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Book a Week in 2013 - week thirty eight


Robin M
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...and (it is all Kipling's fault) a reread of McKinley's lovely YA book: The Blue Sword.  I love McKinley's stories, prose, worlds, and characters, but I've over-read most of them and have to ration out my rereads. 

 

I read that earlier this year when DD recommended it to me.  It was an interesting experience having DD recommend a book ... it's always been the other way around before.  :)  It was a great book.

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Cruising Attitude: Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 feet by Heather Poole.

 

The Baron and the Bluestocking

 

and I can't believe it has taken me 44 years to read The Secret Garden. I read this with my two youngest daughters - we all liked it.

 

What did you think of The Baron and the Bluestocking?  It seems like my type of genre.

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What did you think of The Baron and the Bluestocking?  It seems like my type of genre.

 

I was bored. :( I ended up skimming the last 50 pages. The Duke and Miss Denny or Midsummer Moon by this author were better reads, imo.

 

If you want a really good Regency (but still clean) try Danse de la Folie by Sherwood Smith (one of my all-time favs) or Imprudent Lady by Joan Smith or  one of Jude Morgan's Regency stories. Hth!

 

eta - I forgot to add The Weaver Takes a Wife by Sherri Cobb South - this one has a different type of hero that you really end up rooting for. :)

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Thank you for the BBC 4 link!  I listened while knitting this afternoon.

 

 

 

Here, sandwiched in between posts on current world and political events, is a nice essay about Lovecraft.  As I had mentioned in a previous thread, the genre may be horror, but as this essayist writes, it is "existential terror and awe are what Lovecraft is all about".  There is nothing gory that will keep you up nights.

 

 

 

I am 30 minutes away from finishing listening to HMS Surprise, the 3rd in the Aubrey/Maturin series and the 2nd I've read.  (Those 30 minutes were spent instead listening to the BBC 4 installment of Mountains of Madness, and also more recently in the time it is taking me to multi-quote and link!)   Anyway, it is officially my 52nd book of the year.   :cheers2:    I hope you enjoy sharing it with your ds, Robin.  If anyone is interested in the audio version, I'm loving the narrator Patrick Tull as he has a, well, salty voice!  It feels like I'm listening to someone from that period tell me the stories.

 

Yeah on 52 Books!  

 

 

At this point, other than letting me take the book long enough to read the first chapter of Master and Commander, he is spending all his spare time reading it.  Surprisingly, I can't pry it out of his hot little hands.  So, I bought the e-book.   Since we are spending 2 to 3 days a week running to speech and occupational therapy, may just end up downloading the audible.com version so we can listen in the car.  Of course, he also keeps highjacking my iphone to listen to star wars audio books.   If we do get the audible version, I may never see my phone when we are at home.  :lol:

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I finished Dorothy Sayers' Have His Carcase.  I liked it. 

 

I'm very behind, and this is not catch-up season with soccer and Buckeye football to watch - ack! 

 

Book Reviews

1. The White Horse King: The Life of Alfred the Great by Benjamin Merkle
2. Publish and Perish by Sally S Wright
3. Pride and Predator by Sally S Wright
4. Pursuit and Persuasion by Sally S Wright
5. Out of the Ruins by Sally S Wright
6. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-ExupĂƒÂ©ry
7. Watches of the Night by Sally S Wright
8. Code of Silence by Sally S Wright
9. Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
10. The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Butterfield (excellent)
11. Unnatural Death by Dorothy Sayers
12. Emil and the Detectives by Erich KĂƒÂ¤stner
13.The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy Sayers
14. The Devil on Lammas Night by Susan Howatch
15. The Pemberley Chronicles by Rebecca Ann Collins
16. The Little Way of Ruthie Leming by Rod Dreher (very very good)
17. The Exact Place: a memoir by Margie L Haack
18. Lord Peter Views The Body by Dorothy L Sayers
19. Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers
20. Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym
21. Men of Iron by Howard Pyle (audio book)
22. Runaway Ralph by Beverly Cleary (audio book)
23. No Fond Return of Love by Barbara Pym
24. How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig
25. Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey
26. Tending the Heart of Virtue by Vigen Guroian
27. Covenant Child by Terri Blackstock
28. Shadow in Serenity by Terri Blackstock
29. The Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L Sayers
30. Alexander and the Wonderful, Marvelous, Excellent, Terrific Ninety Days by Judith Viorst
31. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
32. Have His Carcase by Dorothy L Sayers

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But it was also a sad summer.  I lost my Dad--not a surprise but sad nonetheless.  Thinking about my Dad over the last few weeks always led back to my Mom who died about five years ago.  The gains in the richness of life seem accompanied by loss...

