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Book a Week in 2014 - BW40


Robin M
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I finally got in my reading groove. What it is about some books where the pages just fly by and other books where it feels like a tough slog through sticky mud? I think it's almost certain that this quality is subjective based upon the reader, but aside from that I'm pondering just what makes it so. Sometimes I think it's even subjective on an individual level as i've sometimes struggled at first with a book and then flew through it after awhile.

 

 

I, too, am intrigued by this. For me it started with what I called a reading drought which lasted a few weeks and while the drought passed eventually I still don't feel I've refound my reading groove. I sense intention has a lot to do with it, cutting out swathes of time in order to simply read...not so easy in this day and age with so many calls on one's attention and interests. The reality is that where in the past reading was something I sank into whenever I could my life now is such that I must make conscious time to read. It's not what I might naturally gravitate towards given a few hours of uncluttered time...cleaning the house, organizing hs material, meal prep...those practical realities and necessities take precedence these days. At this point my reading is fueled less by delight and more by intention to meet my 52 in 52 goal and though that doesn't preclude enjoyment and delight that arises as I'm reading it's not what inspires my reading at this point.

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Jenn, I hope you're on to the, uh, horizon-widening musical content over on the Nerd Jokes thread....

 

 

 

Yesterday, I also read The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain (illustrations by Michael Mojher) which was a quick read that was humorous yet thought provoking.  I recommend it.

 

From the Publisher

The Diaries--written near the end of Mark Twain's life and career--are perhaps his wisest, most personal works. The wry humor we expect is matched by a heartbreaking tenderness found nowhere else in his writings. And it was only in Eve that Twain ever wrote from a woman's viewpoint. An afterword details Twain's fascination with Adam and the parallels between his own marriage and Adam and Eve as depicted in the Diaries.

 

I picked this up at my library sale earlier this year and really enjoyed it.    It's quite funny of course, which I expected; but there's also a real empathy, and attendant opened-up reading of the story, that I didn't expect.

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I enjoyed a day off yesterday reading another British detective novel, this time a Peter Diamond mystery, Upon a Dark Night.   The novel had 3 or 4 different threads going, one of which was about "detectoring" or amateurs using metal detectors in fields to search for buried Roman or Saxon treasures.  Well, the laws of reading serendipity were working this morning when I stumbled upon an article on the recent discovery in England, by an amateur using a metal detector, of one of the largest troves of Roman coins ever found.  Jane -- it all sort of points to you as you pointed me to the Diamond mystery series and of course because of your ds and his archaeological pursuits in the UK.

 

Here's the article.

Thanks for the link, Jenn. An amazing tale.

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I stayed up finishing The Giver by Lois Lowry last night.  Dh wants to see the movie, and I wanted to read the book first.  For some reason, I thought that this book was much older than it is.  Maybe it's the cover art, or maybe I associate Lois Lowry with older books.  Richard Paul Evans mentioned The Giver when we saw him at the book signing (he was talking a little about the huge rush of dystopian novels).  He seemed to think that Veronica Roth got some of her ideas from this book for her Divergent series.  I've only read Divergent, but I can see a little similarity.  Maybe there is more in the subsequent Divergent books.  I don't know.  I don't plan on reading them.  I actually felt that Harriet Parke's Agenda 21, which I read earlier this year, had more similarities.  Anyway, back to The Giver.  As with most dystopian novels I've read, I felt a sense of profound sadness, a sadness for the sameness of everyone's life (funny enough, that is the word used in the book, "The Sameness").  A sense of sadness that the people had no choice and were brainwashed into believing that their life was better that way.  Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the story and the revealing of the history and feelings as Jonas received them from The Giver, especially the colors.  That was a totally new and different concept. I felt and saw with Jonas, and I loved the writing that made that happen. As with all dystopian books that I read, the reason it is not my favorite genre, I can't help but feel apprehension that our life could quite easily slide that direction, and most would conform without realizing what they were unknowingly giving up.  I was very glad to remember today that there was another book.  The ending was a little ambiguous, and though I assumed that we were supposed to know what the ending was, I was a little put out that she couldn't just spell it out for me.  I have already requested the next book.  It has a waiting list. I feel the need to see where this story is going.  I hope it doesn't disappoint.  

 

*1 Ă¢â‚¬â€œÂ The Women of Christmas by Liz Curtis Higgs (Isarel)

*2 Ă¢â‚¬â€œÂ Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans (USA)

*3 Ă¢â‚¬â€œÂ The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis (Dusty, Narnia,)

*4 Ă¢â‚¬â€œÂ Michael Vey:  The Rise of the Elgen by Richard Paul Evans (USA/Peru)

*5 Ă¢â‚¬â€œÂ Soulless by Gail Carriger (England, BaW rec)

*6 Ă¢â‚¬â€œÂ Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley (England)

*7 Ă¢â‚¬â€œÂ A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters (12th Century, England/Wales,BaW rec)

*8 Ă¢â‚¬â€œÂ Michael Vey: Battle of the Ampere by Richard Paul Evans (Peru)

*9 - Divergent by Veronica Roth (USA)

*10 - Anna of Byzantium by Tracy Barrett (Turkey, 11th/12th Century, Dusty Book, re-read)

*11 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ Austenland by Shannon Hale (England, Dusty Book)

*12 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (Narnia)

*13 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger (England, BaW rec)

*14 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ The MagicianĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s Nephew by C.S. Lewis (Narnia)

*15 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury (England)

*16 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ Imprudent Lady by Joan Smith (England, BaW rec)

*17 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ Beorn the Proud by Madeleine Polland (Denmark, 9th Century, re-read)

