Book a Week in 2013 - week forty one

[mumto2]

I finished "Bones of the Lost" the latest Temperance Brennan by Kathy Reichs. It wasn't fabulous but for fans of this book series the ending is good. A bit of a surprise that has me looking forward to the next one! :)

 

I read "Love Bites" the second Argeneau vampie book by Lynsay Sands very early this morning. They are definitely fun easy reads. I am resisting the third so that I can get my other books read. I am really afraid that I will read it if it is availiable!

[Jane in NC]

I finished Howl's Moving Castle by Diane Wynne Jones yesterday. Its a fairy tale which plays with both traditional and modern settings. And its funny. I love that the main character (a 17 year old eldest sister and hat maker) has to become an elderly woman to grow into herself and gain the confidence to seek her fortune. Almost everyone she meets is obviously flawed but they become family to her. A nice twist on the fairy tale genre. Recommended. Shelved with the youth novels. 

 

I love the film that Miyazaki made of this novel!

[mlbuchina]

I read and enjoyed Faking It by Elisa Lorello.

 

"After breaking off her engagement, thirty-something writing professor Andi Cutrone abandons New England for her native Long Island to focus on her career and start over. When she meets Devin at a cocktail party, the sight of an honest-to-goodness male escort shocks her—and fascinates her more than a little. Months later, Andi impulsively calls Devin. Over cheesecake in Brooklyn, she offers him a proposition: he will teach her how to be a better lover, and in return, she will give him writing lessons. He agrees, and together they embark upon an intense partnership that proves to be as instructive as it is arousing. For in the midst of lessons in rhetorical theory and foreplay, Andi and Devin delve into deeper questions about truth, beauty, and self, gradually coming face-to-face with the issues at the core of their emotional limitations. Smart, witty, and introspective, Faking It is an engrossing novel about two people discovering their authentic selves."

 

Given the subject matter, let me state that this book is not for the conservative reader. 

 

I'm not sure how I'd categorize this book.  It wasn't a romance though there were strong romantic elements.  Perhaps it would be defined as chick lit.  It was fun to read about rhetoric in a novel rather than in a writing text.  No, there was no mention of the progymnasmata, but there were mentions of Peter Elbow and Donald Murray.  I'll be looking for more books by this author.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

This reminds me a little of a fanfic called The Red Line.  The man works at a male strip club, and the woman hires him for a week to "study" him for a research paper she's doing to be a psychologist.

 

Sounds good. Just ordered it on inter-library loan. I hope my DH doesn't pick it up at the library and read the summary; he might think I'm using it as a tutorial and will be bitterly disappointed.

 

I share a card with my mother-in-law...   :svengo:

 

Can you imagine????   :smilielol5:

 

Interesting you should say that. I was just telling someone that I felt Emerson was best described as "Yankee Romanticism."

 

OK, I don't know who Emerson or Thoreau is, but I want to be able to talk about books like y'all!  *whines*  Seriously, though, for someone just learning about their works, what would you (or who ever would like to help me get educated :tongue_smilie:), suggest to be the best place to start?

 

I was thinking about this post when I was trying to fall asleep last night and I came to a strange realization that seemed logical in my pre-sleep mind. 

 

I decided if we were to compare the books we read to booze then Violet's books are like a good strong aged Scotch.  They burn a bit going down. There's a lot to them and you want to drink them slowly to enjoy all the subtle flavors and depth.  You come away from them feeling like you've really experienced something wonderful. 

 

My taste in books is more like a frozen peach margarita with sugar on the rim.  Sure there might be some good tequila in there but let's be honest I'm licking at the sugar and slurping them down because they're tasty and they make me giggly.

 

And then there's a romance loving friends where the question isn't so much 'what drink' but is 'who's bringing it to them'.  They are of course having their drinks in someplace tropical but they've got a big floppy romantic hat on to protect their delicate features and the drinks are being served with little umbrellas in them by very attractive cabana boys. 

 

I was going to go on with this and come up with drinks vs books for everyone but then I finally fell asleep. 

 

Awesome sauce.  Here are some literary drinks to go along with that.   :D

[Jane in NC]

(Ahem.)  Important announcement!

