Book a Week in 2013 - week forty

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday, dear hearts!  Today is the start of week 40 in our quest to read 52 books in 52 weeks.  Welcome back to all our readers, to all those who are just joining in and to all who are following our progress.  Mr. Linky is all set up on the 52 Books blog to link to your reviews.  The link is below in my signature.

 

52 Books Blog - Trek through Asia:  My goodness, I lost track of time and had so much fun eurorailing through Europe, spent an extra month exploring the continent.  If you are doing the Continental, how about you?  Did you have such a grand time you spent extra time exploring or did you move on already? That's all right, I'll catch up to you soon.  It's time to move into Asia, and my first stop is Ekaterinburg to check out the great stone monument straddling the border of Asia and Europe.  One stone is from the furthest point of the European part, Cape Rock, another stone came from  the furthest point of the Asian part, Cape of Deghnev and symbolizes the union of two parts of the world.

 

I haven't quite figured out my route yet, so plan on trekking around Russia for a bit before boarding the international train and winding my way down through Mongolia to China.  Then I have decide whether I want to fly over to India and backtrack to Pakistan or continue on to Japan. Decisions, decisions!

Currently in my back pack is Boris Pasternak's Dr. Zhivago, Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Midnight Palace,  Haruki Murakami's The Wind Up Bird Chronicles, Joel Rosenberg's Twelfth Iman, and Qui Xiaolong's A Loyal Character Dancer.

Check out Trek through Asia where I've listed two or three books for each country to get you started. For all things Russian, from fiction to nonfiction to learning Russian, go to Russia Online.  Find out what books Chinese leaders are reading or check out Iran's Tabriz Book fair which starts today.  Head on over to Zeroland for a comprehensive list of all Japanese Literature - lots of fun links

 

 

 

 

For those who want to get started on October Spooktacular reads (next week's 52 books post), check out goodreads list of popular Japanese Horror novels, and popular horror and psychological thrillers.  

 

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

 

 

Link to week 39

[Robin M]

Last night, I started reading The Midnight Palace, a young adult novel written by Carlos Ruiz Zafon set in 1930's Calcutta.  Enjoying so far.  Prior to that read some Mind Candy - new to me author Cecy Robson and her paranormal book #1 Sealed with a Curse and #2 Cursed Embrace in her Weird Sisters series. The last book in Stephen King's The Dark Tower series is queued up on my nook which I'll be reading while treadmilling. 

[Paisley Hedgehog]

.

[Stacia]

 

I finished Night of My Blood by Kofi Awoonor today. He is the Ghanaian poet who was killed recently in the Nairobi mall attack; his poetry is required reading in many of Ghana's high school literature classrooms. Parts of this collection were interesting & his poems cover many topics & issues related to old Ewe ways, colonialism, the struggle to emerge as an independent country, role of identity (new Africa vs. old Africa), etc.... Many thoughtful & moving pieces of poetry here, but I am sure that I am missing some of the depth just because it is from a different cultural tradition than mine. The few footnotes were interesting. One of them referred to a "ceremony of widowhood performed for any woman whose husband dies. It is an elaborate and at times painful ceremony, since tradition believes that the wife of a dead man bears some spiritual responsibility for her husband's death." I am not sure if Awoonor himself has left a wife behind, but this tradition sounds harrowing & hard on top of the reality of dealing with the death of a loved one, imo. Not the lightest of reads, but recommended if you are interested in African poetry.

 

On the completely opposite end of the spectrum, I'm about halfway through A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny. It's a light, fairly fun October-themed book about some mysterious event that's going to occur, players who are involved (many of whom are familiar by description such as Dracula, Frankenstein, a werewolf, Jack the Ripper, Sherlock Holmes) & their animal familiars (in many cases). It's written in a mysterious way so you don't really know what the event is or which characters will be on which side of this event (or game), but I figure that will all be revealed in the end. Don't know if this is an adult novel or a more of a YA one, but I could see it appealing to kids who enjoy a little bit of a spooky atmosphere. So far, it's light & entertaining fluff.

 

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

My Goodreads Page

My PaperbackSwap Page

My BookLikes Page

 

My rating system:

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

 

2013 Books Read:

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

47. Second Person Singular by Sayed Kashua (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – Asia (Israel).

48. The Kreutzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy (3.5 stars). Challenge: Continental – Europe/Asia (Russia).

49. The Book of the Unknown: Tales of the Thirty-Six by Jonathon Keats (3 stars).

50. Borges and the Eternal Orangutans by Luis Fernando Verissimo (5 stars). Challenge: Continental – South America (Brazil & Argentina).

 

51. The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – Antarctica.

52. Pym by Mat Johnson (3 stars). Challenge: Continental – Antarctica.

53. Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway (5 stars).

54. The Complete Works of Marvin K. Mooney by Christopher Higgs (5 stars).

55. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (3 stars).

56. The Shaman’s Coat: A Native History of Siberia by Anna Reid (3 stars). Challenge: Continental – Asia (Siberia).

57. In Search of Dracula: The History of Dracula and Vampires by Raymond T. McNally & Radu Florescu (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – Europe (Romania).

58. Remainder by Tom McCarthy (4 stars). Challenge: Dusty.

59. At the Mountains of Madness (radio/audio version) by H.P. Lovecraft (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – Antarctica.

60. The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner (5 stars).

 

61. Night of My Blood by Kofi Awoonor (3 stars). Challenge: Continental – Africa (Ghana).

[Stacia]

It's time to move into Asia, and my first stop is Ekaterinburg to check out the great stone monument straddling the border of Asia and Europe. One stone is from the furthest point of the European part, Cape Rock, another stone came from the furthest point of the Asian part, Cape of Deghnev and symbolizes the union of two parts of the world.

Well that's a cool fact. I (of course) had to look up the monument to see what it looks like... look here if you're curious.

I haven't quite figured out my route yet, so plan on trekking around Russia for a bit before boarding the international train and winding my way down through Mongolia to China. Then I have decide whether I want to fly over to India and backtrack to Pakistan or continue on to Japan. Decisions, decisions!

 

Currently in my back pack is Boris Pasternak's Dr. Zhivago, Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Midnight Palace, Haruki Murakami's The Wind Up Bird Chronicles, Joel Rosenberg's Twelfth Iman, and Qui Xiaolong's A Loyal Character Dancer.

