Book a Week in 2014 - BW43

[ladydusk]

I finished St Cyr #9 last night. Very good. Thanks to mum and Amy for introducing me. #10 comes out in March ...

 

Next to try The Weaver Takes a Wife.

[Nan in Mass]

We're reading Lang's!

 

 

 

 

Not sure what sort of answer to give. I can tell you there are two glass ceilings to hit in learning a signed language. One is if you are hearing. Deaf people code switch a bit even with their own hearing kids. The other is being an introvert, lol. My receptive skills were the best in my class, but I was never at the top when it came to productive skills. First, I have a stutter. Second, I'm an introvert.

 

Think about a visual language. The more expression you put in, the more interesting the "tone" is. Someone with no expression is like listening to someone talk in a monotone. Also, story telling is important for the same reasons it is in illiterate cultures, I guess. You can't really write down a signed language.

 

Try and see some Deaf theatre if you can. Some is not suited to a non-sigining audience, but I've seen some brilliant bilingual theatre.

 

A stutter in your voice or in your signing?

I can identify with being an introvert and learning another language.  It isn't so bad at the "How many brothers do you have?" scripted conversation stage, but when it comes to talking to people for real, when you are out and about, it is SO hard.  I didn't really make progress until I was forced to do some translating of logistics.  It is truly amazing how little one can get away with saying, even when living with people lol.

 

As someone who was involved with ballet when she was little, I have no trouble understanding about the expressive part. : )

 

What sorts of stories are told?  The same as the verbal ones we tell?  In my family, we tell (rather than read) moral ones for children, entertaining ones for children, historical ones (either family or occasionally cultural ones), and what my family calls war-stories, which are stories of one's adventures mostly involving sailing, or particularly good stories one has heard from other people.  For example, the stolen canoe story came to us via another family whose friends experienced it years ago and my family is still teling it, both for our own entertainment and at parties.  Now that i think about it, we only tend to tell stories amongst other sailing friends, and amongst ourselves.  Maybe this is a sailing culture thing?  Do other people do this?

 

Nan

[Nan in Mass]

I want to talk about fairy tales, too, but not till I come back from hauling the boat. : )

 

Nan

[Pam in CT]

Well this is an interesting map:

 

The Literary United States: A Map of the Best Book for Every State

Love this -- thank you!

 

 

 

Not sure what sort of answer to give. I can tell you there are two glass ceilings to hit in learning a signed language. One is if you are hearing. Deaf people code switch a bit even with their own hearing kids. The other is being an introvert, lol. My receptive skills were the best in my class, but I was never at the top when it came to productive skills. First, I have a stutter. Second, I'm an introvert.

 

Think about a visual language. The more expression you put in, the more interesting the "tone" is. Someone with no expression is like listening to someone talk in a monotone. Also, story telling is important for the same reasons it is in illiterate cultures, I guess. You can't really write down a signed language.

 

Try and see some Deaf theatre if you can. Some is not suited to a non-sigining audience, but I've seen some brilliant bilingual theatre.

Nan, the bilingual Cleveland Signstage Theater travels around the US and has several times swung our way -- we've seen them at both the Westport theater and I think at Longwharf (one of the New Haven theaters, anyway).  They do both children's shows and straight adult drama.  Really fascinating to see.

 

Also, if you have a chance to see WDC-based Sweet Honey in the Rock in concert: well, run, don't walk.  They've done ASL bilingual a cappella (!!!) for over 30 YEARS.  I'll try to pop in a youtube here, but, well, you know.

 

 

 

(and here's another one I found on my dive down the rabbit hole, not as much video focus on the ASL on this one, but it sets a poem by Langston Hughes about murdered civil rights Harry Moore)

[Jane in NC]

I want to talk about fairy tales, too, but not till I come back from hauling the boat. : )

 

Nan

 

Migration report:   monarch butterflies are on the move!  Get that boat in, Nan!

 

 

Also, if you have a chance to see WDC-based Sweet Honey in the Rock in concert: well, run, don't walk.  They've done ASL bilingual a cappella (!!!) for over 30 YEARS.  I'll try to pop in a youtube here, but, well, you know.

