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Book a Week in 2014 - BW31


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I'm very close to finishing Masters of Atlantis by Charles Portis. There is certainly a wild, weird cast of characters in this cult classic about... cults. I'm really enjoying it so far. Portis writes with a very dry, dry humor that has given me a few chuckles.

 

One blog post I read mentioned that the Coen brothers should do a movie of this book (like they did with Portis' True Grit) & I have to agree. I can already see Matt Damon as Austin Popper, perhaps roles for Steve Buscemi & William H. Macy in there too....

 

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

My Goodreads Page

My PaperbackSwap Page

 

My rating system:

5 = Love; 4 = Pretty awesome; 3 = Good/Fine; 2 = Meh; 1 = Don't bother

 

2014 Books Read:

 

01. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (5 stars). Around the World – North America (USA).

02. This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper (3 stars).

03. Aiding and Abetting by Muriel Spark (3 stars). Around the World – Europe (England).

04. Sunjata by Bamba Suso & Banna Kanute (5 stars). Around the World – Africa (Gambia & Mali).

05. The Lunatic by Anthony C. Winkler (4 stars). Around the World – Caribbean (Jamaica).

06. The Joke by Milan Kundera (4 stars). Around the World – Europe (Czech Republic).

07. One Hundred Years of Vicissitude by Andrez Bergen (3 grudging stars). Around the World – Asia (Japan).

08. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley (5 stars).

09. The French Connection by Robin Moore (4 stars). Around the World – North America (USA).

10. The Way Through Doors by Jesse Ball (4 stars).

 

11. Eat for Health by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. (4 stars).

12. Lotería by Mario Alberto Zambrano (1 star).

13. Fantômas by Pierre Souvestre & Marcel Allain (3 stars). Around the World – Europe (France).

14. The Ways of White Folks by Langston Huges (5 stars). Around the World – North America (USA).

15. Asleep in the Sun by Adolfo Bioy Casares (3 stars). Around the World – Latin America (Argentina).

16. Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett (5 stars).

17. Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi (5 stars).

18. Boxer, Beetle by Ned Beauman (3 stars). Around the World – Europe (England).

19. Blood Oranges by Kathleen Tierney (3 stars).

20. Atmospheric Disturbances by Rivka Galchen (4 stars). Around the World – Latin America (Argentina).

 

21. The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason (3 stars).

22. The Fig Eater by Jody Shields (5 stars). Around the World – Europe (Austria).

23. Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie (4 stars). Around the World – Asia (Pakistan).

24. I Served the King of England by Bohumil Hrabal (5 stars). Around the World – Europe (Czech Republic).

25. My Kind of Girl by Buddhadeva Bose (3 stars). Around the World – Asia (India & Bangladesh).

26. Background to Danger by Eric Ambler (3 stars). Around the World – Europe (Austria).

27. Aurorarama by Jean-Christophe Valtat (3 stars). Best Cover Art.

28. The Magicians by Lev Grossman (2 stars).

29. Bleeding Edge by Thomas Pynchon (4 stars). Around the World – North America (USA).

30. Decline of the English Murder by George Orwell (3 stars). Around the World – Europe (England).

 

31. The Miracle Cures of Dr. Aira by César Aira (4 stars). Around the World – Latin America (Argentina).

32. The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil by George Saunders (3 stars).

33. Mink River by Brian Doyle (5 stars). Around the World – North America (USA).

34. Ru by Kim Thúy (4 stars). Around the World – North America (Canada) & Asia (Vietnam).

35. The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad (4 stars). Around the World – Asia (Pakistan) & Middle East (Afghanistan & Iran).

36. Strange Bodies by Marcel Theroux (3 stars). Around the World – Europe (England).

37. The Lemur by Benjamin Black (2 stars).

38. Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips (3 stars).

39. Lexicon by Max Barry (4 stars). Around the World – Oceania (Australia).

40. Silence Once Begun by Jesse Ball (5 stars). Around the World – Asia (Japan).

 

41. Asunder by Chloe Aridjis (4 stars). Around the World – Europe (England).

42. Hot Lead, Cold Iron by Ari Marmell (4 stars).

43. The Book of Embraces by Eduardo Galeano (5 stars). Around the World – Latin America (Uruguay).

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I'm reading one of your favorites, Stacia--The Wee Free Men. It's a fun, easy read. Works well on the treadmill.

 

Finished The Hanover Square Affair on the kindle this week. Was that from Kareni?? Someone here mentioned it so I picked it up for free. Another nice, easy read.

 

No progress on Possession (and it is not an easy read--I think I'm seeing a pattern here). No progress on HOTAW.

 

I'm thinking I need to read more YA books under the assumption that my brain doesn't have too work hard for those. True assumption? But I don't want teen angst. If anyone reads this far, please post a YA book I might like. Loved The Book Thief, Code Name Verity, The Fault in our Stars, and enjoying The Wee Free Men (all YA in our library). Did not like John Green's Paper Towns (the teen angst thing). What's another good one to try?

 

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Hello everyone!

 

My big reading news for the week was reaching 52 books--much earlier than the last few years. Number 52 was Shaw's play Arms and the Man, good but not as spectacular as Major Barbara.

 

I have to be the odd woman out. Benioff's City of Thieves disappointed me, possibly because I recently finished Dunmore's exquisite book The Siege. I do not doubt that Benioff did his research but I felt the book was more of an improbable Hollywood buddy movie. Dunmore painted the challenges of life in Leningrad so well that I tasted the sawdust bread. Maybe the timing was bad....

 

On to Elaine Dundy's The Dud Avocado, a cult classic from 1958 that the NY Review republished in 2007.

 

Has anyone read anything by Anita Desai? Fasting, Feasting is in my library stack.

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This week I finished Tracy Chevalier's, 'Girl with a Pearl Earring', and moved on to another of hers, 'The Lady and the Unicorn', based on the famous tapestries in Cluny. Though it's picked up some since the beginning I'm not enjoying it quite as much as the first book though that may have more to do with the fact that the piece of art being written about in the first book is intimately familiar to me. Textile lovers, you may find this second book interesting as there is a good bit of description on how tapestries were made back then. That part is rather fascinating, the dyeing of the wool, the threading and weaving, the warping and wefting...

 

 

 

I'll finish this likely today or tomorrow and bring my 'Novels on a Work of Art' category up to 2/5 for the 5/5 challenge. Not sure what I'll be reading next. 'Luncheon of the Boating Party' by Susan Vreeland about Renoir's painting of the same name has come available at the library but I'm not sure I want to do a third consecutive art novel.

