Book a Week in 2014 - BW42

[Kareni]

We read the Angus the dog books to our daughter; I remember them with pleasure.

 

As regards spiders, this  t-shirt reflects my thoughts.*** 

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

 

*** Well, to be totally honest, I should also add "and rodents."

[LostSurprise]

 

 

Tam, many book covers stay with me because I'm a visual person; it's often how I think of a book. (Maybe that's why I like paper books vs. ebooks because I see the cover art much more often with a paper book.) If I could frame one book cover & hang it in my house, The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear is it -- the cover art drew me to the book in the first place. Makes me smile every time I see it.

 

 

The other big book cover that really stands out in my mind is The Sisters Brothers. Even though I read a library copy (& rarely re-read books), I later bought a copy of this one in the used bookstore just for the cover art.

 

 

I even made a shelf on my Goodreads page for book covers I love (among the books I've read). Looking at my own list, I think I must like covers with eyes. :laugh:

 

 

I'm sure none of us are surprised by this, but a 3 page Goodreads list devoted to it? How wonderful! 

 

 

Shukriyya, as an adult I've wondered if the Charlotte's Web cover was a sly echo of Renaissance religious painting. You know, angelic or Christ figure high in the painting, Mary carrying something (Jesus, burial objects), others gathered round. As a child I was obsessed with Fern's hair. It was so messy and the ponytail drooped. I loved that. I spent hours looking at the illustrations in the Laura Ingalls books too. Garth Williams is a master illustrator. 

[Uff Da!]

I just want to stop in and wave quick. I am still working on Screwtape Letters and Til We Have Faces. The weather is beautiful here and I want to celebrate it while I can.

 

And I want to give you all a big thank you. I have lived through the most absurd social he11 these last couple months due being a neo-classist and it all came to a head this last week. You all have no idea what it's meant to me to come online and follow your enthusiasms.

 

Thank you and enjoy your reading!

[Stacia]

I'm sure none of us are surprised by this, but a 3 page Goodreads list devoted to it? How wonderful! 

 

I didn't know it was 3 pages. :lol:  (Of course, I have my page setting set to 'infinite scroll' so it just looks like one page to me. :tongue_smilie: )

 

And I want to give you all a big thank you.  I have lived through the most absurd he11 these last couple months due to an online stalker and being a neo-classist and it all came to a head this last week.  You all have no idea what it's meant to me to come online and follow your enthusiasms and to be reminded that there are women who love to learn.  

 

Thank you and enjoy your reading!

 

Oh my. How horrible! :grouphug: :grouphug:  Hope you are doing ok.

[Uff Da!]

I'm kind of having one those Elsa on the mountain "Frozen" moments, only nothing happens when I stomp my foot.

 

"I'm free........"

[Stacia]

Also, this morning I am debating sending my almost 5 year old to public school because she's driving me batpoop crazy. *shifty eyes* I adore her and I'm not asking anything beyond her capabilities. Alas, anything that Lila did not choose to do is met with a whole lot of kicking and screaming these days. Which I'm used to with having a 3 year old in the house but I didn't expect it to be coming from her. ;) Oh wise homeschooling mothers, how do I allow her to ease back a little if that's truly what she needs and not have her siblings jealous that Lila isn't doing school with us when she has been for the past year? While still encouraging her to grow with her education? (ETA: She's so little that the only requirements are reading, handwriting, and math. She joins us with the rest of the schoolwork but she's not required to do it.)

 

Goodness, 5 seems so young to me now (looking at it from the vantage-point of 2 teens)!

 

I think that's so young that if she needs to scale back & just play for a few weeks or months before getting back into the school groove, that's just fine. Can her siblings understand that she's still 'little' and, therefore, doesn't need to do the school work as diligently as they do at this point? (Ah, one of the harsh realities of life -- that the younger ones have it easier.) Could you rework her reading/handwriting/math into something like a unit study/Fall study or something less 'schooly' but that would still work on her skills for the next few weeks?

