Book a Week in 2013 - week thirty nine

[eaglei]

Blackmoore:A Proper Romance by Julianne Donaldson. I really liked this. I think the older I get, the more romance I seem to need in my life.

 

 

Mmm-hmmm.  I hear ya . . .

 

We went out to dinner Sunday night to a Japanese restaurant which is right next door to Barnes and Noble, so of course, had to go in and browse.  Shocked to find they didn't have a banned books display and and when I mentioned it to the clerk, he wasn't even aware of it.  So sad.  Especially since all the books on the list are already in the store.  Even more shocking, hubby and son both got a book and   Me,  nada, zip, zilch.  :w00t: I guess I was hungry and rushed them through.  :lol:

 

On a related note to your comment (bolded part) - I have been delighted to see people, having read the library press release in the newspaper, coming in and asking to see the banned books display (it's right out in the open!) - AND, they are signing out banned books AND they are taking a copy of the list (presumably to keep on reading banned books)!

[mlbuchina]

I've been seeing the previews for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. I had never read the story, so I grabbed James Thurber's My World -- and Welcome To It today & read The Secret Life of Walter Mitty; it is very, very short, coming in at just ten very small pages. It was an entertaining, typically Thurber type story, imo. Now I'm ready to see the movie -- I'm kind of curious about their adaptation....

 

 

:cheers2:  Here's to the inner dreamer in everyone!

 

That looks like it may be a good movie.  I'm going to have to look up the story.

 

I'll join you in that salute.   :cheers2:

 

 

ETA:  A quick Google search resulted in discovering that there is another movie based on the short story.  It is said to be a comedy, and was made in 1947.  I wonder if it is any good, either?  Hmm...

 

ETA again:  It has Danny Kaye in it.  I love Danny Kaye!

[Stacia]

I have been delighted to see people, having read the library press release in the newspaper, coming in and asking to see the banned books display (it's right out in the open!) - AND, they are signing out banned books AND they are taking a copy of the list (presumably to keep on reading banned books)!

 

 

That is just so cool. Thanks for sharing it!

 

[Stacia]

Ghanaian poet Kofi Awoonor was one of the people killed in Kenya's mall attack this week. Mentioning him because I know some have participated in the African readings & may have read some of his work....

 

[Paisley Hedgehog]

.

[Kim in Appalachia]

You are so right!  That is exactly what it did.  It creeped me out.

 

I haven't read the article (was it this one?), but I did see this on my facebook from Susan Barton about it:

 

I can't decide if she is for it, or against it.  As far as I know, my dd doesn't have disgraphia, or visual attention issues, so I'm not sure this would help her out.  I guess I could try it out on my tablet, and just adjust the size of the font to the largest setting.  Dd has often said that she can't read little words, but she can read big words (font size wise).

 

 

My son does have visual attention issues.  That is his biggest struggle.  He cried when he saw the smaller print in his new books (for school).  I did try putting books on our iPad and increasing the size of the font.  That helped a little, But the screen was still big and his eyes still jumped around.  I hadn't thought about using a tiny iPod.  I do think it's a good idea.  Will it turn my son into some who likes to read?  I doubt it. ;) but I think it might make it easier for him, which could help him improve his overall reading abililty.  

 

I can test it out with my phone.  He'll be 12 in Feb.  We had told him he could have an iPod at 13, so it would only be a year early.  He would be beside himself happy if we got it for him.  It's his almost daily request.  

[Stacia]

For fans of Diane Setterfield (The Thirteenth Tale), she has a new book coming out in Nov.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Bellman-Black-Novel-Diane-Setterfield/dp/147671195X/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_har?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380024813&sr=1-1&keywords=diane+setterfield

[Jane in NC]

Just in time for Banned Books Week, the Randolph County (NC) School Board removed copies of  Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man from school library shelves.  After receiving some national publicity, they are reconsidering their decision.  (Link.) 

 

Apparently one of the school board members said that he found "no literary value" in Invisible Man which of course won the National Book Award back in the '50's. One wonders about people who choose to run for seats on school boards...

