Rosie_0801 Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 The picture uploading function on this forum is evil. The shadow boxes were lovely, thanks Gals. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 I never could upload photos on the iPad, but we've had some fun birdfeeder watching around here. A troop of quaker parrots has taken to coming by our feeder at midday, though their preference for hanging upside-down while feeding makes it a bit awkward for them to get at the seeds. When not eating, they sit in the cedar elm and squawk loudly at each other. And occasionally we get visits from a red-shouldered hawk who likes to sit at the top of the tallow above the feeder. Patiently. I think "bird feeder" means something entirely different to him. It can be very hard to get lessons done when colorful birds are being entertaining right outside the window. A third of the way through Boswell. I took a break and read a Faulkner short story, "Red Leaves," which was pretty disturbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 I am grumpy at Mr. Alan Bradley! He ended Speaking From Among the Bones with a cliffhanger. :-P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Hey, for any of you gals who are on PaperbackSwap, I notice there is an Archipelago book of poetry currently available: http://www.paperbackswap.com/Even-Poems-Hugo-Hugo-Claus/book/1935744887/ I would request it (esp. because it's from a Dutch-speaking Belgian author), but I'm just not that into poetry.... FYI, here are some excerpts from his book of poetry: http://archipelagobooks.org/wp-content/uploads/EvenNow_excerpt.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 I finished 'Maids of Misfortune'. It was a light read and I enjoyed the historic descriptions of San Francisco and the fashions but I don't feel moved to read the second book in this series just yet. Yearly total is 39. Dh and I just finished watching 'The Belle of Amherst', a one-woman show about Emily Dickinson played by Julie Harris. She carried this respectably but despite all the rave 5 star reviews we both felt something was missing or else a layer was added that obscured. Nevertheless it was a stellar effort to carry a character solo for that length of time and on the whole it was an enjoyable, if partial, glimpse into the flower that is Emily Dickinson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 I just lost my post so will try again. Grrrrr I finished A Bookman's Tale by Charlie Lovett. It was highly readable but somehow missed the mark for me. http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/bookman%E2%80%99s-tale-novel-obsession. I think I didn't feel enough interest in the historical part of the book. It was a bit blah for me but not a particular point of interest either so hard to say whose fault it was. I did enjoy the current day parts of the book quite a bit and had no problem with the time shifts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 I finished Georgette Heyer's Nonesuch this morning. I liked it, but didn't love it. I'm going to try her A Civil Contract next. So much for exiting Flufferton Abbey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoseInABook Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 I may have thought the Ice Bucket Challenge was dumb until I saw Neil Gaiman stripping down to do it. *shifty eyes* Rowr. Dragging through Dead Witch Walking. Not impressed but I feel like I should finish it, as always. I'm kind of in a reading rut and feel like I should grab something new today from the to-read stack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 I finished A Bookman's Tale by Charlie Lovett. It was highly readable but somehow missed the mark for me. http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/bookman%E2%80%99s-tale-novel-obsession. I think I didn't feel enough interest in the historical part of the book. It was a bit blah for me but not a particular point of interest either so hard to say whose fault it was. I did enjoy the current day parts of the book quite a bit and had no problem with the time shifts. That's how I felt about this book. There were some good moments and I liked the main character, but it was rather blah. The first few pages really drew me in and had me excited about it, but there were only a few other tantalizingly good moments. Now the book you absolutely MUST read is I Capture the Castle. I'm simply loving it. I love Cassandra's voice, love the characters and enjoy the American characters and the different perspective they give to the story. (The audiobook's narrator switches to a quasi American accent when those characters are speaking -- it doesn't quite work, but thankfully isn't distracting.) And I love the repeated imagery of windows -- of framing scenes through windows and the different perspective windows can. I'm switching back and forth this weekend between a quintessential and nostalgic slice of English countryside and a quintessential and nostalgic slice of small town America. I've got 3 more performances of Music Man and am about half way through Meredith Willson's memoir of creating the show, But He Doesn't Know the Territory. So much of the show comes from Willson's childhood in small town Iowa -- the characters especially. I love that Willson was a piccolo player in John Phillip Sousa's band! Now for those of you who know the show and have a decent musical ear -- have you ever noticed that the melody for "76 Trombones" and "Goodnight my Someone" are the same?? Never noticed it myself til the conductor pointed it out in rehearsal. Can't believe I never noticed before I breezed through the first half of Dear Committee Members the other night. It is the epistolary novel about a very disgruntled, arrogant and clueless professor of English, all told through a collection of his letters of recommendation. It