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Book a Week in 2013 - week fifty one


Robin M
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Happy Sunday, dear hearts!  Today is the start of week 51 in our quest to read 52 books in 52 weeks.  Welcome back to all our readers 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: Challenge News:   No, you aren't going crazy. There are actually 2 1/2 weeks left to the year and week 52 will be a long one since I didn't include the last 1/2 week in my count.  You may have noticed I posted the information for the 2014 challenge and the I'm participating thread over on the blog. Head over there to sign up if you wish and check out the changes to mini and assorted challenges, plus monthly and readalong themes. Hopefully everyone will enjoy all, some or a few of the things planned for the coming new year.

 

Now mixed in with all those things, we have a geography challenge and a decades challenge, so my plan is to try to tie those things in. Such as with Murakami readalong, also read other authors or books from Japan; for Prudhomme, turn it into an all things french month and visit different decades.  That's the plan, but who knows how it will really work out.  Because you know those rabbit trails that pop up while you are reading? They kind of send you off on side trips and before you know it, you started off in France but end up reading about the scientific theory of Gnomes.
 
 

Speaking of Gnomes, since next Saturday, the 21st is the first day of Winter, I'll be following a winter theme and will start reading Mark Helprin's Winter's Tale, followed by Susanna kersley's  Winter Sea.  So join me in all things winter for the remainder of the year.  


For those anxious about what the wrap up questions will be next week, check out the list from last year to get started.  They'll probably remain pretty much the same.

 

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

Link to week 50

 

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I saw The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman on the New Books shelf this week at the library so I picked it up (and read it in one day). Really, really good. Very magical. Great story. A real childhood feel and wonder. 

 

Usually Gaiman is fine, but not a favorite of mine. He suffers from what I call 'constructionism' which means that (to me) I can see how everything in his books is carefully put together and often where his ideas come from. The dialogue feels overly processed. It's like when your mother makes you a dress and there's nothing wrong with the dress, it's a pretty dress, but all the seams are in places where you can't help noticing them and every time you look in the mirror you see those seams...not yourself or the beauty of the dress. 

 

A good tale makes you forget that there are words at all. You're going so fast you probably skip words. Literature makes you hyper-aware of the construction but the construction itself is seamless. You stand in wonder at it, amazed that someone could construct something so perfect. I suppose at it's root my problem with Gaiman is that he tries so hard to be literature, when he's best at telling tales. He's best when he forgets to over-construct.

 

Anyway, Ocean is a really amazing tale...and it's short...so there's not reason not to run out now and go read it. Really, it's that good. Go get it now. I read it in one evening and it made me happy...and I was darn cranky when I started. There are moments when he tries a little too hard to get into the mind of a 7 year old boy, but the magic of this tale is way beyond that. It's simple, and fine, and like all the best tales of children it touches a little bit on the vastness of life and the beauty of friendship and trust. Oh, and it's a little creepy. That adds to the magic.

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I'm still reading Ursula le Guin's Left Hand of Darkness. It's really very good! But I had the weirdest feeling about it. I distinctly remembered reading books by Ursula le Guin when I was in high school, although not this one, and I kept thinking 'this doesn't look anything like her other books', 'where are the kings, priests, strong women, sword fights,...ehhh..rapes?'

 

It took me three days to realise that I had been mixing Ursula le Guin up with another female SF&F writer. It took me another day to realise I had been thinking of Tanith Lee. And it took me an hour on Amazon, to find out that I had been thinking about the Storm Lord & Birthgrave trilogies. :lol: Completely different sub-genre! No wonder I was feeling so desoriented. Duh. :lol:

 

So now I have my head straightened out, I'm enjoying Le Guin's book even more! :D

 

(I might need to reread some Tanith Lee, to see if it is even close to what I remember. ;))

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I've got 3 books going, but it is very slow going because, well, because it is December!

