Kim in Appalachia Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Pam in CT, is Anansi Boys appropriate for kids? My youngest is 9. We tend to listen to Agatha Christie or Terry Pratchett, just to give you an idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Rosie and Sadie and other Ozzie friends, can I just rave for a bit on how much I'm enjoying this story... (Male TV anchor wears the same suit every day for ONE YEAR and nobody noticed...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Angel, Congrats on 52! Not sure if anyone else is voting on Goodreads for the best books but the latest Alan Bradley is in the Finals. Murakami made the finals also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Pam in CT, is Anansi Boys appropriate for kids? My youngest is 9. We tend to listen to Agatha Christie or Terry Pratchett, just to give you an idea. Hmm. 9 is maybe a little young -- one of the characters uses magic to trick an engaged character to think he is the brother she is actually engaged to; and there are a couple of (offscreen) love scenes that ensue (the engaged couple, FWIW, was otherwise planning to wait until marriage to consummate; and the "new" couple ultimately resolves into happily ever after together); and the bad guy commits a (rapid, but onscreen) murder; and the principal plot is... well, hilarious, but maybe a bit too multi stranded for a 9 yo to follow. OTOH, maybe no more mulit-stranded than Pratchett. My youngest is nearly 12 and I told her she'd like it. She's read a bazillion Anansi stories and would I think appreciate how they're interwoven into the narrative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Keeping up with you all 60 miles from home. Little pup and I have had a delightful hike, lunch and hot drinks have been consumed. About to head over to the land--ds's nature immersion class will have a potluck harvest festival. Bonfire on this chilly day will be nice. I'm bringing spiced pumpkin chocolate chip bread made last night. Nothing bookish to report but I'm feeling you all :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 VC-- If Wee Girl needs a taste of Scotland in the weeks ahead, she may be interested in the three part dramatization of Buchan's Huntingtower on BBC Radio 4. It is very silly but I loved the dialects and personalities of the Glaswegian boys who go by the name of "The Gorbals Diehards". Thanks for the tip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Shukriyya - Did it rain? It's raining here. Yesterday would have been a lovely day for a bonfire here. I hope it was like that today where ever you are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 I took the plunge and started Kristin Lavransdatter. Enjoying it so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Shukriyya - Did it rain? It's raining here. Yesterday would have been a lovely day for a bonfire here. I hope it was like that today where ever you are. No rain today. It was a glorious Falling-into-Winter day, clear blue sky, a real nip in the air and pale light that still has the capacity to illuminate yet isn't quite warm enough to warm the body up. The Festival was lovely. The children made various forms of 'fudge' with flour gathered from acorns, ground up and then baked with local honey and some kind of oil. There was local yerba beuna/nettle/mint tea and manzanita berry tea all foraged from plants around the land and added to that was the abundance brought by all the parents. Much fun was had by all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 35 Clever Gifts Any Book-Lover Will Want To Keep For Themselves Love some of these! :thumbup1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Shukriyya - That sounds lovely. Exotic tea ingredients, to me at least. Other than the mint, of course. When we were getting lost on the other side of the lake last month, we found some wild watercress and brought it home. Back at camp, I helped my mother gather wintergreen berries (much more ordinary than watercress, for us). I looked at the white oak acorns on the driveway and remembered grinding them up for flour as a child. Talk about laborious lol. I bet the children had a wonderful time. We roasted chestnuts tonight for the first time this fall. I'm still figuring out how to do them on the woodstove rather than in the fireplace. When the children were young and we were doing Genesis for Great Books, we were roasting chestnuts in the fireplace at the same time. We were reading the part where Abraham is sacrificing his son and just as we finished reading the sentence about God not liking vegetable sacrifices, there was a large bang and most of the chestnuts disappeared. They exploded into a fine powder that rained down over everything. How to make your children discuss the finer points of literature lol. They each had plenty to say about animal versus vegetable sacrifices. The incident made quite an impression on them. They still talk about it every time we eat chestnuts, years later. