Book a Week in 2015 - BW4

[Alice]

It's been a slow book reading week for me. I caught up on a stack of New Yorkers though so I was reading, just not books. 

 

The only book I finished was a middle grade novel, The Meaning of Maggie by Megan Jean Sovern. Maggie is a smart, nerdy 11 year old growing up in the 1980s. Her father has MS and the book is about a year in her life when her father's illness is worsening. I really liked it. It was about her dealing with her Dad's illness but also about growing up: her relationships with her older sisters, her changing relationship with her mother, her first crush, etc. It's based on the author's own father and family which might be why it rings so very true. The only disappointment for me was that as a child of the 80s I was hoping for a lot more 80s nostalgia, and really it could have been set at any time. 

 

I finished listening to the first Amelia Peabody mystery: The Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters. I had read it before a long time ago but I like to listen to an audiobook when I go to work or do hospital rounds. I think someone had mentioned here that the narrator on these is excellent and she is, so thanks to whoever that was. 

 

I'm currently reading The Long Way Home by Louise Penny, it's the latest in a mystery series set in Quebec. I like these and enjoy her writing for the most part but there is something about them that tries a little too hard to be "literary". 

 

I'm also reading a book I think a lot of people here would enjoy, Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey.  It's short vignettes about artists, writers, scientists, philosphers, etc and how they order their days. It's really fascinating. Mostly it's in the person's own words or sometimes in the words of someone who knew the person well (a spouse or family member or biographer). So far my favorite fact has been that Freud's wife did everything for him, including put toothpaste on his toothbrush. The book comes from blog that the author had where he posted the same thing. Because each entry is short it's a great book to dip into when you just have a moment to read. 

 

With my kids I'm reading Ramona Quimby, Age 8 and The Trumpeter of Krakow. 

[Kim in Appalachia]

I finished All the Light We Can Not See.  I gave it 4 stars.  I loved the writing.  For most of the book I thought the pace was good.  It was not too slow, but it didn't feel rushed.  That changed at the end.  It was more crammed.  It felt like a fast spiral to the end.  I did like the ending, for the most part.  I did feel as if he forced a few things at the end.  I don't want to give it away, but it felt like he added a few things because he felt he had to mention them, where I think he should have stuck to the story.  

 

I will add that I started crying when there was around 80 pages left, and I felt so sad the whole rest of the way. One of the reasons I didn't like how he stuffed the ending was I felt as if I didn't have time to mourn or reflect.  Still a great book.  I really enjoyed it. A mark of a great book, I think, is that it changes how to see or view things.  Beyond the tug at the heart strings, I felt like I gained a greater understanding of how people were affected and even how it would still affect (and does) so much to this day. 

 

This weekend I started reading, AWOL on the Appalachian Trail, by David Miller.  I enjoying it a lot.  The writing is decent, and there is a good balance between just describing the trail, what it's like to do such a long hike, and his personal experience.  I want to do more hiking this year, though not that much, and this book is a nice inspiration. :)

[Lady Florida.]

I finished All the Light We Can Not See.  I gave it 4 stars.  I loved the writing.  For most of the book I thought the pace was good.  It was not too slow, but it didn't feel rushed.  That changed at the end.  It was more crammed.  It felt like a fast spiral to the end.  I did like the ending, for the most part.  I did feel as if he forced a few things at the end.  I don't want to give it away, but it felt like he added a few things because he felt he had to mention them, where I think he should have stuck to the story.  

 

I will add that I started crying when there was around 80 pages left, and I felt so sad the whole rest of the way. One of the reasons I didn't like how he stuffed the ending was I felt as if I didn't have time to mourn or reflect.  Still a great book.  I really enjoyed it. A mark of a great book, I think, is that it changes how to see or view things.  Beyond the tug at the heart strings, I felt like I gained a greater understanding of how people were affected and even how it would still affect (and does) so much to this day. 

 

 

 

Great review. I feel much the same as you do about that book. It's my book club's choice for January and since I listened to it last month, I get a break from adding yet another book to my currently reading list. I'm all ready for our meeting and discussion. 

[Maela]

Last night I finished book #4 of the year: If They Give You Lined Paper, Write Sideways by Daniel Quinn and, like almost all Quinn's other books, I want to go around handing it out to people encouraging them to read it.  I liked it more than I thought I would, and I want to reread it a few more times because I know I'll get more out of it each time.  

 

I'd rather read something light next, but I've had God Is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens from the library for a week now so I should probably get started on that one.  Not sure why I ordered it from the library; was it recommended by someone here?  I've put a lot of books on hold after reading these threads!

 

Still working on La Casa and really enjoying it.  I think I'm 20% of the way through.  

 

Finished Ramona the Brave with Ds.  Waiting on Ramona and Beezus from the library (out of order, I know).

 

Still working on Surviving the Applewhites with Dd.  Good book!