[ladydusk]

I've been seeing the previews for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. I had never read the story, so I grabbed James Thurber's My World -- and Welcome To It today & read The Secret Life of Walter Mitty; it is very, very short, coming in at just ten very small pages. It was an entertaining, typically Thurber type story, imo. Now I'm ready to see the movie -- I'm kind of curious about their

 

:cheers2: Here's to the inner dreamer in everyone!

Thurber is from Columbus Ohio, near where we live and where I grew up (in the burbs). Anyway, we went to a Columbus Clippers (minor league baseball) game this summer and they were giving local bobbleheads. My kids got Dave and Wendy (Wendy's restaurant was founded here) and Eddie Rickenbacher. I dont remember who my husband got, but I got James Thurber.

 

So there's my Thurrber story. Well, and we had to read Walter Mitty in high school English.

[ErinE]

Apparently one of the school board members said that he found "no literary value" in Invisible Man which of course won the National Book Award back in the '50's. One wonders about people who choose to run for seats on school boards...

????

 

Proof that those in charge of PS education may not be interested in good education.

 

I always enjoy these threads even though I don't post often. I just finished Zoobiquity by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz. The author discusses the overlap between animal and human medicine. She advocates for collaboration between veterinarians, scientists and doctors on identification and treatment of disease.

 

I'm also on a homesteading kick. Right now, I'm working my way through Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens and A Place of My Own by Michael Pollan.

[Kim in Appalachia]

Just in time for Banned Books Week, the Randolph County (NC) School Board removed copies of  Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man from school library shelves.  After receiving some national publicity, they are reconsidering their decision.  (Link.) 

 

Apparently one of the school board members said that he found "no literary value" in Invisible Man which of course won the National Book Award back in the '50's. One wonders about people who choose to run for seats on school boards...

 

 

Why would you remove it from your school book shelves?  Personaly, I hated that book. It dragged on and on.  But I wouldn't remove it just because I found it boring.  It does have literary value, and does make for lots of good discussion.

[Kim in Appalachia]

I've been seeing the previews for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. I had never read the story, so I grabbed James Thurber's My World -- and Welcome To It today & read The Secret Life of Walter Mitty; it is very, very short, coming in at just ten very small pages. It was an entertaining, typically Thurber type story, imo. Now I'm ready to see the movie -- I'm kind of curious about their adaptation....

 

 

:cheers2:  Here's to the inner dreamer in everyone!

 

I remember how much I enjoyed that little story.  I think the a movie is a good idea.  For once, they won't have to cut down what's in the book. :)  

[Jane in NC]

I'm also on a homesteading kick. Right now, I'm working my way through Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens and A Place of My Own by Michael Pollan.

 

What?  there is a Michael Pollan book that I missed?  How did that happen?  Thanks for mentioning this!

 

[trinchick]

Haven't posted in several weeks because my reading waned quite a bit over the summer. But got a new Kindle for my anniversary, and I'm now reading with new vigor. I never wanted a Kindle, but now that I have one I adore it! Anyhow, below are books I'm working on, as well as my list to date:

 

In Progress

600 Hours of Edward by Craig Lancaster

Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez (Audio)

 

Completed

37. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

36. Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern

35. Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner

34. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
33. Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright (Read Aloud)
32. The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs (Audio)
31. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (Audio)
30. Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress by Debra Ginsberg
29. The Good House by Ann Leary
28. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid (audio; Continents Challenge: Asia)
27. A Spiderweb for Two by Elizabeth Enright (Read Aloud)
26. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (Audio)
25. Wheat Belly by William Davis

24. As Husbands Go by Susan Isaacs (audio)
23. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
22. UnWholly by Neal Shusterman
21. Then There Were Five by Elizabeth Enright (Read Aloud)
20. Heartburn by Nora Ephron (Food book challenge)
19. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
18. A Tale of Two Cities (Audio; Dickens challenge)
17. Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick (Continents Challenge: Asia)
16. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
15. Money Secrets of the Amish by Lorilee Craker
14. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
13. Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Alison Arngrim
12. The Old Man and the Sea (Audio)
11. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Audio)
10. Forgotten Bookmarks by Michael Popek
9. An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff
8. Breaking Night by Liz Murray
7. The Four Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright (Read aloud)
6. The Autobiography of an Execution by David Dow
5. A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews (Continents Challenge: Canada)
4. The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren (Read aloud)
3. The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright (Read aloud)
2. Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill (Continents Challenge: Canada)
1. A Walk Across the Sun by Corban Addison 

 

[aggieamy]

That looks like it may be a good movie.  I'm going to have to look up the story.

