Book a Week in 2013 - week forty eight

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday, dear hearts!  Today is the start of week 48 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 - Happy Thanksgiving:  Highlighted November Evening by Lucy Maud Montgomery

 

Book News:

 

Library Journal names picks for best Christian Fiction of 2013.

 

The Secret Life of Jonathan Swift

 

Thanksgiving Dinner De ja vu?  Try French Food This Year.

 

Brahma Chellaney wins Asia Society award

 

Happy birthday to Laurence Sterne (1713) an anglo-irish novelist and clergyman, best known for Life and Opinion of Tristam Shandy, Gentleman

 

 

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

Link to week 47

[Robin M]

I'm currently reading Every Which Way but Dead, #3 in Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series.  Rachel is driving me crazy with her half brained ideas and actions, but its amusing and entertaining and a perfect fluffy read.    Harrison is also having a readalong of all her books this month and A Fistful of Charms is available for $1.99 until tomorrow and For a Few Demons More - $1.99 until 12/9

[-M-]

I was so late to the last thread that I'll just repaste part of my post here.

 

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.

[Lady Florida.]

I finished The Goldfinch and gave it 5 stars on Goodreads. It did get a little maudlin and dragged a bit near the end, but I still loved it.

 

My recent reading has been mostly 20th and 21st century, so I wanted to go back in time a little. I also wanted something light after The Goldfinch, and decided that Tom Jones will fill both of those requirements.

[Robin M]

I was so late to the last thread that I'll just repaste part of my post here.

 

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."

 

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.

 

I'll definitely be checking out Colleges That change Lives - sounds like a great book.   Have enjoyed following your year of reading slowly. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over on List Challenges - found these two lists -  Top 100 Children's Novels and English Student Book Challenge.  Interestingly enough, read about 25 from each list.  Lots to add to my wishlist. Check it out and see how many you have read.

 

and another WTM mom pointed this out in another thread and had to make sure you guys see this  - it is so cool!

 

The Reading Net

 

 

[Kareni]

Thanksgiving Dinner De ja vu?  Try French Food This Year.

 

 

Drool ....

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

Robin, I have read most of the Hollows series. I will attempt to figure out where I left off and join in if I can source them. I think I need to read the last two but it might be three in the series. The books are normally entertaining and I actually enjoy the demon parts which are normally pretty cringe worthy in other series for me.

 

I am still reading "A Tale for the Time Being". Really enjoying it. My kindle book is the first in CE Murphy series - Heart of Stone. Like the gargoyle, still trying to figure out the mythology behind it all. Different but good. :)

[Stacia]

Over on List Challenges - found these two lists -  Top 100 Children's Novels and English Student Book Challenge.  Interestingly enough, read about 25 from each list.  Lots to add to my wishlist. Check it out and see how many you have read.

Of the children's books, I've read about 30. But I saw lots of others where I've read part of it & didn't finish it (either because I didn't like the book or because it gave me an idea of the book & my dc read it, but I didn't read the whole thing myself).

 

Of the English student list, I've read 42 or so. Again, there were others where I've read parts (often a large part), but not necessarily the entire work (Gulliver's Travels being one example -- I've read a large portion of the original work, probably about 75-80%, but never read the actual piece in its entirety). And, some were ones where we read parts of it in high school, but didn't read the whole work. So, I didn't count them unless I knew for sure that I had read the entire work.

[JennW in SoCal]

 

Over on List Challenges - found these two lists -  Top 100 Children's Novels and English Student Book Challenge.  Interestingly enough, read about 25 from each list.  Lots to add to my wishlist. Check it out and see how many you have read.

 

 

I was surprised to have only read about 35 of the top 100 children's novels, surprised as most of the titles are so very familiar to me.  Even when I counted the books my kids had read on their on the number still doesn't reach 50.   I was surprised for a different reason to have read 31 of the English challenge list - surprised that it was that many because it felt I was finding fewer titles from the list that I had actually read.  (Wait -- it's 32 as we read Cuckoo's Nest in high school!) Surprised, too to see Stephen King titles on that list.  And Time Traveler's Wife.  

 

I'm re-entering the sci-fi world of Dan Simmon's Hyperion Cantos this week, with an audio recording of Endymion.   I'm not expecting it to be as good as the 1st book, but he does write a compelling story.