 

Yesterday I had a minor surgery that required anesthesia. My afternoon and evening were spent on the couch resting, the plan being that I would listen to a novel or two until feeling like myself again.  Author Simon Brett was just the ticket.  I "listened" (i.e. slept) through the three CDs of The Hanging in the Hotel.  While I can give you the gist of the storyline, I am not sure if I can even tell who's who at this point.

 

By evening the after effects of anesthesia seem to wear away so I tried something else.  I am happy to report that I have reached Book #52 for the year by listening to The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, my nod to horror in the month of October.

 

Stevenson's novella is not as simplistic as I recalled.  That said, it surprises me that Hollywood has not revisited this classic tale--especially in the era of special effects and 3-D.

 

So I have reach the goal far earlier than previously.  And I feel great!  I applaud my doctor's handiwork!

 

Jane

[mlbuchina]

(((hugs)))  Jane

 

I hope you are well on the mend!

[mumto2]

Jane -- Congratulations on reaching 52 books!!! Also I hope your recovery continues to be speedy.

[Stacia]

.

[ladydusk]

Jane -- Congratulations on reaching 52 books!!! Also I hope your recovery continues to be speedy.

sums up my feelings too. Best to you, Jane!

[Kareni]

  And I feel great!  I applaud my doctor's handiwork!

 

That's great news!  Here's to a smooth recovery.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

I share a card with my mother-in-law... :svengo:

 

Can you imagine???? :smilielol5:

:lol: (My mil would probably approve. Too bad she mostly reads books in Dutch.)

(Ahem.) Important announcement!

 

Yesterday I had a minor surgery that required anesthesia. My afternoon and evening were spent on the couch resting, the plan being that I would listen to a novel or two until feeling like myself again. Author Simon Brett was just the ticket. I "listened" (i.e. slept) through the three CDs of The Hanging in the Hotel. While I can give you the gist of the storyline, I am not sure if I can even tell who's who at this point.

 

By evening the after effects of anesthesia seem to wear away so I tried something else. I am happy to report that I have reached Book #52 for the year by listening to The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, my nod to horror in the month of October.

 

Stevenson's novella is not as simplistic as I recalled. That said, it surprises me that Hollywood has not revisited this classic tale--especially in the era of special effects and 3-D.

 

So I have reach the goal far earlier than previously. And I feel great! I applaud my doctor's handiwork!

 

Jane

Congrats on 52! :biggrinjester: And many :grouphug: :grouphug: while you recover.

 

(I love, love Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. I've been debating rereading it this month....)

Poetry isn't just a good thing, it is one of the *best* things. It's just a matter of finding the *kind* of poetry that will make your heart beat faster, bring tears to your eyes, catch you up in the whirlwind of life and experience in the way only poetry can.

 

ETA: Sorry, honey. And I always claim that I don't proselytize! Add appropriate doses of "imho" and "for me" to all of this enthusiasm!

 

We like such different things (not without overlap!), that I'm not sure what poetry to recommend. You'd probably do better starting where I'm just beginning to get to - with more modern, perhaps even surrealistic, poetry. It's taken me years to grow up enough to read modern poetry and fiction, and I still have some growing to do! I think you might like Neruda, and the Tsvetaeva I was talking about might speak to you as well. I suspect that the things you would most love are ones I haven't tried yet, or tried when I was too young for them.

 

Since we've been talking about Polish literature, and now poetry, should mention a favorite of my husband's: They Came to See a Poet by Tadeusz Rozewicz.

 

from the back of the book: "...Poland's most popular an influential poet...he belongs to the generation of writers whose work was indelibly marked by Poland's traumatic and tragic war-time experience. Rejecting traditional aesthetic values - which struck him as offensive in the face of what he had witnessed - Rozewicz has created a stark, direct poetry rooted in common speech."

 

I have it out to revisit - when we first got this (maybe 8 years ago?), I had trouble appreciating the poetry. But, over the years, my husband has chosen some for our poetry recitals and find myself appreciating them more and more, and I've pulled it out to try a few now and again, but never gone back and reread the whole thing.

 

I have The Maple Stories sitting here waiting reproachfully for me. From the dust jacket: "These 18 classic stories from across ... Updike's career form a luminous chronicle of the life and times of one marriage in all its rich emotional complexity."

