Book a Week in 2013 - week thirty six

[Stacia]

With all the talk about Borges lately, thought you all would enjoy this. From publisher weekly - What its Like to Take a Class Taught by Borges

 

Thanks for that article, Robin. I have to agree with Borges on his comments about Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde... I so wish I had not known the gist of the story before reading it. Stevenson so skillfully crafted his story that the original readers must have been shocked. Wish I could have read it under those circumstances.

[Lady Florida.]

 

Recently started:

 

I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had, Tony Danza - He spent a year teaching 10th grade English. I give him credit for trying and think his heart was in the right place. However, as a former high school teacher, I'm spending a lot of time cringing as I read about some of his teaching flops. Not all his mistakes are common to first year teachers. I think some are just his personality and the fact that he's an entertainer. It's also fun to read about the successes. Every teacher loves it when something works.

 

 

 

 

I'm curious to know, floridamom, if you have any favorite memoirs/books by teachers.  My daughter just started teaching (albeit kindergarteners in South Korea rather than high schoolers).

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

Now that I finished this book (this afternoon), I'd recommend it to anyone who is teaching or planning to teach high school. I ended up loving it, and even though I didn't teach in an inner city school I "recognized" every one of his students. I also recognized the other teachers and the administrators. I even think homeschoolers who are anti-public school should read it. As Danza points out near the end, even if we don't send our kids to public schools, the education of those students affects all of us.

 

It almost made me miss teaching. Almost. 

[Stacia]

As Danza points out near the end, even if we don't send our kids to public schools, the education of those students affects all of us.

 

I totally agree.

[Stacia]

Congrats to your family, Eliana! Sounds like a beautiful (& slightly bittersweet time) for you.

 

Glad to see you back here, friend.

[Kareni]

We just got back from a cross-country drive to our eldest daughter's wedding - three amazing, overwhelming, beautiful, exhausting weeks. 

 

Congratulations, Eliana!  How wonderful that you got to know your son-in-law as well as his family and community.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

So, just one of the many reasons I'm completely adoring Angelmaker:

 

Two old adversaries are meeting...

 

"You've picked up a rummy habit," James Banister said cordially as they approached one another. "Sort of a crouch. You look a bit... well, I'm sorry, but you look a bit Victor Hugo, if you catch my drift. Would you like to adjourn to a cathedral or something?"

 

Rofl. Gotta love that dry British humour.

[mumto2]

Eliana - I loved reading about your daughter's wedding. It is lovely that you were able to really experience the community where she will be living. I know your dd will really appreciate the fact that you spent the time there. As someone who lives someplace my family has never been I am so glad for you both that you made the effort.

 

Once again you have added to my list....

[mumto2]

So, just one of the many reasons I'm completely adoring Angelmaker:

 

Two old adversaries are meeting...

 

"You've picked up a rummy habit," James Banister said cordially as they approached one another. "Sort of a crouch. You look a bit... well, I'm sorry, but you look a bit Victor Hugo, if you catch my drift. Would you like to adjourn to a cathedral or something?"

 

Rofl. Gotta love that dry British humour.

I am so glad you love it too! Now I just need to find a new book to love. Reading several - nothing special. Ho hum.......

[aggieamy]

Looks good and added it to my wish list. :)

 

I just finished Lady Blomfield - Her Life and Times - about one of the first Baha'is in the U.K. during an interesting time in Britain - the Suffragist Movement, etc - 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.

 

Love this image - a book is a door to another dimension. :)

 

 

I was needing a new desktop background and now I have one!  I love this picture.  Thanks for posting it.

[mlbuchina]

So, just one of the many reasons I'm completely adoring Angelmaker:

 

Two old adversaries are meeting...

 

"You've picked up a rummy habit," James Banister said cordially as they approached one another. "Sort of a crouch. You look a bit... well, I'm sorry, but you look a bit Victor Hugo, if you catch my drift. Would you like to adjourn to a cathedral or something?"

 

Rofl. Gotta love that dry British humour.

 

I should have gotten this book on my Kindle.  I want to highlight sooo many passages.  And I've only read the first chapter!

[Heather in Neverland]

 

I'd love to hear what you think of this one. I read the first one (was somewhat disappointed in it as I had very high expectations for it & it didn't live up to my expectations). Wondering if the second one is (hopefully) better than the first?

 

 

 

I actually really enjoyed "The Map of Time" but I am having a really hard time getting into this one. I am going to keep plodding along and hope it gets better but so far...meh.