 

My print book this week is The Hare with the Amber Eyes.  I believe Jane read that earlier this year -- it's been on the list I keep of books recommended here.  

[Lady Florida.]

 

Over on List Challenges - found these two lists -  Top 100 Children's Novels and English Student Book Challenge.  Interestingly enough, read about 25 from each list.  Lots to add to my wishlist. Check it out and see how many you have read.

 

 

 

 

I read 22 of the Children's books (some because I read them to ds) and 42 on the English list.

[Jane in NC]

Frankly I think the English Student list is goofy.  There are several Ian McEwan novels.  I have read one--but three?  Stephen King? Zip for me.  What knocked my score up to 51 is that I have read every Hemingway and Shakespeare entry on the list--and there were a bunch. 

 

I guess my point is that higher scores go to those of us who have read multiple works by certain authors.

 

40 on the children's list for me.

[Kareni]

Over on List Challenges - found these two lists -  Top 100 Children's Novels and English Student Book Challenge. 

 

Okay, 55 of the children's books and 45 from the other list.  There are certainly some curious choices on the latter list!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Luckymama]

Dd18, the English major, has read 102 books on the English list. I've read 32...

 

I have read 58 from the children's list.

[Guest]

Massie has a number of very readable Russian history bios - I've read most of them, and own several, but I don't think they do very well at conveying Russian culture or bigger picture history.  ymmv.

 

How do you like to approach history?  Do you like to get an overview? Come to history via culture?  ..or by way of literature?   ...or biography?

 

There are two fabulous choices for door-stopper overviews of Russian history - Riasanovsky's and Moss's (here's volume one).  I own and am fond of both. 

 

In either case, I would recommend an atlas to accompany your studies - this is the one I have, but I'm sure there are other good ones out there.

 

Natasha's Dance is a highly readable cultural history.

 

Between Heaven and Hell looks at the culture through the lens of political and social history.

 

History of Russian Literature  and The Cambridge Introduction to Russian Literature are starting places for an overview of Russian lit - though if that is your primary interest, I would have other suggestions as well.

 

Reinterpreting Russian History is a collection of primary and secondary sources - many hard to impossible to find on their own in English.

 

Sailing from Byzantium could be an interesting place to start...

 

Wow, Eliana, thank you! I will admit, I do like to approach history via biographies and literature, but I am always open to trying something else! I am currently reading a book on the Byzantine Emppire (fiction) so I think that Sailing from Byzantium would be a great place for me to start. I was also able to find Riasanovsky's book at my library, and plan to look over that, as well, and hopefully find time to read it.

 

ETA: I also put Natasha's Dance on my Goodreads TBR list.

[Shawneinfl]

I have read 29 books from the English Student list and 40 from the children's list. What amazed me was how many of the children's books are on my shelves that I have never gotten around to reading. I'd better get crackin'. The only book I finished this week was Amos Fortune, Free Man. Which I had to read to teach in my Challenge A class on Tuesday.

My daughters and I are participating in a homeschool craft fair in early Dec. so we've been working hard on paper bead necklaces. Unless I find a good book on audio I probably won't make to much progress this week either.

[JennW in SoCal]

 

Ancient Melodies by Su Hua Ling Chen: A memoir of the author's childhood in China in at the very beginning of the 1900's.  I came to this via Bloomsbury - she corresponded with Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell (she had a brief relationship with Vanessa's son Julian while he was in China).  I would very much like to track down some of her short stories... but they are very badly out of print.  ...I also want to read

 

 19 Ways of Looking at Wang Wei by Eliot Weinberger and Octavio Paz: I pulled this out to reread as a reminder of how much is left unsaid when translating from languages so different from my own.  It looks at one poem by Chinese poet Wang Wei and the ways it has been translated.

 

 

Ohhh, Eliana.  I was, once upon a time, a budding scholar of Chinese history.  I loved, back in my grad school days, trying my hand at translating classical Chinese poetry.  If I had a different, more single-minded personality I might still be doing that, but alas the best I can do these days is order a cold beer at a Chinese restaurant!  But I continue to enjoy reading about the China that was, and Ancient Melodies is aimed right at my sweet spot -- the period just before the revolution.  19 Ways of Looking at Wang Wei is something I'd love to have on my book shelf just to pull out and enjoy from time to time.

