what are you reading?

[Luke Plays Uke]

I tandem-read where I’ll listen to audiobooks when I’m commuting, running, or doing something with my hands like mowing or cross-stitching. But at the end of the day when I’m trying to settle down, I’ll pull out either the physical book I’m borrowing from the library or bought if it wasn’t available or sometimes my kindle, though I’m really trying to limit my screen time.

Sometimes audio books make for a better delivery of the story. Stephen King’s “Blockade Billy,” and “Dolores Claiborne,” are both monologue books so it feels natural to listen to them rather than read the transcription.

I love them (audio books),

 

[TimWilson]

...my kindle, though I’m really trying to limit my screen time.

I have a Kindle Paperwhite that really, truly does go easy on my eyes. No blue light, so I can also read it before bed -- a big deal because I'm otherwise hyper-sensitive to blue light.

I also dig that it's lightweight (much lighter than a paperback book), and the lack of apps means that it's ONLY good for reading. And my library checks out ebooks for Kindle (and other devices), so I'm not limited to the books I've bought.

 

[Arcy]

I find that it can frequently (but not always) be the case that an author should not narrate their own book;

Neil Gaiman is another who has done excellent narrations of their own books. I only listen to audio books of things I've already read and liked, as I don't focus enough on just the audio to follow the narrative, and I've definitely had the same experience of a bad reader completely throwing me out of the book. On the flip side, a great reader elevates the story and provides a whole new experience.

Almost all of my reading these days is electronic - kindle by the bed, synced to my phone on the run.

Current book is Brandon Sanderson's The Lost Alloy, following a re-read of the rest of the Mistborn Era 2 series that it completes. I re-read them in the wrong order though, since I had #2 and #3 on Kindle and #1 in iBooks (I think I downloaded it from Tor), and the second one is self contained enough it took me a bit to realize I was remembering things that had previously happened not which were going to happen. Oops.

Next up is Nine Nasty Words by John McWhorter . McWhorter narrates his own books, and I expect he's a good reader. He used to have a fantastic podcast (Lexicon Valley).

 

[ploverwing]

Reading "Killers of a Certain Age" by Deanna Raybourn and loving it so far. I think it was the only thing by her in our library, or maybe our library has one of her series but not from the beginning? I can't recall now, I just order and they come when the come, and I read them when they arrive, lol. Anyway, thanks for the author recommendation off this thread, it's a great read thus far.

Also listening to "Leviathan Wakes" by James S. A. Corey. It moves pretty well, too. I did a search for recommendations of audiobooks for people who enjoyed "Artemis" by Andy Weir.

 

[ploverwing]

I have a Kindle Paperwhite that really, truly does go easy on my eyes. No blue light, so I can also read it before bed -- a big deal because I'm otherwise hyper-sensitive to blue light.

I also dig that it's lightweight (much lighter than a paperback book), and the lack of apps means that it's ONLY good for reading. And my library checks out ebooks for Kindle (and other devices), so I'm not limited to the books I've bought.

I have a Kobo reader from years ago that's similar. I still prefer to read an actual book, but sometimes it's good, like for classics, but I don't read a lot of contemporary stuff digitally, unless it's something I really want to read and there's no hardcopy available at the library (read "No Country for Old Men" that way).

 

[Luke Plays Uke]

I just finished “Get A Life, Chloe Brown.” It’s a contemporary romance that was really good. None of that too-shallow Hallmark stuff and more than a couple spicy scenes. ;-)

Three more books and I’ll call my heat a success!

 

[Joyful Uke]

Just started Dave Grohl's "The Storyteller". I've never bought any of his music, (yes, I buy music vs. streaming), but he seems very well liked in the music industry. I got it from the library as an audiobook, and he narrates it. My goodness, he's had lots of serious injuries.

 

[TBB]

Just finished Stephen King’s Fairy Tale. Loved it. But tbh I’d happily read King’s shopping lists, he’s such an engaging writer.

 

[Luke Plays Uke]

Just started Dave Grohl's "The Storyteller". I've never bought any of his music, (yes, I buy music vs. streaming), but he seems very well liked in the music industry. I got it from the library as an audiobook, and he narrates it. My goodness, he's had lots of serious injuries.

If you haven’t checked out his documentaries, they’re SUPER good. Sound City covers the history of a recording studio and is wildly interesting and Sonic Highways was an experiment where the Foo Fighters went to different studios around the country, soaked up the vibe, and recorded a song there. I don’t think it was as good as Sound City, but each episode is basically a mini-documentary about the music scene attached to the city like DC’s love of hardcore, punk, and funk or Nashville’s country angle, but the best is the Austin episode where they briefly touch on how the gentrification of Austin is destroying the reason people like Austin in the first place. Fancy people are getting condos downtown because it’s cool to live in downtown Austin, then calling the cops because the musicians that make downtown Austin such a cool place are too loud.

Fascinating stuff!

 

[Luke Plays Uke]

Just finished Stephen King’s Fairy Tale. Loved it. But tbh I’d happily read King’s shopping lists, he’s such an engaging writer.

I liked almost all of that book and the pages FLEW by! I thought the sex scene was unnecessary and kind of awkwardly tacked on to such an extent that I thought MAYBE it was a critique on how that situation - the hero is owed a girl upon completion of the dangerous quest - was ALWAYS unnecessary and tacked on.

At least, I’m hoping so! ;-)

 

[TBB]

I liked almost all of that book and the pages FLEW by! I thought the sex scene was unnecessary and kind of awkwardly tacked on to such an extent that I thought MAYBE it was a critique on how that situation - the hero is owed a girl upon completion of the dangerous quest - was ALWAYS unnecessary and tacked on.

