Book a Week 2015 - W18: Machiavellian May

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday dear hearts:  We are on week 18 in our quest to read 52 books.  Welcome back to our regulars, anyone just joining in, and to all who follow our progress. Mr. Linky is all set up on the 52 books blog to link to your reviews. The link is also in my signature

 

52 Books blog - Machiavellian May:  Welcome to Machiavellian May and our theme of all things cunning, conniving and calculating and our author flavors of the month - Dante Alighieri and Marcel Proust.

Yes, I know it seems like an odd mix however we are honoring Niccolo Machiavelli who was born 546 years ago today; celebrating the 750 anniversary of Dante's birthday on May 21st; plus Marcel Proust is included  because I'm doing a readalong of Swann's Way with writing friends so dragging you all along for the ride. *grin*  

Let's define Machiavellian: 
 

• of, like, or befitting Machiavelli. 

• being or acting in accordance with the principles of government analyzed in Machiavelli's The Prince, in which political expediency is placed above morality and the use of craft and deceit to maintain the authority and carry out the policies of a ruler is described.

• characterized by subtle or unscrupulous cunning, deception, expediency, or dishonesty

According to the 48 Laws of Power and the Machiavellian personality on Psych Forums:

 

 

Machiavellianism derives from the views of Prince Machiavelli that a ruler is not bound by traditional ethical norms. A prince, therefore, should only be concerned with power and be bound only by rules that would lead to success.

 

 

Which basically leaves the door wide open to how you interpret it and what you choose to read: Historical or political thrillers, Shakespearean morality plays, or mysteries to name a few. 

I read Dante's Inferno last year and will be delving into Purgatorio this month. Several gals didn't read Inferno last year will be jumping into the first book, so join in on reading Dante. 

Marcel Proust has become a curiosity for me and after taking a short story class about him, will be also diving into Swann's Way, the first volume in his epic In Search of Lost Time.  If you are thinking I may have the 'eyes are bigger than her stomach' syndrome, you may be right. 

 

 

**************************************************************************

 

History of the Midieval World:  Part Three -  New Powers

Chapter 21: The Ostrogoths pp 143 - 149

 

***************************************************************************

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

 

Link to week 17

 

Edited May 3, 2015 by Robin M

[Robin M]

Reading Twice Tempted: A Night Prince Novel by Jeannine Frost.  Will be diving into Swann's Way first before delving into Purgatorio later in the month.

 

Still reading and working through a slew of writing craft books and since learning all about subtext, (what lies beneath, the implicit, the implied, the unsaid)  which is perfect for machiavellian month, so making a list of interesting fiction to explore.

 

 

 

 

 

[Jane in NC]

 It was a physically and emotionally exhausting week for me.  It began with the loss of a dear friend.  He was elderly so on the one hand one should not be surprised, but this is a deep loss for both my son and me.  Our friend would not want us to grieve though, but grieve I will.

 

My volunteer work keeps me busy and it seemed that everything was scheduled to happen last week.  When at home, I did some reading but I'll admit that I took great comfort in knitting. For one thing, it is a quiet activity. The volunteer tasks of the week included spending time with elementary school children--not so quiet--as well as spending over two hours in a kayak picking up trash in the marsh.  A diverse week.

 

And my reading was also diverse.

 

I finished reading the Selected Poems of Corsino Fortes.  While I have a definite feel for the Cape Verdean land and seascape, I believe that I lack the historical/cultural knowledge to understand these poems. Yet that does not deter from their beauty.

 

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is the fun tonic that Shukriyya has recommended for a pick me up. She was right!

 

The audio book, The Wee Free Men, is as fun and funny as everyone reports.

 

I am still reading White Masks by Lebanese author Elias Khoury.  Reading of the effects of war is hard.

 

So how about aging?  Roz Chast's memoir Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant? has been highly recommended.  So far I am finding it to be both poignant and amusing, just what one expects from a New Yorker cartoonist.

 

Stacia, Guantanamo Diary sits on my table where I stare at it. My plan is to read Polish author Wieslaw Mysliwski's A Treatise on Shelling Beans first and if I have the fortitude I shall crack Guantanamo open.

