Book a Week in 2014 - BW46

[Hyacinth]

. . . am almost done with Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full. Started reading Moms Who Drink and Swear . . . 

 

Did anyone else chuckle at the juxtaposition of these titles?

 

I don't think I've ever posted in these threads, but I love reading them. You're all very inspirational and I'm making my lists to join next year. (I fear I like the idea of lists more than the actual reading . . .)

 

Just finished Half the Church by Carolyn Custis James. An easy (or, rather, accessible) read on a difficult subject of women's oppression around the world and the Church's response.

[Pam in CT]

Did anyone else chuckle at the juxtaposition of these titles?

 

I don't think I've ever posted in these threads, but I love reading them. You're all very inspirational and I'm making my lists to join next year. (I fear I like the idea of lists more than the actual reading . . .)

 

Just finished Half the Church by Carolyn Custis James. An easy (or, rather, accessible) read on a difficult subject of women's oppression around the world and the Church's response.

 

Aww, join the fun!  We're all about chuckling at juxtaposition!

[shukriyya]

Shukriyya, I used Brewer's yeast http://www.wisegeek.com/how-effective-is-brewers-yeast-for-fleas.htm with my dog. He loved it on his food which was a bonus. It wasn't perfect and we didn't live in a warm climate. He did sleep with us but would not go that route ever again, it was heart breaking for all of us when he could no longer get on and off the bed.

Brewers yeast and garlic tabs are on their way to us in the mail as is diatomaceous earth. But honestly, I can hear the fleas laughing heartily at my hopeful efforts. Insert uncharitable descriptive here ;)

[Jane in NC]

Did anyone else chuckle at the juxtaposition of these titles?

 

I don't think I've ever posted in these threads, but I love reading them. You're all very inspirational and I'm making my lists to join next year. (I fear I like the idea of lists more than the actual reading . . .)

 

Just finished Half the Church by Carolyn Custis James. An easy (or, rather, accessible) read on a difficult subject of women's oppression around the world and the Church's response.

 

Welcome Hyacinth!  Please post more often.  We are a kindly (albeit wacky--speaking for myself) bunch! 

[shukriyya]

:grouphug: My mother gets migraines -- they are The Worst. Hope they recede soon.

 

 

:iagree: La la la la la la la

 

In theory, Yoshi is not allowed on any of the furniture. He has two identical dog beds, one for the kitchen and one for the upstairs hallway, where he can keep an eye out for each one of his peeps from a central location. All day long he is quite content on his downstairs bed, and when we go to bed he settles happily on his upstairs bed.

 

In practice, at some point in the wee hours, when my husband and I are in Deep Sleep, he comes sneaking into our room (he has to turn the doorknob to get in) in and v e r y c a r e f u l l y, without waking either of us, climbs up the bed and nestles by my feet. When the alarm goes off with NPR, he nudges his head under my limp hand and shakes it until I start scratching him. Thereafter if I don't get up at a pace he considers reasonable, he progressively steps up his efforts -- pawing my chest, nudging his head under my chin, etc -- until I do.

 

If my husband awakes during this progression (I get up first) he growls at the dog -- you, again? Get off my bed!

 

La la la la la la la...

La la la la la is often a meditation I do along with the mudra of fingers in ears but for some reason a different kind of reality presented itself in this instance.

 

Love the description of your dog's nighttime stealth connection attempts. Yesterday was a blur of laundry done on hot, application of toxic substances, research on less invasive/toxic approaches and much gnashing of human teeth. Doggie was in her crate beside the bed all night and this morning finds her nestled in the bed. As soon as I woke up she was ready for some cuddles. Dh isn't thrilled but she's so refined about it I can't resist her unspoken but amazingly articulate requests ;)

 

Sigh, such acquiescence results in more laundry.

[shukriyya]

Did anyone else chuckle at the juxtaposition of these titles?

 

I don't think I've ever posted in these threads, but I love reading them. You're all very inspirational and I'm making my lists to join next year. (I fear I like the idea of lists more than the actual reading . . .)

 

Just finished Half the Church by Carolyn Custis James. An easy (or, rather, accessible) read on a difficult subject of women's oppression around the world and the Church's response.

Welcome, Hyacinth. We're all about juxtaposing and non-sequiturs. We keep each other on the straight and narrow for the most part though lapses do occur. Current fleas-dogs-humans-futility rant, for example. ;)

[Nan in Mass]

Shukriyya - Lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala!  We just dealt with my mother-in-law, who had cdiff.  I was blasé about the situation (other than being worried about mil) until somebody mentioned the word "spore".  As someone who grew up fighting mildew on boats, i find that word petrifying.  I am sticking my fingers in my ears and going back to relying on our good immune systems and hoping that we're gone before ours weakens.  I've tried living without furry companions.  I just about died.  I'm not trying that again.  We do frontline, which works better some years than others.  This is one of the not-so-well years, when several family members had lymes.  Remember that quote from Princess Bride?  The one that says something like, "Remember, if you don't have your health, you don't have anything."?  Some years, we quote that more than others.  This is apparently a more year.  Wishing you the best of luck in your battles.  I, too, am sick at the idea of putting such powerful stuff on those dear fuzzy little bodies.

 

NoseInABook - You are my hero as well.

 

Kareni - Brilliant solution to the 5/5 challenge lol.

 

Hyacinth - Welcome!  And beware!  This thread is addicting. : )

 

Sadie - LOL Be careful what you wish for.  My life IS like a novel.  At least, a well written one, onr that makes you really feel everything.

 

Nan

[Nan in Mass]

PS - When it is cats, a comb over a towel that you immediately put through a hot wash works as maintenance. This would not work for my dog, whose fur isn't that sort of combable. The fleas are moving in where it is warm for the winter, I think. Maybe if you think of it as a seasonal problem the situation might not seem so dire?