[Negin]

I was needing a new desktop background and now I have one!  I love this picture.  Thanks for posting it.

You're most welcome. :)

[mumto2]

I went ahead and finished the last Sookie Stackhouse book ever according to Charlaine Harris, the author. I adored the first books in this series when they were just books. My friend convinced me to watch some of True Blood which even my friend admits isn't like the books--True Blood characters now invade my pages and they are very distracting. I can't quite get past them and see the characters anymore. My imagination was soooo much better. This one didn't thrill me, honestly she should have made the last book 100 pages longer to conclude the ongoing stories and skipped this one altogether.

[Jane in NC]

Hello Everyone!

 

Eliana--Congratulations to your daughter, her husband, and everyone in the newly combined family! Such happy news! Best wishes to the next two who have left the nest.

 

And on to reading...

 

Jane Gardam's Old Filth is dedicated to Raj Orphans and their parents. The story focuses on Sir Edward Feathers, known as the "Filth", Failed in London Try Hong Kong. The young Eddie was born in Malaysia then shipped back to Britain for a lonely life with a foster parent then boarding school. He makes a name for himself in the law but, as the end of his life nears, he ponders its meaning. He has made his millions but has few friends and a great emptiness that can be traced back to the horrible uprooting of whatever happiness he had in early childhood.

 

Which makes all this sound like a depressing book--it is not! It is laugh out loud funny at times, with a character who may not be loveable but is certainly poignant and memorable.

 

This is the first in a trilogy. I have already borrowed the next two books.

 

I am working my way through Poe's novel. Richard Parker as a character has taken me aback, considering what Yann Martel did with the name.

[Stacia]

I am working my way through Poe's novel. Richard Parker as a character has taken me aback, considering what Yann Martel did with the name.

Will have to get Old Filth.

 

I wish I would have known about Poe's book before I ever read Life of Pi. I was so torn and crushed by Martel's book and I find now that the name of Richard Parker just underscores my original interpretation of Life of Pi. (I know the ending was open to interpretation; to me, it was horribly depressing, but others found hope.) I still love Richard Parker the tiger as a character, but I do wonder how I would interpret him now, knowing the name inspiration. Interestingly, when I read Life of Pi & then read various comments & interpretations of it, I never remember seeing mention of Poe's work or character.

 

My foray into Poe has, I think, taught me much about seafaring novels & themes, etc... some things which I haven't considered before, so I'm very thankful to Poe to really opening my eyes to seafaring literature. Even though I have read some of that type of novel, I really hadn't pondered some of the bigger things that build the genre until Poe's book. Always glad to discover & learn new things.

[Stacia]

I actually really enjoyed "The Map of Time" but I am having a really hard time getting into this one. I am going to keep plodding along and hope it gets better but so far...meh.

Hmm. Ok. Was hoping it might be better. Please let me know if it ever improves, lol.

[Mom-ninja.]

I finished Hammered. I'm sad because of the certain 2 characters that died. I liked them. I still can't decide if I'd rather have a werewolf lawyer or a vampire lawyer. Both seem advantageous.

[Kareni]

I finished Hammered. I'm sad because of the certain 2 characters that died. I liked them. I still can't decide if I'd rather have a werewolf lawyer or a vampire lawyer. Both seem advantageous.

 

I sometimes hear of some lawyers being described as bloodsuckers.  Perhaps a number are already vampires?!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Mom-ninja.]

Yeah, I'm sure the author had fun making the vampire a lawyer. I can see the fun poking at a werewolf pack as lawyers as well.

 

So a vampire is lightning fast, super amazing strong, has supernatural sense of smell and sight, and can do mind tricks on people. He's like a super duper jedi ninja.

 

A werewolf is all those things but just not quite as much and can't do mind tricks. However, they are a whole pack to deal with. They are immune to magic. They can do your business during daylight.

 

Still debating.

[Stacia]

Funny the discussion about literary lawyers... I just finished Angelmaker & loved it. Plus, it had a fabulous lawyer too, lol.

 

(I still need to read Hammered & the rest of that series too. Love the vampire/werewolf lawyer team.)

[Violet Crown]

28. The Odes of Pindar.

Trans. Richard Lattimore

 

That was some difficult poetry. I asked dh, who acquired some Greek in college, whether Greek poetry was really written in long, complex, highly allusive sentences, and he assured me it was.

 

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

 

Mother of games, gold-wreathed, Olympia,

mistress of truth where men of prophecy

by burning victims probe the pleasure of Zeus of the shining thunderbolt,

what story he has for folk

who strain in spirit to capture

magnificence of strength

and space to breathe after work's weariness:

his will is steered by men's prayers to favor of piety.