 

Jane, I know I've spent a lot of time with Anita Desai as a name but a quick glance at her books doesn't yield any recollection of reading her.

Random interestingness on the web...

The Making of A Book circa 1947. If you can spare 10 minutes this fascinating video takes the viewer into an old printing press and through the process of book making. The narrator's voice brings back memories of my elementary school days when the teacher would have an educational film for us to watch. I was amused at 7:53 by the reference to 'these girls' in relation to the women working the machines. It manages to be archaic, charming, dorky and relevant all at the same time. 

 

And here is some interesting fan mail from Charles Dickens to George Eliot.

And finally a little literary jigsaw fun for the puzzlers among us.

 

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I read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. It was interesting to see into the mind of one of the Merry Pranksters via his novel, some of the description was really good, and I'm definitely anti-Combine, like the novel. But I thought some symbolism was heavy-handed and the sexism made me sneer and gag. 

 

I got a tiny start on Storm Front by Jim Butcher and Lunch Poems by Frank O'Hara, but today and tomorrow my main goal is to re-read Much Ado About Nothing before my grandmother and I go see it performed this Wednesday.

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I am a bit stressed out because my mom is currently hospitalized.  Not sure if I am needed yet or not my brothers are there.  It is a very long trip especially since everyone is traveling right now.

 

I didn't sleep well so finished a few books this morning.  

 

Second Grave on the Left, the second in the Charley Davison series, by Darynda Jones.  The first was better imo.  I do plan to continue reading them.

 

In the Woods by Tana French.  The reviews were right, great crime novel with a lousy ending.  Not sure if it needs to be read first.  Things really change at the end so the second may be pretty stand alone.

 

The Girl on Legare Street by Karen White.  Another of my fluff series set in Charleston,  once again I thought of Stacia.  It was enjoyable.

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Finished The Hanover Square Affair on the kindle this week. Was that from Kareni?? Someone here mentioned it so I picked it up for free. Another nice, easy read.

 

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it.  I've continued to read the series and am waiting for the last few to arrive at the library.  And, yes, The Hanover Square Affair is still free to Kindle readers.

 

Regards,

Kareni

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I recently read and enjoyed Making Faces by Amy Harmon.  It was a moving read that left me thinking about inner and outer beauty.  I recommend it.  Note: I do not think it contains any material that one might find offensive.

 

 

"Ambrose Young was beautiful. He was tall and muscular, with hair that touched his shoulders and eyes that burned right through you. The kind of beautiful that graced the covers of romance novels, and Fern Taylor would know. She'd been reading them since she was thirteen. But maybe because he was so beautiful he was never someone Fern thought she could have...until he wasn't beautiful anymore. Making Faces is the story of a small town where five young men go off to war, and only one comes back. It is the story of loss. Collective loss, individual loss, loss of beauty, loss of life, loss of identity. It is the tale of one girl's love for a broken boy and a wounded warrior's love for an unremarkable girl. This is a story of friendship that overcomes heartache, heroism that defies the common definitions, and a modern tale of Beauty and the Beast, where we discover that there is a little beauty and a little beast in all of us."

 

I will certainly read more by this author.

 

Regards,

Kareni

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I am a bit stressed out because my mom is currently hospitalized.  Not sure if I am needed yet or not my brothers are there.  It is a very long trip especially since everyone is traveling right now.

 

 

 

I am so sorry about your mom.  I went through this exact same thing in the spring...twice.  I do know how stressful it is in figuring out what to do and when to do it.  I am holding you up with good thoughts.  :grouphug:

Hello everyone!

 

My big reading news for the week was reaching 52 books--much earlier than the last few years. Number 52 was Shaw's play Arms and the Man, good but not as spectacular as Major Barbara.

 

 

 

Jane,  :hurray:   Yay for you!   Congratulations!

 

I finished Frog Music  by Emma Donoghue  last night.  This was a great book to break my reading drought.  I loved this book and I love Donoghue's  writing. 

 

I am now reading  Why I Read: The Serious Pleasure of Books  by Wendy Lesser--a book about  books and reading.  My favourite type of book. 

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It was weird being at Comic-Con the last few days without my college boy there to share all the author panels.  I sort of over-compensated by buying new books and collecting freebies -- the evidence of which you see here:

 

14575053629_eef71d36de_n.jpg      

 

I sent him this photo today and told him I need an intervention, and he heartily agreed, knowing all the unread books I already have stacked about the house!  What else can I say except, "Hello.  My name's Jennifer and I have a book buying addiction."

 

I would like to report to all of you who are fans of The Martian that Andy Weir, the author, is the nicest guy in the universe. He is the character in the book -- intelligent, funny, self-deprecating.  I wanted to take him home with me.  If you haven't read the book, this is somewhat spoilerish.........  He said that when the book was in the final, galley stage editing process the news broke about the Mars Opportunity Rover discovering all the water frozen in the Martian soil. He thought "D'oh!!"  His character didn't have to go through all those excessive hoops to create water, especially since he was bringing all that soil inside in the first place!  He is currently working on his second book, and it certainly will never be dystopian because he said he is too optimistic a guy.

 

One of stand out panels I attended was on urban fantasy which included the author Jim Butcher of the Dresden Files.  He was pretty funny, doing his best Wolverine impersonation complete with sideburns and claws.  The moderator got the authors talking with questions about location for these urban fantasies -- why Chicago or Boston or LA.  The Dresden Files is set in Chicago because his writing teacher told him not to write about Kansas City, where he lived.  Another author put her series in Boston because she said her suburban community would be too boring for magic or destruction. There were 2 versions of Los Angeles by 2 different authors, one of whom included bones of dragons and gryphons in the La Brea Tar Pits.  

 

The panel Patrick Rothfuss was on was not that great, though he is always erudite and funny, and to his credit doesn't take over panels anymore -- he lets other authors talk.  He said he never plans ahead when he is writing -- if he did his books would get done sooner.  Also said book 3 is a mess and he knows it has to be really, really good so it is taking a long, long time!!

 

More than one author said they start creating characters using D&D character sheets!  The panel of fantasy authors all agreed that they do approach YA differently, that YA tends to have themes about growing up and they do tend to write tighter, shorter novels.  

 

A panel of robot engineers (there are too many interesting panels to choose from) all talked about how positive they feel about the future with robots and AI and computing, that their design inspirations come from the sci-fi they read as teens.  To them the idea of robots taking over the world is illogical and impossible.  That panel was followed immediately by a panel of sci-fi authors who gleefully talked about the horrors they like to imagine from an uprising of all the Roomba vacuum cleaners in American homes!