 

Or maybe she's just going to open their eyes & teach them new skills like skipping school. ;) :lol:  I say that because I have one sibling, a sister who is 5 years younger. I was always (well, almost always) a well-behaved, rule-following sort of kid. Then, my sister came along & was the polar opposite of me. I went through high school & never missed a day unless I was truly sick, worked hard, etc.... Sis (who now holds a higher degree than I do) barely attended during her senior year of high school because she skipped so much. I was out of college by then, but still I went :huh:  because it had never even occurred to me to skip in high school. (Yes, I was a goody-two-shoes-teacher's-pet student who enjoyed school.) So, I always joke that there were plenty of things that she did when we were growing up that I never even pondered doing until she showed up 5 years behind me & did them. I guess I wasn't much of a creative or outside-of-the-box thinker when I was a kid. :laugh:  (She was just a rabble-rouser, though! :lol: )

[Kareni]

I'm currently reading Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus for my book group on Thursday.  It's an interesting read thus far at about the one third point.  I feel a need to do some re-reading though since I thought one character had two indentities but since those two have just met face-to-face, it would appear I've misunderstood something.

 

"The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

 

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

 

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

I'm currently reading Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus for my book group on Thursday.  It's an interesting read thus far at about the one third point.  I feel a need to do some re-reading though since I thought one character had two indentities but since those two have just met face-to-face, it would appear I've misunderstood something.

 

Oh, I loved the descriptions in that book! (And it's on my favorite book covers list too.)

[Angel]

I finished reading the fourth Michael Vey book at 12:30 this morning.  They are aimed at middle grades I guess, but those books are really good.  And the ending of this one... no fair that I have to wait another year for the fifth.

 

Awesome!  I can't wait to begin it.  Unfortunately, I've been so tired I've fell asleep before I could begin it.  Dh, Aly, and Skye all enjoyed it!

 

So those of you who don't check this thread every day, how do you keep up?  Or don't know?  Do you just start wherever (that can't be the way you spell where ever?) you left off and take hours to catch up, or do you skip ahead and read backwards?  I think I need a strategy.  Every day isn't going to work at this point in my life lol.

 

I leave a tab open on my laptop to this thread.  I just refresh it when I get the chance to sit down and read it.  Sometimes I can't comment because I'm too late to the game lol.  But I try to read/skim them all.

 

 

A book set in a dentist's office would be my idea of a horror book!

 

 

:iagree:

 

'because 'Some Kind of Fairy Tale' with its whimsy and mystery is still ringing in my atmosphere.

 

I love it when a book makes this happen!

 

Thank you!  She's not conservative at all.  In fact I think she likes books with a bit of nakedness in them.  

:lol:   My cousin is like this.. The books she reads make me go  :scared:

 

 Everyone here is sick, and round two started this weekend, so we're all tired and grumpy, which makes me enjoy light reading even more.  

 

I brought home an unwanted souvenir from Hilton Head: a head cold. Boo.

 

:grouphug:  to you both!  Feel better soon!

[Stacia]

Everyone here is sick, and round two started this weekend, so we're all tired and grumpy, which makes me enjoy light reading even more.

 

:grouphug:  Hoping today is a little better than yesterday...

[NoseInABook]

The silly girl sat down and did her work just fine for me this afternoon. She even joined us with group work this morning though she hadn't finished her individual work at that point. She tells me that, "My math is hard right now and I don't really like doing hard things but I guess I'll try..." I love that turkey. If I let her skip, brother and sister would die of jealousy. :p Big brother is newly 6 and sister will be 7 in two weeks so they're all very close in age. 

[Stacia]

The silly girl sat down and did her work just fine for me this afternoon. She even joined us with group work this morning though she hadn't finished her individual work at that point. She tells me that, "My math is hard right now and I don't really like doing hard things but I guess I'll try..." I love that turkey. If I let her skip, brother and sister would die of jealousy. :p Big brother is newly 6 and sister will be 7 in two weeks so they're all very close in age. 

 

Aw. Kids those ages are just awesome!

 

I know a lot of people love little babies (& they are nice to snuggle & hold), but I've always enjoyed toddlers & young children because they have such fun personalities!

 

[Rosie_0801]

Who is Richard Flanagan? (There's my nationalistic pride.)

[Stacia]

So Richard Flanagan won the Booker and I'm a bit astounded.

