What Are You Reading?

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I'm currently into Chasing New Horizons, which is about the mission to Pluto. Actually, it's about a lot more than the mission, and really makes you wonder how NASA is capable of getting anything bigger than a tin can to fly over our heads. Being able to work past the crushing amount of misused politics and actually see something like New Horizons through to the end shows how important these projects are to the people involved with them. Hurrah scientists.
 

Bea McMahon

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Hammering away at Dorothy Dunnett's King Hereafter.
 
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Veritable Quandry

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Student papers. Still.

And I am still reading Hogfather out loud to Mrs. Quandry a bit each night. I know it's late for Hogswatch, but it is a lovely book.
 
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ranner

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A lot of interesting titles mentioned here. I'm currently preparing my proposal for a Masters' in Sociology, so most of what I've been reading has been geared toward it. Nonetheless, I've been able to read some fiction.

Fiction: Just finished Murakami's A Wild Sheep Chase. One of his earliest works. Murakami wasn't quite happy with himself for the way he'd written this, but I don't see why. It is engaging, amusing, and perplexing, as most of his works are. Very few writers write as much about boredom. Almost all his books feature a resigned, bored individuals prone to painful rumination. All said, I'm only glad I read this one.

Proposal-related: On the other hand, I've been assigned quite a long reading list by my supervisor. I have until May to submit the proposal, and I'm currently sifting through recommended college-level Sociology titles, and hoping to select just the most relevant titles for my literature review.
 
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Maggy Hazelnut

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I'm just finishing a heartwarming book called "The Day the World Came to Town" about the town of Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, when 38 jetliners (most of them jumbo jets) had to land there with an hour from Europe on September 11th, 2001 when US airspace was suddenly closed down because of the terrorist attacks. The town of Gander had a population of less than 10,000 people & suddenly had almost 7,000 passengers & crew members to house, feed & care for until those planes could continue on to airports in the US several days later. Like many of you I've grown cynical & burned out on the bad things people do to each other & the horrible president & his cronies we have right now. I don't usually read sappy stories but I'm so glad I read this book. It brings back at least a bit of hope that there are still good people in the world. I highly recommend reading this book even if you think it's not up your alley. :)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004T4UNU0/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
 

Marie Reynaud

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I'm currently halfway through "Christine Falls" by Benjamin Black, which is the pen name of an Irish writer named John Banville. I'm also reading Gregory of Tours "History of the Franks" only slightly disappointed that it isn't anything about hotdogs.
 

Arilynn

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I’m reading Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks.

From Wikipedia:

The novel is written in the point of view of a housemaid named Anna Frith, on what she lives through when the plague hits her village. It is based on the history of the small Derbyshire village of Eyam that, when beset upon by the plague in 1666, quarantines itself in order to prevent the disease from spreading further. The Plague that hit Eyam is historically similar to the Black Plague in Europe.
It’s grim and sad but fascinating. The Wash Post and NY Times named it as a notable book of year for 2001.

It is filled, however, with words I’ve never seen and the Kindle app can’t define. A mine that is no longer useful is “gone Old Man”. Someone who is famished says “I am clemmed”. I think I can deduce the meaning of some, but others are more baffling. I usually dislike books with dialog that is hard to follow, but it adds to this book by making it seem truly of the distant past.
 

Kaimi Kyomoon

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I'm reading and enjoying The Locksmith's Daughter.
From acclaimed author Karen Brooks comes this intriguing novel rich in historical detail and drama as it tells the unforgettable story of Queen Elizabeth's daring, ruthless spymaster and his female protégée.

In Queen Elizabeth's England, where no one can be trusted and secrets are currency, one woman stands without fear.

Mallory Bright is the only daughter of London's most ingenious locksmith. She has apprenticed with her father since childhood, and there is no lock too elaborate for her to crack. After scandal destroys her reputation, Mallory has returned to her father's home and lives almost as a recluse, ignoring the whispers and gossip of their neighbors. But Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth's spymaster and a frequent client of Mallory's father, draws her into his world of danger and deception. For the locksmith's daughter is not only good at cracking locks, she also has a talent for codes, spycraft, and intrigue. With Mallory by Sir Francis’s side, no scheme in England or abroad is safe from discovery.

But Mallory's loyalty wavers when she witnesses the brutal and bloody public execution of three Jesuit priests and realizes the human cost of her espionage. And later, when she discovers the identity of a Catholic spy and a conspiracy that threatens the kingdom, she is forced to choose between her country and her heart.

Once Sir Francis's greatest asset, Mallory is fast becoming his worst threat—and there is only one way the Queen’s master spy deals with his enemies…


 

Maggy Hazelnut

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I don't have The Locksmith's Daughter yet but I DO have Year of Wonders: a Novel of the Plague in my Kindle PW. It's in my Reading Soon collection but I don't know when I'll get to it since my Reading Soon collection has 226 books in it right now. lol I'm working away on them! :)
 
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Rose Karuna

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I'm reading Christopher Rice's book Bone Music. He is Anne Rice's son, and I detest Anne Rice - no particular reason. But, I'm actually finding his book enjoyable.
I saw this and have read other things Christopher has written so I downloaded both books (Blood Echo and Bone Music) to my kindle and loved them .
 

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A gay romance series by Jay Bell. I normally don't read anything too heavy. Mostly self help/inspirational books, spiritual/metaphysical, certain types of history.
 

eku zhong

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Rose Karuna

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Just finished reading Lights All Night Long by Lydia Fitzpatrick . It was a depressing but fascinating juxtaposition of 2 cultures.
After a hefty start, I ended up enjoying it (even the incredible misery of it) and was quite sad when the book came to an end.

Now I am reading The Honey Bus: A Memoir of Loss, Courage and a Girl Saved by Bees by Meredith May.
I happen to adore bees so I'm going to download The Honey Bus tonight. I don't find them as part of stories enough in fiction and I'm surprised because they are such amazing, mysterious creatures.
 
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Maggy Hazelnut

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I just finished reading "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens. Right now it's on the top of the best seller lists across the country & it's well deserved. Incredible book that I highly recommend. So now I'm reading a couple books - "In Broad Daylight" that's a true crime story about a small town taking justice into their own hands by killing a man that terrorized the whole NW corner of Missouri for years. The book isn't just about the murder itself but how the town covered it up & the fallout of vigilantism. I wanted to read it before the documentary comes out about it on August 1st on the Sundance channel called "No One Saw a Thing". It's a fascinating story. The other book I've just started is called "Utopia 58" by Daniel Arenson. I got the first Advanced Reader Copy this morning! Score!! It's a dystopian novel where the government is trying to make everyone equal in every way. It releases on August 20th but I'm reading it today! :)
 

Lewis Luminos

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I'm currently reading Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan. Set in an alternative (and remarkably high-tech) 1980s London, the main character decides to blow an inheritance on the impulse purchase of an android, and it opens up all sorts of questions about what makes a person human.
 
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Zaida Gearbox

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Dark Suits and Sad Songs by Denzil Meyrick - it's the 3rd in the series, and how I ran across a Scottish term that I am not sure what it means...
 
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Brenda Archer

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Bea McMahon

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Theodore Parker: Yankee Crusader by Henry Steele Commager. Parker was a Unitarian minister. Transcendatilist, reformer, and abolitionist.
 
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