 

The Last Detective, the first in the Peter Diamond detective series will probably lure me away from any useful tasks for a few hours today or tomorrow.  I'm at the half way point and it is getting hard to put down -- a lunch time chapter is more frustrating than satisfying because I don't want to put it down.  Mumto2 has been reading it, too, and warned me it gets to be a real pager turner.

 

The French Lieutenant's Woman is a mixed bag for me.  On the one hand I'm enjoying the construct of the story, with the narrator butting in with historical asides and comments on the author's perspective of writing, but on the other hand I have zero patience for that woman.  I can't stand drama queens, and I'm not caught up enough in the characters to care about the different endings. I'll finish the book because of the writing and the narrator's running commentary.  I'm thinking I'll search out a print copy this week as I can finish it faster reading the print than listening to another 8 hours of audio.  I'd rather start listening to the next Aubrey/Maturin book, or re-listen to Pratchett's Hogfather, if only for the scene where Death poses as Santa Claus at the mall and Nobby Nobbs comes to sit on his lap...

 

The Hare with the Amber Eyes may have to wait for the New Year.  It is so good, but it isn't something that tempts me to settle down and read in the midst of December chaos.

 

 

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I too am in the midst of holiday hubbub.

 

While Jane Harris's The Observations is a compelling read, I find myself with the need for some entertainment.  Stacia suggested the title: Cinnamon and Gunpowder, pirates and food--oh my!  (A reviewer quoted on the back cover writes that the book reads "as if Joss Whedon and Patrick O'Brian sailed to Copenhagen together and, after surviving a ninja attack and a firefight at sea, fell in love over a seven course meal at Noma." )

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I finished The Elegance of the HedgehogHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. 

 

And in a last ditch effort to complete the continents challenge, I started reading The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. I'm about half way through, and so far, it's not what I expected. I was hoping for spooky, and so far it's alternately suspenseful, boring and repulsive. With twelve chapters to go, I guess anything could happen.

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I love Ursula Le Guin.  I've read 5 books by her this year.  Left Hand of Darkness was one of them.  Excellent book, but I liked Dispossessed even more.  

 

 

Winter's Tale has caught my eye before.  I may need to try it out.  I need to look for it at the used book store next trip.

 

I'm 200 pages into Goldfinch.  It's living up to the hype.  Great writing and a well paced story. I've lost my mind to it's world, which is so much fun. 

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Anyway, Ocean is a really amazing tale...and it's short...so there's not reason not to run out now and go read it. Really, it's that good. Go get it now. I read it in one evening and it made me happy...and I was darn cranky when I started.

 

Sounds great. I've been looking for a good "read-in-one-evening" kind of book 'cause The Monuments Men tired me out.

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I love Ursula Le Guin. I've read 5 books by her this year. Left Hand of Darkness was one of them. Excellent book, but I liked Dispossessed even more.

That's good to know! I hope my library has other books by Le Guin. (Apparently there is only one book by Tanith Lee available anymore. I don't think I want to buy them, just for a reread.)

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I just finished The Monuments Men which was a great story but oh my, I kept falling asleep in the middle of it. The pace definitely picked up toward the end and I'm glad I added it to my growing list of WW2 books. I'm still listening to One Summer by Bill Bryson on Audible but that only happens when I'm cross-stitching or folding laundry. I'm reading Masterminds and Wingmen and I hope to get Goldfinch from the library this week. If not, I'll probably download Cinnamon and Gunpowder which Stacia spoke of last week. I downloaded the sample and was hooked Not my usual genre either. Looks like I'll probably finish the year at about 35 or 36 books which was my same pace as last year.

 

I was hoping to see The Book Thief at the theater but it looks like it's not playing anymore - may have to go into to town to find it.

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I'm still reading the Island of the Day Before. I've got about 1/4 of the book to go. It is not one of my favorites but I have to know how it ends. I'm still convinced the book is just a brain dump. The story isn't all that good, but  reading Eco's prose is a learning experience, and occasionally amusing.

 

I'm thinking The Monuments Men might be a good Christmas gift for my dad.