 

I went to an event with the robotics engineers last night where one of the robots was pouring beer.  And I got my picture taken with one particular all time favorite robot:

 

                                                                                      ]14739048646_20b31e78a7_n.jpg[

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I am a bit stressed out because my mom is currently hospitalized.  Not sure if I am needed yet or not my brothers are there.  It is a very long trip especially since everyone is traveling right now.

 

I didn't sleep well so finished a few books this morning.  

 

Second Grave on the Left, the second in the Charley Davison series, by Darynda Jones.  The first was better imo.  I do plan to continue reading them.

 

In the Woods by Tana French.  The reviews were right, great crime novel with a lousy ending.  Not sure if it needs to be read first.  Things really change at the end so the second may be pretty stand alone.

 

The Girl on Legare Street by Karen White.  Another of my fluff series set in Charleston,  once again I thought of Stacia.  It was enjoyable.

 

Mumto2, I'm thinking of you - I had the same situation with my dad this week. He had pneumonia but I'm only a 2 hour drive away from him. I know how you must be feeling wondering whether to stay or go. My prayers are with you.

 

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Hey gang, I'm back.  It was hot, hot, hot up in the mountains but very beautiful.  Thank you Stacia for starting the new thread - you are the bestest.  :hurray:

 

Sandy -- hugs and prayers for your mom

 

Congrats Jane on reaching 52

 

Thanks for the wonderful links Shukriyya

 

Jenn - Sounds like you had an awesome time  and what a wonderful picture of you and Brent Spiner. 

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Praying for your mom mumto2.

 

I'm on my phone so apologize for any oddities in this post. I finished Pride and Prejudice and rally enjoyed it. I started Margorie Kempe and am very surprised. I thought I was going to read a book about a politician's wife and instead am reading about a fervent Christian woman who goes mad after childbirth. Norms and Nobility awaits in the wings. I have the Beth Moore Psalm workbook started and C.S. Lewis's book on psalms going as well. I want to take a break after this and do some fluff reading but was offered a part time editing job and may buck up and read Elements of Style and a grammar book....or something.

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Mumto2, sending many :grouphug:  & good thoughts for your mom & all the rest of you too.

 

Also, :grouphug:  to everyone who has had sick family members lately. Sounds like a lot of you have gone through this recently. :grouphug:

 

Jenn, so cool to read your notes about ComicCon! Love your photo w/ Data. :thumbup:

 

Jane -- whoohoo on 52!

 

Robin, glad you guys have made it safely back home!

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Sending Mumto2 good thoughts. I too watched from afar as my parents dealt with being infirmed. It is challenging.

 

Jenn, reading your report was fun. Thanks.

 

Shukriyya, Anita Desai is an award winning Indian author who writes in English. She has a daughter, Kiran Desai, who won the Man Booker.

 

Thanks Stacia--and welcome back Robin!

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Shukriyya, Anita Desai is an award winning Indian author who writes in English. She has a daughter, Kiran Desai, who won the Man Booker.

 

Yes, I saw Kiran's name but didn't make the connection to her mother. I went through a period of reading Indian fiction, or rather fiction by Indian authors, at one point in my life. My father was born in India and spent his formative years there before being packed off to boarding school. India was always in the atmosphere of our childhood hovering as a subtle fragrance as we went about our very western lives. As a result of ds's involvement in the Indian classical arts my day to day is currently replete with this part of the world so it's less of a fascination now than it was then.

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Hi, all! It's been a while! :D

 

I'm still on the Terry Pratchett kick and now reading A Hat Full of Sky.

 

Finished The Perks Being a Wallflower. Loved the movie and was worried that the book will not be as good. Luckily, it wasn't the case. I found it very sweet despite all the "stuff" that was happening.

 

Due to some health problems, I've turned vegan. So, lots of books on Veganism (is that a word?).

 

So far I've read 101 books this year. :willy_nilly:

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Prayers for your mother and you, Mumto2.

 

Congratulations to Jane for completing the set!

 

Finishing up The Romance of Leonardo Da Vinci. A very satisfying read, except for the overdone stereotypes of the Middle Ages, with Da Vinci personifying the Renaissance-cum-Enlightenment. It's the Whig version of history in turbodrive, though perhaps excusable in a book written in 1900. In no discernible way like the Dan Brown book on a related theme, at least from what I've heard.

 

This week I need to review Hamlet for homeschooling purposes, so I suppose that's next on the list.

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Hello everyone!

 

My big reading news for the week was reaching 52 books--much earlier than the last few years. Number 52 was Shaw's play Arms and the Man, good but not as spectacular as Major Barbara.

 

I have to be the odd woman out. Benioff's City of Thieves disappointed me, possibly because I recently finished Dunmore's exquisite book The Siege. I do not doubt that Benioff did his research but I felt the book was more of an improbable Hollywood buddy movie. Dunmore painted the challenges of life in Leningrad so well that I tasted the sawdust bread. Maybe the timing was bad....

 

On to Elaine Dundy's The Dud Avocado, a cult classic from 1958 that the NY Review republished in 2007.

 

Has anyone read anything by Anita Desai? Fasting, Feasting is in my library stack.

Well done on the 52!

 

I did like City of Thieves, but I agree that The Siege has far greater staying power.  What I liked best about Thieves was that it actually managed to be *funny* in the midst of ghastly circumstances... I can see how reading it right off of Siege might make it seem trivial (or trivializing) in comparison...

 

I read Fasting, Feasting when it first came out... I liked it -- a dual picture of a dual culture family, with sweet bits and funny bits.  Ten years later I don't recall too much more (as opposed to Siege, which still sears in my memories...)

 

 

 

I am a bit stressed out because my mom is currently hospitalized.  Not sure if I am needed yet or not my brothers are there.  It is a very long trip especially since everyone is traveling right now.

 

I didn't sleep well so finished a few books this morning.  

 

 

 

:grouphug: You and your mother are both in my thoughts...

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A pox on health problems.  :grouphug:

 

 

I'm about to launch into a few volumes of Australian Aboriginal tales with dd. My aunt discovered three volumes of a series she had when she was a kid and has kindly lent them to me to read to dd. Some are from South Australia and I don't think I've read any of theirs before, so I'm a bit excited. :)

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I am a bit stressed out because my mom is currently hospitalized.  Not sure if I am needed yet or not my brothers are there.  It is a very long trip especially since everyone is traveling right now.