 

Golden Legend:  bookmarked at chapter/vignette 50 of 182.

 

HoMW bookmarked at chapter 31.

 

 

[Just Robyn]

I managed to read Henry IV, Part 2, and I have several books ready, or close to it. Dante is sitting here beside me, and I recently got the 2015 Rhysllng Anthology (SF/F poetry) in the mail. The first two volumes of iZombie are sitting on my holds shelf at the library - just have to go pick them up.

[SKL]

Just popping in to say I finally finished Portrait of a Lady, and I'm now starting the Age of Innocence.

 

Maybe I'm just too old and dried out, but I didn't like Portrait of a Lady (it did start to get interesting 2/3 of the way through, but then the ending was a dud).  Age of Innocence is written in the same general time frame, so I hope it is not a disappointment too.  I only finished Chapter 1 because I've been pretty busy.

[Butter]

I finished reading Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters by Shannon Hale this morning.  LOVED it!  Next up: The 100 by Kass Morgan (the TV show - which I have never seen but some of my family likes - is based on it).  That'll be followed by the other two in the trilogy.

 

I'm 46% of the way through Les Mis.

[Loesje22000]

I've been brave:

I ordered a Dutch translation of Dante at an online secondhands bookshop.

I'm Very intimidated to start...

 

Further I think I need to look up some words...

Too many unknown words in the opening post :)

 

While waiting on delivering I just read something easy: Eva's daughters by Lynn Austin

[Chrysalis Academy]

:grouphug:  Jane.  I'm struggling with my aging parents and their substance abuse, and dementia. It's kind of a constant undercurrent, but it periodically rears its ugly head in a more immediate way. It has done each of the past two Saturdays. Nothing I can do, really, but it is very stressful. I've had my eye on the Chast memoir, I think I put it on hold but it won't come in for awhile.

 

In reading news, I have a whole stack of Dante translations and books about Dante, so I'll start tackling that here shortly. I didn't realize it was Machiavellian May! I've been wanting to read The Prince as well so maybe I will try and do that too.  Still working on The End of College, The Amazons, How Not to Be Wrong, and Persuasion from last week.  May I shamefacedly admit that I started Game of Thrones last night for a sheer mind candy read? I've never watched the series. I don't know if I'll like it. It's pretty interesting so far, but I've been warned that all the good characters get killed . . .   I just needed something that required nothing of me but my eyes moving across the page.

 

Books completed in April:

68. The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman

67. The High King - Lloyd Alexander

66. Romeo & Juliet - William Shakespeare

65. The Phantom of Manhattan - Fredrick Forsyth

64. The First Men in the Moon - HG Wells

63. The Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux

62. The Meaning of Human Existence - EO Wilson

61. Goddess of Yesterday - Carolyn Cooney

60. The Angel of the Opera - Sam Siciliano

59. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

58. Rue du Retour - Abdellatif Laabi

57. The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Adventures in Narnia - Laura Miller

56. That Hideous Strength - C. S. Lewis

55. I, Tituba: Black witch of Salem - Maryse Conde

54. The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym - Edgar Allen Poe

53. Perelandra - C. S. Lewis

52. Restoration Agriculture - Mark Sheppard

51. Out of the Silent Planet - C. S. Lewis

50. Carmilla - Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

[idnib]

I finished The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe and started Prince Caspian. I'm quite enjoying these and they are refreshing breaks from more difficult reading.

 

I also finished The Ocean at the End of the Lane and I loved it. Really loved it.

 

I'm on Canto V of Inferno. I can see I'm going to end up reading each twice, once before reading the goodreads discussion for each canto and once after. I can also see I'm going to have to follow up The Divine Comedy with the Aeneid.

 

I'm almost done with Book 1 of The Pilgrim's Progress, which is about 3/5 of the book.

 

My whole life seems to revolve around Christian allegories right now.  :)

 

 

[Ali in OR]

Finished Out of the Silent Planet and Sarah Addison Allen's First Frost

 

I love C.S. Lewis, and that makes reading the space trilogy easier. If you're a SF fan but not a Lewis fan, it's not for you. But I'm very interested in Lewis' Christian perspective and always gain something by reading him. Out of the Silent Planet gives me a different perspective of the Fall, of the enormity of humanity's loss stemming from that.