 

 

So sorry, Jane.  You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

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I was bored. :( I ended up skimming the last 50 pages. The Duke and Miss Denny or Midsummer Moon by this author were better reads, imo.

 

If you want a really good Regency (but still clean) try Danse de la Folie by Sherwood Smith (one of my all-time favs) or Imprudent Lady by Joan Smith or  one of Jude Morgan's Regency stories. Hth!

 

eta - I forgot to add The Weaver Takes a Wife by Sherri Cobb South - this one has a different type of hero that you really end up rooting for. :)

 

 

Laura - I keep thinking you "looked" familiar and then I realized I'm following you on Goodreads.  I don't think I friended you because I didn't think I knew you but found I still found your reviews very helpful.  :)

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I finished reading Dream of Joy by Lisa See. Wow, I had read about China under Mao before, but it still keeps amazing me how bad things were :crying: and how *quickly* things went downhill.

 

I started reading (actually it is a re-read and a timely one) The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs and after reading the long thread about it, I decided to pick up a copy of The Bluest Eyes by Toni Morrison. I have never read anything by Morrison before.

 

 

-----------

 

2. Dream of Joy - Lisa See

1. The Shallows - Nicholas Carr

 

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31. A. E. Housman, A Shropshire Lad

 

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

 

Into my heart an air that kills

From yon far country blows:

What are those blue remembered hills,

What spires, what farms are those?

 

That is the land of lost content,

I see it shining plain,

The happy highways where I went

And cannot come again.

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Just finished a romantic suspense novel.  I enjoyed it.  It's helpful but not necessary to have read previous books in the Tracers series.

 

Exposed by Laura Griffin

 

"Every picture tells a story. But not all of them have happy endings.

As a forensic photographer at the Delphi Center crime lab, Maddie Callahan is used to seeing violence up close, but sheĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s never before been the target of it. When a freelance photo shoot goes awry, she realizes she may have seen, and perhaps photographed, the kidnapping of a key witness in a federal probe. And although her camera was stolen, Maddie knows she has something that could be even more valuable to investigators.

FBI agent Brian Beckman has spent months investigating a vicious criminal known as the Doctor, only to have a key witness abducted on his watch. Worse, heĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s falling for the woman who may be the DoctorĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s next target. MaddieĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s aloof facade hides a world of hurt that he wants to heal, no matter how much she keeps him at bay. But first he has to protect her from the danger thatĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s just out of focus, drawing close enough to shoot . . . and kill.  "

 

Regards,

Kareni

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Fabulous Flavorwire list: 50 Works of Fiction in Translation That Every English Speaker Should Read

http://flavorwire.com/415153/50-works-of-fiction-in-translation-that-every-english-speaker-should-read/view-all/

 

Love this list!

 

How interesting that you mentioned this!  Just this evening I began reading a nonfiction work by Milan Kundera, The Curtain, and started thinking about all of the authors (including Kundera) to whom I was introduced in Penguin's Writers from the Other Europe series edited by Philip Roth.  It has been years since I read Kundera's novels (The Joke; The Book of Laughter and Forgetting; The Unbearable Lightness of Being) or his short story collection (Laughable Loves).  In addition to Kundera, I discovered a number of interesting writers via this series.  Among them was Bruno Schultz, mentioned on Stacia's list, as well as Danilo Kis, Gesa Csath, Tadeusz Borowski, Bohumil Hrabal--authors all famous in their home countries yet not well known in the US.

 

Kundera is a Czech author who spent much of his life in France.  In fact, the book I am reading was translated from the French so I suppose he is as much a French author now as Czech.  Nonetheless, at the time Roth edited the series, Kundera was considered an Eastern European.  Such a fascinating series of books!  Worth picking up if you ever stumble upon them.

 

Jane

 

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Completed:

Book #47 - "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey.  Yeah, yeah! I keep hearing you all talk about this guy, so I guess it's about time I check it out. A friend loaned me the book, because he and his wife are doing great with the program. I'm convinced. So now I've got to get said friend to "sell" it to DH.



