Book a Week in 2014 - BW41

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday, dear hearts!  Today is the start of week 41 in our quest to read 52 Books. Welcome back to all our readers, to all those who are just joining in and to all who are following our progress. Mr. Linky is all set up on the 52 Books blog to link to your reviews. The link is below in my signature.

 

52 Books Blog -  New York Times Best Seller List:   Decided it was time to revisit the best seller list.   I'm always on the look out for unique or interesting book lists and periodically turn to Hawes Publications which lists every  New York Times Bestseller from the year 1950 until the present.  You can look up which fiction and non fictions books were published and on the best seller list for the year, month and week you were born. Or when your children were born or the year you got married.  So many ways to play with the list.   This time round I decided to go with every ten years and see what books are on the list that I already have read or have, but not yet read. 

 

I959

 

Dear and Glorious Physician by Taylor Caldwell

 

 

1969 

 

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

 

1979

 

The Last Enchantment by Mary Stewart 

 

1989

 

Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco

 

1999

 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

 

2009

 

Heat Wave by Richard Castle 

 

I've read them all except for Eco's book which is sitting front and center on my bookshelf pleading to be read.  The rest may deserve a reread but I'll save that for next year. 

 

So check out the lists, find your birth date, one of your loved ones birth dates, or any special date you can devise and pick out one of the books to read.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

History of the Ancient World:  Chapters 54 and 55 (13 more weeks and 30 chapters to go) Yes it is possible to finish it by December 31)  Three cheers for all who are sticking in there. 

 

 

Quick mini challenge for the week.   Ask your kiddos what fiction book they think you should read this week.  Mine just said Master and Commander  which I did start a while ago but then got sidetracked.  So putting it on the bed side stand to continue reading. 

 

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

Link to week 40

[Robin M]

In the stack to read this week: Maria Alexander's Mr. Wicker,  J.D. Robb's Calculated in Death and now Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander.

 

This month writing craft study - on chapter three of Alice LePlante's Making of a Story.  And the bug is biting for me to do NaNoWriMo again in November.  A shiny new idea is percolating in the back of my brain.

[Robin M]

Ah, the Kindle controversy...  here are some of the tradeoffs I have observed, Jane my Luddite... I mean, classic friend:

 

Pros:

 

1.  Lighter - better for chunksters and awesome for plane travel

2.  Can read in bed without making your husband crazy

3.  As you noted, the built-in dictionary, particularly when you're reading authors shukriyya's recommended...

4.  You can read library books on them without ever leaving the house to pick them up, and they disappear, poof! when the term is up, so you never accrue library fines

5.  You can often get free samples of the first part of the book from Amazon (I expect B&N and others do the same thing)

6.  If you decide to buy a book, you can choose whatever edition is cheapest, paperback or kindle

7.  If you decide to buy a book on Kindle, it's in your greedy little hands within seconds; you needn't wait for the Fedex guy

8.  If your children are also reading the book, you can borrow or buy a single copy, and all read it on your separate gizmos (this was very helpful to us the year we spent traveling)

9.  If you have an emergent or slow reader, you can use the text-to-speech feature -- it's just a computer program, but it's a pretty good one, and in the early days my son used it a lot

10.  You can CHANGE THE FONT to whatever your aging eyes need.

11.  Your son won't lose the book, or leave it in his locker when he's supposed to read it for class.

 

 

Cons:

 

1.  Well.  It's a gizmo.  Gizmos are no substitute for books.

2.  Poor choice for the bathtub.

3.  No beautiful covers!

4.  It's not nearly as easy, or as satisfying to annotate e-books.  Yes, there are various widgets.  It's not as good.

5.  You can't easily lend the book, or pass it on if you know you're done, or donate it to the library sale.

 

So I definitely use both.  If my library has a book that I mean to read on Kindle, I'll get it that way (and if I thereafter decide I want to own it, then I do so).  If a book is a novel that I'm pretty sure I'll read once and then be ready to pass on, I'll get it in whatever form is cheapest.  If it's something that I know I'll want to mark up, I get it in hard form.  If I need it RIGHT NOW, usually because it's for book group that's to take place the day after tomorrow, I get it on Kindle.

 Yes, those are all great pros and cons.  The number one reason for going with an ereader was the travel factor and not having to carry around pounds of books.  Tired of paying the over weight fee at the airport, not to mention, having to lug them around.  I became completely addicted to my ipad, loving the fact I had both kindle and nook apps, as well as other apps available to read any story I wanted.  After a while started to miss the smell and feel and act of reading a book.  Since I've been doing my J.D.Robb reread of the In Death series, find myself back to preferring real books over the ebooks.   Also broke myself of the habit of immediately buying a book or downloading all the freebies just because I could.  Too many books, too many choices which just overloads my brain.    And shukriyya's post about all the parents hanging out doing their thing brought to mind that I miss spying on what people are reading whenever we are out and about.

[Butter]

I have a pile of paper books waiting to be read, but I pretty much always read on my Kindle.  I find it so much more comfortable.  My daughter much prefers paper books.  I'm glad we get to choose nowadays.

 

Yesterday I finished reading Robinson Crusoe.  Finally.  I have concluded that people in the early 1700s much have been *really* bored for it to have been a hit.  The writing was pretty much awful and so incredibly repetitive.  My son is liking it a lot more than I did.

 

Now I'm reading Gulliver's Travels.  I've read the first two chapters and like it SO much more than Robinson Crusoe.

 

I'm also reading Michael Vey 4: Hunt for Jade Dragon by Michael Paul Evans.

[Just Robyn]

I finished Ordinary Genius by Kim Addonizio - a nice, light book - just what I needed. This book has a bunch of writing ideas, which pretty much never work for me. The advice that if you just start writing, something will eventually come to you is just not true in my experience. But it also had a nice spread of poetry styles, methods, ideas. It would talk about something people do with poetry, show some examples, then give some writing exercises. So I found it informative and interesting despite the exercises I will probably never do.