 

I didn't sleep well so finished a few books this morning.  

 

Second Grave on the Left, the second in the Charley Davison series, by Darynda Jones.  The first was better imo.  I do plan to continue reading them.

 

In the Woods by Tana French.  The reviews were right, great crime novel with a lousy ending.  Not sure if it needs to be read first.  Things really change at the end so the second may be pretty stand alone.

 

The Girl on Legare Street by Karen White.  Another of my fluff series set in Charleston,  once again I thought of Stacia.  It was enjoyable.

 

 

I hope your mom is ok.  :grouphug:

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I started White Tiger, I'm enjoying it so far. I've created a picture and voice in my head for the narrator.  I can see him sitting and telling me the story. (Since, at the moment,  it's in the form of a letter that makes it easy to do) I'm still listening to a Signature of all Things, which has been great to listen to on my runs.  The story, despite the slow pace, is engaging.  It was a busy week last week, so there was no time for reading the book on meditation, or time for meditation. :(  

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Started reading:

The Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

 

Still reading:

The Glory of Heaven by John MacArthur

 

Finished reading:

1. The Curiosity by Stephen Kiernan (AVERAGE)

2. The Last Time I Saw Paris by Lynn Sheene (GOOD)

3. Unwind by Neal Shusterman (EXCELLENT)

4. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty (EXCELLENT)

5. The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me to Faith by Peter Hitchens (AMAZING)

6. Champion by Marie Lu (PRETTY GOOD)

7. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink (INCREDIBLE)

8. Cultivating Christian Character by Michael Zigarelli (HO-HUM)

9. Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff (um...WOW. So amazing and sad)

10. Pressure Points: Twelve Global Issues Shaping the Face of the Church by JD Payne (SO-SO)

11. The Happiness Project: Or Why I spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun. by Gretchen Rubin (GOOD)

12. Reading and Writing Across Content Areas by Roberta Sejnost (SO-SO)

13. Winter of the World by Ken Follet (PRETTY GOOD)

14. The School Revolution: A New Answer for our Broken Education System by Ron Paul (GREAT)

15. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen (LOVED IT)

16. Beyond the Hole in the Wall: Discover the Power of Self-Organized Learning by Sugata Mitra (GOOD)

17. Can Computers Keep Secrets? - How a Six-Year-Old's Curiosity Could Change the World by Tom Barrett (GOOD)

18. You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself by David McRaney (GOOD)

19. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (OK)

20. Follow Me by David Platt (GOOD)

21. The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman (SO-SO)

22. Falls the Shadow by Sharon Kay Penman (OK)

23. A Neglected Grace: Family Worship in the Christian Home by Jason Helopoulos (GOOD)

24. The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan (DEPRESSING)

25. No Place Like Oz by Danielle Paige (SO-SO)

26. 84 Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff (DELIGHTFUL)

27. The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman (WORST ENDING EVER)

28. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor (SO-SO)

29. Mere Christianity by CS Lewis (BRILLIANT)

30. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (WONDERFUL)

31. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (CAN'T-PUT-IT-DOWN-READ-IT-ALL-IN-ONE-SITTING BOOK)

32. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (SUPER CREEPY BUT REALLY GOOD)

33. A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout (WONDERFUL)

34. The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty (PRETTY GOOD)

35. The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez (HEART-BREAKING)

36. One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper (REALLY, REALLY GOOD)

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My big reading news for the week was reaching 52 books--much earlier than the last few years.

 

:thumbup1: Congrats on 52.

I am a bit stressed out because my mom is currently hospitalized.  

Sending good thoughts your way.  I hope your Mom is better soon!

 

I recently read and enjoyed Making Faces by Amy Harmon.  It was a moving read that left me thinking about inner and outer beauty.  I recommend it.  Note: I do not think it contains any material that one might find offensive.

 

Thanks for the comments.  I downloaded the sample but was waiting to hear more from those who have actually read it.

 

We spent last week on our yearly vacation to the lake so I did get some reading in.  I finished Aeschylus I. (I don't know how I was expected to the skip the second book in the trilogy.)  I also finished Vampire Most Wanted by Lynsay Sands, and Poison Promise, the newest Elemental Assassin book by Jennifer Estep.  I'm hoping to read Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews this week.

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I'm reading one of your favorites, Stacia--The Wee Free Men. It's a fun, easy read. Works well on the treadmill.

<snip>

 

I'm thinking I need to read more YA books under the assumption that my brain doesn't have too work hard for those. True assumption? But I don't want teen angst. If anyone reads this far, please post a YA book I might like. Loved The Book Thief, Code Name Verity, The Fault in our Stars, and enjoying The Wee Free Men (all YA in our library). Did not like John Green's Paper Towns (the teen angst thing). What's another good one to try?

Hooray on you enjoying The Wee Free Men. It's just so fun to see when others love it too!

 

I don't read lots of YA, but earlier this year I read The Clockwork Scarab which is a YA novel (beginning of a new series) using the characters of Bram Stoker's little sister & Sherlock Holmes' niece investigating/fighting supernatural crime in Victorian-era, steampunk-y London. It was a light, easy read, not angsty. If you send me a PM with your mailing address, I'd be happy to send it to you.

I have to be the odd woman out. Benioff's City of Thieves disappointed me, possibly because I recently finished Dunmore's exquisite book The Siege. I do not doubt that Benioff did his research but I felt the book was more of an improbable Hollywood buddy movie. Dunmore painted the challenges of life in Leningrad so well that I tasted the sawdust bread. Maybe the timing was bad....

 

On to Elaine Dundy's The Dud Avocado, a cult classic from 1958 that the NY Review republished in 2007.

Even though I haven't read Siege, I can see how (based on the descriptions) there might be a disconnect. City of Thieves is definitely a light touch looking at a horrific time in history &, yes, has that bit of 'movie' style to it. Perhaps they weren't the two to read back-to-back.

 

Will be curious to see what you think of The Dud Avocado. I read that last year (saw it on NYRB Classics list) & thought it was ok, but it didn't wow me.

This week I finished Tracy Chevalier's, 'Girl with a Pearl Earring', and moved on to another of hers, 'The Lady and the Unicorn', based on the famous tapestries in Cluny. Though it's picked up some since the beginning I'm not enjoying it quite as much as the first book though that may have more to do with the fact that the piece of art being written about in the first book is intimately familiar to me. Textile lovers, you may find this second book interesting as there is a good bit of description on how tapestries were made back then. That part is rather fascinating, the dyeing of the wool, the threading and weaving, the warping and wefting...