Book #46 - "The Bronze Bow" by Elizabeth George Speare.
Book #45 - "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad.  (WEM)
Book #44 - "The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brene Brown.
Book #43 - "I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn't)" by Brene Brown.
Book #42 - "Be Still: Using Principles of the Gospel to Lower Anxiety" by G. Sheldon Martin.
Book #41 - "Daring Greatly" - by Brene Brown.
Book #40 - "The New Testament" - Authorized King James Version (1611). (Inspiration)
Book #39 - "Teachings of Presidents of the Church - Lorenzo Snow"
Book #38 - "The Red Badge of Courage" by Stephen Crane. (WEM)
Book #37 - "Recovering Charles" by Jason F. Wright.
Book #36 - "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain. (WEM)
Book #35 - "Maphead" by Ken Jennings.
Book #34 - "Portrait of a Lady" by Henry James. (WEM)
Book #33 - "Earthly Deligihts" by Kerry Greenwood. (Australian author, Australian setting.)
Book #32 - "The Year of Learning Dangerously" by Quinn Cummings.
Book #31 - "The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)
Book #30 - "The Forgotten Affairs of Youth" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)
Book #29 - "The Charming Quirks of Others" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)
Book #28 - "I am Half-Sice of Shadows" by Alan Bradley. (Canadian author, English setting.)
Book #27 - ""Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs" by Ken Jennings.
Book #26 - "Because I Said So!: The Truth Behind the Myths, Tales & Warnings Every Generation Passes Down to Its Kids" by Ken Jennings.
Book #25 - "A Red Herring Without Mustard" by Alan Bradley. (Canadian author, English setting.)
Book #24 - "The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing" by Tarquin Hall. (British author, Indian setting.)
Book #23 - "The Lost Art of Gratitude" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)
Book #22 - "The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag" by Alan Bradley. (Canadian author, English setting.)
Book #21 - "Academic Homeschooling: How to Give Your Child an Amazing Education and Survive" by Tracy Chatters.
Book #20 - "The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)
Book #19 - "The Return of the Native" by Thomas Hardy. (WEM.)
Book #18 - "The Careful Use of Compliments" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)
Book #17 - "The Right Attitude to Rain" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)
Book #16 - "Inspector Singh Investigates: A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder" by Shamini Flint. (Singaporean author, Malaysian setting.)
Book #15 - "Friends, Lovers, Chocolate" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)
Book #14 - "Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" by Alan Bradley. (Canadian author, English setting.)
Book #13 - "Portuguese Irregular Verbs" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/]Scottish author, German character, German/Swiss/Italian/Ireland/Indian settings.)
Book #12 - "In Cold Pursuit" by Sarah Andrews. (Antarctica setting.)
Book #11 - "Anna Karenina" by Leo Nikoleyevich Tolstoy. (Russian; or WEM challenge.)
Book #10 - "The Sunday Philosophy Club" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)
Book #9 - "The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection" by Alexander McCall Smith. (]Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)
Book #8 - "The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)
Book #7 - "The Double Comfort Safari Club" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)
Book #6 - " Tea Time for the Traditionally Built" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)
Book #5 - "Crime and Punishment" by Fydor Dostoevsky. (Russian; or WEM challenge.)
Book #4 - "The Miracle of Speedy Motors" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)
Book #3 - "The Good Husband of Zebra Drive" by Alexander McCall Smith. (]Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)
Book #2 - "Blue Shoes and Happiness" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)
Book #1 - "In the Company of Cheerful Ladies" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)

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Fabulous Flavorwire list: 50 Works of Fiction in Translation That Every English Speaker Should Read

http://flavorwire.com/415153/50-works-of-fiction-in-translation-that-every-english-speaker-should-read/view-all/

 

Love this list!

 

Awesome list - I've read 4 of the books (Magic Mountain, Anna Karenina, 100 years of Solitude, and 1Q84) but see so many I want to read.  Think next year will be a Proust year, along with other classics. 

 

Just finished a romantic suspense novel.  I enjoyed it.  It's helpful but not necessary to have read previous books in the Tracers series.

 

Exposed by Laura Griffin

 

"Every picture tells a story. But not all of them have happy endings.

 

As a forensic photographer at the Delphi Center crime lab, Maddie Callahan is used to seeing violence up close, but sheĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s never before been the target of it. When a freelance photo shoot goes awry, she realizes she may have seen, and perhaps photographed, the kidnapping of a key witness in a federal probe. And although her camera was stolen, Maddie knows she has something that could be even more valuable to investigators.

 

FBI agent Brian Beckman has spent months investigating a vicious criminal known as the Doctor, only to have a key witness abducted on his watch. Worse, heĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s falling for the woman who may be the DoctorĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s next target. MaddieĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s aloof facade hides a world of hurt that he wants to heal, no matter how much she keeps him at bay. But first he has to protect her from the danger thatĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s just out of focus, drawing close enough to shoot . . . and kill.  "

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

Liked Laura Griffin's Untraceable and her tracer series, although there are a couple I think I missed in the past year.  Just downloaded Exposed. Thanks

 

 

 

 

Finished J.D. Robb's Thankless in Death and excellent as usual. The ending left me misty eyed. 

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Oh my soul, I am SO thrilled to have finally finished something.  I've started about half a dozen books in the last month and nothing has really stuck.  This morning I finished The Way Life Works by Mahlon Hoagland.  Very good book. 