 

--from "Olympia 8"

[Kareni]

I finished a very quick read today --

 

How to Be Interesting: (In 10 Simple Steps) by Jessica Hagy

 

It was a pleasant read but I much preferred her earlier, now out of print, book -- Indexed.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Jane in NC]

Working from uncooperative tablet so I am having trouble quoting.

 

Kareni--any pointers for your fellow readers on becoming interesting (maybe in 3 simple steps)?

 

Stacia--Nor had I seen a nod to Poe in the discussions of the Pi novel. I have progressed sufficiently in Poe's book to the point where I feel I am reading a completely different novel. We have gone from the starvation state to the discussion of South Sea geography.

 

Simple fact: less time on the Internet means more time for reading and knitting. Someone may need to remind me of this after I return to my bad habits.

 

One of my 5/5/5 challenges is the topic of Sustainability. I was finding that many of the books on this topic are too simplistic for my taste or are written by authors assuming the attitude of the convert who is preaching to the choir. Yawn.

 

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things stands out in the crowd. The authors are architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart who suggest a new paradigm. Instead of making things less bad or living lives that are less unhealthy, let's reconsider how things are done and why they are done that way. They are not advocating deprivation or doom. They work with industries in designing factories that are healthier for workers and communities while producing goods with better design--usually fewer chemicals and minimal packaging. As they note: "How exciting is sustainability? If a man characterized his relationship with his wife as sustainable, you might well pity them both."

 

What amazes me is that I was totally unaware of this book which was published in '02. The authors have a new book, Upcycle, which I will seek out next.

 

Happy reading!

[JennW in SoCal]

Kareni--any pointers for your fellow readers on becoming interesting (maybe in 3 simple steps)?

 

 

We don't need pointers.  We ladies here don't need to become interesting as we just are interesting.  Fabulously so.  

 

 

Thank you to whoever it was that mentioned the audio versions of both the Bob Newhart and Dick Van Dyke memoirs.   I'm enjoying the Dick Van Dyke one more, but both have been delightful companions during long car rides over the past 2 weeks.

 

I am almost done with Angelmaker, though it continues to be such a busy week that I probably won't finish til the weekend.  I gushed about the book to my college boy, as he and I trade books all the time.  Oh, and the bookclub at  my favorite local independent bookstore had a discussion on the book the other night -- I was really disappointed I couldn't go!

[aggieamy]

We don't need pointers.  We ladies here don't need to become interesting as we just are interesting.  Fabulously so.  

 

 

Thank you to whoever it was that mentioned the audio versions of both the Bob Newhart and Dick Van Dyke memoirs.   I'm enjoying the Dick Van Dyke one more, but both have been delightful companions during long car rides over the past 2 weeks.

 

I am almost done with Angelmaker, though it continues to be such a busy week that I probably won't finish til the weekend.  I gushed about the book to my college boy, as he and I trade books all the time.  Oh, and the bookclub at  my favorite local independent bookstore had a discussion on the book the other night -- I was really disappointed I couldn't go!

 

A double thank you from me also.  (Who was that that recommended them?  Take credit ladies!)  I'm listening to Bob Newhart right now and I think I'm in love.  I'll put the Dick Van Dyke one on reserve at my library today.  I put them on my iPhone and listen while I'm doing laundry.  I can't remember the last time I looked forward to the drying going off.  :)

 

I'm going to have to have DH listen to Bob Newhart because I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm strange going on talking about the funniest man ever ... Bob Newhart. 

[Kareni]

Kareni--any pointers for your fellow readers on becoming interesting (maybe in 3 simple steps)?

 

We don't need pointers.  We ladies here don't need to become interesting as we just are interesting.  Fabulously so.  

 

Hear, hear, JennW!

 

 

Regarding  How to Be Interesting: (In 10 Simple Steps), here's a blurb from Amazon about the author/book:

 

"Ms. Hagy started on Forbes.com, where she’s a weekly blogger, by creating a “How to Be Interesting†post that went viral, attracting 1.4 million viewers so far, with tens of thousands of them liking, linking, and tweeting the article. Now she’s deeply explored the ideas that resonated with so many readers to create this small and quirky book with a large and universal message. It’s a book about exploring: Talk to strangers. About taking chances: Expose yourself to ridicule, to risk, to wild ideas. About being childlike, not childish: Remember how amazing the world was before you learned to be cynical. About being open: Never take in the welcome mat. About breaking routine: Take daily vaca- tions . . . if only for a few minutes. About taking ownership: Whatever you’re doing, enjoy it, embrace it, master it as well as you can. And about growing a pair: If you’re not courageous, you’re going to be hanging around the water cooler, talking about the guy that actually is."