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Hurried & finished The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake for my book club. Then, everyone was so busy this weekend that we decided to cancel our meeting & move it to January. :tongue_smilie: Ummm. Well, I wasn't enamored of reading the book in the first place (someone else in the club suggested it) because I was thinking it was one of those mass-popular chick lit type books from a year or two ago & those are not typically books I enjoy much. So, once I actually started reading, I was pleasantly surprised. It seemed somewhat interesting (if on the level of a beach read), tossed in some magical realism type elements -- basically getting my hopes up that it might be better than I had first imagined. And it was, initially. But.... But, where/how the story went about halfway through was just odd, things were not well wrapped-up by the end (& there was a flashback at the end which seemed oddly out of place & I had to go back & reread the beginning of the chapter to realize that the author had sent us back to an earlier time), & it seemed like it left a gaping hole of loneliness along with :confused1: at some of the events or things in the book. I mean, I don't mind (& usually love) weird events, magical realism, unexplained things, & even hanging plot lines (see Mr. E.A. Poe), but this one just seemed a more 'huh?' (as in ??? the construction & purpose of the story) type of book than anything. Not sure I really liked it after all. Probably 2.5 stars in my book.

 

On tap for this week, Cinnamon and Gunpowder, plus Walkabout.

 

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

My Goodreads Page

My PaperbackSwap Page

 

My rating system:

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

 

2013 Books Read:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

53. Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway (5 stars).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

62. A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny (3 stars).

63. Le Sphinx de Glaces by Jules Verne (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – Antarctica.

64. The Finno-Ugrian Vampire by Noémi Szécsi (3.5 stars). Challenge: Continental – Europe (Hungary).

65. The Ninth Life of Louis Drax by Liz Jensen (3 stars).

66. The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers (4 stars).

67. The Dracula Tape by Fred Saberhagen (3 stars).

68. Sweet Dreams by Michael Frayn (4 stars).

69. The Flying Creatures of Fra Angelico by Antonio Tabucchi (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – Europe (Italy; Portugal).

70. Mosquito: An Omnilingual Nosferatu Pictomunication Novel by Dan James (3 stars).

 

71. Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson (4 stars).

72. Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving (4 stars).

73. Off-Topic: The Story of an Internet Revolt by G.R. Reader (3 stars/5 stars).

74. Plants Don’t Drink Coffee by Unai Elorriaga (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – Europe (Spain).

75. The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel (5 stars).

76. The Fat Man: A Tale of North Pole Noir by Ken Harmon (3 stars).

77. Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff (4 stars).

78. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – Australia.

79. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender (2.5 stars).

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I too am in the midst of holiday hubbub.

 

 Stacia suggested the title: Cinnamon and Gunpowder, pirates and food--oh my!  (A reviewer quoted on the back cover writes that the book reads "as if Joss Whedon and Patrick O'Brian sailed to Copenhagen together and, after surviving a ninja attack and a firefight at sea, fell in love over a seven course meal at Noma." )

 

I just ordered this book this morning because of Stacia's suggestion. I was placing an order on Amazon anyway and just couldn't resist this one. I can hardly wait!

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I AM FINISHED. WOO HOO!!!!

 

I read 52 books.

I read a book from each section of the dewey decimal system.

I read a book by an author from each continent.

 

I still have a few more books to finish up but I completed all my challenges so I am excited. :)

 

 

 

Still Reading:

Good News of Great Joy by John Piper

The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley

Faithful Women and their Extraordinary God by Noel Piper

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:

52. Maya's Notebook by Isabelle Allende

51. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

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)

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I read the latest JP Beaumont last night, Second Watch by JA Jance. Totally enjoyed it. I have been busy rereading the series in order and am on number 4 or so, this made it a bit shocking to find my attractive hero having double knee replacements! This one was sort of a prequel with tons of flashbacks all extremely well explained. Robin and I had a bit of a discussion if these were stand alone a couple of weeks ago, they are.

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I too am in the midst of holiday hubbub.