 

He wrote the first one for The New Yorker in 1956, and kept coming back this couple over the years

The dust jacket again "Together [these stories] offer... a nuanced portrait of a flawed marriage between two sympathetic, well-intentioned practitioners of 20th century family life"

 

I want to give his fiction a try now that I've tried his poetry and appreciated it. (I've read a few of his essays/articles here and there and some I have liked more than others, but the quality of his prose is outstanding... it is just that I have never wanted to read any of the stories he has wanted to tell. (At least those that I have encountered.)

 

I read something very similar a few years ago, but from the opposite perspective, arguing the powerful positive impacts the author (and the the research s/he drew on) perceived. I think it was an actual book rather than an article or essay, but I wasn't recording my reading then... I'll try to track it down.

 

Stacia, over these past 9 months you have done incredible things to my Amazon wish lists! Thank you so much, my dear. It seems that whatever the topic you have such fascinating and fabulous reading suggestions!

Thanks for the poetry thoughts, Eliana. It's an area I should probably try more (but find it hard to motivate myself in that area because many times I find work vs. enjoyment in poetry). Altazor was an exception for me. I'm glad you're a champion of it, though, as you're pushing me out of my boundaries....

 

My book club is this weekend & I'll be curious to see what the various members thought/think of Updike. Maybe I'm in the minority by not being enthralled by his prose. (Of course, I'll admit I had a bad attitude going into the book as I do not remember liking the movie at all & really had less than zero interest in the book.) Yeah, I'm cranky sometimes. :laugh:

 

Eliana, thank you (even if your wallet doesn't thank you). And, I'd like to thank you for expanding my book lists too (as well as my mind -- in a big way -- when I read your posts & thoughts on your reading).

It could just be who I was when I was a teen. I am still an (overly) sensitive reader, but back then, I had no filter, I experienced the worlds and characters so intensely, and I was hopelessly idealistic. I think, perhaps, that made the stories much bleaker and harsher for me.

 

I certainly didn't find Player Piano to be either. It was brilliantly done, with multiple layers, some of which undercut/cause one to question the message(s) the main story seems to be emphasizing. It was thought provoking and engaging.... and I am very grateful to my daughter (dd#2) who insisted that I had to read it, right away!

 

...

 

Now you're doing it, Stacia!

 

When you first mentioned T F-U V, I looked at the book description and decided to pass on it, but when I read that excerpt, I found the voice so entertaining and engaging... it's already in transit from my library.

...

 

 

What a delightful metaphor! I am now envisioning this thread as cozy bar, with Robin welcoming us in and setting out new assortments of drinks each week, and Stacia greeting everyone and helping them find a drink... I've never been in a bar before (or had more alcohol than a sip at Kiddush), so my imagination peters out after that, but I like the image of us in a warm, comfy space - conversations off in the corners, folks taking sips of each other's drinks....

 

...okay, now I'm envisioning a chic-lit novel.. one of Lorna Landvik's, perhaps, Angry House Wives Eating Bonbons is her book club title, but my imaginary tome has a different flavor... maybe it isn't Landvik I'm thinking of at all.... perhaps more like Steel Magnolias... the group of women coming together over and over in the same place, sharing bits and pieces of their lives.

Vonnegut, Vonnegut. I think I need to pull out some of his books soon. I always feel so happy (yes, even w/ his serious, dark topics) when I read him. His appreciation of the absurd completely warms my heart.

 

Hope you enjoy The Finno-Ugrian Vampire. I think you'll appreciate the dark, Eastern European style humor (but I'm not sure that you'll love the book overall)....

 

And, speaking of that, my Poe/Lovecraft t-shirt arrived the other day. I wore it to the co-op where ds takes a few classes & had a few people comment on it/love it. :thumbup1: I think it's pretty awesome.

[laughing lioness]

Another high school Vonnegut reader here.

Just finished The Fourth Kingdom by Alexandra and Joyce Swann (of No Regrets and Texas hair fame). A bit predictable but interesting themes- holocaust and cloning and evil Nazi's.

[Stacia]

For more October spooky reading, I have now started The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers. So far, it's right up my alley. Love it already.