 

First Frost was fine. It's a sequel to Garden Spells--same characters 10 years later. I don't think I cared that much about the characters to know what happened next, but I like Allen for a relaxing read.

 

I returned more books unread to the library but still have too much on my plate for May. On the pile:

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishigura. A 14-day book from the library.

Ready Player One

     (I had holds on these suspended but they got through before I could change the date!)

Ricochet River by Robin Cody, a PNW author

     (My high schooler is reading this for her lit class. She finished in 2 days. I take longer, but like to know what she's reading!)

Unbroken--our May book club read. Better get going on it.

 

I have my Dante out--not sure I'll get to it. I looked through my Western Civ books to see if I still had The Prince (which I remember being a lot thinner!), but I don't seem to have it. But I think I have enough to keep me busy anyway. And as Jane finds herself knitting, I am actually finding myself doing some scrapbooking this weekend instead of reading. No sports commitments for awhile and I'm 4 years behind on the kids' scrapbooks. So we'll see what I get to this week--Ricochet River is my treadmill read, so I'll at least make progress there.

[Robin M]

 It was a physically and emotionally exhausting week for me.  It began with the loss of a dear friend.  He was elderly so on the one hand one should not be surprised, but this is a deep loss for both my son and me.  Our friend would not want us to grieve though, but grieve I will.

 

My volunteer work keeps me busy and it seemed that everything was scheduled to happen last week.  When at home, I did some reading but I'll admit that I took great comfort in knitting. For one thing, it is a quiet activity. The volunteer tasks of the week included spending time with elementary school children--not so quiet--as well as spending over two hours in a kayak picking up trash in the marsh.  A diverse week.

 

 

:grouphug:  I'm so sorry to hear about your friend.  Doesn't matter how old the person is or even if its expected, the  loss creates a hole in our heart.  Rest up from your draining week and take some time for yourself. 

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

Finished Out of the Silent Planet and Sarah Addison Allen's First Frost

 

I love C.S. Lewis, and that makes reading the space trilogy easier. If you're a SF fan but not a Lewis fan, it's not for you. But I'm very interested in Lewis' Christian perspective and always gain something by reading him. Out of the Silent Planet gives me a different perspective of the Fall, of the enormity of humanity's loss stemming from that.

 

 

 

Bingo. I think you may have put your finger on it!

 

I really enjoyed Ready Player One and it was a quick read.  Fun!

[Robin M]

I managed to read Henry IV, Part 2, and I have several books ready, or close to it. Dante is sitting here beside me, and I recently got the 2015 Rhysllng Anthology (SF/F poetry) in the mail. The first two volumes of iZombie are sitting on my holds shelf at the library - just have to go pick them up.

The Rhylsing Anthology looks interesting. Thanks for linking.

 

Just popping in to say I finally finished Portrait of a Lady, and I'm now starting the Age of Innocence.

 

Maybe I'm just too old and dried out, but I didn't like Portrait of a Lady (it did start to get interesting 2/3 of the way through, but then the ending was a dud).  Age of Innocence is written in the same general time frame, so I hope it is not a disappointment too.  I only finished Chapter 1 because I've been pretty busy.

I felt the same way about Portrait of a Lady.  However it's a good example of scheming and I hate it when a book ends without a conclusion.  Feels like a waste of time.  What was that all about? type of thing. 

 

I've been brave:

I ordered a Dutch translation of Dante at an online secondhands bookshop.

I'm Very intimidated to start...

 

Further I think I need to look up some words...

Too many unknown words in the opening post :)

 

While waiting on delivering I just read something easy: Eva's daughters by Lynn Austin

Yeah for bravery! Glad you are joining in. Don't be too intimidated. But keep a pencil handy for all the rabbit trails you'll want to follow from names mentioned.

 

:grouphug:  Jane.  I'm struggling with my aging parents and their substance abuse, and dementia. It's kind of a constant undercurrent, but it periodically rears its ugly head in a more immediate way. It has done each of the past two Saturdays. Nothing I can do, really, but it is very stressful. I've had my eye on the Chast memoir, I think I put it on hold but it won't come in for awhile.