 

While Jane Harris's The Observations is a compelling read, I find myself with the need for some entertainment.  Stacia suggested the title: Cinnamon and Gunpowder, pirates and food--oh my!  (A reviewer quoted on the back cover writes that the book reads "as if Joss Whedon and Patrick O'Brian sailed to Copenhagen together and, after surviving a ninja attack and a firefight at sea, fell in love over a seven course meal at Noma." )

 

Cinnamon and Gunpowder sounds really good - I'll be looking for it at my library. Thanks!

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Greetings!  This week I finished Chris Bohjalian's Skeletons at the Feast. LOVE!  It was beautifully written and forced me to examine perspectives about WWII, that I had never given more than a fleeting thought.

This week I am reading 3rd Degree and Secrets of Eden.  So far I like them both.  Totally different writing styles though, making it hard to flip back and forth sometimes.

 

Happy Reading

Chandi

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Hurried & finished The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake for my book club. 

Stacia, this has been on and off my wish list for a few years now. Right now, it's off my wish list. 

 

Before I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson: 

Eliana, this has been on my wish list and I look forward to reading it, hopefully soon. 

 

I read:

The Age of Miracles - 4 Stars - I wanted an ending with a bit more closure, but all in all, a very enjoyable read.

 

Firefly Lane - 3 Stars - I thought this was really good at first, but as it progressed, the constant unnecessary attention to details (song titles, clothes, hairstyles, etc.) was slightly irritating, along with the fact that the story line got very predictable. The book reminded me of the movie "Beaches" and, quite frankly, I'd rather watch that. If I had never seen "Beaches" I may have enjoyed the book a bit more. 

 

9780812983609.jpg 9781447229537.jpg

 

 

This is so me. :)

 

 

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Yesterday, I finished an enjoyable contemporary romance ~  Flirting with Disaster by Ruthie Knox.

 

"Fresh out of a fiasco of a marriage, Katie Clark has retreated to her hometown to start over. The new Katie is sophisticated, cavalier, and hell-bent on kicking butt at her job in her brother’s security firm. But on her first assignment—digging up the truth about the stalker threatening a world-famous singer-songwriter—Katie must endure the silent treatment from a stern but sexy partner who doesn’t want her help . . . or her company.
 
Sean Owens knows that if he opens his mouth around Katie, she’ll instantly remember him as the geeky kid who sat behind her in high school. Silence is golden, but he can’t keep quiet forever, not with Katie stampeding through their investigation. It’s time for Sean to step up and take control of the case, and his decade-old crush. If he can break through Katie’s newfound independence, they just might find they make a perfect team—on the road, on the job, and in bed."

 

It was the first book I've read by this author, but I'd be happy to read more.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

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I'm a little behind on my reports here.  Last week I read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis.  Many people had recommended it to me after having read The Abolition of Man.  It was a chilling book!  I found it to be very convicting.  I try and most of the time succeed in resisting "big sins" but the point of this book was the trips ups of the little inconsequential things we fall prey to that are more dangerous and insidious.  The trap of pride or irritation with people infringing on "our time."  I definitely want to read this one again!

 

My next book technically isn't within my requirements for the year, reading 20th Century Lit., it was published in 1898.  But they're my rules and I can bend them!   :laugh:  Back in the Spring I tried reading a book by Henry James and it was one of the very few books I've ever put away unfinished.  I just couldn't stomach his writing style!  It has been bugging me though that I "failed" at a book.  So I decided to brace myself and try him again.  I was browsing the library and found Turn of the Screw, a collection of his short stories.  I actually enjoyed these!  They all had a supernatural bent so it was more up my alley than say his Portrait of a Lady which I read in college and is just lots of highbrow society sitting around drinking tea and generally being tedious.  His writing style was still a little wordy and run on sentancy for my taste, but the stories were engaging.  I'm happy I was able to redeem myself and finally tackle James head on.  I don't think I'll be reading any of his stuff again though.  Just not my cup of tea.

