Monday 23 April 2012

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?


It's Monday is a book meme hosted by Sheila of Book Journey. It's a great way for everyone to share what they've been reading.

This is really two weeks in one but the first book on my list is the only book from the previous week. The res are from last week. I had a very good week reading wise. My course work is just about done and most of it has been handed in so I have relaxed a bit. Even took a trip to my local library. I haven't been since it relocated and it's all very modern and fancy. I quite like it though and I won't leave it so long before I go back. Also of course there was the readathon which was a lot of fun and most of these finishes are from that. Hope everyone else had a good week too.

Last two weeks I read;


Empire State - Adam Christopher. A great sci fi noir book. I read this for the sci fi challenge. I picked it rather than the group choice as I didn't want to buy more books (trying to be good). Glad I did as I very much enjoyed it.


Angelmaker - Nick Harkaway. Yes, I actually finished this last week. It was so good but it was the hardback edition that was slowing me down. A great story of a clockwork device that could destroy the world, spies and government agencies fighting over it and one poor clockwork repair man caught in the middle. Very different from his first book.


Freedom - Jonathan Franzen. I read this for the mixing it up challenge under the modern fiction category. I had been looking forward to it since seeing so many people raving about it and I had never read this author before. I know that a lot of people had problems with it, particularly the characters, but I loved it. Found it hard to put down.


The Doctor Will See You Now - Max Pemberton. The first of the readathon books. This is the third in a serious of books about Pemberton's time as a junior doctor. I remember describing the first one as similar to scrubs (without the daydreams). This is just as funny but still has a serious note. I liked it all the more because I recognised quite a bit of it.


The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie. I thought I had two of these waiting for the readathon but no, just this one. Such a good one too. No Hastings but probably my favourite starring Poirot to date.


Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Jeff Lindsay. Since everyone raves about the TV series I have been wanting to read the books. I quite enjoyed the first one although it's not the best book I have ever read. I got the impression that we are supposed to like Dexter despite him being a serial killer. I'm afraid to say I didn't. He came across as a little too smug. Haven't completely written off the books or the TV show though as I did still like it.


The Grass Is Singing - Doris Lesson. This was her first book so I am not going to be too harsh on her for not really enjoying it (The Golden Notebook is one of my favourites). I think more than anything it was the wrong choice for the hours I most struggled with. So I am not going to review it as I don't think I would be giving it a fair review.


Me Before You - Jojo Moyes. Still to review it. Ellie warned me that this book kept her up all night reading. Sure enough after a short nap and dinner I picked it up and that was me. Wasn't going back to sleep until I had finished it. I think I sobbed for the entire last 80 pages. I got this from the library and it's on short loan because of it's popularity. With how slow my reading has been I was actually worried about getting it read on time which is why I picked it up yesterday.

Just now I am reading;


The Granta Book of the American Short Story Vol2 - Richard Ford. This is the other book I got from the library. I picked it up because I do like a short story (a new appreciation) and flicking through it I saw a few authors I love in there. Only read the first one and very much liked it.


Revenge of the Tide - Elizabeth Haynes. I have only just started it so can't comment but like her first book.

Next I plan to read;


Possession - A. S. Byatt. I love this cover, good old Vintage - although not one of their classics. I read The Children's Book when it first came out a few years ago and loved it. Have been meaning to read this one ever since. Looking forward to it.

And that's me. I promise that was a one off. Anyone else had their reading week expanded thanks to the readathon?

12 comments:

  1. I loved The Golden Notebook, too...and some of Lessing's books I enjoy more than others.

    I hadn't heard of The Grass is Singing.

    Have a great week, and thanks for visiting my blog.

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    1. It was her first books so I won't hold it against her. Just glad I read The Golden Notebook first.

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  2. You had a great Readathon! Congrats! I will look into the Max Pemberton series. I loved watching Scrubs!
    Have a wonderful week!

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    1. Thank you. I love scrubs too although I didn't watch the last series. Those books are definitely entertaining.

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  3. Vintage does the best covers. And Possession is one of my top 5 books probably. It is excellent.

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    1. They do indeed. I'm looking forward to reading Possession.

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  4. I love the cover of Angel Maker...it looks very intriguing.

    Have a great week!
    Kristin @ Always With a Book

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    1. I love the cover too. Definitely fits in with the story.

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  5. Dexter is smug. But you have to also realize that he is a sociopath and sociopaths are pretty smug people. But (at least in the TV series) he does a lot of evolving and is really likable. I haven't read the books, yet -- but I love the show!

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    1. I knew he was a sociopath but the impression I got was that he's the serial killer everyone loves. At least that's the way the tv series was described to me. So I was expecting someone a little more likeable. Sadly that didn't happen. That's not to say I won't read more of them (or watch the show). It's just lowered my expectations a little.

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  6. Great list of books. The Agatha Christie looks really good.

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