 

I also read Writers Writing Dying by C. K. Williams. The title is a little misleading. It looks like it might be a bunch of essays about dying written by various authors but chosen by Williams, but it is a book of poetry and the title of the book is the title of one of the poems. I read this to read some long lines, but my favorite poem in the book, "Wall," was one with lines of more moderate length. (I returned the book or I'd post it. Sorry!)

 

 

[ChrisB]

The last few weeks I've been able to finish a few books that have been hanging around and in my queue to read.

 

I had watched the Band of Brothers on Amazon Prime last spring and decided to read it when it was recommended on one of these threads.  It was an enjoyable read if you can get past the military jargon.  Luckily, watching it gave me something to hang the details on.  There were some great tips that I took from the book, specifically what made a good leader and what didn't and a few other wonderful tidbits.

 

I'm on the fence about The One and Only.  I felt the premise was a bit unrealistic and the ending left me with a 'huh?' feeling...  One the fence way about One Hundred Names, too.  It was OK, not great. 

 

Loved Hannah Coulter!  It was interesting to see a story from a female prospective told by a man.  I had to laugh when he glossed over things that a woman would never gloss over.  While reading the book, it gave me many opportunity to contemplate some of life's basic questions about our life and society.  It also made me cry when he talked about death (I won't tell you whose...lol), as the book was the complete life of Hannah.  Loved the way he celebrates a good and solid marriage.  I enjoyed his writing, and he seems to be a thoughtful author. 

 

My older sister compelled me to read The Giver since she read it when her kids had it assigned at school.  Obviously it was an easy read since it's geared towards youth.  I liked it, but the end was ambiguous.  I'm sure the author meant for us to choose our own ending, but I like definitive endings.  Again, very thought provoking...   

 

16. Fools Rush In, Janice Thompson

17. Band of Brothers, Stephan Ambrose

18. The One and Only, Emily Giffin

19. One Hundred Names, Cecelia Ahern

20. 50 Children, Steven Pressman

21. Hannah Coulter, Wendell Berry

22. The Giver, Lois Lowry

 

ETA:  50 Children was a very inspirational true story in the face of the atrocities against Jews in Hilter's Third Reich.  Good read!

[Mom-ninja.]

Luddites, you'll appreciate this...I'm about an hour from home at an event of ds's where I've been all morning. Around me parents are sprawled on the grass or in camp chairs in various states of repose. To my right is a woman lying on her back reading C.S. Lewis's, The Weight of Glory. To my left a woman knits beneath a lovely tree I'm unable to identify. Two parents discuss their now-grown kids' attunement to Latin musical chants and the esoteric side of King Solomon's teachings. A dad sits on a blanket having just finished strumming on his guitar and in front of me another lies on his back his face covered by an old-fashioned straw hat. Nary a device in sight save for Shukriyya's kindle and the phone she's posting this on ;)

Where do you live? Neverland?  "I want to go to there." (10 points to the person who knows where that quote is from....no google, that's cheating)

 

When I'm at my kids' activities all the parents are either talking or on their phones/tablets. Interesting to note that at the karate dojo the parents on devices are checking email, reading websites, or playing games while the parents at the dance studio are usually reading books on their devices. 

 

 

 

 

 

Quick mini challenge for the week.   Ask your kiddos what fiction book they think you should read this week.  Mine just said Master and Commander  which I did start a while ago but then got sidetracked.  So putting it on the bed side stand to continue reading. 

 

My eldest said Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl. So I'll be picking that up at the library this week. 

 

 

 

I think I'm stopping another book. It's by the Dali Lama and I'm not getting anything from it. 

 

I started Snuff by Terry Pratchett. I got a couple chapters in before I realized this was part of the Discworld series. 

[Kareni]

My husband was off at a family wedding this weekend, so being home alone and in need of comfort reads, I reread  Oracle's Moon (A Novel of the Elder Races) by Thea Harrison.  (Yes, I frequently reread this.)  I also started rereading Lisa Kleypas' Tempt Me at Twilight.

 

I began a book about which I'd heard good things.  I had it in the house for my daughter (who has since returned to South Korea) thinking she might enjoy it, but she never had the chance to pick it up.  I'm about a third of the way through it and am enjoying it thus far.

Master of Crows by Grace Draven

 

"In an isolated fortress, the Master of Crows battles an ancient god for possession of his soul. Renegade and heretic, he dreams of ways to defeat the god and destroy the priesthood who would execute him. Sent by her masters to betray him, a woman comes who possesses a weapon he can use to triumph over both...but only at the ultimate sacrifice. A tale of love and allegiance."

 

 

If it interests you, be aware that while the Kindle book is $2.99, you can purchase the book as part of a package of five fantasy romances for 99 cents.  That link is here ~ Darkly Dreaming: A Five Book Fantasy Romance Anthology.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Pam in CT]

 And the bug is biting for me to do NaNoWriMo again in November.  A shiny new idea is percolating in the back of my brain.

  :hurray:  May it brew well and come forth deliciously...

[Angel]

Back earlier than anticipated...the weather and wind was freezing up on Lake Erie!  And co-op was canceled for tomorrow so I thought I would check in.

 

Quick mini challenge for the week.   Ask your kiddos what fiction book they think you should read this week.  Mine just said Master and Commander  which I did start a while ago but then got sidetracked.  So putting it on the bed side stand to continue reading. 

 

 

I just did this with Aly's pick of The Mysterious Benedict Society two weeks ago!  I also read Skye's pick, Divergent, earlier this year.  

 

I'm also reading Michael Vey 4: Hunt for Jade Dragon by Michael Paul Evans.

 

Dh and Aly have already read it!  They really enjoyed it and said it was the best book yet!  I don't know if I'll get to read the new Michael Vey book next, or if Skye will.  It depends who gets done with their current book first  :laugh:  Oh, wait!  Robin, that can count as the book Aly would want me to read  ;)

 

 

My older sister compelled me to read The Giver since she read it when her kids had it assigned at school.  Obviously it was an easy read since it's geared towards youth.  I liked it, but the end was ambiguous.  I'm sure the author meant for us to choose our own ending, but I like definitive endings.  Again, very thought provoking...   