 

In reading news, I have a whole stack of Dante translations and books about Dante, so I'll start tackling that here shortly. I didn't realize it was Machiavellian May! I've been wanting to read The Prince as well so maybe I will try and do that too.  Still working on The End of College, The Amazons, How Not to Be Wrong, and Persuasion from last week.  May I shamefacedly admit that I started Game of Thrones last night for a sheer mind candy read? I've never watched the series. I don't know if I'll like it. It's pretty interesting so far, but I've been warned that all the good characters get killed . . .   I just needed something that required nothing of me but my eyes moving across the page.

:grouphug:   Make sure to take care of yourself as well.

 

I'm laughing because I don't remember Game of Thrones being mind candy.  It did require some attention, at least for me. 

 

I finished The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe and started Prince Caspian. I'm quite enjoying these and they are refreshing breaks from more difficult reading.

 

I also finished The Ocean at the End of the Lane and I loved it. Really loved it.

 

I'm on Canto V of Inferno. I can see I'm going to end up reading each twice, once before reading the goodreads discussion for each canto and once after. I can also see I'm going to have to follow up The Divine Comedy with the Aeneid.

 

I'm almost done with Book 1 of The Pilgrim's Progress, which is about 3/5 of the book.

 

My whole life seems to revolve around Christian allegories right now.  :)

I ended up reading most of Inferno twice at the time because I kept stopping to look people and other things up, making notes for rabbit trails.

[*Inna*]

Jane, I'm so sorry for your loss. :grouphug:

 

 

-Hubby and I watched the last Hobbit movie and I kept wondering what was actually in the book and what wasn't, so I reread The Hobbit. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it this time around. Now, onto The Lord of the Rings! :gnorsi:

-A Year of Biblical Womanhood was mildly entertaining.

 

- I Am in Here: the Journey of a Child with Autism Who Cannot Speak but Finds Her Voice  was not what I thought it would be. More from her mom's perspective and a sprinkle of her poems (I loved those). I found the mom to be irritating and not very encouraging - there's a lot of talk of expensive treatments, flying overseas, having a team of top doctors and a lot of talk about her venture capitalist business/investing. I felt it would be very discouraging for people with less income to read all this.

 

-Agatha Christie - an Autobiography was delightful, but very hefty book. I really enjoyed her childhood memories. :001_smile:

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

Just popping in to say I finally finished Portrait of a Lady, and I'm now starting the Age of Innocence.

 

Maybe I'm just too old and dried out, but I didn't like Portrait of a Lady (it did start to get interesting 2/3 of the way through, but then the ending was a dud).  Age of Innocence is written in the same general time frame, so I hope it is not a disappointment too.  I only finished Chapter 1 because I've been pretty busy.

 

I didn't like Portrait of a Lady either, but The Age of Innocence is one of my favorite books ever.  House of Mirth seems to be the more popular Wharton, but I think AoI is much better. Heartbreaking, sad, beautiful.  In a different class from PoaL, IMHO.  LOL!!

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

 

I'm laughing because I don't remember Game of Thrones being mind candy.  It did require some attention, at least for me. 

 

 

 

I do know what you mean! I just mean that, unlike most of my reads, I don't care deeply about this book, I don't really know much about it, I just got sucked in because of all the hype about the HBO series and thought it might be an engaging story.  So I won't be too fussed if I miss something or don't glean profound insights from it. So it's not the book that makes it mind candy, but my approach to reading it.

 

I did one of those goofy Facebook quizzes, "What Game of Thrones character would you be."  And I got Bran.  And then I start reading, and find that, right at the beginning, he gets pushed out of a window.  I don't know if this bodes well for my enjoyment of the series!  :lol:

[Guest]

I've been going through dusty Kindle books lately (and library ebooks which don't fall under my self-imposed library ban).  A number of these have been recommended here - thank you everyone for the intruiguing suggestions!

 

An Antarctic Mystery by Verne (thank you, Stacia!) a sequel to Poe's Pym.  It took me a bit to engage with the book, but it was fascinating to see what Verne did with Poe's loose ends.  I think Poe's book is the better one, more evocative, and definitely more gripping, but I found the intensity of the devotion of one character in the Verne very touching, not what I would have expected of him from Pym.

