Book a Week in 2014 - BW51

[Jane in NC]

A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush. I laughed out loud through this hilarious adventure. And I'd find myself chuckling to myself days after when recalling a certain passage.

 

 

That looks really good.  Thank you!

 

[Kareni]

so I'll take comic suggestions, please...

 

When I went to college, I took along a compilation of Reader's Digest jokes. (It was a 500 or more page tome.)  It served me well during the year I took Organic Chemistry and at other low moments.

 

One of my favorite light reading series is the Don Camillo books by Giovanni Guareschi starting with

The Little World of Don Camillo.

 

 

I find Leonard Wibberly's "Mouse" books very amusing. They were written during the Cold War so some people don't like the political angle. He also wrote a children's book called McGillicuddy McGotham that I think is hilarious.

 

The Mouse who Roared (both the book and the movie) were big hits here when my daughter was homeschooling high school.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[shukriyya]

The book I mentioned above is Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas by Stephanie Barron. Should be fun. 

 

There is a free kindle companion book to this that I think our Amy and Angel both need. It's called Hosting your own Regency-Era Christmas Party. ;)

 

That looks really good.  Thank you!

 

I listened to this years ago on audio and honestly, I howled with laughter. Even the title is ridiculously understated as their 'short walk' is of course a long, arduous journey. It's been described as "Monty Python goes Hiking" and Evelyn Waugh contributed to the preface. Sadly the audio component is only available for a pretty price as cassettes. I do hope they'll transfer it to an mp3 or cd format. The reader was fabulous.

 

 

[Kareni]

I just finished Derek Miller's Norwegian by Night for my book group.  It was excellent  -- thought provoking, entertaining, and a pleasure to read.  I recommend it.  I'm looking forward to tomorrow evening's discussion.

 

 

Crime Writers Association John Creasey Dagger Award winner

An ECONOMIST TOP FICTION TITLE OF THE YEAR
A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
A GUARDIAN BEST CRIME AND THRILLER OF THE YEAR
A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR

“A soulful, humane, and sparklingly funny novel. Spend some time with Sheldon and company in the Scandinavian wilderness and you just might make peace with your god, your ghosts, and yourself.†— Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story

Sheldon Horowitz—widowed, impatient, impertinent—has grudgingly agreed to leave New York and move in with his granddaughter, Rhea, and her new husband, Lars, in Norway—a country of blue and ice with one thousand Jews, not one of them a former Marine sniper in the Korean War turned watch repairman. Not until now, anyway.

Home alone one morning, Sheldon witnesses a dispute between the woman who lives upstairs and an aggressive stranger. When events turn dire, Sheldon seizes and shields the neighbor’s young son from the violence, and they flee the scene. As Sheldon and the boy look for a safe haven in an alien world, past and present weave together, forcing them ever forward to a wrenching moment of truth.

“This is one of the best books of the season, of any genre.†— Buffalo News

“Miller joins the ranks of Stieg Larsson, Henning Mankell, and Jo Nesbø, the holy trinity of Scandinavian crime novelists.†— Booklist (starred review)

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Violet Crown]

2 weeks??!! :svengo:

 

 

I've been remiss in both finishing books and in posting them here... I read David Grossman's Falling Out of Time for one of my IRL book groups -- it's a beautiful, lacerating, genre-defying book that he wrote in the years after his son's death... not quite poetry, not quite drama, not quite a novel... for me it evoked Our Town and even more the more recent Laramie Project...

 

I finally finished Abraham Heschel's The Prophets, which I'd been doing it bits and pieces... and, at VC's exhortation, Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant, which I began under the grievously wrong impression was satire. Not. One of those good-for-you, glad-you're-done sort of experiences...

 

On audio, Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, which just barely met my desire for comic relief from these dark dark nights -- there certainly are some very funny bits, but the overall mood is darker than I'd expected based on other Gaiman I'd read; and then the Ocean on the Edge of the Lane, which has no funny bits AT ALL, ranging from scary to bleak and back again...

 

My daughter and I are nearly done with Abbott's Flatland, which I read with both my olders and which maps well with her current enthusiasm for Madeleine L'Engle.

