Book a Week in 2013 - week thirty two

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday, dear hearts!  Today is the start of week 32 in our quest to read 52 books in 52 weeks.  Welcome back to all our readers, to all those who are just joining in and to all who are following our progress.  Mr. Linky is all set up on the 52 Books blog to link to your reviews.  The link is below in my signature.

 

52 Books Blog - The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy:  Highlighting book # 13 in SWB's Well Educated Mind fiction list.

 

August is Shakespeare Reading Month - read Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2 and Henry V along with Shari or pick one you've been meaning to read.

 

Check out this article from Smithsonian: Being a lifelong bookworm may keep you sharp in old age

 

Michael Wood's from Publisher's Weekly talks about the 10 best Italo Calvino Books.

 

 

 

 

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

Link to week 31

[Negin]

I read Heartbroken - 3 Stars. 

 

 

 

MY RATING SYSTEM

5 Stars

Fantastic, couldn't put it down

4 Stars

Really Good

3 Stars

Enjoyable

2 Stars

Just Okay – nothing to write home about

1 Star

Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad.

[Robin M]

I'm still reading the Anita Blake Vampire series by Laurel K. Hamilton.  Going to wean myself off after this last one - Narcissus in Chains.  Need to clear my brain for writing class starting next week and reading Journey's Under the Moon: Writing and the Hero's Quest by Michael Hiebert.

[Stacia]

I'm still working on...

 

Second Person Singular (Arab-Israeli book)

 

From Jewish Daily Forward:

Second Person Singular triumphs as a tragicomedy composed of two suspensefully intertwined stories tracing the lives of two unnamed Arab protagonists, illuminating their fraught condition as insiders and outsiders and their painful struggle to create a life of meaning . . . Kashua’s razor-sharp wit and irony are on full display . . . [This] is storytelling of the highest order.

and

 

The Book of the Unknown: Tales of the Thirty-Six (Jewish folktales)

 

From Kirkus:

Echoes of Isaac Bashevis Singer, Sholom Aleichem and S.Y. Agnon sound throughout this high-concept collection’s engaging stories….Unusual and charming stories that successfully revive a nearly forgotten form of storytelling. One hopes we will hear more of these Lamedh-Vov and their all-too-human struggles and triumphs.

I'm really enjoying both books.

 

 

--------------------------

My Goodreads Page

My PaperbackSwap Page

Working on Robin's Dusty &/or Chunky Book Challenge.

Working on Robin's Continental Challenge.

Working on LostSurprise's Dewey Decimal Challenge. Complete Dewey Decimal Classification List here.

 

My rating system:

5 = Love; 4 = Pretty awesome; 3 = Decently good; 2 = Ok; 1 = Don't bother (I shouldn't have any 1s on my list as I would ditch them before finishing)...

 

2013 Books Read:

Link to Books # 1 – 40 that I’ve read in 2013.

 

41. If on a winter’s night a traveler by Italo Calvino (5 stars). Challenge: Continental – Europe (Italy).

42. They Call Me Naughty Lola: Personal Ads from the London Review of Books, edited by David Rose (2.5 stars). Challenge: Continental – Europe (England).

43. The Late Mattia Pascal by Luigi Pirandello (3 stars). Challenge: Continental – Europe (Italy).

44. Stoker’s Manuscript by Royce Prouty (4 stars).

45. Captain Alatriste by Arturo Pérez-Reverte (3 stars). Challenge: Continental – Europe (Spain).

46. The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry (4 stars).

[Kareni]

I read Korea - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Culture & Customs by James Hoare because my daughter is currently teaching English in South Korea. 

 

I learned a few interesting tidbits:

 

Burping and throat clearing is customary but blowing one's nose in public is not.  (I'm envisioning issues during allergy season.)

 

Garlic is a big part of Korean cooking.  (This explains why my daughter was unable to find single heads of garlic at the grocery store; her choice was basically a two or five kilo bag!)

 

Rice is eaten with a spoon.

 

The book was a worthwhile read for me.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Violet Crown]

20. Trollope, The Way We Live Now.

 

959 pages of Victorians Behaving Badly, in which Americans actually come off not too poorly, at least because we're apparently so much more straightforward about our commercial shenanigans, vulgarities, and propensity to violence. Possibly the most fun read of the year.

 

I need to finish Pindar so I can take up Henry IV, Part 1 with a clear conscience. Keeping up with my Book-Every-Other-Week goal!