 

Check out Trek through Asia where I've listed two or three books for each country to get you started. For all things Russian, from fiction to nonfiction to learning Russian, go to Russia Online. Find out what books Chinese leaders are reading or check out Iran's Tabriz Book fair which starts today. Head on over to Zeroland for a comprehensive list of all Japanese Literature - lots of fun links

I've already done some Asian reading this year, but I'll probably end up doing some more before the year is finished. Ones I've already read are:

Our Lady of Alice Bhatti by Mohammed Hanif (Pakistan)

A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif (Pakistan)

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (Japan)

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (Japan)

Second Person Singular by Sayed Kashua (Israel)

The Kruetzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy (Russia; probably counts more toward Europe than Asia, but I'll list it anyway)

The Shaman's Coat: A Native History of Siberia by Anna Reid (Russia/Siberia)

For those who want to get started on October Spooktacular reads (next week's 52 books post), check out goodreads list of popular Japanese Horror novels, and popular horror and psychological thrillers.

Thanks for the links. Will have to check those out!

 

I've also gotten a headstart on some October spooky type reading. So far this year, I've read:

The Tenth Circle by Mempo Giardinelli (one of my Argentina reads that turned out to be spooky -- or should I say creepy or horrifying? -- in a 'Natural Born Killers' kind of way...)

The Fifty Year Sword by Mark Danielewski

This Book is Full of Spiders by David Wong

Stoker's Manuscript by Royce Prouty

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe

Pym by Mat Johnson (not sure if this is spooky, but since it's a satire of Poe's work, I'll add it to this list)

In Search of Dracula: The History of Dracula & Vampires by Raymond T. McNally & Radu Florescu

At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft

[Onceuponatime]

I finished the Golem and the Jinni. I enjoyed the story but the end left me flat.

 

Currently reading The Windsor Knot by Sharyn MCCrumb.

[Negin]

I read:
The Ageless Woman - 2 Stars - I would have preferred more practical information and tips presented in an engaging and colorful way. This book was rather dry. 

 

Calling Invisible Women - 4 Stars - A really fun read – in the chick-lit /pool/beach reading category, when one is in the mood for that. The ending was too sudden for my liking. The author wrote her first book at the age of 60. She’s Ann Patchett’s mother, which I thought was interesting. 

 

A quote that I loved and thought to share:

Had I ever spent the day in our neighborhood public high school as an invisible woman while my children were still enrolled there, I no doubt would have insisted on home schooling.

 

I read more than 20% of Size 12 is Not Fat and had to give it up. I did not like the writing style one bit and I was about to lose my mind at all the distracting hyphens in the middle of sentences   :banghead:. 

 

  

 

 

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.

[Jane in NC]

Hello everyone!

 

I flew out to the Midwest for a long weekend of family related events.  We held a memorial for my Dad and also celebrated the first birthday of a grand-nephew.  It was a good weekend with a book related story.

 

On Thursday, my husband and I were changing planes in a major metropolitan airport when a man walked up to me and asked "Are you liking it?"  Jane scans disks.  Am I liking the day, the airport, my flight??  No, silly!  Am I liking Brideshead Revisited which I am holding in my hand.

 

(Smacks head.) Indeed yes but I noted two things:  first that I am rereading the novel and wondering why this is the only Evelyn Waugh book I have ever read  Secondly it is abundantly clear that this is a book to reread later in life as I am doing now.  He told me that he had reread it recently so I asked if he too felt differently about the story and the characters than on the first go around.  Indeed he had.

 

Then he told me that he recently traveled to Castle Howard (where the '80's adaptation and the more recent film were shot) with friends. They recited lines from the book to each other as they toured the castle and grounds. (Now at this point my husband is about to roll his eyes while his dearest wife is thinking "Cool!")

 

 

 

I remain convinced that Brideshead Revisited has one of the greatest paragraphs in 20th century literature:

 

I knew Sebastian by sight long before I met him.  That was unavoidable for, from his first week, he was the most conspicuous man of his year by reason of his beauty, which was arresting, and his eccentricities of behavior which seemed to know no bounds  My first sight of him was as we passed in the door of Germer's, and, on that occasion, I was struck less by his looks than by the fact that he was carrying a large Teddy-bear.

 

 

This leads to a question that I suspect Eliana can answer:  Which other works by Waugh should I read? While best known for Brideshead Revisited, some of his other books were met with great critical acclaim. 

 

No scary books for me in October. Mary Roach's latest Gulp resurfaced in my husband's book stack. He finished it on the plane today and has passed it to me.  You guys can have the vampires and the monsters; I'll take guts and microbes.

[Kareni]

 

Calling Invisible Women ...

 

A quote that I loved and thought to share:

 

Had I ever spent the day in our neighborhood public high school as an invisible woman while my children were still enrolled there, I no doubt would have insisted on home schooling.

 

 

What a neat quote!  Thanks for sharing it, Negin.  The book certainly sounds intriguing.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

Jane, we drive by Castle Howard on the way to Whitby. We haven't gone partly because it is a pricey attraction. Nothing can be seen from the road. I have never read or watched Brideshead but other people who are fans have said what a great visit it is.

 

Still reading my three Dracula books. Really interesting set against the history found in the "Dracula Prince of Many Faces" by Florescu and McNally. Thank you Stacia for publishing your list which included your history book -- making sur the author was the same was something on my to do list.

[JennW in SoCal]

All righty then.  Our field trip itinerary just got a bit longer.  Whitby one day and Castle Howard another.  Required reading, of course, for both visits in order to have suitable quotes at the ready.  Then after making a nuisance of ourselves at Mumto2's house we'll head up to Edinburgh and the small bookish town in Scotland. 

 

Before I get to this week's reading I have to share some wonderful news.  My oldest ds just landed his dream job.  The job he has obsessed about since he was, oh, 11 years old.  He just got hired by Disneyland to do theatrical lighting and other stage magic!!   I'm not exaggerating when I say he was obsessed by Disneyland and specifically the shows they do.  I got this kid through middle school and high school with Disney tied into every subject.  Literally.  I also set his homeschool schedule to allow hours of theater and church tech every week.  He used to create nighttime parades with the neighborhood kids. As he collected various stage lights he would rig all them around the house to put on shows for birthdays, the super bowl, New Year's Eve and such. Now he gets to do it for real!   We're all very excited though it still feels unreal!  He was one of 25 people they've hired out of an application pool of 600. 600!!

 

As far as reading, I'm still working my way through The Shadow of the Wind, savoring by reading a few chapters each day.  I've just about finished Men at Arms, my current Terry Pratchett listen.   