 

Did you read his book? If so, did you like it?

 

I usually read some of the Booker nominees, but don't think I have this year. Looking at Flanagan's, I wonder if I should read it. (My grandfather served in Burma in WWII.) I'm not big into war stories, though, generally speaking. But, A Town Like Alice did touch a little bit on the subject too....

 

[Rosie_0801]

Does that mean winning one of these prizes isn't really that cool after all? The cool factor is in having been nominated for it?

[Kareni]

I haven't read this book, but I see it's free to Kindle readers.

 

The Thinking Machine by Jacques Futrelle

 

"For the world’s most brilliant criminologist, every mystery has a solution

His name is Professor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen, but to the newspapers he is known as “The Thinking Machine.†Slender, stooped, his appearance dominated by his large forehead and perpetual squint, Van Dusen spends his days in the laboratory and his nights puzzling over the details of extraordinary crimes. What seems beyond comprehension to the police is mere amusement to the professor. All things that start must go somewhere, he firmly believes, and with the application of logic, all problems can be solved.
 
Whether unraveling a perfect murder, investigating a case of corporate espionage, or reasoning his way out of an inescapable prison cell, Van Dusen lets no detail elude his brilliant mind. In this highly entertaining collection, featuring many of the stories that made The Thinking Machine a national sensation, ingenious criminals and ruthless villains are no match for an egghead scientist."

 

Furtrelle, an American journalist, wrote this series of mystery stories in the early 1900s.  From his Wikipedia page:  "Returning from Europe aboard the RMS Titanic, Futrelle, a first-cabin passenger, refused to board a lifeboat insisting his wife board instead until the point of forcing her in. His wife remembered the last she saw of him, he was smoking a cigarette with John J. Astor. He perished in the Atlantic ...."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[ladydusk]

Three year olds are my particular favourites in the world of small children :)

 

Me too.

[Uff Da!]

I finished off 'Their Eyes Were Watching God.' My thanks to whoever recommended that. It's obviously not something I'd discover on my own.

I love this book Rosie.  I am glad you enjoyed it (and I'm fairly certain that I am not the one that recommended it).

[Robin M]

Squee!  I just had to share.I've been taking an online creative writing class through F2K. At the end of each session, they select the best conflict short piece from each class room and post them for everyone to vote for the best. Guess what. I won for my classroom! And the vote is open to everyone. My story is All For Charity! Check it out. I'd love your votes but there are a few amazing stories.

 

https://www.f2k3.com/index.php/vote

 

[Nan in Mass]

Onceuponatime said:

"I was thinking about the way in which characters in stories talk about other characters as though they are conversing about the characteristics of a bug under a microscope, making all kinds of remarks about personal appearance, fortune, education, etc. I notice this particularly about Emma by Austen.

Quotes from Green Tea: (This is from a personal letter one character is writing about another, to a third party.)

"The Rev.Mr. James is tall and thin.....He is naturally a little stately, but not at all stiff. His features, without being handsome, are well formed, and their expression extremely kind but shy...The modesty and benevolence of his countenance are extremely prepossessing...he joined agreeably enough in the conversation. He seems to enjoy listening very much more than contributing to the talk, but what he says is always to the purpose and well said. He is a great favorite of lady Mary's, who it seems, consults him upon many things, and thinks him the most happy and blessed person on earth.....(he) is a bachelor, and has, they say, sixty thousand pounds in the funds. He is a charitable man...."

Every thing is given a kind of positive spin and elaborated on till there can be no doubt of the first person's regard for the second person, even if it does not exist. :-)" (quote not working for me today - sorry)

 

I see what you mean.  It does sound a bit odd to my modern ears, even as a letter.  I write a lot of emails to people far away from me and my descriptions sound nothing like that lol.  We used to get a Christmas letter from a friend that did, a bit, and it sound odd.  It is a good question - did they really write like that to each other commonly or is it just because Jane Austen needed a fuller description for her book?  I don't remember the letters in Lady Susan striking me that way.

 

Jane – I loved your spider.  I don’t think I have a glass big enough to deal with it in the normal glass-and-card method, though, so perhaps it is just as well they aren’t up here.