 

19. Goethe, Faust, Part 2

18. Iain Banks, The Wasp Factory

17. John Prebble, The Highland Clearances

16. Aldous Huxley, Music at Night

15. Stevenson, The Master of Ballantrae

14. Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

13. Richard Brautigan, Trout Fishing in America

12. Carlos Fuentes, The Old Gringo

11. Balzac, The Unknown Masterpiece/ Gambara

10. Plato, Republic

9. Stevenson, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Stories

8. Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

7. Christopher Isherwood, Mister Norris Changes Trains

6. James, A Portrait of a Lady

5. Newman, Historical Sketches, Vol. 1

4. Eudora Welty, Thirteen Stories by Eudora Welty

3. Fielding, Tom Jones

2. Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, Vol. 2

1. Balzac, Père Goriot

[Paisley Hedgehog]

.

[Stacia]

Check out this article from Smithsonian: Being a lifelong bookworm may keep you sharp in old age

 

Michael Wood's from Publisher's Weekly talks about the 10 best Italo Calvino Books.

 

Great links, Robin! Thanks.

 

I read Korea - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Culture & Customs by James Hoare because my daughter is currently teaching English in South Korea. 

 

I learned a few interesting tidbits:

 

Burping and throat clearing is customary but blowing one's nose in public is not.  (I'm envisioning issues during allergy season.)

 

Garlic is a big part of Korean cooking.  (This explains why my daughter was unable to find single heads of garlic at the grocery store; her choice was basically a two or five kilo bag!)

 

Rice is eaten with a spoon.

 

Sounds like a fascinating book. I would keel over from all the garlic use. (I can't eat garlic.) Will have to keep that in mind should I ever travel to South Korea. Otoh, I guess vampires wouldn't be a problem there. ;)

 

959 pages of Victorians Behaving Badly, in which Americans actually come off not too poorly, at least because we're apparently so much more straightforward about our commercial shenanigans, vulgarities, and propensity to violence. Possibly the most fun read of the year.

 

:smilielol5:

 

I've been reading like crazy lately, finishing thirteen books in the last three weeks. 

 

Wow! :cheers2:

[LostSurprise]

Finished 3 this week: Pastwatch (the OSC time travel), the EB White collection, and Waiter Rant.

 

Once Card finally got around to the time traveling the story really moved forward and I liked it much more. Not that I didn't like it before, but sometimes I get a little weary of politics and ethics (as anyone who's read Card's Xenocide can attest). I just read more slowly. I liked the ideas behind it (if you could change the world before your birth to make it a better place, would you, even though that meant you probably would not exist? is there a way that Europeans and Meso-Americans could have met peacefully, to the betterment of both worlds?).

 

The Second Tree from the Corner had a lot of highs and lows. I love White's humor, and his style can be pretty amazing, but I probably wouldn't purchase it. It was worth reading for the first few stories. The personal ones are the best, although he writes some really absurdist fiction that's interesting. 

 

Waiter Rant was a little too much memoir overshadowing the funny stories. Dublanica was obviously trying to find himself while writing it. It was a fast read. 

 

Working on some poetry this week, Max Garland's The Postal Confessions and Jim Harrison's Saving Daylight. The Harrison one is funny and the language so natural it makes me jealous. If I keep enjoying this I'm going to have to get Harrison's True North off the shelf and finally read some of his novels. 

 

Top Ten *
Best of the Year **

57. The Second Tree from the Corner by EB White~essays and fiction, collection, New Yorker.

56. Waiter Rant by Stephen Dublanica~memoir, servers, New York. 

55. Pastwatch: the Redemption of Christopher Columbus by Orson Scott Card~time travel, history correction, New World. 

54. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling~youth fiction, fantasy, wizards. 

53. The Adderall Diaries: a Memoir by Stephen Elliot~memoir, murder, dysfunction. 

52. Imago (Book 3 Xenogenesis) by Octavia Butler~science fiction, aliens, genetics.

51. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld~youth fiction, dystopia.

50. The House by the Sea by May Sarton~journal, old age.  (Dewey Decimal challenge: 800s)

47. Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriquez~memoir, Afganistan, women. *

44. The Moviegoer by Walker Percy~literature, the search, New Orleans.

39. The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King 

38  The Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn~non-fiction, cooking, teaching, how people eat.

37. The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan~fiction, France, ballet, Degas.*

35. The Endless Steppe: Growing Up in Siberia by Esther Hautzig~non-fiction, WWII, Siberia. * 

34. Old Man's War by John Scalzi~science fiction, war, future. 

32. Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger~youth fiction, steampunk, school for female assassins.

28. Benediction by Kent Haruf~small town, characterization, cancer. *

26. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome~classic children's story, boats, pirates.