 

I will actually read Poe's Pym this month, but will likely skip the parody Pym since neither Jane nor Stacia seemed keen on it.  Life's too short for meh satire!  Tomorrow I am downloading the audio version of Bill Bryson's newest book, One Summer, America, 1927.  It is what the title suggests, the summer of 1947 and everything and everyone making history that summer from Babe Ruth to Charles Lindberg to Al Capone.  

[Negin]

Before I get to this week's reading I have to share some wonderful news.  My oldest ds just landed his dream job. 

 

As far as reading, I'm still working my way through The Shadow of the Wind, savoring by reading a few chapters each day.  

Jenn, congrats on your son! :)

 

Also, I loved The Shadow of the Wind. 

[Kareni]

  My oldest ds just landed his dream job.  The job he has obsessed about since he was, oh, 11 years old.  He just got hired by Disneyland to do theatrical lighting and other stage magic!!  

 

What happy news ~ congratulations to your son!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Rosie_0801]

 

I finished Night of My Blood by Kofi Awoonor today. He is the Ghanaian poet who was killed recently in the Nairobi mall attack; his poetry is required reading in many of Ghana's high school literature classrooms. Parts of this collection were interesting & his poems cover many topics & issues related to old Ewe ways, colonialism, the struggle to emerge as an independent country, role of identity (new Africa vs. old Africa), etc.... Many thoughtful & moving pieces of poetry here, but I am sure that I am missing some of the depth just because it is from a different cultural tradition than mine. The few footnotes were interesting. One of them referred to a "ceremony of widowhood performed for any woman whose husband dies. It is an elaborate and at times painful ceremony, since tradition believes that the wife of a dead man bears some spiritual responsibility for her husband's death." I am not sure if Awoonor himself has left a wife behind, but this tradition sounds harrowing & hard on top of the reality of dealing with the death of a loved one, imo. Not the lightest of reads, but recommended if you are interested in African poetry.

 

Thanks for the recommendation. It's always good to hear about important writers outside our own traditions. It's on my wish list now. I have a very long wish list.

 

 

I haven't finished reading anything because I'm slogging through 'The Great War' by Les Carlyon, which is very readable, but is not helping me feel less cynical about the subject. The book is several inches thick so I'll be working on that for a while...

[Robin M]

 

 

On the completely opposite end of the spectrum, I'm about halfway through A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny. It's a light, fairly fun October-themed book about some mysterious event that's going to occur, players who are involved (many of whom are familiar by description such as Dracula, Frankenstein, a werewolf, Jack the Ripper, Sherlock Holmes) & their animal familiars (in many cases). It's written in a mysterious way so you don't really know what the event is or which characters will be on which side of this event (or game), but I figure that will all be revealed in the end. Don't know if this is an adult novel or a more of a YA one, but I could see it appealing to kids who enjoy a little bit of a spooky atmosphere. So far, it's light & entertaining fluff.

 

Sounds like a fun read, I'll keep my eye out for it. I enjoy Zelazney's stories. 

 

Well that's a cool fact. I (of course) had to look up the monument to see what it looks like... look here if you're curious.

 

 

I've already done some Asian reading this year, but I'll probably end up doing some more before the year is finished. Ones I've already read are:

Our Lady of Alice Bhatti by Mohammed Hanif (Pakistan)

A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif (Pakistan)

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (Japan)

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (Japan)

Second Person Singular by Sayed Kashua (Israel)

The Kruetzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy (Russia; probably counts more toward Europe than Asia, but I'll list it anyway)

The Shaman's Coat: A Native History of Siberia by Anna Reid (Russia/Siberia)

 

 

Thanks for the links. Will have to check those out!

 

I've also gotten a headstart on some October spooky type reading. So far this year, I've read:

The Tenth Circle by Mempo Giardinelli (one of my Argentina reads that turned out to be spooky in a 'Natural Born Killers' kind of way...)

The Fifty Year Sword by Mark Danielewski

This Book is Full of Spiders by David Wong

Stoker's Manuscript by Royce Prouty

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe

Pym by Mat Johnson (not sure if this is spooky, but since it's a satire of Poe's work, I'll add it to this list)

In Search of Dracula: The History of Dracula & Vampires by Raymond T. McNally & Radu Florescu

At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft

Thanks for the link to the monument.   Stoker's Manuscript is calling my name. Just may have to make another trip to B&N this week. 

 

All righty then.  Our field trip itinerary just got a bit longer.  Whitby one day and Castle Howard another.  Required reading, of course, for both visits in order to have suitable quotes at the ready.  Then after making a nuisance of ourselves at Mumto2's house we'll head up to Edinburgh and the small bookish town in Scotland. 

 

Before I get to this week's reading I have to share some wonderful news.  My oldest ds just landed his dream job.  The job he has obsessed about since he was, oh, 11 years old.  He just got hired by Disneyland to do theatrical lighting and other stage magic!!   I'm not exaggerating when I say he was obsessed by Disneyland and specifically the shows they do.  I got this kid through middle school and high school with Disney tied into every subject.  Literally.  I also set his homeschool schedule to allow hours of theater and church tech every week.  He used to create nighttime parades with the neighborhood kids. As he collected various stage lights he would rig all them around the house to put on shows for birthdays, the super bowl, New Year's Eve and such. Now he gets to do it for real!   We're all very excited though it still feels unreal!  He was one of 25 people they've hired out of an application pool of 600. 600!!

 

As far as reading, I'm still working my way through The Shadow of the Wind, savoring by reading a few chapters each day.  I've just about finished Men at Arms, my current Terry Pratchett listen.   

 

I will actually read Poe's Pym this month, but will likely skip the parody Pym since neither Jane nor Stacia seemed keen on it.  Life's too short for meh satire!  Tomorrow I am downloading the audio version of Bill Bryson's newest book, One Summer, America, 1927.  It is what the title suggests, the summer of 1947 and everything and everyone making history that summer from Babe Ruth to Charles Lindberg to Al Capone.  

Congratulations to your son. That is awesome!!!!!    Yes, Shadow of the Wind is one to be savored. Enjoy.

