (1) Morrigan's Cross, (2) DAnce of the Gods; and (3) VAlley of Silence.
I fell in love with Morrigan's that I was in the bookstore first thing on the day the second books were scheduled for release. I was sorely disappointed, however, to find that Barnes and Noble nor Target do not stock these books in the shelves on the exact date of release. I had to wait for two days before I can get my hands on them.
If other vampire stories are as wonderful as these, then I am hooked.
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Michelle 4-27-2007 @ 3:33PM
Currently, I am reading "Light in August" by William Faulkner, "Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey (my husband has become this guy's new prophet or something!), and "Little Bear" by Else Holmelund Minarik (It has 4 chapters and we read 2 last night at bedtime and will finish tonight and move on to the next Little Bear book).
I love light reads like Nora Roberts and Fern Michaels.
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LS 4-27-2007 @ 3:41PM
LOVE THIS TOPIC!!! Add another book-eater to the list.
I'm a huge fan of Nora Roberts - she writes classy "TRN's" (Trashy Romance Novels) - they actually have good story lines and developed characters that you would like to meet. They have sex in them, but they're not all about the sex scenes. She often writes trilogies, which allows even more character development. So yeah, light reading, but good.
My current read is "Goodnight Nobody" by Jennifer Weiner. I've discovered that, with the exception of her recently released short-story book (can't remember the title), that I love her writing. Witty, and with main characters that DON'T wear a size 0!!! A bit of romance, and a lot of humor-laced reality. Her books "Little Earthquakes" and "Goodnight Nobody" will appeal to moms. It's like reading about real people.
Other favorites are Vince Flynn ("24"-style 'get the terrorists' type books), Dan Brown ("DaVinci Code" and "Angels & Demons"), and, of course J.K. Rowling ("Harry Potter" - yes, I'm on the list).
Finally, I think your idea of a Parent Dish Amazon List is a wonderful one. That way, when it's time for me to find a new read, I don't have to go thrashing through the disaster that is my desk to find the snip of paper that I wrote all these great suggestions on!
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Sarah 4-27-2007 @ 4:14PM
Reading is how I recharge and maintain my sanity! Right now am reading "Collapse" by Jared Diamond, author of "Guns, Germs and Steel." I read a lot of non-fiction and this is good. Just finished Murakami's newest book, "After Dark" which is a really short but interesting, unique novel, sort-of Japanese magical realism, very dream-like.
Someone mentioned Kathryn Davis---her stuff is odd but I like it!
For pure escapist pleasure I like stuff like Dean Koontz (the odd thomas books are great) and I just read Stephan King's "Lisey's Story" which is "horror" but really about the bonds of marriage (or partnership) and siblings...
Would love to be part of this ongoing book conversation here!
Reply