"Rumo And His Miraculous Adventures" by Walter Moers. An epic fantasy about a horned dog-wolf, a member of the Wolperting race. Adopted by some dwarves, life is fine until kidnapped by murderous giants and taken to the floating rock on which they live. Shark grub Volzotan Smyke is also held captive there, and soon he and Rumo become friends and their adventures really begin.

Fine storytelling, and I love the mini-stories within the adventures. I'm well over a third of the way through this huge novel and enjoying every page of it.

AmyR2, the best way to build up your vocabulary is to read read read. Try reading things a bit more challenging than you normally do, maybe every third book. It's a lot like working out with weights -you want to push yourself a little, but not too much.

Just starting to read GAP CREEK by Robert Morgan which was a bestseller some time back. Hope it's good!

Just started reading The Baker's Boy by J.V.Jones. I've read it ebfore, and it's really good.

Next I plan to read Carrie by Stephen King. I have it but I've never gotten around to reading it. My friend read it and really liked it, so I'm definitely going to give it a shot.

Maus - By Art Spiegelman, a graphic novel about the holocaust told by an old Jewish survivor to his son. Pretty darn good so far.

Now reading Jessica by Bryce Courtenay. I've sort of postponed The baker's Boy because I've read it before and it's not as good as Jessica.

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, a book that was given to me because the central character is named Snowman

I'm re-reading The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey.
It's one of my "comfy" favorites.
I'll probably switch to re-reading some of my collection of Dick Francis after this.

Mister Pip

Written by Lloyd Jones
I am simply loving this and am dreading finishing it as it is only short.
"Set against the stunning beauty of Bougainville in the South Pacific during the civil war in the early 1990s, Lloyd Jones’s breathtaking novel shows what magic a child’s imagination makes possible even in the face of terrible violence and what power stories have to fuel the imagination."
Highly recommended!

I have just completed Doris Lessing's Golden Notebook which was heavy going but excellent read!
Also re-visited JG Ballard's Drowned World which is a very prophetic classic.

"Fearless Fourteen" by Janet Evanovitch. I never miss a Stephanie Plum or Kinsey Milhone adventure, they make perfect summer reading.

I've just started reading The Hobbit and intend to read through all of Tolkien's works.

All Quiet on the Western Front is one of my all-time favourite novels, Ashmancometh. I've read it in English and the original German...saw the films of it, too.

Reading The One Kingdom by Sean Russel, also reading Genetic Engineering and You by Moyra Bremner.

I'm reading Watchmen, great graphic novel by Alan Moore.

Currently reading 'The Stand' by Stephen King. Tons of people have said that they enjoyed it, so I decided to give it a go. Great so far...but it's not so good that there is a bad cold running around at the moment...

"Hour Game" by David Baldacci.
I've just found this author of thrillers. My usual reading is science fiction and fantasy, but every now and then I try another style.

His writing is so easy, it's no wonder he has been the New York Times best selling author for at least 10 times.
Very enjoyable read

"Twilight" by Stephanie Myers...its really good so far.

I'm reading "Rose Madder" by Stephen King. I haven't gotten to the scary parts yet.

I am reading The Sculptress, one of the Minette Walters booked I had missed - there was an excellent tv production with Pauline Quirk a year or so ago.

Very gruesome.

"My Heart's in the Lowlands" By Liz Curtis Higgs.

I made the mistake of starting one of my holiday books a week before the holiday starts. A mistake, because it's simply so wonderful I don't want to put it down and spare time is in very short supply at the moment. It's called 'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak and it deals with the story of a young girl living with a foster family in a town in Germany in the World War II. As the blurb says, "When Death tells a story, you really have to listen." I'm about a quarter of the way through its 584 pages and it is brilliant.

"Master of the Cauldron" by David Drake.
It's book 6 of the Lord of the Isles series.
I should mention that I read mostly Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Warlock - by Wilbur Smith. It's the sequel to River God, and is pretty good so far.

lungangry, I read mostly SF and F as well, but I also love historical fiction.

I enjoy historical fiction too. Have you read "The Persian Boy" by Mary Renault?
I read it a long time ago, so long that I've lost my copy.

I also enjoy alternate history, especially by Eric Flint.