[mlbuchina]

I am almost finished with Dracula, and I am enjoying it a lot.  I thought it was going to be scary, but so far, nope.  Have I been desensitized with all the newer vampire movies and such??  LOL

[Violet Crown]

32. Jonathan Rose, The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes.

 

A wide-ranging scholarly work on the reading habits and engagement of British laborers with both intellectual and popular culture. Fascinating reading. While this isn't at all in Rose's purview, I found myself, while reading his accounts of turn-of-the-century British workers who stumbled upon serious literature and intellectual culture as teenagers or young adults, thinking how similar their reported experiences (Rose uses primarily memoirs for his research) were to the experiences of homeschooling parents who discover, in the course of their reading and teaching, the same hidden cultural treasures.

 

Here's a bit on the generous reading habits of the working class that made me think of this awesome book group:

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

 

This Third Way was a distinctively working-class approach to literature, what could be called critical populism. Autodidacts certainly worshipped the classics, but they could also be charitable toward the lesser ranks of literature. While they generally had a conservative sense of literary hierarchies, they tended to grade books on a sliding scale rather than pass-fail. Once the old Evangelical hostility to secular literature had been overcome, even serious autodidacts could treat fairly rubbishy books with remarkable tolerance, and they were not distressgd by the jumbling together of high and low culture.... These readers tended to approach any literary work on its own terms, from Julius Caesar to advertising bills, and take from it whatever they found valuable. After all, as one workhouse veteran noted, there was more mental stimulus in a boys' weekly than in the typical Victorian schoolbook.

 

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

 

Still reading Emerson's Essays and The Stalin Front, and soon to start a collection of essays by Kenneth Grahame. All reading of The Bad Catholic's Guide to Etc. halted; Great Girl found I had her book and retrieved it. Ungrateful child.

[Stacia]

The author wrote her first book at the age of 60. She’s Ann Patchett’s mother, which I thought was interesting.

That's neat that she is Ann Patchett's mother & is now getting into writing herself.

Then he told me that he recently traveled to Castle Howard (where the '80's adaptation and the more recent film were shot) with friends. They recited lines from the book to each other as they toured the castle and grounds. (Now at this point my husband is about to roll his eyes while his dearest wife is thinking "Cool!")

 

I remain convinced that Brideshead Revisited has one of the greatest paragraphs in 20th century literature:

 

This leads to a question that I suspect Eliana can answer: Which other works by Waugh should I read? While best known for Brideshead Revisited, some of his other books were met with great critical acclaim.

 

No scary books for me in October. Mary Roach's latest Gulp resurfaced in my husband's book stack. He finished it on the plane today and has passed it to me. You guys can have the vampires and the monsters; I'll take guts and microbes.

Jane, so glad to hear you had a lovely trip. Sounds like it was much-needed after the heartbreak you've had lately.

 

I've never read Waugh :o & you are making me want to read Brideshead Revisited.

 

You are braver than me. I'd much rather face vampires than guts & microbes of the scary sort. :ack2:

All righty then. Our field trip itinerary just got a bit longer. Whitby one day and Castle Howard another. Required reading, of course, for both visits in order to have suitable quotes at the ready. Then after making a nuisance of ourselves at Mumto2's house we'll head up to Edinburgh and the small bookish town in Scotland.

 

Before I get to this week's reading I have to share some wonderful news. My oldest ds just landed his dream job. The job he has obsessed about since he was, oh, 11 years old. He just got hired by Disneyland to do theatrical lighting and other stage magic!! I'm not exaggerating when I say he was obsessed by Disneyland and specifically the shows they do. I got this kid through middle school and high school with Disney tied into every subject. Literally. I also set his homeschool schedule to allow hours of theater and church tech every week. He used to create nighttime parades with the neighborhood kids. As he collected various stage lights he would rig all them around the house to put on shows for birthdays, the super bowl, New Year's Eve and such. Now he gets to do it for real! We're all very excited though it still feels unreal! He was one of 25 people they've hired out of an application pool of 600. 600!!

 

As far as reading, I'm still working my way through The Shadow of the Wind, savoring by reading a few chapters each day. I've just about finished Men at Arms, my current Terry Pratchett listen.

 

I will actually read Poe's Pym this month, but will likely skip the parody Pym since neither Jane nor Stacia seemed keen on it. Life's too short for meh satire!

I totally agree that we need to include Castle Howard on our BaW tour. I think we're going to need to expand our timeframe & trip parameters. Maybe something like Around the World in 80 Days? Anyone? :laugh:

 

:party: for your son! That is just super-cool & so wonderful to hear of him getting his *dream* job. Congrats to him! As always, many kudos to the parents too. If you hadn't read him all those lighting catalogs when he was a wee lad :lol: , he might not be creating Disney dreams for all those Disney vistors! So, Jenn, good job to you too! :thumbup1:

 

Glad you're enjoying The Shadow of the Wind. I agree about skipping Pym. If you are curious about it, I'd say head to the library, pick up the book & read the first two chapters. Those were really the most entertaining, satire-wise, imo. I think chapter 2 was where he did a 'summary' of Poe's version & I thought that was quite funny. But, it went downhill from there as far as I was concerned.

Thanks for the recommendation. It's always good to hear about important writers outside our own traditions. It's on my wish list now. I have a very long wish list.

 

I haven't finished reading anything because I'm slogging through 'The Great War' by Les Carlyon, which is very readable, but is not helping me feel less cynical about the subject. The book is several inches thick so I'll be working on that for a while...

You're welcome. I agree. I enjoy reading writers outside of my own cultural tradition -- just wish I didn't feel so darn clueless sometimes, knowing I'm missing references, kwim? I had that feeling also when reading Orhan Pamuk's My Name is Red and Ismael Kadare's The Palace of Dreams, just to name a couple that immediately come to mind. Still, I like the struggle of understanding (hopefully I'm understanding some part of it) & knowledge that I glean from reading such things....

Sounds like a fun read, I'll keep my eye out for it. I enjoy Zelazney's stories.

 

Thanks for the link to the monument. Stoker's Manuscript is calling my name. Just may have to make another trip to B&N this week.

I think you'd enjoy both of them, Robin.

I am almost finished with Dracula, and I am enjoying it a lot. I thought it was going to be scary, but so far, nope. Have I been desensitized with all the newer vampire movies and such?? LOL

Nah. I don't think you're desensitized. I find neither Dracula nor The Historian scary (maybe slightly chilling, but not scary), yet I couldn't make it through the novella Vlad (gave me a nightmare even though I didn't finish it) & never made it more than a few pages into The House of Leaves. I think everyone just has different triggers of what is considered scary.

