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Book a Week in 2014 - BW30


Robin M
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For some reason tonight my mind is on Isaac Bashevis Singer...I loved his novels as a young woman in my twenties and read and reread them...Shosha, Enemies:A Love Story, In my Father's Court, The Magician of Lublin...such a rich and magical world he created but always grounded in the practical, the everyday, the prosaic. Have any of you read him?

 

I had an obsessive interest in him between 17-20. "Gimpel the Fool" was so profound to me, and so disturbing. I did read Enemies: a Love Story and lots of short story collections. I have In My Father's Court on shelf here but I haven't gotten more than a few chapters in. He has a way with stories, especially the magic of folk tales. I loved his Studs Terkel interview(s) too. He was such a fascinating man. 

 

One of my sons is named Isaac partly for him (and partly for Itzak Perlman). 

 

No, I haven't.  Do you recommend it?  (I only rarely read graphic novels.  I'd seen mention of Saga on one of the romance sites that I read thus my interest.)

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

I read it last month so I was curious. It's fun to see it pop up. It was okay. ;)  I liked the twist. It was interesting to see which aspects the author thought would be a part of a female society. It played out as expected though.

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Vermeer's beautiful girl with the pearl earring hangs in The Hague. May I make a motion to hold our next book club meeting in the Netherlands? Do I have a second?

 

I too have read Isaac Bashevis Singer's Gimpel the Fool stories. More importantly, I once had the honor of shaking his hand.

 

Jane (fellow Golden Book lover)

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Vermeer's beautiful girl with the pearl earring hangs in The Hague. May I make a motion to hold our next book club meeting in the Netherlands? Do I have a second?

 

I too have read Isaac Bashevis Singer's Gimpel the Fool stories. More importantly, I once had the honor of shaking his hand.

 

Jane (fellow Golden Book lover)

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And because you double posted, Jane, I got to double-like your post which really did call for more than just one like. I'm happy to journey to The Hague for our next book club meeting. I'll be sussing out the cheeses and cured meats. I imagine you'll be sniffing out the local brews. :cheers2:

 

What were the circumstances in which you shook IBS's hand?

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I've added that one to my hold list, M mv.  (Clearly one can never have too many books on one's hold list.  This makes 131.)

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

My library disagrees. We can't put more than 20 books on hold here. It seems sad compared to your 131, but I can't remember it ever being a problem for me. I'm a 10-30 books checked out and 5 more on hold kinda gal.

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My library disagrees. We can't put more than 20 books on hold here. It seems sad compared to your 131, but I can't remember it ever being a problem for me. I'm a 10-30 books checked out and 5 more on hold kinda gal.

 

I would find a 20 book hold limit stifling!  My library does have a 100 limit on what are called 'saved searches'.  A saved search enables one to search weekly on a title (for example) to see if it has arrived in the library's collection.  I constantly run afoul of that limit and now use my husband's card to search beyond my assigned limit.  My husband jokes that I max out my card; he's grateful it's a library card rather than a credit card!

 

Regards,

Kareni

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This afternoon I finished the contemporary romance I Want to Hold Your Hand: Green Mountain Book Two (A Green Mountain Romance) by Marie Force.  It was a pleasant read.

 

"Almost seven years after losing her husband in Iraq, Hannah Abbott Guthrie isn’t sure she’s ready—or able—to move on, but the attentions of a lifelong friend are making her think about it for the first time. The memory of the sweet kiss she shared with Nolan Roberts hasn’t strayed far from her thoughts, but she also fears that pursuing something with him would mean betraying her husband’s memory.

Nolan has loved Hannah for years, but he’d been giving her the space she needed to heal from her devastating loss. Now, when an opportunity arises to show her how he feels, Nolan can’t resist, but he knows earning her love will take more than a kiss. Somehow he has to prove to Hannah that finding love twice in a lifetime is possible—and well worth risking her heart."

 

Regards,

Kareni

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I've been enjoying dipping into The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking by Edward B. Burger and Michael Starbird.  (Those who are familiar with course offerings from The Great Courses might recognize those two names.)

