Which book are you currently reading?

[MooseMom]

Here is another topic for which we used to have a thread, but it was so old that it might be best to start a new one.

I just got a notification from Goodreads that I read 55 books this year, so I thought it might be fun to see which books you all have read in 2016 and to discuss which were your favorites.  Also, it might be fun to discuss what we all are reading right now and which books are next in line!

[iolaire]

The best book I read this year was The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto: A Novel - it also was the longest book I read according to goodreads.  It follows a Spanish guitar player throughout his life, mostly in the US, making music with tons of the greats.  I'm not really into music so I don't know all the greats mentioned in the story but it was a vary good story without that knowledge.  Written by Mitch Albom the author of "Tuesdays with Morrie" so it has a spiritual component.


FYI I'm enjoying the Kindle tie into GoodReads.  I think it came mid year but its a good way to track what you read with minimal effort..

[cattlekid]

I slacked on my reading this year.  According to Goodreads, I only read 10 books.  Which is probably true, I try to keep track of everything I read and I read a lot on my Kindle.  I tend to knit and crochet more than I read.  I need to balance that better in 2017, plus spend less time on social media.   

The best book I read this year was https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13642950-the-aviator-s-wife.  It is a novel based on the life of Anne Morrow Lindbergh.  I did not know much about Charles Lindbergh other than the basics so this was a fascinating look into both of their lives, plus the kidnapping of their child. 

To boost my 2017 reading total, I am working on the Popsugar 2017 reading challenge.  It is a list of 40 prompts that you can find on popsugar.com, plus additional prompts for a more "challenging" challenge.  I have already picked my 40 books and I have shamelessly already started on the first one:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216363.The_Man_in_the_High_Castle  I loved the first season of Man in the High Castle on Amazon Prime and the second season will be released on Friday.  I want to finish the book before I start the second season. 

[kristina]

The book that impressed me most this year was: Former People, The Final Days of the Russian Aristocracy by Douglas Smith.
It is the story of how the Russian elite, famous for its wealth, its service to the empire, its promotion of the arts and culture, was dispossessed and destroyed along with the rest of tsarist Russia. I could only read this book very slowly and it touched me very much because many "Former People", like my own family were only able to survive by leaving their homeland.

[MooseMom]

Kristina, that must be fascinating reading for you!

I'm currently reading "Imagine Me Gone", a fictional tale that traces a family whose father and eldest son are mentally ill.  It is written with a great deal of wit and is not nearly as depressing as it sounds.

I have requested "A History of Singing" from my local library.  It is a non-fiction work that outlines exactly that, ie, a history of singing.  That sounds fascinating to me.  When and why did humans begin to sing? 

[cattlekid]

I finished Man in the High Castle last Friday.  If you like your books to have closure, this is not the book for you.  Also, if you are in the middle of watching the series on Amazon Prime, you might be frustrated as I was with how the series and the book diverge from each other.

I've started Boys in the Trees which is a memoir from Carly Simon.  I just found out from a friend I trust that it gets dry at the end but she said it's worth reading to find out about the relationship between Carly Simon and James Taylor.  Since I really like both of them as musicians, I'll tough it out.   

[kristina]

Kristina, that must be fascinating reading for you!

I'm currently reading "Imagine Me Gone", a fictional tale that traces a family whose father and eldest son are mentally ill.  It is written with a great deal of wit and is not nearly as depressing as it sounds.

I have requested "A History of Singing" from my local library.  It is a non-fiction work that outlines exactly that, ie, a history of singing.  That sounds fascinating to me.  When and why did humans begin to sing?

... Unfortunately it was not that fascinating a book to read, rather haunting and that explains why I only could read "Former People" very slowly... it was very difficult to digest the information provided, especially since my own genetic family was involved...
... " The history of singing is difficult to define as in the dark ages it was the nuns and the monks who "brought" singing to the youngsters whom they taught and also people used to sing under the Lime tree in the evenings after work. Why the Lime tree? Because every village and town had in its middle a Lime tree as a symbol for people to meet there after work and there they had their gossip and their sing-along...

[Charlie B53]

The Knights Templar by Stephen Howarth

A moe current view of the history of the Knights, How, When, and Where they came into being.  Their persecution and death's at the orders of King Phillip. 
Haven't gotten far enough yet to know Who survived and what went on afterwards.

Interesting bits of History.

[kristina]

The Knights Templar by Stephen Howarth

A moe current view of the history of the Knights, How, When, and Where they came into being.  Their persecution and death's at the orders of King Phillip. 
Haven't gotten far enough yet to know Who survived and what went on afterwards.

Interesting bits of History.

... That sound a most interesting book to read and I shall look out for it...
Thanks for letting us know and kind regards from Kristina.

[Rerun]

Reasons To Vote For Democrats: A Comprehensive Guide

A short read.  Excellent!!   

[MooseMom]

"Trump and the DSM-5".  Very thought provoking.

[Michael Murphy]

Republicans and the Morons that vote for them.

[Rerun]

      Gotcha!

[MooseMom]

     Gotcha!

...by Donald J. Trump

[Riki]

I just finished the first 5 of the Wrinkle in Time books by Madeline L'Engle.. I think there are more, if memory serves me, but I've read 3 of those first 5 books before..