 

The History of My Polly by HG Wells: Inspired by Rose's reading of The First Man in the Moon (title?).  I've only ever read sci-fi by Wells, but he has a slew of general fiction I've heard about but never tried.  This was poignant without being depressing and had some darker humor without being unkind or icky.  I liked the lack of nihilsm, that there is a ray of positivity through it.  I've started another general fiction title by Wells that is promising to be equally entertaining....

 

Beside the Sea by Veronique Olmi: Another novella from Peirene Press (which was recommened here at one point, but I can't remember by whome).  This is an intensely painful book to read.  I guess I could shelve it (mentally, it was a library ebook) with my Medea readings...

 

Into the War by Italo Calvino: I don't think this is typical Calvino, but it was a brief glimpse into a teen boy's view of Italy at the start of WWII. 

 

When the Emperor was Divine (thank you Pam!) a J/YA story of Japanese internment during WWII.  Until the very end I loved this spare, evocative narrative, but the ending didn't work for me.  It almost worked, and it wasn't enough of a misfit to ruin the rest of the book for me (and I intend to share this with my kids), but it didn't fulfill the promise I'd felt was building.

 

39 Steps by John Buchan (Thank you, Violet!)  This was a fast paced, entertaining read.  I don't read many thrillers, and this is an early one, and a relatively simple one, but I appreciated the blend of thrill and almost self-mocking humor.

 

Does Santa Exist (Thank you, Pam!); I loved the first chapter, which played with logic and philosphy in an amusing and satisfying way, didn't love the mysticism , and hated the comedy chapter... less because the approach to humor didn't map at all to my own than because it felt like a staged set-up.  Veering from there to a interesting take on Lurianic Kabbalah (kabbalah is often called Jewish mysticism) was unexpected, and didn't fit, for me with what came before, but was a more serious discussion of what Kaplan believes and why.  I enjoyed reading this very much, but I think I wanted it to be something it wasn't.

 

Unspeakable by Meghan Daum: (I'm fairly certain this is thanks to someone here, but I'm not sure whome to thank)  I liked some of these essays more than others, but, overall, found Daum an engaging, if not deeply memorable, essayist/memoirist.

 

Caesar and Cleopatra by Shaw: I haven't reread this in at least 20 years and had remembered almost nothing about it.  It had many of the things I love in Shaw... but I struggled with having Caesar be/represent/express all that he did - despite Shaw's reasons for doing it - and Cleopatra was hard for me.  I don't generally do well with women portrayed as childish.  Shaw did some interesting things with her development (which I appreciated), but it was uncomfortable.

 

Duchess of Malfi by Webster: part of my Shakespeare's contemporaries challenge.  I think my favorite part about this (rather bloody) play was the nuance in two of the less heroic characters.  After reading a few other grim plays from this period (Ford's Tis a Pity comes to mind), it was even more appreciated.  ..as was the reasonably positive portrayal of the Duchess and her secret remarriage

 

Salvage by Tom Stoppard: Third in his coast of Utopia trilogy.  This was also a sprawling, seemingly random assortment of characters and incidents... I found it haunting, but don't know if it would read that way without a mental framework for the period and where things are headed.

 

Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH: reading this led me to a tangent I want to talk about here, but later (when I have more time to pull up the related links to share as well)

 

Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan: This was okay.  I have loved some of Brennan's books (including the first in this series), but this was enjoyable enough, but easy to set down and not pick up again.

 

A Few Flies and I by Issa and 100 Poems from the Japanese: and attempts to fob off my impulse to set everything I'm reading and planning to read aside and go dabble some more in Japanese literature...

 

The Power of Psalms: Insights and Inspiration Drawn from Classic Breslov Teachings to Enchance Your Saying of Tehillim Book 1 Psalms 1-41  Since these are drawn from a range of Breslov works it isn't a very coherent commentary, and there is some repetiveness here and there, but there were also sections I found deeply inspiring.

[Stacia]

:grouphug: , Jane. I have another friend who lost two elderly friends in the past week too. We are struggling right now with my dear fil's health, which is deteriorating. It's heartbreaking & is hitting my dh hard (me too).