 

Byron? Check. Shelley? Check. Polidori? Check. Spooky? Check. Vampires? Check. Lots of (accurate) historical detail? Check. Poetry? Check. (Putting that there for Eliana ;) ) Mythical/Folkloric origins? Check.

 

From wikipedia:

The Stress of Her Regard is a 1989 horror/fantasy novel by Tim Powers. It was nominated for the 1990 World Fantasy and Locus Awards in 1990,^[1] and won a Mythopoeic Award. As with a number of Powers' other novels, it proposes a secret history in which real events have supernatural causes: in this case, the lives of famous English Romantic writers—as well as political events in central Europe during the early 19th century—are largely determined by a race of protean vampire-like creatures known as nephilim.

 

Drawing from European and Middle Eastern mythology, Powers depicts these beings as having qualities of vampires, succubi, incubi, Lamia, fairies, and jinn. Not only predators but sometimes benefactors of humans, they are the basis for both the Muses and the Graeae.

 

The novel's title is taken from the poem "Sphinx and Medusa" by Clark Ashton Smith ("...Yet thought must see/That eve of time when man no longer yearns,/Grown deaf before Life's Sphinx, whose lips are barred;/When from the spaces of Eternity,/Silence, a rigorous Medusa, turns/On the lost world the stress of her regard.").

:thumbup1:

[JennW in SoCal]

Egads.  My reading week is so slow that I can't even keep up with this thread!  Is there an audio version so I can at least listen to y'all while I'm in the car?   :bigear:  :auto:  :laugh:   

 

A quick cheers to everyone with my martini in hand (gin, shaken, not stirred).   :cheers2: The gin is part medicinal as I helped my ds move into his new apartment today.  His cat is still here over the weekend til he gets unpacked, then we'll be empty nesters once again.  He starts his new Disney job late next week.

 

 

[Stacia]

Egads.  My reading week is so slow that I can't even keep up with this thread!  Is there an audio version so I can at least listen to y'all while I'm in the car?   :bigear:  :auto:  :laugh:   

 

 

We're just waiting on Benedict Cumberbatch or Alan Rickman to return our calls about reading the BaW threads for audio versions. ;) :D

[mlbuchina]

We're just waiting on Benedict Cumberbatch or Alan Rickman to return our calls about reading the BaW threads for audio versions. ;) :D

 

:svengo:

 

I mean, really, can you just imagine?

[SorrelZG]

I had just decided lat night that The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is to be my next book. It will be my third Robert Louis Stevenson book in about as many months. It all started with suggesting DH read Treasure Island to DS and then getting sucked into reading it myself when DH (who initially resisted the idea) got so sucked into it they were staying up way past DS's bedtime. I already read his poetry to the children and now I feel like the author is becoming a family friend.

 

I am two chapters shy of finishing Frankenstein. This has been another deep-thought provoking read - perhaps strangely on the topics of education and parenting along with human nature, providence, and the doctrine of God's grace. Thanks to this book, Milton, Plutarch and Goethe are also now on my reading list.

[Onceuponatime]

We're just waiting on Benedict Cumberbatch or Alan Rickman to return our calls about reading the BaW threads for audio versions. ;) :D

 

Last night I went looking for an Alan Rickman reading of The Raven on YouTube. I couldn't find one! This is a terrible miscarriage of poetic justice.  Darth Vader just doesn't make my toes tingle.

[Paisley Hedgehog]

. 

 

[laughing lioness]

While we're drinking I'll have a Merlot or Bailey's coffee....(it's a need a drink kinda week!)

[Robin M]

Okay, ladies.  Come join me on the porch, where I have a pitcher of mimosas chilling for a spooktacular treat!

 

 

 

 

The master himself - Vincent Price -  reciting The Raven.  Scroll down for the actual video. For some reason couldn't put both in the same post.

[Robin M]

http://youtu.be/T7zR3IDEHrM

 

For some reason I couldn't  put both the video and the porch picture in the same post.  Enjoy!

[Jane in NC]

For those of you who want to skip the mimosa, consider an "Epic Tea Time" with Alan Rickman.  (Sorry, that is traditional tea and not WTM tEA.  :smilielol5: )

 

Having trouble embedding the video so you will have to click

.