 

I'll finish this likely today or tomorrow and bring my 'Novels on a Work of Art' category up to 2/5 for the 5/5 challenge. Not sure what I'll be reading next. 'Luncheon of the Boating Party' by Susan Vreeland about Renoir's painting of the same name has come available at the library but I'm not sure I want to do a third consecutive art novel.

Sounds lovely. Enjoying reading about your art literary adventures. Thanks for the links too, btw.

I read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. It was interesting to see into the mind of one of the Merry Pranksters via his novel, some of the description was really good, and I'm definitely anti-Combine, like the novel. But I thought some symbolism was heavy-handed and the sexism made me sneer and gag.

 

I got a tiny start on Storm Front by Jim Butcher and Lunch Poems by Frank O'Hara, but today and tomorrow my main goal is to re-read Much Ado About Nothing before my grandmother and I go see it performed this Wednesday.

I keep meaning to read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, partly because it's a classic, partly because my nephew has bugged me to read it (it's one of his favorite books).

 

Have fun with your grandmother! Let us know how the play is.

Stardust earns two thumbs up. I started reading The Ocean At The End Of The Lane and am liking that one too. I'll probably curl up in finish it after dinner.

Neil Gaiman is just awesome.

I am a bit stressed out because my mom is currently hospitalized. Not sure if I am needed yet or not my brothers are there. It is a very long trip especially since everyone is traveling right now.

<snip>

 

The Girl on Legare Street by Karen White. Another of my fluff series set in Charleston, once again I thought of Stacia. It was enjoyable.

:grouphug: again, Mumto2.

 

I know where Legare Street is too, lol. You should go take a 'google amble' down Legare. I've always wanted to live in downtown Charleston in one of the typical Charleston houses like you see on Legare. So many of them have lovely little gardens & hideaways off the streets when you can manage to slip into an alleyway or behind some of the houses.

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And, yes, The Hanover Square Affair is still free to Kindle readers.

Thanks, Kareni. Off to check it out...

I am so sorry about your mom. I went through this exact same thing in the spring...twice. I do know how stressful it is in figuring out what to do and when to do it. I am holding you up with good thoughts. :grouphug:

 

<snip>

 

I finished Frog Music by Emma Donoghue last night. This was a great book to break my reading drought. I loved this book and I love Donoghue's writing.

 

I am now reading Why I Read: The Serious Pleasure of Books by Wendy Lesser--a book about books and reading. My favourite type of book.

:grouphug: to you too, Julia.

 

So glad you've hit your reading stride again. Will have to look up Frog Music.

It was weird being at Comic-Con the last few days without my college boy there to share all the author panels. I sort of over-compensated by buying new books and collecting freebies -- the evidence of which you see here:

 

14575053629_eef71d36de_n.jpg

 

I sent him this photo today and told him I need an intervention, and he heartily agreed, knowing all the unread books I already have stacked about the house! What else can I say except, "Hello. My name's Jennifer and I have a book buying addiction."

:huh:

 

To me, that stack looks just about right. :lol:

mumto2, :grouphug: I was in a similar position three weeks ago and am still worried for my dad's health.

 

JennW, ooooh, DATA!!!! We just happen to be watching StarTrek Generations right now. It's the 10yo's first time.

:grouphug: to you also, Onceuponatime.

 

Fun that you're doing the Star Trek thing these days.

Mumto2, I'm thinking of you - I had the same situation with my dad this week. He had pneumonia but I'm only a 2 hour drive away from him. I know how you must be feeling wondering whether to stay or go. My prayers are with you.

 

:grouphug:

I want to take a break after this and do some fluff reading but was offered a part time editing job and may buck up and read Elements of Style and a grammar book....or something.

 

 

(I'm so proud that when the video came out, my kids saw it & told me I had to watch it because they said they found my 'theme song'. :lol: )

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Just read another Archipelago book: Translation is a Love Affair by Jacques Poulin.

 

That was completely charming & utterly nice. A tiny gem of loveliness.

 

"A quietly affecting modern fairy tale told with humor and warmth, Translation is a Love Affair is a slender novel of immense humanity. A Quebecois novelist with a bad back and his vivacious young translator discover a stray cat with an SOS attached to its collar. They embark upon a search for its owner, and when they discover a young girl with bandaged wrists, they are drawn into a mystery they don’t dare neglect. The world Poulin creates is haunted by dark memories, isolation, and tragedy, yet it is a world in which language — and love — are the most immediate and vital forces, where one human being hearing a cry of distress of another is compelled to shed one’s own inhibitions to respond."

 

(Note to Angel -- There are quite a few animals in this story & every single interaction with them is nice & absolutely nothing bad happens to any of them, so this is an animal-thumbs-up book, probably one of the few I've ever read. And, Jane, believe it or not, finally I've read a book translated from French that I actually adored! Of course, it was Québécois French, but still...!)

 

 

Yes!!  This is one of my favorites.  I read it when it came out and probably at least 7 times since then. The second book is out, The Wise Man's Fear, and we are not so patiently waiting for book 3.  I read it three times last year-once audiobook, once to myself, and once aloud to the older kids.  It's great for anyone who likes fantasy, high fantasy, stories within stories, and beautiful prose. This is one I always recommend.  Beware there is some language and sexual stuff-mostly in the second book-if you recommend it to kids.  There is a great discussion group on the books on Goodreads and a private forum that isn't very active.  I'm in two FB groups for them, too.

 

Looks like I'm rejoining. :)  My whole summer was a giant mess, so I wasn't on here much. Right now I'm re-reading The Two Towers and I got sick of Smeagol (again), so I picked up The Forest of Hands and Teeth last night.  Not a good one to read before bed!  I got  just a mite terrified by the dark!