 

 

And I'm in the market for something LIGHT. I have been so dismayed and disheartened by the catastrophic events around the world this week... and then stare glassy-eyed at my towering TBR stacks... and find myself unable to concentrate even enough to pick what I've got, up...

 

so I'll take comic suggestions, please...

I realize I'm in serious danger of my recommendations being the kiss of death for books after Bel-Ami (I think there was satire, but in a dark understated French way); but Brigadier Gerard really is quite amusing and very light. Doyle's brave but vain and somewhat dense hero of the Napoleonic Wars makes for a fabulous vehicle for making fun of the French and English simultaneously.

 

ETA: I found much of Bel-Ami hilarious; but Brigadier Gerard is funny in the way normal people find things funny.

 

ETA2:The Awkward Age, which I'm reading now, is not at all funny, but is both difficult and creepy.

[Pam in CT]

I realize I'm in serious danger of my recommendations being the kiss of death for books after Bel-Ami (I think there was satire, but in a dark understated French way); but Brigadier Gerard really is quite amusing and very light. Doyle's brave but vain and somewhat dense hero of the Napoleonic Wars makes for a fabulous vehicle for making fun of the French and English simultaneously.

 

ETA: I found much of Bel-Ami hilarious; but Brigadier Gerard is funny in the way normal people find things funny.

 

ETA2:The Awkward Age, which I'm reading now, is not at all funny, but is both difficult and creepy.

Aw no, honey, I thought Cone Gatherers was masterful right up to the end (though the end itself didn't quite hang together for me, but that's because I personally tend to find small incremental change more plausible than one-off epiphanies... and I, uh, do get why he was going for the one-off epiphany...) and I loved, loved, loved Golden Ass (funny!).  

 

And it's perfectly likely that in a different state of mind I might have found Bel-Ami "funny" in the way that, for example, I do find Flatland "funny"...  I'm not at all sure that my sense of humor is any more "normal" than yours...

 

... so I'll look out for Brigadier Gerard, and please do keep those recommendations coming!

[aggieamy]

There is a free kindle companion book to this that I think our Amy and Angel both need. It's called Hosting your own Regency-Era Christmas Party. ;)

 

 

Love it!  It makes me want to host my own party.  I'll do it and you all are invited.  You're invitations should arrive any day now by my footman.  (Um ... I just gotta get a footman first ... and figure out how to deliver to our overseas ladies because that's going to be a long boat ride for him ...)  

[Kareni]

 

... a Menorah. 

 

Aggieamy, for you and other who might wish to add to their menorah collection, I give you ...

 

18 quirky menorahs to brighten your Festival of Lights

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

Kareni, I can't find the thread you started regarding books for your dd so will just post here because I know you will see it. I just put in a request for the latest in this serieshttps://www.goodreads.com/series/51937-peter-grantwhich made me think of you. Not sure that they are exactly what you are looking for but I really like them!

[MicheleinMN]

I finished  A Fistful of Charms the other day.  Jenks is awesome!  The rest of the book...not so much.  I started Lavinia and am enjoying it so far.

[Jane in NC]

A new independent publisher has come on my radar:  Bitter Lemon, a London based publisher that focuses on crime novels in exotic locales.  Just my escapist cuppa!

[shukriyya]

I finished 'Urchin of the Riding Stars' last night which was book #52. Ladies, thanks to you all, I did it :D

 

Next up is 'Homer's Daughter'. If I can finish that in a timely way it will mark the completion of my 5/5 challenge.

[Nan in Mass]

Pam - I don't know what your sense of humour is like, but I found the following light and funny. I tried to pinpoint what is funny about them but don't know the technical terms so I may not have it right.

 

Angela Thirkell - These could be depressing because of the times and the fact that they follow family events (WWII England and hurt feelings over adult children and general sadness over changing times), but the writing is so funny, the characters so real, and the approach so gentle that they are comfort food for me.

 

Wodehouse - Funny writing. Stereotypical funny events

 

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, etc. - I retreat into these when my world becomes depressing and chaotic. Funny writing and unexpected events.

