Category: What Are You Reading?

What Are You Reading: Lord of the Rings Edition

On By cherylmahoneyIn Ruminations, What Are You Reading?13 Comments

Time for another post for What Are You Reading, hosted by Book Journey.  I have been reading…a lot of Lord of the Rings.

On my last WAYR post, I was about to attempt The Fellowship of the Ring.  I am happy to report I finished that one, and didn’t find it nearly as difficult to get through as I feared.  I didn’t madly love it–but it was a good time.  Posted my review here.  I read a few other books, but pretty quickly went on to The Two Towers.  Have to keep the momentum up, now that I’ve begun!

P1020482I have a few books lined up for after The Two Towers.  I’m thinking Heart’s Blood by Juliet Marillier next, then The Master of Heathcrest Hall by Galen Beckett to finish the Mrs. Quent trilogy, and then The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley, since I just reread The Blue Sword, the companion book (review here).  And then–on to Return of the King!

So I’m actually reading a fair bit that isn’t Lord of the Rings…but Tolkien looms rather large.  All three books have been these big icons in my reading plans, and all the other books have been selected and viewed as fitting in around Lord of the Rings.

Can you tell that I sort of make a big deal out of these books?  But after having them loom at me for ten years, it is a big deal to finally read them! 🙂

What are you reading this week?

What Are You Reading?

On By cherylmahoneyIn Ruminations, What Are You Reading?15 Comments

itsmondayIt’s been a while since I joined in with the Book Journey meme, “It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?”  Maybe it’s time for an update!

I’ve been reading lots of fantasy for Once Upon a Time, which has been enormously fun.  And I can’t believe we’re almost a month in already!  I have so many more books to read…

Right now I’m midway through A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett, because I’ve been meaning for months to read more of the Tiffany Aching books, which feel a bit more like a proper series than the rest of the delightfully mixed up Discworld books.

Coming up next I have a big one to tackle: Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien.  I read The Hobbit years ago (and reread it recently), but I’ve never read the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  I was bound and determined to make the attempt this year, and now’s the time!

I am probably way over-focusing here…I reread The Hobbit and watched the movie of Fellowship in preparation, then made sure I cleared through my stack of library books before turning to Tolkien.  So I’ve been counting down to Fellowship for about six books now.  Wish me luck!

I have new ones coming in from the library as well, for once I get to the other side of Middle Earth.  I’m planning on Heir to Sevenwaters, the next in the series by Juliet Marillier, and The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley, which I read so long ago I barely remember it.

As you can see, we’re continuing the fantasy adventures…

What Are You Reading This Spring?

On By cherylmahoneyIn Ruminations, What Are You Reading?14 Comments

itsmondayTime to join in again for the Book Journey meme, “It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?”

I finished reading and reviewing Les Miserables, which was quite the long haul.  Read the review(s!) here: Part One, Part Two and Part Three.

I read and enjoyed the other books on my previous list, with reviews coming up in the next week.  I’ll have Scarlet up tomorrow.  (Addendum: It’s up now!)

Right now I’m in the middle of My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier, because I love her most famous book, Rebecca.  I first heard about this one years ago, and thought I didn’t want to read it because it was too much like Rebecca–another mysterious woman who may be good or may be monstrous, though in this case it’s her husband who died under mysterious circumstances.  So I put that one at the back of my mind and read three other, very different, books by du Maurier…and didn’t find them to be all that good.  Yet I’m convinced by Rebecca that du Maurier is absolutely brilliant!  And thus I’m deciding that maybe it makes sense after all to read her most Rebecca-like other book.  So far, I’m liking it better than the others!

Spring BooksAfter this one, I have a big stack of fantasy I’m eager to jump into.  The Once Upon a Time “challenge” runs every spring, and I may just start in on the fantasy a few days early.  I have a number of rereads piled up, but I want to take a new perspective on them: Chalice by Robin McKinley, because I want to look at it as a Beauty and the Beast retelling; Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George, because it was only the second “12 Dancing Princesses” story I ever read, and now I’ve read eight or ten, and written one; The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien which I haven’t read since I was maybe twelve.  And I am vowing and swearing to read Lord of the Rings this spring, and The Hobbit seems like good gateway-Tolkien.