 

All - There are worse things than spiders.  I found a leech between my toes this summer.  My children are still laughing at my reaction.

 

Shukriyya – I love the Patricia McKillip covers, too.  I’ve always loved the cover of Dragonsinger and Dragonsong and assumed they were the same artist.  Now I am curious and will have to check. : )  I had some Angus books!  They were my father’s, I think?  He had a stuffed animal, too.  That and his teddy and his train set survived the million moves he made as a child.  Did you have Joshua and the Clock Box?

 

Lostsurprise – I agree that your cover is gorgeous.  Young summer personified.

 

I finished The Grand Tour today.  I didn't like it as well as the first in the series.  It dragged in the middle and wasn't as funny.

I also read The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner.  This can count as both my spooky book (it is most definitely a ghost story) and as my sea story.  I was struck by this bit:

 

"Beyond the shadow of the ship,

I watched the water-snakes:

They moved in tracks of shining white,

And when they reared, the elfish ight

Fell off in hoary flakes." (Coleridge)

 

Last time we went sailing, my husband discovered there was phosphorescence when he took the dog ashore.  He came back and insisted I come for a row.  (And the dog insisted we were leaving her alone forever and we had to go back for her before she woke the whole anchorage lol.)  The phosphorescence dripped white off the paddles and every wavelet was lined with stars.  It was gorgeous.  I stayed in the dinghey a long time, paddling over the stern, making light with my hands, until I scooped up a jelly fish by mistake and squeaked.  I used the bailer after that, which wasn't quite as satisfactory but it was still magical.  I think the jellyfish had been eating phosphorescence because it glowed solid white in my hands instead of just having little rows of lights moving up its sides.

 

My life is a Calvin and Hobbs cartoon.

 

Nan

 

 

[shukriyya]

Since the Booker prize is being discussed, here are some interesting facts and figures. And listening to NPR this week I heard the longlist for the National Book Award. BaWers will be interested to know that two of the books on it have been discussed a little here, 'All the Light We Cannot See' and 'Lila'.

 

Robin, that's great! :party:

[Kareni]

Squee!  ... I won for my classroom!

 

Congratulations!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[shukriyya]

Nan, do you mean The Dragon in the Clock Box? I've not read this but it looks delightful. And if you like the artwork of Patricia McKillip's books there's more wonderfulness by the artist here.

[shukriyya]

The same NPR show had an interesting interview with Molly Antopol author of The UnAmericans. Some BaWers here would be intrigued by this book, I'm thinking Pam, Jane, Stacia...in particular. Maybe Tam?

[Jane in NC]

 

 

Squee!  I just had to share.I've been taking an online creative writing class through F2K. At the end of each session, they select the best conflict short piece from each class room and post them for everyone to vote for the best. Guess what. I won for my classroom! And the vote is open to everyone. My story is All For Charity! Check it out. I'd love your votes but there are a few amazing stories.

 

https://www.f2k3.com/index.php/vote

 

 

Robin, does one need to subscribe to Facebook to read this?  Is there an alternate method?

 

I finished The Grand Tour today.  I didn't like it as well as the first in the series.  It dragged in the middle and wasn't as funny.

I also read The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner.  This can count as both my spooky book (it is most definitely a ghost story) and as my sea story.  I was struck by this bit:

 

"Beyond the shadow of the ship,

I watched the water-snakes:

They moved in tracks of shining white,

And when they reared, the elfish ight

Fell off in hoary flakes." (Coleridge)

 

Last time we went sailing, my husband discovered there was phosphorescence when he took the dog ashore.  He came back and insisted I come for a row.  (And the dog insisted we were leaving her alone forever and we had to go back for her before she woke the whole anchorage lol.)  The phosphorescence dripped white off the paddles and every wavelet was lined with stars.  It was gorgeous.  I stayed in the dinghey a long time, paddling over the stern, making light with my hands, until I scooped up a jelly fish by mistake and squeaked.  I used the bailer after that, which wasn't quite as satisfactory but it was still magical.  I think the jellyfish had been eating phosphorescence because it glowed solid white in my hands instead of just having little rows of lights moving up its sides.

 

My life is a Calvin and Hobbs cartoon.