24. The Fifty Year Sword by Mark Danielewski~horror, storytelling, sewing, performance art. 
21. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz~supernatural thriller, ghosts *
20. The Story of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang~science fiction, short stories (Fiction genre challenge: short stories) **
19. Down the Garden Path by Beverley Nichols~memoir, gardening, humor (Dewey Decimal Challenge, 600s)
17. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout~fiction, short stories, aging. *
14. The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis~fiction, coming of age, chess *
11. Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Depression by Mildred Armstrong Kalish~autobiography, Depression, family (Dewey Decimal Challenge, 900s) *
9. The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman~fiction, family drama, Australia, miscarriage. (Continental Challenge: Australia) *
7. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson~satire, American dream, drug trip. (Dewey Decimal Challenge, 000s)
6. Soulless by Gail Carriger~steampunk, vampires, werewolves, Victoriana. (Fiction genre challenge: Fantasy)
5. Away by Jane Urquhart~Ireland, Canada, emigration, magical realism, family saga. (Continental Challenge: North America/Canada) 
4. Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim~autobiography, Germany pre-WWI, gardening, women's roles
 

 

Working on: 

Archipelago (Roffey)

a Nero Wolfe

The Foretelling (Hoffman)

The Postal Confessions (Garland)

Whatever else is from the library plus the huge stack by my bed

 

[eaglei]

Finished three this week:

 

#44 - Happiness Sold Separately, by Lolly Winston.  This was a "try-an-author-you've never-heard-of selection.  It was all right.  Her writing style was mostly natural.  Some of the language was unnecessary and a detractor.

 

#45 - Sabbath:  Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives, by Wayne Muller.  Not what I expected, but not bad, either.  I expected ideas for observing the Sabbath, keeping it holy.  The author wrote mainly about making *little Sabbaths* throughout each day and week. A few good ideas overall; but then again, overall, meh.

 

#46 - Powder and Patch, by Georgette Heyer.  Delightful!  I've not been disappointed in this author yet!

[Kareni]

 I would keel over from all the garlic use. (I can't eat garlic.) Will have to keep that in mind should I ever travel to South Korea. Otoh, I guess vampires wouldn't be a problem there. ;)

I'm not a big garlic fan either.  Now you have me wondering whether vampires are part of Korean folklore ....

 

Hmm, I can't find any mention of Korean vampires; however, I did learn this:

 

"The Koreans of old ate pickled garlic before passing through a mountain path, believing that tigers disliked it."

 

I imagine tigers may have been more of a real threat than vampires in olden times!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Angel]

:seeya:

 

I'm still reading Robert Jordan.  I finished book 8 The Path of Daggers last week.  I need to read two this month in order to be able to finish all 14 by the end of the year.  Unfortunately, I'm heading into a couple of the "slow" books.  The Path of Daggers was only 3 stars for me, and that barely.  I remember one of the next three books as being my all time least favorite of the series.  (I've read them the least so I can't remember which one!)  Ugh.  That will make it hard to get through two in one month.  However, my girls are visiting my parents for a week so I might be able to catch up a little  ;)

 

My TBR pile is growing by leaps and bounds through this year.  I doubt there will be many rereads for me next year.  

[mumto2]

I finally finished some of the books I had started.

 

Kilt Dead by Kaitlyn Dunnett which was a fun cosy. The first in a series of mysteries where the main character is an injured professional Scottish dancer who returns to her hometown in Maine to restart her life.

Changeless by Gail Carriger a paranormal. I have already started the next in the series so I liked it.

 

The Devlin Diary by Christi Phillips. This wasn't quite as good The Rosetti Letter imo but still good. I may just have preferred the Venice setting. :)

[luvnlattes]

I've finished 3 books over the last couple of weeks.

 

First was Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny. This book had several different storylines going on at once.  The primary mystery wasn't as much interest to me as two of the side stories. The story takes place in Quebec and the author occasionally inserted French phrases which I'd end up googling to figure out what was said.  I must be slow to pick up foreign languages because I swear I looked up "Je me souviens" 3 or 4 times. I just couldn't remember what it meant. Just now I had to look up the English to French translation because I still couldn't remember the phrase. :tongue_smilie: I'd give it 3.5 stars.

 

Next, I finished listening to How Now Shall We Live by Chuck Colson. This was a Christian worldview book that I'd give 4 stars. I really enjoyed it.

 

Finally, I read The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield. I had placed a hold on this at the library but I can't figure out where I heard about it. It's Christian fiction and I don't typically read that genre so I was surprised that I had requested this book. I'm glad I did because I could hardly put this book down!

 

This week I'll continue working my way through If on a Winter's Night a Traveler. I make it through some parts completely engaged and then at other places get really bogged down. I'm a little over halfway through.

[Just Robyn]

I read Bloggers Boot Camp by Charlie White and John Biggs. It was okay, but it was heavy on info about blogging about news and product reviews.