 

Yes, yes, yes to Sweet Honey in the Rock!  Amazing women!

[Mom-ninja.]

I read Left Hand of Darkness a bit ago. Didn't really feel it. Not sure I want to try another of her books. 

[Violet Crown]

I read Left Hand of Darkness a bit ago. Didn't really feel it. Not sure I want to try another of her books.

I agree. Dh convinced me to read various LeGuin books/stories many years ago, and I only vaguely recall finding them annoying. Not sure it's something intrinsic to her writing; probably just my own personal reading defect.

[shukriyya]

Boat hauling, bulb planting (Mumto2, you must share pics with us in the spring, the imagined visual is heavenly, complete with extra long grass), ASL theater and music, fairy tales and monarch migration...a wonderfully eclectic start to the day which is still waiting to greet me, I might add.

[Stacia]

You gals know I often promote indie publishers & bookstores (http://www.indiebound.org/ is a place to locate indie stores), even more so because of the recent Amazon/Hachette issues. I try to bring these issues up because I see it from the angle of manipulation of our freedom of speech/the press by a large corporate entity. And, in our society, it is not just government, but also corporations, which wield much power & influence.

 

Economist Paul Krugman had an op-ed piece in the NY Times earlier this week: Amazon’s Monopsony Is Not O.K.

 

ETA: Here's another small list of reasons to shop indie stores (from the IndieBound website) -- my local indie bookstore has a copy of this hanging in their store:
 

Why shop Indie?

When you shop at an independently owned business, your entire community benefits:

The Economy

• Spend $100 at a local and $68 of that stays in your community. Spend the same $100 at a national chain, and your community only sees $43.
• Local businesses create higher-paying jobs for our neighbors.
• More of your taxes are reinvested in your community--where they belong.

The Environment

• Buying local means less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint.
• Shopping in a local business district means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money to beautify your community.

The Community

• Local retailers are your friends and neighbors—support them and they’ll support you.
• Local businesses donate to charities at more than twice the rate of national chains.
• More independents means more choice, more diversity, and a truly unique community.

Now is the time to stand up and join your fellow individuals in the IndieBound mission supporting local businesses and celebrating independents.

 

And, for the eBook readers among us, here's a page about how to support your independent bookstore by purchasing eBooks through Kobo.

&

http://www.kobo.com/indieapp

[Nan in Mass]

I think I like Ursula LeGuin because of the unresolvedness in her stories. They are what I think of as anthropological fiction, too, which I like very much.

 

Boat hauled. Glass is in the greenhouse and all the camelias in and most of the other plants (yesterday's task). The driveway is full of wood. Still have the storms to put in, but I don't want to do that until the snow flies because at this time of the year, sometimes the woodstove is too hot without some extra air. Jane, please tell the monarchs they can migrate now lol. We have geese coming through.

 

If you still read fairy tales, have your favourite fairy tales changed from when you were a child?

 

Rosie - I didn't have Lang. I had several, one that was aimed at small children and which I had read to me (or told to me) when I was young enough to take it for granted that small children just ARE stupid. Henny Penny struck me as excessively stupid.

 

Nan

[Pam in CT]

You gals know I often promote indie publishers & bookstores (http://www.indiebound.org/ is a place to locate indie stores), even more so because of the recent Amazon/Hachette issues. I try to bring these issues up because I see it from the angle of manipulation of our freedom of speech/the press by a large corporate entity. And, in our society, it is not just government, but also corporations, which wield much power & influence.

 

Economist Paul Krugman had an op-ed piece in the NY Times earlier this week: Amazon’s Monopsony Is Not O.K.

My favorite part about Krugman's piece is that he distinguishes so clearly between monopoly and monopsony.  The second is only ever used by econ geeks (I was one, in one of my several former lives...) but it is the crux of the issue here, and is going to be ever more important for 21st century economic policy.  The more consumers / workers / voters / taxpayers get it, the better we'll manage.

 

#wordnerd #offsoapbox now...