 

The book is an approachable read, but one could also spend a lot of time reading it, working through the exercises, and reflecting.

 

I liked the Linus Pauling quote that I encountered within the book: "The way to get good ideas is to get lots of ideas and throw the bad ones away."

 

 

"The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking presents practical, lively, and inspiring ways for you to become more successful through better thinking. The idea is simple: You can learn how to think far better by adopting specific strategies. Brilliant people aren't a special breed--they just use their minds differently. By using the straightforward and thought-provoking techniques in The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking, you will regularly find imaginative solutions to difficult challenges, and you will discover new ways of looking at your world and yourself--revealing previously hidden opportunities.

 

The book offers real-life stories, explicit action items, and concrete methods that allow you to attain a deeper understanding of any issue, exploit the power of failure as a step toward success, develop a habit of creating probing questions, see the world of ideas as an ever-flowing stream of thought, and embrace the uplifting reality that we are all capable of change. No matter who you are, the practical mind-sets introduced in the book will empower you to realize any goal in a more creative, intelligent, and effective manner. Filled with engaging examples that unlock truths about thinking in every walk of life, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking is written for all who want to reach their fullest potential--including students, parents, teachers, businesspeople, professionals, athletes, artists, leaders, and lifelong learners.

 

Whenever you are stuck, need a new idea, or want to learn and grow, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking will inspire and guide you on your way."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 
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I'm not really an ebook reader, but are any of you on BookBub? I signed up a few days ago to get notifications about free &/or cheap deals on ebooks. Not much of interest (to me) so far, but it might interest some of you. I did download a free one that came through today because it looks kind of fun: Graveyard Shift (for Kindle or for Nook).

 

Also, my ds wants me to spread the word about this site: Humble Bundle

Wiki info about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humble_Bundle

 

Ds likes Humble Bundle because he's bought a few gaming bundles through it & likes that often all or most of the purchase price (which you determine what you want to pay) goes to charity. In addition to gaming stuff, they do ebook bundle deals, fyi. For example, right now, they've got a sci-fi ebook bundle up: https://www.humblebundle.com/books

 

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Vermeer's beautiful girl with the pearl earring hangs in The Hague. May I make a motion to hold our next book club meeting in the Netherlands? Do I have a second?

 

I too have read Isaac Bashevis Singer's Gimpel the Fool stories. More importantly, I once had the honor of shaking his hand.

 

Jane (fellow Golden Book lover)

 

I not only second the motion but I'll help arrange a carpool.  I'm in Kansas City ... who can I pick up on the way to the Netherlands?

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Just finished Jonathan Strange and mr. Norrell - All 1006 pages. Quite a chunky book but a fabulous read. Reverted back to the paperback copy 1/3 of the way through because I had the need to fully experience the story and couldn't do that in ebook fashion for some reason. But I seem to be that way with all chunky books - doesn't feel like accomplished reading all those pages unless it's the real thing.

 

Happy because newest book in Jennifer Esteps Elemental Assassin series came out today - poison promise. Will start reading tomorrow. Have to come down off my reading high from J.S.aM.N.

 

Pleasant dreams all!

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Hello all!

 

Finished "Anathem" quite unexpectedly while waiting at the DMV. I found myself without anything to read (let's just pretend there weren't about 400 other books on the Kindle - I'm on a library bender, remember?!) so I now carry my big WDW bag with at least four books in it in case I find myself waiting somewhere again. And a notebook for notes, of course.

 

Have breezed through "How To Tutor" and slotted it for return. Not what I was looking for, unfortunately. On the other hand "Imagine" by Jonah Lehrer is fascinating. My neuroradiologist MIL pronounced the science something quite unpleasant and unmentionable, but I'm really enjoying the looks into how we come up with ideas and insights. It's giving me a glimpse inside my DH and DD, both of whom are dreamers.

 

Balancing that book with "Frames Of Mind" by Howard Gardner and "The Bookseller" by someone who's name escapes me.