 

Georgette Heyer - Really light regency romance but funny writing along the lines of Pooh, Wodehouse, and Thirkell.

 

Dianna Wynne Jones's Dark Lord of Derkholm - Funny writing and funny plot. Fantasy. Some bits not so funny.

Dianna Wynne Jones's House of Many Ways/Howl's Moving Castle/Castle in the Air series. Funny writing and funny plot.

 

Winnie the Pooh - Funny writing. Anybody who hasn't read these as an adult should, in my opinion. : )

 

Wind in the Willows - Funny writing, plot both funny and unfunny, comforting, though.

 

And a few things I've read recently that I found funny - The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (funny writing, absurd (sp?) plot that includes a recap of the last 100 years of history, more or less, so isn't always funny), Murder at Madingly Grange (absorbing, funnily written murder mystery), Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death (ditto).

 

Hugs,

Nan

[Kareni]

Kareni, I can't find the thread you started regarding books for your dd so will just post here because I know you will see it. I just put in a request for the latest in this serieshttps://www.goodreads.com/series/51937-peter-grantwhich made me think of you. Not sure that they are exactly what you are looking for but I really like them!

 

Thanks for the Ben Aaronovitch suggestion, mumto2.  Curiously, I gave her the first book in the series as a gift last Christmas.  I'll have to ask what she thought of it.  I may have to give the books a try myself since they sound appealing.

 

 

Here's the thread in case anyone else might wish to contribute.

Lovers of fantasy novels, your help is requested.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Angel]

The Last Jihad would be the one to start with.  

 

 

Thanks!  I'm going to look for this at Half-Price Books tonight.

 

There is a free kindle companion book to this that I think our Amy and Angel both need. It's called Hosting your own Regency-Era Christmas Party. ;)

 

:hurray:

 

Love it!  It makes me want to host my own party.  I'll do it and you all are invited.  You're invitations should arrive any day now by my footman.  (Um ... I just gotta get a footman first ... and figure out how to deliver to our overseas ladies because that's going to be a long boat ride for him ...)  

I'll help!  Dd 20, Skye, already has a dress from the Regency Ball she attended three years ago!  Make sure the footman is cute!  Don't borrow Thomas from Downton Abbey   :lol:

 

I finished 'Urchin of the Riding Stars' last night which was book #52. Ladies, thanks to you all, I did it :D

 

Next up is 'Homer's Daughter'. If I can finish that in a timely way it will mark the completion of my 5/5 challenge.

:party:

 

 

Here's the thread in case anyone else might wish to contribute.

Lovers of fantasy novels, your help is requested.

 

Regards,

Kareni

I already had multi-quotes going on here so just responding here!  For straight fantasy, definitely David Eddings!!  Truly LOL funny with great character development.  Urge her to take it off her shelf and read it  ;)  Robert Jordan is the author of The Wheel of Time series, begin with Eye of the World.  And yes, Brandon Sanderson did finish the last books after Jordan's death.  Also in the fantasy department would be dh's favorite, The Dragonlance Chronicles.  Start with Dragons of Autumn Twilight.  It's a trilogy followed by a second trilogy.  Another series with great character development and lol moments  :D My dd20 just read The Selection series which she tells me is a mesh of fantasy with a little dystopia.  I would also throw out there Patricia Wrede's Enchanted Forest series as well.  I love fantasy!

[Stacia]

Congrats on 52, shukriyya! 

 

 

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, etc. - I retreat into these when my world becomes depressing and chaotic. Funny writing and unexpected events.

 

Nan, have you ever read any of Terry Pratchett's books? It's slightly different humor than Douglas Adams, but I think you might get a kick out of them. Good Omens is a fun one or Hogfather or The Wee Free Men or.... (the list can go on & on). And, even though there are oodles of books, you don't need to read them in order.

[Mom-ninja.]

 

Winnie the Pooh - Funny writing. Anybody who hasn't read these as an adult should, in my opinion. : )

 

 

 

Yes! I love reading Winnie the Pooh. Cracks me up. My 13 yr old ds hoots as well when I read it aloud. So many of the jokes are missed by little kids, and yet people have the idea that Pooh is only for little kids. It's a great book for older people. 