 

Nan

 

Lovely quote, Nan.

 

Phosphorescence is indeed magical!  We have walked along the beach at night when our footprints in the sand triggered it.  There is a Paul Simon song from the Graceland album with the line "diamonds on the soles of my shoes".  I always think of that when I see phosphorescence.
 

 

The same NPR show had an interesting interview with Molly Antopol author of The UnAmericans. Some BaWers here would be intrigued by this book, I'm thinking Pam, Jane, Stacia...in particular. Maybe Tam?

 

Thanks, that does look interesting!  I borrowed ten or twelve books from my library list last week in the hope of trimming it a bit.  That does not appear to be happening.

[mumto2]

 

Squee! I just had to share.I've been taking an online creative writing class through F2K. At the end of each session, they select the best conflict short piece from each class room and post them for everyone to vote for the best. Guess what. I won for my classroom! And the vote is open to everyone. My story is All For Charity! Check it out. I'd love your votes but there are a few amazing stories.

 

 

https://www.f2k3.com/index.php/vote

Robin, Great job! Totally enjoyed your story.

 

Jane, No problems just clicking the link, selecting Robin's story and reading. It took me a minute to realize it was there down the left hand side and may very well have been from the initial click.

[*Inna*]

You win, Nan. Forget spiders, a leech will send me in a tailspin. :svengo:

 

I'm up a third night in a row with a sick kid. It's "only" a 24-hour bug, but dang, couldn't they get sick at the same time and get it over with?! :sneaky2:  The amount of laundry I'm doing is astonishing.

[prairiegirl]

haven't had time to read through this wonderful thread yet- (saving that for a quiet moment and a cup of tea :) ) -but thought I would check in to say I am joining the readers of Frankenstein and enjoying it. Like several of you, I'm finding it isn't at all what I expected! I'll give you some more of my thoughts when I finish. I am also reading Dante's Inferno, but I am using a Longfellow translation/ version which is driving me crazy, so I may start over with a different edition. any thoughts?

Elaine

Elaine,  I am ever-so-slowly reading through Dante.  I am using John Ciardi's translation and I am not having any problems with it.  Anthony Esolen also has a translation. I haven't  read it so I don't know what it is like but it is Esolen so it should be good.

 

 

Squee!  I just had to share.I've been taking an online creative writing class through F2K. At the end of each session, they select the best conflict short piece from each class room and post them for everyone to vote for the best. Guess what. I won for my classroom! And the vote is open to everyone. My story is All For Charity! Check it out. I'd love your votes but there are a few amazing stories.

 

https://www.f2k3.com/index.php/vote

 

:hurray:   Congratulations, Robin!

 

 

 

I'm up a third night in a row with a sick kid. It's "only" a 24-hour bug, but dang, couldn't they get sick at the same time and get it over with?! :sneaky2:  The amount of laundry I'm doing is astonishing.

Oh, ick!   I am sorry.   We have been dealing with a lot of sickness the past two months.  For some reason it is only my girls that are getting sick and they keep getting the same bug.  We have been 'bug-free' for the last two weeks so I think the yuckiness is officially over.   I hope that you can get some sleep tonight and that all of your  crew is feeling better soon.

 

Dawn,  I hope you are feeling better today.

[Nan in Mass]

Shukriyya - Yes, that is the one. And thank you for the link. I am off to explore it now.

 

All you who are sick or have sick loved ones - I do hope you are all better soon.

 

Robin - Congratulations! That is so cool!

 

I am reading Chalice by Robin McKinley, which I am enjoying so far.

 

Nan

[ladydusk]

I finished St Cyr #7 last night about 12:30. It has more of those not-so-subtle anti-religion themes which was annoying (and only vaguely plot-necessary). But the character development and mystery were both quite good. As the series has developed, I like how historically sensitive Harris has been - including a discussion of the choices she's made and the true history she's included. She doesn't change the outcomes of history, but has her characters being involved and influences. It's fascinating.

 

Thanks for the well wishes, I am feeling much better today. Hooray.