[Stacia]

Here's a bit on the generous reading habits of the working class that made me think of this awesome book group:

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

 

This Third Way was a distinctively working-class approach to literature, what could be called critical populism. Autodidacts certainly worshipped the classics, but they could also be charitable toward the lesser ranks of literature. While they generally had a conservative sense of literary hierarchies, they tended to grade books on a sliding scale rather than pass-fail. Once the old Evangelical hostility to secular literature had been overcome, even serious autodidacts could treat fairly rubbishy books with remarkable tolerance, and they were not distressgd by the jumbling together of high and low culture.... These readers tended to approach any literary work on its own terms, from Julius Caesar to advertising bills, and take from it whatever they found valuable. After all, as one workhouse veteran noted, there was more mental stimulus in a boys' weekly than in the typical Victorian schoolbook.

 

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

 

Still reading Emerson's Essays and The Stalin Front, and soon to start a collection of essays by Kenneth Grahame. All reading of The Bad Catholic's Guide to Etc. halted; Great Girl found I had her book and retrieved it. Ungrateful child.

 

:thumbup1:

 

Up next, I will be posting my review of the cereal box from my pantry... ;) :p

 

Sorry to hear that your Bad Catholic's Guide has been 'spirited' away.

[Stacia]

.

[mumto2]

JennW, my dc's read your post about your son's new job and are thrilled for him. That is a REALLY great job according to ds. Congratulations!!!

[Negin]

Saw this. Love it. 

 

 

[Stacia]

Thought a few of you might like this one day book sale...

----------–------------------------------------------------------------------

Celebrate

International Translation Day

with 50% off

ALL Archipelago titles

on our website!

 

Today ONLY, enjoy 50% all books purchased on our website.

 

At checkout, use Coupon Code: ITD2013

 

Established in 1953 by the International Federation of Translators, International Translation Day falls on September 30th, the feast day of St. Jerome, translator of the Bible and patron saint of translators. In celebration, consider hunting for international literature on our website -- and receive 50% off!

 

http://archipelagobooks.org/

[Jane in NC]

Thought a few of you might like this one day book sale...

----------–------------------------------------------------------------------

Celebrate

International Translation Day

with 50% off

ALL Archipelago titles

on our website!

 

Today ONLY, enjoy 50% all books purchased on our website.

 

At checkout, use Coupon Code: ITD2013

 

Established in 1953 by the International Federation of Translators, International Translation Day falls on September 30th, the feast day of St. Jerome, translator of the Bible and patron saint of translators. In celebration, consider hunting for international literature on our website -- and receive 50% off!

 

http://archipelagobooks.org/

 

Thanks Stacia.  I just placed an order in part because I could not resist the title A Treatise on Shelling Beans.  I ordered the other work by WiesÅ‚aw MyÅ›liwski as well.

 

 

 

 

[trinchick]

Going back to last week's conversation about This Is Not My Hat and whether it was award-worthy... DD8 and I read this together last night. I thought it was OK, but she thought it was absolutely hilarious. I need reassurance that the big fish didn't eat the little fish. I was carefully scrutinizing the plants to see if there were some trace of the little fish showing he survived the confrontation, but none was to be seen. Any thoughts?

 

Here's what I finished this week:

 

40. Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez (Audio) - Lots of interesting anecdotes. Suffers from the same issue that I have with many memoirs, where the author puts herself at the center of every event. This is understandable, of course, because that's her perspective, but it seems so self-important, like she is so deeply embroiled in every situation; I think it's OK to admit when you're just a spectator or ancillary character. Also, she overstates relationships and acts like they're long-term and how well they knew each other and have become practically sisters only to figure out through the timeline that they've only known each other three weeks. This may just be my New England Yankee personal space thing, where I don't consider someone more than an acquaintance until I've known them for 10 years and met their extended families. It didn't ruin the book but made me question the credibility of the author.

 

39. 600 Hours of Edward by Craig Lancaster - This was such a great read. The story is told from the perspective of a 39 year-old with OCD and Asperger's. Discusses relationships with neighbors, family, co-workers, therapist, even an online date. There's a sequel that I'm looking forward to as well. I'll also mention that this book is available through the Amazon Kindle Lending Library. I've heard others mention at times that they haven't been able to find something to borrow; if you're in that position, this may be a good one to try.

 

38. The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom (Audio) - Ugh. A horrible book was made even worse on the audio version by sound effects like bells and harp strings. So cheesy.

[mumto2]

Remember I read this book on youtube but my first thought was the little fish had been eaten. Big fish looked terribly pleased. I figured poor picture quality meant he was hiding somewhere since the book was obviously really popular.

 

Interesting that your dd really liked it. I thought it was so so. I don't have a little one to try it out on, wish I did! I miss the picture book stage.

 

 

Going back to last week's conversation about This Is Not My Hat and whether it was award-worthy... DD8 and I read this together last night. I thought it was OK, but she thought it was absolutely hilarious. I need reassurance that the big fish didn't eat the little fish. I was carefully scrutinizing the plants to see if there were some trace of the little fish showing he survived the confrontation, but none was to be seen. Any thoughts?

 

Here's what I finished this week:

 

40. Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez (Audio) - Lots of interesting anecdotes. Suffers from the same issue that I have with many memoirs, where the author puts herself at the center of every event. This is understandable, of course, because that's her perspective, but it seems so self-important, like she is so deeply embroiled in every situation; I think it's OK to admit when you're just a spectator or ancillary character. Also, she overstates relationships and acts like they're long-term and how well they knew each other and have become practically sisters only to figure out through the timeline that they've only known each other three weeks. This may just be my New England Yankee personal space thing, where I don't consider someone more than an acquaintance until I've known them for 10 years and met their extended families. It didn't ruin the book but made me question the credibility of the author.

 

39. 600 Hours of Edward by Craig Lancaster - This was such a great read. The story is told from the perspective of a 39 year-old with OCD and Asperger's. Discusses relationships with neighbors, family, co-workers, therapist, even an online date. There's a sequel that I'm looking forward to as well. I'll also mention that this book is available through the Amazon Kindle Lending Library. I've heard others mention at times that they haven't been able to find something to borrow; if you're in that position, this may be a good one to try.

 

38. The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom (Audio) - Ugh. A horrible book was made even worse on the audio version by sound effects like bells and harp strings. So cheesy.

[trinchick]

Remember I read this book on youtube but my first thought was the little fish had been eaten. Big fish looked terribly pleased. I figured poor picture quality meant he was hiding somewhere since the book was obviously really popular.