 

 

 

1 - All The King's Men â€“ Robert Penn Warren                                                           27 - Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden                                            53 - Turn of the Screw - Henry James

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                                                                 50 - Neuromancer - William GIbson
25 - The Girl with the Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier                                            51 - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Philip K. Dick 
26 - The Golden Ball and Other Stories - Agatha Christie                                       52 - Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis
                                                                                                                             
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I AM FINISHED. WOO HOO!!!!

 

I read 52 books.

I read a book from each section of the dewey decimal system.

I read a book by an author from each continent.

 

 

1. The Dark Monk: A Hangman's Daughter Tale by Oliver Potzsch (German author, DD class 800)

Woohoo and congratulations.  Enjoyed looking over your list and ended up adding the first book in Potzsch series The Hangman's Daughter. 

 

 

Elaina says:    Me having editor problems again

 

 

Before I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson: I devoured this book.  The protagonist is a woman with an unusual form of amnesia: she forgets everything while she sleeps, each day is a new beginning, on so many levels.  As she starts a journal and tries to figure out who she is, what happened to her, and who in her life she can trust (can she even trust herself?) the tension gradually builds to a fairly effective, if not unforeseen, conclusion.

 

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this one as well - Very well done and a nail biter at times.

 

 

 

 

 

Flavorwire has put up their 15 Favorite Novels of 2013 and there are some that aren't on any one else's best of lists or they might be and I just didn't recognize them.  :lol:

 

Anyone live near Madison, Wisconsin?  Bookriot presents A Literary Tour of Madison, Wisconsin.  Makes me want to move there. 

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Flavorwire has put up their 15 Favorite Novels of 2013 and there are some that aren't on any one else's best of lists or they might be and I just didn't recognize them.  :lol:

 

 

 

That's an interesting list - I'll be busy checking out some more samples. But first, I must run to the library. Goldfinch is waiting for me. :hurray:

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I hope everyone enjoys Cinnamon and Gunpowder. I had seen it on a list many weeks ago & then again recently; was very pleased to find out my library had it. So, now I'm a few chapters in & am enjoying it. Pirates during the Christmas season are at least entertaining.

 

Love the Flavorwire list of books. I read The Flame Throwers (loved it) & have been on the library wait list already for both The Goldfinch (because I've loved Tartt's other two books) & for The Luminaries (because it was this year's Booker Prize winner). Have heard of about half of the books. Will probably request any or all of these that my library has.

 

Congrats, Heather, on finishing your 52 & your challenges! :party:

 

Crstarlette, I had to :lol: about your comments on Poe's Pym. I guess that's why two famous writers chose to continue/rework his story... it is interesting, lengthy, bizarre, & fractured enough to leave plenty of room for others to play with the same story.

 

Welovetoread, I've been meaning to read one of Bohjalian's works someday. Have you read anything else by him?

 

Eliana, enjoy your detailed comments, as always. Your mention of El Cid brought back memories of visiting Burgos. I may need to try the poem, as I've never read it. Might be another 'down memory lane of trip to Spain ' reading to go along with my Alhambra reading earlier this year.

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Speaking of Europe and international reads, I forget who pointed me in the direction of The Literary Saloon, and I've been getting lost on their website for a while. Be sure to check it out as they are talking about Best 21st century Foreign Novels,  France best of list, and more.  Which then lead me to Dublin's literary long list with a lot of translated books. 

 

And closer to home, Barnes and Noble's Nook has a new blog which is a lot more fun to read.

 

For those into science fiction, it is the anniversary of Philip K. Dick's birthday - check out flavorwire's list of his books.

 

 

 

 

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I have to be some kind of oblivious to have never realized that there was a 52 Books in 52 Weeks that went along with the challenge here.  :blink:   

 

And with that, I am finishing up Hannah's Dream by Diane Hammond.  It is utterly and completely beautiful. 

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Anyone live near Madison, Wisconsin?  Bookriot presents A Literary Tour of Madison, Wisconsin.  Makes me want to move there. 