 

While I found it a pleasant book, I confess it was very light.  Her previous book, Indexed, was far more (dare I say it?) interesting to me! 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Mom-ninja.]

Funny the discussion about literary lawyers... I just finished Angelmaker & loved it. Plus, it had a fabulous lawyer too, lol.

 

(I still need to read Hammered & the rest of that series too. Love the vampire/werewolf lawyer team.)

So am I going to have to read Angelmaker? What's it about? Scary? Gory? Disturbing in any way? Can't do those.

 

In Hammered you learn how, when, and why Gunner became a werewolf and Leif a vampire. In the other books they seem a bit aloof to Atticus and making sure they act as his lawyers and nothing else, but in this book it becomes clear to how much more is involved in their relationships to him. Gunner found a spot in my heart. 

[Stacia]

So am I going to have to read Angelmaker? What's it about? Scary? Gory? Disturbing in any way? Can't do those.

 

In Hammered you learn how, when, and why Gunner became a werewolf and Leif a vampire. In the other books they seem a bit aloof to Atticus and making sure they act as his lawyers and nothing else, but in this book it becomes clear to how much more is involved in their relationships to him. Gunner found a spot in my heart.

You should be fine with Angelmaker. If you can handle the level of action in the Iron Druid series, you will be fine with Angelmaker. Angelmaker is a mash-up action/adventure/WWII & Cold War spies/clockwork/gangster tale. It's a fun book, especially if you like British humor. I would cut and paste a summary here but I'm using a touch screen pad right now and don't seem to have much success with things other than normal typing, lol.

 

Looking forward to reading Hammered.

[Stacia]

In addition to finishing Angelmaker yesterday, I finished The Complete Works of Marvin K. Mooney.

 

It had been on my back burner for a bit because life was busy & I was traveling. But, I was glad to get back to it. It's not really a novel and I'm somewhat at a loss to come up with any real description. It is experimental literature (& is even different from other experimental lit I've read) and I enjoyed seeing how the author challenged/trashed/upended traditional writing. If you like things that are very different from traditional novels (so far out that it's not even left field, but instead lurking [and smoking] on a street corner many blocks away from the stadium), I would recommend this book to you. It is most likely not available through your library.

 

I added some quotes I loved from the book, if you would like to see those...

http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3360361.Christopher_Higgs

 

I found the book quite entrancing.

[Shawneinfl]

Whisking in to say hello! Finished Breaking Night by Liz Murray - a memoir about a girl who grew up in NYC with poverty, drug addicted parents and homelessness but somehow made it to Harvard. Audio book read by the author. Amazing that there are so many children in our country who live like this. Eye-opening for me anyway. I'd give it 4 stars.

[melmichigan]

I went ahead and finished the last Sookie Stackhouse book ever according to Charlaine Harris, the author. I adored the first books in this series when they were just books. My friend convinced me to watch some of True Blood which even my friend admits isn't like the books--True Blood characters now invade my pages and they are very distracting. I can't quite get past them and see the characters anymore. My imagination was soooo much better. This one didn't thrill me, honestly she should have made the last book 100 pages longer to conclude the ongoing stories and skipped this one altogether.

 

I'm debating starting this series, I believe Robin followed it too.

 

 

I just finished The Rylee Adamson Series by Shannon Mayer, another paranormal writer to add to my list. :)  From the first book:

 

"My name is Rylee, and I am a Tracker."

When children go missing, and the Humans have no leads, I'm the one they call. I am their last hope in bringing home the lost ones. I salvage what they cannot.

I'm on the FBI's wanted list. I have a werewolf for a pet, a Witch of a best friend, and I have no need for anyone else in my life.

But when a salvage starts to spin out of control, help comes from a most unexepected direction.

One that is dangerously dark, brooding, and doesn't know a thing about the supernatural.

One whose kisses set me on fire.

 

[Kareni]

I just finished The Rylee Adamson Series by Shannon Mayer, another paranormal writer to add to my list. :)  From the first book:

 

Ahh, a new author!  Thank you, melmichigan.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[aggieamy]

I've been actively avoiding reading Angelmaker for a while now but with all the buzz here I think I'll request it from my library. 