[aggieamy]

Aggieamy, for you and other who might wish to add to their menorah collection, I give you ...

 

18 quirky menorahs to brighten your Festival of Lights

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Oh my goodness!  Those are funny.  And some are actually cool.  Not the lobster one though ... that's just odd. 

 

Angela Thirkell - These could be depressing because of the times and the fact that they follow family events (WWII England and hurt feelings over adult children and general sadness over changing times), but the writing is so funny, the characters so real, and the approach so gentle that they are comfort food for me.

 

<snip>

 

And a few things I've read recently that I found funny - The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (funny writing, absurd (sp?) plot that includes a recap of the last 100 years of history, more or less, so isn't always funny), Murder at Madingly Grange (absorbing, funnily written murder mystery), Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death (ditto).

 

Hugs,

Nan

 

Just reserved an Angela Thirkell & Agatha Raisin from the library.  These seem like my type of humor.  

[Nan in Mass]

Stacia - No, I haven't. Thank you! This might possibly be the best Christmas present I get, if it turns out that I like her? him?. : ) Lots of books is wonderful!

 

Nan

[Stacia]

Aggieamy, for you and other who might wish to add to their menorah collection, I give you ...

 

18 quirky menorahs to brighten your Festival of Lights

 

 

I love Menorasaurus Rex. He's (or she's) completely awesome. :lol:

 

I think the tree one with birds & the reclaimed wood ones are very lovely. And the Lego one is just plain fun!

[Stacia]

Nan, Terry is a him. He's even an official "Sir".

 

http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/

[Kareni]

I found this on the Tor.com site; it's rather nifty.

 

Ancient Textbook Doodles Prove School Has Been Boring for Centuries

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

 

  For straight fantasy, definitely David Eddings!!  Truly LOL funny with great character development.  Urge her to take it off her shelf and read it  ;)  Robert Jordan is the author of The Wheel of Time series, begin with Eye of the World.  And yes, Brandon Sanderson did finish the last books after Jordan's death.  Also in the fantasy department would be dh's favorite, The Dragonlance Chronicles.  Start with Dragons of Autumn Twilight.  It's a trilogy followed by a second trilogy.  Another series with great character development and lol moments  :D My dd20 just read The Selection series which she tells me is a mesh of fantasy with a little dystopia.  I would also throw out there Patricia Wrede's Enchanted Forest series as well.  I love fantasy!

 

Angel, many thanks to you and your daughter for the suggestions.  My daughter certainly enjoyed the Enchanted Forest series some years ago.  I'll research your other suggestions!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

I found this on the Tor.com site; it's rather nifty.

 

Ancient Textbook Doodles Prove School Has Been Boring for Centuries

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

:smilielol5:

[Violet Crown]

Congratulations shukriyya on 52!

 

Agreeing with the grown-up pleasingness of Winnie the Pooh. After you've lived long enough to meet a few Eeyores, it's much more amusing.

[Stacia]

What is a good P.G. Wodehouse book to start with?

[Nan in Mass]

My sister married Tigger. My husband's brother is an Eeyore. We play Pooh sticks whenever we walk across a bridge over a likely brook. We say I am having a Kanga day when I pull things out and organize them. And the number of quotes we use consistently - "And when you look up, they drop on you." and "Look at me jumping! Look at me jumping!" are particular favourites. : )

 

Nan

[shukriyya]

Thanks for the congrats, BaWers. It feels like an accomplishment for this formerly voracious reader turned mom turned homeschooler where a chunk of reading time is sometimes hard to come by.

 

Another WtP loving, Pooh Sticks playing, Eeyore indulging family here. Have you all read The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet? And another one,  Pooh and The Philosophers :: In Which it is Shown that all Western Philosophy is merely a Preamble for Winnie the Pooh.

[Uff Da!]

Congratulations Shukriyya!

