Exracers Book Club - horsey or non ..

[HokieThea]

Bara, Tudor England absolutely facinates me too! I ordered Showtime just for their series, The Tudors. Have you heard of it? Really good! If you can't get it, I might just have to tape the series for you. They are focusing on Henry's efforts to annul his marriage to Katherine so he can be free to marry Anne Boleyn.

[Bara]

Thea - No - haven't seen it. It must be a US thing. Do you know about David Starkey?

I'm just making up a little parcel of books to send you. Normally I just drop them off at Oxfam! I believe I have your snailmail (escargot-mail as Niaru calls it!)

I'm sending you : 'The Last Days of Henry VIII', 'Elizabeth I'; TWO of the Mary Renault Trilogy, Bull from the Sea and Last of the Wine. You'll have to find The King Must Die - I've lost it! Chucking in a Louis de Berniere I thoroughly enjoyed : Senor Vivo and the Coca Lord.

Enjoy and pass on!

[HokieThea]

Oooo, mail from the UK! Thank you- I LOFF historical fiction! I'll see what I can do about making or finding a copy of "The Tudors".

Who's David Starkey?

[Bara]

David Starkey is a highly obnoxious little man who presents a UK TV series on the Tudors. But he knows his stuff...

Annoying, or what!

More books - has anyone read the 'No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency' a stunning little series of books starring Mama Precious Mtsotswe (or similar.) She's based in Botswana and she is a lady of 'traditional' build. She solves everyday crimes and she's wonderful.

Damn! Haven't got any left to add to your package, Thea - but there are more going in every moment!

;D

[brooks]

Thanks Bara for starting this thread


Need to make a list and go to the library . I did reread the Potter series and went on from there to the Chronicles of Narnia. Now I have just started a Dick Francis book :cowboyy: gave me to read. But I want some new stuff.

I love fantasy.

[NancyL]

Yes, I loved the Tudor period first (P Carr). But then came the Middle Ages when I discovered Anya Seton’s Kathyn when I was about 13. I always intended to major in history before doing my library degree. And who can argue against Geoffrey Chaucer, Kathryn Swynford, John of Gaunt and Edward the Black Prince.

Bara, I have been all over the UK visiting these sites. Especially Wells! Yes, I know Seton’s a Yank. Funny what inspires one. Then I discovered Dorothy Sayers as a result of Chaucer and the 12th century…she was a mediaevalist first....

Brooks : check out all the Mary Stewart books. Really great stuf.

[filly]

Brooks, I have a TON of stuff you can read if you like fantasy! Let me know which authors you haven' t read and I'll either send them, or better yet, in a few weeks I can hand deliver them as I will be off from school! ;D

Robert Jordan Wheel of Time series
George RR Martin A song of Ice and Fire
David Eddings Belgarian Series
Terry Goodkind Wizards First Rule series
Terry Brooks Shannara books
Christopher Paolini Eragon series
Stephan Donaldson Thomas Covenant series
TH White The once and future King
Pierce Anthony Magic Kingdom series and Xanthia series
Anne McCaffery Dragon series
Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke and Brendan Fraser
Wizard of Earth Sea series Ursala Le Guin
Bartameous Trilogy Jonathon Stroud
Red Wall series- Brian Jacques


Others:
Stuart Woods mysteries are awesome as are Alexander McCall Smiths books and then there are Stuart Woods books

[sarafina]

aww...COOL! i was just whining to DBF at the local library that i wanted to be part of a book club! anyone ever check out www.bookslut.com? great site.

i just checked out all the augustin burroughs books i could find at the local libe. thanks for all of the recommendations. june and july are "summer reading" months. NO science -- just pleasure reading!!

[adcooper]

Here I am! Books.....aaaaahhhhh.....

Okay, I'll try Life of Pi again, but I couldn't get past the beginning when I started it last year.

Recently read The Thirteenth Tale (Diane Setterfield), which is a heck of a story in the Wuthering Heights tradition. Some disturbing moments, but it kept me reading late into the night.

Poisonwood Bible, Bara? Yes! I like all the Barbara Kingsolver I've read. Next will be Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

I was on an E.B. White kick last year, and read the Collected Essays and the Collected Letters. Funny, smart, just tremendous stuff, and one of the best American voices.

