What are you reading...right now?

[horizon200]

Still working trouhg W.E.B. Griffin's latest. A little tougher read than his previous books.

[Heather]

I just finished

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion and A Million Little Pieces by James Frey.

Neither are recent books, but when it comes to books in English here, I gratefully take what I can find. I enjoyed both books enormously--Joan Didion has been one of my favorite writers for many years.

The Frey book, of course, is tainted by the controversy surrounding the fact that Frey and his publisher passed the book off as a straight memoir when some of the major incidents in the book were later proved to be untrue, such as arrests/jail sentences Frey claimed to have gone through. In my opinion, however, the book is a valuable and worthy glimpse into a harrowing near escape from drug/alcohol addiction, as well as an honest account of what rehab is like from someone who's been there.

[melliedee]

Originally Posted by Heather

The Frey book, of course, is tainted by the controversy surrounding the fact that Frey and his publisher passed the book off as a straight memoir when some of the major incidents in the book were later proved to be untrue, such as arrests/jail sentences Frey claimed to have gone through. In my opinion, however, the book is a valuable and worthy glimpse into a harrowing near escape from drug/alcohol addiction, as well as an honest account of what rehab is like from someone who's been there.

I liked Frey's book a lot. I always thought the controversy (and Oprah's rage at him for being "duped") was kind of stupid. He first tried to sell the book as fiction...and so what? It didn't really matter to me if it was a completely true memoir; it was moving either way.

[Heather]

Originally Posted by melliedee

I liked Frey's book a lot. I always thought the controversy (and Oprah's rage at him for being "duped") was kind of stupid. He first tried to sell the book as fiction...and so what? It didn't really matter to me if it was a completely true memoir; it was moving either way.

As usual, I agree with you 100%. Oprah, of course, formally apologized to him a few years ago; too late for him to live down the shame or repair the damage done to his career. Oprah is one powerful woman, she can make or break you.

[Ginger]

I'm reading Linchpin right now by Seth Godin. While I am only about a quarter way in, I love it. It reinforces an idea I have been trying to get across to my kids, that having passion and belief in doing things you love will result in you becoming very successful in that area, and that you can make a difference by doing so. You take action and make yourself indispensable, an asset to an organization.

[Michele]

I am reading "The Eighty Dollar Champion". It's about a horse my best friend's Mom learned to ride on while she was in school! It's been a horsy kind of holiday in our house!

[melliedee]

We recently discovered something we didn’t know about the Steig Larsson books — that he modeled his introverted computer hacker protagonist, Lisbeth Salander, on childhood favorite Pippi Longstocking. When delivering his Millenium series to his publisher, Larsson wrote, “My point of departure was what Pippi Longstocking would be like as an adult. Would she be called a sociopath because she looked upon society in a different way and has no social competence?” Well maybe, but we have to agree with Slate‘s analysis that cheery, delightfully odd Pippi Longstocking is not a believable younger version of the tough-as-nails Lisbeth Salander. Nevertheless, the idea got us to thinking about other literary legacies, and whether any of our favorite young characters might have grown up into other, older literary figures that we know and love. Click through to check out the pairs that we came up with, and let us know who you think would grow up to be who in the comments.

Slide show at link; kinda neat:

Kid Literary Characters And Their Grown-Up Counterparts

[melliedee]

"The Imported Bridegroom" by Abraham Cahan. Good stuff.

[janied]

Gone at 3:17 by David Brown

It's about a gas explosion at a school in Texas, the deadliest school disaster in U.S. history.

I'm not finished yet, but it's riveting.

[bearcat]

I have decided to take on an ambitious goal I have had for years and read the The Power Broker by Robert Caro. It is about Robert Moses and his impact on New York. It won a Pulitzer and is considered one of the best non-fiction books of all time. It is also 1300 pages. Wish me luck, I am going in.

[STOGEY]

I am reading. What am i reading right now.

[janied]

Originally Posted by Heather

I just finished

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion and A Million Little Pieces by James Frey.

Heather, have you read Blue Nights by Joan Didion? I was going to order it from Amazon?

[Rissask]

Help!

My friend's mom is battling cancer right now and her kids are getting her a loaded Kindle....she wants suggestions for funny/feel good books, nothing depressing.

I already suggested the Janet Evanovich/Stephanie Plum series- any others?

[melliedee]

Originally Posted by Rissask

Help!

My friend's mom is battling cancer right now and her kids are getting her a loaded Kindle....she wants suggestions for funny/feel good books, nothing depressing.

I already suggested the Janet Evanovich/Stephanie Plum series- any others?

Divine Secrets of the Yaya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells; The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (about death, so maybe not appropriate, but I would still file it under "inspirational"); The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd; Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel; Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman.

I'll try to think of a few more!

[gingele]

Fiction:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Non-fiction:

Kitchen Confidential

A Short History of Nearly Everything. Or any book by Bill Bryson, actually.

I'm sure I'll think of more...