Book a Week in 2014 - BW30

[mumto2]

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!

I had Frog Music in my stack a few weeks ago but had to return it.  It looked interesting.  Curious to hear how you like it.

[mumto2]

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:

 

 

 

:) :grouphug:

The Blazing World looks interesting. I ended up requesting the first three on the liist because they were availiable and sounded like I might like them. I will have to work my way through the list. Someone on the website I ended up on after your link said they were impressed because they all looked good. That person was hoping to read all of them. Suspect my library will have them all because of a new book stocking service which seems to be to my liking. From what little I know of it something like Booker Prize long list should be automatic. Last year they were missing two, I think.

 

FYI, I ended up with:

To Rise Again at a Decent Hour by Joshua Ferris

We are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

[Murmer]

Just finished Long Time Coming by Vanessa Miller which was interesting because it is written and features African Americans.  Also its about infertility and adoption which always get me.  I really liked this book. (It is a Christian book, or at least there was lots of praying and scriptures).

 

Starting The Pemberly Chronicles by Rebecca Ann Collins which is a "sequel" to Pride and Prejudice.

[Guest]

  :seeya:

 

I'm alive! We've started school here recently and that's been taking up a bit of my mental energy. I also told myself I wouldn't post until I finished The Odyssey...which I did! I loved it and can't believe I haven't read it before now. I haven't continued on with the Coursera lectures. I was, but he was saying "uh" way too much for me. There were a few times when I was like, just spit it out already!

 

I also am reading Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore which I am thoroughly enjoying. I absolutely love Robin Sloan's humor in it. I have a very dry sense of humor and to really get to my core and make me genuinely laugh at something takes a lot. Every time I pick up this book, I laugh.

 

[JennW in SoCal]

Greetings from Comic-Con! I stood in line for an hour just to sit thru a panel I'm not interested in so I can have a seat for a panel on urban fantasy novels with Jim Butcher followed by a fantasy panel with Pat Rothfuss. The panel I'm ignoring is on Disney tv animation -- amazing how many adult males are rabid fans if the stuff!

 

I'm sitting next to Jon Snow who lapped up a pudding cup without a spoon. Ah Comic-con! The moderator at least is a voice over talent who is very funny! More later. I'm taking notes so I can share with y'all.

[Guest]

Greetings from Comic-Con! I stood in line for an hour just to sit thru a panel I'm not interested in so I can have a seat for a panel on urban fantasy novels with Jim Butcher followed by a fantasy panel with Pat Rothfuss. The panel I'm ignoring is on Disney tv animation -- amazing how many adult males are rabid fans if the stuff!

 

I'm sitting next to Jon Snow who lapped up a pudding cup without a spoon. Ah Comic-con! The moderator at least is a voice over talent who is very funny! More later. I'm taking notes so I can share with y'all.

 

Nice!!!! Love his books.

[mumto2]

  :seeya:

 

I'm alive! We've started school here recently and that's been taking up a bit of my mental energy. I also told myself I wouldn't post until I finished The Odyssey...which I did! I loved it and can't believe I haven't read it before now. I haven't continued on with the Coursera lectures. I was, but he was saying "uh" way too much for me. There were a few times when I was like, just spit it out already!

 

I also am reading Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore which I am thoroughly enjoying. I absolutely love Robin Sloan's humor in it. I have a very dry sense of humor and to really get to my core and make me genuinely laugh at something takes a lot. Every time I pick up this book, I laugh.

 

I tried to attach a picture of ds and one of our cats - he's a reader, too!

 

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Glad to have you back.  Your ds is so cute and the kitty appears to be reading very seriously also! :)

 

I read Mr. Penumbra recently and really enjoyed it.  My ds is currently reading it and likes it.  Both of us enjoying the same book is a bit amazing these days.  He says he thinks the computer/google stuff is pretty accurate--he says he doesn't work for google. :lol: I asked him to read it so I would know if that part of the story line could actually happen. 

[shukriyya]

:seeya: Monica. I think your new avatar is Eleanor of Aquitaine by Kinuko Craft? Lovely!

[Stacia]

Periodically I look through my many books on amazon's wish lists to see if any of them are cheap or showing up as a good deal for Kindle (even though I don't read ebooks often).

 

One that I've had on my list for awhile is The Silence of Trees by Valya Dudycz Lupescu. It looks like a slightly magical, historical fiction tale of the Ukraine around the time of WWII & after. I have not read it (yet), but it is $3.99 on Kindle, so I thought I'd mention it in case anyone else would be interested in it.