 

 

:iagree: I read this last week, and that is exactly what I said when I posted my review.  I'm curious to see where the next book goes.  

[Ali in OR]

Nothing finished this week. Still working on Lord of the Flies (I would never read this on my own--just reading it because dd has to soon), Good Omens (enjoying that one), and kind of started Mara Daughter of the Nile which I've assigned to my other dd. She has trouble getting assigned reading started (and completed for that matter), so I've read the first two chapters aloud trying to get us both interested in it. It's better than Lord of the Flies.

 

I don't think I've read any HotAW this week. I've decided that it is just way more detail than I really want to know. I'm okay with just the big picture for Ancient History--Story of the World or Human Odyssey are just fine by me! But since we are doing ancients for history this year I'll keep plugging away (errr, except when I don't).

 

Honey update: stocked up on honey at the farmer's market yesterday. Dd and I sampled two different radish honeys and a pumpkin blossom honey (the bees were pollinating pumpkin fields). Dd liked the pumpkin blossom a lot so we got 2 pints which will last us 6 months or so.

 

On e-readers: I have a kindle which is definitely handy for trips. But it's helped me realize that I'm a non-linear reader. I almost always read some of the ending when I'm still in the middle somewhere. And sometimes I like to go back to something to check a detail. Kindles drive me crazy because I can't really do that. But my younger dd who was stalling on reading Tom Sawyer discovered she liked reading it on the kindle. She likes gadgets and she liked choosing a bigger font size. And she got her reading done! Maybe I should see if there is a kindle version of Mara...

[JennW in SoCal]

Woke up with the old arthritic knees and fingers scolding me for all those trips yesterday up and down the stairs carrying loads of books.  I'm not even a 1/3 of the way done with the books, much less all the boxes of files and photo albums and assorted stuff that has to get put away.  Ah well, onwards and ever up(stairs)wards. 

 

I am listening to John Scalzi's latest, Lock In, on my iPhone as I work.  It is quite the compelling listen -- it would be a hard to put down printed book. It's a detective story set in the near future USA.  Not dystopian sci fi at all, just an interesting, clever premise and a tightly woven plot.  The fun thing about Scalzi's audio books is that they are read by Wil Wheaton.  It was especially perfect in a 21st century meta-kind of way in the book Red Shirts, a Galaxy Quest/Star Trek meta-mashup.

 

In print I have a Mobile Library mystery, a bit of fluff set in Ireland which I found on the used book sale shelves at the library the other day. 

[mumto2]

Woke up with the old arthritic knees and fingers scolding me for all those trips yesterday up and down the stairs carrying loads of books. I'm not even a 1/3 of the way done with the books, much less all the boxes of files and photo albums and assorted stuff that has to get put away. Ah well, onwards and ever up(stairs)wards.

 

In print I have a Mobile Library mystery, a bit of fluff set in Ireland which I found on the used book sale shelves at the library the other day.

I hope your aches and pains disappear quickly! :grouphug:

 

I read the Mobile Library Mystery a few months ago and liked it. Very Irish with an unusual ending.

 

I am currently a bit scared of what my dc's are going to pick out for me. Ds looked too excited by this. I told him they have to agree....

[NoseInABook]

I have an e-reader too, well a Kindle Paperwhite to be specific. I find I use it and paper books about equally. I'll never give up a good paper book if I don't have to. There's something about the feel of a book in your hands, the crinkle of the page, and the way it smells. Even a cheap paperback smells delightful to me.

 

Right now I'm reading Dean Koontz's Prodigal Son and will be starting Teaching From Rest: The Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace by Sarah Mackenzie. My good friend bought that one for me because it was encouraging her so much in her homeschooling journey. I'm excited about it. 

[Onceuponatime]

I've finished The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches. It took a turn that I didn't expect, a little fanciful but not out of place. I'm going to miss Flavia.

[ladydusk]

We are traveling and listened to *The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler*. We all liked it, Mrs. F reminded me of my grandmother. Interesting story.

[Jane in NC]

It has been a while since I have read an epistolary novel. The Coquette by Hannah W. Foster is based on a true story out of the Colonial tabloids concerning the seduction of a young woman.  Originally published in 1797, this story was a best seller and was reprinted for decades which in itself is completely fascinating to me. You can read this book as an allegorical tale; or you can read it as a statement on the limited options that educated women of a certain class had in the time period.

 

In fact, if you would like to read it or include the book in your high school literature studies, I will be happy to mail it to you.

 

From the Colonial era to modern times...  I am swept away by the beginning of Dave Eggers new novel, Your Fathers, Where Are They? And the Prophets, Do They Live Forever?  What a fabulous title!

 

A discovery that may interest some of you (although I have not listened to it):  LibriVox has a free downloadable audio version of Rainer Maria Rilke's essays on Rodin.  This is a different translation that the one I read but free is nice!

 

Here is my list so far:

 

2014 5/5/5 Challenge:  Food Novels or Food Memoirs, Eastern/Middle European Authors, Shaw, Dorothy Dunnett, Dusty Books

Chunksters

 

1) The Lodger, Marie Belloc Lowndes, 1913--Dusty Book #1

2) The Blithedale Romance, Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1852--Dusty Book #2

3) Radiance of Tomorrow, Ishmael Beah, 2014

4) The Mission Song, John le Carre, 2006

5) The Debt to Pleasure, John Lanchester, 1996--Foodie #1

6) The Cunning Little Vixen, Rudolf Tesnohlidek, 1920, 1985 translation--Dusty #3, Eastern/Middle Europe #1

7) Scoop, Evelyn Waugh, 1938--Dusty #4

8) The Upcycle, William McDonough and Michael Braungart, 2013

9) Red Gold, Alan Furst, 1999

10) Destination Unknown, Agatha Christie, 1954 (audio book)

11) Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte, 1847

12) Purge, Sofi Oksanen, 2008, Eastern European #2

13) The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane, 1895 (audio book)