 

Interesting that your dd really liked it. I thought it was so so. I don't have a little one to try it out on, wish I did! I miss the picture book stage.

 

 

Sorry, I missed your question on whether the little fish survives! Well, DD or I couldn't see the little fish hiding anywhere. I was really surprised at how much DD enjoyed the book; she laughed out loud the whole way through.

[mumto2]

Sorry, I missed your question on whether the little fish survives! Well, DD or I couldn't see the little fish hiding anywhere. I was really surprised at how much DD enjoyed the book; she laughed out loud the whole way through.

I didn't ask in my original post with the youtube. I figured he must have or probably no award. ;) Thought I was just missing something. Now that I am thinking about this since you have an actual copy of the book is the little fish on the endpapers? We used to read a book about a flea that you were not sure if he survived until you looked at the inside of the back cover.

[Stacia]

Thanks Stacia.  I just placed an order in part because I could not resist the title A Treatise on Shelling Beans.  I ordered the other work by WiesÅ‚aw MyÅ›liwski as well.

 

Cool. I decided to treat myself to:

The Flying Creatures of Fra Angelico by Antonio Tabucchi (translated from Italian)

My Kind of Girl by Buddhadeva Bose (translated from Bengali)

Plants Don't Drink Coffee by Unai Elorriaga (translated from Basque)

 

Going back to last week's conversation about This Is Not My Hat and whether it was award-worthy... DD8 and I read this together last night. I thought it was OK, but she thought it was absolutely hilarious. I need reassurance that the big fish didn't eat the little fish. I was carefully scrutinizing the plants to see if there were some trace of the little fish showing he survived the confrontation, but none was to be seen. Any thoughts?

 

Here's what I finished this week:

 

40. Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez (Audio) - Lots of interesting anecdotes. Suffers from the same issue that I have with many memoirs, where the author puts herself at the center of every event. This is understandable, of course, because that's her perspective, but it seems so self-important, like she is so deeply embroiled in every situation; I think it's OK to admit when you're just a spectator or ancillary character. Also, she overstates relationships and acts like they're long-term and how well they knew each other and have become practically sisters only to figure out through the timeline that they've only known each other three weeks. This may just be my New England Yankee personal space thing, where I don't consider someone more than an acquaintance until I've known them for 10 years and met their extended families. It didn't ruin the book but made me question the credibility of the author.

 

...

 

38. The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom (Audio) - Ugh. A horrible book was made even worse on the audio version by sound effects like bells and harp strings. So cheesy.

 

I got This is Not My Hat from the library last week & read it. I must say that I never even thought of the big fish eating the little one. I just assumed he had taken his hat back & that was that. (I guess I assume the happy ending?) Don't have the copy anymore or I'd be checking the endpapers as Mumto2 suggests.... From a more realistic standpoint, I'd say the little fish wasn't eaten because the publishing company can only publish sequels or other variations of the little fish stealing/doing stuff if he's still around in the first place. :tongue_smilie:

 

Kabul Beauty School -- I really didn't like that book for a myriad of reasons, the biggest one being that I felt like she actually endangered the women she befriended by writing so many details in the first place. I felt very upset thinking about the possible danger she created.

 

LOL about the cheesy audio.

[Jane in NC]

Cool. I decided to treat myself to:

The Flying Creatures of Fra Angelico by Antonio Tabucchi (translated from Italian)

My Kind of Girl by Buddhadeva Bose (translated from Bengali)

Plants Don't Drink Coffee by Unai Elorriaga (translated from Basque)

 

 

Plants Don't Drink Coffee also caught my eye. I will look forward to hearing your report.

 

Neither of my books will be shipped until later, one because it is yet to be published, the other because they are doing a reprint.  No problem.  My dusty stack and the library shall keep me busy.

 

[Robin M]

Thought a few of you might like this one day book sale...

----------–------------------------------------------------------------------

Celebrate

International Translation Day

with 50% off

ALL Archipelago titles

on our website!

 

Today ONLY, enjoy 50% all books purchased on our website.

 

At checkout, use Coupon Code: ITD2013

 

Established in 1953 by the International Federation of Translators, International Translation Day falls on September 30th, the feast day of St. Jerome, translator of the Bible and patron saint of translators. In celebration, consider hunting for international literature on our website -- and receive 50% off!

 

http://archipelagobooks.org/

 

 

Thanks Stacia.  I purchased  Great Weaver from Kashmir    (translated from Icelandic)  and Blinding (translated from Romanian)

 

I'm thinking, maybe next year, we should set up a swap or give away  for books for those we are willing to share.  What do you all think?    I have several on my shelves that need good homes.  An idea to think about. 

[Stacia]

 

Thanks Stacia.  I purchased  Great Weaver from Kashmir    (translated from Icelandic)  and Blinding (translated from Romanian)

 

I'm thinking, maybe next year, we should set up a swap or give away  for books for those we are willing to share.  What do you all think?    I have several on my shelves that need good homes.  An idea to think about. 

 

 

Ohhh, can't wait for you & Jane to review the books you've ordered. I had wondered about both of those books, Robin (and almost put Blinding in my cart today, but decided to stop myself at 3 books, lol).

 

I love the idea of a book swap/share. In fact, I was just thinking about that same thing earlier today. I rarely buy books but lately have purchased some as well as gotten a few through Paperbackswap. I was thinking I have some I need to move out & was already thinking of a few in my head to get rid of. I had thought I'd offer them to the BaW gals, if anyone wants them. (Will have to peruse my shelves & post later, though. Heading out soon & busy week coming up....)

[Just Robyn]

Ugh. I am in a reading slump. I have not finished anything in the past two weeks. I have made a tiny bit of progress in Don Quixote and The Emperor of Nihon-Ja (Ranger's Apprentice), and I have read the preface to several nonfiction books. That's it.

 

For a sort of spooky read, I'm going to take a look at The Girl With the Crooked Nose. We'll see. Hopefully my slump will end soon.