 

In Chicago's Ukrainian Village, Nadya Lysenko has built her life on a foundation of secrets. When she was sixteen, Nadya snuck out of her house in Western Ukraine to meet a fortuneteller in the woods. She never expected it to be the last time she would see her family. Decades later, Nadya continues to be haunted by the death of her parents and sisters. The myths and magic of her childhood are still a part of her reality: dreams unite friends across time and space, house spirits misplace keys and glasses, and a fortuneteller's cards predict the future. Nadya's beloved dead insist on being heard through dreams and whispers in the night. They want the truth to come out. Nadya needs to face her past and confront the secrets she buried--in The Silence of Trees.

ETA: Another good deal that I spotted...

 

Ilustrado (in hardcover) for $3.64. I read this book a few years ago & it is excellent. Winner of the Man Asia prize.

[Hoot]

Last night I finished Plastic Free by Beth Terry.  I don't say this about many books.  Actually, I don't think I've ever said it about any book ever, but if you haven't read this book you need to.  I've been on the path to plastic-free for years, but this taught me things I never knew.  There are so, SO many reasons to avoid as much plastic as possible, even the recyclable kind and Beth Terry discusses it in such an accessible way.

 

Today, I think I'll read my new issue of The Humanist and then finish up The Art of Racing in the Rain.   

 

1. The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright

2. Winnie Mandela: Life of Struggle by Jim Haskins

3. Herbal Antibiotics by Stephen Harrod Buhner

4. When Did White Trash Become the New Normal? by Charlotte Hays

5. Family Herbal by Rosemary Gladstar

6. Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare

7. Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide by Rosemary Gladstar

8. The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

9. War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

10. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

11. The Telenovela Method by Andrew Tracey

12. Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

13. The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean

14. Divergent by Veronica Roth

15. Buddhist Boot Camp by Timber Hawkeye

16. Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh

17. The Magic of Reality by Richard Dawkins

18. Plastic Free by Beth Terry

[Guest]

:seeya: Monica. I think your new avatar is Eleanor of Aquitaine by Kinuko Craft? Lovely!

Yes, it is! I wasn't sure if it was a clear picture, so I'm glad someone could tell what it is!

[Stacia]

Monica, love the pic of your ds & kitty reading together. Our cats are more osmosis readers (aka, they sprawl out all over the book you are reading :lol: ), rather than actually looking at the page. I think I'll show them your photo so maybe they'll get a different idea! Glad to see you back. I missed you!

 

Jenn, can't wait to hear all of your adventures & observations from ComicCon. My dc will be going to DragonCon later this year (w/ my sis & her dh & their large group of friends, plus a few of the dc's friends). I, blissfully, will be far away -- pet-sitting for my sis, lol. I like DragonCon (esp. the parade they do -- just love seeing the costumes everyone has), but I'm not a huge fan of being in crowds all the time. My bil (& sis), otoh, work w/ their friends to do group costumes, do zillions of things while they're there, etc.... When we were visiting my sis last week, my bil was working on some very cool, authentic looking horns for one of his costumes (villan from the second Indiana Jones movie).

 

Contessa20, thanks for the mention of the plastic book. One I need to read.

 

I stayed up too late last night & finished The Book of Embraces by Eduardo Galeano. In a way, I find his work like Kurt Vonnegut's in that both write in a manner that comes across as deceptively simple, quick & easy to read, but then you realize that it's so tightly edited, so finely tuned, that just a few words are as accurate & as powerful as a bullet between the eyes. Galeano's wide net of musings range from friendships, to art, to dreams, to politics, to society, to heartbreaking realities of poverty, racism, war, & violence. As with many Latin American writers, there are elements of magical realism that seem to float through some of his work. (Do the Muses give the Latin American writers some special spark?) It's almost like a collection of poetry or (very) short stories. But... not quite. Most items are maybe a paragraph or two, certainly less than a page, interspersed with some wild & strange line drawings. It's not quite poetry, not quite short stories, not quite a memoir -- it is its own original creation & a lovely one at that. So glad that I stumbled onto this Uruguayan gem of literature. Highly recommended.

 

An interesting interview with Eduardo Galeano here.

[Robin M]

Good morning, ladies.  James and I are :driving: to  the mountains for the weekend to visit with my dad who is vacationing up there.  He said the Internet up there is spotty :w00t:  so won't know until I get there if my verizon hot spot will work well or not. I'll be back late sunday.   Stacia :hat:   and Shukriyya :coolgleamA:  are in charge of the party until  my return so don't have too much fun without me.  :tongue_smilie:

 

 

:grouphug:  and :cheers2:

 

 

 

:seeya:

[Stacia]

...

[Stacia]

Am now starting:

 

Masters of Atlantis

 

(Yes, the author of True Grit fame.)

 

Originally found it on Flavorwire's list of 50 Essential Cult Novels & I really liked this blog post I've read about it. The first few pages are weird enough to make me think I'm going to like this one....