[shukriyya]

PS - When it is cats, a comb over a towel that you immediately put through a hot wash works as maintenance. This would not work for my dog, whose fur isn't that sort of combable. The fleas are moving in where it is warm for the winter, I think. Maybe if you think of it as a seasonal problem the situation might not seem so dire?

Thinking of it from the fleas' perspective allows a certain measure of levity and ridiculousness to seep into what is otherwise an exercise in frustration. Question/meditation of the day, do fleas have sentience?

[Kim in Appalachia]

I haven't been on here in weeks!  I've been so busy, but I have been trying to read a bit.  I had finished The Pearl That Broke its Shell, by Nadia Hashimi.  I can't remember if I reviewed it here.  I enjoyed the book.  It was a bit long, and needed some editing, but the story was interesting.  I stuck with it because I love reading about other cultures.  The only issue was that it was hard to know if that is how women in that culture really think/respond/behave since it was written by a woman who grew up in the US.  Her parents were from there, but the writer's thinking patterns are modern, Western.  But still, I enjoyed it.  

 

I'm still reading The Interestings, by Meg Wolitzer.  I'm not quite half way through.  It's a long book.  The writing is excellent, and her technique with flowing back and forth time wise is well done.  The characters are complex and compelling, but still, I'm finding it a bit boring.  It's about their lives, and doesn't have a compelling plot. I'm enjoying it, but it's not a page turner, and each time I pick it up I do so just to get through it.  I plan on finishing it.  I'm a sucker for good writing.    

[Pam in CT]

Thinking of it from the fleas' perspective allows a certain measure of levity and ridiculousness to seep into what is otherwise an exercise in frustration. Question/meditation of the day, do fleas have sentience?

 

Now this, I can relate to.  For me, an intentional shift of perspective and conscious attempt to view something from another lens has the potential to transform any number of difficult situations.  Starting with literature!  Based on our summer adventure with lice   :ack2: , you also might try relentlessly photographing each step of your Epic Battle and see if it develops into a nice comic strip, as ours did.

 

 

Alternate Meditation: Is sentience required, for a perspective to exist, or for a perspective to be valid?  (I'm pretty sure my animal loving daughter would answer no, though I'm less sure her empathy extends all the way to fleas.  Shudder.  I don't think I'll ask her.)

[shukriyya]

Now this, I can relate to.  For me, an intentional shift of perspective and conscious attempt to view something from another lens has the potential to transform any number of difficult situations.  Starting with literature!  Based on our summer adventure with lice   :ack2: , you also might try relentlessly photographing each step of your Epic Battle and see if it develops into a nice comic strip, as ours did.

 

 

Alternate Meditation: Is sentience required, for a perspective to exist, or for a perspective to be valid?  (I'm pretty sure my animal loving daughter would answer no, though I'm less sure her empathy extends all the way to fleas.  Shudder.  I don't think I'll ask her.)

 

Ooh, I likey. Validity implies a standard and where does said standard originate? Echoes of the tree falling in the forest question. To quote Bishop Berkeley, 'to be is to perceive and to be perceived.' However I'm not going too far with fleas and their perceiving nature since the subject is, well, fleas. :lol:

[Stacia]

Not only sentience, but even the capability to converse...

http://www.amazon.com/The-Fleas-Sneeze-Lynn-Downey/dp/0805077561

http://www.amazon.com/Dogs-Got-Fleas-Julia-Dweck-ebook/dp/B00B05M39K/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415635644&sr=1-1&keywords=My+dog%27s+got+fleas

 

;-p

 

And now I'm going to stop talking about fleas...

[Kareni]

Flee, fleas, flee!

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

Kim! Glad you're here. I wondered where you were....

 

Hyacinth, jump on in. No need to wait for the new year when you can get a headstart on all the book wonderfulness now! Welcome!

[Pam in CT]

Books?  This thread is about books??! :svengo:

 

 

 

I finished The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street by Sarah Jane Gilman, a Lower East Side rags-to-riches story, for one of my IRL book groups.  Fun, somewhat silly, with a vaguely interesting unreliable narrator.  

 

 

Also, The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming, by Henri Nouwen.  I am ashamed to admit that I do not know how this book made its way onto the towering stack in my sitting room -- did someone here recommend it?  In any event, it is quite interesting  - the author was a priest (including a long stint among Trappist monks), originally from Holland.  Relatively late in life he came across this Rembrandt painting (I am linking, sigh, since who knows about even these images) which was/is in the Hermitage in Leningrad / St Petersburg, difficult at the time to visit.  But the painting got under his skin, Goldfinch-like... and this book represents the distillation of many years' worth of his thinking and dwelling upon it.  It is organized into sections, as he considers the lessons from the perspective of the younger son, then the older, then finally the father. Shukriyya, it reminds me a bit of your 5/5/? category, though it's non-fiction.

 

And also, Reconstructing Judaism: An Autobiography, by Ira Eisentein.  The author was the son-in-law and devote of Mordecai Kaplan, and the book tells the origin story what eventually evolved into the Reconstructionist movement.

 

 

 

 

As for works in progress...  I have attempted to begin several large dusty philosophical tomes but have not yet really committed to any of them yet.  I am greatly enjoying Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys on audio. LOL funny.  Why yes, my plan of listening exclusively to Gaiman and Pratchett for the remainder of the year has indeed markedly improved my mood whilst ferrying my kids around town, thank you for asking!!

 

[shukriyya]

 

Also, The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming, by Henri Nouwen.  I am ashamed to admit that I do not know how this book made its way onto the towering stack in my sitting room -- did someone here recommend it?  In any event, it is quite interesting  - the author was a priest (including a long stint among Trappist monks), originally from Holland.  Relatively late in life he came across this Rembrandt painting (I am linking, sigh, since who knows about even these images) which was/is in the Hermitage in Leningrad / St Petersburg, difficult at the time to visit.  But the painting got under his skin, Goldfinch-like... and this book represents the distillation of many years' worth of his thinking and dwelling upon it.  It is organized into sections, as he considers the lessons from the perspective of the younger son, then the older, then finally the father. Shukriyya, it reminds me a bit of your 5/5/? category, though it's non-fiction.