14) My Year of Meats, Ruth Ozeki, 1998--Foodie #2

15) The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England, Ian Mortimer, 2013

16) Cheerfulness Breaks In, Angela Thirkell, 1940

17) The Moon-Spinners, Mary Stewart, 1962

18) Mastering the Art of French Eating, Ann Mah, 2013, Foodie #3

19) Mr. Fox, Helen Oyeyemi ,2011

20) Autobiography of a Corpse, Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky, stories written 1925-1927; translation by Joanne Turnbull and Nikolai Formozov 2013 Eastern/Middle Europe #3

21) Before Lunch, Angela Thirkell, 1939

22) The Demon in the House, Angela Thirkell, 1934

23) The Franchise Affair, Josephine Tey, 1948

24) The Return of Captain John Emmett, Elizabeth Speller, 2011

25) Miss Buncle's Book, D.E. Stevenson, 1936

26) Postern of Fate, Agatha Christie, 1973

27) This Rough Magic, Mary Stewart, 1964

28) The Language of Baklava, Diana Abu-Jaber, 2005, Foodie #4

29) Scales of Gold, Dorothy Dunnett, 1991, DD#1

30) They Came to Baghdad, Agatha Christie, 1951

31) Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys, 1966

32) The Truth, Terry Pratchett, 2000.(audio book)

33) Kingdom of Shadows, Alan Furst, 2000, Dusty #5

34) Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan, 2012

35) Grayson, Lynne Cox, 2006,(audio book)

36) Death in the Truffle Wood, Pierre Magnan 1978; translation Patricia Clancy 2005) Foodie #5

37) And Only to Deceive, Tasha Alexander, 2005

38) The Narrow Corner, W. Somerset Maugham, 1932

39) Appointment with Death, Agatha Christie, 1938 (Audio book)

40) The Cone-Gatherers, Robin Jenkins, 1955

41) The Greater Journey:  Americans in Paris, David McCullough, 2011

42) The Time Regulation Institute, Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar, 1962; translation Maureen Freely and Alexander Dawe 2013

43) The Property, Ruta Modan, graphic novel, 2013, translated by Jessica Cohen

44) The Girl in the Green Raincoat, Laura Lippman 2008

45) The Siege, Helen Dunmore, 2002

46) The Moon and Sixpence, Somerset Maugham, 1919

47) The Devil in Amber, Mark Gatiss, 2006

48) Blood Royal, Barbara Cleverly, 2012

49) Stuart Little, E.B. White, 1945

50) Major Barbara, G. B. Shaw, performed 1905, published 1907, Shaw #1

51) Archangel, Andrea Barrett, 2013

52) Arms and the Man, G.B. Shaw, performed 1894, published 1898, Shaw #2

53) City of Thieves, David Benioff, 2008

54) The Dud Avocado, Elaine Dundy, 1958; afterward by the author 2007

55) Saint Joan, G.B. Shaw, peformed 1923, published 1924, Shaw #3

56) The Day of the Dead, Maurizo de Giovanni 2010; translation by Anthony Shugaar, 2014

57) The Oxford Murders, Guillermo Martinez, 2003; translation by Sonia Soto 2005

58) The Nautical Chart, Arturo Perez-Reverte, 2000, translation by Margaret Sayers Peden 2004

59) A Novel Bookstore, Laurence Cosse, 2009; translation by Alison Anderson, 2010

60) Howl's Moving Castle, Diane Wynne Jones, 1986; (Audio book)

61) How to Travel Incognito, Ludwig Bemelmans, 1952, Dusty #6

62) Our Lady of the Nile, Scholastique Mukasonga, 2012; translation by Melanie Mauthner 2014

63) Moscow in the Plague Year, Marina Tsvetaeva, poems written 1918-1920; translation by Christopher Whyte 2014, EE #4

64) The Smell of the Night, Andrea Camilleri, 2001; translation by Stephen Sarterelli 2005 (Audio book)

65) Hild, Nicola Griffith, 2013

66) Background to Danger, Eric Ambler, 1937

67) Decline of the English Murder, George Orwell, 2009 (Essays from the '30's and '40's)

68) Auguste Rodin, Rainer Maria Rilke, 1902, 1907; translation by Daniel Slager 2004

69) The Gardener's Year, Karel ÄŒapek, 1929; translation by M.& R. Weatherall, delightfully illustrated by Josef ÄŒapek EE #5

[shukriyya]

The list Robin linked of bestsellers that were on the list during the year, month and week of one's birth was fun. On mine, of the ten authors listed, eight were men. Mary Stewart was on the list with 'The Moonspinners' in fifth place which I read earlier in the year and loved. The other female-authored book was 'The Moonflower Vine' in ninth place which I bought a couple of months ago as a kindle daily deal intrigued by both the writing and the story line. Imagine my surprise to see it on the list of my birth year, month and week. A little extra nudge to read it. I was interested to note the lunar theme in both titles, too.

I've set aside 'The Ivy Tree' until I finish 'Gemini' which I'm currently immersed in. I read off and on most of yesterday compelled by the fascinating story that's unfolding. That kind of impatient wish to get back to a book has eluded me for a while now and it's a good feeling to refind. The writing is good, the author's images are thought-provoking and even, at times, poetic. She's using the technique of two different story lines which one has the sense will eventually merge, always fun to see how and when. The subject material is a combination bio-medical ethics, philosophical musings on the relationship to place and land, family and obligation, a little bit of romance and a nod to poetics all delivered with an easy, accessible touch. I'll finish this up in the next couple of days and then it's back to Mary Stewart which I am also enjoying.

Ds's suggestion for me is book one of 'The Mistmantle Chronicles', 'Urchin of the Riding Stars'. And to loop back to The Glassblower discussion, I went ahead and downloaded that as a freebie though I don't have plans to get to it immediately.

 

 

 

[Violet Crown]

Yesterday I finished reading Robinson Crusoe. Finally. I have concluded that people in the early 1700s much have been *really* bored for it to have been a hit. The writing was pretty much awful and so incredibly repetitive. My son is liking it a lot more than I did.

