What Are You Reading (Jan 2009 edition)?

Leo62 · Post by **Leo62** » Thu January 1st, 2009, 6:39 pm

Now well into "Azincourt" by Bernard Cornwell, and so far it's been a very pleasant surprise. Great pithy, muscular writing and some brilliantly creative cursing - my favourite so far is "putrid turd-sucking bastards"

Maggie · Post by **Maggie** » Thu January 1st, 2009, 8:38 pm

I'm now reading: Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. Never heard of this author before, it was a gift from my son at xmas. I'm quite excited about reading it. It's by a Japanese author and has been translated into English.

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Thu January 1st, 2009, 8:45 pm

That author is a favorite of many posters in the Readerville forum. I've tried him twice: that book, and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. I could see why they liked him, but just wasn't my cuppa tea. I'll be interesed in your take

Leo62 · Post by **Leo62** » Thu January 1st, 2009, 10:28 pm

[quote=""Maggie""]

I'm now reading: Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. Never heard of this author before, it was a gift from my son at xmas. I'm quite excited about reading it. It's by a Japanese author and has been translated into English.[/quote]

Murakami is great

Bit of a cult over here, very big in Japan

EC2 · Post by **EC2** » Thu January 1st, 2009, 10:55 pm

[quote=""Leo62""]Now well into "Azincourt" by Bernard Cornwell, and so far it's been a very pleasant surprise. Great pithy, muscular writing and some brilliantly creative cursing - my favourite so far is "putrid turd-sucking bastards"

[/quote]

This is one for my TBR this year.
I wonder how authentic the cursing actually is!

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Fri January 2nd, 2009, 1:26 am

Since Needle in the Blood is the only book I own that's in the running for February BOTM (besides A Question of Guilt which I have recently read), I decided to read it next. This is a period I don't know all that much about so I am eager to learn more.

Ariadne · Post by **Ariadne** » Fri January 2nd, 2009, 2:51 am

For some reason (probably because it's been staring at me from my shelves for way too long) I decided to take on a doorstopper of a novel, the modern translation of Kristin Lavransdatter by Tiina Nunnally. Since it's about 1000 pages long in total, I may stop after part 1, take a break to read something else, and come back to the rest later. My only wish is that I'd spent the extra $$ and bought it in three separate volumes, because it's hard to hold open when you've got a cat sleeping on your lap.

boswellbaxter · Post by **boswellbaxter** » Fri January 2nd, 2009, 3:35 am

[quote=""Ariadne""]For some reason (probably because it's been staring at me from my shelves for way too long) I decided to take on a doorstopper of a novel, the modern translation of Kristin Lavransdatter by Tiina Nunnally. Since it's about 1000 pages long in total, I may stop after part 1, take a break to read something else, and come back to the rest later. My only wish is that I'd spent the extra $$ and bought it in three separate volumes, because it's hard to hold open when you've got a cat sleeping on your lap.[/quote]

They should cat-test books before selling them so they can mark them appropriately. (Or dog-test them--Boswell also believes that me picking up a book is an invitation to him to join me on my lap.)

wendallpauls · Post by **wendallpauls** » Fri January 2nd, 2009, 4:16 am

[quote=""diamondlil""]My 2009 reading year is starting off with It by Stephen King (I really, really need to just sit down and finish this one!) and Bleeding Dusk by Colleen Gleason. Coincidentally the first book in her Gardella Vampire Chronicles was the first book that I finished in 2007, so it is almost a new year tradition to start with one of her books.[/quote]

I'm not much of a Stephen King fan, but I did recently finish "Duma Key", which I found very impressive. It was long - as it seems is the way with Mr. King - but it was good. He missed on a few of the 'supernatural' elements, but the story and the characters were strong.

wendallpauls · Post by **wendallpauls** » Fri January 2nd, 2009, 4:21 am

[quote=""EC2""]This is one for my TBR this year.
I wonder how authentic the cursing actually is![/quote]

I'll have to see if I can check into this one. Creative cursing seems to be a lost art in the world today with authentic cursing resorting to the mundane regularity of the profane. To slap someone with an insult without them even realizing they've just been hit, that's the creative mind I want to meet.