 

 

Just last week I listened to a podcast by Tara Brach in which she discusses this very relationship--the painting and its effect on Henri Nouwen and then the whole inner story of the return of the Prodigal Son. It was a good talk and I kept thinking I needed to look up the painting. I've had a few of his books sitting in my shelves for a couple of years now but haven't yet read them.

[Jane in NC]

Shuddering even to think about fleas!

 

Those of you who wish to brood on other subjects might be interested in a BBC Radio 4 dramatization of the novel The Boy from Aleppo who Painted the War by Sumia Sukkar.

 

 

From the publisher's website:

 

Adam is a 14-year-old boy with Asperger Syndrome who attempts to understand the Syrian conflict and its effect on his life by painting his feelings. Yasmine, his beautiful older sister, devotes herself to him, but has to cope with her own traumas when she is taken by soldiers. Their three brothers also struggle – on whether or not to take sides and the consequences of their eventual choices.

 

“I have the urge to paint and I can already see the painting in my head. Two young boys lying in the water with their bodies spread open, free, but their faces disfigured, burnt. It would be a black-and-white painting with the faces a spectrum of colours. It’s going to be horrible and beautiful all at the same time.â€

 

The Boy From Aleppo Who Painted the War is the powerful and deeply moving debut novel from 21-year- old Sumia Sukkar. It chronicles the intimate sufferings of a family in the midst of civil war with uncommon compassion, wit and imaginative force. Told mainly from a challenged young man’s perspective, it achieves the timeless dignity of a true report from an unpredictable and frightening place. It will take its place among the list of necessary books to read about how we preserve love and beauty during brutal times.

 

 

 

The book is published by an independent firm with which I was not familiar, Eyewear Publishing.

 

I have not read the book but found the hour long Radio 4 dramatization to be very moving.

 

Speaking of...I did not realize that it would be dangerous to read Freya Stark before bed.  In her travel book, The Minaret of Djam, she writes of the drive from Kabul to Kandahar, traversing the "peaceful Bamian valley". There she spent many hours looking at the cliffs and the famous Buddhas of the Bamiyan, the ones that the Taliban dynamited in 2001.  Wikipedia entry here.

 

My son's girlfriend, a fellow archaeologist, spent five weeks last spring in the Kurdish part of Iraq. For me this shed new light on the bravery of the archaeological teams in general and of those who were in the Bamiyan Valley in the last decade, discovering cave paintings and another large (300 meter) Buddha.  People volunteer for these assignments out of their love for the preservation of material culture and their desire to understand the past. 

 

Which brings me to the unofficial motto of the Southern Foodway Alliance:  Make Cornbread not War. 

 

Peace to my fellow readers,

Jane

[mumto2]

Hyacinth, Welcome! Please don't wait for the new year.....

 

Michelle, I hope you are feeling much better.

 

I spent the afternoon shopping for craft supplies for making decorations for various themed trees. Our church is hosting a Christmas Tree festival and we are involved in five different trees.

 

Any advice regarding salt dough or other cookie dough that could be used for decorations gratefully received. Somehow dd volunteered to bake a load of bell shaped cookie decorations using cookie cutters. The plan is she gets them baked and ready for others to decorate. I would love to get the baking part done this weekend if it could work. I have never made cookies to hang on a tree. My one salt dough experience was when I was a Girl Scout so many years ago.

 

So I have a bookish post, I am continuing to read Ben Aaronovitch's Moon over Soho. The book is definitely growing on me, I read the first several months ago so am having to do a bit of remembering. This is a series that many of you might enjoy. It is set in a slightly alternate London where magic exists but it is a dying art. WWII killed most of the practitioners. The policeman in charge of the magical incidents takes on an apprentice. Frequent references to Hogwarts and Harry Potter. Fun but not children's books. The crime spree is gruesome and inappropriate.

[Stacia]

Jane, The Boy from Aleppo book looks familiar. Have you mentioned it previously? Trying to remember where I saw the cover...

[Kareni]

This is rather neat ~

 

PEN American Center First Editions/Second Thoughts

 

"First Editions/Second Thoughts (FEST), an auction of one-of-a-kind books and works of art to be held December 2 at Christie’s New York, is expected to raise substantial funds to support PEN’s mission to defend freedom of expression and to celebrate literature that such freedom makes possible.  The Auction provides bidders with the opportunity to engage in an intimate and private conversation with some of their favorite authors and artists. Through annotations including notes, essays, drawings, photographs, letters to the reader, and inserted memorabilia, each contributor has transformed a first edition of a classic work into a distinct new artifact for one lucky buyer."

 

Here is the list of authors and the works they have annotated.  There is a blurb about each.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Jane in NC]

Jane, The Boy from Aleppo book looks familiar. Have you mentioned it previously? Trying to remember where I saw the cover...

 

I suspect that you encountered the book while perusing independent publisher news and notes.  The search function did not reveal it being mentioned here previously, but I will admit that the search function on the WTM boards does not always behave well--at least for me.

 

Not even sure if the book is readily available in the States.

[Pam in CT]

Hyacinth, jump on in. No need to wait for the new year when you can get a headstart on all the book wonderfulness now! Welcome!

:iagree: Yeah, don't be deterred by all this crazy talk re: fleas.  Another week, we'll be on to rhubarb, or chocolate fondue, or kilts.  Or sentience.

 

 

 

re: Prodigal Son

Just last week I listened to a podcast by Tara Brach in which she discusses this very relationship--the painting and its effect on Henri Nouwen and then the whole inner story of the return of the Prodigal Son. It was a good talk and I kept thinking I needed to look up the painting. I've had a few of his books sitting in my shelves for a couple of years now but haven't yet read them.

I think you'd enjoy Prodigal Son -- if that's not among the ones on your shelf, let me know and I'll pop it in the mail.