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 35 Clever Gifts Any Book-Lover Will Want To Keep For Themselves Love some of these! :thumbup1: I'm leaving my iPad where dh can't help seeing it, with the Master and Margarita t-shirt on-screen. Hint, hint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Fans of historical romances might enjoy this free Kindle book by a favorite author of mine: The Duchess War (The Brothers Sinister Book Book 1) by Courtney Milan "Miss Minerva Lane is a quiet, bespectacled wallflower, and she wants to keep it that way. After all, the last time she was the center of attention, it ended badly--so badly that she changed her name to escape her scandalous past. Wallflowers may not be the prettiest of blooms, but at least they don't get trampled. So when a handsome duke comes to town, the last thing she wants is his attention.But that is precisely what she gets.Because Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont, is not fooled. When Minnie figures out what he's up to, he realizes there is more to her than her spectacles and her quiet ways. And he's determined to lay her every secret bare before she can discover his. But this time, one shy miss may prove to be more than his match...'" Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 35 Clever Gifts Any Book-Lover Will Want To Keep For Themselves Love some of these! :thumbup1: For some reason, the "Why does my wine group insist on talking about books?" tote bag reminds me of this thread... We roasted chestnuts tonight for the first time this fall. I'm still figuring out how to do them on the woodstove rather than in the fireplace. When the children were young and we were doing Genesis for Great Books, we were roasting chestnuts in the fireplace at the same time. We were reading the part where Abraham is sacrificing his son and just as we finished reading the sentence about God not liking vegetable sacrifices, there was a large bang and most of the chestnuts disappeared. They exploded into a fine powder that rained down over everything. How to make your children discuss the finer points of literature lol. They each had plenty to say about animal versus vegetable sacrifices. The incident made quite an impression on them. They still talk about it every time we eat chestnuts, years later. Nan Oh Nan, what a magnificent story! A chestnut of a tale! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Oh Nan, what a magnificent story! A chestnut of a tale! : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 For some reason, the "Why does my wine group insist on talking about books?" tote bag reminds me of this thread... Yep! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Fans of historical romances might enjoy this free Kindle book by a favorite author of mine: The Duchess War (The Brothers Sinister Book Book 1) by Courtney Milan "Miss Minerva Lane is a quiet, bespectacled wallflower, and she wants to keep it that way. After all, the last time she was the center of attention, it ended badly--so badly that she changed her name to escape her scandalous past. Wallflowers may not be the prettiest of blooms, but at least they don't get trampled. So when a handsome duke comes to town, the last thing she wants is his attention. But that is precisely what she gets. Because Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont, is not fooled. When Minnie figures out what he's up to, he realizes there is more to her than her spectacles and her quiet ways. And he's determined to lay her every secret bare before she can discover his. But this time, one shy miss may prove to be more than his match...'" Regards, Kareni Kareni, Just wanted to thank you for the free book link. I don't always remember to say thank you but they are very appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 I'm currently reading and enjoying Elizabeth Gilbert's The Signature of All Things: A Novel for my upcoming book group; I have about two thirds of the book still to read prior to Thursday evening. I'd previously read the author's non-fiction work Eat, Pray, Love, but this is my first experience reading her fiction. "In The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert returns to fiction, inserting her inimitable voice into an enthralling story of love, adventure and discovery. Spanning much of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the novel follows the fortunes of the extraordinary Whittaker family as led by the enterprising Henry Whittaker—a poor-born Englishman who makes a great fortune in the South American quinine trade, eventually becoming the richest man in Philadelphia. Born in 1800, Henry’s brilliant daughter, Alma (who inherits both her father’s money and his mind), ultimately becomes a botanist of considerable gifts herself. As Alma’s research takes her deeper into the mysteries of evolution, she falls in love with a man named Ambrose Pike who makes incomparable paintings of orchids and who draws her in the