 

I was born in Madison, WI. Wonderful city. Tons of bookstores. One of the best farmer's markets in the country. Downtown and University bookended by 2 lakes. Wonderful Vietnamese food. Excellent cheese. ;) Lots of writers have attended or taught at UW-Madison, including Eudora Welty, Joyce Carol Oates, and Wallace Stegner.

 

And I have to put a plug in for their historical society. It's amazing and has been a national and international leader for half a century. Their free online digital archive is cool. Lots of old journals and books. Many of them have nothing to do with Wisconsin. 

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I'm sure this has been asked numerous times, but I'll add my name to the list of the curious. ;)

 

Would those of you who read several books a week care to share how you find the time? How many hours a day do you read? Do you actively homeschool or are your children using independent programs?

 

Maybe I'm just a slow reader! ;)

 

Thanks!

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I have to be some kind of oblivious to have never realized that there was a 52 Books in 52 Weeks that went along with the challenge here.  :blink:   

 

:smilielol5:

 

I'm sure this has been asked numerous times, but I'll add my name to the list of the curious. ;)

 

Would those of you who read several books a week care to share how you find the time? How many hours a day do you read? Do you actively homeschool or are your children using independent programs?

 

Maybe I'm just a slow reader! ;)

 

Thanks!

 

I tend to read while my dc are at classes (athletics plus a couple of co-op classes); sometimes dh & I will head to a Starbucks & sit & read. I've worked up to reading the amount that I do. A few years ago, I was doing well to manage a dozen or more books in a year. Age of kids also helps. My dc are older (one in public high school, homeschooling one in middle school). I actively school at home, but ds does take a few outside classes too. I will often read my own book when he's doing some of his work. I always try to have a book with me, so I read when waiting anywhere. We live in a large suburban area & I end up spending a good amount of time in traffic. I can often read a page or more while sitting at a stop light. :tongue_smilie: Sit at a few lights & I can often finish a chapter. Basically, I just cram it in when I can &, now that my dc are older, I have more time to read when I want to also.

 

ETA: I am definitely not a fast reader. Nor am I a slow one. And, often when sitting in noisy places, I have to read the same few sentences over & over....

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Would those of you who read several books a week care to share how you find the time? How many hours a day do you read? Do you actively homeschool or are your children using independent programs?

 

 

 

I actively school all 3 of my kids so my days are full with teaching and preparing.  My reading time comes at night when the kids are starting to wind down.  I get about 1  or 2 hours of reading time a day. I think I am a fast reader but I don't read as much as many here do.  This is the first year that I have read as much as I have (I am on Book 70.)  I usually just make it to 52 so this was a big reading year for me.

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Didn't finish anything this week - just too busy.  However, I am part way through:


 


#76 An Unsuitable Attachment, by Barbara Pym.  This is my introduction to this author, and I am enjoying it immensely.  Love the tight writing - the economy of words; the right-on descriptions, whether of person, place, or attitude.  Am eager to follow these characters through to the end.  Will (hopefully) be at a used book store later this week and, if so, will definitely be checking whether they have any of Pym's other novels!

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Finally finally finally finished The Arabian Nights, at 931 pages. And it wasn't even the unabridged original.

 

There are definitely some eyebrow-raising differences from the children's versions, besides all the abating of maidenheads. Who knew Sinbad was a coldblooded serial killer at one point in his narrative? Who knew Shahrazad had three babies during those thousand-and-one nights?

 

Burton's faux-archaic diction gets a little annoying sometimes, especially when he feels compelled to reach into the Anglo-Saxon for words like "eme" and "yode." And I feel a little like I need to go re-read Said's "Orientalism" to detox. But I'm glad I took the time to move Burton off my bucket list.

 

That brings me up to 43 for the year. I might be able to squeeze two more in before the end. I'm near the end of some Sciascia short stories.

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The holiday craze is setting in, our Christmas is on Monday so I'm not sure how much reading I'll be doing this week.  I have lots of cookies to bake.