 

 

 

 

Those of you who wish to brood on other subjects might be interested in a BBC Radio 4 dramatization of the novel The Boy from Aleppo who Painted the War by Sumia Sukkar.

 

 

 

The book is published by an independent firm with which I was not familiar, Eyewear Publishing.

 

I have not read the book but found the hour long Radio 4 dramatization to be very moving.

 

______

 

 

Which brings me to the unofficial motto of the Southern Foodway Alliance:  Make Cornbread not War. 

 

Peace to my fellow readers,

Jane

This looks fascinating -- just added to the wish list.  Thank you!

[ChrisB]

1. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
2. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis de Bernieres
3. Foucaults Pendulum - Umberto Eco
4. The House of the Spirits - Isabel Allende
5. To Kill a Mockinbird - Harper Lee

 

 

I've only read To Kill a Mockingbird, and loved it!

 

Chris,  I am not a big Austen fan.   I have read  some of her books but it  seems that I like the idea of Jane Austen, rather than her actual books.  The same can be said for Tolkien.  I love reading about him but I am not a big fan of LotR.

 

Well, look at that!  I'm not the only one.  :thumbup1:   Although, I read The Hobbit with my DD10 this year and really enjoyed it.  I kept chuckling about how like a hobbit I am.  (except for the hairy feet...lol!)

 

 

Loesje & ChrisB, so good to see you gals popping in again. :)

 

Thanks!

[Nan in Mass]

Shukriyya - Are fleas sentient?  Does it matter, since they are alive?  Can we really know?  And since we can't, shouldn't we assume yes, just to be on the safe side?  If you do decide it matters, I would answer yes, anyway.  My husband was forced to take an entomology class in college because he needed a science elective to complete his degree and that was the only one that fit his tight engineering schedule.  He's been enjoying it ever since.  One up for general elective requirements lol.  He says his professor says no, they are no more sentient than computers, being all preprogrammed.  I have always been extremely doubtful about this.  I find it is much easier to assume that everything living is sentient and apologize if I kill something.  I suspect that the word living is due to be redefined, anyway.  Going sideways a bit... have you seen the videos of Theo Jansen's strandbeests?

 

mumto2 - Couldn't you just make gingerbread cookies and use those as tree decorations?  They would just dry.

 

Nan

[Nan in Mass]

prairiegirl - A friend in the publishing business said his coworkers called LoTR's the longest description of a walk ever.  I've thought about this ever since whenever I reread it.  Part of the reason I like it is because it is, at bottom, the decription of a walk through environments that I've walked through and can relate to, but that comment did help me see why others might be less enthusiastic about the books than I am.

 

Nan.

[mumto2]

mumto2 - Couldn't you just make gingerbread cookies and use those as tree decorations? They would just dry.

 

Nan

Do you think they would be OK to wait and decorate in a couple of weeks? I have never made any that haven't been eaten within a day or so.

[Stacia]

Ok, one more thing about fleas. Shukriyya, if you're trying to get ahead of them, you may want to ask your vet for a Capstar. It's a one-time pill that does an insta-kill for the the fleas that are currently on the dog. It's a 24-hour effect, but is sometimes enough to give you time to get the current fleas off the dog, get the dog washed & combed well, all your laundry done, & put powder out (FleaBusters in the carpet &/or corners/crevices of hard floors). You can give a Capstar more than once during the lifetime of your pet, just that it's a 'one-time' dose -- can't remember how often you could repeat it, but I'm thinking about every 4 to 6 weeks, if really needed. Usually, one is enough.

 

Jane Austen is fine -- enjoyed her books well enough when reading (except Mansfield Park which I found too boring to finish), but nothing extraordinary.

 

As you gals already know, I'm not a huge Tolkien fan. I found the LotR trilogy extremely harsh & depressing (got about halfway through the set before ditching it) -- just so, so bleak. Ugh. Not my cup of tea. Have seen the movies & managed to sit through all of them  (like the movies better than the books -- realistically speaking, the movies have Viggo  & Sean Bean after all  ;) ). I've read The Hobbit a few times as a read-aloud as my dc were growing up. It was ok, but I mostly found it boring & repetitive. I'm not into dwarven song lyrics either. :lol:  (And I'll even admit I just had to ask my ds what those guys were in The Hobbit -- I kept thinking elves, but knew that wasn't correct. Obviously, they are not first & foremost in my mind. Did see the first Hobbit movie, but wasn't that impressed. Again, too much with the dwarven song lyrics & kind of gross special effects, imo.)

 

Wow, admitting to being neither an Austen fan nor a Tolkien fan. :eek:  Yep, I think I'd better go hide now.  :gnorsi:

[shukriyya]

Gosh so much to respond to as I sit here waiting for an oil change with little missy on my lap--one of the newly found pleasures of a small dog, our other guy being 80 lbs.

 

Mumto2, I meant to comment on how heartbreaking it must have been with your older pooch's inabilities to climb onto your bed. :grouphug:

 

Today involves a 140 mile round trip commute for ds's nature class and the morning was a rush of lunch making, supply gathering and tween and dog herding in between posts on fleas and sentience!

 

Count me in as another who hasn't read Tolkien with no plans to either despite a house full of LOTR fans. I did like Austen when I read her years ago, not sure I wouldn't get impatient with her now though.

 

Stacia thanks for the tips.

 

Pam, yes to your offer though my little package to you of a Sufi Haggadah (with chocolate) remains woefully inert. I will get that in the mail this week. Because I've said it here on our thread ;)

 

Phone post so I imagine I've forgotten some items I wanted to respond to.

[shukriyya]

Mumto2, google cinnamon ornaments. Perhaps they would do the trick.

[Just Robyn]

52 Books Blog - 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die:   I received this book last Christmas and determined that  I had read 51 out of the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.  If I live to be 100 years old, that would mean I need to read 21 books a year in order read all 1001. That's not going to happen,  just because....fill in the blank with whatever excuse comes to mind. *grin*  However, I could probably manage 5 to 10 a year if I really put my heart and mind into it.  And speaking of my mind, I've already started brainstorming for 2015 since we only have 8 weeks (7 1/2 if you want to get technical) left in the year.  *facepalm*  I think everyone will agree this year has gone by way to fast.  