[Hoot]

Finished The Art of Racing in the Rain today. Gah! My eyes leaked a little. It was very good. Not sure what's up next. I've got several I'm itching to read.

 

 

1. The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright

 

2. Winnie Mandela: Life of Struggle by Jim Haskins

 

3. Herbal Antibiotics by Stephen Harrod Buhner

 

4. When Did White Trash Become the New Normal? by Charlotte Hays

 

5. Family Herbal by Rosemary Gladstar

 

6. Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare

 

7. Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide by Rosemary Gladstar

 

8. The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

 

9. War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

 

10. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

 

11. The Telenovela Method by Andrew Tracey

 

12. Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

 

13. The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean

 

14. Divergent by Veronica Roth

 

15. Buddhist Boot Camp by Timber Hawkeye

 

16. Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh

 

17. The Magic of Reality by Richard Dawkins

 

18. Plastic Free by Beth Terry

 

19. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

[shukriyya]

Have fun, Robin and family.

 

I'm at the pool currently with my book, comestibles and various of ds's swimming paraphernalia. I made a thermos of tea to drink later even though it's 80+ degrees out. Some habits just stick. Not sure how much reading I'll get done but I'm prepared for the possibility :D

[mumto2]

Hope you have a great time Robin and James.

 

Drinking hot tea in hot weather seems to be a very British thing, Shukriyya.  We are having a heat wave and I keep be offered a cup of tea!  I keep drinking it too, which makes things even worse.  :lol:

 

I have been busy rejecting more of my stack. I think I have finally settled on one that has been on my list for ages.  In the Woods by Tana French. http://www.eurocrime.co.uk/reviews/In_the_Woods.html   I think many here have read it.

[prairiegirl]

Have a glorious time, Robin  and James!

 

Shoot!  I was going to type something else out but I can't remember what it was.  Oh!  I remember now.   I have not read Into the Woods but I did attempt to read  The Likeness by Tana French and I did not like it despite many positive reviews.  This is a series with Into the Woods being the first one so I am wondering if I need to start with that one first.  

 

I am a little farther into Frog Music and, Hallelujah!  I am liking it!   What a wonderful feeling to actually like a book again. 

[shukriyya]

Well, I'm a third of the way into my current book, The Lady and the Unicorn, and am not enjoying it as much as I'd hoped. I'm finding the writing and the characterization to be uneven and I very much feel the author's hand in things. It all feels rather clunky, some of the twists and turns rather implausible and abrupt. This is one I might have abandoned were I not committed to reading it for my 5/5 challenge so I'm hoping it evens out and picks up.

[aggieamy]

DH is out of town for a board game convention so it's just me and the kids hanging out.  I don't know why I pictured it this way but I thought since DH was out of town we would just be lazy and relax all weekend.  Watch a few movies.  Spend the afternoon reading.  Go for long walks.  Go out for breakfast to the French bakery.

 

I was wrong.  

 

These kids still need to fed apparently every hour and a half.  They still need clean clothing.  There are still dishes to be done.  Geez.  I think I need my fairy godmother to show up with a carriage ride to the library for me and Mary Poppins to hang out with the kids.  

Total reading done since DH left - I flipped through the dessert section of a cookbook sitting beside my bed last night.

 

I guess I didn't realize how big a help DH was.  I probably should tell him that.  

 

 

 

 

[aggieamy]

Since I'm hiding from the kids right now (one's napping and one's listening to an audiobook while playing with playmobils) let's chat.  What type of tea do you like?

 

 

 

 

[Onceuponatime]

Since I'm hiding from the kids right now (one's napping and one's listening to an audiobook while playing with playmobils) let's chat.  What type of tea do you like?

 

 

 

My favorites are jasmine green tea, Constant Comment, and Lady Catherine Lemon. I like all kinds of citrusy and spicy, but do not like anything with bergamot.

[aggieamy]

My favorites are jasmine green tea, Constant Comment, and Lady Catherine Lemon. I like all kinds of citrusy and spicy, but do not like anything with bergamot.

 

*making shopping list now*

 

I love Jasmine tea but I only buy it rarely because it goes fast and it's pricey around here.  During the winter I love Hot Cinnamon Spice tea and no matter the weather I like Earl Grey de la Creme.  Mmmm.  

[shukriyya]

Since I'm hiding from the kids right now (one's napping and one's listening to an audiobook while playing with playmobils) let's chat.  What type of tea do you like?