 

(My library must be full of WTM gals because there's a wait.  :glare: )

[Paisley Hedgehog]

. 

 

[mumto2]

I know this won't make you feel better but Discovery of Witches is far better then the sequel. I enjoyed the first and had looked forward to the second. What a disappointment!

 

 

 

My status for Angelmaker says "In transit" so I'll probably get to pick it up today :D  Is anyone else having the problem of typing Anglemaker when they talk about this book?   I keep having to retype the title since it's not about geometry.  

 

 

Last night I finished  A Discovery of Witches (Deborah Harkness)  for the R.I.P challenge (and the Chunkster challenge and my Mt TBR challenge).  Ick.  Boring.  The whole last half of the book, some 300 pages, was all set up for the next book in the planned trilogy.  I will not be continuing on.  The main character (a witch), who the author wants us to believe is a smart, strong, independent woman, spent the entire book being protected / rescued / carried around by her crush (a vampire).  Yeah, ok, whatever, barf.   :glare:   I like my scary books to be scary, and my thriller books to be thrilling, and my campus books to be academic-y, and Discovery definitely didn't do anything for me.

[LostSurprise]

A double thank you from me also.  (Who was that that recommended them?  Take credit ladies!)  I'm listening to Bob Newhart right now and I think I'm in love.  I'll put the Dick Van Dyke one on reserve at my library today.  I put them on my iPhone and listen while I'm doing laundry.  I can't remember the last time I looked forward to the drying going off.  :)

 

I'm going to have to have DH listen to Bob Newhart because I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm strange going on talking about the funniest man ever ... Bob Newhart. 

 

Whoever posted that gets my thanks as well. I put both audiobooks on reserve yesterday. 

 

Of course my unrequited crush on Dick van Dyke may have something to do with it.  :laugh:

 

The main character (a witch), who the author wants us to believe is a smart, strong, independent woman, spent the entire book being protected / rescued / carried around by her crush (a vampire).  Yeah, ok, whatever, barf.   :glare:   

 

Perfectly stated. 

[Giraffe]

After way too long, I am finally back!  This spring I took a course to get certified as an ESL teacher, then DH arrived from the US: 1 ferry, 2 trains, 3 continents, 4 countries, 10 planes, and 15 beds later I am finally back home.  It was fabulous, don't get me wrong, but also exhausting.  We saw Turkey, Greece, Germany, and the US.  Even in the US we didn't stay anywhere more than a week, going from one state to another seeing family and one very popular mouse (DisneyWorld).   We had DD's cousin with us as well for most of the traveling so it was also a grand experiment in having two kids, one of which only sort of speaks English.  The kids LOVED DisneyWorld, I loved Germany (which I didn't expect) and we all loved swimming in the Mediterranean.  

 

Now for my reading update, which given the pace we were keeping is necessarily short.  I went on a Dan Brown bender, reading the Robert Langdon books in reverse order:  Inferno, The Lost Symbol, and The DaVinci Code.  Haven't read Angels and Demons yet, will wait for it to come available at the library or very cheap on Kindle.  The books are good for entertainment, and it's been funny reading them in reverse order.  I also knocked out First Meetings in the Enderverse one night in a fit of insomnia.  I liked it - it explained Ender's father's reaction to Captain Graff in the Ender's Game novel.  

 

I'm way off a book-a-week pace, but I'm enjoying reading everyone's reading reports and continue to add to my TBR pile.  I hope to get back to The Iliad and more serious reading soon, but right now life is still crazy.  

 

Finished:

 

17. First Meetings in the Enderverse, Card ***

 

16. The DaVinci Code, Brown ***

 

15. The Lost Symbol, Brown ***

 

14. Inferno, Brown ***

 

13. The Histories, Herodotus ***

 

12. The Oracle Glass, Riley ***

 

11. The Kill Artist (Gabriel Allon), Silva (Just Because) ***

 

10. Dreamers, Discovers, & Dynamos, Palladino (Education freakout) ****

 

9.  The Mislabeled Child, Eide (Education freak out) ***

 

8.  The Survival Guide for Parents of Gifted Kids, Walker (Education freak out) ***

 

7.  The Paris Wife, Mclain (Library Spree) *****

 

6.  Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Chua (Library Spree) ***

 

5.  Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, Heath (Library Spree) ****

 

4.  Book Was There: Reading in Electronic Times, Piper (Library Spree) ***

 

3.  Alias Grace, Atwood (Library Spree, Canadian) ***

 

2.  The Song of Achilles, Miller (Library Spree) ****

 

1.  The Handmaid's Tale, Atwood (Canadian/Continental, TBR/Dusty) ****

In Process:
The Iliad, Homer

 

Aggie Amy's Rating System (which I’ve adopted):
***** - Fantastic, couldn't put it down
**** - Very good
*** - Enjoyable but nothing special
** - Not recommended
* - Horrible 

[Stacia]

Yay... More Angelmaker readers! Lol.