 

I'm pretty sure I've abandoned Salem's Lot by Stephen King.  It was boring me to tears.  I've been reading a little here and there from The Lively Art of Writing and it's great, but not exactly thrilling.  I'm listening to Dead Ever After at the gym but not really feeling it at all.  I'm really hoping to find my reading mojo again soon. 

 

Completed So Far

1. Best Friends by Samantha Glen
2. Wesley the Owl by Stacey O'Brien
3. The Gift of Pets: Stories Only a Vet Could Tell by Bruce Coston
4. Nim Chimpsky: The Chimp Who Would Be Human by Elizabeth Hess
5. Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams & Mark Carwardine
6. Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Alison Arngrim
7. Beowulf by Seamus Heaney
8. The Odyssey by Homer (Fagles translation)
9. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
10. The Year of Learning Dangerously: Adventures in Homeschooling by Quinn Cummings
11. Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson
12. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
13. Tales of an African Vet by Dr. Roy Aronson
14. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
15. The Romanovs: The Final Chapter by Robert K. Massie
16. Kisses From Katie by Katie Katie Davis
17. Iguanas for Dummies by Melissa Kaplan
18. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
19. Zoo by James Patterson
20. St. Lucy's School for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell
21. Russian Tortoises in Captivity by Jerry D. Fife
22. Leopard Geckos for Dummies by Liz Palika
23. The 8th Confession by James Patterson
24. Leopard Geckos: Caring for Your New Pet by Casey Watkins
25. The Ultimate Guide to Leopard Geckos by Phoenix Hayes Simmons
26. 9th Judgement by James Patterson
27. 10th Anniversary by James Patterson
28. 11th Hour by James Patterson
29. 12th of Never by James Patterson

30. The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner
31. Chasing Science at Sea: Racing Hurricanes, Stalking Sharks, and Living Undersea With Ocean Experts by Ellen J. Prager
32. Dolphin Mysteries: Unlocking the Secrets of Communication by Kathleen M. Dudzinski & Toni Frohoff
33. The Greeening by S. Brubaker
34. No Touch Monkey! by Ayun Halliday
35. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

36. Beating Dyspraxia with a Hop, Skip, and a Jump by Geoff Platt

37. Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

38. Traveling With Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor

39. The Stranger by Albert Camus

40. Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare

41. Shakespeare: The World a Stage by Bill Bryson

42. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

43. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

44. How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster

45. Brain Power: Improve Your Mind as You Age by Michael J. Gelb and Kelly Howell

46. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

47. Animal Farm by George Orwell

48. Carrie by Stephen King

49. Deconstructing Penguins by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone

50. The Way Life Works by Mahlon Hoagland

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I finished Angelmaker tonight.  What an absolute thrill ride!  It started out a little slow, and I wasn't sure where it was going, but when it all came together, boy, what a ride!  This was just plain old fun, and a joy of a book to read.  I loved it!

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http://www.themanbookerprize.com/books/testament-mary

 

Dd and I both read "The Testament of Mary" by Colm Toibin as part of car travel reading. It was the first of my booker prize short list books to arrive. Not sure sure how to describe it because it was not what either of us expected.

 

It is a retelling of parts of Mary's life. Particularly focused on the last weeks of Jesus life. Mainly it is a story of a woman who gave birth to greatness and her continual feelings of loss. Her feeling of loss is really what the book was about. Imo

 

It is a short (104 pages) easy read. Imo. We both gave it a 4 independently on Goodreads so obviously found it worthy. Just not really what we had hoped for, if that makes sense.

 

 

If you look at the comments in the above link my feelings about the book appear to be typical.

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I finished a few more in the car....

 

"Stormbringers" an Order of Darkness book by Philippa Gregory. It is a YA. Good series. This one centers on the children's crusade and a story of how it may have been -- personally doubt this version but good story.

 

"The Lady Confesses" by Carole Mortimer which is the first historical I have read by one of my favorite Harlequin authors. Nice easy read.

 

"The Activist" my next Theodore Boone by John Grisham. Another YA. Not much to say other then I really like that kid!

 

Finally "Grey Mask" a Miss Silver mystery by Patricia Wentworth. Reminiscent of Miss Marple only more businesslike. Totally enjoyed it. Stayed up until after 2 last night to finish it. I found it in a kindle library and it is the first of 30 odd books if anyone wants to hunt for it. :)

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Sigh. Okay, I'm in a rut. I'm 78% done with Outlander. I can not wait for this book to be done. I want to just get it over with already. However, I can't get myself to pick up the book and read it. So, I'm spending my days not reading because the story is just irritating and yet I'm so close to being done that I can't not finish it. Blech. Someone just finish it for me!!!! 