 

 

I have been drinking jasmine green exclusively for months now. I use this one for its lovely silk pouches and delicate flavor. The cup is as important to me as the contents. I'm rather picky...white, fine bone china with a thin lip. When I'm not drinking jasmine green I enjoy teas from Numi...Rooibos, Aged Earl Grey (decaf) and White Rose are my preferred choices. For medicinal teas I like to brew infusions of nettles and of oatstraw. Numi makes an excellent Morrocan Mint that is wonderful iced. When I was drinking caffeine I kept a steady supply of PG Tips on hand and later switched to this spectacular tea which always began with an inhalation of the scent in the cup followed by a sip to seal the experience :D

 

[mumto2]

I feel very boring next to all of you with my tea drinking choices.  For flavoured teas I drink Twinnings, lemon, peppermint, and mango raspberry are my favorites.  My favourite brand of caffeinated tea is Tetly but Yorkshire is good too. 

 

Still enjoying In the Woods.  I went ahead and requested the second in the series.  From that description and a few other things I accidentally read I don't think I am going to like the ending of this book.  I guess there is only one way to find out without peeking so continuing to read.

[MicheleinMN]

I think Major Barbara is my favorite Shaw... though it has been years since I've immersed myself in his plays, so I wonder if my perspective will have shifted.   ...though Miller's All My Sons, which also grabbed me at 16, remains my unquestioned favorite Miller... and, in fact, my appreciation for it has only grown over the years....

 

********************************

 

These sound fascinating - I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the others!

 

 

 

 

Which translation?  This is my favorite (translated by Athanassakis), but I haven't explored all the possibilities...

 

***********************

 

Which Tey are you thinking of reading next? 

I got the one translated by Sarah Ruden because it was the translation suggested for the course.

http://www.amazon.com/Homeric-Hymns-Homer/dp/0872207250/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406410890&sr=1-2&keywords=homeric+hymns

 

I was trying to start  Man in the Queue, but I ended up listening to my new Flavia novel instead.

[shukriyya]

I think Major Barbara is my favorite Shaw... though it has been years since I've immersed myself in his plays, so I wonder if my perspective will have shifted.   ...though Miller's All My Sons, which also grabbed me at 16, remains my unquestioned favorite Miller... and, in fact, my appreciation for it has only grown over the years....

 

 

Shaw's play Major Barbara was a fantastic read! Do include his prefaces should you choose to tackle Shaw--his sermons make fine reading.

 

 

Reading plans for the week also include more Shaw, Arms and the Man. Maybe I will open City of Thieves too.

 

I'm just now remembering that I played 'Candida' in the university production of the same way back in the my sophomore year of uni. It was quite the production IIRC, lots of good fun!

[prairiegirl]

Since I'm hiding from the kids right now (one's napping and one's listening to an audiobook while playing with playmobils) let's chat.  What type of tea do you like?

 

 

That picture is quite calming.   I am fussy about my teas. My most favourite is vanilla rooibos. 

[Stacia]

I'm really a coffee drinker, but when I drink tea, I'm with Julia in that I like Vanilla Rooibos. That stuff literally makes my tongue water. I also like Green Tea Tropical & Peach Tea. And just plain old regular tea. (I guess it's probably Earl Gray?) I just buy bags, not loose leaf teas (since I drink way more coffee than I drink tea).

 

I definitely do *not* like teas that taste like flowers. So, imo, that eliminates quite a few teas (jasmine, rose, etc...).

 

Hey, I just scored a few new books. :thumbup1: :D We always do the 'birthday thing' for the family late spring/summer birthdays in late summer because that's when my in-laws can get together. I got some goodies I've had on my wish list for awhile:

 

 

S. by Doug Dorst & J.J. Abrams

The Weirdness by Jeremy P. Bushnell

The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa

[Kareni]

My husband is the tea drinker in our house. His favorite loose teas are

Murchie's No. 10 blend

and Earl Grey from the San Francisco Herb Company.

Regards,
Kareni

[shukriyya]

My husband is the tea drinker in our house. His favorite loose teas are

 

Murchie's No. 10 blend

 

and Earl Grey from the San Francisco Herb Company.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Oooh, Murchie's! I remember going there on a West Coast trek when I was living in Canada. I know I picked up one of their No. blends but I can't remember if it was 10, 11 or 22. I do remember though that it was wonderful tea :D

[Stacia]

The beautiful villa where Pinocchio author Carlo Lorenzini spent his childhood is on the market.

 

Wow. Talk about gorgeous!

[shukriyya]

Wowzers!

[Violet Crown]

This thread is making me want a glass of tea. Think I'll go get some Lipton's from the fridge. Temps at 100+ again today...

[Onceuponatime]

I read The City of Ember (juvenile dystopian) yesterday and enjoyed it. I'm debating wether to read the rest in the trilogy.

[Stacia]

Please continue the conversation in the new thread.

 

Link to week 31.