 

Just not much concentration for reading lately. I'm still working on Pratchett's Going Postal. My slow pace does not indicate anything other than I'm completely scattered & swamped lately. I'm thoroughly enjoying it & can see why both my ds & Jenn love Moist von Lipwig! He is cracking me up. I guess Vetinari can be my character stand-in right now for Machiavellian May, eh?

[Jane in NC]

Eliana,

 

Glad to hear your take on Kaplan's book.  Does Santa Exist was more than an entertainment for me as I felt that Kaplan offered some interesting cultural perceptions in his philosophical discussions.  But I did not know quite what to think on the mysticism chapter.  As I said to Pam, I had to wonder about a mind that connected Santa and Kaballah--but overall I enjoyed his ruminations on belief.

 

 

[Jane in NC]

Thank you for the lovely thoughts all!  Not sure if I will make it through Inferno on this go around, but the book will wait for me.

[Lady Florida.]

:grouphug: Jane  :grouphug: Hugs to you and your son and condolences on your loss of a friend. Grieving is a necessary and healing, and I don't think your friend would want you not to do what you needed to in order to accept his passing.

 

Robin, I just might join in on Swann's Way. I've been wanting to tackle it this year and we're already nearly halfway through the year (can you believe it?). I downloaded the Kindle version quite some time ago but never got around to starting it.

 

Chrysalis, Robin, and others who've read and/or watched Game of Thrones: I don't think I could have read the books if I hadn't watched the show first. I rarely do this type of thing backwards (it's always book first) but in this case I wouldn't be the least bit interested in the books if I started with them. Dh read all of them. I've only read the first two and keep trying to get to the third. It's just not compelling enough. I will eventually read them but I'll have to be in the right mood.

 

Speaking of the right mood, I've been in another reading funk. I needed some brain candy so I read the first in the Phryne Fisher series, Cocaine Blues. It was kind of fun and I'll read more, but I'm not in a rush to get to the next one. 

 

Currently reading:

Room With a Clue - my Kindle Owner's Lending Library choice for April. I'm not loving it, but am in need of a cozy mystery so I'll keep reading.

 

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal - This will not be everyone's cuppa but I'm enjoying it.

 

I Am Livia - This was a Kindle First freebie from last year. It tells the story of LIvia Drusilla/Julia Augusta from her point of view. I'm rather enjoying it.

 

 

I think I'm supposed to be the next person to choose a book in my IRL book club and have been thinking of Far From the Madding Crowd. I did not know there was an upcoming movie until a few days ago but I think that might actually get the group more motivated to read it. What does the BaW crowd think? Will that be a good one for discussion? The only Hardy I've read is Tess of the d'Urbervilles. 

[SunnyDays]

Hello, ladies!  I've missed a couple weeks again... some things have been settling down, so hoping to get more consistent!

 

Jane, I'm so sorry about your friend.  :grouphug:  Just because it's not unexpected doesn't mean the grief is any less real.  Wishing you comfort. 

 

Rose, that's quite an impressive list for the year!  I was thinking I got the Ready Player One recommendation from this thread, must have been you!!  :)

 

We've been considering a move this spring, so I've spent much of my free time searching real estate instead of reading.  Although we'll keep our eyes out, we've decided to stop actively looking... we're not entirely sure what we're looking for, but I know we haven't found it yet!!  :LOL:  So we're now focusing on a few projects at home, and hopefully my quiet time on the sofa can be spent with a book now for a while, as I am behind my goals!!

 

I have completed 15 books this year.  Most recently I read First Frost and Where She Went, the sequel to If I Stay... both were enjoyable. 

 

Now reading Ready Player One as well as slowly working through Misquoting Jesus by Ehrman.

 

[JennW in SoCal]

:grouphug: to Jane and everyone dealing with loss or aging friends and family. It is a tough, sad and poignant part of middle age.