 

I just love library benders!!

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I finished The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, which was interesting in contrast to Life of Pi. They both talk about India, religion and the cages people are kept in by society, but they have totally different perspectives. IMO, the prose style in Life of Pi is more artful, but the message in The White Tiger is truer and more important.

 

I also finally read The Great Gatsby, which was beautiful and sad.

Great post. Enjoyed & agree with your comparison/contrast of The White Tiger & Life of Pi. Interesting juxtaposition, those two.

 

Also agree that The Great Gatsby is both beautiful & sad. Love that book.

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My library disagrees. We can't put more than 20 books on hold here. It seems sad compared to your 131, but I can't remember it ever being a problem for me. I'm a 10-30 books checked out and 5 more on hold kinda gal.

10 holds is the limit at mine. 20 books is the limit to have checked out.

 

 

 

I'm reading Dad is Fat and laughing out loud which keeps dh from sleeping.

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That part alone is so strange and intriguing.  Makes you think "hmmm," then upon a 2nd read, "oh my," and where is that going to lead.

 

 

 

There's something about that cat that I both like and dislike at the same time.  I feel like he's judging me for my poor choice in literature.  

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Anyone up for a glass of cab down at the local and wonderful cafe? I just gave myself a pedicure and my toes want to do some showing off. I've started The Lady and the Unicorn and while I'm not too far in I think it's going to be rather good. This will be my second book by this particular author, Tracy Chevalier.

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Anyone up for a glass of cab down at the local and wonderful cafe? I just gave myself a pedicure and my toes want to do some showing off. I've started The Lady and the Unicorn and while I'm not too far in I think it's going to be rather good. This will be my second book by this particular author, Tracy Chevalier.

 

You betcha.  I'm starting a new book tonight too.  My Family and Other Animals.  Recommended here!  

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Anyone up for a glass of cab down at the local and wonderful cafe? I just gave myself a pedicure and my toes want to do some showing off. I've started The Lady and the Unicorn and while I'm not too far in I think it's going to be rather good. This will be my second book by this particular author, Tracy Chevalier.

 

 

You betcha.  I'm starting a new book tonight too.  My Family and Other Animals.  Recommended here!  

 

I really loved Tracy Chevalier's Remarkable Creatures, and the title The Lady and the Unicorn is promising on many levels. Amy, I hope you love My Family and Other Animals!  It is a favorite.

 

Just finished the first of the Dresden Files series, and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Hoping to see Jim Butcher at a panel this weekend....

 

I hear my son's car.  I've got a date with the boy tonight, so I won't be joining you for a glass of cab but will likely be enjoying a pint and a burger!

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My husband and I celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary yesterday. The first thing we did was hit the library where I paid off the fine and got a stack of Neil Gaiman. It shall be known as the Summer of Neil. ;) Stardust, Anansi Boys, and The Ocean At The End Of The Lane. I also grabbed The Last Time I Saw You by Eleanor Moran, Life Drawing by Robin Black, The Rise and Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman, Last Night at the Blue Angel by Rebecca Rotert. My husband grabbed Introduction to Historical Linguistics by Anthony Arlotto simply because it smells wonderful.

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My husband and I celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary yesterday. The first thing we did was hit the library where I paid off the fine and got a stack of Neil Gaiman. It shall be known as the Summer of Neil. ;) Stardust, Anansi Boys, and The Ocean At The End Of The Lane. I also grabbed The Last Time I Saw You by Eleanor Moran, Life Drawing by Robin Black, The Rise and Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman, Last Night at the Blue Angel by Rebecca Rotert. My husband grabbed Introduction to Historical Linguistics by Anthony Arlotto simply because it smells wonderful.

 

Ah.  True love.  

 

Congrats on 8 years!

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The 2014 Man Booker longlist of nominees is out:

http://flavorwire.com/newswire/the-man-booker-longlist-has-been-announced

 

This is the first year they are allowing authors from all over the world.