 

I didn't do a great job keeping track of my books.  The ones I can remember:

 

  1. Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
  2. Grave Peril by Jim Butcher
  3. Death Masks by Jim Butcher
  4. Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
  5. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
  6. Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
  7. French Kids Eat Everything by Karen le Billon
  8. Dead Beat  by Jim Butcher
  9. Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher
  10. Teaching Children Compassionately by Marshall Rosenberg
  11. Stardust (re-read) by Neil Gaiman
  12. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
  13. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
  14. A History of US: The New Nation
  15. A History of US: War, Terrible War
  16. A History of US: Liberty for All?
  17. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
  18. Across Five Aprils
  19. Fifty Shades of Grey
  20. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
  21. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
  22. Crown Conspiracy by Michael J. Sullivan
  23. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
  24. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
  25. Avempartha  by Michael J. Sullivan
  26. Nyphron Rising by Michael J. Sullivan
  27. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
  28. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
  29. Emerald Storm by Michael J. Sullivan
  30. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
  31. The Fellowship of the Ring (re-read)
  32. Timebound by Rysa Walker
  33. Time's Echo by Rysa Walker

Currently reading or shelved to finish:

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

The Two Towers (re-read)

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

American Gods (re-read)

The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

 

 

 

As for scary books, I always read scary books in October in honor of my favorite holiday. :)

 

Some of my favorites for adults:

The Historian-one I never could finish because I had nightmares.  I'm not even sure why as it isn't classic horror

It by Stephen King

World War Z-not conventionally scary but definitely makes you consider stockpiling.  Same with:

The Road

Night by Elie Wiesel-sometimes the scariest books are the non-fiction

 

For kids I have these on my list (I have NOT read them all!!)

 

Younger-ish kids.  Pre-read for sure:

Among the Dolls
The Graveyard Book
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children-creepy and great for middle schoolers.  Some language that made me cringe
The Ghost by the Sea
Skary Childrin and the Carousel of Sorrow
The Stone Child
Coraline-Gaiman is always delightfully creepy.  A great one for younger kids who want a "scary" book
In a Dark, Dark Room
The Vengeance of the Witch Finder
The Figure in the Shadows
The House With a Clock in Its Walls-just creepy enough for 4-6th graders, IMHO.  There are more in this series. 
 
Older kids:
A Monster Calls
Rot and Ruin
The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray
Anna Dressed in Blood
The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch
Everlost
The Name of the Star
Doll Bones
The Waking: Dreams of the Dead
The Way We Fall
The Devil’s Footsteps
The Forest of Hands and Teeth-reading now-definitely really creepy!!
White Crow
13 Clocks
Eyes of the Dragon-some language and sex stuff that caught me off guard and slightly traumatized me listening to it with the kids :D
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
The Talisman-probably best for high schoolers

 

 

 

I spent all day yesterday at one of those giant amusement parks with ds, a coaster-lover. We must have logged 3 solid hrs in walking alone and another hour standing. Much fun was had by all though mine was of the vicarious kind, not being a roller-coaster kind of gal. I did do one ride at ds's request, a kiddie-coaster and getting out of the car after the ride was over proclaimed, 'well I've found my limit and it is rides for 6 year olds :lol: We both got a laugh out of that but as ds very earnestly told me, 'now you have some context for the rides I'm going on, mama' :D True enough. At any rate all this to say that arriving back last night, a shower, a meal and bed was the trajectory hence my late response to yesterday's weekly start-up.

 

Okay, to books...I finished two books last week, 'Radical Acceptance' and 'Picking Bones from Ash'. This week I'm juggling several books...'True Refuge' by Tara Brach who wrote RA, 'Emily Dickinson :: Beyond the Myth' by Patricia Serra, 'The Ivy Tree' by Mary Stewart and 'Claire of the Sea' by Edwige Danticat. I generally don't like to have more than two books going at once but somehow between books coming available at the library and audible credits and my 5/5 it's how my literary week is unfolding. I imagine I'll finish the Emily Dickinson book this week and get a good ways into Mary Stewart. We'll see how far I get with the other two.

 

Robin, I'll see what I can come up with for fairy tales. I'm not into the horror genre so fairy tales are an accessible way for me to accommodate the spooky read theme in October.

 

There are a number of posts I'd like to respond to but they'll have to wait. Time to head out soon for another commute... :driving:

 

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.  

 

 

:lol: Pesky details!  Where is that fairy godmother?!?!  I think she is MIA!i During the winter I love Hot Cinnamon Spice tea and no matter the weather I like Earl Grey de la Creme.  Mmmm.  

 

My favorite tea is Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice!!  Making a cup now as it's went from 80 something to 60 something today.  I also like Earl Grey and I love peach iced tea.  I really enjoy Teavana's blends but it never tastes the same once I get it home.  

 

 

This is AWESOME!!  I can't wait to show dh!  What fun!  And I'm a little jealous.

 

I will check in on my reading in a bit.  Though it has been pretty non-existent!  Our house is going up for sale and I've been getting the house ready for the real estate photos  :ack2:   Homeschooling (an abundance of books in particular) does not lend itself well to selling a house.  And both my dd's were in a wedding yesterday.  I've been keeping up with you all just not posting!  

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I'm still on the Terry Pratchett kick and now reading A Hat Full of Sky.

 

Finished The Perks Being a Wallflower. Loved the movie and was worried that the book will not be as good. Luckily, it wasn't the case. I found it very sweet despite all the "stuff" that was happening.

 

Due to some health problems, I've turned vegan. So, lots of books on Veganism (is that a word?).

:seeya: :)

 

So cool that you're on a Terry Pratchett kick!

 

Didn't see the movie, but I liked the book better than I thought I would.

 

Any good vegan books to share? (I'm vegetarian, but going more vegan as I get older....)

 

:w00t: on 101 books!

Finishing up The Romance of Leonardo Da Vinci. A very satisfying read, except for the overdone stereotypes of the Middle Ages, with Da Vinci personifying the Renaissance-cum-Enlightenment. It's the Whig version of history in turbodrive, though perhaps excusable in a book written in 1900. In no discernible way like the Dan Brown book on a related theme, at least from what I've heard.

 

This week I need to review Hamlet for homeschooling purposes, so I suppose that's next on the list.

Hey, thanks for doing my Da Vinci reading for me!

 

Yeah, yeah on Hamlet. We all know you really just really just want to read about a hot Danish guy. ;)

 

I did like City of Thieves, but I agree that The Siege has far greater staying power. What I liked best about Thieves was that it actually managed to be *funny* in the midst of ghastly circumstances... I can see how reading it right off of Siege might make it seem trivial (or trivializing) in comparison...

Good points. You & Jane make me want to try The Siege (but not right now) -- might have to steel myself to read that one.

I'm about to launch into a few volumes of Australian Aboriginal tales with dd. My aunt discovered three volumes of a series she had when she was a kid and has kindly lent them to me to read to dd. Some are from South Australia and I don't think I've read any of theirs before, so I'm a bit excited.

I would love to hear more about these!

O please someone vote this thread up to five stars. My finger slipped....

:toetap05: Seriously? You do that the week I have to start the thread??? :lol:

I started White Tiger, I'm enjoying it so far. I've created a picture and voice in my head for the narrator. I can see him sitting and telling me the story. (Since, at the moment, it's in the form of a letter that makes it easy to do) I'm still listening to a Signature of all Things, which has been great to listen to on my runs. The story, despite the slow pace, is engaging.