 

I finished Medea and The Four Loves and am almost done with two binders of scholarly articles and chapter excerpts for the Acts study.  I have Frederick Douglass's biography, A Christmas Carol and an Acts historical book to finish before New Years.  

 

I can't keep up with you all right now as we are so busy.  Happy holidays to all!

[Shawneinfl]

After starting in August and putting it down, I finally finished The Siege by Helen Dunmore. Great writing. Great story. Almost makes me want to finish the year with that one but I'm sooo close to hitting 52 for the first time ever.

[Jane in NC]

Stacia - No, I haven't. Thank you! This might possibly be the best Christmas present I get, if it turns out that I like her? him?. : ) Lots of books is wonderful!

 

Nan

 

Nan, I think your family would love Prachett's Hogfather as a Christmas read aloud!

 

What is a good P.G. Wodehouse book to start with?

 

Most people would probably suggest a Bertie Wooster but your contrarian friend heartily recommends the Psmith series.  That is, "Psmith, the 'P' is silent."

[Stacia]

Nan, I think your family would love Prachett's Hogfather as a Christmas read aloud!

 

:thumbup1:

 

[Mom-ninja.]

What is a good P.G. Wodehouse book to start with?

I say the first Wooster book, but then I haven't read Psmith yet. 

[prairiegirl]

Congratulations, Shukriyya, on #52.  Yay for you!

[mumto2]

Nan, Back in August there was quite a conversation regarding what order to read Prachett's books in. I think Kim is the one that originally linked this charthttp://io9.com/how-to-read-terry-pratchetts-discworld-series-in-one-h-1567312812which dd is in love with. That week we had discovered that all the Discworld books were in our overdrive library. Dd has been happily working through the chart, rereading the couple that she had previously read. She recently told me she has read 20 so far.....

 

Remember dd is definitely my daughter in terms of preferring books in order. ;) I don't think the chart is required but since it exists thought you might like!

[Kareni]

I just finished a fantasy novel that I enjoyed ~  Impossible Things by Kate Johnson,  (Hmm, I'm away from my home computer and can't figure out how to copy and paste the description.  I'll try to come back later and do so.)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

Shukriyya, Congratulations on 52!

 

Just finished Charlie Lovett's First Impressions and really enjoyed it. Definitely flowed far more smoothly than his Bookman's Tale did.

[-M-]

Happy holidays, fellow BaWers! I've recently completed:

 

■ Life After the Death of My Son: What I’m Learning (Dennis L. Apple; 2008. 192 pages. Memoir.)
â–  The Wake (Scott Snyder; 2014. 256 pages. Graphic fiction.)
â–  Fatale, Book 3: West of Hell (Ed Brubaker; 2012. 128 pages. Graphic fiction.)
■ Fatale, Book 2: The Devil’s Business (Ed Brubaker; 2013. 136 pages. Graphic fiction.)
■ The Children’s Hour (Lillian Hellman; 1953. 72 pages. Drama.)
â–  Citizen: An American Lyric (Claudia Rankine; 2014. 160 pages. Poetry.)

 

That puts me  at 100, to date. I think I may have just enough time to reach my goal of 104, but we'll have to see.

[shukriyya]

I enjoyed but never loved Carroll until I watched my older son delighting in his writings... at one point he had most of the Hunting of the Snark memorized and recited it with such relish that I was converted.

 

 

Ds has already zoomed through and finished 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' and is keen to begin 'Through the Looking Glass.' I, being the plodder that I am, am still wending my way through the former. Thankfully I've read it before so I have a sense of the various questions to pose when we discuss it. At one point he had a huge number of the Pooh poems and ditties memorized. A friend gave him this book and he plunged in with enthusiasm sharing what he'd committed to memory.

 

 

This inspired me to seek out some first line quizzes to reassure myself that I do know *some* first lines...  the results were mixed.  (here's one) 

 

I wonder what it is that makes certain lines so memorable and others just sound vaguely familiar?

 

I know Shakespeare and Austen and Alcott first lines from having reread them an absurd number of time, but other books, ones I might have read only once and long ago, have first lines that still reverberate and others, often books I might have liked more, have first lines I can't connect with their books with the same unerring resonance.