 

I finished 3 books this week!! First was Witness of Time, the Inspector Rutlege book by Charles Todd that will be my last.  It wasn't terrible, just no need to revisit the formulaic series again.  Cosi Fan Tutti is the first Aurelio Zen mystery I've read. It is loosely based on the opera with chapter titles lifted from the libretto, but mostly it was an amusing romp through Naples.  Based on the reviews on Goodreads this isn't a typical Zen mystery as it is almost farcical, but no matter -- I really enjoyed it!  Finally I finished my audiobook The Truelove, the 15th in the Master and Commander series.  Not my favorite as it was a bit slow and nothing really happened, but it was a fairly good character study. I've only got 4 or 5 left, so hope the plot starts to move along. They've been on the same journey for at least 3 books now and are still out in the middle of the Pacific!

 

I'm at 30 books for the year, although I'm not sure whether to count 3 of those in the final, official tally.  Those 3 books belong in a category of their own -- unfinished non-fiction which sent me on long and rewarding rabbit trails.  Sort of my own personal version of "choose your own adventure" books, only it was Google that offered the options for exploring.

 

Up next is Far from the Madding Crowd, in both audio and kindle format, which I'd like to read before seeing the movie.  Not that I have any free time in the near future to see a movie (except Avengers which we should be going to tomorrow night. Priorities, you know :laugh: .)    Next up is also Don Quixote, only in music form as I'm in a ballet pit orchestra next week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mumto2]

Jane :grouphug: I am so sorry. I don't honestly think for me at least, it is possible to really expect someone to die even when we have been told. Somehow in our world filled with wonder drugs and last minute medical miracles we forget reality....at least I do. It is always a shock even when it shouldn't be. Watching my children grieving is heartbreaking. :grouphug: to your boy.

 

Stacia :grouphug:

 

Another day where I didn't manage to finish my book. Where does the time go lately? I did download a new to me (I think ;) ) Ruth Rendell, The Rottweiler. I will find an appropriate link after I read it!

[Angel]

Sorry...these are carry-overs...I'm running behind!

 

Have fun at Wizarding World, and be sure toast your friends with a mug of butter beer at the 3 Broomsticks!!

 

 

Thanks!  I will make a toast (or 5 or 6  :blush: )!

 

A double take makes perfect sense as they do frequently travel in pairs!

 

Regards,

Kareni

:lol:

 

Oh, my gosh, me, too!

 

 

That's also my second favorite with my favorite being the last one.  It still bothers me that the origin of the Marauder's Map was left out of the movie.  It would have taken 30 seconds and in a 2 1/2 hour movie that's not much to add!  I've been thinking I need to read Harry Potter again.  There are two series that re-reading is like hugging a friend I haven't seen in years.  Harry Potter and the Deltora Quest series (Emily Rodda).  Sometimes I feel like Gus on Psych.  I have to read Harry Potter every year to say centered.

I know!!  It was such a huge deal!  I felt that way about Dudley's goodbye to Harry in the 7th book.  Such a milestone there!

 

If you like paper-crafty things & teeny tiny books, check out The Tiny Library. Some of the BaW kids might like making these.

I think the little girls that Skye nanny's for will love these for activity day!

 

Angel, have a great holiday at the Wizarding World.....I love the first four HP books pretty equally but the first is the best imo. Everything is new, every single bit of it. The others just improve what we already know.
 

I love the first one too!  

 

Hello friends.  Just checking in.  

:seeya:   Missed you!

 

I hope to check in some this week before leaving but it's crazy here with Aly trying to finish up all but math before we leave for vacation, packing, cleaning, and my birthday Tuesday :party:   Don't party too much without me!

[Jane in NC]

Happy Birthday in advance, Angel!

[Jane in NC]

Kathy, I think Far from the Madding Crowd would be a good book club choice with the film as an incentive for those who may need it. Hardy's pastoral world certainly engages me as a reader.

[Angelaboord]

Well, I introduced myself a few weeks ago in the hopes of regularly participating, and then April became an unexpectedly difficult month. For some reason, we have all been really sick this past month, and with a large family (I have 8 kids), it all just takes that much longer for everything to run its course.  We also went on a vacation to the Great Smoky Mountains -- lots of fun, except that almost all of us were sick again by the time we left.  This one has been really bad, with ear infections and eye infections, and even I am on antibiotics.  It's been several years since we've been to the doctor this much.