So I've set a new goal for myself as well as, drumroll please......decided to present you with a new mini challenge for next year.  I thought you'd appreciate the advance notice.  In order to avoid the 'my eyes are bigger than my stomach' syndrome, going to limit it to 5 books.  The five books I have chosen are:

 

1. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
2. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis de Bernieres
3. Foucaults Pendulum - Umberto Eco
4. The House of the Spirits - Isabel Allende
5. To Kill a Mockinbird - Harper Lee

 

I have a few other books in my stacks and if I get to those, we'll consider them gravy.  Now the good thing is you don't even have to buy 1001 Books because the list is online.   Have fun, plan away and see what strikes your fancy. 

 

I do like the 1001 Books lists in general and go in spurts of intentionally reading from it. I like it especially as a place to look for authors I haven't read yet. I feel like if I just picked a book off the shelf at the library I would be pretty lucky to have picked something good.

 

But then I want to read things that aren't on it, like plays, poetry, nonfiction and fluff, and I start thinking it's unlikely I'll ever read everything on the list without giving up reading non-list books - which I'm not going to do. Plus there are books on there that I have strong doubts about, like Amadis de Gaul because Cervantes makes such fun of it, and it's pretty long. And Aesop's Fables because however many fables I read to my kids really seems like enough.

 

I'll definitely read at least five books from it next year though.

 

The problem that I have with these lists of What One Must Do in general is that they tend to reflect a certain popular consciousness--not only with the contemporary books listed but with those mentioned from the past. Further there are multiple selections from numerous authors and neglect of others. For example, as much as I love Hemingway (and am now ducking tomatoes) I cannot imagine expecting anyone who did not enjoy one or two of Papa's novels to read the five on the list!  I have read four of the five Calvino's listed--same comment. 

 

The 5/5 challenge is a good reminder to expand one's reading beyond a comfort zone. This year I read three Shaw plays--probably won't read five.  I think that next year I attempt five plays that I have not read previously--not just Shaw.  I'll also carry on with Dorothy Dunnett because I need to finish the Niccolo books.  But other than that, I don't know what I will choose. Hmmmm....

 

:iagree:  One or two books per author really seems like enough to introduce you to their work and then you can read more if you like it.

 

And now I'm trying to decide what to do for next year's 5/5/5...

[Stacia]

Picked up a big pile of hold books from the library today & started leafing through a few, which led to me getting sucked into Galore by Michael Crummey, published by Other Press.

 

Winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book, Caribbean & Canada and the Canadian Authors Association Literary Award; Finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction, the Thomas Head Raddall Atlantic Book Award, and the Winterset Award

When a whale beaches itself on the shore of the remote coastal town of Paradise Deep, the last thing any of the townspeople expect to find inside it is a man, silent and reeking of fish, but remarkably alive. The discovery of this mysterious person, soon christened Judah, sets the town scrambling for answers as its most prominent citizens weigh in on whether he is man or beast, blessing or curse, miracle or demon. Though Judah is a shocking addition, the town of Paradise Deep is already full of unusual characters. King-me Sellers, self-appointed patriarch, has it in for an inscrutable woman known only as Devine’s Widow, with whom he has a decades-old feud. Her granddaughter, Mary Tryphena, is just a child when Judah washes ashore, but finds herself tied to him all her life in ways she never expects. Galore is the story of the saga that develops between these families, full of bitterness and love, spanning two centuries.
 

With Paradise Deep, award-winning novelist Michael Crummey imagines a realm where the line between the everyday and the otherworldly is impossible to discern. Sprawling and intimate, stark and fantastical, Galore is a novel about the power of stories to shape and sustain us.

 

From the CBC:  Whale of a tale: Michael Crummey's new novel explores Newfoundland's wacky folklore

[6packofun]

I just finished The Woman Who Wasn't There by Fisher and Guglielmo about a 9-11 fraud who had so many people fooled with her riveting story of being a 9-11 survivor.  Obviously, since the reader knows she's a fraud from the get-go it's less suspenseful, but still pretty fascinating.  The writing wasn't great and at times you cannot help but wonder why no one ever checked her story!  She did much good for the survivors' network, but it was all narcissistic. 

 

Now I'm reading a teen/YA book called Life As We Knew It and it is really quite crappy.  I'll finish it since I'm holding out hope that a certain character (or two) dies.  From one of the few negative reviews on Amazon: "It's an old ladies teenage fantasy with no action, no violence, and just boring! Her high-school sweet heart was probably Moses!"  ROTFL!

[mumto2]

Picked up a big pile of hold books from the library today & started leafing through a few, which led to me getting sucked into Galore by Michael Crummey, published by Other Press.

 

 

 

From the CBC:  Whale of a tale: Michael Crummey's new novel explores Newfoundland's wacky folklore

  

Mumto2, google cinnamon ornaments. Perhaps they would do the trick.

Haven't had a chance to look for Galore yet but I am interested. ;) looking forward to the final review.

 

I messed up the quotes completely. Definately bedtime! Shukriyya, the recipe looks good. We will try them.

[prairiegirl]

   Part of the reason I like it is because it is, at bottom, the decription of a walk through environments that I've walked through and can relate to, but that comment did help me see why others might be less enthusiastic about the books than I am.

 

Nan.

 

I love that  reason, Nan.  That would be enough to make me try it again....later, though.

 

 I've read The Hobbit a few times as a read-aloud as my dc were growing up. It was ok, but I mostly found it boring & repetitive. I'm not into dwarven song lyrics either. :lol:  (And I'll even admit I just had to ask my ds what those guys were in The Hobbit -- I kept thinking elves, but knew that wasn't correct. Obviously, they are not first & foremost in my mind. Did see the first Hobbit movie, but wasn't that impressed. Again, too much with the dwarven song lyrics & kind of gross special effects, imo.)