exact opposite direction—into the realm of the spiritual, the divine, and the magical. Alma is a clear-minded scientist; Ambrose a utopian artist—but what unites this unlikely couple is a desperate need to understand the workings of this world and the mechanisms behind all life.Exquisitely researched and told at a galloping pace, The Signature of All Things soars across the globe—from London to Peru to Philadelphia to Tahiti to Amsterdam, and beyond. Along the way, the story is peopled with unforgettable characters: missionaries, abolitionists, adventurers, astronomers, sea captains, geniuses, and the quite mad. But most memorable of all, it is the story of Alma Whittaker, who—born in the Age of Enlightenment, but living well into the Industrial Revolution—bears witness to that extraordinary moment in human history when all the old assumptions about science, religion, commerce, and class were exploding into dangerous new ideas. Written in the bold, questing spirit of that singular time, Gilbert’s wise, deep, and spellbinding tale is certain to capture the hearts and minds of readers." Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Kareni, Just wanted to thank you for the free book link. I don't always remember to say thank you but they are very appreciated! You are quite welcome! I hope that you'll enjoy the book. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 I'm currently reading and enjoying Elizabeth Gilbert's The Signature of All Things: A Novel for my upcoming book group; I have about two thirds of the book still to read prior to Thursday evening. I'd previously read the author's non-fiction work Eat, Pray, Love, but this is my first experience reading her fiction. Kareni, I'll be curious to hear how you like this. I read and really disliked her first book but her second book is a complete departure and it looked interesting enough for me to put it on my tbr list. I finished 'Lavinia' last night and found the ending very satisfying, the way LeGuin has Lavinia fade out but not quite disappear such that one has the sense of the timelessness of these classical characters, the way they have lingered in our psyches. Overall I enjoyed it but it had rather too many battle scenes for my liking though they were viewed through Lavinia's lens which brought a different feel to things, more detail and the detail focusing on expressions on faces, body language, emotion, things that wouldn't normally merit attention. I started Mary Stewart's 'Airs Above the Ground' today and it began promisingly with tea at Harrods bringing back memories of my life in London. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 I'm leaving my iPad where dh can't help seeing it, with the Master and Margarita t-shirt on-screen. Hint, hint. I didn't remember seeing that in the list & can't find it now. So, maybe you got the link from elsewhere? If so, I'd love to see the shirt. Hint, hint. ;) :laugh: I'm currently reading and enjoying Elizabeth Gilbert's The Signature of All Things: A Novel for my upcoming book group; I have about two thirds of the book still to read prior to Thursday evening. I'd previously read the author's non-fiction work Eat, Pray, Love, but this is my first experience reading her fiction. I'm looking forward to your review on this one too, Kareni. I loved Eat, Pray, Love & have heard great things about The Signature of All Things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Angel, Congratulations! https://mattsko.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/bang-bang-gif.gif <---Texan applause here LOVE the Texan applause :lol: No rain today. It was a glorious Falling-into-Winter day, clear blue sky, a real nip in the air and pale light that still has the capacity to illuminate yet isn't quite warm enough to warm the body up. The Festival was lovely. The children made various forms of 'fudge' with flour gathered from acorns, ground up and then baked with local honey and some kind of oil. There was local yerba beuna/nettle/mint tea and manzanita berry tea all foraged from plants around the land and added to that was the abundance brought by all the parents. Much fun was had by all. This sounds lovely! And so much fun! Shukriyya - That sounds lovely. Exotic tea ingredients, to me at least. Other than the mint, of course. When we were getting lost on the other side of the lake last month, we found some wild watercress and brought it home. Back at camp, I helped my mother gather wintergreen berries (much more ordinary than watercress, for us). I looked at the white oak acorns on the driveway and remembered grinding them up for flour as a child. Talk about laborious lol. I bet the children had a wonderful time. We roasted chestnuts tonight for the first time this fall. I'm still figuring out how to do them on the woodstove rather than in the fireplace. When the children were young and we were doing Genesis for Great Books, we were roasting chestnuts in the fireplace at the same time. We were reading the