*18 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan (audiobook) (USA/Italy)

*19 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ The Dead in their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley (England)

*20 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis (Narnia)

*21 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (USA, dusty book)

*22 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ The Mysterious Marquis by Eileen Ainsworth Ramsay (England/Scotland, dusty book)

*23 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ Agenda 21 by Harriet Parke and Glen Beck (USA)

*24 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ Persuasion by Jane Austen  (audiobook, England, re-read)

*25 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer (England, dusty book)

*26 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer (England)

*27 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ Mr. KnightleyĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s Diary by Amanda Grange (England, dusty book)

*28 - Classics Illustrated Macbeth (Graphic Novel) by Shakespeare (Scotland)

*29 - Inferno by Dante (14th Century, classic, BaW read along)

*30 - Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter by Nancy Atherton (England, dusty book, BaW rec)

*31 - The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah E. Ladd (England)

*32 - Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (Costa Rica, dusty book, re-read)

*33 - The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (Scotland, audiobook, BaW rec)

*34 - The Lost Sisterhood by Anne Fortier (Algeria/Greece/Turkey/England/Crete/Finland)

*35 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ Strange Capers by Joan Smith (England)

*36 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina (England, 19th Century)

*37 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ Famous Men of the Middle Ages by Rob Shearer

*38 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli (England, 14th Century, re-read)

*39 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (USA, 19th Century, classic, re-read)

*40 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson (England, 19th Century) *biggest disappointment 

*41 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

*42 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (classic)

*43 - Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (USA & Germany, Banned Book, BaW rec)

*44 - The Giver by Lois Lowry 

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If by The Alchemist, you are referring to a Paulo Coelho book, I completely understand.  Aleph ranked at the bottom of my list the year I read it!

 

I'll third that opinion. I didn't care for the Coelho book The Alchemist. Imo, it felt like he wrote it specifically to conform to the guidelines of an international bestseller with new age philosophy. I seriously cannot understand why it is such a huge bestseller.

 

Winter here.  I changed my name because I felt like it and I have a moment because I have insomnia again.  Yippee!

 

Fun name! So is Uff Da your statement on the insomnia returning? :grouphug:  that you're dealing with sleepless nights.

 

I finally got in my reading groove. What it is about some books where the pages just fly by and other books where it feels like a tough slog through sticky mud? I think it's almost certain that this quality is subjective based upon the reader, but aside from that I'm pondering just what makes it so. Sometimes I think it's even subjective on an individual level as i've sometimes struggled at first with a book and then flew through it after awhile.

 

Anyway...reading's more fun when it flies.

 

Yeah, I wonder this too.

 

I'm still working on The Debba. I like it, feel like I've been working on it forever (about a week, but to be fair, I haven't had much reading time), but then I look at it & go 'how can I only be at the halfway mark???' :huh:  I don't know if I mean that in a good way or a bad way.

 

I enjoyed a day off yesterday reading another British detective novel, this time a Peter Diamond mystery, Upon a Dark Night.   The novel had 3 or 4 different threads going, one of which was about "detectoring" or amateurs using metal detectors in fields to search for buried Roman or Saxon treasures.  Well, the laws of reading serendipity were working this morning when I stumbled upon an article on the recent discovery in England, by an amateur using a metal detector, of one of the largest troves of Roman coins ever found.  Jane -- it all sort of points to you as you pointed me to the Diamond mystery series and of course because of your ds and his archaeological pursuits in the UK.

 

Here's the article.

 

Very cool. Thanks!

 

I stayed up finishing The Giver by Lois Lowry last night.  Dh wants to see the movie, and I wanted to read the book first.  For some reason, I thought that this book was much older than it is.  Maybe it's the cover art, or maybe I associate Lois Lowry with older books.  Richard Paul Evans mentioned The Giver when we saw him at the book signing (he was talking a little about the huge rush of dystopian novels).  He seemed to think that Veronica Roth got some of her ideas from this book for her Divergent series.  I've only read Divergent, but I can see a little similarity.  Maybe there is more in the subsequent Divergent books.  I don't know.  I don't plan on reading them.  I actually felt that Harriet Parke's Agenda 21, which I read earlier this year, had more similarities.  Anyway, back to The Giver.  As with most dystopian novels I've read, I felt a sense of profound sadness, a sadness for the sameness of everyone's life (funny enough, that is the word used in the book, "The Sameness").  A sense of sadness that the people had no choice and were brainwashed into believing that their life was better that way.  Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the story and the revealing of the history and feelings as Jonas received them from The Giver, especially the colors.  That was a totally new and different concept. I felt and saw with Jonas, and I loved the writing that made that happen. As with all dystopian books that I read, the reason it is not my favorite genre, I can't help but feel apprehension that our life could quite easily slide that direction, and most would conform without realizing what they were unknowingly giving up.  I was very glad to remember today that there was another book.  The ending was a little ambiguous, and though I assumed that we were supposed to know what the ending was, I was a little put out that she couldn't just spell it out for me.  I have already requested the next book.  It has a waiting list. I feel the need to see where this story is going.  I hope it doesn't disappoint. 

 

Thanks for the detailed review, Angel. Dystopian is not my favorite genre either & though I've read various dystopian books, I've never read this one. I'd love to hear your movie review too, once you see it.

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The ending was a little ambiguous, and though I assumed that we were supposed to know what the ending was, I was a little put out that she couldn't just spell it out for me.  I have already requested the next book.  It has a waiting list. I feel the need to see where this story is going.  I hope it doesn't disappoint.  

 

 

I remember the ambiguous ending, though I remember it being a hopeful ambiguity, if there is such a thing.  Glass half full viewpoint on my part no doubt.  I didn't know there was a next book!  I'll be curious what you think.