 

Wow, admitting to being neither an Austen fan nor a Tolkien fan. :eek:  Yep, I think I'd better go hide now.  :gnorsi:

I do like The Hobbit.  I skip the song lyrics.

 

Michelle,  I am sorry that you are having a migraine week.   I had one last week...and the two weeks before that.  It makes life tricky.   I hope that you are feeling better soon.

 

Hyacinth,  welcome!   Don't wait until the beginning of the year,  jump in right now.

[LostSurprise]

 

52 Books Blog - 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die:   I received this book last Christmas and determined that  I had read 51 out of the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.  

So I've set a new goal for myself as well as, drumroll please......decided to present you with a new mini challenge for next year.  I thought you'd appreciate the advance notice.  In order to avoid the 'my eyes are bigger than my stomach' syndrome, going to limit it to 5 books.  The five books I have chosen are:

 

1. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
2. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis de Bernieres
3. Foucaults Pendulum - Umberto Eco
4. The House of the Spirits - Isabel Allende
5. To Kill a Mockinbird - Harper Lee

 

Those are all interesting books! I've finished all but the Captain Corelli, and what I read of that was amusing. 

 

Eco is always challenging, but I thought that was one of his more interesting concepts. That doesn't mean it wasn't all over the place! It sounds like an exciting year!

 

Ok, this will sound weird, but where else can I say this but in the company of readers - I think I'm just starting to get over the expectation that life will be like a novel. Or maybe that a novel is the same as real life.

 

In real life, Eleanor won't have a Park. But it's OK for Eleanor to have Park in a book.

 

 

:)

 

 

The problem that I have with these lists of What One Must Do in general is that they tend to reflect a certain popular consciousness--not only with the contemporary books listed but with those mentioned from the past. Further there are multiple selections from numerous authors and neglect of others. For example, as much as I love Hemingway (and am now ducking tomatoes) I cannot imagine expecting anyone who did not enjoy one or two of Papa's novels to read the five on the list!  I have read four of the five Calvino's listed--same comment. 

 

I am delighted to see some of my beloved Eastern/Central European authors on the list (Kundera, Schulz, Borowski).  But returning to the comment in the previous paragraph, would it be better to have fewer Calvinos or Hemingways in order to include a Carson McCullers or a Sherwood Anderson, American authors who apparently are no longer be in vogue.

 

 

Yeah. Did you notice that the one Willa Cather they included was The Professor's House? Now I want to be a fly on the wall when the reviewers make these decisions.

 

 

Well, I enjoyed reading through the 1,001 books list. As already mentioned, I'm curious as to why there would be any repeats on there. There are so many books, so many authors through time that surely a list can come up with 1,001 separate authors? That said, it was fun to see some of the ones on there & I had a fun trip down memory lane seeing some (for ex, Lazarillo de Tormes, which I read in Spanish oh so many, many years ago). Definitely saw some old favorites on there, some that I really hated too. :lol: I think I read about 90 or so of them, with another 20 or so clocking in as 'partially' read (either I only read sections for a class or I ended up abandoning it without finishing because I didn't like it). I did see a few on there that I already have in my current to-read pile....

 

 

Here's a List Challenge of the 1001 Books List. It makes for easier checking. 

 

I have a love-hate relationships with lists. I'm not fond of this one, so I usually ignore it when it makes the rounds. I do enjoy looking at their European and ancient choices, but they tend to be Western-focused and a bit dull. So many books I've read and thought mediocre. So many repeat authors. Eh. 

 

It is fun to challenge yourself though, no matter what the source. :)

 

 

Yay for babies! Boo for fleas! Diatomaceous Earth was helpful for us. 

 

Still enjoying Tam Lin (Pamela Dean) and it's still not very mysterious. I was a college freshman the year it came out. I wish I read it then! It brings back so many memories, a lit girl feast. 

 

Supplementing with Gene Lang graphic novels and an early steampunk novel about HG Wells Morlocks invading Victorian London. 

[shukriyya]

Shukriyya - Are fleas sentient?  Does it matter, since they are alive?  Can we really know?  And since we can't, shouldn't we assume yes, just to be on the safe side?  If you do decide it matters, I would answer yes, anyway.  My husband was forced to take an entomology class in college because he needed a science elective to complete his degree and that was the only one that fit his tight engineering schedule.  He's been enjoying it ever since.  One up for general elective requirements lol.  He says his professor says no, they are no more sentient than computers, being all preprogrammed.  I have always been extremely doubtful about this.  I find it is much easier to assume that everything living is sentient and apologize if I kill something.  I suspect that the word living is due to be redefined, anyway.  Going sideways a bit... have you seen the videos of Theo Jansen's strandbeests?

 

 

Well this question has dogged me (flealess I might add) all day long. What I keep circling back to in my dog-like way is that Sentience Itself is the only thing that could make such a declaration. Which is kind of like trying to see your own eyes without a mirror.

 

prairiegirl - A friend in the publishing business said his coworkers called LoTR's the longest description of a walk ever.  I've thought about this ever since whenever I reread it.  Part of the reason I like it is because it is, at bottom, the decription of a walk through environments that I've walked through and can relate to, but that comment did help me see why others might be less enthusiastic about the books than I am.

 

Nan.

 

Which reminds me of Shaw's comments about golf..."why spoil a perfectly good walk by chasing a small, white ball around?" :lol:

 

And to keep this bookish (I feel I've led us all on a bit of a merry chase today with my carapace complaints) I've become intrigued by Virgil's 'Aeneid' as a result of my reading of LeGuin's "Lavinia". I've discovered the wonderful Professor Elizabeth Vandiver's lectures on 'The Aeneid'. Ds and I listened to a bit on the way home. She's wonderfully clear, passionate about her subject and very accessible. This is available on audible for a fraction of what it's selling for in the link and if you've got credits it's free :D

[Kareni]

This evening I finished the contemporary romance It's in His Kiss (Lucky Harbor) by Jill Shalvis.  It was an enjoyable read.