 

To Rise Again at a Decent Hour, Joshua Ferris (Viking)
The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Richard Flanagan (Chatto & Windus)
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler (Serpent’s Tail)
The Blazing World, Siri Hustvedt (Sceptre)
J,  Howard Jacobson (Jonathan Cape)
The Wake, Paul Kingsnorth (Unbound)
The Bone Clocks, David Mitchell (Sceptre)
The Lives of Others, Neel Mukherjee (Chatto & Windus)
Us, David Nicholls (Hodder & Stoughton)
The Dog, Joseph O’Neill (Fourth Estate)
Orfeo, Richard Powers (Atlantic Books)
How to be Both, Ali Smith (Hamish Hamilton)
History of the Rain, Niall Williams (Bloomsbury)

 

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My husband and I celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary yesterday. The first thing we did was hit the library where I paid off the fine and got a stack of Neil Gaiman. It shall be known as the Summer of Neil. ;) Stardust, Anansi Boys, and The Ocean At The End Of The Lane. I also grabbed The Last Time I Saw You by Eleanor Moran, Life Drawing by Robin Black, The Rise and Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman, Last Night at the Blue Angel by Rebecca Rotert. My husband grabbed Introduction to Historical Linguistics by Anthony Arlotto simply because it smells wonderful.

Happy Anniversary!

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My husband and I celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary yesterday. The first thing we did was hit the library where I paid off the fine and got a stack of Neil Gaiman. It shall be known as the Summer of Neil. ;) Stardust, Anansi Boys, and The Ocean At The End Of The Lane. I also grabbed The Last Time I Saw You by Eleanor Moran, Life Drawing by Robin Black, The Rise and Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman, Last Night at the Blue Angel by Rebecca Rotert. My husband grabbed Introduction to Historical Linguistics by Anthony Arlotto simply because it smells wonderful.

 

Happy Anniversary!

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Anyone up for a glass of cab down at the local and wonderful cafe? I just gave myself a pedicure and my toes want to do some showing off. I've started The Lady and the Unicorn and while I'm not too far in I think it's going to be rather good. This will be my second book by this particular author, Tracy Chevalier.

Oh heck yes. There are some scary threads out there tonight. On my way!

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Oh heck yes. There are some scary threads out there tonight. On my way!

 

Yes there are.  Now that I'm done carousing and being involved in the general mayhem I'm ready to hang out with you wonderful civilized gals again.  

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My husband and I celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary yesterday. The first thing we did was hit the library where I paid off the fine and got a stack of Neil Gaiman. It shall be known as the Summer of Neil. ;) Stardust, Anansi Boys, and The Ocean At The End Of The Lane. I also grabbed The Last Time I Saw You by Eleanor Moran, Life Drawing by Robin Black, The Rise and Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman, Last Night at the Blue Angel by Rebecca Rotert. My husband grabbed Introduction to Historical Linguistics by Anthony Arlotto simply because it smells wonderful.

Happy happy anniversary to you both. ~clink~

 

 

Sorry folks - on my ipad and impossible to multiquote. It would help if I read all the threads first before answering though. Lazy me.

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I would find a 20 book hold limit stifling!  My library does have a 100 limit on what are called 'saved searches'.  A saved search enables one to search weekly on a title (for example) to see if it has arrived in the library's collection.  I constantly run afoul of that limit and now use my husband's card to search beyond my assigned limit.  My husband jokes that I max out my card; he's grateful it's a library card rather than a credit card!

 

Regards,

Kareni

I need to find out if we have saved searches.  I have no idea what the holds limit is.  I have two pages full on one card--I think that is roughly 40.  Another question to ask. The last volunteer training session is today.  We won't be starting for several weeks so hopefully we won't forget everything.  I have to say I have learned quite a bit.

 

My husband totally agrees, let it be the library cards I max out!

 

Well, my mind was certainly elsewhere yesterday. :willy_nilly: l tucked myself into bed to settle in with what I thought was going to be 'The Painted Kiss' and instead turned out to be The Lady and the Unicorn. I'm a little relieved as this is more my speed than what appears to be (but I hope isn't) the swoony quality of the former.