[Onceuponatime]

Just finished Lovely In Her Bones by Sharon MCCrumb. Spending more time in Borges' Labyrinths. I find he needs my full attention and I have to take breaks to give my brain a rest, lol. I haven't read anyone so challenging since Umberto Eco.

[Stacia]

.

[LostSurprise]

For more October spooky reading, I have now started The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers. So far, it's right up my alley. Love it already.

 

Byron? Check. Shelley? Check. Polidori? Check. Spooky? Check. Vampires? Check. Lots of (accurate) historical detail? Check. Poetry? Check. (Putting that there for Eliana ;) ) Mythical/Folkloric origins? Check.

 

 

From wikipedia:

 

:thumbup1:

 

Hey, Tim Powers! I read The Anubis Gates from him a few years ago and I never went back to see what else he's done. The Anubis Gates was a trip: Egyptian gods, Samuel Coleridge, time travel, and a freakin' amazing evil clown named Horrabin who wears stilts because he's afraid to touch the ground and leads a deadly group of beggars. I could never see where that book was going, which is a rare thing. 

[Lady Florida.]

(Ahem.)  Important announcement!

 

 

So I have reach the goal far earlier than previously.  And I feel great!  I applaud my doctor's handiwork!

 

Jane

Woo Hoo! Congrats on reaching your goal, and on having successful surgery.

[Lady Florida.]

double post

[Storm Bay]

YIkes, I lost a few of the posts I was going to reply to when I went off to the NaNoRiMo thread, but managed to rescue one.

 

I finished When Jesus Became God by Rubenstein, which I give 4 stars. Wow, that history is dark & violent!

 

 

I have been following a rabbit trail, courtesy of writer Peter Robinson.  He sends fictional detective Alan Banks off to Tallinn, Estonian, carrying a copy of a novel by a real Estonian (well, Finnish/Estonian) author, Sofi Oksanen.  Despite its dark theme, I think I will add Purge to my list.  The Baltic States have been occupied and influenced by so many outside forces.  I can't say that I know much about Estonian culture.

 

Robinson also mentions the Niguliste Danse Macabre in Tallinn. Just in time for your Halloween/Day of the Dead festivities?

 

 

I looked at Peter Robinson when I was still working on the European book challenge, but it was  too dark for me this year. I'll be interested to see what you think  of it. 

Hope you're feeling better!

Spook: Oh My! Hilarious! People are so strange.

Is this about the book called Spook? I had one out about a study done with after death experiences or something like that.

 

 

[mumto2]

I couldn't find the Stress of Her Regard but was able to find the sequel

 

 

http://thebooksmugglers.com/2012/09/hide-me-among-the-graves-a-chat-with-tim-powers.html

 

Which sounds interesting. I requested it. :)

 

 

Bhai

 

For more October spooky reading, I have now started The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers. So far, it's right up my alley. Love it already.

 

Byron? Check. Shelley? Check. Polidori? Check. Spooky? Check. Vampires? Check. Lots of (accurate) historical detail? Check. Poetry? Check. (Putting that there for Eliana ;) ) Mythical/Folkloric origins? Check.

 

[

From wikipedia:

 

:thumbup1:

[Jane in NC]

 

 

I looked at Peter Robinson when I was still working on the European book challenge, but it was  too dark for me this year. I'll be interested to see what you think  of it. 

Hope you're feeling better!

 

 

On the mend although I needed a rest after dinner.  I listened to the first disk of a light weight mystery, The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz.  Dysfunctional detective in a dysfunctional family?  Not sure this will be a favorite but it served its purpose.

 

Robinson is dark.  I quit reading him at one point in the series but came back a few years later.  He is definitely not everyone's cup of tea.

[Violet Crown]

I prefer to read them on a quiet afternoon, perhaps while sipping a cup of tea,

Dang, woman, when does *that* happen??? I'd have to drug my family first. ;)

[Stacia]

LostSurprise, eek about the creepy clown in the book you mention!!! (I do not like clowns.)

 

Eliana, the photos are from a sitcom tv series called Cheers that ran in the 1980s/90s. The tagline for it is "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" (which seems to fit for our BaW crowd).