 

 

 

That first line from Jane Eyre reminded me how much I enjoyed the book. I downloaded a free kindle version, both written and audio, and am really looking forward to revisiting those Yorkshire Moors.

 

And I have to say there is just something so heartwarming about y'all's congratulations. Thank you! I was telling dh how the genuine goodwill here is really heartwarming.

[Kareni]

 

She might like Sherwood Smith's Inda series (though I wouldn't give just the first one, it ends on a cliffhanger, and having the second near by as soon as one finishes the first is a good thing)

 

 

Ah, she's a big Sherwood Smith fan, so I believe she's already read this.  Yes, if you have other suggestions, I'd be delighted if you'd post in my fantasy thread.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Kareni]

I'm just back from my book group where we discussed Derek Miller's Norwegian by Night.  Most of us loved it; one was slightly disappointed in it and wished it had been longer.

 

 

The book I mentioned earlier today when I couldn't link is the fantasy novel Impossible Things by Kate Johnson.  I enjoyed it, but for those with triggers be aware that the main character was raped repeatedly before the story begins.

 

"Are they cursed as well as Chosen?

Ishtaer is a mystery. A blind slave, beaten and broken by her sadistic mistress, with no memory of a time before her enslavement.

Kael Vapensigsson is one of the elite Chosen – a warlord whose strength comes from the gods themselves. But despite all his power and prestige, he is plagued by a prophecy that threatens to destroy everything he loves. When Kael summons Ishtaer to his room and discovers the marks of the Chosen on her body, including the revered mark of the Warrior, both warlord and slave seem to have met their match.

But as their lives become increasingly entangled and endangered, Ishtaer is forced to test whether the Chosen ever have the ability to choose their own fate."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Negin]

Fun list. I see quite a few that I want to read now! :laugh:

 

47 Incredibly Unique Books To Buy Everyone On Your List

This is a great list. Thank you, Stacia. :)

 

I need this and about 4 hours at B&N and I'll be a happy girl.

I would do anything for a B&N right now. No libraries and no real bookstores here. When we visit the U.S., we spend tons of time at B&N almost every single evening. 

 

I think quite a few of you BaWers would enjoy The Painted Alphabet -- Pam, shukriyya, Eliana, Nan, OUAT, LostSurprise, Negin, crstarlette, maybe Jane...

 

Definitely recommended.

Stacia, thanks again! 

 

Have you read any PG Wodehouse?  He's British and splendid.

 

Dave Barry?  I love reading his books because they are so lighthearted and nothing in them in serious.

 

Calvin and Hobbes?  Great even for adults.  

Although I've never read PG Wodehouse, I love Dave Barry. All my family are Calvin & Hobbes fans. We have pretty much all his stuff. Wondering if I'll like PG Wodehouse. I usually love British anything.

[Nan in Mass]

Jane, do you know what the difference is between the green-covered 1977 Dociani Algebra 2 and Trig and the blue-and-yellow-covered 1978 and 1974 Dolciani Algebra 2 and Trig?  I guess it more the why that I am interested in and the difference in specific approaches.  I have both and can look at the specifics.  The green one seemed simpler, so we are just finishing that one.  No polar coordinates.  Oops.  So I pulled out the blue and yellow one (which my husband and I are pretty sure is the one we had in school, judging by the familiarity of the cover) and there is one lesson of polar coordinates and what seems like a quite different approach to teaching the trig sections.  I am now curious. : )  And wondering if we should have done the other book.  More applied, less theoretical would serve our purpose better.  Not that it makes any difference now.  'Tis done.  Or will be in about three days.  Phew!

 

Nan

[Uff Da!]

 

 

Euripides' Medea?  (I read so many Medeas this year, I can't assume...)

 Yes, it was Euripides Medea.  I thought of you when reading it.

In the preface, it was mentioned how "the woman they tried to crush became their curse."  I've been thinking how easy it would be for a victim to become Medea like, especially since people show a lot of their own underbellies when they try to crush someone.