[Onceuponatime]

 

 

 

Was it just poorly paced/led up to?  Or was it a more fundamental flaw in the story?  (the library is about to reclaim its kindle copy and I haven't even started it & I;m trying to decide if I should put in on hold and try again)

 

 

 

It may be a personal preference. I like most stories to have clear resolutions. The main characters should look forward to the future with all the most pressing problems explained or ironed out, or they should all face judgment of some kind in a dramatic blaze of glory, lol. I thought the ending was wishy washy and all too human for a fantasy/ fairy tale. :)

 

 

[mlbuchina]

I finished Dracula!  I enjoyed it.  I liked the story being told through diary entries, letters, telegrams, and the like.  The structure was interesting, as well as the story.  This may be just me, but Van Helsing's "voice" seemed to get...well, his English seemed to get choppier the longer the story went on.  I understood that he was speaking a second language, but at the beginning, he seemed to speak in good grammar, but by the end, it was almost like a bad imitation of an accent.  Has anyone else noticed that?  Irregardless, it was a fun read.  Now on to The Historian!

 

 

Going back to last week's conversation about This Is Not My Hat and whether it was award-worthy... DD8 and I read this together last night. I thought it was OK, but she thought it was absolutely hilarious. I need reassurance that the big fish didn't eat the little fish. I was carefully scrutinizing the plants to see if there were some trace of the little fish showing he survived the confrontation, but none was to be seen. Any thoughts?

 

 

I may be reading way more into it than necessary, but I just didn't like that the book was about the fish stealing, and then listing the reasons why his stealing was ok.  I liked that the big fish got his hat back at the end, but where was the lesson for the little fish to not steal things that don't belong to him??  LOL

[mlbuchina]

 

For a sort of spooky read, I'm going to take a look at The Girl With the Crooked Nose. We'll see. Hopefully my slump will end soon.

 

This looks fascinating!  I look forward to hearing how you liked it.  I hope you do get out of your reading slump.  Those are not fun at all.

[ElaineJ]

Speaking of trekking through Asia......I am about a chapter away from finishing A Bridge for Passing by Pearl S. Buck. It offers interesting insight into the Japan of 1960 where the author travels to participate in the process of her book The Big Wave being made into a film. It is also a memoir of her experience in grieving the death of her husband and finding her life on the other side of grief. I have enjoyed it, but I think I would recommend her autobiographical book My Several Worlds over this one.

 

Elaine

[trinchick]

I didn't ask in my original post with the youtube. I figured he must have or probably no award. ;) Thought I was just missing something. Now that I am thinking about this since you have an actual copy of the book is the little fish on the endpapers? We used to read a book about a flea that you were not sure if he survived until you looked at the inside of the back cover.

 

I have scrutinized the end papers, and there's no sign of the fish in sight. I read through some Amazon reviews trying to get to the bottom of this, and the consensus is that it's deliberately unclear, leaving the reader to decide. One reviewer said that younger children would just assume the big fish had retrieved its hat while older readers could pick up on the ambiguity.

 

 

I may be reading way more into it than necessary, but I just didn't like that the book was about the fish stealing, and then listing the reasons why his stealing was ok.  I liked that the big fish got his hat back at the end, but where was the lesson for the little fish to not steal things that don't belong to him??  LOL

 

Well, I think there is a bit of a morality tale here in that the little fish THINKS he's getting away with something but obviously isn't. And if he gets eaten up, then certainly there's a lesson there. At a minimum, he loses the hat, and potentially far worse.

 

But now I have to take back my question on whether this book is award-worthy. Here's a group of well-read adults debating over the various interpretations and lessons associated with the book. I guess there's more to it than I originally thought.

[melmichigan]

I managed Thankless in Death (#37) by J D Robb while staying up with ill DS5.  Otherwise I"m in a slump.

[Stacia]

One reviewer said that younger children would just assume the big fish had retrieved its hat while older readers could pick up on the ambiguity.

...

But now I have to take back my question on whether this book is award-worthy. Here's a group of well-read adults debating over the various interpretations and lessons associated with the book. I guess there's more to it than I originally thought.

 

 

By the figuring of that reviewer, I guess I'm about the equivalent of a 4yo. I really never thought of the big fish eating the other one. I guess the idea of a big fish (that looks the same as the little fish, from what I remember) eating a smaller one seems too cannibalistic or too violent of a response to me. :eek:  I mean, dying over the (small) theft of a hat? I know that kind of stuff happens in real life (for humans, anyway, & I know about the food chain too as far as animals eating others), but still think that's a pretty harsh interpretation for something that is probably being read to the 3-to-6yo crowd.

 

I mean, sure, it can be interpreted in harsh ways, esp. in light of our society today...

• It's a dog-eat-dog (or fish-eat-fish) world & the little one had it coming for taking the hat (self-defense/property law, perhaps, even though taking the hat was not a life-endangering event for the big fish)

  OR

• Later the big fish's pals will do a drive-by shooting of the little fish &/or friends & family (gang version)

  OR

• The little fish will be roughed up, a fin broken, maybe a seahorse head in his bed w/ dire warnings about what will happen if he crosses the big fish again (The Godfather version)

  OR

• The big fish will steal something of the little fish's in retaliation (eye-for-an-eye version)

  OR

• The little fish will be served w/ papers to appear in court for damages of (temporary) theft & emotional distress (lawsuit version)

  OR

• The little fish has fled the country & now there is an Interpol warning out for him (international theft ring version)

  OR

• The little fish is a thieving mastermind & will not only steal the hat again, but something else too (repeated crime version)

  OR

• The big fish will be surprised by a camera crew once he has his hat back & will be told that he was punk'd (reality tv version)

  OR

• The big fish will report the crime, the police will come, & the little fish will be either drunk or flee or both (reality cops tv version)

  OR

• Both fish will write tell-all memoirs, make the talk-show rounds, & have their 15 minutes of fame (cashing-in version; we could also discuss those books on the BaW threads...)

:laugh: ;)  (I guess I just like the simple interpretation of the big fish went & took his hat back & perhaps the little fish is hiding out because he was scared & ashamed of his actions.) I am happy in my equivalent-to-a-4yo's-mind...

 

Yep, probably award-worthy since we're debating possible endings  :thumbup1:  &, I think, we're all definitely on the upper side of the 3-to-6yo crowd. :lol:

 

 

[trinchick]

 

:laugh: ;)  (I guess I just like the simple interpretation of the big fish went & took his hat back & perhaps the little fish is hiding out because he was scared & ashamed of his actions.) I am happy in my equivalent-to-a-4yo's-mind...

 

 

Must we always resort to fish-shaming?????

 

I'm dying laughing here (but in the non-violent, non fish-eat-fish way).

[Stacia]

Must we always resort to fish-shaming?????

 

I'm dying laughing here (but in the non-violent, non fish-eat-fish way).

 

:smilielol5:

 

(Makes me want to check the book out from the library again.)

 

And... ahem... <clearing throat>...