 

Together we're still reading The Marvelous Land of Oz and the second volume of Story of the World.  Also finishing up A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson.  

[Robin M]

Finished Clockwork Angel and moved on to Qui Xiaolong's Case of Two Cities. Chinese detective series set in late 80's and full of political and cultural intrigue.

 

Decided in real life zentangling isn't for me. However , in my dreams last night had a Russian and a Chinese spy creating masterful pictures which were suppose to be full of secret clues for each to decipher. Guess my subconscious is enjoying it more. ;)

[TeacherZee]

I had a wait today so I downloaded The Blue Castle on to my phone. So far so good. I do have to say one thing I like about smartphones is that I always have a book in my pocket.

[Forget-Me-Not]

I just finished "A Test of Wills" by Charles Todd, thanks to last week's thread :). I liked it okay. Not sure I will bother with its sequels though. Review below.

 

This week: not sure. I will continue to listen to My Antonia. And I suppose I should make myself finish the last 1/8 of Good Omens. Then I have Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman on my nightstand that a friend lent me.

 

Possible spoiler alert:

 

 

 

 

I didn't love this book. It started really slowly, and it took me a while to get hooked into the storyline. I still don't have a good feel for who the main character is. I had a hard time buying the whole Hamish subplot. It seemed inconsistent. One minute he's raking Rutledge over the coals. The next he's aiding him in his investigation. Sometimes he talks in dialect, sometimes he doesn't. And the final "solution" to the mystery just seemed convoluted and derivative (hello female Norman Bates). The whole thing just fell flat for me.

[SunnyDays]

I completely agree that one should read with multiple tabs open.  I've already placed an order since I started the thread!!  :blush:

 

Since I missed the first few weeks, I have just purchased History of the Ancient World and History of the Medieval World... not sure if I will pick up where you are and read along with HotMW, or just start at the beginning and meander through at my own pace.

 

Still reading The Evolution of Adam by Peter Enns.  The book is really speaking to me... I'm at a point where I'm rethinking many of the details of my beliefs and trying to reconcile it all in my head.  This text takes things that I've thought before and really fleshes them out and provides supporting evidence in many cases, so I've been reading with a highlighter in hand and making comments like "That's what I said!" and "I know, right?!?"  :lol:

 

I need to read something a bit lighter alongside it... I have an Anne Tyler novel here that I was thinking of starting, although Kathy's recommendation of The Rosie Project reminds me that I've been wanting to read that for a while as well.  Perhaps both.  ;)

 

Best wishes to all of you that are feeling under the weather, I hope the tides turn for you soon!  Thinking of any of you in the path of the upcoming storm, stay safe and warm!

 

[Kareni]

Last night I stayed up way too late re-reading Jo Goodman's Kissing Comfort.  This is a historical romance set primarily in post-Gold Rush San Francisco.  I enjoyed the book again.

 

 

"Danger, passion, and an ill-advised kidnapping are all part of this lively adventure that is a perfect read for fans of the West Coast Old West. VERDICT Deadly secrets that threaten the status quo, an enigma that is not easily resolved, and a well-matched pair of totally likable protagonists make this a romance to savor. Nicely done!" --Library Journal (starred review)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[guilfordlake]

 

 

This weekend I started reading, AWOL on the Appalachian Trail, by David Miller.  I enjoying it a lot.  The writing is decent, and there is a good balance between just describing the trail, what it's like to do such a long hike, and his personal experience.  I want to do more hiking this year, though not that much, and this book is a nice inspiration. :)

 

I haven't started it yet, but I have that book on my Kindle.  Reading Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods has me wanting to read others' experiences.

 

Speaking of A Walk in the Woods, the movie released this weekend. I didn't know there was a movie. But since I rarely watch movies I'm not surprised if I'm the last to know the book was made into a movie.  I just happened to see something in the paper about it this weekend.  Here's a review, if anyone is interested.

[guilfordlake]

 

Still reading The Evolution of Adam by Peter Enns.  The book is really speaking to me... I'm at a point where I'm rethinking many of the details of my beliefs and trying to reconcile it all in my head.  This text takes things that I've thought before and really fleshes them out and provides supporting evidence in many cases, so I've been reading with a highlighter in hand and making comments like "That's what I said!" and "I know, right?!?"  :lol:

 

 

 

I am reading The Bible Tells Me So...Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It.  It's the first of his books that I've read.  I'm only a quarter of the way through the book, so I'm not yet sure what I think. I may not know what I think even when I've finished :)

[Kim in Appalachia]

I haven't started it yet, but I have that book on my Kindle.  Reading Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods has me wanting to read others' experiences.

 

Speaking of A Walk in the Woods, the movie released this weekend. I didn't know there was a movie. But since I rarely watch movies I'm not surprised if I'm the last to know the book was made into a movie.  I just happened to see something in the paper about it this weekend.  Here's a review, if anyone is interested.