And last, I have been meaning to read Good Omens pretty much forever.  Because, I mean, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman!

I’ll let you know how it goes.  🙂  Happy Spring and Happy Reading this week!

It’s…Not Quite Monday, But What Are You Reading?

On By cherylmahoneyIn Ruminations, What Are You Reading?10 Comments

itsmondayAs usual, I’m joining in a little early for the Book Journey meme, “It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?”

I haven’t had much to report here recently, because I spent two weeks reading Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.  I turned the last page Friday evening–loved it, won’t even begin trying to unpack it here.  Stay tuned for a review (maybe more than one…it’s long, you know?)  In between volumes of Les Mis, I had some fun with graphic novels, and The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury.

Looking ahead…yesterday at the library I picked up Scarlet by Marissa Meyer, Book Two in her series of sci fi fairy tale retellings.  I waited literally months on the library hold list for Book One, Cinder, so for this one I was smart and got on the list much earlier.  Scarlet just came out in February, and I’m excited to jump in–apparently it brings in Little Red Riding Hood!

I also have Imagined Lives: Portraits of unknown people, a collection of short stories inspired by, well, portraits of unknown people.  I’m fascinated by paintings, especially portraits, and this collection is put together by my favorite museum (ever!), the National Portrait Gallery in London.  Plus I saw a TED talk by one of the authors referencing the book, and have been intrigued ever since–and without even realizing that Terry Pratchett contributed a story!

After those two, I’m hoping to read Marie, Dancing by Carolyn Meyer–if Amazon and the Post Office cooperate with my plans and get it to me!  I’ve read it before and it’s a pretty good historical fiction story about the model for Degas’ statue, The Fourteen Year Old Dancer.  I must confess, though, I’m mostly interested in a reread for the sake of what it can tell me about life in the Paris Opera House, circa the 1880s.  There’s not so much as a hint of a reference to Monsieur Phantom, but he was inhabiting the same time period…and I recently have been failing utterly to find an actual history book that will tell me about the Opera in that time.  So I’ll see what fiction can offer!

That sums up my immediate plans…what are you reading? 🙂

What Are You Reading: Mostly, Les Mis

On By cherylmahoneyIn Ruminations, What Are You Reading?27 Comments

itsmondayI think it’s time for another installment of What Are You Reading?  🙂  What I have been reading is lots and lots of science fiction, but I’m getting down to the end of my stack.  I’m midway through Federation, leaving just one Trek book left from my original plans…and quite a few new additions to the To Be Read list after reading everyone else’s reviews for the Sci Fi Experience!

But for the moment I’m stepping away a bit from the sci fi.  In my ongoing quest to finish series, I have the next installment of the Pink Carnation series, The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig.  It’s a series of historical fiction romances–with spies!–and while some are better than others, they’re always quite a lot of fun.

P1020361After I check that one off, I’m finally diving into Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.  I bought a big, thick, not-too-heavy copy and am ready to go on that one.  I was debating about which translation to get, and then in the end I wound up with a copy that doesn’t list the translation–even though I spent five minutes in the book store peering at the table of contents, the jacket flaps, etc.  I did discover in the (very long) table of contents that the book is divided into five parts, so I might intersperse other reading in between–or not, if I’m being carried along by the story.

If I do intersperse, I have a handful of quick reads that ought to be a nice break from the long and dense classical fiction…Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale, a graphic novel; The Four Seasons of Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem, which is more or less a picture book collection; and The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury, which may not be short in itself, but is a collection of short stories I could dip in and out of.

Hmm…as I consider all this, I kind of feel like Les Mis is the heavy-gravity planet that all my other reads are currently orbiting around (it’s all that sci fi reading…)  I am slightly intimidated, but also excited.  I’ll let you know how it goes!

In the meantime…what are you reading?

And as an addendum note–this is my 500th blog post!  *tosses confetti*