 

I'll join you in that salute.   :cheers2:

 

 

ETA:  A quick Google search resulted in discovering that there is another movie based on the short story.  It is said to be a comedy, and was made in 1947.  I wonder if it is any good, either?  Hmm...

 

ETA again:  It has Danny Kaye in it.  I love Danny Kaye!

 

This looks fascinating.  I might actually get out and see a movie this year.  :)

[mumto2]

 

BaW'ers, I need help.  My 13yo ds has listened to the entire LoTR/Hobbit cycle and wants to explore more JRR Tolkien books.   Where should he start?  I have looked at Tolkien's Fantastic Fiction page but I'm not sure which of his other series would be best.

 

Anyone?

 

Coursera has an "Online Games: Literature, New Media, and Narrative" class from Vanderbilt which is based on the Lord of the Rings. Both my dc's are doing the option without gameplay(video games as part of school would not be a good option for my ds ;) ) which turns the course into more of a lit course. At the end they will get a certificate -- dh went to Vanderbilt so fun just for that. I think he could still sign up because the hard deadline for work is end of October. The second week is about Tolkien and his work. Not sure if he would be interested but wanted to let you know.

 

We haven't ventured beyond LOTR but my friend's ds spent literally years imersed in the "Silmarillion".

[mumto2]

 

It is also one of the most frequently appearing books on the AP. I have obviously spent too much time with that list!

 

 

Just in time for Banned Books Week, the Randolph County (NC) School Board removed copies of  Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man from school library shelves.  After receiving some national publicity, they are reconsidering their decision.  (Link.) 

 

Apparently one of the school board members said that he found "no literary value" in Invisible Man which of course won the National Book Award back in the '50's. One wonders about people who choose to run for seats on school boards...

[Robin M]

More books to add to our wishlists: Nominees for 2013 National Book Awards.

 

Spooktacular adds:  Anno Dracula series by Kim Newman. I read the first one and thoroughly enjoyed it. Just downloaded Bloody Red Baron to read.

 

Plus check out favorwire's 10 Impressiveness uses of borrowed characters in literature.

 

 

[Kareni]

That was an interesting article on borrowed characters, Robin.

 

Of course, once on the Flavorwire site, it's impossible not to find other articles of interest.  I enjoyed this one:

 

50 Books Every Parent Should Read to Their Child

(I do want to change that 'their' to his/her or change the whole title to read '50 Books Parents Should Read to Their Child,' but no one asked me.)

 

The article pertains to books to read to children under the age of ten.  I'm happy to see that I read at least 80 percent of the list to my daughter when she was younger.  She recently graduated from college, so some of the books came out after her childhood.  It's a good list.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mlbuchina]

Of course, once on the Flavorwire site, it's impossible not to find other articles of interest. I enjoyed this one:

 

50 Books Every Parent Should Read to Their Child

(I do want to change that 'their' to his/her or change the whole title to read '50 Books Parents Should Read to Their Child,' but no one asked me.)

 

The article pertains to books to read to children under the age of ten. I'm happy to see that I read at least 80 percent of the list to my daughter when she was younger. She recently graduated from college, so some of the books came out after her childhood. It's a good list.

 

Regards,

Kareni

What a great list. I've read many of these, but I spy a few we need to read. Quite a few I've never heard of as well. Good thing we are on our way to the library. :)

[Robin M]

That was an interesting article on borrowed characters, Robin.

 

Of course, once on the Flavorwire site, it's impossible not to find other articles of interest.  I enjoyed this one:

 

50 Books Every Parent Should Read to Their Child

(I do want to change that 'their' to his/her or change the whole title to read '50 Books Parents Should Read to Their Child,' but no one asked me.)

