Peek Over Our Shoulders: What Rioters Are Reading On July 10, 2014
This is a new feature at Book Riot. We tell you our favorite books of the month. We tell you what we’ve read during the week. So now every other week we will give you a glimpse of what we are reading this very moment. You know, just in case you’re as nosy as we are and one of the first questions you ask people is “what are you reading right now?”
Here is what the Rioters are reading today (as in literally today). This is what’s on their bedside table (or the floor, work bag, desk, whatevskis). See a Rioter who is reading your favorite book? I’ve included the link that will take you to their author archives (meaning, that magical place that organizes what they’ve written for the site). Gird your loins – this list combined with all of those archived posts will make your TBR list EXPLODE. Then again, that might be just what the doctor ordered for summer weekend plans. Enjoy!
We’ve shown you ours, now show us yours; let us know what you’re reading (right this very moment) in the comment section below!
Rincey Abraham
The Likeness by Tana French (Paperback): I read In The Woods last fall and have been meaning to pick up The Likeness for a while now. I was in the mood for something really engrossing and I knew this would fit that bill.
Nikki Steele
The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch (Hardcover): I just finished the other two in the series based on a friend’s recommendation and am loving the world-building and fun of these books.
Amanda Nelson
Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay (e-galley): Love Roxane’s blog and Twitter presence and I am, myself, a bad feminist.
A History of the English Speaking Peoples: Vol 2, The New World by Winston Churchill (Audiobook): Because I am obsessed with Churchill for reasons I can’t articulate
Swapna Krishna
The Magician King by Lev Grossman (paperback galley:) catching up before the 3rd book comes out
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami (egalley): never read a Murakami so wanted to try his new one
Beloved Strangers: A Memoir by Maria Chaudhuri, because I love me some South Asian authors
Death Masks by Jim Butcher (audio): re-reading the series on audio
Rachel Manwill
California by Edan Lepucki (paperback galley): picked it up at BEA because the publicist hand sold it to me like a champ, and after all the buzz because of Colbert, I decided to pick it up
Brutal Youth by Anthony Breznican (audio): I saw the cover on Audible, and loved the premise.
This Is The Water by Yannick Murphy (egalley): It’s a murder mystery within the world of high school swimming. Since I was a hardcore swimmer most of my life, the description hooked me.
Cassandra Neace
Blood Work by Holly Tucker (hardcover): It’s part of my non-fiction experiment.
The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness (hardcover): finally finishing out the A Discovery of Witches series!
Derek Attig
The Burning Dark by Adam Christopher (Library hardback): The serendipity of library browsing: saw it on my local library’s new book shelf and grabbed it.
Essays of E.B. White (paperback): I read “Here is New York” a million years ago in college and am giving his other essays a go.
Greg Zimmerman
O, Democracy!! by Kathleen Rooney (Library hardcover): I’m reading it because it’s a political satire set in Chicago, which hits two of my genre kryptonites, and it came very highly recommended by Jonathan Evison.
Thunderstruck & Other Stories by Elizabeth McCracken (Library ebook): I’m reading it because I live to impress Liberty (to steal her line when she reads a recommendation)
EH Kern
The Paris Review no. 209: I buy every issue because of the great short stories and the author interviews that are thought-provoking and eye-opening.
Amanda Diehl
The Professional by Kresley Cole (Paperback): I’m a huge fan and I’ve read every book in her Immortals After Dark series: so I’m tempted to see what she does with contemporary erotica.
Stiff by Mary Roach (Paperback): I’ve been on a pop science kick lately and Mary Roach is practically the Queen of Pop Sci. Not for the squeamish, by the way.
Josh Corman
The Sandman by Neil Gaiman (soft cover): This has been the summer of catching up on great comics, and The Sandman is one of the most celebrated ever. Plus I like Gaiman a good deal anyway.
Margret Aldrich
Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck (paperback): My Twitter feed told me that this darkly beautiful German translation wasn’t to be missed, and it seemed like a good contrast to the brightness of summer.