 

They thought it dragged back then, too; it spawned an industry in "Crusoes"--abridged, adapted, and outright rewritten variations with more adventure and less haranguing.

 

Speaking of Defoe, having finished The Bostonians (another great Henry James read!), I'm rereading his Journal of the Plague Year, set in London at the time of the Great Plague of 1665, and written fifty years after the events. Here's how it starts:

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

 

It was about the beginning of September, 1664, that I, among the rest of my neighbours, heard in ordinary discourse that the plague was returned again in Holland; for it had been very violent there, and particularly at Amsterdam and Rotterdam, in the year 1663, whither, they say, it was brought, some said from Italy, others from the Levant, among some goods which were brought home by their Turkey fleet; others said it was brought from Candia; others from Cyprus. It mattered not from whence it came; but all agreed it was come into Holland again.

 

We had no such thing as printed newspapers in those days to spread rumours and reports of things, and to improve them by the invention of men, as I have lived to see practised since. But such things as these were gathered from the letters of merchants and others who corresponded abroad, and from them was handed about by word of mouth only; so that things did not spread instantly over the whole nation, as they do now. But it seems that the Government had a true account of it, and several councils were held about ways to prevent its coming over; but all was kept very private. Hence it was that this rumour died off again, and people began to forget it as a thing we were very little concerned in, and that we hoped was not true; till the latter end of November or the beginning of December 1664 when two men, said to be Frenchmen, died of the plague in Long Acre, or rather at the upper end of Drury Lane. The family they were in endeavoured to conceal it as much as possible, but as it had gotten some vent in the discourse of the neighbourhood, the Secretaries of State got knowledge of it; and concerning themselves to inquire about it, in order to be certain of the truth, two physicians and a surgeon were ordered to go to the house and make inspection. This they did; and finding evident tokens of the sickness upon both the bodies that were dead, they gave their opinions publicly that they died of the plague. Whereupon it was given in to the parish clerk, and he also returned them to the Hall; and it was printed in the weekly bill of mortality in the usual manner, thus—

 

Plague, 2. Parishes infected, 1.

 

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

 

In completely unrelated news, there was a scare this weekend when a nearby hospital took in a man from West Africa with ebola-like symptoms. I went to evening services, and at the "kiss of peace," nobody in the congregation shook hands except with family members. There is some anxiety in the air....

 

In dh news, we're at full recovery, it seems. He lasted two weeks out of his two-month moratorium on driving. Argh.

[LostSurprise]

After my computer dying unceremoniously every time I've tried to reply the last few weeks, I finally have a new computer. Maybe I can actually chat with you ladies instead of feeling like a face looking longingly through the window!

 

Further Cons for Kindles and other ereaders: 

 

Require electricity

Requires wifi or other online connection

Can accidentally turn on and be drained of power and therefore not be available when you want it

Content can be removed accidentally or by corporate owners

Require electronic storage/backup

Requires a regular read of one or several legal use agreements

Does not have good organization for storage so it's hard to find books later

Can be difficult to swipe out to go to the home page

Shows the highlights of others (some like it, some don't)

Does not allow people to 'own' an incarnation of the content, so therefore they can not lend, trade, give away, sell, or use as an end table

Content is disposable

Is a part of the modern evolution of chained content vs. fair use

Has no smell, no texture, and very little (and poorly done too) art or photos

 

I'm not really a Luddite, but I am against some the changes in fair use and the chaining of content. In general, digital content seems disposable to me which makes me sad. 

 

We do own a few Kindles though. DH is on his 2nd and I'll read from it occasionally.

 

 

 

I'm on a huge 18th century Scotland kick right now. The Winter Sea. Boswell's journal. Waverly. It's gotten a bit out of hand so I'm trying to finish some things. 

 

[Pam in CT]

Nothing finished this week. Still working on Lord of the Flies (I would never read this on my own--just reading it because dd has to soon), Good Omens (enjoying that one), and kind of started Mara Daughter of the Nile which I've assigned to my other dd. She has trouble getting assigned reading started (and completed for that matter), so I've read the first two chapters aloud trying to get us both interested in it. It's better than Lord of the Flies.

 

___

 

 

Honey update: stocked up on honey at the farmer's market yesterday. Dd and I sampled two different radish honeys and a pumpkin blossom honey (the bees were pollinating pumpkin fields). Dd liked the pumpkin blossom a lot so we got 2 pints which will last us 6 months or so.

Honestly, LotF is just ghastly, isn't it?  Of all the depressing books mystifyingly clogging up middle school reading lists, that's the one I most completely don't understand...

 

_____

 

Pumpkin honey! Radish honey!   :laugh: I'm going to have to get out and broaden my world yet a bit more!

 

 

 

In dh news, we're at full recovery, it seems. He lasted two weeks out of his two-month moratorium on driving. Argh.

That is very, very good news.  

[brehon]

They thought it dragged back then, too; it spawned an industry in "Crusoes"--abridged, adapted, and outright rewritten variations with more adventure and less haranguing.

 

Speaking of Defoe, having finished The Bostonians (another great Henry James read!), I'm rereading his Journal of the Plague Year, set in London at the time of the Great Plague of 1665, and written fifty years after the events. Here's how it starts:

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

 

It was about the beginning of September, 1664, that I, among the rest of my neighbours, heard in ordinary discourse that the plague was returned again in Holland; for it had been very violent there, and particularly at Amsterdam and Rotterdam, in the year 1663, whither, they say, it was brought, some said from Italy, others from the Levant, among some goods which were brought home by their Turkey fleet; others said it was brought from Candia; others from Cyprus. It mattered not from whence it came; but all agreed it was come into Holland again.