[Shawneinfl]

Just finished Escape by Carolyn Jessop on Audible. True story of a woman who escaped from the FLDS sect. Tragic and fascinating. I am also deep into non-fiction again - preparing for teaching Challenge A Geography this fall with The Mapmakers: The story of the great pioneers in cartography from antiquity to the space age by John Noble Wilford. It's a comprehensive history of cartography. I'm getting lots of interesting tidbits for my class. Loved the chapter on the different views of the shape of earth and how they came about.

[Stacia]

I finished Second Person Singular this afternoon.

 

A book that is mentioned in it (& which is somewhat central to one of the main storylines) is Tolstoy's The Kreutzer Sonata. After reading about The Kreutzer Sonata on wikipedia, I've found an online version of the Tolstoy novella & am reading it, esp. in relation to its meaning/use in Second Person Singular.

 

Will post some more comments later....

[mlbuchina]

I can't add another book to my finished list this week.  Ah, well.  I have made great progress on my knitting project, though.  :)

 

I'm still plugging away at Dragonfly in Amber (page 521 of 947).  I've started a few, and put them aside.  I haven't found anything that just grabs me and won't let go.

 

The Round Up

44. By Reason of Insanity

43. Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu
42. The Girl Who Chased the Moon
41. The Sugar Queen
40. 1Q84
39. The Long Winter
38. Warm Bodies
37. Garden Spells
36. The Peach Keeper
35. The Memory Keeper's Daughter
34. The First Four Years
33. These Happy Golden Years
32. Little Town on the Prairie
31. Amglish, in Like, Ten Easy Lessons: A Celebration of the New World Lingo
30. The Call of the Wild
29. By the Shores of Silver Lake
28. Pippi Longstocking
27. On the Banks of Plum Creek
26. Hiroshima
25. Farmer Boy
24. 1984
23. This Book is Full of Spiders
22. Little House on the Prairie
21.  Evolutionism and Creationism
20.  John Dies at the End
19.  Much Ado About Nothing
18.  Little House in the Big Woods
17.  Hooked
16.  Anne of the Island
15.  Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen
14.  Anne of Avonlea
13.  Anne of Green Gables
12.  The Invention of Hugo Cabret
11.  The Swiss Family Robinson
10.  Little Women
9.  Why We Get Fat
8.  The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye
7.  Outlander
6.  The New Atkins for a New You
5.  A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows
4.  Liberty and Tyranny
3.  Corelli's Mandolin
2.  The Neverending Story
1.  The Hobbit

[mlbuchina]

Quick question.  I want to read along with Shakespeare, but I've only ever read Much Ado About Nothing, and in middle school, Romeo and Juliet.  Where should I start?

[Violet Crown]

Quick question. I want to read along with Shakespeare, but I've only ever read Much Ado About Nothing, and in middle school, Romeo and Juliet. Where should I start?

I'm going to "restart" Shakespeare myself this year with Henry IV, Part 1 (history), King Lear (tragedy), and Comedy of Errors (comedy). If you haven't read much Shakespeare, you might choose the Oxford School Shakespeare editions, which are geared for students and have thorough notes right next to the text and are reasonably priced. And of course see Shakespeare performed; but I've always enjoyed Shakespeare more reading the plays closeted first, then watching a performance. YMMV, and I agree in advance to anything Eliana has to say! :)

[Stacia]

As for Second Person Singular, Kashua presents a compelling, compassionate yet sometimes chilling, look at identity -- how we see ourselves, how others see us, what others see in us. His is a universal tale, but also unique in its specifics (people & locale). Things are not always as they seem, whether we deceive ourselves or deceive others (or both or neither). Kashua aptly delineates the divides between wanting to stay true to self, yet to change/have what someone else has/grow. His timely commentaries are so fitting in a locale where identity is a huge part of daily existence.

Of partial importance to the storyline is Tolstoy's novella The Kreutzer Sonata (which I read immediately after finishing Second Person Singular). Kashua masterfully worked in many of Tolstoy's themes & ideas (jealousy, relationships between the sexes, the influence of art in life & passion, etc...), paralleling these ideas in his story -- similar themes, just set in a more modern time & with differing religious beliefs from Tolstoy's.

Overall, a beautifully done work that muses on the nature of identity, our ability or inability to change identity, & the impact of emotion/art/beauty/self to impact our lives.

 

From Second Person Singular by Sayed Kashua...

 

Nor did she believe in identity, certainly not the local nationalistic version of it. She said that man was only smart if he was able to shed his identity.

"Skin color is a little hard to shed," she said, "it's true. But the DNA of your social class is even harder to get rid of.â€

 

Tolstoy's banned novella, The Kreutzer Sonata, certainly tackles many subjects with vehemence. He presents succinct arguments in a tightly woven tale wrapped in anger & jealousy. (FYI, if you want to read this, I read a free copy online.)

[Negin]

I'm still working on...

