Continuing on my George Elliot kick - just finished Silas Marner. So very sad. But wonderful.
Also read in parallel the PD James sequel to Pride and Prejudice – Death Comes to Pemberley. A little static but interesting in terms of character development.
Starting the new one that is causing stir – Life Boat – by Charlotte Rogan.
Just found this thread and love all the great suggestions!
Recent reads I’ve enjoyed: Immortal Bird - sad but heartwarming
The Baker’s Daughter by Sarah McCoy
Sarah’s Key
Am starting Middlemarch
Has anyone read “fifty shades of grey”? It was recommended to me but sounds a little iffy.
I got the book for free and decided to read it because of all the buzz about it. Sorry, I don’t have a problem with erotica, I have a problem with absolutely JUVENILE writing, just terrible writing. Character development? Forget it. “Christian Grey is really sooo good looking, really hot. Holy Crap! He’s so hot!”
If I had a dollar for every time she “blushed, flushed,” or he “gasped” in that book I’d be rich. We read over and over how “hot” he is, but don’t learn until at least midway through the book that he has auburn hair-no descriptions whatsoever prior to that.
It was the most stupid book I’ve ever read, and I found myself skipping through the “sex scenes” just to get to the end so I could at least feel I gave it the old college try.
I JUST DO NOT GET IT. I guess the author is laughing all the way to the bank.
I have Fifty Shades of Grey sitting here. A friend passed it to me, though she knows I harbor doubts about whether or not I want to read it. I can’t say she passed it along with the highest of recommendations (okay-at-best writing, got bored with the sex, etc.). She passed it to me with kind of a just-go-ahead-and-read-it ambivalence (if that makes any sense at all). On the other hand, I have another friend who loves it and r-e-a-l-l-y wants me to read it.
It’s definitely getting lots of buzz right now.
I’m happily reading The Game of Thrones - certainly not going to get any brownie points for virtuous reading there! Except for the ages of the characters (most of the children are several years younger in the book), the TV show has done an excellent job I think so far at least.
I have to admit I can be a bit of a book snob, but Game of Thrones is a guilty pleasure of mine! I had to take an extremely long train trip last summer and I passed the time by downloading successive books from this series to my Nook! Currently I am finishing the nonfiction book “Quiet”.
A friend of mine expressed similar sentiments. I told her “go ahead and at least read the first 4 or 5 chapters. Just so you can at least get a taste of it. Then let me know what you think.”
So I’ll say the same to you. Let me know what you think.
The amazon 1 star reviews of Fifty Shades of Grey are pretty entertaining (better than the book and more well-written).
To all the people who recommended “Sometimes A Great Notion”: THANK YOU. I am so very grateful to all of you for introducing me to one of the best books I’ve “read” in a long time. “Read” is in quotes because I got the audiobook from the library. The narrator is a marvel, slipping in and out of a couple dozen distinctive voices. If anyone’s having trouble getting into the book version because of the consecutive first person narrative style, try the audio version.
Sorely disappointed in “Death Comes to Pemberly”. Glad I didn’t buy it.
I’ll recommend “Thinking, fast and slow” by Daniel Kahneman, a nonfiction book about human nature, decision making, and economics.
Nrdsb4–thanks…now I definitely know to skip 50 Shades of Grey!
gouf78–I agree, terrible reviews are infinitely more entertaining than glowing reviews. 
Edit: And it’s a trilogy? Oh crap.
Fifty Shades of Grey is to S&M what Pretty Woman was to prostitution.
I’m a PD James fan and I was disappointed in Death Comes to Pemberly. PD James is 91 years old and in this book she stepped out of her genre and it fell short. Maybe James should stick with the tried and true–Adam Dalgliesh.
In the spirit of the book, you need to change that to “Holy crap!”
Nrdsb4, I’m really glad to hear that I’m not the only one who thought 50 Shades of Grey was awful. My friend who loves all things trendy thought it was amazing, but I thought it was boring. There’s not much plot and the writing is terrible.
Death Comes to Pemberley did disappoint somewhat. It’s worthing sticking thru to the end though because there was sort of an interesting twist concerning George Wickham and the mysterious Mrs. Younge, the governess of Georgiana when she almost eloped. PD James seems to be adding some additional dimension to the Wickham character, at least in terms of how he came to be such a lousy operator. Then in the end he and Lydia are off to – where else? – America!
I dunno. I didn’t enjoy it that much but it has me still thinking on the original novel in some new ways, which is to its credit.
Life Boat is quite good thus far.
I read enough reviews of 50 Shades to leave that one to those who will appreciate it.
Am pondering Silas Marner. Never read it in lit class and am longing to talk over its meaning. I feel as if its really about religion. I sense that Elliot was ambivalent about religion, even though she was so indoctrinated in early life.
A friend of mine is reading Garbology, so I’ve added that to my request list at the library. She also recommended Affluenza.
I haven’t had much time to read lately and am still slugging along through Death Comes To Pemberly… I think I am just at the part after Wickham’s preliminary trial, whatever they called it. I am enjoying it, but I think had I not approached it really wanting to like it I might be bored by now… it’s slowed down quite a bit, and Wickham has always bored me to tears.
Debating whether to do Persuasion or Silas Marner next… I haven’t read either before.
Saturday Night LIve had a pretty funny “advertisement” for 50 Shades.
It sounds dumber than a brick–and i have little patience for really, really awful writing. So I think I’ll skip it.
I just finished the Handmaiden’s Tale and really enjoyed it. For a fat little book, I zipped right through it.