 

I have no idea why this book annoys me. Maybe it's because I would never in a million years do what Claire does in the book. It was an okay enough book (xcept for certain scenes) before she made her choice. Now that she has I'm just annoyed with her. I don't find her choice plausible. Cause let me tell you as much as I love my dh I'm *not* going to live in a time in which I'm almost tortured/killed for being a witch just so I can be with him. Um, no. Sorry.

 

I need to get back to my Iron Druid series. Much better. Much.

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Paisley, I think I replied about Hunchback. Maybe I dreamed that I did.... I read it a very long time ago & remember loving it. I think you would enjoy it. Another classic to consider is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

 

Mom-ninja (love the new moniker), put down the book slowly and back away with your hands up. ;-) It is perfectly ok to ditch it, even this far in.... Find something you love instead.

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Mom-ninja (love the new moniker), put down the book slowly and back away with your hands up. ;-) It is perfectly ok to ditch it, even this far in.... Find something you love instead.

Okay, now I need to just do it. I can do this. I can do this. I can.

 

As for the new name...thanks. I came across it online in an article, and my ds said, "Yeah, you are so a mom ninja. It's like you have ninja magic. You know what we're doing, what we're thinking, and you pop around corners without a sound. It's freaky." :lol:  After that comment I just had to change my username.

 

Someone PM me and just tell me how the darn book ends so I can let it go.

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Okay, now I need to just do it. I can do this. I can do this. I can.

 

As for the new name...thanks. I came across it online in an article, and my ds said, "Yeah, you are so a mom ninja. It's like you have ninja magic. You know what we're doing, what we're thinking, and you pop around corners without a sound. It's freaky." :lol:  After that comment I just had to change my username.

 

Someone PM me and just tell me how the darn book ends so I can let it go.

 

You can do it 'cuz you're a NINJA! :ph34r:

 

See? Don't you feel relief just knowing that you are ditching it? Can't help you w/ the ending. I tried reading it once or twice years ago, but never made it more than a few pages.

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My sweet husband. He triumphantly returned from work with a beautiful old gilt-edged edition of Seneca's Moral Essays for me, and he had checked the table of contents to make sure it included "On the Shortness of Life."

 

All of it in Latin. (No, I can't read Latin.)

Send it to me, send it to me. Joking :D.

 

I probably can't read..........yet. I did buy the bilingual edition of Seneca's On the Shortness of Life from the Great Ideas series, because some day I *will* be able to read it in Latin. For now, I'm best friends with Caesar ;).

 

Still, it is very sweet of your husband!

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I finished two books today.

 

First, I must say thanks to Jane for linking the BBC radio reading of Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness. I listened to the final installment today. Up to now, I had avoided reading (or, in this case, listening to) Lovecraft, mainly because I thought he probably fell into the 'cheesy' &/or grisly horror genre. True, he writes horror, but I was very pleasantly surprised at how erudite his writing is. I know he is traditionally well-loved among geeky circles & now I see why -- his writing is smart, filled with scientific references (making the horror of his stories seem scientifically-authenticated), & quite compelling. I thoroughly enjoyed his extension of Poe's Pym novel (to which he makes direct reference) & thought he brought the story through a very satisfying arc & ending. Definitely recommended, esp. if you're working on any of the Pym readings or are looking for a sort-of 1920s/1930s throwback story of adventure/science/horror. I plan to read more of Lovecraft's work.

 

H.P. Lovecraft, At the Mountains of Madness:

I could not help feeling that they were evil things-- mountains of madness whose farther slopes looked out over some accursed ultimate abyss. That seething, half-luminous cloud-background held ineffable suggestions of a vague, ethereal beyondness far more than terrestrially spatial; and gave appalling reminders of the utter remoteness, separateness, desolation, and aeon-long death of this untrodden and unfathomed austral world.

 

and

 

On many occasions the curious atmospheric effects enchanted me vastly; these including a strikingly vivid mirage - the first I had ever seen - in which distant bergs became the battlements of unimaginable cosmic castles.

 

Also, I finished Remainder by Tom McCarthy. In the review I link, there is mention/comparison to Proust's In Search of Lost Time. Earlier this year, I read A Tale for the Time Being, another book which referenced/reflected Proust's work too. I may have to tackle Proust soon as serendipity seems to be pointing him out to me. Remainder is a book I had sitting on my shelves for awhile (a copy I snagged off of PaperbackSwap after I fell in love with McCarthy's writing in C). I had no idea what the story was even about prior to reading &, strangely enough, it was an unusual musing on life, reality, & moments of time, while being quite chilling too. (I guess it falls in line with all the early spooky/chilling reading I've done lately.) It's not a scary story, per se, more chilling in relation to the core personality/driving force of the main character. It's not a philosophy book, yet there's lots of existential thought here, shades (no pun intended) of Plato's Allegory of the Cave, & an alarming examination of re-enacting reality vs. reality being a re-enactment. Another book I completely enjoyed & which further cements my admiration for McCarthy's writing.