 

The article pertains to books to read to children under the age of ten.  I'm happy to see that I read at least 80 percent of the list to my daughter when she was younger.  She recently graduated from college, so some of the books came out after her childhood.  It's a good list.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

We've read quite a few of them as well and thoroughly enjoyed them and still have all of them. Some are well thumbed and had to be taped back together. 

 

Harold and the Purple Crayon,

Goodnight moon (very first book read to James),

Madeline,

The Story of Ferdinand,

Cat in the Hat,

Peter Rabbit,

Make Way for Ducklings

Frog and Toad,

Clifford,

Babar (we have the whole series)

Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel

Winnie the Pooh,

Little Bear,

Sylvester and the magic pebble,

My Father's Dragon  (hubby introduced us to this book)

Charlotte's Web,

Curious George,

Tikki Tikki Tembo,

Weisner's The Three Pigs. (Have most of Weisner's books - so fun to narrate the story from the pictures)

 

Wow, this really takes me back.  Good times and fun reading.   

[Jane in NC]

 

Of course, once on the Flavorwire site, it's impossible not to find other articles of interest.  I enjoyed this one:

 

50 Books Every Parent Should Read to Their Child

(I do want to change that 'their' to his/her or change the whole title to read '50 Books Parents Should Read to Their Child,' but no one asked me.)

 

The article pertains to books to read to children under the age of ten.  I'm happy to see that I read at least 80 percent of the list to my daughter when she was younger.  She recently graduated from college, so some of the books came out after her childhood.  It's a good list.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

Wow, this really takes me back.  Good times and fun reading.   

Just seeing some of the covers brought back lines from many of the books!  We did not just read many of these once but multiple, multiple times!

[Stacia]

Just in time for Banned Books Week, the Randolph County (NC) School Board removed copies of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man from school library shelves. After receiving some national publicity, they are reconsidering their decision. (Link.)

 

Apparently one of the school board members said that he found "no literary value" in Invisible Man which of course won the National Book Award back in the '50's. One wonders about people who choose to run for seats on school boards...

That's just depressing that they removed it in the first place.

I just finished Zoobiquity by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz. The author discusses the overlap between animal and human medicine. She advocates for collaboration between veterinarians, scientists and doctors on identification and treatment of disease.

Sounds like a cool book & one my sis would like as well. Thanks for mentioning it. :thumbup1:

I remember how much I enjoyed that little story. I think the a movie is a good idea. For once, they won't have to cut down what's in the book. :)

:laugh:

Coursera has an "Online Games: Literature, New Media, and Narrative" class from Vanderbilt

I need to check out Coursera for both myself & ds....

More books to add to our wishlists: Nominees for 2013 National Book Awards.

 

Spooktacular adds: Anno Dracula series by Kim Newman. I read the first one and thoroughly enjoyed it. Just downloaded Bloody Red Baron to read.

 

Plus check out favorwire's 10 Impressiveness uses of borrowed characters in literature.

The book I'm currently reading (The Flamethrowers) is on the National Book Award list....

 

I read the third Anno Dracula book a year or two ago. (My library didn't have the first two, but did have the third. Go figure... :confused1: )

 

Enjoyed that list of borrowed characters. Haven't read any of the books mentioned.

50 Books Every Parent Should Read to Their Child

(I do want to change that 'their' to his/her or change the whole title to read '50 Books Parents Should Read to Their Child,' but no one asked me.)

Fun list. Kareni, you should email them to tell them to change their title!!!

 

Many of those titles are very, very familiar ones around here... the ones held together by tape, recited by heart, & so on. Tikki Tikki Tembo, no sa rembo, ... (I always loved reading that one out loud). Ds loved Goodnight Moon & I think I read it every night for at least a year in a row. Wasn't familiar with This Is Not My Hat so I requested it from the library.