 

 

I haven't read, A Walk in the Woods, but I saw it on Amazon.  I didn't know there was a movie.  Is it out on Amazon or Netflix, or out in theaters?  That would be fun to watch.  Last year I watch one about the  El Camino called The Way.  It was very good, and it's on Netflix (at least, it was).  

[Kim in Appalachia]

Ok, just read the review (A Walk in the Woods).  I'll wait and rent it, just to see Redford and Nolte. 

[Nan in Mass]

Jane - Another wind word - HURRICANE.  The noaa weather map has New England lit up like a Christmas tree with warnings - blizzard, flood, and hurricane force winds offshore.  I hope the fishing fleet is all in safe.  Oldest says it is "wicked rough" where he is and he is having trouble standing up, but at least he is far from here.  No blizzard warnings for the Gulf of Mexico.  We are all wondering if this storm is going to be like the noname storm or the fearsome nor'easter we had when we were growing up that scooped out houses, leaving them looking fine from the street side.

 

TeacherZee - My Blue Castle? By the author of the Green Gables books?

 

Nan

 

ETA - I read Ricitos de Oro y Los Tres Osos with no dictionary.

 

 

[Robin M]

Shukriyya:  Absolutely beautiful zentangles.   My brain just can't wrap it self around them and my strings turn in to tornadoes and worms and weird squirelly lines.   Think I'll stick with regular drawing.  

 

 

Ali and everyone else who is getting sick, in the middle of sick, and just recovery - hugs and sending you lots of virtual soup. 

 

Rose - Yes, walks will do wonders.  We do a family walk every evening,  (in the freezing cold) but not as cold as you gals in the east, so I can't complain.

 

Shukriyya and Rose: Cave and the Light - I also have this one on the shelves and plan to start reading soon.  How shall I say this - I need philosophy lit light, the accessible, make it understandable for me, working my way up before digging into the deeper stuff.  It's a starting out point and will let me now if I really indeed do want to dig deeper.

 

crstarlette: I read Why Read Moby-Dick? by Nathaniel Philbrick - wonderful book. Thank you for the suggestion, Robin. In addition to talking about themes in Moby-Dick, it gives biographical information about Melville and Hawthorne.

 

 

Awesome. That's what I liked about it, was all the background info, the themes to look for. Opened my eyes to the bigger picture which helped when reading the book

 

 

 

Forget-me-not:  I've fallen in like with Sharon Kay Penman and look forward to hearing what you think about the story.  Her books are those that I read every month or two, savoring, absorbing and reading slowly.  Next up will be The Reckoning.

 

 

 

Stay safe and warm inside my BaWer's on the East coast. 

 

[shukriyya]

I'm thinking you should as a general public service.

 

Of course, every time I read the title of that book, my eyes kept reading An Illustrated Guide to Cockatiels, then I'd have to reread it when you started talking about alcoholic beverages. Unless of course being the owner of a Cockatiel leads one to drink....

As the owner of a cockatiel I'll say that while he hasn't led me to drink I could do without the shrill squawking from time to time ;)

[shukriyya]

I'm distressed to realize that of the seven books I've read this year only one of them, a non- fiction audiobook has wowed me. The Steerswoman was the best of the fiction bunch but it was good not great. Last night this point was driven home as I labored through 'Winter Rose' to the end wondering why I plugged away and if I might not be asking too much of my books. Or perhaps I'm making book choices based on the wrong criteria. I will say that 'Ahab's Wife' feels like it has the potential to be a great book. The length is daunting though why it's daunting is a good question which, when I examine it further, don't really have a good answer for.

 

Just some random thoughts from shukriyya on this sunny Monday.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Shukriyya:  Absolutely beautiful zentangles.   My brain just can't wrap it self around them and my strings turn in to tornadoes and worms and weird squirelly lines.   Think I'll stick with regular drawing.  

 

 

Ali and everyone else who is getting sick, in the middle of sick, and just recovery - hugs and sending you lots of virtual soup. 

 

Rose - Yes, walks will do wonders.  We do a family walk every evening,  (in the freezing cold) but not as cold as you gals in the east, so I can't complain.

 

Shukriyya and Rose: Cave and the Light - I also have this one on the shelves and plan to start reading soon.  How shall I say this - I need philosophy lit light, the accessible, make it understandable for me, working my way up before digging into the deeper stuff.  It's a starting out point and will let me now if I really indeed do want to dig deeper.

 

 

 

I'm with you, Robin!  And Onceuponatime who posted yesterday that she reads philosophy backwards.  That's the appeal of this book for me, too - help me navigate this forest before I get lost in it!   I kind of need a "Plato and Aristotle for Dummies" version.  I've tried to read philosophy, watch philosophy MOOCs, the whole works and usually I'm left either cold or confused.