 

Purely anecdotal story here which adds nothing to our group understanding of the The Giver, but it is a story only other homeschooling moms can understand.

 

I read The Giver several years ago while on an airplane, flying out to lend my brother support during a family crisis. He was a muckety muck for a major airline at the time, so I got to fly first class.  There I was, a mom plucked out of the daily homeschooling/mothering routine, sitting in a comfy lounge chair, reading uninterrupted for 3 hours while people brought me food and wine!!  It was so unbelievably luxurious, I could have cried out of sheer delight.  When I was later in my brother's house, trying to describe how special it was to have someone bringing me food for a change, to read uninterrupted for 3 hours, well, I was met with blank stares.  My siblings and siblings in-law had no clue what I was talking about.  My sister-in-law deadpanned "Jennifer, you need to get out more!"

 

Of course, only a homeschool mom would choose spend her 3 hours of reading time pre-reading a book she's been wanting to check into before handing it to her middle-schooler...

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Thanks for the detailed review, Angel. Dystopian is not my favorite genre either & though I've read various dystopian books, I've never read this one. I'd love to hear your movie review too, once you see it.

 

I'll let you know!  This weekend we were supposed to go to an amusement park.  However, the weather is saying 51 and rain.  Not sure about where that is going!  I'm guessing dh will want to see it next week, unless he decides he wants to read the book first too.

 

I remember the ambiguous ending, though I remember it being a hopeful ambiguity, if there is such a thing.  Glass half full viewpoint on my part no doubt.  I didn't know there was a next book!  I'll be curious what you think.

 

Purely anecdotal story here which adds nothing to our group understanding of the The Giver, but it is a story only other homeschooling moms can understand.

 

I read The Giver several years ago while on an airplane, flying out to lend my brother support during a family crisis. He was a muckety muck for a major airline at the time, so I got to fly first class.  There I was, a mom plucked out of the daily homeschooling/mothering routine, sitting in a comfy lounge chair, reading uninterrupted for 3 hours while people brought me food and wine!!  It was so unbelievably luxurious, I could have cried out of sheer delight.  When I was later in my brother's house, trying to describe how special it was to have someone bringing me food for a change, to read uninterrupted for 3 hours, well, I was met with blank stares.  My siblings and siblings in-law had no clue what I was talking about.  My sister-in-law deadpanned "Jennifer, you need to get out more!"

 

Of course, only a homeschool mom would choose spend her 3 hours of reading time pre-reading a book she's been wanting to check into before handing it to her middle-schooler...

 

Yes I agree with the bolded!  Though I still think it wouldn't have hurt to write just two more paragraphs wrapping up better.  I think your story is fabulous!  Though I've only flown a few times and seeing how bad my motion sickness is, I've never tried to read.  I told dh that maybe I would fly better first class.   :P   He was like  :glare:

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I, too, am intrigued by this. For me it started with what I called a reading drought which lasted a few weeks and while the drought passed eventually I still don't feel I've refound my reading groove. I sense intention has a lot to do with it, cutting out swathes of time in order to simply read...not so easy in this day and age with so many calls on one's attention and interests. The reality is that where in the past reading was something I sank into whenever I could my life now is such that I must make conscious time to read. It's not what I might naturally gravitate towards given a few hours of uncluttered time...cleaning the house, organizing hs material, meal prep...those practical realities and necessities take precedence these days. At this point my reading is fueled less by delight and more by intention to meet my 52 in 52 goal and though that doesn't preclude enjoyment and delight that arises as I'm reading it's not what inspires my reading at this point.

Interesting.

 

I went through a time period after the death of someone close to me where I could not read by myself. It scared me, especially since reading is both a huge part of my academic life and it was a way I would relax at night to sleep.

 

I took up knitting and that helped a lot with the night time sleep issues.

 

I never did lose the ability to read out loud (to my kids). Which was interesting to me. Is reading aloud that much different than reading silently? There was a year I lost to any sort of private reading, whether for academics or pleasure. Just no focus there.

 

Kay Redfield Jamison talks about losing the ability to read academic articles/texts during her worst moments of manic depression in An Unquiet Mind. However, she continued to read children's books (eg The Wind in the Willows). She clung to the children's books because it gave her hope that the ability to read academic works would return.

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I read Megan Abbott's The Fever last night and it was a good ride! Not terribly impressive but enough that it kept my attention. I picked up the first three in Dean Koontz' Frankenstein series and I'm not really feeling Prodigal Son. I also grabbed The Historian. I want something that is going to scare the pants off of me and I haven't found it yet. My brother recommended Clive Barker but my library didn't have Damnation Game which is what he said to get first.

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Thank you! I just put the William Granger Ryan translation of the latter in my Amazon cart. Before I purchase, I wondered if you had any comments on translations.

 

The Ryan translation is the one I have; it was the one the bookstore happened to have. Sorry not to have any better information than that.

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More photos for you.  How's this for a library?

 

15228544150_e35cba4516_z.jpg

 

The Strahov Monastery near the castle complex in Prague has a Baroque library that one can peer into from the door unless you are smart like the people in the photo and arrange for a private tour. We were unaware that this possibility existed.  Pictured is the Theological Hall.  There is a second equally glorious space, the Philosophical Hall, as well as an 18th century Cabinet of Curiosities with an insect collection, bones and dessicated animals.

 

The monastery is operated by an order with which I was unfamiliar, the Premonstratensians.  Their church (Church of the Assumption of Our Lady) contains an organ that Mozart supposedly played when he was in Prague.  And here is another travel tip for you. We visited the monastery on Sunday morning which meant that our walk through the monastery's art gallery was accompanied by organ music from the church service next door. The Strahov Gallery contains an amazing collection of medieval art.