 

And, speaking of kids books, I came across this one in the library catalog & requested it too: The Secret Life of Walter Kitty. :lol: Ds wants to see the Walter Mitty movie when it comes out, so I'm also having him read Walter Mitty, but we're both cat lovers so I figure Walter Kitty will be a good addition to our reading too. ;)

[Angel]

I decided to begin my October spooky reading a little early, so I have started Dracula.  Oh my goodness!  I'm only a little bit into chapter two, and I already love the writing.  I hope it ends up being good, because so far it is very promising.

 

 

I was surprised at how much I loved Dracula when I read it a couple years ago!  I thought it very good.  Though, I have to admit that I couldn't read some parts of it at night.  I'm such a wimp!

 

Blackmoore:A Proper Romance by Julianne Donaldson. I really liked this. I think the older I get, the more romance I seem to need in my life.

 

 

I just found out that she had written a new book last week!  I'm so excited.  Did you read her first book, Edenbrooke?  It was on the top of my list last year, though in all fairness, it was on the bottom of aggieamy's  :laugh:

 

I can't remember the last time I chimed in...way too long ago.  I just popped in to see what everyone was reading.  I'm still tackling Robert Jordan.  It's slow going.  I just don't have as much time to read as I used to.  I'm currently reading book 10, Crossroads of Twilight.

 

1. The Eye of the World

2. The Great Hunt

3. The Dragon Reborn

4. The Shadow Rising

5. The Fires of Heaven

6. Lord of Chaos

7. A Crown of Swords

8. The Path of Daggers

9. Winter's Heart

 

I've also listened to

The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann

 

I've also read

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

as I'm teaching Narnia class at our co-op this year.

 

I'm going to try and check in more regularly!

[Paisley Hedgehog]

.

[Stacia]

Paisley, you're quiet today.

 

;)

[mumto2]

http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/omens/

 

I finished "Omens" by Kelley Armstrong. It is the first of new series for her. The first part was spooky but then it turned into more of a thriller. Ended with a cliffhanger. I read it in one highly interupted sitting so pretty good but not her usual book by any means. No witches, werewolves,or vampires. Characters who inhabit a rather unusual town with odd abilities. I hope the sequel is soon!

 

I have been through the lists and ordered a couple more from the library. I looked at Anno Dracula recently and resisted. Robin's recommendation put me on the hold list!

 

The children's book list brought back great memories. We read many of them. I have an urge to locate the ones we never read!

 

Stacia, Coursera has been a great addition for us. We have signed up for a few this summer/fall and have enjoyed most of them. Being free we just drop the ones that are not working with no regrets.

[Paisley Hedgehog]

. 

 

[Robin M]

For those who haven't read Anno Dracula:

 

Back cover

: "It is 1888 and Queen Victoria has remarried, taking as her new consort the Wallachian Prince infamously known as Count Dracula.  His polluted bloodline spreads through London as its citizens increasingly choose to become vampires.  In the grim backstreets of Whitechapel, a killer known as 'Silver Knife' is cutting down vampire girls.  The eternally young vampire Genevieve Diedudonne and Charles Beauregard of the Diogenes Club are drawn together as they both hunt the sadistic killer, bringing them ever closer to England's most bloodthirsty ruler yet."

 

My father in law enjoys reading the classics and discussing  what he is reading with me. He called during the period of time I was reading Anno Dracula and asked what I was reading.  I explained I was reading a vampire novel in which Count Dracula has married Queen Victoria and taken over England.  It has made being a vampire fashionable and there are many characters who have turned or been brought back as vampires such as  Jack the ripper, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, Professor Moriarty, Henry Jekyll, and Dr. Moreau to name a few.  Complete silence on the other end of the phone.  Certainly wasn't what he had expected to hear.   *grin*  Some good stories just trip people out.

 

 

Back to Banned Books Week - check out the Banned Books Week You Tube channel where celebrities and other folks will be reading from books.

 

I'm reading Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms which according to ALA statistics

 

• The June 1929 issue of Scribner's Magazine, which ran Hemingway's novel, was banned in Boston, MA (1929).
• Banned in Italy (1929) because of its painfully accurate account of the Italian retreat from Caporetto, Italy.
• Burned by the Nazis in Germany (1933).
• Banned in Ireland (1939). Challenged at the Dallas, TX Independent School District high school libraries (1974).
• Challenged at the Vernon-Verona-Sherill, NY School District (1980) as a "sex novel."

