Book a Week in 2013 - week forty seven

[Guest]

Also, I meant to ask earlier, where is a good place to start with Russian history? I was going to try and get Massie's Peter the Great, but my library doesn't have it. It seems so vast to me, I don't know where to start. I must have missed those classes in school, because I feel like there's a big hole in my education when it comes to Russian history, lol. Would love some suggestions. :)

[JennW in SoCal]

I finally picked up Shadow of the Wind again this week after leaving it unfinished for almost 6 weeks with its book mark in place.  Last night was the perfect cool, rainy night for reading so I curled up on the couch and finally finished it.  What a rich and satisfying read!  

[6packofun]

The Wicked Autumn Detective character received a great review in something I read a few months ago as being really good character development, the reviewer loved him and a former M15 agent turned village vicar does sound very fascinating. Was he?

 

It's interesting that you wanted more character development in the lead detective of the other book because I felt a little bit the same with Wicked Autumn.  He's intriguing enough that I definitely want to learn more!  There were enough flashbacks to his previous life, too, that your curiosity is primed and I'm sure that continues in the other books.

[Kareni]

Is it Wicket Autumn by Malliet?  I just finished it and really enjoyed it! 

 

I was thinking this was a book with a cricket theme until I saw additional postings on the book!  Oh, well.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

It is the 50th anniversary of C.S. Lewis's death and Harper Collins has a free ebook available - Beyond the Wardrobe

 

Not that any of us have this problem - but 6 ways to beat reader's block.

 

2013 National Book awards winner is James McBride.

 

 

[Stacia]

.

[Stacia]

Three Eastern European works:

 

Purge by Sofi Oksanen: This was every bit as disturbing as it promised to be, and then some, but it was also a gripping, absorbing, riveting book with a level of delicacy and nuance to even such horrific and harrowing topics.  Highly recommended, but with a *very* strong content warning - this was stratospherically outside my comfort level, but I can't regret reading it. 

 

Esther's Inheritance by Sandor Marai: Like last week's Embers, this was tightly, elegantly written; it had some similar themes, and was also beautifully crafted, but I didn't end up completely believing some of the pieces, especially a major decision made by a character near the end of the book. It is still a lyrical, masterful story, but not as compelling as Embers.

 

Temptation by Vaclav Havel: Faust transposed into a scientific institute in Communist Czechoslovakia.  It is a little bizarre, and, honestly, not as amazing as the original (imho), but a fascinating way to explore some unsettling questions. 

 

...

 

Desert Tracings: Six Classic Arabic Odes:  Although I knew these were pre-Islamic odes, the references to wine/intoxication kept throwing me...  beautiful, lyric... with a wealth of imagery that, while very classic for its genre, still feels new to me. 

 

Road to Mecca by Athol Fugard:  Fugard is an incredible African playwright (I wish I had acquired more when they were in print!).  I have never seen this one staged, but it is such an intense, vivid drama that the images of previous reads echo in my mind almost like past productions...

...

 

I am drowning in my books in progress!  ...and I am feeling a little dubious about whether I'll complete the continental challenge... I have a number of Asian works in process, but I'm doubting whether I will finish those *and* make it to Australia....  And then I chose a 1000+ dense, challenging read for my "Z", so finishing the A to Z challenge might be a close thing.

 

Thanks for the reviews. These all sound like things I would like to read.

 

So, what "Z" book are you reading??? I need to get hopping onto Australia myself.... Rosie, any suggestions?

 

It is a fascinating issue with, imho, no clear-cut answers.

 

Free speech is an important principle, but so is the right of privately owned web-sites to determine their own function/scope.  ... this site is a perfect example of that.  We don't have 'free speech' here, really.  There are topics we mayn't discuss, issues that are not to be raised (including discussion of the site itself!), and lines of argument (one might say 'attack') that will be summarily deleted.

 

I think the issue isn't whether or not a private site limits discussion; I believe all private site not only do, but must, but where those lines are drawn, how much scope is given to participants to have a satisfactory experience without interfering with the site's goals.