 

On to KutnĂƒÂ¡ Hora, a former silver mining town to the east of Prague.  The magnitude of some of these buildings is hard to capture. The former Jesuit monastery in KutnĂƒÂ¡ Hora is now an art museum, the GASK.

 

15228739097_cca23d71cf.jpg

 

The spires beyond the GASK belong to the Gothic Saint Barbara's Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  I had read that morning about VC's husband's incident so I lit a candle for him at Saint Barbara's.

 

15392298226_22804c44b6_z.jpg

 

To my rear are frescoes of miners and coin makers.  From the central aisle, one's eye goes upward to the vault.

 

15228746557_30a212a0f4_z.jpg

 

During the Middle Ages, this was a wealthy town because of the silver beneath it. We toured the medieval silver mine--not for the claustrophobic. 

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More photos for you.  How's this for a library?

 

15228544150_e35cba4516_z.jpg

 

The Strahov Monastery near the castle complex in Prague has a Baroque library that one can peer into from the door unless you are smart like the people in the photo and arrange for a private tour. We were unaware that this possibility existed.  Pictured is the Theological Hall.  There is a second equally glorious space, the Philosophical Hall, as well as an 18th century Cabinet of Curiosities with an insect collection, bones and dessicated animals.

 

The monastery is operated by an order with which I was unfamiliar, the Premonstratensians.  Their church (Church of the Assumption of Our Lady) contains an organ that Mozart supposedly played when he was in Prague.  And here is another travel tip for you. We visited the monastery on Sunday morning which meant that our walk through the monastery's art gallery was accompanied by organ music from the church service next door. The Strahov Gallery contains an amazing collection of medieval art.

 

On to KutnĂƒÂ¡ Hora, a former silver mining town to the east of Prague.  The magnitude of some of these buildings is hard to capture. The former Jesuit monastery in KutnĂƒÂ¡ Hora is now an art museum, the GASK.

 

15228739097_cca23d71cf.jpg

 

The spires beyond the GASK belong to the Gothic Saint Barbara's Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  I had read that morning about VC's husband's incident so I lit a candle for him at Saint Barbara's.

 

15392298226_22804c44b6_z.jpg

 

To my rear are frescoes of miners and coin makers.  From the central aisle, one's eye goes upward to the vault.

 

15228746557_30a212a0f4_z.jpg

 

During the Middle Ages, this was a wealthy town because of the silver beneath it. We toured the medieval silver mine--not for the claustrophobic. 

 

Oh.my.word, Jane... that library!!!  

 

When we were in Wales years ago, we toured a coal mine.  Not for the claustrophobic or the faint of heart.  My kids were totally traumatized by the guide's rather breezy descriptions of kids their age being chained to the doors in total darkness for 10-hour shifts so they could open and close them for the horses carting the coal to the rails.   :crying:   And the horses went down once and remained there for life because they soon went in the dark and therefore were useless anywhere else.

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Jane, this is so much fun! I sit here with my kabocha squash--cannot get enough of this wonderful vegetable these days--and piece of grilled chicken, the dog breathing hopefully and hotly(!) at my arm as I accompany you across the Czech republic. The pictures are stunning, the narrative engaging and the tour guide so generous with her lens.

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Stacia, thank you for mentioning Love Burns. Just finished it.

 

Even though the author's style was driving me crazy (holy run on sentences!), I enjoyed reading it. Mostly because I went to school in Haifa and it was fun to recognize so many street names and landmarks. And the characters were so...so Israeli! His mother, the scene in the nursing home, the neighbor...

 

Good find! :thumbup1:

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I've been thinking more on my post about my wavering interest in reading. I gather, from everyone else's prodigious reading and general enthusiasm, that I'm in the minority. And that's fine, it's a good country to hang out in every now and then. But for me this speaks to an underlying question of making time to slow down, pay attention, drop in. That I must do this now, be intentional in my aspiration to shift my gaze, to allow the ellipse of an elapse is how I'm currently framing it, is an ongoing theme in my life. It doesn't necessarily come naturally to me requiring equal parts intention and heart (more and more I wonder, is there a discernible difference between these two?) It asks both a narrowing and widening of my lens--widening it to allow the mind enough expanse to settle and embrace and narrowing it enough to be able to become intimate with the page or moment or breath at hand.

I seem to have lost that natural inclination wrt books for the moment--and I do feel it as the physicality of inclination, a literal 'bending towards' on the part of the consciousness, a listening and receiving on the part of the soul. And this is where intention comes in so beautifully, taking me by the hand and guiding me towards my goal of 52 in 52. 'Remember', it whispers, softly on those days I'm feeling spacious, grudgingly on days I feel more contracted. In short my disinterest in following a narrative on the page has nothing to do with books. When I pull back into a more expanded view I see a wider theme emerging to do with consciousness and subjectivity and not only the dance between these two but the landscape upon which this dance arises.

All that being said, intention has kept me on the straight and narrow while my heart, that beautifully wayward child, goes off on its own explorations far past the place in the horizon where blue becomes blue. So this week I'm almost half-way through 'The Ivy Tree' and feel it finally taking shape. And 'Gemini' is a peculiarly compelling story that has me wondering a)why I chose such an 'outside-my-genre' mystery and b)how will it all play out. And with intention at the helm I'm eagerly anticipating 'Gaudy Night' but must get through the two above-mentioned books before immersing myself in that realm.

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Stacia, thank you for mentioning Love Burns. Just finished it.