 

I can't remember when I last checked in. Lately I've finished a few more of The Sigma Force Novels by James Rollins, got caught up in Sylvain Reynard's Gabriel trilogy,  breezed through Samantha Towle's Storm books that I happened to pick up on a 99 cent special, and picked my way through the Chicagoland Vampires Novels by Chloe Neill.  

 

I am 570 pages away from my goal for the year!  :w00t: 

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I normally read several a week and read relativity fast if the prose is uncomplicated and the subject matter predicable. If you look at my book postings you will notice roughly 75% of my reading fits that description. ;) I also get some of my hard copies in large print for reading in the car. Much easier with odd lighting etc.

 

I normally have at least two books going, normally three. Different genres and subject matter. One quick read, frequently on my kindle which goes everywhere I go. I also have two kindles so one on each floor which are kept synced. I read while cooking etc. Also in car when dh driving. We do one family field trip of at least an hour drive each way every week which equals one book done.

 

I haven't been sleeping well for a while unfortunately. I keep the kindle fire beside the bed to entertain myself. I try to read then as opposed to playing online.

 

We have an hour or so each morning where everyone does their online stuff. My dc's do codeacademy and a couple other educational sites which reward points for daily participation. I frequently read hardcovers then.

 

The only other dedicated reading time is an hour or so before bed. But I do read as opposed to watch tv lately. My knitting and quilting projects have been very limited this year.

 

My dd does school pretty independently but ds still needs me to be there. That means that I sometimes get to read a few pages while he solves an example problem. :) My level of pages read depends on what he is doing that day and on the amount of housework etc.

 

 

 

 

I'm sure this has been asked numerous times, but I'll add my name to the list of the curious. ;)

 

 

 

Would those of you who read several books a week care to share how you find the time? How many hours a day do you read? Do you actively homeschool or are your children using independent programs?

 

 

 

Maybe I'm just a slow reader! ;)

 

 

 

Thanks!

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I'm sure this has been asked numerous times, but I'll add my name to the list of the curious. ;)

 

Would those of you who read several books a week care to share how you find the time? How many hours a day do you read? Do you actively homeschool or are your children using independent programs?

 

Maybe I'm just a slow reader! ;)

 

Thanks!

 

Many of the participants on this thread read far more than I do--and I am no longer homeschooling!  The bottom line for me is the engagement we have with each other on what we are reading.  To be honest, I often prefer dead authors to breathing ones. A number of books that come under discussion are not necessarily my cup of tea--or so I think.  Every once in a while a book or arcane publisher mentioned here catches my eye and a new world opens. 

 

I began the year with Jane Harris's second novel, Gillespie and I, a fine story but not as strong as her first novel, The Observations, which I just completed.. Harris creates an amazing voice in Bessy Buckley, one of those characters from the fringes of society who is usually confined to the kitchen or dusty corners and not placed on center stage.  She is fresh and bawdy--and in search of self and redemption.  Quite a tale.

 

 

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Can someone 'splain to me one of Life's Mysteries?

 

Among my challenges this year was that of the "Dusty Book".  Looking at my list, I see that I read eight of the dusties that had been in a bedside pile. (Note:  single bedside pile.)  So how is it that I now have two bedside piles?  Just what kind of shenanigans are going on here?

 

 

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Can someone 'splain to me one of Life's Mysteries?

 

Among my challenges this year was that of the "Dusty Book".  Looking at my list, I see that I read eight of the dusties that had been in a bedside pile. (Note:  single bedside pile.)  So how is it that I now have two bedside piles?  Just what kind of shenanigans are going on here?

 

Leprechauns?

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Can someone 'splain to me one of Life's Mysteries?

 

Among my challenges this year was that of the "Dusty Book". Looking at my list, I see that I read eight of the dusties that had been in a bedside pile. (Note: single bedside pile.) So how is it that I now have two bedside piles? Just what kind of shenanigans are going on here?

Shoot, I started with a bedside pile and now a whole new full bookshelf has appeared beside the bed.

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