 

Paisley, thanks for the comments on the Discovery book. I had wondered if I might like it, but it never made it high on my list.

 

Giraffe, it's great to see you back again. I knew you were busy with studies but didn't know about your travels. Sounds like you could write your own adventure book! :-) I'm impressed that you managed to get any reading done at all.

[Robin M]

I went ahead and finished the last Sookie Stackhouse book ever according to Charlaine Harris, the author. I adored the first books in this series when they were just books. My friend convinced me to watch some of True Blood which even my friend admits isn't like the books--True Blood characters now invade my pages and they are very distracting. I can't quite get past them and see the characters anymore. My imagination was soooo much better. This one didn't thrill me, honestly she should have made the last book 100 pages longer to conclude the ongoing stories and skipped this one altogether.

 

 

I'm debating starting this series, I believe Robin followed it too.

 

 

A blogger friend turned me on to the Sookie Stackhouse books and once I read the first one, was hooked.  I had read a few so that by the time I tried to watch True Love,  the actors weren't who I imagined for the characters so just couldn't watch it.   Same thing happened with Game of Thrones. Icky Icky!  I'd rather leave it all up to my imagination and how I perceive the characters.  I liked the last book and wasn't totally surprised by who she ended up with and won't say anymore so don't spoil it for those who are still reading or want to read.

 

It is a good series - fun and intense at the same time - I liked Sookie's quirky sense of humor which balanced the serious parts of the story.   Well worth reading if you like vampires and all the other preternatural characters.

 

 

 

I finally got into If on a winter's night a traveler and find it engaging at the very least. When I first started it, scratched my head with confusion, but once I let go and just went with the flow, understood the flow of the story.  I'm halfway through.   Also reading Redwall aloud with James (having fun doing the voices).

[Stacia]

Fun article: Romeo? Mr. Darcy would have been a better match for Juliet, according to match-making psychologists...

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2413511/Romeo-Mr-Darcy-better-match-Juliet-according-match-making-psychologists.html

[Robin M]

 

After way too long, I am finally back!  This spring I took a course to get certified as an ESL teacher, then DH arrived from the US: 1 ferry, 2 trains, 3 continents, 4 countries, 10 planes, and 15 beds later I am finally back home.  It was fabulous, don't get me wrong, but also exhausting.  We saw Turkey, Greece, Germany, and the US.  Even in the US we didn't stay anywhere more than a week, going from one state to another seeing family and one very popular mouse (DisneyWorld).   We had DD's cousin with us as well for most of the traveling so it was also a grand experiment in having two kids, one of which only sort of speaks English.  The kids LOVED DisneyWorld, I loved Germany (which I didn't expect) and we all loved swimming in the Mediterranean.  

 

Now for my reading update, which given the pace we were keeping is necessarily short.  I went on a Dan Brown bender, reading the Robert Langdon books in reverse order:  Inferno, The Lost Symbol, and The DaVinci Code.  Haven't read Angels and Demons yet, will wait for it to come available at the library or very cheap on Kindle.  The books are good for entertainment, and it's been funny reading them in reverse order.  I also knocked out First Meetings in the Enderverse one night in a fit of insomnia.  I liked it - it explained Ender's father's reaction to Captain Graff in the Ender's Game novel.  

 

I'm way off a book-a-week pace, but I'm enjoying reading everyone's reading reports and continue to add to my TBR pile.  I hope to get back to The Iliad and more serious reading soon, but right now life is still crazy.  

 

Sounds like you had a fun time.  The very first Dan Brown book I read was Digital Fortress which was excellent and is a techno thrillers.  Funny thing -  I had originally thought I picked up a book by Dale Brown, a local author, who writes techno thrillers. I had read enough of his stories, that once I started the story, could tell something was off.  The voice was so entirely different, which made me look at the cover again and see that it was written by Dan, not Dale.  Which lead me to reading the rest of his books.  A bit different from his langdon books.   Interesting reading them in reverse order.   Do you see growth or regression in Langdon or just more of the same?  

