BellaOnline Forums Education Reading What Are You Reading?

Hi! I am munching on a warm homemade peanut butter cookie with a book in my other hand. I am currently reading a vintage mystery -
Connie Blair and The Riddle In Red
by Besty Allen.

Chel

Hey Michelle,

I'm reading a book about "Twin Peaks" director David Lynch and also a new novel from Lawrence Osborne called "Hunters in the Dark". I've found that it's much harder to find the time to read now that I'm writing weekly articles for BOL, though.

Angie - can you read a book that a drama movie is based on?
Kind of a comparison article.

Chel,

Interesting idea. There was a French film based on a novel titled "99 Francs". I read the book and watched the movie, and I think it is one of the rare cases where the film was greater than the book. I'll try to think of a more recent release in which to compare novel and film.

I'm reading - almost finished - Andy Weir's The Martian. I saw the movie before Christmas, which I very much enjoyed. And I'm enjoying the book too. I may write about it/them.

Mona - I have yet to see the movie. Have you found any big differences between the two?

I have been ignoring my collection of Nancy Drew Books for far too long. It's time to team up with Nancy and solve some mysteries.

What are you reading?

Chel

Currently reading - Show Your Work by Austin Kleon & Indie by Michael J. Holley.

I'm reading Ã…sa Larsson's Until They Wrath Be Past. She's a Swedish crime writer. "Scandi noir" is quite popular in Britain.

Hi Mona! Thank you for sharing.
I am currently reading an American Classic - "Up The Down Staircase" by Bel Kaufman.

I am currently reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert for a book study I'm hosting. I am LOVE, LOVE, LOVING this book.

I am also reading The Crack in the Cosmic Egg by Joseph Chilton Pearce because I find him fascinating. This is a heavy and heady read. I am not to a point where I can say I'm enjoying it LOL!!!

Your second book almost sounds like homework, Deanna!

I am reading a western novel called "Thunder of Eagles" by William W. Johnstone.

Chel, I read Up the Down Staircase ages ago. A lot of resonance when I began teaching.

The Martian movie was, I think, generally faithful to the book. Obviously, they had to leave a fair bit out. And I did feel that there was a difference in how some of the characters related. The author did a lot of research and the knowledge blended well with the fiction, except the movie had something completely unbelievable near the end.

Mona, I loved the book, but I have never seen the movie adaptation.
I have the ebook edition which has a great forward from the author talking about her research and how she came about writing a full book from a simple short story.

It feels like it Chel! I have this thing about finishing books though And maybe they don't always need to be finished LOL! I'm not quite ready to give up on it yet - but yes, it feels like homework.

Deanna - Are you still "studying" your book?
At the moment, I am working on a pile of the type of books I want to write and illustrate.
Chel

Chel, I have put that particular book back in my book case. Maybe another day

I am almost finished with Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, and have started a book by Gregg Braden called "Resilience from the Heart."

My daughter wants me to start Insurgent, so I can read Allegiant, so we can go see it at the movie theater LOL! She thinks it's very important I read the books before seeing the movie. I love when she wants me to read stuff. And I LOVE seeing her sitting with a book, because it's not often.

So weird - I always thought my kids would be reading fanatics like me.

I just started a Young Adult book called "Always Abagail" by Nancy Cavanaugh.
It's written in the style of lists!

I just finished reading the "I Heart Band" series by Michelle Schusterman.
(4 books). I loved it! Gave all of them a 5 Star rating on Goodreads.

What are you reading?

Chel, what does it mean to write a book in the style of lists??

I'm currently reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (I've already zipped through the first three, but this one seems to be taking longer).

I'm also reading Carry On Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton. I am loving it! It reminds me of the style of Elizabeth Gilbert and Brene Brown. And I think it will make a great book club book.

I was on a cruise recently - a great opportunity to read David Mitchell's The Bone Clocks. I'd read Cloud Atlas several years ago, which I thought would be hard to beat. But he just keeps on with superb, intricate, intriguing writing. Wow.

I've just finished reading Kazuo Ishiguro's The Buried Giant. (I found it in the book exchange.) Such a strange book, one that sneaks into your head and keeps demanding attention. A bit odd maybe to keep remembering a book that's about forgetting.

Mona, Cloud Atlas is on my to-read list! I haven't seen the movie either.

It sounds like you are reading some interesting books

Deanna, I also haven't seen the movie Cloud Atlas. The critics were certainly divided on it - an overall 66% from Rotten Tomatoes.

"Some say it’s an awe-inspiring work of visual and emotional daring, while others say it’s muddled, pretentious, and overlong. It’s a series of interconnected vignettes that follows a variety of characters . . . across centuries, as seemingly small actions and events have monumental repercussions. The pundits agree that Cloud Atlas is a singular film, but while some are thrilled by its monumental scope and big ideas, others say it’s too undisciplined and disjointed to realize its outsized aims."

I can certainly believe that the complexity of the book doesn't lend itself to cinematic representation.

I am reading a little James Thurber, today!

It means telling a story by writing the plot and characters into lists. For example:

Five Reasons It Wasn't A Good Day
1. I hated my hair because it doesn't look like Mindy's.
2. I wish I had red hair with tight curls.
3. Blah straight brown hair that frizzles more than twirls is a pain.
4. If I knew where Mindy was, I would ask her how she gets her curls so tight.
5. I can't ask her. No one knows where she is any more.

That kind of thing. I found a book last summer at our library that was written in lists and I was intrigued.

I am still reading the same two books LOL!!! But, at least I'm further along in them.

I just started reading
Wonderstruck
by Brian Selznick