 

But hey, I'm an Aristotlean! That explains a lot.  ;)  :D

[Nan in Mass]

Shukriyya -

 

I think the reason I don't own Winter Rose is that it is one of the only Patricia McKillips that I disliked.  Try another?  Maybe not Alphabet of Thorn, one strand of which I found weak.  Maybe one of the others, like The Sorcerer and the Cygnet, or Ombria in Shadow, or Song for the Basilisk?  The last two have some tough spots, but I don't think they are any worse than some of the other stuff you've been reading, as far as I can guess?  I find those three rich and satisfying.  I loved the ending of Basilisk.  And I loved your tangle. : )

 

Nan

[shukriyya]

I'm with you, Robin! And Onceuponatime who posted yesterday that she reads philosophy backwards. That's the appeal of this book for me, too - help me navigate this forest before I get lost in it! I kind of need a "Plato and Aristotle for Dummies" version. I've tried to read philosophy, watch philosophy MOOCs, the whole works and usually I'm left either cold or confused.

 

But hey, I'm an Aristotlean! That explains a lot. ;) :D

I find reading philosophy inspires a real sense of impatience in me because they're stating the obvious but in a very convoluted way. I'm reading along thinking yep, yep okay got it and 20 pages later the same point is still being belabored but with one or two minor semantic adjustments. Which of course never end up being that minor. And that's what bugs me, that the whole argument hinges on the particular nuance or refinement of a word or thought. I told dh that philosophers irked me, present company (his) excluded :lol:

[shukriyya]

Shukriyya -

 

I think the reason I don't own Winter Rose is that it is one of the only Patricia McKillips that I disliked. Try another? Maybe not Alphabet of Thorn, one strand of which I found weak. Maybe one of the others, like The Sorcerer and the Cygnet, or Ombria in Shadow, or Song for the Basilisk? The last two have some tough spots, but I don't think they are any worse than some of the other stuff you've been reading, as far as I can guess? I find those three rich and satisfying. I loved the ending of Basilisk. And I loved your tangle. : )

 

Nan

Thank you, Nan. I haven't given up on Patricia McKillip yet and will factor in your suggestions.

[idnib]

:seeya: 

 

I am still alive but not online much as we continue packing for our move.

 

I've reached Episode 9 of Ulysses and am still really enjoying it. Someone (not me) on goodreads mentioned their new favorite phrase after reading it this past week is "sh_te and onions" and I have to agree. Useful while packing, I have to say.

 

I am still plugging away at 1Q84 as well. I'm going to have to pick shorter books in February if I am to keep up the pace.

 

 

[aggieamy]

Friends on the east coast.  I am very worried about y'all and upcoming storm.  You could be stranded inside for a very long time.  Is everyone stocked up on good quality tea and library books?!?!  Please don't take chances.  Get enough books to last for a long time. 

[aggieamy]

I really enjoyed the first of the Inspector Rutledge series, A Test of Wills by Charles Todd, which, according to Good Reads, is actually a mother/son writing team!  Don't know how they share duties, but the writing is beautiful and evocative, and Rutledge's inner struggles felt very real without being maudlin or shallow.  Looking forward to the next in the series, though will likely pace myself as I tend to binge-read detective series.

 

 

 

 

I just finished "A Test of Wills" by Charles Todd, thanks to last week's thread  :). I liked it okay. Not sure I will bother with its sequels though. Review below.

 

 

Possible spoiler alert:

 

 

 

 

I didn't love this book. It started really slowly, and it took me a while to get hooked into the storyline. I still don't have a good feel for who the main character is. I had a hard time buying the whole Hamish subplot. It seemed inconsistent. One minute he's raking Rutledge over the coals. The next he's aiding him in his investigation. Sometimes he talks in dialect, sometimes he doesn't. And the final "solution" to the mystery just seemed convoluted and derivative (hello female Norman Bates). The whole thing just fell flat for me.

 

 

I agree with parts of both of these reviews.  I liked the writing and the time period. BUT! I felt like poor Rutledge walked around talking to people and made no progress on the mystery.  He didn't solve it ... it just kind of managed to solve itself while he was in the general area.  I plan on continuing with the series though because a lot of the time the first book is always the clunkiest and then the authors fall into a good groove.

 

 

 

I finished listening to the first Amelia Peabody mystery: The Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters. I had read it before a long time ago but I like to listen to an audiobook when I go to work or do hospital rounds. I think someone had mentioned here that the narrator on these is excellent and she is, so thanks to whoever that was. 

 

 

 

Alice to the rescue!  I was just wondering what audiobook to start next.  Thank you for the recommendation.  

 

 

After two weeks my bronchitis has turned to pneumonia. Probably more napping than reading happening here. In progress--Forgotten English by Jeffrey Kacirk, one of the books I took from Mom's house. It explains words and phrases that were popular in previous centuries that aren't used much any more. Kind of interesting but this is one I'll definitely be giving away when I'm done. For my trip to urgent care today I brought along Cary Elwes As You Wish, one of my Christmas gifts. A good choice I think for hours of waiting. I finished up Arthur Conan Doyle's stories that have Moriarty in them, so I guess I'm ready to begin Moriarty soon.