[mumto2]

I really like who she ended up with too. Overall satisfied with the ending. I can't tell you how much I loved that series before I watched the show. Just ruined the last two books in the series for me. :(

 

I like her other series (all three of them) and plan to start rereading them soon. :)

 

 

A blogger friend turned me on to the Sookie Stackhouse books and once I read the first one, was hooked.  I had read a few so that by the time I tried to watch True Love,  the actors weren't who I imagined for the characters so just couldn't watch it.   Same thing happened with Game of Thrones. Icky Icky!  I'd rather leave it all up to my imagination and how I perceive the characters.  I liked the last book and wasn't totally surprised by who she ended up with and won't say anymore so don't spoil it for those who are still reading or want to read.

 

It is a good series - fun and intense at the same time - I liked Sookie's quirky sense of humor which balanced the serious parts of the story.   Well worth reading if you like vampires and all the other preternatural characters.

 

 

 

I finally got into If on a winter's night a traveler and find it engaging at the very least. When I first started it, scratched my head with confusion, but once I let go and just went with the flow, understood the flow of the story.  I'm halfway through.   Also reading Redwall aloud with James (having fun doing the voices).

[Robin M]

Re-emerging after much excitement (but little reading).

 

We just got back from a cross-country drive to our eldest daughter's wedding - three amazing, overwhelming, beautiful, exhausting weeks.  The trip itself was fantastic - whirlwind, but we saw/experienced so many wonderful things, and spent Shabboses with a lovely little community in Omaha, Nebraska where we made some special friends I hope we'll meet again.

Congratulations to your daughter and happy to hear not only is her husband a wonderful addition to your family, but his family is as well.

 

[Giraffe]

Giraffe, it's great to see you back again. I knew you were busy with studies but didn't know about your travels. Sounds like you could write your own adventure book! :-) I'm impressed that you managed to get any reading done at all.

First I'm going to organize the pictures and do a scrapbook (I've got over 1800 pictures to sort through and that does not include those on my phone or DH's phone!). Seriously, though, I don't know if people would believe a book about this summer a work of non-fiction. From schools of fish jumping in unison to finding someone else's underwear in my luggage while my own capris went missing, it was certainly an adventure. As far as finding time for reading, inter-continental flights with sleeping children are wonderful. That and insomnia, but neither is good for serious intellectual reading. Regardless, I missed you ladies enormously. My reading life isn't complete without these weekly chats.

Sounds like you had a fun time. The very first Dan Brown book I read was Digital Fortress which was excellent and is a techno thrillers. Funny thing - I had originally thought I picked up a book by Dale Brown, a local author, who writes techno thrillers. I had read enough of his stories, that once I started the story, could tell something was off. The voice was so entirely different, which made me look at the cover again and see that it was written by Dan, not Dale. Which lead me to reading the rest of his books. A bit different from his langdon books. Interesting reading them in reverse order. Do you see growth or regression in Langdon or just more of the same?

How funny you met Dan Brown accidentally! I hope you eventually found the Dale Brown book you were looking for! As far as Langdon goes, he is the same throughout. More didactic in The Lost Symbol than the others, perhaps, but essentially the same. I just like the conspiracy-theory mindedness of the books. It's fun. And since Angels & Demons was only $2.99 for the Kindle, I'll read that next.

 

(I'm embarrassed to admit that one of my souvenirs from WDW was a Mickey Mouse watch. It was classic, big, and had all the numbers on the dial - everything I've been looking for. And I wear it every day. :leaving: )

 

Eliana - my heartiest congratulations to your daughter and your family. It sounds like the wedding was a truly blessed event. :)

[Storm Bay]

 

Jody Hedlund  - Rebellious Heart

 

Karen Harrington - Sure Signs of Crazy

Let us know how they are once you read them. Sure Signs of Crazy sounds interesting.

 

Started Reading:

How Should We Then Live: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture by Francis Schaeffer (American author, DD class 200)

 

 

I'd love to know what you think of this book once you're done with it.

 

Re-emerging after much excitement (but little reading).

 

We just got back from a cross-country drive to our eldest daughter's wedding - three amazing, overwhelming, beautiful, exhausting weeks.  The trip itself was fantastic - whirlwind, but we saw/experienced so many wonderful things, and spent Shabboses with a lovely little community in Omaha, Nebraska where we made some special friends I hope we'll meet again.

 

 

So many changes for you with your three daughters off in different places. I'm glad you went out to the wedding, because it really sounds like that was the best.

 

Funny the discussion about literary lawyers... I just finished Angelmaker & loved it. Plus, it had a fabulous lawyer too, lol.