 

Second Person Singular (Arab-Israeli book)

 

and

 

The Book of the Unknown: Tales of the Thirty-Six (Jewish folktales)

 

 

 

These both look very good. 

 

Saw this, liked it. Sorry if I've shared this before. 

 

[Kareni]

Last night (well, early this morning), I finished Fatal Deception (Fatal Series) by Marie Force.  This is a mystery novel with a strong romance element -- or perhaps it's a romance featuring a mystery.  If you like the J. D. Robb ... in Death series, you might like this, too, as the relationship between the main characters grows throughout the series.  While I've read the books out of order, I'd recommend starting with the first book Fatal Affair: Book One of the Fatal Series.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[VeganCupcake]

I got my histories mixed up and I read Richard III last week. I really enjoyed it, though--once I checked Wikipedia to figure out what was going on. :) It made me want to go back and read the previous histories as well. I think I read Henry IV Part 1 or 2 at one point ages ago, but I can't remember--a clear sign that it needs to be reread.

 

I just started Richard II so I can truly participate in the readalong.

[Robin M]

Well, this is interesting. The 25 Best Websites for Literature Lovers and I'm only familiar with a couple of them. Hmm!  Guess we have some exploring to do.

Have fun!

[PaulainTx]

How to Read Literature Like a Professor

 

Homeward Bound by Emily Matchar

 

A Cookbook Conspiracy by Kate Carlisle

 

 

Total: 67

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Finished-- The Ancient Roman World by Ronald Mellor and Marni McGee

I read this mainly to be able to discuss it with dd as she read. I enjoyed the book and our discussions.

 

Still reading--Snapping and others

                     

                    

                     

[MomtoCandJ]

About done with Lying In and the onto Survivor: Auschwitz, the Death March, and My Fight for Freedom.

[Jane in NC]

Hello everyone.

 

Busy, busy on this end and my reading has suffered. I am happy to report though that I loved rereading Richard III! I pulled out my Complete Works with its onion skin pages, a book that was my text when I took a Shakespeare class as a first year college student. What I love about this volume are the passages that I have marked and my penciled notes filling the margins. Act IV Scene IV, the magnificent exchange between Margaret, Elizabeth, and the Duchess of York, is covered with annotations on familial relationships. Among the passages I felt noteworthy as a seventeen year old was this choice bit from Richard in Act I Scene III:

 

But then I sigh, and with a piece of Scripture

Tell them that God bid us do good for evil;

And thus I clothe my naked villainy

With odd old ends stol'n forth of holy writ,

And seem a saint when most I play the devil.

 

A cynic in the making?

 

What strikes me with this rereading is that Richard III may contain some of the choicest moments for women on the Shakespearean stage. The repartee between Richard and Anne, the scene mentioned previously with Margaret and Elizabeth which is followed by Richard's exchange with Queen Elizabeth asking for her daughter's hand, thus (by his logic) righting the wrongs he has imposed upon the family. The dialogue is witty and must be fun to perform. I have never seen a live performance of Richard III and am now putting it on my list of Things I Need to Do.

 

Lagging behind many of you in number, but on a roll with books that I have particularly enjoyed. Of late (with references to two personal challenges, Old Friends and Dorothy Dunnett):

 

32) Cooked (Michael Pollan) 4.5 stars

33) Oishinko: Ramen & Gyoza (Kariya/Hanasaki) Food manga! 4 stars

34) Paris France (Gertrude Stein) 4.5 stars--Old Friends (3)

35) Oishinko: Fish, Sushi, and Sushimi (Kariya/Hanasaki) More food manga! 4 stars

36) Beware This Boy (Maureen Jennings) 3.5 stars

37) The Spring of the Ram (Dorothy Dunnett) 5 stars --Dorothy Dunnett (2)

38) Richard III (Shakespeare) 5 stars

 

Have moved on to the next Dorothy Dunnett in the House of Niccolo series, Race of Scorpions, in which Jane learns about the politics of 15th century Cyprus.

 

ETA: Just realized that I could technically call Richard III an "old friend" but I wouldn't want my character to suffer.

[Kareni]

A couple of science book lists that I stumbled upon today that might interest some:

 

100 All-Time Greatest Popular Science Books (and 17 More) -- there is a list for children at the end

 

The 100 Best Science Books of All Time

 

Regards,

Kareni

[JennW in SoCal]

 

 

Of partial importance to the storyline is Tolstoy's novella The Kreutzer Sonata (which I read immediately after finishing Second Person Singular). Kashua masterfully worked in many of Tolstoy's themes & ideas (jealousy, relationships between the sexes, the influence of art in life & passion, etc...), paralleling these ideas in his story -- similar themes, just set in a more modern time & with differing religious beliefs from Tolstoy's.