 

Even though the author's style was driving me crazy (holy run on sentences!), I enjoyed reading it. Mostly because I went to school in Haifa and it was fun to recognize so many street names and landmarks. And the characters were so...so Israeli! His mother, the scene in the nursing home, the neighbor...

 

Good find! :thumbup1:

 

Yay! So glad you liked it. (I found it because it was published by Europa & I like reading their books.) It's neat to know that it was accurate in location & character too. Lol. I know very little about Israel & would love to hear more, if you're interested in sharing.

 

Also, you might enjoy the book I'm reading now, The Debba.

 

Publishers Weekly

 

Sharp, biting prose distinguishes this first novel from Israeli author Mandelman (Talking to the Enemy, a story collection). In 1977, David Starkman returns from selfimposed exile in Canada to his native Israel after learning of the murder of his warhero father, Isser, the owner of a shoe shore. The killer stabbed Isser in the heart with one of Isser's own knives, then mutilated his body. Isser's will includes an unusual provision--that within 45 days, a controversial play he'd written, The Debba, whose title refers to "an enigmatic Arab hyena that can walk like a man" and which had only been performed once, three decades earlier, be staged. David, who once belonged to an elite Israeli army unit responsible for carrying out targeted assassinations in "times of non-war," decides to stick around to fulfill his father's request, despite opposition from those who believe the play is subversive. The author deftly blends a murder mystery with a nuanced examination of the intransigent Israeli-Arab conflict.

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I remember the ambiguous ending, though I remember it being a hopeful ambiguity, if there is such a thing.  Glass half full viewpoint on my part no doubt.  I didn't know there was a next book!  I'll be curious what you think.

 

Purely anecdotal story here which adds nothing to our group understanding of the The Giver, but it is a story only other homeschooling moms can understand.

 

I read The Giver several years ago while on an airplane, flying out to lend my brother support during a family crisis. He was a muckety muck for a major airline at the time, so I got to fly first class.  There I was, a mom plucked out of the daily homeschooling/mothering routine, sitting in a comfy lounge chair, reading uninterrupted for 3 hours while people brought me food and wine!!  It was so unbelievably luxurious, I could have cried out of sheer delight.  When I was later in my brother's house, trying to describe how special it was to have someone bringing me food for a change, to read uninterrupted for 3 hours, well, I was met with blank stares.  My siblings and siblings in-law had no clue what I was talking about.  My sister-in-law deadpanned "Jennifer, you need to get out more!"

 

Of course, only a homeschool mom would choose spend her 3 hours of reading time pre-reading a book she's been wanting to check into before handing it to her middle-schooler...

:lol:   Sounds like heaven to me!

 

I had really, really awful nightmares last night, so I'm going to look for something less stressful to read for a few days.  I'm not sure what yet.

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Interesting.

 

I went through a time period after the death of someone close to me where I could not read by myself. It scared me, especially since reading is both a huge part of my academic life and it was a way I would relax at night to sleep.

 

I took up knitting and that helped a lot with the night time sleep issues.

 

I never did lose the ability to read out loud (to my kids). Which was interesting to me. Is reading aloud that much different than reading silently? There was a year I lost to any sort of private reading, whether for academics or pleasure. Just no focus there.

 

Kay Redfield Jamison talks about losing the ability to read academic articles/texts during her worst moments of manic depression in An Unquiet Mind. However, she continued to read children's books (eg The Wind in the Willows). She clung to the children's books because it gave her hope that the ability to read academic works would return.

hi, great you could drop in. Reading aloud takes more energy I think because I have a tendency to do voices or keep stopping to make sure whom I am Reading to understands. Even if one is reading out loud to oneself, we are exerting energy. Sorry, too psychological. Now I'm getting interrupted by kid and hubby destroying my focus so I'm off. Welcome and hope to 'see' you again.

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Today I finished the contemporary romance Never Been Kissed (The Boys of Bishop) by Molly O'Keefe which I enjoyed.  

 

"As the daughter of a wealthy politician, Ashley Montgomery has had enough of her parentsĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ expectations for her future and is going her own way, volunteering to work at a refugee camp in Africa. But her act of charity turns dangerous when she takes a boat trip and is abducted by Somali pirates. Enter Brody Baxter, who was a bodyguard for the Montgomery family ten years ago and doesnĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t think twice about coming to AshleyĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s rescue. Handsome and tough, Brody has always done what needed to be done. So he swoops in, saves Ashley, and brings her to a place where she can rest and recuperate without the glare of the press and her demanding family: BrodyĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s small hometown of Bishop, Arkansas. But Ashley soon realizes that sheĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s not the only one in need of healing.
 
Holed up with Ashley in a tiny apartment over his brotherĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s bar in Bishop, Brody is tempted and torn in ways he never anticipated. Beautiful Ashley, vibrant despite her ordeal, fearless enough to love him beyond his wall of self-punishment, is now determined to save him. But with a little faith and a lot of love, they just may find happiness in each othersĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ arms." 

 

It's the second book in a series but it can stand alone.  It does have some adult content.

 

Regards,

Kareni

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I finished one of the many books on my nightstand.  

 

The Final Solution by Michael Chabon.  I hated it.  It was for a book club so I couldn't quit like I normally would have.  I adore Sherlock Holmes so I expected that this little novella would be a fun new peek into Sherlock's world but I hated how he was portrayed.  To me Sherlock is almost a super hero in his own way - super human intelligence, master of disguises, strong.  In this book he was an old man and we kept being reminded that he was old and not as clever and decrepit and so on.  No!  That's now how I ever want to see Sherlock.  I want him clever and full of energy and with Watson by his side.  