 

(I still need to read Hammered & the rest of that series too. Love the vampire/werewolf lawyer team.)

 

it's a mix of genres, I see, but just how steampunkish is it? As much as I'd like to like Steampunk, I just don't.

 

We don't need pointers.  We ladies here don't need to become interesting as we just are interesting.  Fabulously so.  

 

 

:thumbup:  :thumbup:

 

 

Fun article: Romeo? Mr. Darcy would have been a better match for Juliet, according to match-making psychologists...

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2413511/Romeo-Mr-Darcy-better-match-Juliet-according-match-making-psychologists.html

 

 

I'm not particularly impressed with some of these matches, although I highly doubt that were Romeo & Juliette real that they had a strong basis for a long term relationship. I wonder just how successful e-Harmony is in helping people hook up for the long term, and it certainly hasn't been around long enough to know :).

 

So, here I am after 3 or 4 more weeks away. My eldest is now living in her dorm and doesn't want me to call or email, just text now & then (to be fair, she hates talking on the phone & has never been interested in email, but OTOH she does talk on the phone to her grandparents we do family calls from home.) My youngest is trying part time public school, and while band is a raging success, the jury is still out on his honours science class.

 

What I've read & recorded since my last post follows: 

 

76. The Grace Awakening Charles Swindoll ★★★★★

77. Falling Free Lois McMaster Bujold (scifi) ★★★

78. Shards of Honor " " ★★★

79. Barrayar  "  "  ★★★

80. The Truth of the Matter Andrew Klavan  ★★★

[Stacia]

Storm Bay, imo, Angelmaker is not a steampunk book. It does have clockwork & fabulous devices but they are placed in a more realistic setting than most steampunk is. Maybe some of the others who have read it can chime in too? To me, Angelmaker is more of an homage to older, "gentlemanly" crime, along with spies & plenty of action.

 

I'm now back to working on The Shaman's Coat: A Native History of Siberia. I have also started The Perks of Being a Wallflower (because my book club is reading it, along with The Witches of Eastwick).

[laughing lioness]

Just started Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by Chiaverini- a great pov on slavery, the Civil War and Mrs. Lincoln's emotional stability.

[mumto2]

Ok, Stacia and Storm Bay, I will chime in on Angelmaker and the Steampunk issue. Please be forgiving of typos -- I spent 12 hours helping DS with his entry for a baking contest tomorrow. Lots of dirty dishes and my kitchen has been in shambles a couple of times. I have moved on to wine........

 

Angelmaker is not Steampunk because techniycally it should be a very Alternative Victorian London to be Steampunk. Not just clockwork but advanced science like genetic engineering gone a bit wild. Things like talking (swearing) delivery birds carrying messages between people verbally, knowing everyones address(these are in Mark Hodder books). There are no creature like that in Angelmaker. Lots of fabulous machines and clockwork but no world gone wild scientifically.

 

 

The thing that had me confused is London in the book is not the London I know at all. Close but not quite right. This London seemed covered with fog and riddled with tunnels -- both things do exist but the Angelmaker world is far better. :) The underground crime gangster element was a large part of the book and enjoyable.imo

 

At the point I read the book I declared it Steampunk because of London and Clockwork. Probably should have classed it as a thriller with unusual elements, clockwork. I have since read the first Mark Hodder book and more of the Soulless series. Steampunk needs impossible creatures I think. Really needs Victorians. Please chime in because I am still defining this.

 

I hope this helps. Angelmaker was wonderful and I don't want to keep someone from reading it by having classed it as steampunk incorrectly.

[Stacia]

Yeah, mumto2, I agree w/ a lot of what you say. I really don't know the definition of steampunk, but some of its characteristics seem to be: an alternative Victorian age, clockwork & other advanced/mechanized devices for the time period, fantastical creatures, possibly time travel, & plenty of corsets (worn as outerwear, not necessarily underwear). Here's the wikipedia description of steampunk. 

 

I finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower in one sitting. It's pretty short & easy to read (& it's YA). It was fine. Not really my style book but I can see why it would appeal to teens & I think it's probably better than some of the newer YA books that have been tossed out to the public. So, I guess I'd call it a decent YA coming-of-age story if you're looking for a YA read. If YA is not your thing, it's probably one to skip. I know the book has gotten lots of hype over the past couple of years (plus a movie), but I wouldn't have read it had my book club not been reading it. Shrug.

 

 

[Robin M]

I finished If on a winter's night a traveler and have to say it was an "ah" ending.  Wow moment when all the titles put together and it all made sense.