 

"ONE KISS CAN LAST FOREVER

Becca Thorpe has uprooted her life and escaped to the beach. Now's her chance to get away from city living, throw caution to the ocean winds, and live in the moment. Especially if the moment includes the deliciously sexy surfer she meets shortly after arriving in Lucky Harbor. Something about the dark intensity of Sam's eyes and the thrill she gets at his touch convinces her to stay awhile.

Boatbuilder and investment genius Sam Brody is a self-made man who knows how dangerous it can be to mix business and pleasure. But he can't resist offering Becca a job just to hear her laugh and have her near. Yet when her brother comes to town asking for help, will he tempt her back to her glamorous life in the city? Or do Sam and little Lucky Harbor have a chance to win Becca's heart?"

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Violet Crown]

Still reading The Theory of the Leisure Class. Veblen's writing is sometimes obscure, and his theoretical explanations of social behavior could really use some concrete examples. Mainly I need more time to focus on what he's trying to say with fewer "Mommy ...!" interruptions.

 

Meanwhile I read a short Eliot and brought myself up to fifty-two books for the year. Time for the List.

 

52. George Eliot, Silas Marner

51. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tender is the Night

50. J. Frank Dobie, Tales of Old-Time Texas

49. Jeremy Lewis, Penguin Special

48. Guy de Maupassant, Bel-Ami

47. The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories

46. Horace, Satires

 

45. Daniel Defoe, A Journal of the Plague Year

44. Henry James, The Bostonians

43. Alan Garner, Red Shift

42. Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death

41. James Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson

 

40. Katherine Mansfield, in a German Pension

39. Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy

38. Stephen Crane, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets

37. Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage

36. Shakespeare, Hamlet

 

35. Dmitri Merejkowski, The Romance of Leonardo Da Vinci

34. Boccaccio, The Decameron

33. W. E. B. DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk

32. Nancy Brysson Morison, The Gowk Storm

31. Christopher Rush, Last Lesson of the Afternoon

 

30. François Mauriac, Life of Jesus

29. R. L. Stevenson, The Merry Men and Other Stories

28. John Buchan, The Strange Adventures of Mr Andrew Hawthorn and Other Stories

27. John Buchan, The Thirty-Nine Steps

26. The Poetic Edda

 

25. Walter Scott, Rob Roy

24. Robin Jenkins, The Cone-Gatherers

23. Henry James, Washington Square

22. James Hogg, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner

21. John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

 

20. Thomas Mann, The Magic Mountain

19. Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

18. Colette, Music-Hall Sidelights

17. Colette, Gigi

16. Colette, Claudine at School

 

15. Balzac, The Black Sheep

14. Mark Holloway, Heavens on Earth

13. Brian Moore, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne

12. Byron, Don Juan

11. Aphra Behn, Oroonoko, Or the Royal Slave

 

10. Richard Brautigan, A Confederate General From Big Sur

9. A. J. Symons, The Quest for Corvo

8. Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

7. Hildegard von Bingen, Scivias

6. Shakespeare, As You Like It

 

5. Guy de Maupassant, "Le Horla"

4. Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories

3. Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables

2. Frederick Rolfe, Hadrian VII

1. Thomas Mann, Death in Venice & Other Stories

[shukriyya]

Still reading The Theory of the Leisure Class. Veblen's writing is sometimes obscure, and his theoretical explanations of social behavior could really use some concrete examples. Mainly I need more time to focus on what he's trying to say with fewer "Mommy ...!" interruptions.

 

Meanwhile I read a short Eliot and brought myself up to fifty-two books for the year. Time for the List.

 

52. George Eliot, Silas Marner

51. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tender is the Night

50. J. Frank Dobie, Tales of Old-Time Texas

49. Jeremy Lewis, Penguin Special

48. Guy de Maupassant, Bel-Ami

47. The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories

46. Horace, Satires

 

45. Daniel Defoe, A Journal of the Plague Year

44. Henry James, The Bostonians

43. Alan Garner, Red Shift

42. Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death

41. James Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson

 

40. Katherine Mansfield, in a German Pension

39. Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy

38. Stephen Crane, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets

37. Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage

36. Shakespeare, Hamlet

 

35. Dmitri Merejkowski, The Romance of Leonardo Da Vinci

34. Boccaccio, The Decameron

33. W. E. B. DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk

32. Nancy Brysson Morison, The Gowk Storm

31. Christopher Rush, Last Lesson of the Afternoon

 

30. François Mauriac, Life of Jesus

29. R. L. Stevenson, The Merry Men and Other Stories

28. John Buchan, The Strange Adventures of Mr Andrew Hawthorn and Other Stories

27. John Buchan, The Thirty-Nine Steps

26. The Poetic Edda

 

25. Walter Scott, Rob Roy

24. Robin Jenkins, The Cone-Gatherers

23. Henry James, Washington Square

22. James Hogg, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner

21. John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

 

20. Thomas Mann, The Magic Mountain

19. Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

18. Colette, Music-Hall Sidelights

17. Colette, Gigi

16. Colette, Claudine at School

 

15. Balzac, The Black Sheep

14. Mark Holloway, Heavens on Earth

13. Brian Moore, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne

12. Byron, Don Juan

11. Aphra Behn, Oroonoko, Or the Royal Slave

 

10. Richard Brautigan, A Confederate General From Big Sur

9. A. J. Symons, The Quest for Corvo

8. Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

7. Hildegard von Bingen, Scivias

6. Shakespeare, As You Like It

 

5. Guy de Maupassant, "Le Horla"

4. Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories

3. Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables

2. Frederick Rolfe, Hadrian VII

1. Thomas Mann, Death in Venice & Other Stories

 

Hey, you made 52!  :hurray:  Congratulations, VC!