 

Moving day is now a week away and it's starting to feel hectic.  Especially because my parents, aunt, and younger brother have been at my house for the last four days for my grandmother's funeral.  We buried my grandmother on Monday and everyone left to go back home.  My house has been like a flop house with three people to a room and every available sleeping surface having a warm body on it at night.  I am just exhausted between entertaining and driving to Arkansas for the actual funeral and I kinda miss my parents already.  

 

But ...

 

Things were getting back to normally, which is great because I have a project deadline I'm behind on since I've had family out of town and it has to be done before we move.

 

Then ...

 

Last night DH got a call from his aunt that his brother in Hawaii had died.  They weren't close because his brother had problems with drugs and DH had made a point of breaking off contact after both his parents died a few years ago.  My niece (early 20's) hadn't heard from her father for two weeks so she and a friend went over to check on him at his apartment.  She found him.  After two weeks.  They're going to have to use dental records to identify him.  He wasn't listed on niece's birth certificate so she's legally not the closest relative ... my DH is.  It's just crazy.  Today DH found out that the police have been interviewing people at the apartment complex because the medical examiner found something that looks like a wound.  

 

Unreal.

 

Please don't quote.  I'll probably delete this in awhile since we don't know what's really going on yet and I might have second thoughts about putting all this out there if there really is a murder investigation.  

 

Unreal!!!

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Jane - Looks like a lovely lovely trip.  How did you decide to travel there?  I'm sorry if you already mentioned it ... I haven't been following the threads as closely as I like to lately.

 

VC - Hope your DH is doing better.  

 

Dawn -  Thanks for the heads up that more Joan Smith novels are being added to amazon.  I downloaded both of them.  Eventually I'll even read them.  

 

Pam - Honey with honeycomb is now on my shopping list thanks to you.  

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Kirkus Reviews has started a new prize & finalists have been announced...

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/lists/2014-kirkus-prize-finalists/

Interesting list. Several of these books sound so interesting. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters is one that I gave up on recently for no other reason than it was moving really slow and I have read so many wartime Britain books this year......

 

While on the award list I clicked on this list https://www.kirkusreviews.com/lists/9-bestsellers-you-didnt-know-you-would/ I have read and enjoyed a couple of these already. Just requested a couple more.

 

 

I've been thinking more on my post about my wavering interest in reading. I gather, from everyone else's prodigious reading and general enthusiasm, that I'm in the minority. And that's fine, it's a good country to hang out in every now and then. But for me this speaks to an underlying question of making time to slow down, pay attention, drop in. That I must do this now, be intentional in my aspiration to shift my gaze, to allow the ellipse of an elapse is how I'm currently framing it, is an ongoing theme in my life. It doesn't necessarily come naturally to me requiring equal parts intention and heart (more and more I wonder, is there a discernible difference between these two?) It asks both a narrowing and widening of my lens--widening it to allow the mind enough expanse to settle and embrace and narrowing it enough to be able to become intimate with the page or moment or breath at hand.

I seem to have lost that natural inclination wrt books for the moment--and I do feel it as the physicality of inclination, a literal 'bending towards' on the part of the consciousness, a listening and receiving on the part of the soul. And this is where intention comes in so beautifully, taking me by the hand and guiding me towards my goal of 52 in 52. 'Remember', it whispers, softly on those days I'm feeling spacious, grudgingly on days I feel more contracted. In short my disinterest in following a narrative on the page has nothing to do with books. When I pull back into a more expanded view I see a wider theme emerging to do with consciousness and subjectivity and not only the dance between these two but the landscape upon which this dance arises.

All that being said, intention has kept me on the straight and narrow while my heart, that beautifully wayward child, goes off on its own explorations far past the place in the horizon where blue becomes blue. So this week I'm almost half-way through 'The Ivy Tree' and feel it finally taking shape. And 'Gemini' is a peculiarly compelling story that has me wondering a)why I chose such an 'outside-my-genre' mystery and b)how will it all play out. And with intention at the helm I'm eagerly anticipating 'Gaudy Night' but must get through the two above-mentioned books before immersing myself in that realm.

I am also finding that I have problems focusing these days. The only time when I really get a lot read is the middle of the night which I don't recommend to anyone. This means books from overdrive are getting read and hard copies sit in piles. Lately I have been returning the harder reads from the piles without even starting them. :( The fast pace I was reading at the start of the year is no longer happening. Not sure where I want to spend my free time. My interest in quilting seems to be returning from long ago and knitting I now find boring. Not sure what is happening to me. This is a very long winded version of I understand a bit of your search.

 

For many years I was a woman reading a huge stack of read alouds to my dc's with miltary precision. Somewhere between 20 and 40 pages a day per book covering all sorts of subjects. I normally had a book for me happening at the same time and a knitting project or two with completion deadlines tthat may have been self imposed but I was finishing them happily.

 

I have completely lost the track of what I am writing. Dh is laying beside me reading me the lastest on ebola in Dallas and other horrifying headlines.....my main point was I seem to have lost the trail I was following lately also and am searching.

 

 

Jane, I love all those fabulous ceilings....I am the person looking up when I walk into a new room in a historic building. Please keep the pictures coming...

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Oh.my.word, Jane... that library!!!  

 

When we were in Wales years ago, we toured a coal mine.  Not for the claustrophobic or the faint of heart.  My kids were totally traumatized by the guide's rather breezy descriptions of kids their age being chained to the doors in total darkness for 10-hour shifts so they could open and close them for the horses carting the coal to the rails.   :crying:   And the horses went down once and remained there for life because they soon went in the dark and therefore were useless anywhere else.