 

 

 

 

[Stacia]

I was just going to say that in a bit of BaW synchronicity, Sylvester & the Magic Pebble is on both the kid's list and the banned list, just in case anyone wanted to cover both bases ... :D

At least I've read it. (But can I admit that I loathe that story?)

[Robin M]

I was just going to say that in a bit of BaW synchronicity,  Sylvester & the Magic Pebble is on both the kid's list and the banned list, just in case anyone wanted to cover both bases ...  :D

 

The story was challenged because the police officers were pigs which didn't even cross my mind at the time as an issue. It was and is a very sweet story.   Fit right in with the rest of the story as all the characters were animals.  I guess some people just have problems with anthropomorphic (one of my son's favorite words) pigs as well as other animals. 

[Violet Crown]

I admit I haven't scoured the Challenged Books list, but our branch library had a little sale of donated books that had been banned or challenged, $1 each. I snatched up a nice Everyman volume 2 of Euripides - so, what, Medea I suppose? - Deszó Kosztolányi's Skylark (NYRB reprint), The Education of Henry Adams, and a Dover edition of The Ship of Fools (1494).

 

Still enjoying The Bad Catholic's Guide to Wine, Whiskey, and Song. My favorite chapter is "Kahlua and Ecclesiastical Land Reform."

[mlbuchina]

I was surprised at how much I loved Dracula when I read it a couple years ago!  I thought it very good.  Though, I have to admit that I couldn't read some parts of it at night.  I'm such a wimp!

 

I've made it to chapter 5, and so far, it hasn't been scary at all.  I have been nervous about being too scared to read it, but so far, so good.  I am still loving the writing.

 

Fun list. Kareni, you should email them to tell them to change their title!!!

 

Many of those titles are very, very familiar ones around here... the ones held together by tape, recited by heart, & so on. Tikki Tikki Tembo, no sa rembo, ... (I always loved reading that one out loud). Ds loved Goodnight Moon & I think I read it every night for at least a year in a row. Wasn't familiar with This Is Not My Hat so I requested it from the library.

 

And, speaking of kids books, I came across this one in the library catalog & requested it too: The Secret Life of Walter Kitty. :lol: Ds wants to see the Walter Mitty movie when it comes out, so I'm also having him read Walter Mitty, but we're both cat lovers so I figure Walter Kitty will be a good addition to our reading too. ;)

 

 

Oh, Tikki Tikki Tembo is a huge hit around here, too.  I remember reading it as a kid, and I still love it now.  I was so excited to share it, along with Rikki Tivvi Tavi.  I love that one, too.

 

While at the library today, I picked up This Is Not My Hat.  It only took a minute to read it, and I could not for the life of me figure out why it had won a Caldecott.  I didn't check it out, or give it to my dc to read.  Let me know what you think of it, and if you can figure out why it won.

 

The Secret Life of Walter Kitty!!  LOL  Love it!

[Kareni]

Concerning Sylvester & the Magic Pebble:

 

At least I've read it. (But can I admit that I loathe that story?)

 

But is it as loathsome as The Giving Tree?

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

Concerning Sylvester & the Magic Pebble:

 

 

But is it as loathsome as The Giving Tree?

 

 

I can tolerate The Giving Tree much better than Sylvester. I, personally, found the whole idea of the Sylvester story horrifying the first time I read it (which was when I was an adult & had a young child). I still am not over my initial distaste of the book. That book creeps me out. (I guess like all good fairy tales, huh?) Anyway... <<shudder>>...

 

(Eons ago, I had The Giving Tree given to me as a gift by a university professor in recognition of a lot of work I had done, so maybe I don't find it as bad or as maudlin as many others do.  ;)  Or, maybe I do find it maudlin, but I like it even so. Plus, I'm a tree-hugger. :D )

 

[mlbuchina]

Eliana, you blow me away with your reviews all the time.   :)  How do you have time to read all this stuff?  And with a 3-year-old at home, too!