is wonderfully sarcastic snark, and as with the best satire, absolutely spot-on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 I'm kind of in a reading rut and feel like I should grab something new today from the to-read stack. Though I've finished a few books in the past couple of weeks the reading drought I mentioned a bit ago has left in its place the white, salty rime of sluggish disinterest. I'm waiting it out by listening to audio books while I knit and by reading light things purely for interest's sake rather than forging ahead with my 5/5 challenge on topics that do interest me but require a more expansive lens than my dusty, drought-residued self can muster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Now the book you absolutely MUST read is I Capture the Castle. I'm simply loving it. I love Cassandra's voice, love the characters and enjoy the American characters and the different perspective they give to the story. (The audiobook's narrator switches to a quasi American accent when those characters are speaking -- it doesn't quite work, but thankfully isn't distracting.) And I love the repeated imagery of windows -- of framing scenes through windows and the different perspective windows can. So glad you're enjoying this, Jenn. Your descriptions remind me of how I felt the first time I read it, immersing myself in that particularly English country refined-shabby atmosphere. Your comment about enjoying the window imagery sparks a memory of the descriptions of the various qualities of light of the place and how a warm, subtle glow permeated the book as a whole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoseInABook Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 I think I'm going to do Lois Lowry's Messenger and Son. I forgot I was doing a free trial of Kindle Unlimited and those are both free on there. I remember loving The Giver and Gathering Blue when I was younger. Which are also free on Kindle Unlimited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted August 23, 2014 Author Share Posted August 23, 2014 For all of you who are having a reading drought, I am finding my reread of most loved fabulous books to be most invigorating. So go reread something you really loved - Night Circus for example, hint, hint. Started reading The Lively Art of Writing with James and thoroughly enjoying it as it is giving rise to lots of discussion. I am off to the store to pick up something for my wonderful husband as it is our 17th Anniversary today! And Monday is his 55th birthday. And as I promised when we got married, neither event will ever be combined and will always be celebrated separately. So far I've kept my promise. As he is a bit under the weather today, I have to pick up something for dinner tonight. I think I'll take him to Ruth Chris steakhouse on Monday. Toodles chicas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Robin, for you & your dh.... Happy Anniversary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoseInABook Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Happy anniversary, Robin!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Happy Anniversary Robin!!! Hope you have a nice meal in tonight and a lovely dinner out on Monday. Yummy! :) Once upon a time we loved Ruth's Chris, you idea gave me a huge craving that cannot happen anytime soon. ;( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 I finished Georgette Heyer's Nonesuch this morning. I liked it, but didn't love it. I'm going to try her A Civil Contract next. So much for exiting Flufferton Abbey. But darling who would I have tea with if you left me here by myself. :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Happy Anniversary, Robin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Happy Anniversary Robin! And may I join you ladies at Flufferton for tea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Not totally book related but Steampunk theme related, last night's premiere of the new season of Dr. Who had a huge steampunk influence going on. I know a couple of you watch also just not sure when it will show in Australia and US. Just googled Australia has had their episode too. I watched several opening sequences on youtube but none were what I saw last night-- Tardis flying through clockwork. Lots of cool devices used throughout. Steampunk novels on screen, I thought a couple of BaWers might want to watch a few minutes of it just for the steampunk visuals if they have BBC America. As you can guess we liked it. ;) Dc's watched with friends so dh and I watched all by ourselves which was a bit odd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Double post, Sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 But darling who would I have tea with if you left me here by myself. :laugh: Happy Anniversary Robin! And may I join you ladies at ] I'm firmly ensconced in Flufferton Abbey with Her Royal Spyness so I shall be having tea and scones (see what I did there) with you ladies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 I don't suppose it is polite to say, "Dibs on the eclair," at Flufferton Abbey? After all the animal book talk, I decided to tackle The Bear by Faulkner, which is part of the 3-fer book I started months ago. It is better than Spotted Horses, but is a late 19th century man's rural America. No emotional expenditure seems necessary, yet. We will see what happens to the bear. It does bring home how much the world and the US has changed in just in my lifetime, yet there are still pockets of people trying to remain like the characters in the story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted August 24, 2014 Author Share Posted August 24, 2014 Link to week 35 - please continue conversation in new thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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