 

Life in the silver mines was similar.  Veins of the metal were small so miners relied on all of their senses to find them. At one point of the tour, we gathered near a ventilation column (a slightly larger space that could hold our group of fifteen) where we all turned off our lamps.  This was the only time I felt claustrophobic.  Not with bending to move through some of the shorter tunnels, not with crab walking to get through the narrow.  Being underground in pitch black was frightening!

 

There was a Russian guy in front of me who opted out on the battery lantern provided and instead had a super strong mag light.  I was so grateful!  I could look around while keeping my lantern focused on the ground in front of me. 

 

The Silver Museum provides white jackets and hard hats.  I needed the latter as I banged my head on the rock ceiling more than once.

 

Jane - Looks like a lovely lovely trip.  How did you decide to travel there?  I'm sorry if you already mentioned it ... I haven't been following the threads as closely as I like to lately.

 

Amy, sending you big hugs.  I could not "like" your post due to content, but want you to know that you have plenty of shoulders to cry on around here should you need to.  Or just a sounding board for articulating frustrations.

 

Why the Czech Republic?  I had once passed through the former Czechoslovakia, back in its Communist days when I was a poor student traveling from Vienna to Krakow (Poland).  I had a transit visa but was not allowed to exit the train; further, the board crossing guard gave me more grief than necessary for the situation.  (As one Czech woman recently noted to me, "It was a difficult time.") 

 

Recent events in Crimea suggest that history may repeat itself.  The cynic in me said this is the time to go to Eastern Europe before that happens.

 

The reality though is that we are now empty nesters.  Not only has my son graduated from college, he is gainfully employed. Time to hit the road!

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From the essay "Preparations" in Karel Ă„Å’apek's classic, The Gardener's Year:

 

 

Leaves wither because winter begins; but they also wither because spring is already beginning, because new buds are being made, as tiny as percussion caps out of which the spring will crack.  It is an optical illusion that trees and bushes are naked in autumn; they are, in fact,sprinkled over with everything that will unpack and unroll in spring.  It is only an optical illusion that my flowers die in autumn; for in reality they are born. We say that Nature rests, yet she is working like mad.  She has only shut up shop and pulled the shutters down; but behind them she is unpacking new goods, and the shelves are becoming so full that they bend under the load.  This is the real spring; what is not done now will not be done in April.  The future is not in front of us for it is here already in the shape of a germ; already it is with us; and what is not with us will not be even in the future...Sometimes we seem to smell of decay, encumbered by the faded remains of the past...how many seeds germinate in secret; how many old plants draw themselves together and concentrate into a living bud, which one day will burst into flowering life--if we could only see that secret swarming of the future within us, we should say that our melancholy and distrust is silly and absurd, and that the best thing of all is to be a living man--that is, a man who grows.

 

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Just returned from a visit to my library and a fun stack of books. I was standing there chatting with 2 of our 3 remaining librarians who have become really good friends. I can't officially volunteer yet, long story, but fully trained and was watching them process the interlibrary loans. I needed to leave but I knew the book on the very bottom of the pile was mine, I really wanted it and finally asked for it. It turned out in that stack of 12 we each had a book we were waiting for and had spotted with eagle eyes. One comment was "It's just like Christmas!" :lol: Book lovers are wonderful! They went on to tell me what a special stack that really was because someone(no names) was rather anxiously waiting for every book in it. Most stacks are not that looked forward to.

 

Since someone will wonder.....

 

The Novice's Tale by Margaret Frazer was the book

 

The House at Midnight by Lucie Whitehouse on a Spooky list I read

 

Death in Elysium by Judith Cutler, my librarian friend highly recommends her historical series

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As some of you may know we live in an area where coal mining was one of the main industries for many years. Still have a few operating mines even. The ground is so riddled with mines you receive a survey and take out insurance when buying property. Our house supposedly has no mines underneath and that may be true because of our proximity to our 900 year old church. Mining has always been prohibited under churches here. We still have the insurance but hopefully will never need it. A friend in a nearby village had their yard sink a bit recently. Churches literally sit on a pedestal of coal, ds would tell you it is limestone within an inch of the surface after experiencing his new employment last week. Two hours to dig a 15 inch hole in the churchyard. There is a reason dh said he would supervise. ;)

 

If you ever get a chance the National Mining Museum has a fascinating tour that is not as claustrophobic as others I have been on. The mine was active through the eighties and it feels much safer. Imo. Former employees take you down.

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Life in the silver mines was similar. Veins of the metal were small so miners relied on all of their senses to find them. At one point of the tour, we gathered near a ventilation column (a slightly larger space that could hold our group of fifteen) where we all turned off our lamps. This was the only time I felt claustrophobic. Not with bending to move through some of the shorter tunnels, not with crab walking to get through the narrow. Being underground in pitch black was frightening!

 

There was a Russian guy in front of me who opted out on the battery lantern provided and instead had a super strong mag light. I was so grateful! I could look around while keeping my lantern focused on the ground in front of me.

 

The Silver Museum provides white jackets and hard hats. I needed the latter as I banged my head on the rock ceiling more than once.

This reminds me of our explorations of various underground caves in Hawaii on the Big Island. Our friend, who knew of all the non-tourist and local sites, took us to one deep in the earth. We had to crawl on our bellies at one point. No light except our torches. When we got to a place we could stand we turned them off and sang into the darkness holding hands and experiencing the reality of appreciation for simple connection amidst utter darkness. We did several cave tours but this one required the most intrepidness.

 

Truth be told when we were about a third of the way in I declared that I was done and couldn't cope with the lack of light, the close air and small space. Dh declared he was fascinated and was going on which left me with three choices, stay there and wait for folks to return, go back to the entrance 'by myself' or push on. I chose the latter though not too willingly :lol: In the end though I was very glad I did. It was an amazingly chthonic experience.