 

I hope the health issues are resolved, and everyone is felling and doing well this week.

 

ETA:  Oops.  LOL  *feeling, not felling.

[Jane in NC]

I finished a silly, improbably mystery, Baker Street Translation, by Michael Robertson.  This is the third in the series but the first I read.  The overarching storyline concerns a barrister, Reggie Heath, who has offices at 221B Baker Street where letters to Sherlock Holmes continue to arrive.  One of the conditions of Heath's lease is that he must answer these letters.

 

In this particular tale we have a Texan who wants to leave her fortune to Holmes and a Chinese translator who seeks the great detective's assistance--as well as a kidnapping and potential bombing of royals. As I said, improbable.

 

Probably best as escapist entertainment when one does not need to think too much.  Two and a half stars.

[trinchick]

While at the library today, I picked up This Is Not My Hat.  It only took a minute to read it, and I could not for the life of me figure out why it had won a Caldecott.  I didn't check it out, or give it to my dc to read.  Let me know what you think of it, and if you can figure out why it won.

 

 

I placed a hold on it at the library. I'll weigh in once I've had the chance to read it.

 

I have to confess, though, that there are lots of children's books that have won awards that leave me scratching my head.

[Stacia]

I placed a hold on it at the library. I'll weigh in once I've had the chance to read it.

 

I have to confess, though, that there are lots of children's books that have won awards that leave me scratching my head.

 

:iagree:

 

(Yeah, I'm not generally a big fan of many Newberry winners, for instance....)

[mumto2]

I placed a hold on it at the library. I'll weigh in once I've had the chance to read it.

 

 

 

I have to confess, though, that there are lots of children's books that have won awards that leave me scratching my head.

I just watched someone read it on youtube. I can think of many many that are much better. I hesitate to even attempt to link youtube but here is a potential link

 

When you google youtube this is not my hat it is the 3 minute one.

[Maus]

Completed:

Book #49 - "The Money Answer Book" by Dave Ramsey. Quick read, like reading a FAQ. Just kind of stalling here, waiting for DH to listen to the audio version of "Total Money Makeover," so he's on board.  Tucking away what I can towards our Emergency Fund.

Book #48 - "Financial Peace Revisited" by Dave Ramsey.
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)

[Stacia]

Finished Rachel Kushner's The Flamethrowers today....

 

Nominated for the 2013 National Book Award for Fiction (US). An arresting cover, a story that starts with 1970s speed records & racing, yet has a curious, but gorgeous effect of catching small moments in time… zoomed in but stretched out, each scene a clear, magnified vision seen as if you are floating, suspended, detached, as you watch things unfold at a minutely slower version of time. Kushner’s sumptuous prose shifts through speed, skiing, motorcycles, industry, art, & anarchy; inhabits various locales from the Bonneville Salt Flats to New York City to Amazonian rubber harvesting areas to Milan; visits dreamers, racers, artists, businessmen, soldiers, rioters, lovers. Beautiful & highly recommended.

[mlbuchina]

Thank you, honey! We aren't out of the woods yet, but (thank G-d) things continue to move in the preferred direction.

 

Re: reading...

 

 maybe the only accurate answer would be 'a misspent childhood's :)

 

Well, I'll be praying that they continue to move in the preferred direction, then.   :grouphug:

 

Would that my childhood was as misspent as that.  I did read constantly, and still carry a book with me everywhere I go (even from room to room at my house, never know when a spare moment will present itself), but it did not turn into the in depth study and enjoyment that it has for you.  I want to be like you when I grow up!   :laugh:

[JennW in SoCal]

Eliana, I too stand in awe at your prodigious reading lists and eloquent reviews!   It is one thing to be a fast reader, but to be able to remember all you've read, to have such thoughtful things to say about each title -- well, it is a gift!

 

One of life's ironies that I have just come to realize, now that I'm in my 50s and after having homeschooled a very ADHD kid,  I'm pretty ADD myself.  I have a hard time focusing on a book, even one that I enjoy because my mind is leaping from place to place.  One of the reasons I like audio books is because I listen while also doing something else -- knitting or other needle work, or driving.  My mind is fully occupied so I can stay focused on the book -- there is no room for the grocery list to pop up in my head.   