 

...

 

The Ishiguro was: The Unconsoled.  It drove me *batty*... it felt like a really surreal French film from the '80's... and then it didn't give a  (to me) satisfactory resolution.  ...but you actually *like* magical realism and its cousins, so you might have fun with this!

 

Amazon description (clearly written by someone who appreciated the book!):

 

The Unconsoled is at once a gripping psychological mystery, a wicked satire of the cult of art, and a poignant character study of a man whose public life has accelerated beyond his control. The setting is a nameless Central European city where Ryder, a renowned pianist, has come to give the most important performance of his life. Instead, he finds himself diverted on a series of cryptic and infuriating errands that nevertheless provide him with vital clues to his own past. In The Unconsoled Ishiguro creates a work that is itself a virtuoso performance, strange, haunting, and resonant with humanity and wit.

 

Library Jounral review:

 

From Library Journal

As stylistically distinctive as his acclaimed The Remains of the Day (LJ 10/1/89), Ishiguro's newest work offers a different kind of protagonist. While Remains's butler was at odds with himself (without knowing it), prominent concert pianist Ryder is at odds with his surroundings. Ryder arrives in an unidentified European city at a bit of a loss. Everyone he meets seems to assume that he knows more than he knows, that he is well acquainted with the city and its obscure cultural crisis. A young woman he kindly consents to advise seems to have been an old lover and her son quite possibly his own; he vaguely recalls past conversations. The world he has entered is a surreal, Alice-in-Wonderland place where a door in a cafe can lead back to a hotel miles away. The result is at once dreamy, disorienting, and absolutely compelling; Ishiguro's paragraphs, though Proust-like, are completely lucid and quite addictive to read. Some readers may find that the whole concept grinds too much against logic, but the pleasure here is that Ishiguro doesn't do anything so ordinary as trying to resolve events neatly, instead taking them at face value. Highly recommended.

 

I agree that there is a difference/distinction between free speech & privately-owned websites. I think what caused the GR uproar is that GR existed as a reader site long before Amazon acquired it (the acquisition was recent). Then, Amazon implemented changes (no bad comments about authors, can't file your books in a way we don't like, etc...) late on a Friday afternoon w/out any sort of announcement or notification that rules were changing. And, very quickly after that, they began deleting reviews &/or bookshelves of people w/out warning (& w/out letting the people save their info elsewhere first). Part of the complaints about Amazon siding w/ authors stems from earlier complaints that some authors on GRs were overly aggressive in promoting their works, and some apparently stalked/harassed people who wrote less than stellar reviews of their books (to the point that a couple of the authors tracked down these individuals, posted their personal info online such as where these people lived, their kids' names, etc...). There is outrage over the deletions w/out notification & the feeling that the company serves the authors, but not the reading public. So, I certainly understand the outrage over Amazon's complete bumbling of their 'new' policies & see how many view it as completely self-serving & quite against the (original) intent of GR being a site FOR readers, BY readers. (Btw, most of the actual content on the GR site is freely posted by regular people, so the 'value' of the site has been created -- and now quashed -- by the reading masses; it certainly wasn't created by Amazon.)  Amazon has been pretty slow & iffy to respond to issues, clarify the actual rules, & so on.

 

Eliana, I'm always open to suggestions. I may have heard/read of some of them. If you or anyone is interested, I have a Persia board on Pinterest. Every time I go through it, I get all nostalgic. I do so miss it, but it's obviously no longer the Iran that I remember. I have no interest in going there again. Besides, it would be extremely unsafe and foolish, given that we're Baha'is. 

 

Thanks for the link, Negin.

 

For those working on their 2014 wishlists :laugh:  especially since there are only 40 days left in the year (yikes)

 

10 Books that wouldn't exist without Flann O'brien

 

 

I've had a Flann O'Brien book on my library request list for awhile now. Really looking forward to it now!

 

I keep planning to jot down some titles and make a few purchase requests... but I don't have high hopes that my wishes will be granted.  ...though, imnsho, it would be a much better use of library funds than 100+ copies of the newest best seller (or newest hit movie).