 

Tom McCarthy, Remainder:

It's not that I'm being shy. It's just that -- well, for one, I don't even remember the event. It's a blank: a white slate, a black hole. I have vague images, half-impressions: of being, or having been -- or, more precisely, being about to be -- hit; blue light; railings; lights of other colours; being held above some kind of tray or bed. But who's to say that these are genuine memories? Who's to say my traumatized mind didn't just make them up, or pull them out from somewhere else, some other slot, and stick them there to plug the gap -- the crater -- that the accident had blown? Minds are versatile and wily things. Real chancers.

 

and

 

Surplus matter. I'd forgotten all about that phrase, those classes -- even before the accident, I mean. After the accident I forgot everything. It was as though my memories were pigeons and the accident a big noise that had scared them off. They fluttered back eventually -- but when they did, their hierarchy had changed, and some that had had crappy places before ended up with better ones; I remembered them more clearly; they seemed more important.

 

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I finished Angelmaker tonight.  What an absolute thrill ride!  It started out a little slow, and I wasn't sure where it was going, but when it all came together, boy, what a ride!  This was just plain old fun, and a joy of a book to read.  I loved it!

 

Will this book help me get past my Outlander fiasco? :lol:

 

Thank you so much! You have no idea the great feeling of freedom I now feel.

 

Stacia gave me courage and a good shove, and you gave me closure. :hurray:  I feel happy.

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Will this book help me get past my Outlander fiasco? :lol:

 

Thank you so much! You have no idea the great feeling of freedom I now feel.

 

Stacia gave me courage and a good shove, and you gave me closure. :hurray:  I feel happy.

 

Oh, gosh, I don't know!  LOL  I love Outlander, but Angelmaker is NOTHING like it.  So, maybe, yes?   :lol:

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 Up to now, I had avoided reading (or, in this case, listening to) Lovecraft, mainly because I thought he probably fell into the 'cheesy' &/or grisly horror genre. True, he writes horror, but I was very pleasantly surprised at how erudite his writing is. I know he is traditionally well-loved among geeky circles & now I see why -- his writing is smart, filled with scientific references (making the horror of his stories seem scientifically-authenticated), & quite compelling. I thoroughly enjoyed his extension of Poe's Pym novel (to which he makes direct reference) & thought he brought the story through a very satisfying arc & ending. Definitely recommended, esp. if you're working on any of the Pym readings or are looking for a sort-of 1920s/1930s throwback story of adventure/science/horror. I plan to read more of Lovecraft's work.

 

 

See?  I told you it was good and not grisly.  I have to still get back to Pym now. 

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First, I must say thanks to Jane for linking the BBC radio reading of Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness. I listened to the final installment today. Up to now, I had avoided reading (or, in this case, listening to) Lovecraft, mainly because I thought he probably fell into the 'cheesy' &/or grisly horror genre. True, he writes horror, but I was very pleasantly surprised at how erudite his writing is. I know he is traditionally well-loved among geeky circles & now I see why -- his writing is smart, filled with scientific references (making the horror of his stories seem scientifically-authenticated), & quite compelling. I thoroughly enjoyed his extension of Poe's Pym novel (to which he makes direct reference) & thought he brought the story through a very satisfying arc & ending. Definitely recommended, esp. if you're working on any of the Pym readings or are looking for a sort-of 1920s/1930s throwback story of adventure/science/horror. I plan to read more of Lovecraft's work.

 

 

 

See?  I told you it was good and not grisly. 

Well I wimped out.  Listening to the first episode, I felt as Stacia did above.  But something about the second episode gave me the willies! 

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Another media reminder:  PBS is airing The Hollow Crown (Richard II) tonight (check your local listings). 

 

This is a good reminder that I need to reread Henry IV part two before that play is aired.  Thanks to Paisley Hedgehog who got the Shakespearean Bolingbroke history cycle ball rolling in anticipation of this PBS series.

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  :hurray:  I feel happy.

 

:thumbup1:

 

Fwiw, I couldn't make it but a few pages into Outlander. I *loved* Angelmaker. Super fun & well done.

 

See?  I told you it was good and not grisly.  I have to still get back to Pym now. 

 

Ah, you were right!!! Hey, congrats on reaching 52! :hurray:

 

Well I wimped out.  Listening to the first episode, I felt as Stacia did above.  But something about the second episode gave me the willies! 