Kim, I wished we lived close enough to be in a book club together (besides this one). Love hearing what you're reading, your comments on the books.

Started reading:

The Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Is that the 2nd or 3rd one in the series?

I also finished Vampire Most Wanted by Lynsay Sands

Ohh, vampire book. Will have to look that one up...

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I will check in on my reading in a bit.  Though it has been pretty non-existent!  Our house is going up for sale and I've been getting the house ready for the real estate photos  :ack2:   Homeschooling (an abundance of books in particular) does not lend itself well to selling a house.  And both my dd's were in a wedding yesterday.  I've been keeping up with you all just not posting!  

 

Hang in there! Too bad that an abundance of books doesn't match with 'staged' houses these days. I think we would all agree that plenty of books make a house look like home! (And I'd be busy perusing your shelves! LOL.)

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Hang in there! Too bad that an abundance of books doesn't match with 'staged' houses these days. I think we would all agree that plenty of books make a house look like home! (And I'd be busy perusing your shelves! LOL.)

 

I know, right?!  And I think the bolded is one of the things they want to avoid.  She said to leave very few family pics up because people get so busy looking at pictures and trying to decide if they recognize anyone that they forget about looking at the house!  Of course, I can't box up ALL the books.  If I do that then I will have 6 empty bookshelves and that wouldn't look well in the house either  ;)

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Afternoon chicas!  Back at work today after decompressing yesterday evening.  My dad is bored all by himself in the mountains and not feeling well, so instead of staying for 4 more weeks, he is heading home.  When we left he was quite grumpy but when he called in the evening to say his friends were back from their summering in Santa Fe, he sounded happy.    I didn't take any pictures but my dad took some great ones of the lake with surrounding forest and beautiful clouds reflected in the water.  Made me want to take up painting for real.  Once he edits, he share and I'll post some. 

 

Reading a fluffy paranormal Bitten by Kelley Armstrong and working my way through Alice LePlante's Making of a Story.

 

If you are reading History of the Ancient World, this week we are on  Chapters 34 and 35.  Who is still plugging away?   Sorry to say I lost interest back in chapter 10 :leaving:

 

On 52 Books blog this weeks post is a poem by one of my favorite poets Come In by Robert Frost:

 

As I came to the edge of the woods,
Thrush music -- hark!
Now if it was dusk outside,
Inside it was dark.

Too dark in the woods for a bird
By sleight of wing
To better its perch for the night,
Though it still could sing.

The last of the light of the sun
That had died in the west
Still lived for one song more
In a thrush's breast.

Far in the pillared dark
Thrush music went --
Almost like a call to come in
To the dark and lament.

But no, I was out for stars;
I would not come in.
I meant not even if asked;
And I hadn't been.

 

 

 

 

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...and I second Stacia's (implied) request for more information.... I don't think I have any Australian Aboriginal Tales at all, and, now that my attention has been drawn to this deficit, I'd like to learn how best to remedy it.  (Which is, I know, a much broader question than getting more specifics on this title)  ...do you have any recommendations?

 

 

Start with Youtube, lol. Particularly using "quinkins" as a search term because I've just come back from seeing some of the Quinkin rock art in Queensland!

 

There is no definitive work on the subject for me to recommend, I'm afraid, so search your county library and see if, by some miracle, they have anything on the shelves.

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Stacia, it would be great to be in a book club together (IRL, I mean. )  I don't have anyone around who loves reading like I do.  I did get my dh to read Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell, as well as Wind Up Girl, both of which he loved.  But he can't keep up with my pace. It would be nice to have someone around who gets as excited and into books like all of the ladies do here. :)

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Oooh, lucky you.

 

...though I wish I could drag you back in time to join me in seeing the best possible production...

 

An interesting thought experiment is to envision the time before the play starts - Ophelia and Laertes's family life, Polonius's role in the government, and how did Claudius end up edging out Hamlet... and the role of dead King Hamlet in the kingdom and in everyone's emotional lives... he casts a very long shadow, but is it a positive one? 

 

 

 

Or I could just binge-watch Sons of Anarchy. ;)
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I have a special fondness for YA...

 

For me, it isn't less work for my brain, it is a different type of story arc... and that, w/ the exception of dystopia, there can be a more... aspirational flavor... an idealism even that is rarer in adult books... and the focus of the stories is different...

 

I have a friend who writes both adult and YA works (and some juvenile things as well), and comparing viewpoints, the flavor, the angle of view, and the overall tone fascinates me...

 

Nancy Bond's Voyage Begun (perhaps J rather than YA?) and Another Shore are two favorites. 

 

VB is set in an imagine near-future and does a beautiful job showing that time/place and its challenges from firmly within a teen viewpoint while giving a glimpse of broader issues, and with solidly, drawn three dimensional adults too...  

 

Another Shore is the best time-slip novel I've read, and I love it too much to be rational or objective about it.

 

Pamela Dean's Tam Lin is another beloved favorite. It sets a Tam Lin version on a 1960's (US) college campus, and the college piece alone is a delight.

 

 

I think Joan Slonczewski's Wall Around Eden would be shelved with YA now.  Given the current fad of YA dystopias, someone should republish this...   It is intelligent, positive, and raises interesting and challenging questions...

 

Sherwood Smith's Crown Duel is a really fun YA fantasy (for rereading I prefer the second half. It was originally split into two novels - back in the pre Harry Potter days when YA books had to be much slimmer). 

 

I'm not sure where Delia Sherman's Freedom Maze would land (YA or J), but it draws on historical fictions strands and the legacy of Nesbit and Eager.

 

Curse as Dark as Gold is a YA fairy tale retelling.

 

...an area of specialty for Robin McKinley (Beauty, Spindle's End) though her Blue Sword and Hero and the Crown are favorites as well.  ...and Sunshine did YA vampire before it became a big thing... this is another book I can't see objectively...

 

Epic - takes computer role playing gaming to another level.

 

Vivian Vande Velde, in a different way, does that with Heir Apparent

 

Dragonfly Pool - Eva Ibbotson has some funny, but forgettable younger books, but this one, Journey to the River Sea, and Star of Kazan are really well done.  (Countess Below Stairs is a YA non-fantasy book of hers that is very sweet - pushes some of the same buttons as Georgette Heyer)

 

Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn.

 

Goblin Emperor - this recently released YA fantasy is very, very well done.