I put a request in for this one.  Tapestry is a weakness of mine.  My family knows where to look in historic houses if I go missing!  

 

My husband and I celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary yesterday. The first thing we did was hit the library where I paid off the fine and got a stack of Neil Gaiman. It shall be known as the Summer of Neil. ;) Stardust, Anansi Boys, and The Ocean At The End Of The Lane. I also grabbed The Last Time I Saw You by Eleanor Moran, Life Drawing by Robin Black, The Rise and Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman, Last Night at the Blue Angel by Rebecca Rotert. My husband grabbed Introduction to Historical Linguistics by Anthony Arlotto simply because it smells wonderful.

Happy Anniversary!

 

The 2014 Man Booker longlist of nominees is out:

http://flavorwire.com/newswire/the-man-booker-longlist-has-been-announced

 

This is the first year they are allowing authors from all over the world.

Obviously I need to investigate these.  ;)  Once again haven't read a single one!

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I completed my reread challenge from a few weeks ago.  I picked Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier partly because it fit in with my 5/5 and partly because I wanted to read it with dd. I have read it two other times.  Once young, six years ago, and now.  It is funny how different it seemed this time.  The first two times it was an atmospheric gothic novel for me,  more of a "Will the wife survive?" thriller to be honest.  This time I found myself enjoying the other things the narrator was saying, much is said in the first few pages about their life after that I have never read seriously because of my race to get to the exciting parts.  After reading that part thoughtfully many sentences that probably seemed a bit pointless before had meaning.

 

I also finished The Late Scholar by Jill Paton Walsh.  It is a Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane sequel.  It was OK.  It didn't have the feel of Sayers books, simple language.....I have read two of her other Wimsey/Vane sequels and liked them far better.  The story isn't bad, characters beloved, it just wasn't what I wanted it to be.

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Shower first 'cause you'll feel better. Painted toenails are optional but tell your dd there are whole lines of nail polish that are, if not non-toxic, at least much less toxic than the stuff sold at the pharmacy. You missed the window for a glass of cab but I'm pretty sure we could all be convinced to sit down with a latte and continue the convo :D

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Shower first 'cause you'll feel better. Painted toenails are optional but tell your dd there are whole lines of nail polish that are, if not non-toxic, at least much less toxic than the stuff sold at the pharmacy. You missed the window for a glass of cab but I'm pretty sure we could all be convinced to sit down with a latte and continue the convo :D

 

Mimosas?  And coffee ... because I've been up half the night.   :laugh:

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I haven't posted yet this week but I have been reading all of the posts, envying your ability to read.  I am stuck in the literary world, can't seem to find a book that I can stick with to the end.   I decided to make a list of books from different genres/categories and see if I could read a bit of each one every day.  I thought maybe that would help get me over this hump.  I am reading a bit from each but it's not going very fast.

 

Here are some of the books that I am tackling:

The Disappearing Spoon--Sam Kean

The Attributes of God--Arthur Pinker

Frog Music--Emma Donoghue

Ten Ways to Destroy The Imagination of Your Child--Anthony Esolen

Beowulf trans. J.R.R.Tolkien

Feeding Your Soul--Jean Fleming

 

Happy anniversary, NoseinaBook!

 

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Obviously I need to investigate these. ;) Once again haven't read a single one!

You know when I was visiting my sister & I picked up oodles of books because her library system is so much cooler than mine? Well, turns out one of the books I picked is on the Man Booker list. Didn't get around to reading it, though. I'll certainly try requesting it when I go back next time.... It was The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt. The cover made me pick it up.

 

Oh that would be lovely!!!!

I could travel north and meet you all!!!

 

:hurray:

 

I will bring some Belgian chocolate allright?

Although I don't think you are allowed to eat in the museum it self .... :(

But Den Haag can be lovely to walk around...

Wouldn't that be awesome??? :)

I felt like Katy and Clover Carr opening my box.

 

My thanks, Ladies.

:grouphug:

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