The 5 books are A Wrinkle in Time, which I've never read before, A Wind in the Door, which I don't remember reading, but I could have, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time, all of which I have read before

I'll have to check on her other books, because in high school, I'm sure I had a list of them as long as my arm, since my school library didn't have them all..

[Michael Murphy]

Actually I am currently plow through Shelby Foote 3 massive volume on the civil war, the books are so large I bought a new copy that's a eBook so I can carry them.

[cattlekid]

I know I'm way behind the times, but I am currently working my way through Dan Brown's "The DaVinci Code".  The first 20% seemed repetitive so I must have picked it up at some time in the past and just never finished it.   

BTW, the Carly Simon memoir was as dry as my friend said it was.  Too much name dropping and not a lot else.  Carly, we really don't care to know everyone you slept with over the years.

[Riki]

BTW, the Carly Simon memoir was as dry as my friend said it was.  Too much name dropping and not a lot else.  Carly, we really don't care to know everyone you slept with over the years.

Check out Janis Ian's autobiography.. or even better, check the audio book version.. every chapter is named for one of her songs, and at the beginning of each chapter, she sings a few lines from that particular song.. the stories she tells are also quite interesting, and she tries to keep it light and humorous, even when the story itself isn't that funny... my favorite story is how she met her wife.. it's quite a funny story

[Michael Murphy]

Cattlekid there is a version of the DaVinci code that includes pictures of all the places in the book.  If it includes mention of a monument or statue the picture is there to see.  Made the book far more interesting for me.

[kristina]

I know I'm way behind the times, but I am currently working my way through Dan Brown's "The DaVinci Code".  The first 20% seemed repetitive so I must have picked it up at some time in the past and just never finished it.   

BTW, the Carly Simon memoir was as dry as my friend said it was.  Too much name dropping and not a lot else.  Carly, we really don't care to know everyone you slept with over the years.

I have also tried to read the "Da Vinci Code", especially since I have been suspecting for a long while, that Lisa Gherardini, the "Mona Lisa" may have suffered from some kidney trouble, because her face shows clearly some serious water-retention ... Anyway, after reading a few pages I found the book completely unbelievable and because of it I brought it back to my library straight away ... and so it comes that I still don't know what the "Da Vinci Code" is all about...

[Charlie B53]

I forgot the name. I just finished reading of the History of the Templar Knights, how they were formed, how they fought for Christ. It was a sad tale of death and destruction between Religions.

It actually hurt me that different Religions could not agree and killed each other both claiming theirs to be the True Way.

The end of the Templar Order was brought about ny jealousy for King Phillip wanted the lands, moneys, and power of the Templars for his own.

[Charlie B53]

I haven't read it yet.  I just ordered the Book "Heaven Is Real".  This touching story of a mid-West Pastors very young Son's experiences in Heaven while undergoing emergency surgery. Lifetime channel made movie based on this story.  Very touching.

I truly Believe it to be written 'A Child shall Lead Them".

I don't doubt this to be that Child.

I have read many Religions seeking to find Truth.  I can not say that I have a personal relationship with God, or Jesus, yet.  I try. But I fear I am yet blinded by this World.  Someday. Hopefully.

[Rerun]

Heaven is For Real will cement your faith.  It is a good book.  Then you might read "The Good Book"......   

I am "Listening" to "The Chamberlain Key" by Timothy P Smith -  The Key to knowing God is real.

The Chamberlain Key presents empirical evidence that the oldest extant Hebrew Biblical texts are vastly more multifaceted and extraordinary than previously acknowledged. The sections of the ancient texts which Biblical Hebrew experts agree are the most pristine are in fact encrypted with stunningly detailed intelligent messages; messages that are thematically consistent with the open text of both the Old and New Testament. But what is most startling, and unequivocally apparent, is that these encrypted messages could only have been coded into the ancient text by a supernatural intelligence communicating from a dimension outside of linear time.

[Charlie B53]

I looked up 'The Chamberlain Key'.  I have read of these 'hidden' messages before so I am VERY interested to learn more.  I ordered the book.

[kristina]

The Honoured Society (Subtitle: My Journey to the Heart of the Mafia) by Petra Reski.
Petra Reski (born 1958, in Kamen) is a German journalist and author renowned for her anti-Mafia publications
In 1979, having been fascinated by Coppola’s masterpiece “The Godfather” twenty–year-old  Petra Reski drove from her home in Germany to the Mafia-stronghold of Sicily; she wanted to see for herself the reality behind the glamorized fiction. In 2007 six Mafiosi were shot dead outside a Pizzeria in the North German town of Duisburg. In nearly thirty years, the influence and violence of organized crime had only spread, but by then so had Reski’s reputation: she had become recognized as one of the world’s foremost experts on Italy’s notorious criminal gangs. Vividly told and often deeply shocking, “The Honoured Society” is the true story of one woman’s personal journey to the dark heart of the Mafia. Through her brave and often spine-chilling first-hand account of meeting crooked priests and heroic victims, tearful wives and murderous husbands, Petra Reski not only exposes just how far Italy’s Mafias permeate everyday life across Europe, but she also shows the human stories and the human costs of the Mafia’s ongoing organized crime.