 

 

I'm sorry you've been so ill.  

 

 

I had a wait today so I downloaded The Blue Castle on to my phone. So far so good. I do have to say one thing I like about smartphones is that I always have a book in my pocket.

 

 

Ditto ditto.  I love that too.  

[idnib]

Last night I stayed up way too late re-reading Jo Goodman's Kissing Comfort.  This is a historical romance set primarily in post-Gold Rush San Francisco.  I enjoyed the book again.

 

 

"Danger, passion, and an ill-advised kidnapping are all part of this lively adventure that is a perfect read for fans of the West Coast Old West. VERDICT Deadly secrets that threaten the status quo, an enigma that is not easily resolved, and a well-matched pair of totally likable protagonists make this a romance to savor. Nicely done!" --Library Journal (starred review)

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Hmm. I might have to read this. After reading Hard Road West to understand how they got there, perhaps I should follow up with an account of what happened next.

[Onceuponatime]

I finished both Moriarty and The Age of Reason today. I will refrain from discussing Moriarty because I see a couple of you may be reading it. Thomas Paine has been enlightening ( smiley face) but I need a break from him.

 

Next is Book, Line, and Sinker: A Library Lovers Mystery.

[MaeFlowers]

<snip>

 

How is the Egypt book?  I've been tempted to try it, but haven't been sure.

 

..and where are you up to in the Iliad?  ...it has been much too long since I've rearead it, but I have always loved it (though, for me, it is Hector's story that shines out... )

 

And don't feel you have to have finished something to come chat! 

 

I hope you feel better soon - illnesses that make even reading unpleasant are the worst!

 

:grouphug:

 

 

<snip>

 

Honestly, Egypt has never held much fascination for me. Although I do plan on reading some more specific biographies, I was looking for a single volume history of Egypt. This has definitely fit the bill. The book has been a little dry, though not too bad, and I appreciate that he doesn't sugar coat Egyptian history. He seems to take issue with other Egyptologists who ignore the realities of Egyptian life and kingship. Although I am only up to the reunification of Egypt in the beginning of the New Kingdom, I feel like I have a better understanding of the how and why of Egyptian history. Other texts seem to only hit the high points and this book thoroughly covers the in between. It has also been interesting to read Herodotus' volume on ancient Egypt along side it.

 

As for the Iliad...I am not loving it. I kind of embarassed to admit it, but I keep getting lost. I lose track of the characters and remembering who is on which side. I am wondering if the Great Courses class would help me. I don't want to give up but I might need to start over.

[beckster]

I just finished "A Test of Wills" by Charles Todd, thanks to last week's thread :). I liked it okay. Not sure I will bother with its sequels though. Review below.

 

This week: not sure. I will continue to listen to My Antonia. And I suppose I should make myself finish the last 1/8 of Good Omens. Then I have Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman on my nightstand that a friend lent me.

 

 

 

I enjoy her books!  The King's Ransom is out in paperback in a couple weeks!!

[MaeFlowers]

I finished All the Light We Can Not See.  I gave it 4 stars.  I loved the writing.  For most of the book I thought the pace was good.  It was not too slow, but it didn't feel rushed.  That changed at the end.  It was more crammed.  It felt like a fast spiral to the end.  I did like the ending, for the most part.  I did feel as if he forced a few things at the end.  I don't want to give it away, but it felt like he added a few things because he felt he had to mention them, where I think he should have stuck to the story.  

 

I will add that I started crying when there was around 80 pages left, and I felt so sad the whole rest of the way. One of the reasons I didn't like how he stuffed the ending was I felt as if I didn't have time to mourn or reflect.  Still a great book.  I really enjoyed it. A mark of a great book, I think, is that it changes how to see or view things.  Beyond the tug at the heart strings, I felt like I gained a greater understanding of how people were affected and even how it would still affect (and does) so much to this day. 

 

This weekend I started reading, AWOL on the Appalachian Trail, by David Miller.  I enjoying it a lot.  The writing is decent, and there is a good balance between just describing the trail, what it's like to do such a long hike, and his personal experience.  I want to do more hiking this year, though not that much, and this book is a nice inspiration. :)

 

I read All the Light in my first week. I agreed with your review but I didn't find the ending crammed (although I can see why you would). I think he was just done telling the story he wanted to tell and needed to wrap it up. I wish some of the things in the ending could have been different but I don't want to say more and give anything away. However, the ending I would have wanted probably wasn't realistic. I thought about the book for days. There is so much sadness in the story but so much love, as well. I thought about how amazing people are in their ability to endure. I wondered how people let the atrocities that happened, happen. I wished I could talk to my grandfather about his experiences in the war but realized he probably would rather forget.  And I realized that most of those who lived then are gone, or will be soon, and how we need to remember them for so many reasons. Sad.