 

We had no such thing as printed newspapers in those days to spread rumours and reports of things, and to improve them by the invention of men, as I have lived to see practised since. But such things as these were gathered from the letters of merchants and others who corresponded abroad, and from them was handed about by word of mouth only; so that things did not spread instantly over the whole nation, as they do now. But it seems that the Government had a true account of it, and several councils were held about ways to prevent its coming over; but all was kept very private. Hence it was that this rumour died off again, and people began to forget it as a thing we were very little concerned in, and that we hoped was not true; till the latter end of November or the beginning of December 1664 when two men, said to be Frenchmen, died of the plague in Long Acre, or rather at the upper end of Drury Lane. The family they were in endeavoured to conceal it as much as possible, but as it had gotten some vent in the discourse of the neighbourhood, the Secretaries of State got knowledge of it; and concerning themselves to inquire about it, in order to be certain of the truth, two physicians and a surgeon were ordered to go to the house and make inspection. This they did; and finding evident tokens of the sickness upon both the bodies that were dead, they gave their opinions publicly that they died of the plague. Whereupon it was given in to the parish clerk, and he also returned them to the Hall; and it was printed in the weekly bill of mortality in the usual manner, thus—

 

Plague, 2. Parishes infected, 1.

 

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

 

In completely unrelated news, there was a scare this weekend when a nearby hospital took in a man from West Africa with ebola-like symptoms. I went to evening services, and at the "kiss of peace," nobody in the congregation shook hands except with family members. There is some anxiety in the air....

 

In dh news, we're at full recovery, it seems. He lasted two weeks out of his two-month moratorium on driving. Argh.

Funny how the more things change, the more they stay the same at least in terms of journalism.

 

And I know VC knows this, but I do feel compelled to add that the man was cleared of having Ebola. So, the epidemic has not yet marched down IH-35.

 

Yea on your dh feeling better!! Boo on him driving. Glad things seem to be veering back into calmer waters.

[ChrisB]

Quick mini challenge for the week.   Ask your kiddos what fiction book they think you should read this week.  Mine just said Master and Commander  which I did start a while ago but then got sidetracked.  So putting it on the bed side stand to continue reading. 

 

 

I might take you up on this.  DD10 just finished the Mysterious Benedict Society series, and has been asking me to finish it, too.  I've read the first and liked it, so it might be a fun, light read for me.

 

I just did this with Aly's pick of The Mysterious Benedict Society two weeks ago! 

 

LOL...my daughter too!

[ChrisB]

Honey update: stocked up on honey at the farmer's market yesterday. Dd and I sampled two different radish honeys and a pumpkin blossom honey (the bees were pollinating pumpkin fields). Dd liked the pumpkin blossom a lot so we got 2 pints which will last us 6 months or so.

 

That sounds wonderful!!

 

 

I have an e-reader too, well a Kindle Paperwhite to be specific. I find I use it and paper books about equally. I'll never give up a good paper book if I don't have to. There's something about the feel of a book in your hands, the crinkle of the page, and the way it smells. Even a cheap paperback smells delightful to me. 

 

 

Amen, Sista!  I'm about equal, too, but there is definitely something about the feel of a book.

 

[Kareni]

Plague, 2. Parishes infected, 1.

 

 

That sounds like the score of a sports game ....

 

 

In dh news, we're at full recovery, it seems. He lasted two weeks out of his two-month moratorium on driving. Argh.

 

Yay on his recovery!  And argh, indeed.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Onceuponatime]

I've started Deathless by Catherynne Valente. So far, it is a very entrancing modern fairy tale set in Russia in the 40's. The style reminds me of Neil Gaiman , but with greater attention to detail and beauty of language. The story weaves traditional Russian fairy tales into the plot.

[Kim in Appalachia]

Mom-ninja, Snuff has been my favorite Terry Pratchett book so far.  I loved that one.

 

I have a Kindle, and I wish everything I read was on it.  I have 6 bookshelves crammed with books, and it's nice not to have to add more, or dust more.  I know, it almost sounds blasphemous, but it's where I'm at right now. :)

 

I've been so busy the last 2 weeks, that it's been hard to read anything other than my morning devotional and Bible reading.  But today I finished Orphan Train.  It was sappy.  It was predictable.  The characters were totally cliche.  But I enjoyed it.  The story sucked me in and held me till the end. It was a nice, quick read.

 

I had been listening to Life After Life, but I was listening while I ran.  I haven't been able to run because of an injury, so I've lost my time.  I can barely remember the beginning.  I may have to restart, but I have to figure out when to do that.  I was enjoying it.

 

Next up on my Kindle is The Interestings, by Meg Wolitzer.  It's a library book, as was Orphan train.  They finally came in, so I've put The Pearl That Broke it's Shell aside to read those.  I may try and finish the Pearl then on to The Interestings.  I can't decide.  

[Kareni]

I saw this earlier today and thought it might find some admirers here. 

 

From BuzzFeed Geeky, 14 Honest Banned Books Titles.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Fans of urban fantasy might be interested in this book that is available free to Kindle readers.  I haven't read it but have heard it mentioned favorably.

 

Priceless: Book 1 (A Rylee Adamson Novel) by Shannon Mayer

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

 

[Mom-ninja.]

Am I able to read Snuff if I haven't read any of the other books in the series?

[Stacia]

Am I able to read Snuff if I haven't read any of the other books in the series?

 

I haven't read Snuff, but I've never read Terry Pratchett's books in order. I don't think it really matters. I enjoy them in any order!

 

Characters & locations overlap between the books, but it's not like there's an overall, linear, chronological storyline that you must follow in order through all the books. (My exception is when I read the books centered on Tiffany Aching; I read those in order.)

[shukriyya]

Tonight's dessert made me think of y'all...perfectly crisp, perfectly tart, perfectly perfect slices of Granny Smith apples spread with the earthy-sweet mystery that is buckwheat honey.

[Stacia]

A gothic-style Dracula tee, available for the next two days or so....

http://www.enteetee.com/

 

Spinning my wheels on reading. Life is busy, my concentration is shot (like others have discussed already), don't know what I want to read for spooky October. Hopefully I will get my wheels in gear soon!