part where Abraham is sacrificing his son and just as we finished reading the sentence about God not liking vegetable sacrifices, there was a large bang and most of the chestnuts disappeared. They exploded into a fine powder that rained down over everything. How to make your children discuss the finer points of literature lol. They each had plenty to say about animal versus vegetable sacrifices. The incident made quite an impression on them. They still talk about it every time we eat chestnuts, years later. Nan :lol: :lol: I can't wait to share this one with dh! He spent so much time in Genesis with our teen class at church that it fell out of his Bible Fans of historical romances might enjoy this free Kindle book by a favorite author of mine: The Duchess War (The Brothers Sinister Book Book 1) by Courtney Milan "Miss Minerva Lane is a quiet, bespectacled wallflower, and she wants to keep it that way. After all, the last time she was the center of attention, it ended badly--so badly that she changed her name to escape her scandalous past. Wallflowers may not be the prettiest of blooms, but at least they don't get trampled. So when a handsome duke comes to town, the last thing she wants is his attention. But that is precisely what she gets. Because Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont, is not fooled. When Minnie figures out what he's up to, he realizes there is more to her than her spectacles and her quiet ways. And he's determined to lay her every secret bare before she can discover his. But this time, one shy miss may prove to be more than his match...'" Regards, Kareni Bodice ripper or Heyer-like? I've started and quit Mr. Darcy and the Secret to Becoming a Gentleman and Steelheart. Neither grabbed me, and Steelheart had a little too brutal of a prologue. I just don't know what I'm in the mood for. I guess I need to figure it out :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Kareni, I'll be curious to hear how you like this. I read and really disliked her first book but her second book is a complete departure and it looked interesting enough for me to put it on my tbr list. I finished 'Lavinia' last night and found the ending very satisfying, the way LeGuin has Lavinia fade out but not quite disappear such that one has the sense of the timelessness of these classical characters, the way they have lingered in our psyches. Overall I enjoyed it but it had rather too many battle scenes for my liking though they were viewed through Lavinia's lens which brought a different feel to things, more detail and the detail focusing on expressions on faces, body language, emotion, things that wouldn't normally merit attention. I started Mary Stewart's 'Airs Above the Ground' today and it began promisingly with tea at Harrods bringing back memories of my life in London. That has been on my "to read" list too long. So I just went over to Amazon and saw that they had it for $2.99. I bought it. I look forward to reading it. I love LeGuin, she is one of my favorite writers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 I didn't remember seeing that in the list & can't find it now. So, maybe you got the link from elsewhere? If so, I'd love to see the shirt. Hint, hint. ;) :]. Sorry -- I followed the link from the tote bag to outofprintclothing.com and saw it there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Spent much of today riding in the car and waiting for things so I got a whole bunch of reading done. My Deadly Angels book by Sandra Hill is done. Yeah!!!! I actually liked it but haven't had much time to read because I am trying to get a sweater finished for ds so have been busy catching up on Grey's Anatomy (I stoped around season 5 so there are literally a hundred plus episodes to choose from). The Deadly Angels series makes me think of Kareni but I am not sure that she has ever read it. The combo of Seals and paranormal, she has found several good ones in both categories for me. Kiss of Surrender had a Vampire Angel (quite a concept;) ) infiltrate a Navy Seal unit. Interesting and different. I now have the first in the series. Also more than halfway through Aunt Dimity Digs In. That one made me chuckle and think of Jane's ds. An archaeologist is doing a dig in a field owned by a church and is rather frustrated because things are all jumbled, not realizing that a Victorian Vicar had a rather evil sense of humour and buried a load of artefacts purposely jumbled to mess with future archaeologists. There is much more to the story but that bit has kept me going.