 

I agree. I wish my library would be more diverse & daring in their acquisitions, rather than stocking tons of copies of Twilight, John Grisham, etc....

 

Just finished The Professionals by Owen Laukkanen.  Pretty good, fast-paced story about 4 college grads who decide to turn to kidnapping since the job market sucks.  lol  Gets complicated when they kidnap the wrong guy.

 

Sounds like it could be fun.

 

 I just started The Stockholm Octavo, Stacia, and I think it sounds great.

 

I got very interested in the history/use of fans after reading this. LOL.

 

Also, I meant to ask earlier, where is a good place to start with Russian history? I was going to try and get Massie's Peter the Great, but my library doesn't have it. It seems so vast to me, I don't know where to start. I must have missed those classes in school, because I feel like there's a big hole in my education when it comes to Russian history, lol. Would love some suggestions. :)

 

:bigear:  I would love to hear some suggestions too.

 

I finally picked up Shadow of the Wind again this week after leaving it unfinished for almost 6 weeks with its book mark in place.  Last night was the perfect cool, rainy night for reading so I curled up on the couch and finally finished it.  What a rich and satisfying read!  

 

Yay. Have you read the others in the series?

[mumto2]

I finished the first in a new series by Carolyn Hart called "Ghost at Work". It was a fun easy cozy mystery. I have read many of her books over the years, especially her Death on Demand series. The bookstore in that series always has great mystery author suggestions...might have to start rereading them. :lol:

[Kareni]

Those who enjoy paranormal romances might enjoy the book I just finished.

 

Storm Warrior (The Grim Series) by Dani Harper

 

"Enslaved for millennia by the masters of the Welsh faery realm, the fierce Celtic warrior Rhys is doomed to wander the earth forever. But when a brave beauty unwittingly breaks the enchantment, he is drawn into a strange new world…and an all-consuming desire.

 

Sensible Morgan doesn’t believe in magic—until a mysterious being saves her from a fate worse than death, and life as she knows it changes forever. Now the man of her dreams has become flesh and blood, igniting a spark in Morgan’s soul which science cannot explain. But even a love that transcends time may not be strong enough to withstand the power of an ancient curse."

 

It was a light read but pleasurable.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[laughing lioness]

I haven't been on the boards much lately, or even kept up with reading this year, but it was fun to read through everyone's week of reading!

Happy Birthday, Robin!!

 

I'm reading Killing Jesus by Bill O'Reilly. Great writing and a rousing good romp through Ancient History. I'll be assigning this to my 13 you as history reading when I'm done with it.

[Robin M]

Those who enjoy paranormal romances might enjoy the book I just finished.

 

Storm Warrior (The Grim Series) by Dani Harper

 

"Enslaved for millennia by the masters of the Welsh faery realm, the fierce Celtic warrior Rhys is doomed to wander the earth forever. But when a brave beauty unwittingly breaks the enchantment, he is drawn into a strange new world…and an all-consuming desire.

 

Sensible Morgan doesn’t believe in magic—until a mysterious being saves her from a fate worse than death, and life as she knows it changes forever. Now the man of her dreams has become flesh and blood, igniting a spark in Morgan’s soul which science cannot explain. But even a love that transcends time may not be strong enough to withstand the power of an ancient curse."

 

It was a light read but pleasurable.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Does look interesting, will have to check it out.

 

I finished James Rollins The Doomsday Key which was quite thrilling and kept me engaged.  Jumping into Jayne Castle's (aka Jayne Ann Krentz) paranormal Rainshadow series "The Lost Night",   part of her Harmony collection

[Stacia]

Oh, and Eliana, I realized I quoted (but didn't respond) to your info about the Ishiguro book. Thanks for the name of it (hadn't even heard of it) -- will definitely have to look it up.

[Rosie_0801]

Um. I don't know what to recommend to you fine literary critics! 

 

(Really I wouldn't have a clue what you guys can get from your libraries. I have a lot more access to American and English books than you have to Australian.)