 

Overall, a beautifully done work that muses on the nature of identity, our ability or inability to change identity, & the impact of emotion/art/beauty/self to impact our lives.

 

Have you taken the time to listen to a recording of the Kreutzer Sonata? You should at least listen to the presto section of the first movement. I had never heard that it inspired a Tolstoy novella, nor had I seen that painting that is shown on the Wikipedia page. All I know is that it is a magnificent, passionate work that is just out of my technical reach. A pianist friend and I plowed through it for fun one day, but it certainly didn't inspire any adulterous passions -- we were laughing too hard at our musical foibles.

[Kim in Appalachia]

I got House of Leaves from the library.  I'm on page 41, and it took me a while to get there.  It's going to be a slow read, but I'm really liking it.  The book reminds me of Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell with all of the footnotes.  One of the type prints is hard for my eyes to read, but I think that's sort of the point.  I believe I'm going to enjoy this book, kind of like a wild ride.  I can renew it a few times, but I'm thinking I may have to buy this book, because it's going to take so long to read.

[Paisley Hedgehog]

. 

 

[BigMamaBird]

So last week I valiantly tried The Wings of the Dove by Henry James and I just had to stop, it was excruciating!  I very, very rarely stop a book before finishing it so I was a tad upset, not as upset as I would have been if I had to finish the book though!  So this week I got a book that was very highly recommended by some Hive members, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by  Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.  It was really good!  The book follows a prisoner in a Soviet prison camp for one day and I was very thankful for my nice warm house after reading about how he fought to stay alive while working outside in -30 below temperatures.  It could have been very depressing, but he took such joy and triumphs from little things and never let himself get broken.  

 

 

1 - All The King's Men â€“ Robert Penn Warren 
2 - A Stranger in a Strange Land â€“ Robert Heinlein
3 - A Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
4 - Catcher in the Rye â€“ J.D. Salinger
5 - Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
6 - The Grapes of Wrath â€“ John Steinbeck
7 – Murder on the Orient Express â€“ Agatha Christie
8 – The Illustrated Man â€“ Ray Bradbury
9 – The Great Gatsby â€“ F. Scott Fitzgerald
10 – The Hiding Place â€“ Corrie Ten Boom
11 – The Square Foot Garden â€“ Mel Bartholomew
12 - Catch-22- Joseph Heller
13 - Heart of Darkness- Joseph Conrad
14 - Partners in Crime - Agatha Christie
15 - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
16 -O, Pioneers!- Willa Cather
17 - Miss Marple - The Complete Short Story Collection - Agatha Christie
18 - Ringworld - Larry Niven
19 - Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man- James Joyce
20 - Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut
21 - To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
22 - Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin
23 - The Adventures of Augie March - Saul Bellow
24 - The War of the Worlds- H.G Wells
25 - The Girl with the Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier 

26 - The Golden Ball and Other Stories - Agatha Christie

27 - Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

28 - Selected Short Stories - William Faulkner

29 - 100 Years of Solitude -  Gabriel Garcia Marquez

30 - Dune - Frank Herbert

31 - Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

32 - One Day in the Life o Ivan Desinovich -  Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

[Stacia]

I'm not a big garlic fan either. Now you have me wondering whether vampires are part of Korean folklore ....

 

Hmm, I can't find any mention of Korean vampires; however, I did learn this:

 

"The Koreans of old ate pickled garlic before passing through a mountain path, believing that tigers disliked it."

 

I imagine tigers may have been more of a real threat than vampires in olden times!

Love tidbits of info like this. I guess I'd better watch my path around both vampires AND tigers. :tongue_smilie:

The Mapmakers: The story of the great pioneers in cartography from antiquity to the space age by John Noble Wilford. It's a comprehensive history of cartography. I'm getting lots of interesting tidbits for my class. Loved the chapter on the different views of the shape of earth and how they came about.

Sounds like a book I would love.

 

The 25 Best Websites for Literature Lovers

100 All-Time Greatest Popular Science Books (and 17 More) -- there is a list for children at the end

 

The 100 Best Science Books of All Time

Cool websites. Lots of fun to explore....

I got House of Leaves from the library. I'm on page 41, and it took me a while to get there. It's going to be a slow read, but I'm really liking it. The book reminds me of Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell with all of the footnotes. One of the type prints is hard for my eyes to read, but I think that's sort of the point. I believe I'm going to enjoy this book, kind of like a wild ride. I can renew it a few times, but I'm thinking I may have to buy this book, because it's going to take so long to read.

I will be very curious for your final review of this one....

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. It was really good!

I agree.

 

And, speaking of Siberia...

 

Yesterday, I just started reading The Shaman's Coat: A Native History of Siberia by Anna Reid. I'm enjoying it so far; seems to be part travelogue & part history....