[eaglei]

Started one book last week and will likely not finish it till later this week.  The copy I'm reading is the fourth printing of the 1915 edition - smaller print on thinner pages - for a total of 590 pages.  With last week busy, and this week pending busier, I will count my blessings to complete just this one novel!

 

#73 - The Keeper of the Door, by Ethel M. Dell

[melmichigan]

Interesting lists.  I've read 52 of the Children's books to my kids, so that feels pretty good, I didn't do so well on the English list. 

 

I'm still in a reading rut of sorts.  I went back to Gone Girl and finally abandoned it for good at 35%.  I did read a few more books in the James Rollins Sigma Force series, next is Black Order.  First I have Blind Salvage, book 5 in the Rylee Adamson series by Shannon Mayer, a promising paranormal/urban series.

[Tullia]

Before I get caught up in the holidays, I want to thank everyone who has participated in this challenge.  You all inspire me and have given me tons of book ideas.

 

I could NOT continue with The Mill on the Floss so I've switched to Scenes of Clerical Life which is far less painful emotionally.  I'm going to finish the year with light reading from my Kindle archive. I've found several books which I bought but haven't read--I don't even remember when or why I chose some of them.  :toetap05:

[Just Robyn]

Last Sunday night I finished Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading - I guess in part because I didn't feel like I had to understand everything. At one point the author (speaker, really, because I believe it is actually transcribed and edited lectures/dharma talks) said something like, "Intellectually, what I'm saying makes no sense," and I'm like, "Yeah, thanks for admitting that."

 

Then my ds accidentally stabbed me in the eye with his finger and I did very little reading and lots of squinting and dimming the lights. Today my eye finally feels mostly healed and I finished Fall Harvest - a pretty large (about 320 pages) collection of Emily Dickinson poems. I've been reading this for a couple years now, I think. Some poems I loved, some seemed tedious and boring to me. Here's one that I think goes well with the Zen book in some ways.

 

How happy is the little Stone

That rambles in the Road alone,

And doesn't care about Careers

And exigencies never fears - 

Whose Coat of elemental Brown

A passing Universe put on,

And independent as the Sun

Associates or glows alone,

Fulfilling absolute Decree

In Casual simplicity - 

[Lady Florida.]

For those who have not seen, Robin's mother passed away today.

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/494198-prayers-please-for-my-momupdate-226/?p=5323567

 

 

:grouphug: Robin, :grouphug:  I'm so very sorry for your loss. 

[Just Robyn]

For those who have not seen, Robin's mother passed away today.

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/494198-prayers-please-for-my-momupdate-226/?p=5323567

 

 

:grouphug: Robin, :grouphug:  I'm so very sorry for your loss. 

 

Robin,  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

[Robin M]

Thank you. I'm heading out in the morning to go be with my dad, along with the rest of my sisters. 

 

I'll leave you with this poem I found by Elizabeth Barrett Browning that says it all.

 

OF all the thoughts of God that are
Borne inward into souls afar,
Along the Psalmist’s music deep,
Now tell me if that any is
For gift or grace surpassing this—
“He giveth His beloved, sleep�

What would we give to our beloved?
The hero’s heart to be unmoved,
The poet’s star-tun’d harp to sweep,
The patriot’s voice to teach and rouse,
The monarch’s crown to light the brows?—
He giveth His beloved, sleep.

What do we give to our beloved?
A little faith all undisproved,
A little dust to overweep,
And bitter memories to make
The whole earth blasted for our sake:
He giveth His beloved, sleep.

“Sleep soft, beloved!†we sometimes say
Who have no tune to charm away
Sad dreams that through the eyelids creep:
But never doleful dream again
Shall break the happy slumber when
He giveth His beloved, sleep.

O earth, so full of dreary noises!
O men, with wailing in your voices!
O delved gold, the wailers heap!
O strife, O curse, that o’er it fall!
God strikes a silence through you all,
And giveth His beloved, sleep.

His dews drop mutely on the hill,
His cloud above it saileth still,
Though on its slope men sow and reap:
More softly than the dew is shed,
Or cloud is floated overhead,
He giveth His beloved, sleep.