 

[mumto2]

I found a book that is sort of perfect for any of us who ever spent several weeks on enforced bedrest while pregnant (both kids). I wouldn't recommend it while on bedrest because the bits of activity the character had would make it harder for me. It was a bit of vicarious what would I have done, honestly I quickly realised that I spent my pregnancies so worried about the babies that I probably would have ignored the mystery. :lol: In The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/laura-lippman/girl-green-raincoat/the main character finds a very Rear Window (the Hitchcock movie) type mystery while looking out her window. It is part of a series but stood alone just fine. I don't think I have read anything else in the series but maybe someday........

 

Everyone in the path of the storm stay safe and warm. Please check in when you can so we know you are fine. :grouphug:

[Kareni]

5. The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen

 

Kareni, you must read the first two books in the Ivy Years series! Those two were in my top 10 of 2014-----and I have a very difficult time with NA books, having two NAs of my own :lol:

 

I just finished Sarina Bowen's The Year We Fell Down, and I enjoyed it very much.  I'm now waiting for the library to fill in its collection by purchasing the second book in the series. Having started with book three in the series and the author's novella (Blonde Date: An Ivy Years Novella which is free to Kindle readers), I can say that the books stand alone well.

 

All of these books have adult content.  The Year We Fell Down description follows:

 

 

"The sport she loves is out of reach. The boy she loves has someone else. What now?

 

She expected to start Harkness College as a varsity ice hockey player. But a serious accident means that Corey Callahan will start school in a wheelchair instead. 

 

Across the hall, in the other handicapped-accessible dorm room, lives the too-delicious-to-be real Adam Hartley, another would-be hockey star with his leg broken in two places. He's way out of Corey's league. 

 

Also, he's taken. 

 

Nevertheless, an unlikely alliance blooms between Corey and Hartley in the "gimp ghetto" of McHerrin Hall. Over tequila, perilously balanced dining hall trays, and video games, the two cope with disappointments that nobody else understands. 

 

They're just friends, of course, until one night when things fall apart. Or fall together. All Corey knows is that she's falling. Hard. 

 

But will Hartley set aside his trophy girl to love someone as broken as Corey? If he won't, she will need to find the courage to make a life for herself at Harkness -- one which does not revolve around the sport she can no longer play, or the brown-eyed boy who's afraid to love her back."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

Not too long ago, I asked my BaW pals for some suggestions for my dad re: cozy mysteries. His birthday is right around the corner, so today I went to the little local used bookstore, armed with my list of suggestions from all of you & managed to find him a nice selection of books/authors for him to try. Hopefully he'll find some new ones to enjoy from his big box 'o books!

 

2 Rex Stout

2 Janwillem van de Wetering

1 Dorothy Sayers

2 John Creasey (rec from the bookstore lady)

2 Morag Joss

2 Peter Robinson

1 Jacqueline Winspear

 

Many thanks to all of you! :grouphug:

 

And, while I was there, I went ahead & ordered myself a copy of Why Read Moby-Dick (per Robin's & crstarlette's recommendation) since I'm hoping to tackle the whale of a tale this year. I also picked up one book that pulled me in from the cover art & title: Ada Blackjack: A True Story of Survival in the Arctic. Of course, I have no idea when or how I'll get to it (because of my already teetering piles), but I bought it anyway. :D

 

[Nan in Mass]

Friends on the east coast.  I am very worried about y'all and upcoming storm.  You could be stranded inside for a very long time.  Is everyone stocked up on good quality tea and library books?!?!  Please don't take chances.  Get enough books to last for a long time. 

 

LOL - I bought a big box of tea when I was shopping for the storm, lots of milk to go in it, and today, as part of my storm preparations, while there was still time to get to the library, I checked my to-read box to make sure it contained books that I currently feel like reading.  All set there.  I just made a thermous of tea, in case in the morning there is no power, and brought in a cooler to put the milk in, so we don't have to keep opening the fridge.  We brought in lots of wood and lined it up in the entryway, since in the past, in front of the wood pile has turned into a large snowdrift when it was windy.  We heat with wood, which means we'll be warm, but it always scares me to have a mini blast furnace in my livingroom when it is super windy.  It howls across the lake and hits the house, shaking it.  We probably won't sleep much tonight.  The wind is picking up now and there isn't much snow yet.  We let the neighbor with the baby know we have heat even when the power goes out, and we planted middle son at my mother's to relight her gas stove when it blows out (which it tends to do in in any kind of northerly) and watch the windows and dock.  And shovel.  We sent the camp stove with him.  We should be all set.  It is supposed to be a short storm, so other than the wind, we're not too worried.  We got an email from youngest's university which said they weren't having classes, closed the library, and were shortening common's hours.  We noticed that the gym is being open tomorrow, despite the state of emergency, from early morning until sometime in the evening.  Probably wise of them.  It may save some wear and tear on the dorms. : )

 

Nan

[Nan in Mass]

 

 

 

This week I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.  Here is my full review and here is a follow-up post about the first steps I'm taking to implement her method.