[Kareni]

 

  Jumping into Jayne Castle's (aka Jayne Ann Krentz) paranormal Rainshadow series "The Lost Night",   part of her Harmony collection

 

It's a fun series.  I think I might like a dust bunny of my very own ....

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

Um. I don't know what to recommend to you fine literary critics! 

 

(Really I wouldn't have a clue what you guys can get from your libraries. I have a lot more access to American and English books than you have to Australian.)

 

Well, I'm the fine literary critic who enjoys reading trashy celebrity news in The Daily Mail.  :biggrinjester:  (I mean, reading about Prince Harry's Antarctica trek counts toward my continental challenge reading, right? ;) )

 

My library does have Walkabout by James Vance Marshall. I've requested that one. Will have to look around for some additional books too. Are there any 'classic' Australian novels that are widely popular in Australia? Maybe I could hope to find one of those....

[Rosie_0801]

 Are there any 'classic' Australian novels that are widely popular in Australia? Maybe I could hope to find one of those....

 

I don't know if people in general read...

 

But I posted the Picnic at Hanging Rock read along last year, so some of you have already read that. Even people who don't read know that.

 

Robbery Under Arms?

Anything by Nevil Shute

Bryce Courtenay wrote a lot of Australian novels. They make me want to jab myself in the eye, most of them, but maybe they'd be more appreciated by non-Australians. He's responsible for getting a lot of boys reading, though.

Garth Nix's trilogy- Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen for those who like fantasy

You could always download The Magic Pudding off Librivox. A children's classic, that one. Thoroughly ridiculous :lol:

For the Term of his Natural Life  seems to be free for Kindle. It's ugly, but I think a must read for that part of Australian history. Not that I particularly recommend reading Australian history...

We of the Never-Never

For teen fiction- The Silver Brumby (There's a whole series)

Into Bullo if you like autobiographies

 

That's all I can think of for now.

[welovetoread]

Purge.  OH MY!

[Stacia]

I don't know if people in general read...

 

But I posted the Picnic at Hanging Rock read along last year, so some of you have already read that. Even people who don't read know that.

 

Robbery Under Arms?

Anything by Nevil Shute

Bryce Courtenay wrote a lot of Australian novels. They make me want to jab myself in the eye, most of them, but maybe they'd be more appreciated by non-Australians. He's responsible for getting a lot of boys reading, though.

Garth Nix's trilogy- Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen for those who like fantasy

You could always download The Magic Pudding off Librivox. A children's classic, that one. Thoroughly ridiculous :lol:

For the Term of his Natural Life  seems to be free for Kindle. It's ugly, but I think a must read for that part of Australian history. Not that I particularly recommend reading Australian history...

We of the Never-Never

For teen fiction- The Silver Brumby (There's a whole series)

Into Bullo if you like autobiographies

 

That's all I can think of for now.

 

Thanks, Rosie! I read Picnic at Hanging Rock last year (enjoyed it & got creeped out by it -- again thanks for posting that reading challenge last year). I know the library has Nevil Shute, so I'll get one of his for sure. I know they have Garth Nix too (but not sure I'll read him right now, maybe later). Off to check for some of the others....

 

[Stacia]

For the Term of his Natural Life  seems to be free for Kindle. It's ugly, but I think a must read for that part of Australian history. Not that I particularly recommend reading Australian history...

 

FYI, for anyone planning to read this: on amazon, various people have posted that the Kindle version doesn't work (doesn't go past page 1, locks up your device, etc...). So, if anyone is interested, I found a free .pdf version on planetebook.

[-M-]

Recently completed:

 

â–  Debt-Free U (Zac Bissonnette; 2010. 290 pages. Non-fiction.)
â–  Colleges That Change Lives (Loren Pope; 2006. 382 pages. Non-fiction.)
If you've been reading M-mv for a while, you know that my approach to selecting and paying for college is more Bissonnette than Pope. In Chapter 5 of Debt-Free, Bissonnette dismisses Pope's assertion that a "good small liberal arts college will give you the best and most challenging education" as, in a word, "absurd." And even after reading Colleges That Change Lives, I agree.