Ay, men may wonder while they scan
A living, thinking, feeling man
Confirm’d in such a rest to keep;
But angels say, and through the word
I think their happy smile is heard—
“He giveth His beloved, sleep.â€

For me, my heart that erst did go
Most like a tired child at a show,
That sees through tears the mummers leap,
Would now its wearied vision close,
Would childlike on His love repose
Who giveth His beloved, sleep.

And friends, dear friends, when it shall be
That this low breath is gone from me,
And round my bier ye come to weep,
Let One, most loving of you all,
Say, “Not a tear must o’er her fall!
He giveth His beloved, sleep.â€

[prairiegirl]

:grouphug: Robin  :grouphug:   I am so sorry.

 

 

I did the children's list and I have read 68 books.  I haven't looked at the English book list...yet.  I will look at it later.

 

The kids and I finished The Iliad this week.  I am trying to read The Beekeeper's Apprentice  by Laurie R. King.  I am really enjoying it but for some reason it is taking me forever to get through it.

[Heather in Neverland]

Started Reading:

The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley

Faithful Women and their Extraordinary God by Noel Piper

 

Still Reading:
Smart but Scattered Teens: The "Executive Skills" Program for Helping Teens Reach Their Potential by Richard Guare
The Collected Writings (So Far) of Rick Wormeli: Crazy Good Stuff I've Learned about Teaching by Rick Wormeli

 

 

Finished:

50. Big, Dead Place: Inside the Strange and Menacing World of Antarctica by Nicholas Johnson

49. God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China by Liao Yiwu

48. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
47. The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin
46. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
45. Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists by Anthony Amore (American Author, DD class 700)
44. The Gospel's Power and Message by Paul Washer (American author, DD class 200)
43. They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Persuasive Writing by Gerald Graff (American author, DD class 400)
42. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (American author, DD class 800)
41. Mariana by Susanna Kearsley (Canadian author, DD class 800)
40. Man Seeks God: My Flirtations with the Divine by Eric Weiner (American author, DD class 200)
39. When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy by John Piper (American author, DD class 200)
38. Inferno by Dan Brown (American author, DD class 800) 
37. That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo (American author, DD class 800) 
36. The God Who is There: Finding Your Place in God's Story by D.A. Carson (Canadian author, DD class 200)
35. Sandstorm by James Rollins (American author, DD class 800)
34. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (Mexican Author, DD class 800)
33. The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost (Dutch Author, DD class 900)
32. Bill Bryson's African Diary by Bill Bryson (American author, DD class 900) 
31. The Millionaires by Brad Meltzer (American author, DD class 800) 
30. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (American author, DD class 800) 
29.The Sherlockian by Graham Moore (American author, DD class 800) 
28. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (American authors, DD class 800)
27. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (American author, DD class 900)
26. The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio (American author, DD class 800)
25. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (Ethiopian author, DD class 800)
24. Having Hard Conversations by Jennifer Abrams (American author, DD class 300)
23.The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe (American author, DD class 600) 
22. The Infernal Devices #3: The Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800)
21. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (American author, DD class 800)
20. Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill (British author, DD class 200)
19. The Infernal Devices #2: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800)
18. The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800)
17. God's Big Picture: Tracing the Story-Line of the Bible by Vaughan Roberts (British author, DD class 200)
16.The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag: A Flavia de Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley (Canadian Author, DD Class 800) 
15.The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner (American author, DD class 900) 
14. Prodigy by Marie Lu (Chinese author, DD class 800)
13. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (American author, DD class 900)
12. The Disappearing Spoon: And Other Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean (American author, DD class 500)
11. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman (American Author, DD class 600)
10. A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller (American author, DD class 200)
9. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick (American author, DD class 300)
8. Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald (American author, DD class 100)
7. The Bungalow by Sarah Jio (American author, DD class 800)
6. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (American author, DD class 800)
5. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (American author, DD class 800)
4. The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion by Tim Challies (Canadian author, DD class 600)
3. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton (Australian author, DD class 800)
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (English author, DD class 800)
1. The Dark Monk: A Hangman's Daughter Tale by Oliver Potzsch (German author, DD class 800)

[Tullia]

Robin, I just saw the news about your mother.  I am so sorry for your loss.  :grouphug:

[welovetoread]

Robin, I am so sorry for your loss.