 

I would like to sincerely apologize for any fish I have offended by my previous fish-shaming statement. I hope you can find it in your two-chambered, cold-blooded hearts to forgive me.

 

(Yes, I googled it to make sure I'm referencing the correct cardiovascular system for fish.)

 

[Robin M]

You guys crack me up,but I know the next time I'm in the bookstore I'll be looking for This is not my Hat so I can take a peek and see. 

 

Which goes along well with that October is Listen to your Inner Critic,  Right Brainers rule,  Sarcastic Awareness, National Book, and National Art and Humanities Month.   

 

I'm sort of jumping the gun, but it is October 1st which mean October Spooktacular Reading Month

 

Horror authors celebrating birthday's this week are Ann Rice and Clive Barker.

 

Check out publisher weekly's 11 most evil characters in books

 

For all things horror check out Horror Writers Association's Halloween Haunts 2013 for a month of spooktacular events.

 

And for those who love top 100 lists Worlds Without End has the list to end all lists --  Nightmare Magazine's Top 100 Horror books.

 

 

 

 

[mlbuchina]

 

By the figuring of that reviewer, I guess I'm about the equivalent of a 4yo. I really never thought of the big fish eating the other one. I guess the idea of a big fish (that looks the same as the little fish, from what I remember) eating a smaller one seems too cannibalistic or too violent of a response to me. :eek:  I mean, dying over the (small) theft of a hat? I know that kind of stuff happens in real life (for humans, anyway, & I know about the food chain too as far as animals eating others), but still think that's a pretty harsh interpretation for something that is probably being read to the 3-to-6yo crowd.

 

I mean, sure, it can be interpreted in harsh ways, esp. in light of our society today...

• It's a dog-eat-dog (or fish-eat-fish) world & the little one had it coming for taking the hat (self-defense/property law, perhaps, even though taking the hat was not a life-endangering event for the big fish)

  OR

• Later the big fish's pals will do a drive-by shooting of the little fish &/or friends & family (gang version)

  OR

• The little fish will be roughed up, a fin broken, maybe a seahorse head in his bed w/ dire warnings about what will happen if he crosses the big fish again (The Godfather version)

  OR

• The big fish will steal something of the little fish's in retaliation (eye-for-an-eye version)

  OR

• The little fish will be served w/ papers to appear in court for damages of (temporary) theft & emotional distress (lawsuit version)

  OR

• The little fish has fled the country & now there is an Interpol warning out for him (international theft ring version)

  OR

• The little fish is a thieving mastermind & will not only steal the hat again, but something else too (repeated crime version)

  OR

• The big fish will be surprised by a camera crew once he has his hat back & will be told that he was punk'd (reality tv version)

  OR

• The big fish will report the crime, the police will come, & the little fish will be either drunk or flee or both (reality cops tv version)

  OR

• Both fish will write tell-all memoirs, make the talk-show rounds, & have their 15 minutes of fame (cashing-in version; we could also discuss those books on the BaW threads...)

:laugh: ;)  (I guess I just like the simple interpretation of the big fish went & took his hat back & perhaps the little fish is hiding out because he was scared & ashamed of his actions.) I am happy in my equivalent-to-a-4yo's-mind...

 

Yep, probably award-worthy since we're debating possible endings  :thumbup1:  &, I think, we're all definitely on the upper side of the 3-to-6yo crowd. :lol:

 

I read this and at first I was like:

 

[edited to remove picture]

 

And then I was like:

 

[edited to remove picture]

 

And as I thought about it I became like:

 

[edited to remove picture]

 

Now I'm like:  STACIA!!

 

[edited to remove picture]

[eaglei]

Am just marking this page . . .

[Stacia]

.

[Stacia]

 Nightmare Magazine's Top 100 Horror books.

 

Ok, I can genuinely say I'm really glad **NOT** to have read anything in the top 74 books of that list.

 

 

(Numbers 75 to 100 are more my speed of 'horror'.)

 

ETA:

 

Check out publisher weekly's 11 most evil characters in books

 

That's a really good list.

 

[Stacia]

Ok, so I finished a couple of books.

 

First up -- another book for kids: The Secret Life of Walter Kitty. As you know, ds & I both recently read Thurber's Mitty in anticipation of the movie that's supposed to come out in December. As ds says, The Secret Life of Walter Kitty is cute but is not really like The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. I suppose it's the same in spirit with a bit of leeway. Of course, most youngsters who are the target audience for this book will have no idea who the 'real' Walter Mitty is, so the comparison is probably irrelevant in the first place. I'll give it an extra brownie point because one of the pages of Walter Kitty has him looking like a feline Indiana Jones.  :laugh:  Overall, a cute picture book for kids that touts an imaginative life, as quite a few picture books do. (The cowboy books by Joan Walsh Anglund come to mind too....)

 

I also finished A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny. Even though this is not YA (at least it's not shelved that way at my library), it just feels like a YA book to me in the way in which the story is told, the typesetting, the illustrations, etc.... To my mind, it is YA &, as such, is a relatively fun, slightly spooky/creepy book to read in October. It might be a great choice for YA fans who want to dip a toe into the spooky/creepy arena but who don't yet want to touch 'horror'. (Of course, things like Grimms' Fairy Tales are way more bone-chilling than anything this book has to offer.) The first half of the book moves a little more slowly (& perhaps it seems that way because you, the reader, are not fully clued-in as to what is really going on... things are slowly introduced in a circumspect manner), but the second half picks up the pace quite nicely. Overall, I'd deem it a quite light, relatively fun read for October -- maybe an October version of a pool or beach read, if that makes sense.

[mumto2]

I have shifted my focus to finishing The Historian. It is a Kindle library book which will be snatched on the 5th. It is going really slow. I am not sure that I have ever read a 700 page book on the kindle before. It is a bit disconcerting to only increase my percent finished by one or two percent when I have actually had a fairly long reading session!

 

Thank you for the interesting lists last night. I spent awhile looking. Much prefer the spooky characters.

 

The posts about that poor little fish are hilarious. Dd watched the youtube and proclaimed it obvious -- narrative ends so the little fish must be dead. A strange choice for little ones in her opinion. :lol:

[Lizzie in Ma]

I've been reading, just not posting but I do keep track on Goodreads.

Recently been enjoying Angus Donald's Outlaw Chronicles.  A very different take on the legends of Robin Hood.

On Book 3, King's Man.

You guys have sure been having fun in this thread this week!