 

https://www.forewordreviews.com/reviews/the-shamans-coat/

[Stacia]

Have you taken the time to listen to a recording of the Kreutzer Sonata? You should at least listen to the presto section of the first movement. I had never heard that it inspired a Tolstoy novella, nor had I seen that painting that is shown on the Wikipedia page. All I know is that it is a magnificent, passionate work that is just out of my technical reach. A pianist friend and I plowed through it for fun one day, but it certainly didn't inspire any adulterous passions -- we were laughing too hard at our musical foibles.

No, I haven't listened to it. I need to do so. Thanks for pointing out that I need to do it!!!

 

Are you going to read The Kreutzer Sonata now since you know the musical piece? As a musician, I'd love to hear your comparison of the works (music/book).....

 

(I swear I must be tone deaf, so, though I can appreciate good music, I probably won't have much knowledge w/ which to base my own comparison. Need to study the painting a little more because at least I did art/oil painting as a hobby for many years.)

[Lady Florida.]

Hello ladies, 

I don't know if anyone noticed that I was gone, but...I'm back. (Actually I know Stacia noticed because we "talked" on Goodreads once). 

 

I found myself getting involved mostly in controversial threads. I don't need homeschool support. We're in the high school phase now, and I have a great group of non-virtual friends also homeschooling high school, so my support is local. I rarely went to any board but the chat board and one or two social groups. So, I decided I was done with the WTM forum. 

 

Then something happened. I missed you all. I missed these book threads. I've only been involved a little over a year but felt like I was welcomed right away. I missed talking about books and seeing what others were reading. I missed hearing how moms of littles try to carve out reading time and how those of us with older kids share books suggestions with (and get them from) our teens. I tried to replace you all with Goodreads groups. Turns out you are irreplaceable. :) First of all, you have to join a bunch of different groups to get the variety we have here, then you have to try and stay on topic in the particular group. Second, while the groups I joined (and will remain with) have friendly people, they're not quite the same. There's something I just really missed about this group of readers. 

 

I decided I can't stay away from the book thread, and have given myself a lecture. I won't be posting in other threads.

 

I hope all of you and your families are all well. I know I won't be able to read 2 months worth of threads, but I hope to catch up a little with this and one or two previous threads. 

 

I've been reading, of course. Some of the what I read while I was gone:

 

One Hundred Years of Solitude

In the Shadow of the Banyan

The Glass Menagerie (play)

Heartbreak House (play)

Great Expectations

Half of a Yellow Sun

The Shadow of the Wind

Love, Lucy

 

I've also been reading Agatha Christie. I can't believe that I haven't read all of her books, since mysteries are among my favorites.

 

I passed 52 books last week, but it was never about numbers for me. If I've done the link correctly, here is my 2013 list so far.

[melmichigan]

It was a busy week, but I got a few books in.  Time for Love is the anxiously awaited book 9 in The McCarthy's of Gansett Island Series, the story of Dr. David Lawrence, the ex-fiance of Janey McCarthy.  He was introduced in the second book of the series, when Janey walks in on him cheating on her, ending their relationship.  Janey goes on to find her happy ending in that book, while David is left alone and devastated.  

 

It turns out I was correct when I thought Born to Darkness sounded so familiar when it was mentioned in a previous thread, this was a reread for me.  

 

Magic Rises: A Kate Daniels Novel was another great read, reassuring us that while other series are fading to dull, the writing team of Ilona Andrews still has it.

 

Atlanta is a city plagued by magical problems. Kate Daniels will fight to solve them—no matter the cost.

 
Mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta.
 
Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap…

 

 

 

I am hesitant about getting Kitty in the Underworld, the reviews don't look great.  Has anyone here read it yet?

 

[Lady Florida.]

I've been reading like crazy lately, finishing thirteen books in the last three weeks.  

 

:hurray:

 

 

Now for Shakespeare ...   then read the play all in one sitting.   Oh wow oh wow oh wow, what a difference!  I absolutely loved it!   (Edited for clarity:  I read the play itself all in one sitting.  The notes were read a couple of days earlier.)

 

 

 

 

I don't know if this was discussed in previous threads, but from what I've read it's best to read plays in one sitting. After all, when you see a play, you see it all at once. That said, I often can't do it that way. I do notice a difference when I drag a play out as opposed to reading it at once. One sitting definitely feels better.

Has something changed with quoting and replying? I can't seem to separate the parts of the quote with html.

[Kareni]

It was a busy week, but I got a few books in.  Time for Love is the anxiously awaited book 9 in The McCarthy's of Gansett Island Series, the story of Dr. David Lawrence, the ex-fiance of Janey McCarthy. 