 

I am continuing with Purge. Been a busy week with a needy toddler.

[-M-]

So sorry for your loss, Robin.

[Debbi in Texas]

So sorry for your loss, Robin.

 

I am reading Traffic: Why we drive the way we do and what it says about us by Tom Vanderbilt

 

Audio book-A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainiun

 

Just finished listening to Pendulum

[mumto2]

I was in the low forties for both the Children's Lit and the English Student list. My score disappeared and I don't feel like clicking again! All I can say is having read Shakespeare was a huge advantage. Not sure about all the author repeats.

[Negin]

No time to go through this thread right now. Bookmarking it for later. I can't wait, since this thread is my weekly favorite. :) My reading has been very slow and not really happening. I hope that it improves in the next few weeks. Just been super-busy. 

 

 

[Tress]

 

Over on List Challenges - found these two lists -  Top 100 Children's Novels and English Student Book Challenge.  Interestingly enough, read about 25 from each list.  Lots to add to my wishlist. Check it out and see how many you have read.

 

 

39 in the Children's list (mostly in translation) and 38 in the English Student Book (and that's without reading any Shakespeare :D).

 

We read Kind Lear in class, it took us the whole year to read the first half of the play....class reading with students reading assigned parts....mumble, mumble, noone had any idea what they were reading.....and then we visited a modern Dutch theater production, where King Lear wasn't even mentioned :svengo: . I don't think I have recovered yet. Shakespeare scares me :leaving: . But I'm fairly certain that I can do better with my girls, although I'm glad we are not there yet :D.

[Tress]

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.

 

Wow, that sounds amazing!!! :drool5:  Please, tell us all about it when you have watched it.

 

[ladydusk]

25 in the children's 15 in the English Student's.  That's pretty awful, my consolation is that my children have read a number of the books that I haven't.  I hope to do something about the other list in the coming school years ;)

 

Ironically, on that note, I've bogged down in Wolf Hall - which I like - but read a Georgette Heyer book just to finish something (mind candy).  I read The Black Moth, which I now understand was her first novel.  I liked it pretty well and it had the benefit of not being full of stock characters ('cause she didn't have any yet) so I'm reading another - True Colours. 

[mumto2]

Ironically, on that note, I've bogged down in Wolf Hall - which I like - but read a Georgette Heyer book just to finish something (mind candy).  I read The Black Moth, which I now understand was her first novel.  I liked it pretty well and it had the benefit of not being full of stock characters ('cause she didn't have any yet) so I'm reading another - True Colours.

So many of you love Heyer. I have been curious but didn't know what to try first. I put a request in for Black Moth, a few are ahead of me which is good for my stack! :)

[Rosie_0801]

I seem to have lost my quote box; I've put a fresh one around it, but I don't know if it will notify you you've been quoted - I hope you see this, Rosie!

 

I got the Magic Pudding for my kids a number of years ago (I think from a recommendation you had made), and it is a treasure!  Yes, ridiculous, but so much fun!

 

I had forgotten that Shute emigrated to Australia... figuring out how to "count" authors for this challenge has tromped all over my desire for tidy demarcations...

 

We of the Never-Never looks very interesting.

 

Thank you, honey!

 

Hey Presto! A quote box!

 

 

 

 

 

Many  :grouphug: 's to you, Robin.

[mumto2]

I finished "Heart of Stone" by CE Murphy. Totally enjoyed it.

 

http://www.lovevampires.com/cemstone.html

 

I also read the new Agatha Raisin "Something Borrowed, Something Dead" by MC Beaton. I feel like I know some of those characters. :lol: I made the mistake of stopping to drop a book at the library last Friday on my way to a village fundraiser. I had picked up this book up while at library and when I set it down to drink my tea was informed by a couple of ladies that they were waiting for that book to be available. I returned it this morning with a big sigh of relief. I don't want to keep anyone waiting especially if they know it's me! ;)

[BigMamaBird]

Last week I read Animal Farm by George Orwell so I grabbed 1984 off the library shelf as well.  While I really liked Animal Farm, I wasn't as crazy about 1984.  The world it created was interesting in a hopeless, "how are they going to get around this" sort of way but I just couldn't work up a lot of sympathy for Winston.  Neither him nor Julia were very likable and I didn't care a whole lot about them.