 

I also agree with this passage from Chapter 6:

 

I fully understand that societal expectations and peer pressure -- for parents and students -- often trump the more calculated approaches to investing in college. But [...] the thing that you have to keep in mind is this: the Joneses are broke. Getting into a college-spending arms race with people who are spending money that they don't have is a dangerous game and, however alluring it might be, it's one that you absolutely must avoid, for your own future and your child's. When discussing you decision to send your kids to a community college with friends, feel free to make it clear to them that it was a choice your family made because it was the best option, not because it was the only option. If you want to make them feel stupid, use phrases like, "We looked at the data and the latest research, and we really concluded that this was the best investment decision."

 

â–  UnSouled (Neal Shusterman; 2013. 404 pages. Fiction.)
Not as good as the first book in the dystology but considerably better than the second.

 

â–  Drama High (Michael Sokolove; 2013. 338 pages. Non-fiction.)
Described as a cross between Hoop Dreams and Glee, Sokolove's account of Lou Volpe and the drama program at Harry S. Truman High School in Levittown, PA, is a compelling topic delivered in uneven fits and spurts.

 

â–  The Human Story (James C. Davis; 2004. 466 pages. Non-fiction.)
It's hard to discern who the intended audience for this breezy, lightweight survey of world history is.

 

â–  An Iliad (Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare; 2013. 55 pages. Drama.)
â–  The Iliad (Homer (translated by Stephen Mitchell); 2011. 466 pages. Poetry.)
Although Peterson and O'Hare drew on the Robert Fagles translation to craft their one-man show, the Misses and I opted for the Mitchell -- and have not once regretted the decision. Luminous, accessible, and, yes, contemporary, although not distractingly so. We paired our reading with the superb audiobook featuring Alfred Molina. And we are also thoroughly enjoying Elizabeth Vandiver's "The Iliad of Homer" course (The Teaching Company).

 

We opted to revisit the Iliad when we learned that Timothy Edward Kane would reprise the role of Poet. Here are the reviews from 2011 -- Trib and Sun-Times; and here are the more recent reviews -- Trib and Sun-Times. You can imagine how much we are looking forward to this production.

 

That's 91, so far, in this year of reading slowly. I am two stories into Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You (Alice Monroe) and halfway through The Financial Lives of the Poets (Jess Walter), and I have active bookmarks in Ripley's The Smartest Kids in the World and Sakey's Brilliance.

 

List of books read in 2013

 

