What I'm Reading

I have been on a book reading binge lately. My primary genre, a relatively new one for me, murder mysteries. I've read Julia Spencer-Flemming, all but the first two in the series - and now anxiously await her next book, which I heard is due this spring? I've also read the "Girl Who" trilogy - just awesome! And, a couple of Elizabeth George.

I've also read most of the Jennifer Weiner books, I have one left "Goodnight Nobody" which I will start today.

Other than fiction I've been reading Karen Armstrong, most recently "Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life." And, poetry - Mary Oliver and Denise Levertov, mostly.

So, tell me, what are you reading?

Comments

Di said…
For smart ChickLit, I love Marian Keyes. For light, fun mysteries, I love Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity series. For more serious ones, PD James is my go-to author.

I'm reading a ton right now, too-- including the Karen Armstrong book (which is good, but feels clinical to me). Also reading Marva Dawn and Eugene Peterson's The Unnecessary Pastor (I enjoy his chapters SO much more than hers... sigh).

Oh-- and I've got a bit of autobiography from the woman who wrote Reading Lolita in Tehran, and that looks really promising.
Terri said…
I LOVED Reading Lolita in Tehran...will have to get her autobiography! And will have to check out your other authors, especially Marian Keyes.
Lisa :-] said…
Mostly reading up on Celtic and Shamanic spirituality, these days... :)
Gaye said…
I like to know what my children are reading so often read their books. Even though they are grown up - well 20 and 16. So presently I am reading Robin Hobb's Tawny Man series - fantasy that I am really enjoying. I have just finished the Assassin series.

I am also reading Lent and Easter, Wisdom from Thomas Merton. Some of it really makes sense and some of it goes over my head. Perhaps a little ambitious for an illiterate accountant. Still the bits that make sense provide an interesting focus.
Anonymous said…
Mirrored Balance, it takes awhile to learn the "language" of any theologian, spiritual writer, philospher, etc. so - good for you for attempting this, I suspect what he writes about will begin to make sense to you as you read more.
Mary Beth said…
For some grand mysteries, check out Susan Wittig Albert. She's got several series. My favorite is the China Bayles series about a former lawyer who runs an herb shop in a small Texas town. There are almost 20 in the series now...

She has two new series: The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter, (not nearly as twee as it sounds, great historical fiction), and also The Darling Dahlias.

Also love the Robin Paige Victorian-Edwardian mysteries ... Robin Paige is the "author" but the books are written by Susan and her husband, Bill Albert.

AND, her non-fiction is great too. Spiritual writing...she spends a lot of time at Lebh Shomea, the retreat center where our Jan H. goes. She is a former University administrator who escaped. :) I loves her work.

This may need to be a post on my own blog! Sorry to take over your comments! :)
altar ego said…
I wish I could tell you what I'm reading, because I hardly get a chance to read. I'm teaching from The Last Week for our Lenten program, but apart from that I don't have a book going. There are plenty I would like to read, and one of these days I hope I'll find a schedule for my day that will include carving out that time. So far it has simply eluded me.
Wendy said…
Since what I'm reading right now is the second in the Spencer-Fleming series after having finished the first, I'm curious why you made a point of mentioning that you are reading "all but the first two."

(off topic: thanks for your comment on my last blog post. I left off the part about the discussion we had in our Presbyterian Women's Bible study about how we want a masculine God because God is almighty and men are more powerful than women. This from someone a few years younger than me. I was flabergasted, but I didn't have the wherewithal at the moment to try and answer. I need to spend some time at your Words Matter site and start doing more than just knowing intrinsically that this is important, but finding some ways to start a discussion. Anyway...)

Word verification: Shero
Anonymous said…
Wendy - the only reason I have not read the first two is because they were checked out at the library so I had to start with the third one - and then afer that I just continued to read ahead. Also, some of her references to the Episcopal Church are so wrong (ie calling an Archdeacon "Father"...)that it annoys me, and it seems she does more of that in the earlier books...

Regarding that comment in the women's group - dumbfounded! There are any number of reasons for using male pronouns for describing God - but the reason that young woman descibed would not be high on my list...something along the lines of - God is creator of all and humans are made in God's image,male and female- and so God is also male and female and more....
reading? i wish. i'm sort of feast or famine... and right now it's famine. i manage a few chapters of a novel before nodding off, to help get my mind off the matters of the day.

other than that... not so much. but i feel the need beckoning. my well is dry and reading helps... the pile is here, i've just not cracked it open yet. summer... 30 books is the goal.
Rev Nancy Fitz said…
This is perfect. I'm reading a free book on my Kindle 'app' and looking for another good mystery after the "girl who" books. Thinking about Ken Follet's new ones. Loved the Pillar of the Earth and World without End. Thanks to all for these lists!
Jennifer said…
I love Diane Mott Davidson's mysteries and Sara Paretsky, too. I have two Anne Perry mysteries in my to-read pile, and The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl. I'm finishing Preaching Re-Imagined by Doug Pagitt and Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst.
nancy.johnson said…
Currently I am reading An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor.

But for murder mysteries, I highly recommend Anne George! She wrote of her hometown, Birmingham, Alabama (she was once poet laureate of AL) and her books are hilarious. Two of my favorite titles are Murder on a Bad Hair Day and Murder Boogies with Elvis.
I loved "Lifeguarding: A Memoir of Secrets, Swimming, and the South" by Catherine McCall about growing up in an alcoholid household. The author grew up to be a psychiatrist.
For those of you who like gory love stories/mysteries, I like Chelsea Cain. Her most recent is The Night Season, then read backward. Very interesting series...
angela said…
I'm reading "Take this Bread, a Radical Conversion" by Sara Miles--pretty amazing though I don't often read autobiography type stuff. Or I skim over it...

I love the first Spencer-Fleming. She must be pretty far off the mark of believability to a real Episcopal Priest though. It definitely stretched my ability to believe who she was.

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