 

 

[Violet Crown]

Depressed to read through the first 300 books on the list of 1001 essential books and find I've only read one of them--Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian--and I didn't like it. The chances of checking off much of that list seem slim.

 

ETA: Oh! It's chronological! I've read lots of books from the bottom of the list!

[ChrisB]

prairiegirl - A friend in the publishing business said his coworkers called LoTR's the longest description of a walk ever.  I've thought about this ever since whenever I reread it.  Part of the reason I like it is because it is, at bottom, the decription of a walk through environments that I've walked through and can relate to, but that comment did help me see why others might be less enthusiastic about the books than I am.

 

Nan.

 

I love this reason, too.  

 

Jane Austen is fine -- enjoyed her books well enough when reading (except Mansfield Park which I found too boring to finish), but nothing extraordinary.

 

As you gals already know, I'm not a huge Tolkien fan. I found the LotR trilogy extremely harsh & depressing (got about halfway through the set before ditching it) -- just so, so bleak. Ugh. Not my cup of tea. Have seen the movies & managed to sit through all of them  (like the movies better than the books -- realistically speaking, the movies have Viggo  & Sean Bean after all  ;) ). I've read The Hobbit a few times as a read-aloud as my dc were growing up. It was ok, but I mostly found it boring & repetitive. I'm not into dwarven song lyrics either. :lol:  (And I'll even admit I just had to ask my ds what those guys were in The Hobbit -- I kept thinking elves, but knew that wasn't correct. Obviously, they are not first & foremost in my mind. Did see the first Hobbit movie, but wasn't that impressed. Again, too much with the dwarven song lyrics & kind of gross special effects, imo.)

 

Wow, admitting to being neither an Austen fan nor a Tolkien fan. :eek:  Yep, I think I'd better go hide now.  :gnorsi:

 

lol!  You're toast.  :smilielol5:

 

Yep, felt the same about Austen.  Fine enough, but not great.  Since I haven't read LoTR yet, the jury is still out whether I like Tolkien or not...

 

I love that  reason, Nan.  That would be enough to make me try it again....later, though.

 

I do like The Hobbit.  I skip the song lyrics.

 

I skipped the song lyrics, too.  

[Negin]

I need to spend time looking at that list. I'm curious to see how many of those I've read. 

 

Just finished The Aviator's Wife - 4 Stars - This book is about Charles and Anne Lindbergh. Before reading this, I really did not know much about them at all (I read “Gift from the Sea†by Anne just over ten years ago). As I was reading, I found myself continuously going online to research Lindberghs. Melanie Benjamin does a great job with historical biographies. This is her second book that I’ve read and really enjoyed, the first one was Mrs. Tom Thumb. I look forward to reading more by her.

 

 

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.

[Pam in CT]

Depressed to read through the first 300 books on the list of 1001 essential books and find I've only read one of them--Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian--and I didn't like it. The chances of checking off much of that list seem slim.

 

ETA: Oh! It's chronological! I've read lots of books from the bottom of the list!

:lol: A rare lapse in reading comprehension -- must have been a Mommmmmmy! moment.

 

VC, did you recommend Return of the Prodigal Son?  I'm so stymied as to how it emerged on my stack!

 

Well done on the 52!

[Violet Crown]

 

VC, did you recommend Return of the Prodigal Son?  I'm so stymied as to how it emerged on my stack!

 

 

Not me. The book angel, perhaps.

[shukriyya]

This weekend it was fleas this morning it's the return of the raccoon punks and our 80 lb dog flinging himself against the back door and grumbling and barking to have at them. Like the fleas I'm sure they were laughing their little masked heads off at his frustrated antics. He woke up the entire house and the feminine matrix is now wide awake with a certain smaller canine at her side. In the bed. Ahem.

 

For those of you who skip the song lyrics in the LotR books, y'all need to hear ds's versions. He's set them all to music of his own composing and they are beautifully rendered in his clear boy soprano. Even the elvish ones.

[Stacia]

Violet Crown, congrats on 52!

 

[Violet Crown]

Re: Tobias Smollett. Jane, you're on. Let's throw another Scottish author onto the pile.

 

Re: Pets on beds. That arctic front is blowing in this morning--and just last night we had all the windows open!--so I brought out my mattress heating pad; and now the cat looks to spend the day in my bed.

 

Re: Bechdel Test. Fitzgerald does pretty well in that regard.

[Stacia]

Re: Pets on beds. That arctic front is blowing in this morning--and just last night we had all the windows open!--so I brought out my mattress heating pad; and now the cat looks to spend the day in my bed.

 

Re: Bechdel Test. Fitzgerald does pretty well in that regard.

 

Cats are wise. One of ours is parked under a heat vent right now.

 

One of my friends on Goodreads set up a 'Bechdel Test' shelf. Pam, you might want to set up a shelf like that for yourself on GR.

[Stacia]

Just finished The Aviator's Wife - 4 Stars - This book is about Charles and Anne Lindbergh. Before reading this, I really did not know much about them at all (I read “Gift from the Sea†by Anne just over ten years ago). As I was reading, I found myself continuously going online to research Lindberghs. Melanie Benjamin does a great job with historical biographies. This is her second book that I’ve read and really enjoyed, the first one was Mrs. Tom Thumb. I look forward to reading more by her.

 

 

 

Negin, your post reminded me that I wanted to read this book. I had planned to read a trio of books this year, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Maybe instead of 5/5/5 for myself, I'll do some book 'sets' in 2015, especially because I so enjoyed my Pym reading last year (4 books).

 

Some of the sets I'm planning:

 

The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin

North to the Orient by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Anne Morrow Lindbergh: Her Life by Susan Hertog

 

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Moby Dick in Pictures: One Drawing for Every Page by Matt Kish

maybe one or two other books TBD

 

The Travels of Marco Polo by Marco Polo

In the Footsteps of Marco Polo by Denis Belliveau & Fancis O'Donnell

maybe one or two other books TBD