â–  Debt-Free U (Zac Bissonnette; 2010. 290 pages. Non-fiction.)
â–  Colleges That Change Lives (Loren Pope; 2006. 382 pages. Non-fiction.)
â–  UnSouled (Neal Shusterman; 2013. 404 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Drama High (Michael Sokolove; 2013. 338 pages. Non-fiction.)
â–  An Iliad (Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare; 2013. 55 pages. Drama.)
â–  The Iliad (Homer (translated by Stephen Mitchell); 2011. 466 pages. Poetry.)
â–  The Human Story (James C. Davis; 2004. 466 pages. Non-fiction.)
â–  Fair Weather (Richard Peck; 2003. 146 pages. Non-fiction.)
â–  Divergent (Veronica Roth; 2011. 496 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Why Read Moby Dick? (Nathaniel Philbrick; 2011. 144 pages. Non-fiction.)
■ The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry; 1971 ed. 112 pages. Fiction.)
â–  A Year Down Yonder (Richard Peck; 2000. 130 pages. Fiction.) *
â–  Come Closer (Sara Gran; 2003. 168 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Moby Dick; or, The Whale (Herman Melville (1851); Alma Books ed. 2013. 712 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Richard II (William Shakespeare (1595); Folger ed. 2005. 352 pages. Drama.)
â–  Alex (Pierre Lemaitre; 2013. 384 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Cyrano de Bergerac (Edmond Rostand (1898); Bantam ed. 1950. 240 pages. Drama.)
â–  King Lear (William Shakespeare (1605); Folger ed. 2005. 384 pages. Drama.)
â–  The Returned (Jason Mott; 2013. 352. pages. Fiction.)
â–  Lowboy (John Wray; 2009. 272. pages. Fiction.)
â–  The Merry Wives of Windsor (William Shakespeare (1597?); Folger ed. 2004. 320 pages. Drama.)
â–  The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother's Memoir (Katrina Kenison; 2009. 320. pages. Non-fiction.)
â–  The Amateurs (Marcus Sakey; 2009. 400. pages. Fiction.)
â–  Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines (Richard A. Muller; 2009. 384. pages. Non-fiction.)
â–  Letters to a Young Scientist (Edward O. Wilson; 2013. 256 pages. Non-fiction.)
â–  Evil Eye: Four Novellas of Love Gone Wrong (Joyce Carol Oates; 2013. 224 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Gone with the Wind (Margaret Mitchell (1936); Anniversary ed. 2011. 960 pages. Fiction.) *
â–  A Short History of the United States: From the Arrival of Native American Tribes to the Obama Presidency (Robert V. Remini; 2009. 416 pages. Non-fiction.)
â–  Othello (William Shakespeare (1603); Folger ed. 2003. 368 pages. Drama.) *
â–  Hamlet (William Shakespeare (1603); Folger ed. 2003. 342 pages. Drama.) *
â–  A Long Way from Chicago (Richard Peck; 1998. 192 pages. Fiction.) *
â–  The Husband's Secret (Liane Moriarty; 2013. 416 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Kiss Me First (Lottie Moggach; 2013. 320 pages. Fiction.)
â–  The Silent Wife (A.S.A. Harrison; 2013. 336 pages. Fiction.)
â–  The Comedy of Errors (William Shakespeare (1594); Folger ed. 2004. 272. pages. Drama.) *
â–  The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka (1915); Bantam ed. 1972. 201 pages. Fiction.) *
â–  The Storyteller (Jodi Picoult; 2013. 480 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Kill Shakespeare: Volume 2 (Conor McCreery; 2011. 148 pages. Graphic fiction.)
â–  The Dinner (Herman Koch; 2013. 304 pages. Fiction.)
â–  We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (Karen Joy Fowler; 2013. 320 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Macbeth (William Shakespeare (1606); Folger ed. 2003. 272 pages. Drama.) *
â–  Run, Brother, Run: A Memoir of a Murder in My Family (David Berg; 2013. 272 pages. Non-fiction.)
â–  NOS4A2 (Joe Hill; 2013. 704 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Shakespeare Saved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary with the Bard (Linda Bates; 2013. 304 pages. Non-fiction.)
â–  Cast of Shadows (Kevin Guilfoile; 2006. 319 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Letters to a Young Poet (Rainer Maria Rilke; ed. 1986. 128 pages. Non-fiction.) *
â–  Much Ado about Nothing (William Shakespeare (1599); Folger ed. 2003. 246 pages. Drama.) *
â–  Animal Man, Vol. 2 (Jeff Lemire; 2012. 176 pages. Graphic fiction.)
â–  So Much for That (Lionel Shriver; 2011. 480 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Life Itself (Roger Ebert; 2011. 448 pages. Memoir.)
â–  Saga, Vol. 2 (Brian Vaughn; 2013. 144 pages. Graphic fiction.)
â–  Animal Man, Vol. 1 (Jeff Lemire; 2012. 144 pages. Graphic fiction.)
â–  Very Good, Jeeves (P.G. Wodehouse; ed. 2006. 304 pages. Fiction.)
