Free e-books

I've been handed links for free e-books lately. Wooohoooo
The first is http://www.beautifulchildren.net/read/
You can download the book Beautiful Children by Charles Bock. Just downloaded this one tonight, so I don't know anything about it yet.

The second is a link to http://www.tor.com
Sign up for their Search the Skies promotion and you'll be sent links to download 10 e-books, one each week. I just finished the first, An Old Man's War, and it was pretty darn good.

Here's what I'm reading now

Right now, I'm trying to make my way through Ex-Libris by Ross King. Yeah, I know that first sentence probably makes the book sound less than appealing. It is good though.

I'm not very far into it, but here's the story so far. Set in 17th century England, there's a bookseller who is tasked with tracking down a fabled manuscript. In tracking it down, he becomes fascinated with the previous owner. It's a mystery, not my usual style, but I love the intrigue set in historical times.

What's making the book tough is probably my own reading style. There's bits I get hung up on, cause I'm desperate to understand and worried that it will come up later in the book.

Anyone familiar with the book, or interested in reading it, hop on board.

I'm also reading the latest Douglas Coupland book, The Gum Thief. Not bad, but not nearly as good as earlier stuff.

I am game for "Water for Elephants"...

Let's pick a book and read it...

Like Terry Pratchett?

I know he's not for all, but I am a big Terry Pratchett fan. So big a fan in fact, that I've read almost all his books. Even though he is one of the most prolific writers around. So it was a stroke of luck that the one time I follow an Amazon recommendation, I stumbled across Tom Holt. Generally Amazon's recommendations blow, but this time I was led to sheer genius.

Holt writes these smart, funny, "fantasy" novels. Fantasy in that he writes about sassy, bitter elves in Little People and gods in Here Comes the Sun and Odds and Gods http://www.tom-holt.com/divinecomedies.htm. But by far, my favorite has been You Don't Have to Be Evil to Work Here, But It Helps http://www.tom-holt.com/youdonthavetobeevil.htm

Has anyone else read anything by Holt they'd recommend, or is there another writer like him I should be reading?

Great books that sound dirty

Taken in isolation, these quotes are really wrong and or funny

Aeneid: : Approaching: under the covers of darkness Gauls amid the bushes had crept near.

"The Cozy Inn Looked expensive, and was." The Bridges of Madison County. Super 8 is so excited after this review.

The aim of the Pary was not merely to prevent men and women from forming loyalties which might not be able to control. - 1984

And a moral nugget: "As we went on, one face in that procession caught my eye and said':---keep reading to the answer, yeah it doesn't mean anything. --The Inferno.

First book?

I have seen this book at Target and was thinking about buying it. But after Middlesex, I could not bring my self to buy it. *note to the Middlesex author - when a plot looks like it is dead, don't keep beating it.

I'm willing to try again. Please give advise.

Hi, This is my first experience at being a member of of a blogging book group/club. I've had book group meeting in my home often....but never one on line. Am I understanding this right? We blog about the book we decide to read? I love to read....some of the recent books I have read are: Water for Elephants....(The circus in the 30's...Loved it!) The man who loved Jane Austen.....(I enjoyed the Jane Austen Book Club), Austenland, which was pure fantasy. Also, enjoy reading adventure books like Into Thin Air and books about people who mountain climb. Want to read Three Cups of Tea. Loved reading anything by Vonnegut, don't think I have ever read the Sound and the Fury, also read something long ago by Margaret Atwood... title escapes me...ok Dennis came into the room and he remembered the book by Atwood was Handmaiden's Tale. I hope and look forward to making a contribution, if not by my wit and knowledge base, at least with my enthusiasm so count me in. Just need a little more direction, like the 5 W's -Who, when, what, where and why!
Your very interested participant
Carmella