[shukriyya]

Boat hauled. Glass is in the greenhouse and all the camelias in and most of the other plants (yesterday's task). The driveway is full of wood. Still have the storms to put in, but I don't want to do that until the snow flies because at this time of the year, sometimes the woodstove is too hot without some extra air. Jane, please tell the monarchs they can migrate now lol. We have geese coming through.

 

Nan

 

Which makes me think of this...

 

Wild Geese

 

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting-

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

 

Mary Oliver, Dream Work, Grove Atlantic Inc., 1986 & New and Selected Poems, Beacon Press, 1992.

[Violet Crown]

I think we need a "small/indie publisher challenge."

[Rosie_0801]

A stutter in your voice or in your signing?

 

They are the same thing, really, so both. :)

 

What sorts of stories are told?  

 

Oh anything. Storytellers can turn pretty much anything into an epic. It's really funny watching someone laying on all their skills for a boring story.

 

 

I couldn't tell you if there were trends in story telling because I'm no longer involved with the deaf community, but you don't get the kind of intergenerational story telling you get in other oral cultures because most Deaf people have hearing families.

[Robin M]

I think we need a "small/indie publisher challenge."

 

I was thinking about that including translated books. Ideas have been percolating lately for next year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fingers are in my ears, hands over my eyes as I la la la la  over comments on reading Left Hand of Darkness.   Don't want to jinx it. :leaving:

 

[Kareni]

I just finished a reread The Secret Pearl by Mary Balogh which is a historical romance which begins in a unique fashion.  It's a favorite of mine.

 

"He first spies her in the shadows outside a London theatre, a ravishing creature forced to barter her body to survive.

To the woman known simply as Fleur, the well-dressed gentleman with the mesmerizing eyes is an unlikely savior. And when she takes the stranger to her bed, she never expects to see him again. But then Fleur accepts a position as governess to a young girl…and is stunned to discover that her midnight lover is a powerful nobleman. As two wary hearts ignite–and the threat of scandal hovers over them–one question remains: will she be mistress or wife?"

 

There is a good review here, but it does give away much of the plot.  Read at your own risk.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

[Nan in Mass]

Nan, the bilingual Cleveland Signstage Theater travels around the US and has several times swung our way -- we've seen them at both the Westport theater and I think at Longwharf (one of the New Haven theaters, anyway). They do both children's shows and straight adult drama. Really fascinating to see.

 

Also, if you have a chance to see WDC-based Sweet Honey in the Rock in concert: well, run, don't walk. They've done ASL bilingual a cappella (!!!) for over 30 YEARS. I'll try to pop in a

here, but, well, you know.

 

 

 

 

(and here's another one I found on my dive down the rabbit hole, not as much video focus on the ASL on this one, but it sets a poem by Langston Hughes about murdered civil rights Harry Moore)

Pam, I will have to keep my eye out for these. Thank you. At least I,ve heard of Sweet Honey. Your links came through fine and I now have enough signal to watch them. As I guessed-dancing. It makes me want to learn ASL all the more. And Sweet Honey was a cool choice for a demo, with its all it's oral storytelling.

 

Rosie, so not ballad type stories or ones like the boy who cried wolf, but more this happened to me? And do you know if this is true in ASL as well as whatever Aussies speak? I seem to remember the languages being different. And I suppose the culture as we'll would be.

 

Nan

[Nan in Mass]

Stacia, nice map of stores! Two near me, only one of which I knew about.

 

Shukriyya, my sister wrote this poem out years ago for me when she suggested keeping a nature journal as a way to track the endless days until my son returned from three months on the other side of the world. I had forgotten all about it. A timely reminder. Lovely lovely.

 

Nan

[Rosie_0801]

Rosie, so not ballad type stories or ones like the boy who cried wolf, but more this happened to me? And do you know if this is true in ASL as well as whatever Aussies speak? I seem to remember the languages being different. And I suppose the culture as we'll would be.

 

Nan

 

I don't know what Deaf people do when they are alone. Most of what I saw was "this happened to me" or people relating fairy tales for instruction. I'm eavesdropping online with a new venture in Auslan storytelling, translating books. 