â–  The 5th Wave (Rick Yancey; 2013. 480 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Richard III (William Shakespeare (1592); Folger ed. 2005. 352 pages. Drama.) *
â–  Give Me Everything You Have: On Being Stalked (James Lansdun; 2013. 224 pages. Non-fiction.)
â–  Harvest (A.J. Lieberman; 2013. 128 pages. Graphic fiction.)
â–  The Guilty One (Lisa Ballantyne; 2013. 480 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Two or Three Things I Forgot to Tell You (Joyce Carol Oates; 2013. 288 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Dare Me (Megan Abott; 2012. 304 pages. Fiction.)
â–  The Gaslight Effect: How to Spot and Survive the Hidden Manipulation Others Use to Control Your Life (Robin Stern; 2007. 288 pages. Non-fiction.)
â–  Henry VIII (William Shakespeare (1613); Folger ed. 2007. 352 pages. Drama.)
â–  The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald; 1925/1980. 182 pages. Fiction.) *
â–  Attachments (Rainbow Rowell; 2011. 336 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Reconstructing Amelia (Kimberly McCreight; 2013. 400 pages. Fiction.)
â–  The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers (Margaret George; 1998. 960 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Picasso and Chicago: 100 Years, 100 Works (Stephanie D'Alessandro; 2013. 112 pages. Non-fiction.)
â–  Measure for Measure (William Shakespeare (1603); Folger ed. 2005. 288 pages. Drama.)
â–  Wave (Sonali Deraniyagala; 2013. 240 pages. Memoir.)
â–  The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death (Jean-Dominique Bauby; 1998. 131 pages. Autobiography.)
â–  The Undead: Organ Harvesting, the Ice-Water Test, Beating-Heart Cadavers (Dick Teresi; 2012. 368 pages. Non-fiction.)
â–  Human .4 (Mike A. Lancaster; 2011. 240 pages. YA fiction.)
â–  Warm Bodies (Isaac Marion; 2011. 256 pages. Fiction.)
â–  The Underwater Welder (Jeff Lemire; 2012. 224 pages. Graphic fiction.)
â–  After Visiting Friends: A Son's Story (Michael Hainey; 2013. 320 pages. Non-fiction.)
â–  Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Philip K. Dick; 1968. 256 pages. Fiction.)  *
â–  Accelerated (Bronwen Hruska; 2012. 288 pages. Fiction.)
â–  The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger; 1951. 288 pages. Fiction.) *
â–  Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes; 1966. 324 pages. Fiction.)  *
â–  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (Jamie Ford; 2009. 301 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (Dai Sijie; 2002. 104 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Revival, Vol. 1 (Tim Seeley; 2012. 128 pages. Graphic fiction.)
â–  Saga, Vol. 1 (Brian K. Vaughan; 2012. 160 pages. Graphic fiction.)
■ La Bohème: Black Dog Opera Library (2005. 144 pages. Libretto, history, and commentary.)
â–  The 13 Clocks (James Thurber (1950); 2008. 136 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness (Susannah Cahalan; 2012. 288 pages. Non-fiction.)
â–  Julius Caesar (William Shakespeare (1599); Folger ed. 2003. 288 pages. Drama.)  *
â–  Don't Turn Around (Michelle Gagnon; 2012. 320 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors (Ann Rule; 2012. 544 pages. Non-fiction.)
â–  Daddy Love (Joyce Carol Oates; 2013. 240 pages. Fiction.)
â–  Life after Death (Damien Echols; 2012. 416 pages. Non-fiction.)

 

* Denotes a reread

[Lady Florida.]

Dh, ds, and I went to see Catching Fire today. We all read the books and we all loved the movie. They did a really good job sticking to the books. 

 

But that's not what my post is about. In the trailers we saw a trailer for Frankenstein. Since many of us read the book, I wondered if any of you knew about this. It's a weird take on the story though. It's not a retelling of the story, but instead it's the monster 200 years later fighting with and against other monsters.  :confused1:

 

And of course, they call him Frankenstein.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxOSPfUw3qw

 

[Robin M]

But that's not what my post is about. In the trailers we saw a trailer for Frankenstein. Since many of us read the book, I wondered if any of you knew about this. It's a weird take on the story though. It's not a retelling of the story, but instead it's the monster 200 years later fighting with and against other monsters.  :confused1:

 

And of course, they call him Frankenstein.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxOSPfUw3qw

 

 

Looks really good!

[Robin M]

Link to week 48 - please continue conversation in new thread