[shukriyya]

"Beyond the shadow of the ship,

I watched the water-snakes:

They moved in tracks of shining white,

And when they reared, the elfish ight

Fell off in hoary flakes." (Coleridge)

 

Last time we went sailing, my husband discovered there was phosphorescence when he took the dog ashore. He came back and insisted I come for a row. (And the dog insisted we were leaving her alone forever and we had to go back for her before she woke the whole anchorage lol.) The phosphorescence dripped white off the paddles and every wavelet was lined with stars. It was gorgeous. I stayed in the dinghey a long time, paddling over the stern, making light with my hands, until I scooped up a jelly fish by mistake and squeaked. I used the bailer after that, which wasn't quite as satisfactory but it was still magical. I think the jellyfish had been eating phosphorescence because it glowed solid white in my hands instead of just having little rows of lights moving up its sides.

 

Nan

This is so lovely! Ephemeral and visceral in the same breath. I journeyed somewhere with this. Thank you.

[NoseInABook]

Hmm, now I know who to ship my 3 year old off to when he's driving me batty. :p We're taking a lazy day here because it's supposed to be co-op day but said 3 year old's muscles were so sore from vaccines yesterday that he was waddling. Add to that the fact that I have come down with a bit of a cold and that's a recipe for a day at home in jammies with no responsibilities. I'm halfway through Dead and Alive and hope to finish it up today.

[Angel]

 

I'm up a third night in a row with a sick kid. It's "only" a 24-hour bug, but dang, couldn't they get sick at the same time and get it over with?! :sneaky2:  The amount of laundry I'm doing is astonishing.

 

:grouphug:  Hang in there!  And here's hoping you don't come down with it!

[MicheleinMN]

 

I'm up a third night in a row with a sick kid. It's "only" a 24-hour bug, but dang, couldn't they get sick at the same time and get it over with?! :sneaky2:  The amount of laundry I'm doing is astonishing.

 

Hope you are all feeling better!  (If you only knew how much courage it is taking me to even comment on this particular type of illness.  Spiders, rodents, and leeches have nothing on my fear of all of us all getting *that* bug again.)

[Kareni]

Earlier today I finished my book group book The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern; it was an interesting read.

 

I also read and enjoyed Robyn Carr's contemporary romance The Homecoming (Thunder Point).

 

"At the age of nineteen, Seth Sileski had everything. A superb athlete and scholar, handsome and popular, he was the pride of Thunder Point. Destined for greatness, he lost it all in a terrible accident that put an end to his professional football career when it had barely begun. The people in his hometown have never forgotten what might have been. 

Seth has come to terms with the turns his life has taken. But now he's been presented with an opportunity to return home and show his father—and the people of Thunder Point—he's become a better, humbler version of his former self. 

Winning over his father isn't the only challenge. Seth must also find a way to convince his childhood neighbor and best friend, Iris McKinley, to forgive him for breaking her heart. With his homecoming, will Seth be able to convince the town, his family and especially Iris that he's finally ready to be the man who will make them all proud?"

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I just learned that October 16 is Dictionary Day.

 

"National Dictionary Day, an “unofficial†national holiday was created in honor of Noah Webster’s birthday (October 16, 1758) and is set aside as a day to emphasize the importance of learning and using dictionary skills and increasing one’s vocabulary."

 

Let the celebration begin!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Negin]

I will never read another John Grisham novel again. 

[Mom-ninja.]

Kareni, I loved the Night Circus. I should re-read it. 

[Onceuponatime]

All you Tuvan throat singing fans, have you seen this?

 

http://www.cmuse.org/anna-maria-hefele-does-overtone-singing/

[NoseInABook]

That video scares the living snot out of me. *shifty eyes* 

 

 

[Nan in Mass]

You win, Nan. Forget spiders, a leech will send me in a tailspin. :svengo:

 

I'm up a third night in a row with a sick kid. It's "only" a 24-hour bug, but dang, couldn't they get sick at the same time and get it over with?! :sneaky2:  The amount of laundry I'm doing is astonishing.

 

LOL No-if it is a contest, you win by about a million miles.  I would much rather have leeches between my toes than throwing up bugs.  After my pregnancies, I never, ever, ever want to throw up again.