 

 

Jane -- I read the first of the Baker Street mysteries earlier this year, and got a kick out of it.  It was fluffy, fun and took a few unexpected turns.  It didn't leave me hungry for more, though as I haven't searched for any others.

 

Someone mentioned James Thurber and the Walter Mitty story.  I MUST have read it as a teen because I adored James Thurber and read everything by him.  I just don't remember that story!   I will have to re-read it before the movie comes out.  Are any of you old enough to remember the short-lived tv sitcom My World and Welcome To It that was based off of Thurber's writing and cartoons?  

 

Some of those children's books brought back fond memories, and while I didn't recognize a few of them, there are others missing from that list which we loved and fondly remember.  I wish I had annotated The Little Engine That Could with the litany of comments one of my boys would recite each time we read it.  I didn't believe at the time I could ever forget.   Then there was the ceiling fan catalog that one boy latched onto as a toddler.  Try reading that 10 times a day and keeping your enthusiasm up -- "oh look, this one has 5 blades!  Let's count them 1,2,3,4,5!  And the black one has an optional light kit!"  This is the kid who is now a theatrical lighting designer...

 

 

[aggieamy]

I was surprised at how much I loved Dracula when I read it a couple years ago!  I thought it very good.  Though, I have to admit that I couldn't read some parts of it at night.  I'm such a wimp!

 

 

 

I remember reading Amityville Horror in high school and when I finished it I gave a lot of thought to climbing in bed with my parents because I was so scared.  I figured they weren't going to go for that so instead I got my little brother and sister to sleep with me. 

 

I just found out that she had written a new book last week!  I'm so excited.  Did you read her first book, Edenbrooke?  It was on the top of my list last year, though in all fairness, it was on the bottom of aggieamy's  :laugh:

 

 

LOL.  99.9% of the time I think Angel's reviews and recommendations are spot on but it's true that we did disagree slightly on the quality of that particular book.  :) 

 

 

I admit I haven't scoured the Challenged Books list, but our branch library had a little sale of donated books that had been banned or challenged, $1 each. I snatched up a nice Everyman volume 2 of Euripides - so, what, Medea I suppose? - Deszó Kosztolányi's Skylark (NYRB reprint), The Education of Henry Adams, and a Dover edition of The Ship of Fools (1494).

 

Still enjoying The Bad Catholic's Guide to Wine, Whiskey, and Song. My favorite chapter is "Kahlua and Ecclesiastical Land Reform."

 

I loved both of the Bad Catholic's books.  I'm a cradle Catholic and I felt like I learned (and laughed) a lot. 

[Stacia]

Then there was the ceiling fan catalog that one boy latched onto as a toddler.  Try reading that 10 times a day and keeping your enthusiasm up -- "oh look, this one has 5 blades!  Let's count them 1,2,3,4,5!  And the black one has an optional light kit!"  This is the kid who is now a theatrical lighting designer...

 

:lol:

 

 

[eaglei]

Eliana, I too stand in awe at your prodigious reading lists and eloquent reviews!   It is one thing to be a fast reader, but to be able to remember all you've read, to have such thoughtful things to say about each title -- well, it is a gift!

 

 

I thoroughly agree!

[Stacia]

Eliana, I too stand in awe at your prodigious reading lists and eloquent reviews! It is one thing to be a fast reader, but to be able to remember all you've read, to have such thoughtful things to say about each title -- well, it is a gift!

As others have already said... 'me too'.

 

(I think I may be ditching The Witches of Eastwick. Even though I've barely cracked the book, I haven't been drawn in by the tiny amount I've read & too many other books around here look much more enticing....)

[Robin M]

Halfway through A Farewell to Arms and going to have to force myself to finish it.  The dialogue between the characters, especially Henry and Catherine is killing me.   I loved Old Man and the Sea - so rich with description, etc.  This one, meh!

[Mom-ninja.]

I have to force myself through any Hemmingway book.