Rebecca Schinsky
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty (ebook): Fellow Rioters Liberty and Kim both raved about it, and I can’t resist a good book about the funeral industry.
Books and Islands in Ojibwe County by Louise Erdrich (ebook): Fellow Rioter and dear friend Jenn said it was possibly her favorite book EVER. We have tattoos together, and I’m pretty sure that reading each other’s beloved books is part of the deal.
Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes (ebook): The internet will not stop talking about this book, and it doesn’t come out for MONTHS. So I caved.
An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield (audio): Amanda said it was great, filled with space and smart self-help stuff, and I like both of those things.
Kelly Jensen
Blind by Rachel DeWoskin (print ARC): I talked with a Penguin rep at the Public Library Association conference this year about diverse titles and she handed me this one, since it’s about a teen girl who loses her sight after a firecracker lands in her eyes.
Kim Ukura
World of Trouble by Ben H. Winters (Paperback): I’ve loved both of the previous books in this trilogy and am obsessed with finishing series.
Kate Scott
Father Brown: The Essential Tales by G.K. Chesterton (Paperback): Summer seems like an excellent time for some fun, witty detective stories.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (Library Hardcover): It’s been seven years since I first read the series, and now seemed like the perfect time for a reread.
Personality Type: An Owner’s Manual by Lenore Thomson (Library Paperback): This was a random library find. It’s an older book on Myers-Briggs/Jungian typology that holds true to the original spirit of the theory, unlike the stereotyping tumblrized version floating around the interwebs.
Brenna Gray
Omega Flight #1-5 by Oening and Kollins (eBook – Marvel Unlimited app): I’m working on a larger project about Marvel Civil War and post-9/11 geopolitics, and unsurprisingly I am fascinated by the way Canadian superheroes got the biggest shaft ever.
Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor (Hardcover): I loved the rest of the trilogy and was eager to read this (but I dunno, it’s been majorly majorly slow going for me).
Aram Mrjoian
A Severed Head by Iris Murdoch (paperback): I read Under the Net a while back and fell in love with Murdoch’s writing.
Don’t Start Me Talkin’ by Tom Williams (Paperback): Dzanc books published this book and I used to intern for them, plus I love supporting a Michigan publisher. Dzanc does a ton of cool writing programs too. The subject matter also really caught my attention.
The Strangler Vine by M.J. Carter (hardcover): My parents bought it for me for my birthday last month because they “thought I’d like it”.A Wizard Abroad by Diane Duane (ebook): A friend I met on Tumblr is a huge fan of the Young Wizards series (which I hadn’t previously heard of) and sent me the whole series so I could join her in enjoying it.
Complete Sonnets by William Shakespeare (Oxford Student Texts) (paperback): I’m trying to get into reading the poetry books I’ve accumulated, and Shakespeare is one of the more enjoyable poets.
The Art Of Neil Gaiman by Hayley Campbell (hardcover): Was being sold at the Neil Gaiman event I was at last week. And the book is beautiful.
Liberty Hardy
The Haunted Vagina by Carlton Mellick III (paperback): Because WHUT. How could I not?!??
Invisible Streets by Toby Ball (galley): I loved the first two books in this trilogy, and I’m excited for the conclusion!
Alison Peters
Washington Square by Henry James (Rooster app): Because it’s lovely to get back to James in a non-academic capacity.
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (hardback): Because my boss (also a vet ) has been trying to get me to read it for months and I just discovered that it’s written by the author of Seabiscuit AND because I’d like to honor the memory of Louis Zamperini AND I need to read it before the movie comes out.
As for me…
The Silkworm by Robert Gailbraith (hardcover) because saw it at the store, and remembered that fellow Rioter, Rincey, was reading it, so decided to give it a try.
Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes (egalley): Because of what Rebecca said. And because then Rebecca jumped on that bandwagon and I had that panicked, “Don’t leave me behind!” feeling.