 

Ah, another Marie Force fan.  I posted recently about one of her books in the "Fatal" series which I enjoyed.  I'll have to try to get my hands on a copy of this series.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

Then something happened. I missed you all. I missed these book threads. I've only been involved a little over a year but felt like I was welcomed right away. I missed talking about books and seeing what others were reading. I missed hearing how moms of littles try to carve out reading time and how those of us with older kids share books suggestions with (and get them from) our teens. I tried to replace you all with Goodreads groups. Turns out you are irreplaceable. :) First of all, you have to join a bunch of different groups to get the variety we have here, then you have to try and stay on topic in the particular group. Second, while the groups I joined (and will remain with) have friendly people, they're not quite the same. There's something I just really missed about this group of readers. 

 

I decided I can't stay away from the book thread, and have given myself a lecture. I won't be posting in other threads.

 

I hope all of you and your families are all well. I know I won't be able to read 2 months worth of threads, but I hope to catch up a little with this and one or two previous threads.

 

:seeya:  Yay! So glad to see you back.

 

I'm in a similar place as you as far as these threads. I don't need the hsing info much anymore & don't often post in other threads. This thread & group of readers is my main reason for being here.

 

Looking forward to your updates. Congrats on passing 52 too!

 

Magic Rises: A Kate Daniels Novel was another great read, reassuring us that while other series are fading to dull, the writing team of Ilona Andrews still has it.

 

Is this a series that needs to be read in order?

 

Has something changed with quoting and replying? I can't seem to separate the parts of the quote with html.

 

Not sure. There have been times I've had problems, but not lately. Maybe something w/ your browser? (Also, when I was out of town & using my iPad instead of my desktop PC, I had much more limited range as far as posting links, etc....)

[eaglei]

Hello ladies, 

I don't know if anyone noticed that I was gone, but...I'm back. 

 

There's something I just really missed about this group of readers. 

 

I decided I can't stay away from the book thread, and have given myself a lecture. I won't be posting in other threads.

 

 

So glad you are back!

 

This is my favorite thread, too - the only one I look forward to, and really miss if the week gets away and I don't check in.

 

Congratulations on reaching 52!

[melmichigan]

Ah, another Marie Force fan.  I posted recently about one of her books in the "Fatal" series which I enjoyed.  I'll have to try to get my hands on a copy of this series.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

I just realized that I have the first "Fatal" book in my library.  I picked it up for free when it first came out, I'm adding it to my reading list.  Have you read the Treading Water series?

 

How does she write so fast?

[melmichigan]

 

Is this a series that needs to be read in order?

 

 

Yes!  I would highly recommend reading them in order.  

[Kareni]

Concerning Marie Force:

 

Have you read the Treading Water series?

 

No, I haven't.  I'm only familiar with the Fatal series.  I'd definitely like to try her other books though.

 

 

How does she write so fast?

 

I don't know, but I'm glad that she does!

 

Regards,

Kareni
 

 

[Mom-ninja.]

Finally finished The Beak of the Finch. Parts seemed to drag on and other parts were really interesting.

 

Now to quickly get through the 2 inter library loan books that have to be returned in 8 days.

[Violet Crown]

floridamom, I noticed you hadn't been posting in the book thread but figured you were busy. :) Glad to have you back!

[JennW in SoCal]

No, I haven't listened to it. I need to do so. Thanks for pointing out that I need to do it!!!

 

Are you going to read The Kreutzer Sonata now since you know the musical piece? As a musician, I'd love to hear your comparison of the works (music/book).....

 

(I swear I must be tone deaf, so, though I can appreciate good music, I probably won't have much knowledge w/ which to base my own comparison. Need to study the painting a little more because at least I did art/oil painting as a hobby for many years.)

 

To get a taste of the fiery passion of the Kreutzer, settle down and enjoy this performance by the exquisite Anne Sophie Mutter.  I'm going to download the free version of the Tolstoy story tomorrow.  

 

I spent the last 2 days in a marathon read of Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters, and just finished it an hour or so ago.  I don't know if I liked it as much as North and South, but I clearly did enjoy it as I immersed myself in it.

 

 

I decided I can't stay away from the book thread

 

Welcome back, floridamom!  This is a lovely thread, isn't it?  And congratulations on passing the 52 mark!

 

ETA:  Somehow I figured every female WTM poster from Florida is named Lisa.  My apologies for the earlier mistake which I have now fixed.  

[mumto2]

Floridamom, Glad to see you back. I knew you were missing but thought you were probably on a summer "board break". I totally agree this is the best thread! :)

[Jane in NC]

Welcome home, Lisa!

 

Has something changed with quoting and replying? I can't seem to separate the parts of the quote with html.

I am experiencing the same issue and suspect that it is browser related. Sigh...