 

--------------------------
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:

 

51. The Club of Angels by Luis Fernando Verissimo (3 stars).  Around the World – Latin America (Brazil).

52. Eléctrico W by Hervé Le Tellier (4 stars). Around the World – Europe (Portugal).

53. The Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cantero (4 stars).

54. The Facades by Eric Lundgren (3 stars).

55. Koko Takes a Holiday by Kieran Shea (3 stars).

56. A Dream in Polar Fog by Yuri Rytkheu (5 stars). Around the World – Asia (Russia).

57. Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo (4 stars). Around the World – North America/Latin America (Mexico).

58. Translation is a Love Affair by Jacques Poulin (5 stars). Around the World – North America (Canada).

59. The Skating Rink by Roberto Bolaño (3 stars). Around the World – Europe (Spain).

60. Love Burns by Edna Mazya (3 stars). Around the World – Middle East (Israel).
 

61. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (5 stars).

62. The Debba by Avner Mandelman (4 stars). Around the World – Middle East (Israel).

[mumto2]

I saw this earlier today and thought it might find some admirers here. 

 

From BuzzFeed Geeky, 14 Honest Banned Books Titles.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

I wonder it the fact that the alternative title for. Slaughterhouse Five has Dr. Who in the title means I will like it? Finally arrived in overdrive lst night. I am curious and will try it.

 

 

Am I able to read Snuff if I haven't read any of the other books in the series?

From what I can tell no one can even decide what order the Disc World series belongs in. I really really prefer to read in order and dd takes after me on this. She likes the Prachett YA books quite a bit and Disc World has arrived in full in our overdrive library....we spent 20 minutes trying to work out the proper order. The lists can't even agree on which to read first!

 

BaWers this isn't a huge cry for help to give us the ultimate order just a comment because I have never seen so many differing lists for a series on offer and I have read many series. We finally decided on Goodreads because for us it is easiest to refer to!

[Negin]

I finished The Hot Zone - 5 Stars. I may have already mentioned that I chose this book because of Banned Books Week. I think the whole concept of banning books is ridiculous. This book was on the list. Why? Because apparently it portrays the Ebola virus in a negative way or whatever. Is there a positive way to describe it? Are we meant to depict it with rainbows and unicorns :confused1: ? I mean, come on! Anyway, what can I say? The book was simply excellent. I absolutely love it when authors manage to write non-fiction that reads like fiction ("Nothing to Envy" by Barbara Demick is like that). This is the sort of book that takes you away and is rather terrifying to say the least, as well as being quite timely.

 

 

MY RATING SYSTEM

5 Stars

Fantastic, couldn't put it down

4 Stars

Really Good

3 Stars

Enjoyable

2 Stars

Just Okay – nothing to write home about

1 Star

Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad.

 

[mumto2]

For anyone looking for a spooky read in the form of a cozy mystery I just finished the third one in an enjoyable series. The title is The Strangers on Montagu Street by Karen White. It is part of a series but could probably stand alone without being confusing. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/karen-white/strangers-montagu-street/

 

The main character communicates with ghosts much to her despair. In this book she confronts several ghosts but the ones from the dollhouse are the scary ones. The review above dislikes the romantic part of the storyline probably because the conclusion is not tidy but I found it to be very true to the main character's personality so actually liked the romance part. ;) I already have the next one ready to go tonight! Definitely liked it!

[shukriyya]

Lying in bed this morning musing on 'Gemini' I had an aha moment, the title suddenly makes perfect sense. Can't say more because it would be a spoiler but, very cool!

[Angel]

I finished The Hot Zone - 5 Stars. I may have already mentioned that I chose this book because of Banned Books Week. I think the whole concept of banning books is ridiculous. This book was on the list. Why? Because apparently it portrays the Ebola virus in a negative way or whatever. Is there a positive way to describe it? Are we meant to depict it with rainbows and unicorns :confused1: ? I mean, come on! Anyway, what can I say? The book was simply excellent. I absolutely love it when authors manage to write non-fiction that reads like fiction ("Nothing to Envy" by Barbara Demick is like that). This is the sort of book that takes you away and is rather terrifying to say the least, as well as being quite timely.

 

 

 

I had put this in on my mental TBR pile early last year while I was reading Robert Jordan.  When I ran across it at a thrift store, I went ahead and bought it and told dh about it.  He ended up reading it and thought it was excellent as well.  He actually refers to it often and laughed at himself a little when he realized it made him a little germophobic for a while.  He told me I do need to read it but thinks it will be hard for the ostrich in me.  I just haven't got around to it yet. 

[Kim in Appalachia]

Am I able to read Snuff if I haven't read any of the other books in the series?

 

 

Yes!  You do not have to read any of discworld in order.  It can be fun to do a few of the series in order, because they follow the same character, but otherwise the series is all over the place.

[Kim in Appalachia]

There are charts about the discworld series.  I saved on on Pinterest, but on it, it say's it's sharable.  So I'm going to post it here.

 

[LostSurprise]

Honestly, LotF (Lord of the Flies) is just ghastly, isn't it?  Of all the depressing books mystifyingly clogging up middle school reading lists, that's the one I most completely don't understand...

 

 

I don't think LotF is a middle school novel, but it is an important novel and an interesting piece in discussions like 'are humans basically good?' 'what is civilization?' 'can civ move backward...do we always go forward?' It also contains accessible symbolism and archetypes. 

 

I also think the time period it was written in (set during WWII and published 6-7yrs after) reflects the mind of society and the author. After the Nazis, how do you face the questions I wrote above? 

 

I think it helps to have read The Coral Island (SPOILERS..at the end the pilot asks if they had a jolly time, just like The Coral Island...this shows a very different view between the thinking/expectations in the Victorian shipwreck adventure and what the 20th century has learned to expect from humanity.SPOILERS DONE) 

 

Is it depressing? Yes, it's an early dystopian novel. I personally find it less depressing then say, Dickens, but it's not really intended as 'fun' reading. It does make a good 11/12th grade discussion novel though. Lots of themes and fairly easy to access. 

[Shawneinfl]

My college daughter wants me to take her to The Oxford Exchange Bookstore and Restaurant in Tampa for her birthday this month. The website looks great. Has anyone been there before?