  

 

I read your review.  I keep wondering what sort of life the author leads?  Last time I winnowed my clothes, I winnowed them down to just ones I loved, thinking it was stupid to waste space on things I didn't.  Then I had to go paint the bottom of our boat.  Oops.  I had to borrow work clothes from my son.  I NEED clothes I don't care about.  And dishes I don't care about.  And books I don't care about.  I have to be able to send the last two off with my kids.  The author's life must be much calmer than mine. : )

 

Nan

[MicheleinMN]

We've all been sick with one thing or another for ALL of January.  I don't think I finished anything last week.  I have a bunch of books going right now, but can't seem to settle on any of them.  I'm still listening to Paul Johnson's A History of the American People, and several other books from Audible.com.  I started First Grave on the Right yesterday.  (I really needed mind-candy to help me get to sleep!) The narrator is the same woman who reads the Janet Evanovich - Stephanie Plum novels, and I really enjoy her readings. I also started Emma.  I don't know if having watched Clueless a billion times is helping or hurting my reading of this one. I got the audio book, Kindle book, and even found the old paperback copy I had in a box upstairs, so hopefully, I will make it through it one way or another.

 

And I think I want bonus points when I make it through the Paul Johnson book, as it is over 47 hours long!  :scared: 

[Nan in Mass]

We still have power! Yeah! It is fluffy snow so it hasn't,t brought down trees, at least by us.

Pretty wild offshore. The bouy off Boston has 22ft seas every 11seconds (that is a vertical measurement, for any of you who are land lubbers) and 47 knot (it would be a bit more in mph) winds with gusts in the 50s. Yikes! Add freezing spray and low visibility and you have pretty wild situation.

We,re fine here except that the wind is pretty much blowing through the walls of our old house. This is why we heat with wood. At least it is warm by the fire. The faucet ran slush when we went to fill the kettle this morning, but it ran.

The window at the head of our bed developed a moo last night.

 

Anyone south of Boston? Are you ok? It is wilder there...

 

Nan

[Chrysalis Academy]

Nan, glad you are ok this morning, and hoping everyone else has made it through the night without incident.

[Jane in NC]

We still have power! Yeah! It is fluffy snow so it hasn't,t brought down trees, at least by us.

Pretty wild offshore. The bouy off Boston has 22ft seas every 11seconds (that is a vertical measurement, for any of you who are land lubbers) and 47 knot (it would be a bit more in mph) winds with gusts in the 50s. Yikes! Add freezing spray and low visibility and you have pretty wild situation.

We,re fine here except that the wind is pretty much blowing through the walls of our old house. This is why we heat with wood. At least it is warm by the fire. The faucet ran slush when we went to fill the kettle this morning, but it ran.

The window at the head of our bed developed a moo last night.

 

Anyone south of Boston? Are you ok? It is wilder there...

 

Nan

 

Nan, I understand 22 ft seas and 47 knot winds (yowsers!) but not a window developing a "moo".  What am I missing?

 

Jane

 

[shukriyya]

Nan, I thought of you as I was reading the news this morning. Glad to hear you're ok. I'm with Jane, what's a 'moo' in relation to a window?

 

I'm thinking about Pam and hoping she's ok. Do we have other Northeasters in our little tribe?

[Nan in Mass]

Nan, I understand 22 ft seas and 47 knot winds (yowsers!) but not a window developing a "moo".  What am I missing?

 

Jane

 

 

Jane - Is someone checking on your Cape house?  And are you getting any of this storm?  About the moo - did your son have one of those cilendars? cylendars? that moo'd when you turned it other way up?  Well, the window at the head of our bed (so about a foot from my head) began intermittantly mooing just like that when the wind picked up.  This is a new development.  LOL -Nan

[Uff Da!]

Just dropping in quick with an update.  I'm still rereading "Out of Africa", am breezing through "The Business of Heaven" much faster than its meant to be read and am doing Kelly Minter's "What Love Is" with a group.  Shukriyya-  I thought of you this morning as I've been rewriting the psalms in my own words for months.  Is the Psalm 23 the one you rewrote?  I came to it today and just ended up copying it word for word.  It is perfect as is (for me at least).

 

My best to all of you.

[Nan in Mass]

I'm worried about Pam, too. South of Boston is much worse than here, on land, anyway. Nantucket is getting nailed. I hope she speaks up.

 

-Nan, off to look at the weather map to check on the Cape, NC, and CT

[shukriyya]

Just dropping in quick with an update. I'm still rereading "Out of Africa", am breezing through "The Business of Heaven" much faster than its meant to be read and am doing Kelly Minter's "What Love Is" with a group. Shukriyya- I thought of you this morning as I've been rewriting the psalms in my own words for months. Is the Psalm 23 the one you rewrote? I came to it today and just ended up copying it word for word. It is perfect as is (for me at least).