NancyL, I love Mary Stewart. But I actually prefer her romantic suspense stuff. I grew up on her paperbacks, and reread them now and then. There's even one that involves the Lippizans, I think it's called Airs Above the Ground. She writes scene description so well, I think that is one of the reasons I've always found her books such pleasant, escapist reading. I'm THERE with her.

Niaru, I've requested A Thousand Splendid Suns, the new one by Khaled Hosseini. Kite Runner was amazing, so I have high hopes for this, too.

This is such a busy time of year at work, and I'm reading books that I'll read with kids in June and July--I'm having a Mysterious Lunch Bunch book discussion group for kids. We'll read mysteries and talk about them and have lunch together.

So far I'm planning to read The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick. I think they'll love it. It's a new book which is told partly in text but also largely in illustrations, but it's not like a graphic novel/comic book. The illustrations are beautiful.

Then we'll read Eoin Colfer's Half Moon Investigations, and Chasing Vermeer, by Blue Balliett. Still deciding about other titles.

I read some nonfiction, too. Especially like Philip Gulley's books, If Grace Is True, and If God Is Love. Enjoyed Three Cups of Tea, by Mortenson.

I'll stop now!

[Goalie]

"The Horse God Built" is what I am reading right now. It is a fast read so I am definitely interested in more books. ;D

It's a book about Secretariat and his groom.

[Bara]

Don't know that one, Terrie - will look it up! And Nancy - next time you're over, we'll do the history tour together.

FILLY! The Once and Future King! I grew up on that! 'Well, Wart, here we are - or were - again.'

And Ursula Le Guin, too. Gosh, we have had a similar grounding. I remember the Covenant of the Ring, too.

Ann - thanks, I'll get hold of The Thirteenth Tale.

For you girls who love fantasy worlds, 5 STAR recommendation is Phillip Pullman's Trilogy 'His Dark Matters'. It IS dark, but engrossing and - well - amazing.

Thanks so much, I have a reading list now which will certainly see me through for a while!

;D

[niaru]

All these book recommendations! Splendid!!

Bara and Ad, I looove Barbara Kingsolver, I think I've read all her books, but the Poisonwood bible is definitely my favorite.

As for your list, Filly, excpet for Cornelia Funke (I buy her books for my 10 yo and read them too!) I don't know any of those names! Shame shame shame on me!!

Bara, I thought the Phil Pullmans trilogy was a great one. I couldn't put those books down! I wonder what the movie will be like...

I liked The Time Traveler's Wife (forget the author), Jane Smiley's Horse Heaven, James Patterson's Maximum Ride, and in non fiction, Nathaniel Philbrick's Mayflower was very interesting.

These are the ones that come to mind right now but I'm sure I'll remember others...

[elizabeth_h]

Thanks for the recommendations! I am always looking for something good to read and I need a long list to pick from as our local library is not well stocked in English books.

I have not read many that I really loved recently. I am in a slump! I did enjoy these though:

Oryx and Crake (Margaret Atwood)
Time Traveller's Wife
The Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafon)

[Bara]

.. so ... what is your daemon, Claire?

[Lynne]

Hey, I have "The Life of Pi" on my bookshelf but have never actually tried to read it. Maybe now is time!
I forgot all about "Once and Future King"! I love Barbara Kingsolver and have, oddly, never read the Poisionwood Bible. My favorite of hers was.....The Prodigal Summer. That book made me feel so at home. I can't explain why or how but I was living as I read it.

I also loved Water for Elephants and was particularly disturbed but deeply moved by My Sisters Keeper. On't remember the authors off the top of my head. Did Picoult write My Sister's Keeper?

I finished The Thirteenth Tale recently and also stayed up at night to finish it. Right nowI'm reading a non-fiction The Omnivore's Dilemma which now sounds a bit up the path of the new Kingsolver book which my happy fingers might just have to click and get as we speak.

I think it would be great fun to make a list of books and read them together, comment on etc. Can you do that sort of a thing on a horse forum? Can we have a reading room? I know a perfect librarian for it

Wondermous moderators and webmistresses, can we? Huh? Huh? I promise I'll clean my room!