 

Balance of Trade - a YA entry in the Lee/Miller Liaden universe (there's a sequel, but I haven't read it yet)

 

The Wednesday Wars - I'm a sucker for kids having their lives changed by Shakespeare....

 

Izzy Willy Nilly - I think I've read everything Cynthia Voigt has written (some I love, some I hate, some is meh), but this one has always had a special place in my heart.  A realistic 1980's teen story...

 

Alexei Panshin wrote a SFF adult series (reprinted as New Celebrations: The Anthony Villiers Adventures) which is great fun, but his best book is the YA Rite of Passage

 

Diana Wynne Jones wrote J, YA, and a few Adult titles, but some of her best books are the YA ones.  Deep Secret is a favorite, Dark Lord of Derkholm, Hexwood (one of her darkest books), and Fire and Hemlock (another Tam Lin, btw) are also all amazing.

 

Hester Burton wrote incredible YA historical fiction  (I wish someone would reissue them....): In Spite of All Terror and Beyond the Weir Bridge have always been my favorites.

 

Pauline by Margaret Storey.  Storey wrote some juvenile fantasy (fun and sweet, but very oop), a few (also sweet) younger kid books, and a handful of realisitc YA novels, of which Pauline is the best.  (Wrong Gear and Family Tree are the other two I own)

 

Sylvia Louise Engdahl wrote a few stand out YA fantasies: Enchantress from the Stars (the youngest of them), Far Side of Evil, This Star Shall Abide, Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains.. the latter two are part of a series, and a third book The Doors of the Universe was written later (and, imho, isn't as good).

 

Antonia Forest - unfortunately expensively out or print, her Mallory books (especially the ones that take place during term time) are delightful: Autumn Term is the first.  (If you like British school stories, you'll probably love these... )

 

Andrea Host: Australian YA fantasy author.  I've enthused here about And All the Stars (my favorite!).  The first book in the Touchstone trilogy is often available as a free Kindle book, and new recent Hunting would be very liked, I think, by Tamora Pierce fans. 

 

 

 

Sorry, ran out of time to put in the rest of the  links...  and sorry that this is such a random assortment... it is another off the top of my head list...

 

This is a great list! Thanks!  I'm thinking about doing a Fairy Tale/Fantasy Lit Study this year with dd and there are definitely some books I want to check out on this list. 

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Can I have a book recommendation please. I am in the mood for something Downton Abbey/upstairs downstairs-ish. Big country houses, parties and people sneaking around in those grand houses getting up to mischief. It can be perfectly silly or very dignified. I just want to escape to a different time and place but I'm not in the mood for my normal fantasy.

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Can I have a book recommendation please. I am in the mood for something Downton Abbey/upstairs downstairs-ish. Big country houses, parties and people sneaking around in those grand houses getting up to mischief. It can be perfectly silly or very dignified. I just want to escape to a different time and place but I'm not in the mood for my normal fantasy.

 

The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons. This is one of the few fiction books I read last year (before BaW) and I enjoyed it. It appears to meet your criteria...''Natasha Solomons has written a lovely, atmospheric novel full of charming characters and good, old-fashioned storytelling. Fans of Downton Abbey and Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden will absolutely adore The House at Tyneford.'' --Kristin Hannah, New York Times bestselling author

 

Another suggestion, The House at Riverton, by Kate Morton. I've not read this but it sounds like it fits the bill. From Amazon..."The House at Riverton is a gorgeous debut novel set in England between the wars. It is the story of an aristocratic family, a house, a mysterious death and a way of life that vanished forever, told in flashback by a woman who witnessed it all and kept a secret for decades."

 

Of course you could always go with the wonderful Brideshead Revisited by Waugh. I recall loving this book as well as the BBC production of it. I read it several times and watched it several times.

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Aggieamy, You know you're a book nerd when you see the tea photo and then start reading the book it is sitting on... I didn't even think about it, just tilted my head and then started laughing at myself.

 

Stacia, that's interesting that you're a vegetarian who is getting more vegan as the years pass. I went vegetarian at 11 and we were a vegetarian family up until this past January. I did a sugar detox diet which was a ton of meat, meat, meat paleo and was surprised to find that I felt better eating meat after having my fourth bio kid. My kids still mainly eat veggie.

 

Eliana, you know I'm going to have to look up Deep Secret now...

 

Violet Crown, haha. I love Sons of Anarchy.

 

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane was fantastic! I stayed up way too late reading it because I didn't get to pick it up until 10:30pm. So good. I was wigged OUT by some of it though which is weird. I read a lot of horror so things don't usually affect me but that one made my skin crawl in parts. Anansi Boys is next up. 

 

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I finished 'The Lady and the Unicorn' earlier today. The storyline overlying the fact of the tapestries was underwhelming but the tapestries themselves had a presence that permeated the book. One had the sense of their creation as unfolding the story with the characters and events surrounding their manifestation secondary. The book had me doing some research on the internet to find out a little more about them and I think perhaps if I'd had more knowledge and familiarity with them beyond having seen pictures of them off and on throughout my life I would have appreciated the story more. As it is I loved the descriptions of life in Brussels and Paris of the time and found the details of the Weavers' Guild and their art fascinating. The tapestries themselves are large and I imagine that seeing them all together would be quite something, just being in the presence of such painstaking and meticulous work infused with such beauty and delicacy and detail...




I'm not sure what I'll be reading next but possibilities that resonate currently are I am Livia, The Ivy Tree or The Hummingbird's Daughter all of which fall within one of my 5/5s.

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I just want to thank everyone here for their positive thoughts and prayers today.  My mom is being moved to a rehab facility tomorrow.  Hopefully that will help her improve physically.  

 

:grouphug: to everyone going through medical issues with their elderly parents right now.  I can't believe that so many of us are having serious situations at the same time.  I hate the fact that time and expense makes it difficult to just pop in.  At this moment the decision is to wait and see how things go from here.  Probably more useful to go when she is able to go back to her own home.

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:grouphug: to everyone going through medical issues with their elderly parents right now.  I can't believe that so many of us are having serious situations at the same time.  I hate the fact that time and expense makes it difficult to just pop in.  At this moment the decision is to wait and see how things go from here.  Probably more useful to go when she is able to go back to her own home.

 

You are wise to wait.  When my mom was first in the hospital, over a year ago, I thought I should go right away but I decided to wait and see what might happen.  I am so glad that I did.  When she had open heart surgery in March then I was able to go.  If I had gone last May, I wouldn't  have been able to afford going later on.

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