[Pam in CT]

Tonight's dessert made me think of y'all...perfectly crisp, perfectly tart, perfectly perfect slices of Granny Smith apples spread with the earthy-sweet mystery that is buckwheat honey.

Aww... sounds very earthy!

 

 

I finished The Hot Zone - 5 Stars. I may have already mentioned that I chose this book because of Banned Books Week. I think the whole concept of banning books is ridiculous. This book was on the list. Why? Because apparently it portrays the Ebola virus in a negative way or whatever. Is there a positive way to describe it? 

:lol: Have you dipped your toes into that 23 page Ebola thread?  I can't look anymore.

 

 

I don't think LotF is a middle school novel, but it is an important novel and an interesting piece in discussions like 'are humans basically good?' 'what is civilization?' 'can civ move backward...do we always go forward?' It also contains accessible symbolism and archetypes. 

 

I also think the time period it was written in (set during WWII and published 6-7yrs after) reflects the mind of society and the author. After the Nazis, how do you face the questions I wrote above? 

 

>>>>>>>>

 

I think it helps to have read The Coral Island (SPOILERS..at the end the pilot asks if they had a jolly time, just like The Coral Island...this shows a very different view between the thinking/expectations in the Victorian shipwreck adventure and what the 20th century has learned to expect from humanity.SPOILERS DONE) 

 

Is it depressing? Yes, it's an early dystopian novel. I personally find it less depressing then say, Dickens, but it's not really intended as 'fun' reading. It does make a good 11/12th grade discussion novel though. Lots of themes and fairly easy to access. 

I agree with both of the bolded parts, and I absolutely *do* think we have an obligation to frame such conversations with students -- we won't, as a species, progress morally unless we do grapple with them.  I don't think 7th/8th grade (when LofF seems to be on reading lists around here) is the right time -- in part because they don't yet have the base of historical knowledge, but mostly because most of them are simply not mature enough to do that kind of moral / philosophical grappling.  

 

I think I'd feel differently if it were assigned in 11th/12th... though it's still so unrelentingly bleak that I'll never "like" it.  (That doesn't mean I don't think it's worthwhile; I recently re-read 1984, a book similar to LotF in many dimensions, and one I don't "like" but think is very worthwhile.  For high school/college, though.)

 

Interesting re: Coral Island.  Never read it -- thank you.

 

 

Hey, did one of y'all already post this npr item on Nobel Prize for literature candidates?

[Violet Crown]

I remember when Great Girl, around middle school age, read Lord of the Flies.... I asked her what she thought, and she frowned and said, "Well that's what happens when you leave a bunch of boys on their own."

[Shawneinfl]

Thanks for the tip about The Coral Island, I think I have that hiding on a bookshelf somewhere. I would have never made the connection.

uestions I wrote above? 

 

I think it helps to have read The Coral Island (SPOILERS..at the end the pilot asks if they had a jolly time, just like The Coral Island...this shows a very different view between the thinking/expectations in the Victorian shipwreck adventure and what the 20th century has learned to expect from humanity.SPOILERS DONE) 

 

Is it depressing? Yes, it's an early dystopian novel. I personally find it less depressing then say, Dickens, but it's not really intended as 'fun' reading. It does make a good 11/12th grade discussion novel though. Lots of themes and fairly easy to access. 

[Shawneinfl]

Don't know what happened to my quote above. I was trying to quote Lost Surprise above.

[mumto2]

FYI--Coral Island by Ballantyne http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/dec/03/review-coral-island-r-m-ballantyne comes up pretty frequently on books for boys lists. I think most of Ballantyne books are free to download via Guttenberg. They may still have free copies available on kindle. I had them all ready to go for ds a couple of years ago and he refused to be really honest. He wouldn't read Henty either...... I read some of the Coral Island as a preread and remember it favourably. I really liked the Henty books, big sigh.

[Pam in CT]

And the book round-up...

 

My daughter and I finished A Wrinkle in Time.  Oh, I had so looked forward to re-reading this with her... and it is still marvelous in lots of ways, and she did like it (and agreed that we would have gotten more out of Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me had we done Wrinkle first)... but it turns out, I couldn't really go back... bits of it that I so related to as an adolescent (feeling so different from my peers that I felt literally like an alien, etc) seemed narcissistic to my current self, whereas some of the allegorical bits that flew overhead then felt heavy-handed...

 

Earlier this year several of us read Sayed Kashua's Second Personal Singular; I turned last week to his earlier book, Let it be Morning. This one also follows an Israeli Arab family, in the time shortly following the second intifada... it's not as weird as Second Person, but in some ways is more disturbing.  To me, it had clear reverberations of Roth's Plot Against America...

 

And also, Gardens of Water by Alan Drew.  Set in Kurdish Turkey, this traces the encounter between a Kurdish family displaced by the earthquake and an American family trying -- among other things -- to provide medical and food assistance to the refugees.  It is a complex, beautifully written, heartbreaking book about a part of the world I'm trying to understand better.

 

 

 

I'm still working on Mists of Avalon, which is Mighty Long.  I'm enjoying it, but at my current pace I think I'll be at it until the winter solstice.  And I've started Isaiah, and my bird poems indeed resurfaced yesterday  :hurray: , and I'm casting about for an audio book.

[shukriyya]

I've started Deathless by Catherynne Valente. So far, it is a very entrancing modern fairy tale set in Russia in the 40's. The style reminds me of Neil Gaiman , but with greater attention to detail and beauty of language. The story weaves traditional Russian fairy tales into the plot.

This has gone onto my tbr list.

[LostSurprise]

My aunt bought me The Coral Island when I was 10 as a thank you for helping her with her first baby. I liked it so much I read some of it to the boys this year. We come from a Christian tradition, so Ralph's moralism tempered by Peterkin's silliness and Jack's practicality doesn't feel too strange for the boys. We didn't really read the interactions with natives in the second half though. That section is anglo-centric and not nearly as fun.

 

It's a more fun version of Robinson Crusoe, basically, with teens as the characters.