 

I know almost nothing about ASL other than Auslan is prettier ( :p ) and while you are going to get similarities between Deaf cultures anywhere, you are also going to get differences for the same reasons speaking populations have differences. I guess in the US your Deaf cultures will be a mixture of general American, Deaf and local American subcultures. 

[Pam in CT]

Stacia and others interested in censorship issues, I was wondering if you'd dropped in on the Breaking Bad Action Figure thread?  My mind made a quick parallel between books-with-sex-or-violence in middle school libraries, and action-figures-of-drug-dealers, complete with itty bitty bags of meth, placed on toy store shelves... but the consensus thus far seems to be along the lines of, if you don't want it, then just don't buy it.  

 

Interesting.  I wasn't aware (no snark) that the 15+ age group bought action figures.  (Video games, sure...)

 

 

[shukriyya]

And speaking of birds my cockatiel is perched on my shoulder assiduously involved in a lengthy preening session. My shoulder is covered in keratin, the waxy sheath that covers the quills, and dander which tiels are known for. I got a chunk of The Ivy Tree read last night. The plot thickens.

[Stacia]

Stacia and others interested in censorship issues, I was wondering if you'd dropped in on the Breaking Bad Action Figure thread?  My mind made a quick parallel between books-with-sex-or-violence in middle school libraries, and action-figures-of-drug-dealers, complete with itty bitty bags of meth, placed on toy store shelves... but the consensus thus far seems to be along the lines of, if you don't want it, then just don't buy it.  

 

Interesting.  I wasn't aware (no snark) that the 15+ age group bought action figures.  (Video games, sure...)

 

I saw & skimmed the thread earlier.

 

I think action figures for adults are pretty popular these days -- nerd/geek toys, if you will. (Further popularized by shows like The Big Bang Theory, imo.) I say that based on knowing various people who attend DragonCon/ComicCon/ &/or buy from ThinkGeek (teens & adults), who don't collect per se, but do buy action figures to put on their desks. It's not like their home decor is action-figured themed, but they like having a few small action figures or models to put on their work desks. In the group I know that fits this category, things like this are also bought as joke-y birthday gifts, secret Santa presents, etc.... So, there's definitely a market out there, as far as I'm aware. That kind of stuff is actually quite popular with many people I know.

 

As far as the other thread, I saw someone mention that the figures are kept in the adult section of the store & I know what they're talking about (even though I haven't been in a TRU for many, many years). Ironically, I quit shopping at TRU when my dc were still young because I hated their selection (or lack thereof) of decent toys & their over-emphasis (imo) on very violent themed toys for kids (guns, movie villains -- just very 'dark' stuff, imo). I felt they had very violent toys as the majority choice on the shelves, especially in the 'boy' sections. Not what I was looking for. I never protested their selections, just chose not to give my toy-spending dollars to them. I think it's their prerogative to sell it & my prerogative not to buy it.

[Kareni]

Speaking of action figures, have you seen this one?

 

Nancy Pearl Librarian Action Figure

 

Nancy Pearl is a librarian and author of Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason  and other books.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

Speaking of action figures, have you seen this one?

 

Nancy Pearl Librarian Action Figure

 

 

:lol:

 

Did you see the deluxe version of this (includes library cart!):

http://www.amazon.com/Accoutrements-11548-Deluxe-Librarian-Action/dp/B000CIO524/ref=pd_sim_sbs_t_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1KMETBXTNBXSD539GTD8

 

[shukriyya]

Speaking of action figures, have you seen this one?

 

Nancy Pearl Librarian Action Figure

 

Nancy Pearl is a librarian and author of Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason  and other books.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

:lol:

 

Did you see the deluxe version of this (includes library cart!):

http://www.amazon.com/Accoutrements-11548-Deluxe-Librarian-Action/dp/B000CIO524/ref=pd_sim_sbs_t_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1KMETBXTNBXSD539GTD8

 

 

And then there's the Jane Austen action figure.

[Stacia]

And then there's the Jane Austen action figure.

 

Well, if you're gonna go there...