 

I also read Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis.  I find his writing to be hard to wade through but I agreed with what he said.  I can see a lot of what he predicted back in the 1940's as having come true in regards to our education system today.  

 

 

1 - All The King's Men â€“ Robert Penn Warren                                                            27 - Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

2 - A Stranger in a Strange Land â€“ Robert Heinlein                                                   28 - Selected Short Stories - William Faulkner
3 - A Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood                                                                  29 - 100 Years of Solitude -  Gabriel Garcia Marquez
4 - Catcher in the Rye â€“ J.D. Salinger                                                                      30 - Dune - Frank Herbert
5 - Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury                                                                           31 - Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
6 - The Grapes of Wrath â€“ John Steinbeck                                                                32 - One Day in the Life o Ivan Desinovich -  Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
7 – Murder on the Orient Express â€“ Agatha Christie                                                  33 - Beloved - Toni Morrison
8 – The Illustrated Man â€“ Ray Bradbury                                                                   34 - Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
9 – The Great Gatsby â€“ F. Scott Fitzgerald                                                                35 - Dimanche - Irene Nemirovsky
10 – The Hiding Place â€“ Corrie Ten Boom                                                                36 - Babbitt - Sinclair Lewis 
11 – The Square Foot Garden â€“ Mel Bartholomew                                                     37 - Franny and Zooey - J.D. Salinger 
12 - Catch-22- Joseph Heller                                                                                    38 - A Death in Venice - Thomas Mann
13 - Heart of Darkness- Joseph Conrad                                                                    39 -  Sister Carrie - Theodore Drieser
14 - Partners in Crime - Agatha Christie                                                                   40 -  The Trial - Franz Kafka
15 - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams                                            41 - The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner
16 -O, Pioneers!- Willa Cather                                                                                 42 - Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera
17 - Miss Marple - The Complete Short Story Collection - Agatha Christie                 43 - Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
18 - Ringworld - Larry Niven                                                                                  44 - Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
19 - Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man- James Joyce                                          45 - Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
20 - Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut                                                                46 - Starship Troopers - Robert Heinlein
21 - To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee                                                                   47 - Animal Farm - George Orwell
22 - Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin                                                             48 - 1984 - George Orwell
23 - The Adventures of Augie March - Saul Bellow                                                       49 - The Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis  
24 - The War of the Worlds- H.G Wells
25 - The Girl with the Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier 

26 - The Golden Ball and Other Stories - Agatha Christie

[ladydusk]

Oh, no, no! Don't start with that!

 

Sorry. Start wherever you want!

 

...but that is not where I would recommend starting. imnsho, not all Heyer is created equal.

 

I'd start with Cotillion... or, perhaps the Grand Sophy or Sprig Muslin or Frederica or The Corinthian

..for utter silliness, Talisman Ring or The Masqueraders. There are many other fun ones, but those are some of the best

 

Stay far, far away from These Old Shades and Devils' Cub with their vile, rapist rakes as heroes, and avoid here "serious" historicals (Lord John, etc) like the plague.

I agree with Eliana, though I did like The Black Moth, it isnt the place to start ... One of the ones she listed (I esp like Frederica) would be lovely.

 

I didnt know about the historicals though. My mom had a large collection and there are a couple that I havent gotten to yet including The Conqueror and another one . Should I really avoid?

[mumto2]

 

Eliana and Ladydusk -- I heeded your advice and switched to Cotillion and Talisman Ring! Thank you :)

 

...but that is not where I would recommend starting.  imnsho, not all Heyer is created equal.

 

I'd start with Cotillion... or, perhaps the Grand Sophy or Sprig Muslin or Frederica or The Corinthian

..for utter silliness, Talisman Ring or The Masqueraders.  There are many other fun ones, but those are some of the best

 

Stay far, far away from These Old Shades and Devils' Cub with their vile, rapist rakes as heroes, and avoid here "serious" historicals (Lord John, etc) like the plague.

[Kareni]

Recently finished The Sum of All Kisses (Smythe-Smith) by Julia Quinn, a historical romance.

 

"Sarah Pleinsworth can’t forgive Hugh Prentice for the duel he fought three years ago that nearly destroyed her family, sent her cousin fleeing, and left Hugh himself with a badly injured leg. That’s fine with Hugh, who can’t tolerate Sarah’s dramatic ways. But when the two are forced to spend a week together, they find that unexpected kisses, and mutual passion, may have the power to change both of their minds.