 

My best to all of you.

Yes, the 23rd is the one I rewrote. It was an interesting way to approach it on a more intimate level because it's a psalm that one tends not to really 'hear' because it's so familiar.

[Jane in NC]

Jane - Is someone checking on your Cape house?  And are you getting any of this storm?  About the moo - did your son have one of those cilendars? cylendars? that moo'd when you turned it other way up?  Well, the window at the head of our bed (so about a foot from my head) began intermittantly mooing just like that when the wind picked up.  This is a new development.  LOL -Nan

 

That is a hoot!  I guess it is a moo, but nonetheless, how strange!

 

We wisely had one of the dead branches hanging over the roof of the Cape house cut last fall.  There is family on the Cape year round who keep an eye. I suspect they'll be out on cross country skies once the winds stop gusting. 

 

[Nan in Mass]

That is a hoot!  I guess it is a moo, but nonetheless, how strange!

 

We wisely had one of the dead branches hanging over the roof of the Cape house cut last fall.  There is family on the Cape year round who keep an eye. I suspect they'll be out on cross country skies once the winds stop gusting. 

 

 

Ha Ha about the hoot

 

They'd need ski goggles this morning.

[Nan in Mass]

... it's a psalm that one tends not to really 'hear' because it's so familiar.

 

... until one spends the night awake and scared for one's life...

[Lady Florida.]

I finished The Rosie Project. That was a fun read. Did anyone else "hear" Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory whenever Don was speaking? :D

[SophiaH]

Hope everyone on the east coast is staying safe and warm. Here in the south central plains we're to have an unusual 75 degree day!

 

Last week late I finally finished book 3--Everywhere Present: Christianity in a One-Story Universe by Stephen Freeman. I've read it slowly over the past few months, even though it was less only 100 pages. The concept of seeing the universe as Two-Stories, with heaven and God and angels "up there" is so pervasive in American religion and culture. This book made me rethink what Christians say we believe--God is with us here and now; there is One Church, not a Church of those already passed on and one of believers left here on Earth; and for those of the sacramental persuasion, God is present here in the Eucharist. A quick read, simple but not easy. For anyone who's interested, It's really a written form of Fr. Freeman's series of podcasts on Ancient Faith Radio: http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/series/christianity_and_the_one_storey_universe

 

I was late finishing up Everywhere Present, so I read James Patterson's next book in the Women's Murder Club series: The 9th Judgement. Somehow the quick, fluff reads always allow me to settle down and read some harder reads, where I found my mind wandering before.

 

So, I'm a little over halfway through Murakami's After the Quake. I'm finding the stories well-written and hard to put down, but also a little like reading e.e. cummings poetry. You know they're trying to say SOMETHING, and you feel like you can almost touch what that something is, but it's just out of grasp. And I'm not really sure I'd like what that something was anyway...but I'm finding the cultural nuances in language and interactions between people interesting. I'm wondering if something is lost in translation, or if the Japanese culture and relationships are like that, or if it's by the design of the author--not the stories themselves but just the basic everyday interactions and conversations between characters.

 

I'm also partway through the 2nd chapter of HOtMW, which I started on Audible, got completely lost in the second chapter with the unfamiliarity with Chinese names (I have to SEE it to remember and keep up), and have resorted to the hard copy so my visual mind can be at peace again. :P

 

Read:

1. The Giver--Lois Lowry

2. The 39 Steps--John Buchan

3. Everywhere Present--Stephen Freeman

4. The 9th Judgement--James Patterson

 

Currently Reading:

After the Quake--Haruki Murakami

History of the Medieval World

The Brothers Karamazov

 

Next up:

The Bat--Jo Nesbo

Jane Eyre

not sure what Austen I'll reread...everytime I watch one of the movies, I decide that I want to reread that book. I've most recently watched (for the first time) the Emma series with Johnny Lee Miller, but I'm not sure that I want to reread Emma.

 

An aside: Are we supposed to have read 4 by this past Sunday, or be reading our 4th this week? The perfectionist inside of me wants to know. ;)

[Onceuponatime]

We got a measely inch of snow here, but in this area everything stops.  My boys are outside having a blast while it lasts. I'm perfectly happy to be living here. Hope all of you northeasters stay safe and warm.

[Violet Crown]

Warm thoughts to our Yankee friends caught in this storm! It was actually a little guilt-inducing yesterday to go out in the first warm, mild day we've had in a long time.

 

Great Girl sent me the link below, which I forward for your reading pleasure and challenge: W. H. Auden's syllabus for one of his college courses. They sure don't make undergraduates the way they used to.

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/pageviews/w-h-auden-syllabus-college-courses-piece-cake-blog-entry-1.1639980