 

There were some chilling moments. (I felt the same about Dracula.) For some reason, I can handle that level/type/style of horror writing. Can't handle the graphically gross or super-creepy, though. (For example, the Carlos Fuentes Vlad book I tried to read creeped me out in a very bad way & I had to stop because I knew I'd have nightmares if I continued....)

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Today I finished The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.  I absolutely loved it and already want to read it again.  This was a totally spontaneous read as I had never heard of it before but the cover's bright colors sucked me in at the library.  I'm glad I read it.

 

No idea what's next, but I have 1 book to go before hitting 52.  :hurray:

 

Completed So Far

1. Best Friends by Samantha Glen
2. Wesley the Owl by Stacey O'Brien
3. The Gift of Pets: Stories Only a Vet Could Tell by Bruce Coston
4. Nim Chimpsky: The Chimp Who Would Be Human by Elizabeth Hess
5. Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams & Mark Carwardine
6. Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Alison Arngrim
7. Beowulf by Seamus Heaney
8. The Odyssey by Homer (Fagles translation)
9. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
10. The Year of Learning Dangerously: Adventures in Homeschooling by Quinn Cummings
11. Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson
12. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
13. Tales of an African Vet by Dr. Roy Aronson
14. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
15. The Romanovs: The Final Chapter by Robert K. Massie
16. Kisses From Katie by Katie Katie Davis
17. Iguanas for Dummies by Melissa Kaplan
18. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
19. Zoo by James Patterson
20. St. Lucy's School for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell
21. Russian Tortoises in Captivity by Jerry D. Fife
22. Leopard Geckos for Dummies by Liz Palika
23. The 8th Confession by James Patterson
24. Leopard Geckos: Caring for Your New Pet by Casey Watkins
25. The Ultimate Guide to Leopard Geckos by Phoenix Hayes Simmons
26. 9th Judgement by James Patterson
27. 10th Anniversary by James Patterson
28. 11th Hour by James Patterson
29. 12th of Never by James Patterson

30. The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner
31. Chasing Science at Sea: Racing Hurricanes, Stalking Sharks, and Living Undersea With Ocean Experts by Ellen J. Prager
32. Dolphin Mysteries: Unlocking the Secrets of Communication by Kathleen M. Dudzinski & Toni Frohoff
33. The Greeening by S. Brubaker
34. No Touch Monkey! by Ayun Halliday
35. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

36. Beating Dyspraxia with a Hop, Skip, and a Jump by Geoff Platt

37. Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

38. Traveling With Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor

39. The Stranger by Albert Camus

40. Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare

41. Shakespeare: The World a Stage by Bill Bryson

42. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

43. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

44. How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster

45. Brain Power: Improve Your Mind as You Age by Michael J. Gelb and Kelly Howell

46. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

47. Animal Farm by George Orwell

48. Carrie by Stephen King

49. Deconstructing Penguins by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone

50. The Way Life Works by Mahlon Hoagland

51. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

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I had Murder on the Orient Express waiting on my mp3 player, so I decided to join the Agatha Christie mini-challenge. I watched the movie years ago, so I remembered the gist of the plot, but not many details. David Suchet's narration was excellent.

 

I've picked The Phantom of the Opera and Neil Gaiman's Coraline for my scary October reads. I considered reading Frankenstein, but I'm not really in the mood - maybe next year.

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Completed:

Book #48 - "Financial Peace Revisited" by Dave Ramsey. I like the readability of the other one better, but this one does explain the envelope system and some of the other concepts in more detail.