 

And, fwiw, the gross/horrific part (so far) in The Stress of Her Regard is at the end of chapter 2. The chapter is in multiple sections. When you get near the end of the chapter to a section that starts with, "Morning sunlight, fragmented by the warped glass of the windowpane, ...", you may want to skip it (about a page and a half of writing) & move on to the last section of chapter 2 which begins with, "He had known at a glance...". It will not harm your understanding of the story but it will let you skip the most gruesome part (at least as far as I have encountered).

 

Mumto2, didn't know there was a sequel. I'll have to look for it. And, LostSurprise, I'll have to look for The Anubis Gates even if it has an evil clown.

[Onceuponatime]

 

 

OK, I don't know who Emerson or Thoreau is, but I want to be able to talk about books like y'all!  *whines*  

 

I know Emerson and Thoreau, but I stil get lost in some of the conversations here. So many books I've never read or thought about reading! It has been especially eye opening this year with the continental challenge. I realize I've been stuck in an American and British rut because that is where I am most comfortable. That probably won't change much, but I am tempted to branch out more now.

 

About those literary cocktails, has anyone ever had hot buttered rum? Is it as good as it sounds to me? I just picture sitting in front of the fire with one, and  a book of course. I don't really drink, but I love the flavor of rum, and what's not to love about butter?

[Stacia]

.

[JennW in SoCal]

I want drinks like this for our BaW October meeting!

 

 

 

It looks like a robot shaker  -- the two big white eyes, the R2D2 swivel head.  The BaW2013 drinks-butler.

[Kareni]

It looks like a robot shaker  -- the two big white eyes, the R2D2 swivel head.  The BaW2013 drinks-butler.

 

Great minds think alike.  I actually Googled R2D2 last night to see how many 'eyes' he had.  When I saw that he only had one, I decided not to post my thought.

 

If this is the BaW2013 drinks-butler, what does the BaW2013 house cleaning fairy look like?

 

Regards,

Kareni

[aggieamy]

I want drinks like this for our BaW October meeting!

 

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

Still no hard drive back up and running so I'm not up to my usual book format reviews.

 

I did finish Nemesis by Agatha Christie.  It's the second to last Miss Marple book and takes place in the 1970's.  I loved all the charm of the earlier books in the series but poor little Jane Marple with Victorian tendencies just doesn't fit in the 1970's and it took me out of the story to hear references to mini-skirts and guys with long hair.  This book also lacked the charm of relating her experience to people we knew from St. Mary's Mead and the mystery felt rather disjointed.  I would skip this unless you are the most die hard of Christie fans.  After reading it I felt rather sad that so much had changed in England and so much tradition had been lost over the years.  **

 

Trying to decide what to read next ...

 

Self Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne

A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman

Escapade by Joan Smith

 

Just can't decide!

 

 

[Hoot]

Just finished Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay.  I loved the first two Dexter books, but this one was just a little odd.  It really wasn't my cup of tea.  Since the Dexter books on Kindle seem to be ever more expensive with each book, I'm going to switch gears for a bit and read The Green Mile by Stephen King.  I managed to get them for a song in the 6-book set at 2nd & Charles a few weeks ago instead of in the compilation novel.  

 

Completed So Far

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

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

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

37. Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

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

39. The Stranger by Albert Camus

40. Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare

41. Shakespeare: The World a Stage by Bill Bryson

42. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

43. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

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

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

46. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

47. Animal Farm by George Orwell

48. Carrie by Stephen King

49. Deconstructing Penguins by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone

50. The Way Life Works by Mahlon Hoagland

51. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

52. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

53. Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

54. A Walk in the Snark by Rachel Thompson

55. Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay

[mumto2]

All these reviews of Dexter novels prompted me to finely try and check one out of a library since I am a fan of the show. The library I use for my kindle checkouts has what appears to be the whole series for kindles. Not sure if this is helpful or not but I thought I should mention it. I checked out "Darkly Dreaming Dexter".

 

 

Just finished Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay.  I loved the first two Dexter books, but this one was just a little odd.  It really wasn't my cup of tea.  Since the Dexter books on Kindle seem to be ever more expensive with each book, I'm going to switch gears for a bit and read The Green Mile by Stephen King.  I managed to get them for a song in the 6-book set at 2nd & Charles a few weeks ago instead of in the compilation novel.  