 

I want the Kurt Vonnegut plushie figure:

http://www.theliterarygiftcompany.com/kurt-vonnegut-soft-toy-15698-p.asp

 

:biggrinjester:

 

[Violet Crown]

Have settled into Guy de Maupassant's Bel-Ami. Very entertaining story of awful people behaving awfully, against the backdrop of the nineteenth-century French newspaper industry. Very satirical, including a jab at arrivistes who create new upper-class-sounding last names with the "de" handle. The Penguin cover informs me this was made into a movie recently.

[shukriyya]

Well, if you're gonna go there...

 

I want the Kurt Vonnegut plushie figure:

http://www.theliterarygiftcompany.com/kurt-vonnegut-soft-toy-15698-p.asp

 

:biggrinjester:

 

 

Weirder still.

 

And for our P&P fans...

 

[shukriyya]

Hey, Onceuponatime, here's a tshirt for us!

[mumto2]

And speaking of birds my cockatiel is perched on my shoulder assiduously involved in a lengthy preening session. My shoulder is covered in keratin, the waxy sheath that covers the quills, and dander which tiels are known for. I got a chunk of The Ivy Tree read last night. The plot thickens.

  

 

You are making me miss my parrot although he was lazy and got me to take care of sheath removal. They really are lovely pets. He used to make an inquisitive sound as I turned the pages of my books. Enjoyed reading time......

 

 

Oh my gosh, they do!

 

I've got a 19 year old cousin, working fulltime, otherwise grown up :) but he and his friends buy figurines. Isn't it odd ?

Have to admit I wasn't aware of this either. We have Dr. Who type galore, some Dungeons but that is it.

 

An interesting fact about our voices and our brains, talking and singing originate in different portions of the brain. A friend recently had a stroke and her speaking ability is quite damaged but singing is still alright. Apparently with therapy they can restore her ability to talk thanks to having retained singing.

 

Kareni, I ended up spending the day in the car rather unexpectedly and read one that you might enjoy, Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt. It was different enough to be interesting but not unique. Due to my kindle losing charge and not having the same books downloaded on both kindles I just have 2 other books partially completed. :lol:

[Violet Crown]

An interesting fact about our voices and our brains, talking and singing originate in different portions of the brain. A friend recently had a stroke and her speaking ability is quite damaged but singing is still alright. Apparently with therapy they can restore her ability to talk thanks to having retained singing.

 

Wee Girl's problems began with Expressive Aphasia, which happens to be treated in small children exactly as the acquired form is treated in stroke patients. We used singing a lot in helping her learn how to speak.

 

One of the most helpful things we learned is that while aphasia sufferers find it incredibly difficult to answer questions, they are much better at completing sentence cues. Wee Girl still often can't answer when people ask "What did you do this weekend?" but can generally respond to "And the most fun thing you did this weekend was when you ....". In case that helps in conversing with your friend.

[mumto2]

Wee Girl's problems began with Expressive Aphasia, which happens to be treated in small children exactly as the acquired form is treated in stroke patients. We used singing a lot in helping her learn how to speak.

 

One of the most helpful things we learned is that while aphasia sufferers find it incredibly difficult to answer questions, they are much better at completing sentence cues. Wee Girl still often can't answer when people ask "What did you do this weekend?" but can generally respond to "And the most fun thing you did this weekend was when you ....". In case that helps in conversing with your friend.

I will pass that tip along to a friend who is visiting daily and trying to help her make decisions about her immediate future, no family in this country.

 

Another interesting thing was she received the tPA shot from the first responder roughly 10 minutes after her stroke which appeared to be massive. It happened during our church service.......they didn't transport for quite awhile, multi car accident blocking one road into our area. By the time they moved her she was able to stand and sit down in a wheel chair by herself. Amazing..... My father wasn't able to get the shot because he missed the window. After watching my friend I can't tell you how much I wish he would have gone to the hospital sooner.

[Kareni]

  

Kareni, I ended up spending the day in the car rather unexpectedly and read one that you might enjoy, Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt. It was different enough to be interesting but not unique.