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This reminds me of our explorations of various underground caves in Hawaii on the Big Island. Our friend, who knew of all the non-tourist and local sites, took us to one deep in the earth. We had to crawl on our bellies at one point. No light except our torches. When we got to a place we could stand we turned them off and sang into the darkness holding hands and experiencing the reality of appreciation for simple connection amidst utter darkness. We did several cave tours but this one required the most intrepidness.

 

Truth be told when we were about a third of the way in I declared that I was done and couldn't cope with the lack of light, the close air and small space. Dh declared he was fascinated and was going on which left me with three choices, stay there and wait for folks to return, go back to the entrance 'by myself' or push on. I chose the latter though not too willingly :lol: In the end though I was very glad I did. It was an amazingly chthonic experience.

 

(shukriyya's been waiting for months now for the opportunity to use the word "chthonic."  Y'all have made her very happy.   :lol: )

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(shukriyya's been waiting for months now for the opportunity to use the word "chthonic." Y'all have made her very happy. :lol: )

:lol: :lol:

 

I must say I do love the word and rarely does a situation present itself in which I can use it though I do have an ongoing relationship with it. Here was an instance where the quality itself was being physically experienced. Not for the faint of heart I might add ;)

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This reminds me of our explorations of various underground caves in Hawaii on the Big Island. Our friend, who knew of all the non-tourist and local sites, took us to one deep in the earth. We had to crawl on our bellies at one point. No light except our torches. When we got to a place we could stand we turned them off and sang into the darkness holding hands and experiencing the reality of appreciation for simple connection amidst utter darkness. We did several cave tours but this one required the most intrepidness.

 

Truth be told when we were about a third of the way in I declared that I was done and couldn't cope with the lack of light, the close air and small space. Dh declared he was fascinated and was going on which left me with three choices, stay there and wait for folks to return, go back to the entrance 'by myself' or push on. I chose the latter though not too willingly :lol: In the end though I was very glad I did. It was an amazingly chthonic experience.

 

I had to look that one up!  

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug: Double hugs, Amy, for all you are experiencing!

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My sympathies, Amy, to  you and to others experiencing life challenges now.

 

I went on a tour of a silver mine once in Carson City, California, if I recall correctly.  After that and a cavern tour in the gold country of California, I now bow out of underground explorations.  I can start listing just standing around above ground; I don't need to add lack of air, space, and light to the equation!

 

Regards,

Kareni

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(shukriyya's been waiting for months now for the opportunity to use the word "chthonic."  Y'all have made her very happy.   :lol: )

 

 

I had to look that one up!  

 

 

I had a sense of the word, being up on HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu. But it did send me to an etymological dictionary as I was wondering which came first, the adjective or the monster.   There may have been no connection between the two words in Lovecraft's mind, anyway, as the tentacled one was inhabiting an underwater city when first introduced.  

 

We're planning on exploring some lava tubes on the Big Island on our next trip so I too will get chthonic bragging rights!  

 

 

 

Many hugs to you, Amy, and your family.  To have so much pile on top of moving house is unreal.  {{{hugs}}}

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Amy, I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother & your bil too. Sending many hugs for you & your family.

 

I thought you were just being quiet because of the move. What a trying & sad time you've had to go through on top of the move. How is your niece doing? What a horrible scene to have to find.

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I had a sense of the word, being up on HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu. But it did send me to an etymological dictionary as I was wondering which came first, the adjective or the monster.   There may have been no connection between the two words in Lovecraft's mind, anyway, as the tentacled one was inhabiting an underwater city when first introduced. 

 

Well, I had to look up the word, but it did immediately bring Cthulhu to mind for me too :lol: -- probably because I've got H.P. Lovecraft on the brain as I'm considering reading Necronomicon for part of spooky October....

 

Speaking of spooky, it looks like The British Library will have a great exhibit starting tomorrow. Wish I could make it there!

Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination

 

An article about the exhibit.

 

 

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Amy, how ghastly. I can't imagine. Prayers for you and your family, particularly the niece. May the Lord grant her father peace and rest.

 

Jane, more beautiful photos! And thank you for your thoughtfulness. St Barbara is the patron of mathematicians (via her patronage of artillery units), so I presume she provides some backup coverage for St Catherine over dh.

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Amy, how ghastly. I can't imagine. Prayers for you and your family, particularly the niece. May the Lord grant her father peace and rest.

 

Jane, more beautiful photos! And thank you for your thoughtfulness. St Barbara is the patron of mathematicians (via her patronage of artillery units), so I presume she provides some backup coverage for St Catherine over dh.

 

We were told repeatedly that Saint Barbara is the patron saint of miners.  No one mentioned mathematicians!  I feel that this important tidbit was purposely withheld to prevent me from posing with statuary.

 

 

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We were told repeatedly that Saint Barbara is the patron saint of miners. No one mentioned mathematicians! I feel that this important tidbit was purposely withheld to prevent me from posing with statuary.

The combination of being imprisoned by her father in a tower, and her father being killed by a thunderbolt blast in punishment, made her the patron of miners: that is, the kind that dug underground and blew up towers. (And which incidentally is the source of a tarot card with the image of a tower struck by lightning.) Quickly this extended to anyone who worked with gunpowder or artillery and any type of miner, and the image of the tower now often resembles a cannon. Barbara is the saint for all guys who like to blow things up, and those who crunch the numbers to help them blow things up. When in a holy cause, naturally.

 

Book-related: While I am enjoying The Bostonians, I am surprised and annoyed by how typo-ridden this Everyman edition is. They are usually very good at editing.

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