 

When I found the leech, my three sons (all adult now) happened to be nearby.  I'm still trying to decide if their reaction to the leech is a compliment or an insult.  They said they never knew I was a girl lol.

 

I hope everyone is well soon and the miraculous immunity of mothers holds true for you.

 

Nan

[Kareni]

For fans of Jules Verne and steampunk (though it also seems appropriate to stumble on this after reading The Night Circus) ~

 

In France, a steampunk park of Jules Verne’s dreams

 

Regards,

Kareni

[shukriyya]

For fans of Jules Verne and steampunk (though it also seems appropriate to stumble on this after reading The Night Circus) ~

In France, a steampunk park of Jules Verne’s dreams

 

Regards,

Kareni

Reminds me a little of Steampark a board game that's popular chez nous. Btw, Kareni, I really enjoyed 'The Night Circus'.

[Guest]

This week I am re-reading one of my all time favorite books - Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I read Sixty-One Nails last week, and while I enjoyed it ok (3 stars) it really put me in the mood for some good fantasy. Rothfuss has a book coming out in two weeks (not the third in his trilogy, unfortunately); a side-story based on one of the characters from his series. So, as always, I have to read #1 and #2 to get myself ready to read the new book. I always worry about picking up a favorite book - that I will be disappointed after having hyped it up in my head - but so far, I love this book as much as the previous times I've read it.

 

I also have marked that I am reading Dracula and The Mapmaker's Wife, but tbh, I haven't actually started them yet.

 

 

 
 I agree the Husband's Secret just sucked me right in and I had no choice but to finish it even though I was somewhat appalled by it. Her latest Little Lies was the same. I actually normally like an occasional book like that so was prepared for it when I picked up Little Lies and did it on a rainy day with no outside plans! ;) I will admit Gone Girl which is another train wreck of a book offended me. I just couldn't like it. All of us have our own triggers.
 

 

I just took Little Lies off of my TBR list, thanks for the heads up. I've gone back and forth on whether or not I'll read Gone Girl...it's currently in the nope camp.

[mumto2]

For fans of Jules Verne and steampunk (though it also seems appropriate to stumble on this after reading The Night Circus) ~

In France, a steampunk park of Jules Verne’s dreams

 

Regards,

Kareni

Just forwarded this to dh as a big hint! :lol: There is a Chateaux there also......

 

Not much reading happened today but I have had a great day! It is my birthday.....explored a fun new to us village/town, went out for lasagne(a favourite), then listened to the dc's play Happy Birthday on the bells at practice from the comfort of my living room. I normally climb the 94 steps to join them, mom holiday tonight. ;)

[Robin M]

Just forwarded this to dh as a big hint! :lol: There is a Chateaux there also......

 

Not much reading happened today but I have had a great day! It is my birthday.....explored a fun new to us village/town, went out for lasagne(a favourite), then listened to the dc's play Happy Birthday on the bells at practice from the comfort of my living room. I normally climb the 94 steps to join them, mom holiday tonight. ;)

 

Happy Birthday!!!!!  :cheers2:

[Pam in CT]

All you Tuvan throat singing fans, have you seen this?

 

http://www.cmuse.org/anna-maria-hefele-does-overtone-singing/

That is SO COOL.  Shifty eyes notwithstanding.

 

 

Not much reading happened today but I have had a great day! It is my birthday.....explored a fun new to us village/town, went out for lasagne(a favourite), then listened to the dc's play Happy Birthday on the bells at practice from the comfort of my living room. I normally climb the 94 steps to join them, mom holiday tonight. ;)

NO WAY!!! Mine too.   :cheers2:

[Stacia]

 

Happy Birthday, mumto2!

 

Happy Birthday, Pam!

 

[ladydusk]

Just forwarded this to dh as a big hint! :lol: There is a Chateaux there also......

 

Not much reading happened today but I have had a great day! It is my birthday.....explored a fun new to us village/town, went out for lasagne(a favourite), then listened to the dc's play Happy Birthday on the bells at practice from the comfort of my living room. I normally climb the 94 steps to join them, mom holiday tonight. ;)

Happy B-day!

[ladydusk]

NO WAY!!! Mine too. :cheers2:

And also to you!