 

I've read a number of other Elizabeth Hoyt books but not that one; I'll be on the lookout for it.  I'm actually looking forward to her latest (as I'd tired a bit of the Ghost theme) which has a mute hero ~  Darling Beast.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

I've read a number of other Elizabeth Hoyt books but not that one; I'll be on the lookout for it. I'm actually looking forward to her latest (as I'd tired a bit of the Ghost theme) which has a mute hero ~ Darling Beast.

 

Regards,

Kareni

i spent awhile looking for Darling Beast tonight with no luck. ;) It appears to start right after Duke of Midnight ends. The main character is pretty integral to the storyline in Duke of Midnight.

[Guest]

Finished Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicle #1) last night. :001_wub: Will be starting #2, The Wise Man's Fear tonight. I've only read that one once before, so I don't remember it as well as the first one.

 

I have to admit never reading anything by Ursula Le Guin, except for her Catwings series. My daughter loves those.

[Onceuponatime]

Hey, Onceuponatime, here's a tshirt for us!

I'm impressed that you remembered I love Charlotte's Web.

[Mom-ninja.]

Finished Gluten Freedom. Great book for those who want to understand wheat allergy, celiac, and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Some yummy looking recipes too. 

 

 

I'm ready to continue Snuff and I can't find it. 

[Onceuponatime]

I finished The Girl With No Shadow and was pleased to come to a satisfying "happily ever after" kind of end. I think I will try Neil Gaiman's Coraline next.

[Stacia]

I have to admit never reading anything by Ursula Le Guin, except for her Catwings series. My daughter loves those.

 

I've never read her either, but my dc (esp. dd) also loved, loved the Catwings books.

[Nan in Mass]

Rosie, I will have to take your word about the prettiness, unfortunately. : )

 

There is an acceptance and a sort of nonjudgementalness in the Ursula LeGuins that I have read that I find highly appealing, a sort of quietness. It,s hard to explain.

 

Nan

 

ETA I love the Catwing books too, as do my children.

[Rosie_0801]

Rosie, I will have to take your word about the prettiness, unfortunately. : )

 

 

I'm not claiming to be unbiased!

 

I'd be happy to tell you why Auslan looks better than ASL if someone here was qualified to tell me why ASL looks better than Auslan. Otherwise, it's best I don't. :D   :Angel_anim:

[mommymilkies]

Finished Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicle #1) last night. :001_wub: Will be starting #2, The Wise Man's Fear tonight. I've only read that one once before, so I don't remember it as well as the first one.

 

I have to admit never reading anything by Ursula Le Guin, except for her Catwings series. My daughter loves those.

Squeee!!!! One of my favorite series!

 

I read Gaiman's Make Good Art (love the speech and the book is a keeper).  I started his Marvel 1602 and Rithmatist by Sanderson.  

 

Speaking of action figures, I love the stuff here: http://www.philosophersguild.com/Little-Thinkers/

[Kareni]

This evening I finished Colleen Hoover's Ugly Love: A Novel.  It was an enjoyable read, even if it did make me cry.  There is adult content.

 

"When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she doesn't think it's love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Rosie_0801]

My brother has lent me The Rosie Effect to read over the weekend and I'm up to chapter 48 of HoAW. Yay. I'm only 10 chapters behind.  :001_unsure:

[Negin]

I read The Snow Child - 3 Stars. 

 

 

There are two things that I can think of at this very moment that get me quite disappointed when it applies to fiction, or, come to think of it, movies also:

1. Not connecting with any of the characters

2. Endings that have very little closure. For me, endings don’t have to be glorious Hollywood-style-riding-off-into-the-sunset types (although that can be quite pleasant!), but I do need some form of closure.

At first, I really liked The Snow Child and thought that it had a great deal of potential. About halfway through, I found myself often checking to see how much was left. By the end, I didn’t even care as to what happened, probably due to the fact that I didn’t connect with the main characters. Most of the time, Mabel irritated me. Jack was okay. Garrett was sweet and fine. The actual Snow Child was a selfish cow. Not giving away spoilers. The only person I really liked was Esther. Again, the ending did not have closure and I hate that.

I’m giving it 3 Stars, since I did enjoy it for the most part and the descriptions were delightful.

 

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.