 

Written with Julia Quinn’s trademark style, The Sum of All Kisses is a witty and lighthearted Regency romance."

 

It was a pleasant read.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

I finished it finally and it was so good. :) Yes, I am talking about "A Tale for the Time Being" by Ruth Ozeki. I loved how it slowly unfolded between events in the reader and writer's lives. Major historical events were noted as well as personal. The Japanese culture included was fascinating. I loved the ending and will be digesting it for awhile.

 

Just as a side note I have added it to dds list. It was that good. Possibly better then 1Q84. I wish I could change my goodreads vote but I think voting is closedbut am checking now.

[mumto2]

http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/10/think-of-a-number-dave-gurney-1-by-john-verdon.html I also finished "Think of a Number" by John Verdon. It was a five star suspense novel. Loved it. Very clever. One of the best page turners I have read in a very long time. I stayed up really late to finish this one! ;)

[JennW in SoCal]

I found another addition to the "bucket list" of quirky bookstores to visit someday.  This one is particularly out of the way in the middle of nowhere, Wyoming, but you'd get the added bonus of perhaps finding a wayward sheep browsing the aisles with you.  An article in yesterdays Los Angeles Times about Mad Dog and the Pilgrim bookstore sent me searching on the internet to find more about the store.  The store itself doesn't have a web site, but here is an article about it and a blog post with some great photos.

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all my book-a-week friends.  May you enjoy a few minutes of reading in between cooking, cleaning and eating!

[Paisley Hedgehog]

.

[mumto2]

 

I have not read them but dd is in the process of reading the series. They are the top of her to be read pile but she has been sidelined by Coursera lit. She has read the first two and liked them. She likes books about Arthur and Merlin but has not read either of the ones you mentioned.

 

I took a break in the middle of Thanksgiving prep to eat lunch and check in online, and poof! found another bunch of possible TBR's.  Has anyone read the Merlin  books by Mary Stewart starting with The Crystal Cave?  Amazon has the entire series (4 books) inexpensive for Kindle, and I'm wondering if they are any good.   The only Authurian legend stuff I've ever read is the Tolkein translation of Sir Gawain and Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon (loved!).  Opinions?

 

(ETA:  Did Sir Gawain have to do with Arthur?  I thought so, but now that I wrote it down I'm not so sure ....)

[JennW in SoCal]

I took a break in the middle of Thanksgiving prep to eat lunch and check in online, and poof! found another bunch of possible TBR's.  Has anyone read the Merlin  books by Mary Stewart starting with The Crystal Cave?  Amazon has the entire series (4 books) inexpensive for Kindle, and I'm wondering if they are any good.   

 

I loved them as a teen, and have always thought they might be worth a re-read.  And ooooh!  6.99 for the whole series!!  I may need to take advantage of that sale, especially since I don't think I ever read the 4th.  Maybe I can use reading Crystal Cave as a reward for getting the house clean and the cooking prep done...

 

I also loved the Marion Zimmer Bradley series that begins with Mists of Avalon, which is the Arthurian tales from the woman's point of view.  

 

For a very silly and satirical update on the Arthurian tales try the series by Peter David that begins with Knight Life. Arthur winds up living in Belvedere Castle in Central Park, becomes mayor of NYC, then President.  Merlin, who ages backwards, is now a small child.  

[Shawneinfl]

So I found out my mom is going to be out of town Christmas and will be handing out Christmas presents at our Thanksgiving gathering. I decided to put together a quick "book basket" for all the extended family since I won't see them again and I don't have time to shop. I'll post later when I have a complete list. I'm shopping "mostly" from my shelves, though I did pick up a few bargains and B & N today.

[Onceuponatime]

Reading has been slow going lately. I finally finished The Book of Imaginary Beings (Borges) and Planets(Sobel). I'm finishing up Fatu-Hiva (Heyerdahl) in the Living room and reading Buddha (Armstrong) when I escape to the bedroom.

 

Fatu-Hiva is fascinating. Those juicy mountain mangoes and guavas make my mouth water, but  civilization looks good to me right now.

[Stacia]

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: , Robin. Keeping you & your family in my thoughts.