 

Completed So Far

 

1. Best Friends by Samantha Glen

2. Wesley the Owl by Stacey O'Brien

3. The Gift of Pets: Stories Only a Vet Could Tell by Bruce Coston

4. Nim Chimpsky: The Chimp Who Would Be Human by Elizabeth Hess

5. Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams & Mark Carwardine

6. Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Alison Arngrim

7. Beowulf by Seamus Heaney

8. The Odyssey by Homer (Fagles translation)

9. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

10. The Year of Learning Dangerously: Adventures in Homeschooling by Quinn Cummings

11. Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson

12. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

13. Tales of an African Vet by Dr. Roy Aronson

14. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

15. The Romanovs: The Final Chapter by Robert K. Massie

16. Kisses From Katie by Katie Katie Davis

17. Iguanas for Dummies by Melissa Kaplan

18. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

19. Zoo by James Patterson

20. St. Lucy's School for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell

21. Russian Tortoises in Captivity by Jerry D. Fife

22. Leopard Geckos for Dummies by Liz Palika

23. The 8th Confession by James Patterson

24. Leopard Geckos: Caring for Your New Pet by Casey Watkins

25. The Ultimate Guide to Leopard Geckos by Phoenix Hayes Simmons

26. 9th Judgement by James Patterson

27. 10th Anniversary by James Patterson

28. 11th Hour by James Patterson

29. 12th of Never by James Patterson

30. The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner

31. Chasing Science at Sea: Racing Hurricanes, Stalking Sharks, and Living Undersea With Ocean Experts by Ellen J. Prager

32. Dolphin Mysteries: Unlocking the Secrets of Communication by Kathleen M. Dudzinski & Toni Frohoff

33. The Greeening by S. Brubaker

34. No Touch Monkey! by Ayun Halliday

35. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

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

37. Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

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

39. The Stranger by Albert Camus

40. Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare

41. Shakespeare: The World a Stage by Bill Bryson

42. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

43. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

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

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

46. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

47. Animal Farm by George Orwell

48. Carrie by Stephen King

49. Deconstructing Penguins by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone

50. The Way Life Works by Mahlon Hoagland

51. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

52. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

53. Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

54. A Walk in the Snark by Rachel Thompson

55. Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay

[Stacia]

Oh, yeah, I meant to post about my book club meeting. Nobody in the group liked The Witches of Eastwick -- all characters were unlikeable &/or grotesque, 'independent' women were not really independent (depended on men), felt like Updike was writing out his fantasy to be able to control women like the male character in the book did, storyline was not good, unbelievable that the women would abandon their kids in favor of the guy, stilted writing style, etc.... So, I'm glad I didn't stick it out through the whole book & instead abandoned it early on, lol.

[Paisley Hedgehog]

. 

 

[LostSurprise]

What is it with Updike? My first Updike was Brazil.  :glare: All I can say about that is, don't bother. 

[Hoot]

Yesterday I finished The Two Dead Girls (The Green Mile Book 1) by Stephen King.  At first, I was concerned that I wouldn't enjoy the books since I love the movie so much.  I was, however, not disappointed in the least.  Off to read the second book now!

 

Completed So Far

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

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

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

37. Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

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

39. The Stranger by Albert Camus

40. Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare

41. Shakespeare: The World a Stage by Bill Bryson

42. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

43. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

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

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

46. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

47. Animal Farm by George Orwell

48. Carrie by Stephen King

49. Deconstructing Penguins by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone

50. The Way Life Works by Mahlon Hoagland

51. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

52. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

53. Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

54. A Walk in the Snark by Rachel Thompson

55. Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay

56. The Two Dead Girls (The Green Mile Book 1) by Stephen King

[Hoot]

All these reviews of Dexter novels prompted me to finely try and check one out of a library since I am a fan of the show. The library I use for my kindle checkouts has what appears to be the whole series for kindles. Not sure if this is helpful or not but I thought I should mention it. I checked out "Darkly Dreaming Dexter".

 

Oddly enough, my library system didn't have the first book for Kindle lending but your post inspired me to go look again.  It appears that they have them all except the first book.  Odd.  Now I can keep reading... except it will have to wait until I'm finished with The Green Mile.

[Robin M]

Link to week 42 - please continue conversation in new thread