At least, I’m hoping so! ;-)

Urgh, couldn’t agree more about that scene. I really think SK should steer clear of sex scenes altogether, he’s just horrible at them. The worst example must be the one with the kids towards the end of “It”, what the hell was he thinking?!?

I love your idea about it being a critique on the hero getting the girl though, maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt on this occasion!

 

[TimWilson]

the best is the Austin episode where they briefly touch on how the gentrification of Austin is destroying the reason people like Austin in the first place.

Part of that Austin episode is the slight detour into Houston with Billy Gibbons, where he noted that Roky Erickson (13th Floor Elevators) had departed Houston for San Francisco, where The Doors saw him and decided that lounge jazz was a less interesting future than psychedelia! No doubt that drugs had been around in San Francisco long before Roky arrived, but amazing to see that he was the spark that set off that corner of music that we'd otherwise never to think to connect to Texas.

In any case, yes to everything you said, especially the Sound City recommendation! It's easy to see on lots of your favorite streaming platforms, and also available free in a number of places (here's one). One of the great music documentaries ever!

 

[Luke Plays Uke]

Urgh, couldn’t agree more about that scene. I really think SK should steer clear of sex scenes altogether, he’s just horrible at them. The worst example must be the one with the kids towards the end of “It”, what the hell was he thinking?!?

I love your idea about it being a critique on the hero getting the girl though, maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt on this occasion!

Yes, he should avoid sex scenes. Or at least read more spicy romances before writing another one. ;-)

 

[Joyful Uke]

Part of that Austin episode is the slight detour into Houston with Billy Gibbons, where he noted that Roky Erickson (13th Floor Elevators) had departed Houston for San Francisco, where The Doors saw him and decided that lounge jazz was a less interesting future than psychedelia! No doubt that drugs had been around in San Francisco long before Roky arrived, but amazing to see that he was the spark that set off that corner of music that we'd otherwise never to think to connect to Texas.

In any case, yes to everything you said, especially the Sound City recommendation! It's easy to see on lots of your favorite streaming platforms, and also available free in a number of places (here's one). One of the great music documentaries ever!

Thanks for the recommendation & a suggestion of where to watch it for free. I don’t have a streaming service, so it’s great to know about a freebie.

 

[Biem]

The Discord of God's by Jenn Lyons.

 

[Wiggy]

...
I always read the actual books, preferably hardbacks from the library. I like the way books feel in my hands, and I can go back and find a previous mention of something.

Hardcover. Same here. We have a terrific book reseller nearby with proceeds going to a real charity.

Voices of Stephenson County – Supporting Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence

voicesofsc.org

I read for about 1/2 hour before I go to sleep. I get unplugged from the day and it puts my mind at rest.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

Audio version of The Searcher by Tana French. Not your typical cookie cutter tale of a recently divorced big city cop who decides to spend his golden years in rural Ireland. What could possibly go wrong? French is an excellent author.

 

[Luke Plays Uke]

I finished A Very Merry Bromance and then read Christopher Pike’s The Midnight Club.

I’m in Mississippi right now for a class and I’m always going through used bookstores looking for missing pieces of my Stephen King hardcover collection. One owner was asking what I was reading right now and I told her Lyssa Kay Adams’ Very Merry Bromance and was having a good time.

It’s about a group of guys who read romance novels to find ways to be better partners to their significant others.

I thought she knew that, though, based on how her eyes lit up and she started flirting around the house (the shop is in an actual house in an actual neighborhood which feels weird - like you have to knock and ask if it’s okay to come in) grabbing all sorts of books. “You’d probably like this nonfiction book about sailing. Here’s a classic written by Oscar Wilde.”

Eventually she grabbed a book and said “I don’t KNOW if the guys go into a homosexual relationship in this one but I’ve heard good things.”

I just looked at her until I figured it out. She wasn’t familiar with the series and latched onto the bromance angle. I just explained it, bought a couple books to show support (no Kings, though. Five used bookshops and only ONE had ANY King hardcovers let alone ONE of the ones I needed!).

Anyway, it got me thinking and I have only read one queer romance and have a couple more on the shelf to be read eventually. Maybe I should try a MM romance and see how that goes.

But I digress.

The Midnight Club caught me completely off guard. I was expecting spooky because I saw the trailer for the Netflix show. But it’s not creepy at all. It takes place at a hospice and is more like… well, it’s about 18-year-olds on the edge of death dealing with the idea of mortality and what might lie on the other side. There are no scares, no tension, no ghosts, no monsters, and no bad guys. It’s a somber look at the end.

Which, I gotta say, makes for a WEIRD choice for Netflix to jump on for a Pike show. I only started reading him this year after being weirdly loyal to RL Stine as a kid and his books are always entertaining. He’s not afraid to swing for the fences and get weird, but it feels like a book like Bury Me Deep would have made an easier jump to TV.

Anyway, one more book and I’ll call this year a success (reading-wise). I’m finally going to read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - a super famous book about one of Georgia’s best cities. If you go to Savannah, every tourist shop has this book and some of them even have the statue from the cover. People seem to love it.

 

[Patty]

Reading "Killers of a Certain Age" by Deanna Raybourn and loving it so far. I think it was the only thing by her in our library, or maybe our library has one of her series but not from the beginning? I can't recall now, I just order and they come when the come, and I read them when they arrive, lol. Anyway, thanks for the author recommendation off this thread, it's a great read thus far.

I want to find that book!

 

[Tin Ear]

Read the label on a jar of salsa today.