What BOOK are you reading right now?

I'm having a bad time with books lately.

Trying to read Jordan County: A Landscape in Narrative by Shelby Foote. It is agony trying to slog through it. It's supposed to be one of my lunch time reading books. Agony. I think Southern Gothic is not really my thing. I've resorted to reading store flyers instead.

Need to pick up a new stash of books on Saturday at BMV.

Finally finished Rohinton Mistry's Such a Long Journey. Loved every single word.

hmmmmm, mebbe the problem is Mistry. Everything since then has seemed 'enh' .

That's funny. I remember getting his "Civil War:A Narrative"(3,000 pages-1.2 million words) and reading all 3 volumes right through.

Mistry is wonderful, for sure.

I just read a book club book that I had low expectations for and turned out to be quite enjoyable. It's firmly in the "single or unhappily paired (even if she doesn't realize how unhappy at the beginning) childless woman finds true love and a child by the end of the book" genre (and since I got involved with book clubs I've discovered that's a pretty capacious genre), but the plot and the details were pretty good. Especially, the main character is an ASL interpreter with a Deaf mother, and the author did quite well with that. (The book: "Between, Georgia" by Joshilyn Jackson.)

Finished The Watchmen.
It was well done, but just too unrelentingly grim for my tastes.

Found a copy of Interview with the Vampire while cleaning out some stuff.
I am starting to re-read it.

Oh wow! Tell us how it is the second time though, George!

I'm enjoying it. We were in New Orleans this May past and that gives me a
good feel for the setting.

Finished Madame Bovary.
Man, I gotta find something upbeat.

I am loving this. It explains some of the research behind techniques that I already know work - and the stories are cute.

Sorry for the digression: Its oddly compelling how people including myself react at the sight of a cute dog like the one on that book cover.

I saw that action dog and not knowing anything about her ... I just wanted to pick up the cutie pie and give it a bear hug.

How can one not love a jumping bean doggie?! Anyone?!

The cover was definitely what made me pull that book out of a stack.

Of course one of the first things you'd learn if you opened the book is ... do not give a chest to chest hug to a dog. Learning about the dynamics of the two species trying to work together is interesting.

recent reads









currently reading

I keep seeing several of the Alan Dean Foster Pip and Flix adventure novels at the NYPL, would like to give it a try. Which one is the first in the series? I can't seem to figure it out from the descriptions provided on the back of the paperbacks.

not read them myself, here's the reading order according to the fantastic fiction webpage

Pip and Flinx

1. The Tar-Aiym Krang (1972)
2. Bloodhype (1973)
3. The End of the Matter (1977)
4. Orphan Star (1977)
5. For Love of Mother Not (1983)
6. Flinx in Flux (1988)
7. Mid-Flinx (1995)
8. Reunion (2001)
9. Flinx's Folly (2003)
10. Sliding Scales (2004)
11. Running From The Deity (2005)
12. Trouble Magnet (2006)
13. Patrimony (2007)
14. Flinx Transcendent (2009)

apart from the taken series, i've only read individual novels, he's done alot of movie adaptations

Dark Star (1974)*
The Black Hole (1979)
The Thing (1981)*
Krull (1983)
The Last Starfighter (1984)
Starman (1984)
Into the Out Of (1986)*
Glory Lane (1987)*
Maori (1988)
To the Vanishing Point (1988)*
Quozl (1989)*
Cyber Way (1990)*
Cat-A-Lyst (1991)
The Dig (1995)
Star Trek (2009)

* particular favourites

Q: How do you get the image of a book's front cover into the Reply box? I've tried to copy and paste and it never works. What app are you using?

I've a mac and I just click on control and choose putting an image in new window.
I don't remember re pcs, but it is similar, choosing properties and then opening in a new window, grabbing the URL and putting it into the a2k reply box for image.

This is all given that you find the book image on amazon or some other site.

search the book cover you want in google image

copy the link and use the img tags, like this



it will then look like this

Thanks, djjd.

Osso, I saw your reply after djjd's. I'm still working on it. I don't have a Mac (which would make anything -- everything? -- easier) but I will figure it out. Thanks!

I'll bite... why shouldn't one give a chest to chest hug? I can understand not to give a chest to chest hug to a completely strange dog as it'll leave your face wide open for a good chewing on if the dog doesn't like your vibes... but I'm clueless on the what going to happens otherwise....