What's the latest book that you read?

Question

Tell me about it=)

Answer 1

I'm currently reading Salman Rushdie's "Shalimar The Clown" but the latest book I've actually finished is "The Lost Lizard of Melancholy Cove" by Christopher Moore...

"The town psychiatrist has decided to switch everybody in Pine Cove, California, from their normal antidepressants to placebos, so naturally -- well, to be accurate, artificially -- business is booming at the local blues bar. Trouble is, those lonely slide-guitar notes have also attracted a colossal sea beast named Steve with, shall we say, a thing for explosive oil tanker trucks. Suddenly, morose Pine Cove turns libidinous and is hit by a mysterious crime wave, and a beleaguered constable has to fight off his own gonzo appetites to find out whats wrong and what, if anything, to do about it."

This is my second time reading the book, and it's just hilarious...as are all of his books.

Answer 2

There are two... Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich, which is the twelfth in a sexy quasi-crime based series. Very funny, as a general rule. The main character is Stephanie Plum who is a bounty hunter who has far more luck than skill in catching the bad guys.

The other book... Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe. Very interesting book written in the seventeen hundreds. The actual title is : The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, Etc. Who was born in Newgate, and during a life of continu'd Variety for Threescore Years, besides her Childhood, was Twelve Year a Whore, five times a Wife (whereof once to her own brother), Twelve Year a Thief, Eight Year a Transported Felon in Virginia, at last grew Rich, liv'd Honest and died a Penitent. Written from her own Memorandums.

Answer 3

Tomb of The Golden Bird by Elizabeth Peters. The latest in a long series about egyptology from the late 1800's to (so far) the early 1900's. In this book King Tut's tomb has just been discovered and the heroes of the book have once again solved the mystery and caught the bad guys.

Answer 4

I read two books yesterday:

Alphabet of Dreams by Susan Fletcher.
Set in the Ancient MiddleEast (Persia/Babylon/Judea), Mitra and her brother Babak are beggars who are not what they appear to be: royal children on the run hiding from an evil king who murdered their parents. They have escaped notice from the adults so far, but when Babak starts having "true" dreams about other people, attention begins to fall on them. In some ways, they are better off than before. They now can pay for food instead of steal it, but in some ways it is dangerous for people are talking about these strange foreigners who have dreams that foretell the future. When Babak is 'captured' by a/the magus (magi), he begins dreaming of stars, kings, and a newborn baby. Mitra and Babak travel with the three magi on a long journey that ends in Bethlehem.

Trapped In Ice by Martin W. Sandler
This is a nonfiction book telling the story of thirty-nine whaling vessels who went whaling in the late spring/summer of 1871 in the Arctic. Not amazing yet, right? Well, the eskimos warned the ships that it was too dangerous, the ice was forming sooner than it usually did. That winter was coming early that year. But only 7 vessels heeded that warning. The other ships had 1,219 people. And sure enough, within a matter of weeks all the other ships were trapped in the ice. Stuck fast and/or breaking up or being crushed by the pressure. As one ship after another was destroyed, then they finally started worrying about saving their lives over worrying about how to get their cargo (whale oil/whale bone, etc) home safely. Their subsequent fight to survive is an exciting read of courage...and miraculously they were all saved.

Answer 5

The last book I read was "Justin Thyme". In fact, even though I finished it last week, I'm still sneaking back to it trying to find one more hidden clue!
I actually bought it for my kids, who are loving it - but after reading a couple of chapters to them at bedtime, I knew this was the sort of book a young-at-heart dad would enjoy too, and swiped it!!!
Although it's written for teens, the chapters are divided up by some really thought-provoking theories about time. And, unless I'm imagining things, I think I've found several cryptic messages hidden in the text ... although I haven't worked out exactly what they mean yet!
There's a weird website too ... http://justinthyme.info/

Answer 6

Two: Lisey's Story, Stephen King's latest. Wonderfully well written as is always the case w/ King, but my Lord, he is one twisted soul. About marriage, loss, and madness. Also, A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon. Not quite as good as "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," but very well done. A stolid, long-married man, his wife and kids begin to unspool for very different reasons. Lots of very sharp wit in this book -- Haddon is very gifted.

Answer 7

The Plot Against America by Philip Roth. I enjoyed it. It's a fictional childhood memoir set in Newark, New Jersey in 1940-1942. It supposes that anti-Semetic Charles Lindbergh was elected US president in 1940 and negotiates "understandings" with Germany and Japan. The story relates the impact on a 9 year old Roth and his family.

Answer 8

Rat Pack Confidential by Shawn Levy. Gives a good picture of the underpinnings, full flowering and eventual decline of the Rat Pack. Its picture of indulgence and excess among the early jetset is maddening and moving, funny and irritating -- as it should be. Some of the stories will curl your hair. It's an unblinking look at a too-often sentimentalized phenom. Good reading.

Answer 9

I just re-read "What the Lady Wants" by Jennifer Crusie. It is a very funny, action packed love story. After the death of her uncle, Mae goes in search of the money he left to her. Apparently the way to the money was through his diary, which was no where to be found. Mae hires Mitch, a broken down private detective (or is he?) to find the diary. They fall in love, find out a lot of things about Mae's uncle, and have serious issues with Mae's insane family. I highly recommend it, and all Jennifer Crusie books.

Answer 10

Cross by James Patterson. It is a part of his Alex Cross series. The book starts out by detailing the death of Alex's wife Maria several years ago and how they never found her killer. Then suddenly it appears that there is a link between her case and another he is working on. This psychopath he is trying to catch is even worse than most of the guys he's caught.