 

 

[TeacherZee]

It's been a few weeks since I popped in here. During that time I've read Outlander even though I swore I never would. I finished Harry Potter and the Philosophe's Stone. Read some more Henrietta Lacks and I've started Blood of Olympus. And of course a silly amount of student essays.

 

Our students are off next week and I will be reading The Fall of the House of Usher and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow so I can discuss with the seniors.

 

I also have to read a Swedish book for my work book club.

[TeacherZee]

I think we need a "small/indie publisher challenge."

I've loved those in the past. I read out of my comfort zone.

[Jane in NC]

I agree. Dh convinced me to read various LeGuin books/stories many years ago, and I only vaguely recall finding them annoying. Not sure it's something intrinsic to her writing; probably just my own personal reading defect.

 

My husband adores LeGuin.  I have enjoyed the bits he has read aloud to me but yet I have never been motivated to read her novels, probably because I read little fantasy/sci fi. Lavinia might be my speed.

 

You gals know I often promote indie publishers & bookstores (http://www.indiebound.org/ is a place to locate indie stores), even more so because of the recent Amazon/Hachette issues. I try to bring these issues up because I see it from the angle of manipulation of our freedom of speech/the press by a large corporate entity. And, in our society, it is not just government, but also corporations, which wield much power & influence.

 

Economist Paul Krugman had an op-ed piece in the NY Times earlier this week: Amazon’s Monopsony Is Not O.K.

 

ETA: Here's another small list of reasons to shop indie stores (from the IndieBound website) -- my local indie bookstore has a copy of this hanging in their store:

 

 

And, for the eBook readers among us, here's a page about how to support your independent bookstore by purchasing eBooks through Kobo.

&

http://www.kobo.com/indieapp

 

Good links and good reminders.  Thank you Stacia.  (Admittedly I get most of my books from the public library but I confess that my latest purchases came from Amazon.  :o  )

 

My favorite part about Krugman's piece is that he distinguishes so clearly between monopoly and monopsony.  The second is only ever used by econ geeks (I was one, in one of my several former lives...) but it is the crux of the issue here, and is going to be ever more important for 21st century economic policy.  The more consumers / workers / voters / taxpayers get it, the better we'll manage.

 

#wordnerd #offsoapbox now...

 

New vocabulary world!  Thank you!

 

Which makes me think of this...

 

Wild Geese

 

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting-

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

 

Mary Oliver, Dream Work, Grove Atlantic Inc., 1986 & New and Selected Poems, Beacon Press, 1992.

 

Thank you for sharing this with your family of fellow readers.

 

I think we need a "small/indie publisher challenge."

 

Stacia has motivated me with this challenge, part of the reason that I am now a subscriber to Archipelago books.  Another reason I chose Archipelago is that they publish books in translation from voices we would not hear otherwise.  I did not consciously begin the year with a "books in translation" challenge, but I am happy to see how many translated books I have read. 

[TeacherZee]

My husband adores LeGuin.  I have enjoyed the bits he has read aloud to me but yet I have never been motivated to read her novels, probably because I read little fantasy/sci fi. Lavinia might be my speed.

 

 

Good links and good reminders.  Thank you Stacia.  (Admittedly I get most of my books from the public library but I confess that my latest purchases came from Amazon.  :o  )

 

 

New vocabulary world!  Thank you!

 

 

Thank you for sharing this with your family of fellow readers.

 

 

Stacia has motivated me with this challenge, part of the reason that I am now a subscriber to Archipelago books.  Another reason I chose Archipelago is that they publish books in translation from voices we would not hear otherwise.  I did not consciously begin the year with a "books in translation" challenge, but I am happy to see how many translated books I have read. 

 

Peirene Press is a good small indy publisher that publishes books in translation as well

[Stacia]

Peirene Press is a good small indy publisher that publishes books in translation as well

 

Oh, those look lovely! Thanks! Any particular books to recommend from them?

 

I enjoyed reading about them, how they publish three novellas a year w/in a theme. Neat idea. I may put one of their sets of books on my Christmas list. Shukriyya, one of their sets of novellas may appeal to you -- Female Voices: Inner Realities.