Book #47 - "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey.
Book #46 - "The Bronze Bow" by Elizabeth George Speare.
Book #45 - "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad.  (WEM)
Book #44 - "The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brene Brown.
Book #43 - "I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn't)" by Brene Brown.
Book #42 - "Be Still: Using Principles of the Gospel to Lower Anxiety" by G. Sheldon Martin.
Book #41 - "Daring Greatly" - by Brene Brown.
Book #40 - "The New Testament" - Authorized King James Version (1611). (Inspiration)
Book #39 - "Teachings of Presidents of the Church - Lorenzo Snow"
Book #38 - "The Red Badge of Courage" by Stephen Crane. (WEM)
Book #37 - "Recovering Charles" by Jason F. Wright.
Book #36 - "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain. (WEM)
Book #35 - "Maphead" by Ken Jennings.
Book #34 - "Portrait of a Lady" by Henry James. (WEM)
Book #33 - "Earthly Deligihts" by Kerry Greenwood. (Australian author, Australian setting.)
Book #32 - "The Year of Learning Dangerously" by Quinn Cummings.
Book #31 - "The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)
Book #30 - "The Forgotten Affairs of Youth" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)
Book #29 - "The Charming Quirks of Others" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)
Book #28 - "I am Half-Sice of Shadows" by Alan Bradley. (Canadian author, English setting.)
Book #27 - ""Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs" by Ken Jennings.
Book #26 - "Because I Said So!: The Truth Behind the Myths, Tales & Warnings Every Generation Passes Down to Its Kids" by Ken Jennings.
Book #25 - "A Red Herring Without Mustard" by Alan Bradley. (Canadian author, English setting.)
Book #24 - "The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing" by Tarquin Hall. (British author, Indian setting.)
Book #23 - "The Lost Art of Gratitude" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)
Book #22 - "The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag" by Alan Bradley. (Canadian author, English setting.)
Book #21 - "Academic Homeschooling: How to Give Your Child an Amazing Education and Survive" by Tracy Chatters.
Book #20 - "The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)
Book #19 - "The Return of the Native" by Thomas Hardy. (WEM.)
Book #18 - "The Careful Use of Compliments" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)
Book #17 - "The Right Attitude to Rain" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)
Book #16 - "Inspector Singh Investigates: A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder" by Shamini Flint. (Singaporean author, Malaysian setting.)
Book #15 - "Friends, Lovers, Chocolate" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)
Book #14 - "Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" by Alan Bradley. (Canadian author, English setting.)
Book #13 - "Portuguese Irregular Verbs" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/]Scottish author, German character, German/Swiss/Italian/Ireland/Indian settings.)
Book #12 - "In Cold Pursuit" by Sarah Andrews. (Antarctica setting.)
Book #11 - "Anna Karenina" by Leo Nikoleyevich Tolstoy. (Russian; or WEM challenge.)
Book #10 - "The Sunday Philosophy Club" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)
Book #9 - "The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection" by Alexander McCall Smith. (]Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)
Book #8 - "The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)
Book #7 - "The Double Comfort Safari Club" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)
Book #6 - " Tea Time for the Traditionally Built" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)
Book #5 - "Crime and Punishment" by Fydor Dostoevsky. (Russian; or WEM challenge.)
Book #4 - "The Miracle of Speedy Motors" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)
Book #3 - "The Good Husband of Zebra Drive" by Alexander McCall Smith. (]Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)
Book #2 - "Blue Shoes and Happiness" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)
Book #1 - "In the Company of Cheerful Ladies" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)

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I have now started two more books....

 

The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike. My book club is reading this, I'm completely unenthused about it & I don't know why. I just don't want to read it. (I remember disliking the movie eons ago, maybe that's where my base dislike of the book comes from?) I'm 35 pages in & am not impressed. I'll give it a little more, but I'm not sure I'll make it through this novel.

 

The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner. It's one I noticed on a FlavorWire list (the cover art caught my attention) earlier this year. My library hold finally came through....

 

From Booklist:

*Starred Review* In her smash-hit debut, Telex from Cuba (2008), Kushner took on corporate imperialism and revolution, themes that also stoke this knowing and imaginative saga of a gutsy yet naive artist from Nevada. Called Reno when she arrives in New York in 1977, she believes that her art has Ă¢â‚¬Å“to involve risk,Ă¢â‚¬ but sheĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s unprepared for just how treacherous her entanglements with other artists will be. RenoĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s trial-by-fire story alternates provocatively with the gripping tale of Valera, an Italian who serves in a motorcycle battalion in WWI, manufactures motorcycles, including the coveted Moto Valera, and makes a fortune in the rubber industry by oppressing Indian tappers in Brazil. These worlds collide when Reno moves in with Sandro Valera, a sculptor estranged from his wealthy family, and tries to make art by racing a Moto Valera on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Ultimately, Reno ends up in Italy, where militant workers protest against the Valeras. As Reno navigates a minefield of perfidy, Kushner, with searing insights, contrasts the obliteration of the line between life and art in hothouse New York with life-or-death street battles in Rome. Adroitly balancing astringent social critique with deep soundings of the complex psyches of her intriguing, often appalling characters, Kushner has forged an incandescently detailed, cosmopolitan, and propulsively dramatic tale of creativity and destruction.

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Just started "Night Film" and so far it's good. Only 60 or so pages in. I love the crime reports etc included as you read. Makes it seem so real.....yes, it made me google to make sure I hadn't "missed" the existence of the famous movies. :lol:

 

My plan for the spooky book challenge is to read the Vlad history book that I am waiting for (I am too lazy too find the title right now, same author that Stacia read). I want to reread Stoker's Dracula and "The Historian" with that. Hoping to manage "Frankenstein " and "Jekyll and Hyde" too. Obviously, hoping to make it a 5/5/5 since I have failed on many of my others. Vampires are usually great reading fo me not sure about other creatures.

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