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Also more than halfway through Aunt Dimity Digs In. That one made me chuckle and think of Jane's ds. An archaeologist is doing a dig in a field owned by a church and is rather frustrated because things are all jumbled, not realizing that a Victorian Vicar had a rather evil sense of humour and buried a load of artefacts purposely jumbled to mess with future archaeologists. There is much more to the story but that bit has kept me going.... I will be sending the bolded to my son who spent the summer digging through the Victorian rubble at a Roman site in the UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Well, it appears the universe has alternate literary plans for me. The Birth of Venus just came available on overdrive so that'll be my next read with my jaunt to Vienna waiting in the wings. And Angel, congrats on 52 :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Regarding the free Kindle book The Duchess War (The Brothers Sinister Book Book 1) by Courtney Milan: Bodice ripper or Heyer-like? I'd say somewhere in the middle. It's been a while since I read it, but it's safe to say that it has some adult content. The Deadly Angels series makes me think of Kareni but I am not sure that she has ever read it. The combo of Seals and paranormal, she has found several good ones in both categories for me. Kiss of Surrender had a Vampire Angel (quite a concept;) ) infiltrate a Navy Seal unit. Interesting and different. I now have the first in the series. I haven't read the series, but I'll be on the lookout for it now. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 I've started and quit Mr. Darcy and the Secret to Becoming a Gentleman and Steelheart. Neither grabbed me, and Steelheart had a little too brutal of a prologue. I just don't know what I'm in the mood for. I guess I need to figure it out :) I couldn't get past the beginning of Steelheart either, and I'm usually ok with sci-fi and fantasy violence. I wasn't sure if I started it too soon on the heels of some other dystopian novels, but ultimately figured it is a book I don't need to read! I have to say that seeing the title juxtaposed next to the words "Mr. Darcy" and "gentleman" made me do a double take!! True confession time. I've not read any Ursula Le Guin. I know we have the Wrinkle in Time and related books (is there a trilogy?) on our bookshelves. Do I start there? Or do I start with Lavinia? What says the hive?? Over the last month I've started 2 books that I like and want to finish (Moonspinners and an Alan Furst novel), but both are now overdue at the library. I really want to carve out some reading time but goodness life can take up so much of a person's waking hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 I couldn't get past the beginning of Steelheart either, and I'm usually ok with sci-fi and fantasy violence. I wasn't sure if I started it too soon on the heels of some other dystopian novels, but ultimately figured it is a book I don't need to read! I have to say that seeing the title juxtaposed next to the words "Mr. Darcy" and "gentleman" made me do a double take!! Yes! That is almost exactly what I thought! I do want to explore Sanderson but I guess it won't be that one ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Shukriyya - Lord of the Two Lands might fit in your history-from-a -woman's-perspective catagory. http://www.alibris.com/Lord-of-the-Two-Lands-Judith-Tarr/book/4033255?matches=79&full=1 Alexander the Great from the point of view of Meriamon, only living child of Nectanebo, the last fully Egytian pharoah. Very much from the woman's point of view. It has magic in it, and a cat, and a love story. The writing isn't bad. My sisters and I love it. Or is your new book in this category rather than the art category? Just a suggestion, in case you haven't time to hunt for something... : ) Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 I couldn't get past the beginning of Steelheart either, and I'm usually ok with sci-fi and fantasy violence. I wasn't sure if I started it too soon on the heels of some other dystopian novels, but ultimately figured it is a book I don't need to read! I have to say that seeing the title juxtaposed next to the words "Mr. Darcy" and "gentleman" made me do a double take!! True confession time. I've not read any Ursula Le Guin. I know we have the Wrinkle in Time and related books (is there a trilogy?) on our bookshelves. Do I start there? Or do I start with Lavinia? What says the hive?? Over the last month I've started 2 books that I like and want to finish (Moonspinners and an Alan Furst novel), but both are now overdue at the library. I really want to carve out some reading time but goodness life can take up so much of a person's waking hours. Wrinkle in Time is L'Engle. Did you mean Earthsea for Le Guin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Shukriyya - Lord of the Two Lands might fit in your history-from-a -woman's-perspective catagory. http://www.alibris.com/Lord-of-the-Two-Lands-Judith-Tarr/book/4033255?matches=79&full=1 Alexander the Great from the point of view of Meriamon, only living child of Nectanebo, the last fully Egytian pharoah. Very much from the woman's point of view. It has magic in it, and a cat, and a love story. The writing isn't bad. My sisters and I love it. Or is your new book in this category rather than the art category? Just a suggestion, in case you haven't time to hunt for something... : ) Nan Thank you, Nan. This looks intriguing and has gone onto the tbr list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Well, it appears the universe has alternate literary plans for me. The Birth of Venus just came available on overdrive I read that one years ago! True confession time. I've not read any Ursula Le Guin. Wrinkle in Time is L'Engle. Did you mean Earthsea for Le Guin? I've read neither L'Engle or Le Guin (except for Catwings). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 I will be sending the bolded to my son who spent the summer digging through the Victorian rubble at a Roman site in the UK. As I am sure you know Aunt Dimity is very fluffy so not for your ds. Another part of the surprise is historically nothing ever has happened in that village except someone marched through on their way to Warwick Castle so finding anything interesting is a shock. Find that bit very hard to believe but can see how it made the Vicar frustrated enough to bury his collection from other places. Have to admit I do wonder sometimes. Someone recently showed me some pottery from the middle ages that look an aweful lot like some I dug out of my garden last summer. I thought it was Victorian. My house is built on an old orchard by a very old pub, essentially my yard was a dump for a few hundred years. Have to wear gloves when gardening because it is dangerous. Can't find the bits now but they are safe somewhere. Dh has been storing them in jars. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 As I am sure you know Aunt Dimity is very fluffy so not for your ds. Another part of the surprise is historically nothing ever has happened in that village except someone marched through on their way to Warwick Castle so finding anything interesting is a shock. Find that bit very hard to believe but can see how it made the Vicar frustrated enough to bury his collection from other places. Have to admit I do wonder sometimes. Someone recently showed me some pottery from the middle ages that look an aweful lot like some I dug out of my garden last summer. I thought it was Victorian. My house is built on an old orchard by a very old pub, essentially my yard was a dump for a few hundred years. Have to wear gloves when gardening because it is dangerous. Can't find the bits now but they are safe somewhere. Dh has been storing them in jars. :lol: Oh I did not think Aunt Dimity would be his speed but I thought he might chuckle at the thought of the nefarious Victorian purposefully mucking things up for future archaeologists. Given the mess that he contended with last summer, he said he could believe it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Wrinkle in Time is L'Engle. Did you mean Earthsea for Le Guin? I've read neither L'Engle or Le Guin (except for Catwings). D'oh! I've also only read Catwings. Earthsea and Wrinkle in Time are on my bookshelves (or more correctly my son's) so I somehow lumped the 2 together. Let's summarize by just saying I've not read authors whose names begin with L' or Le. :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Jenn, Although in general I am not a sci fi reader, I love A Wrinkle in Time. It is one of the most intelligent books for younger readers, one that adults can also appreciate. Especially this mathematically minded adult! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 D'oh! I've also only read Catwings. Earthsea and Wrinkle in Time are on my bookshelves (or more correctly my son's) so I somehow lumped the 2 together. Let's summarize by just saying I've not read authors whose names begin with L' or Le. :laugh: Me too! I guess we're L'ate to the party, Jenn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Jenn, I went through a phase late middle school (?) when I ripped through everything L'Engle wrote. I recently re-read Wrinkle in Time with my 11 yo daughter and was disappointed that it did not meet my rosy-colored nostalgic expectations. But, six weeks or so later, my daughter is still raving about it. Partly in response to her enthusiasm we're just now launching into Abbott's Flatland, (about the most bafflingly under-read books ever written imo, which I read with both her older siblings to great acclaim when they were a little bit older -- I think I timed it with them just before they started geometry) which I think will work well with it. Anyway. I see her, now, adoring it just as I adored it, and what mother can resist that, so maybe it's a book that everyone should try.... once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Me too! I guess we're L'ate to the party, Jenn! Oy. And yet: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Me too! I guess we're L'ate to the party, Jenn! Now what about John Le Carre novels? I've not read those either. Nor Louis L'Amore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Now what about John Le Carre novels? I've not read those either. Nor Louis L'Amore. :lol: (I've actually read Le Carre, but not L'Amore.) L'ament & woe to us! :svengo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 But, six weeks or so later, my daughter is still raving about it. Partly in response to her enthusiasm we're just now launching into Abbott's Flatland, (about the most bafflingly under-read books ever written imo, which I read with both her older siblings to great acclaim when they were a little bit older -- I think I timed it with them just before they started geometry) which I think will work well with it. I just read the description of this book out to my math-loving ds and his eyes lit up. It's only .99 on kindle. Thanks for the tip :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Now what about John Le Carre novels? I've not read those either. Nor Louis L'Amore. If you like Alan Furst, you might like le Carre. I think the Karla trilogy (Tinker, Tailor; The Honourable Schoolboy; Smiley's People) makes a compelling statement about the Cold War. As far as L'Amour and westerns go, I have only read one that Stacia recommended, The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt. One of these days I'll read True Grit. More on suggested westerns here. Correction: I have read All the Pretty Little Horses/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 The joke chez nous is that if I want to sleep we put on a LeCarre movie. Dh loves them, me, I'm out in about 15 mins thanks to the interminable, painstakingly slow conversations that take place in various small, dimly lit rooms between two monosyllabic characters :lol: Stacia, what did you think of Birth of Venus? Reviews are mixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 My husband and I read Louis L'Amour's aloud to each other in college. The westerns were all more or less the same, so they didn't interfere with our studying too much, and they move very fast. We were outdoorsy kids surrounded by cement. We spent a lot of time dreaming about coffee and steak cooked over a fire. We got so desperate that we began to trek down to the store, buy a packages of stew steak, and then go find some woods to make a fire in. It's a wonder we didn't wind up at the police station lol. Oldest is blasting through the books now, probably for the same reason they appealed to us, except he's surrounded by steel. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 You know, in my memory, I think of Louis L'Amour books as being like Le Morte d'Arthur. Knight meets knight. Knight kills knight. Knight moves on. Cowboy meets cowboy. Cowboy kills cowboy. Cowboy moves on. Knight meets knight. Knight kills knight. Knight moves on. Cowboy meets cowboy. Cowboy kills cowboy. Cowboy moves on. Knight meets knight. Knight kills knight. Knight moves on. Cowboy meets cowboy... ad infinitum lol. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 Ms. Le Guin is now following me. This interview was on my facebook feed this afternoon. She has this to say about Lavinia: “Lavinia†is so far from anything else I ever wrote (and not a whole lot like anything I ever read) that, given these hard times in publishing, I felt sort of guilty at submitting it. But on the other hand, I knew it’s as good as anything I ever wrote, and went a little farther than I’d gone before. And I’m happy about that, since it looks as if it’ll be my last novel. It's a sign. She's following me, she sounds like an interesting and intelligent author, and I have Earthsea on a book shelf in my house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 The joke chez nous is that if I want to sleep we put on a LeCarre movie. Dh loves them, me, I'm out in about 15 mins thanks to the interminable, painstakingly slow conversations that take place in various small, dimly lit rooms between two monosyllabic characters :lol: Stacia, what did you think of Birth of Venus? Reviews are mixed. Tsk, tsk, shukriyya, I've totally enjoyed the le Carré movies I've seen (The Constant Gardener, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and A Most Wanted Man). It has been so many years since I read Birth of Venus. I remember liking it well enough -- a 'like' not 'love', 3 star book, imo. I originally read it because my fil read & really enjoyed it; he recommended it to me because he thought I would really like it too. I've also read Dunant's book In the Company of the Courtesan & liked that one better, I think, though I didn't especially care for the final pages of In the Company.... And, now for some sleepy-time dreams for you... :lol: (These were both great. I have no idea how you can fall asleep during them! I also find it fascinating how le Carré has spanned the globe & intelligence/spy politics during his career -- & how very well he has captured a lot of the spy/intelligence/political maneuvering in a variety of places at different times in modern history....) http://youtu.be/LPKhWXhiMSw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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