 

And I am so embarrassed.....I put down that biography for so long that I forgot that it is Booker T. Washington's biography that I'm reading and not Frederick Douglass...... :leaving:

[Nan in Mass]

Will be back later to answer everyone else.

Have to go retrieve youngest.

: )

Nan

[Mom-ninja.]

I'm a few chapters in Joan Rivers Diary of a Mad Diva and it's freaking hilarious. I keep laughing out loud. So wrong on so many levels which is what makes it so funny. 

[aggieamy]

 

...but I haven't been inspired to try Lord of the Flies or Catcher in the Rye again... they are shelved together in my mind under a mental shelf-tag I won't share as I know each has its fans...

 

 

 

One summer in middle school (I think?!?!  Might have been high school.) I was spending the week with my cousin and she had Catcher in the Rye laying about because she was supposed to read it for school.  Being desperate for something to read I picked it up and read it through - I remember liking it but thinking the kid in it was whiny.  As an adult I have never reread it because I'm sure it's something that spoke to me at the age I was but would be something I wouldn't like now.  

 

As for Lord of the Flies ... ick ick ick.

 

 

 

Although I've never read PG Wodehouse, I love Dave Barry. All my family are Calvin & Hobbes fans. We have pretty much all his stuff. Wondering if I'll like PG Wodehouse. I usually love British anything.

 

If you like British humor then you'll like PG Wodehouse.  Opinions differ on what to start with ( :laugh:  - Jane) but I recommend his short stories such as Very Good, Jeeves!

[aggieamy]

I finished 'Urchin of the Riding Stars' last night which was book #52. Ladies, thanks to you all, I did it :D

 

Next up is 'Homer's Daughter'. If I can finish that in a timely way it will mark the completion of my 5/5 challenge.

 

Yay!  I hope you celebrate by reading more books!  

[Negin]

I'm a few chapters in Joan Rivers Diary of a Mad Diva and it's freaking hilarious. I keep laughing out loud. So wrong on so many levels which is what makes it so funny. 

I read her other book and absolutely loved it. I remember laughing with tears rolling down my face. I need to read this one right away. Love her wit and hilarity. 

 

If you like British humor then you'll like PG Wodehouse.  Opinions differ on what to start with ( :laugh:  - Jane) but I recommend his short stories such as Very Good, Jeeves!

Thank you. I'll look into this and/or others that are recommended. :)

[Jane in NC]

Jane, do you know what the difference is between the green-covered 1977 Dociani Algebra 2 and Trig and the blue-and-yellow-covered 1978 and 1974 Dolciani Algebra 2 and Trig?  I guess it more the why that I am interested in and the difference in specific approaches.  I have both and can look at the specifics.  The green one seemed simpler, so we are just finishing that one.  No polar coordinates.  Oops.  So I pulled out the blue and yellow one (which my husband and I are pretty sure is the one we had in school, judging by the familiarity of the cover) and there is one lesson of polar coordinates and what seems like a quite different approach to teaching the trig sections.  I am now curious. : )  And wondering if we should have done the other book.  More applied, less theoretical would serve our purpose better.  Not that it makes any difference now.  'Tis done.  Or will be in about three days.  Phew!

 

Nan

 

Nan, at one point I might have known the differences.  I know that I used one of the '70's books with my son but have since disposed of it--having gotten my hands on one of the 1960's books which are flat out the best.  For the trig portion of Algebra II, we used the stand alone Trig book by Wooten, Beckenbach and Dolciani (1966) which actually introduces fields and groups but has terrific vector and polar coordinates exercises as well.  My son hated it but then flew through much of Dolciani's Intro Analysis book the next year.  I felt that the Trig book was painful but the material really gelled in his brain over time and with re-exposure.  I think that you might enjoy playing with that separate Trig book if you can get your hands on it. The application problems are top notch!

 

Goodness!  We're discussing homeschooling on a homeschooling board!

 

Earlier I mentioned that I am reading an Angela Thirkell, comfort literature for me. I have read most of my Thirkell books two or three times so imagine my surprise as I began reading High Rising and determined that I have not read this book!  Early Christmas?