 

Anyway... my reading for April kind of reflects the sort of month it was.  Nothing that deep. A lot of diet books actually, some of which were decent, others not so much.  I've been trying to start working on my fiction writing again after a long hiatus, and I got an idea mid-month that sent me scrambling back to an old novel which was sitting in my closet.  I read the whole thing start to finish -- about 200,000 words! (Oh, and so many of them need to be cut, too.)   But that was time I didn't spend reading other books.

 

My list for April:

 

17. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Business and in Life, by Charles Duhigg

 

(I also read about half of Better than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin, but I had to return it to the library before I was done.  It's more of a practical guide to how to change your habits than The Power of Habit is, but I found myself getting irritated by the way she capitalizes everything to make it sound Important. Probably the most useful part of the book is her personality typology, which is supposed to give you insight into the kinds of habit strategies that will work for you.  I think the biggest problem I had with this book probably lay in the fact that her personality type and mine were almost polar opposites.)

 

18. Follow Your Gut: How the Ecosystem in Your Gut Determines Your Mood, Health, and More, by Rob Knight (A slim book that came from his TED talk; Rob Knight is the founder of the American Gut Project.)

 

19. Flexible Dieting 2.0: A Flexible Nutrition Philosophy for the Modern Athlete, by Krissy Mae Kraeger (I'm not an athlete, but my dh does Crossfit, so I was really reading this for him.)

 

20. Writing the Breakout Novel, by Donald Maass (A re-read, my edition is dated but the core ideas are still good)

 

21. The Microbiome Diet, by Raphael Kellman

 

22.  The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long Term Health, by Justin and Erica Sonnenburg (I have been interested in the microbiome for a while now, and this spate of books about gut flora has just been released.  I preordered them a while back.  I think The Good Gut was the best of the bunch.)

 

23. The Queen of Attolia, by Meghan Whalen Turner (YA Fantasy -- excellent! Loved the characters.)

 

24. First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen, by Charlie Lovett (Fiction/Mystery.  Ugh. The story could have been really good, but it was failed by the writing -- two dimensional characters, easily divined plot, etc.)

 

25. Attachments, by Rainbow Rowell (Fiction/romance.  I love Rainbow Rowell's books.  They're not terribly deep, but she is SO GOOD at characterization.  I usually gulp them down in a sitting and stay up way too late to do it.  All her main characters seem to come from broken homes with moms who were once hippies, but I'm not sure if that's a flaw or just a fond quirk.)

 

My 7 year old has been on a Meindert de Jong kick for a while and we finished Shadrach last month, then started reading Wheel on the School.  Then I got a terrible sore throat and couldn't read anything aloud.  He's really itching for me to finish that book, though!

 

--Angela

 

[Mom-ninja.]

Read Boys and Girls Learn Differently by Michael Gurian

[Jamee]

I think this is a sign.  I've been thinking of reading the Prince this summer to prepare for next year's history class, but maybe I need to read it now.  (Especially since I looked at it on audible just this morning and said I need to do this now.)

 

On a completely other subject, I just finished Oranges and Sunshine.  This was such a moving, eye-opening book about the child migration program in Britain after WWII.  WOW!

[Halcyon]

Jane, I am so sorry for your loss.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished The End of College. Super interesting and thought-provoking read.  It kind of pulled together a lot of things I've been thinking about, and that have been discussed here often, but provided history, context, and speculation about the future. Very interesting, and highly recommended for anybody who has a kid heading toward college.

[Halcyon]

We just returned from Disney last night--a much needed break for everyone, but DS is now quite behind in AoPS and is freaking out a bit. So am I! Definitely enjoyed listening to Emma on the way back on audible. 

[JennW in SoCal]

Kathy, I think Far from the Madding Crowd would be a good book club choice with the film as an incentive for those who may need it. Hardy's pastoral world certainly engages me as a reader.

 

Oh my.  I clearly skimmed through the threads too quickly because I completely missed Kathy musing about this book!  D'oh! The movie for me was a definite incentive, though I'm also inspired to start it because its been too long since I last read something old and classic.

[Runningmom80]

I am still so behind, but I'm not giving up!  I read the Secret Life of Bees last week, and I loved it.  This week is The Discreet Hero.

[aggieamy]

 It was a physically and emotionally exhausting week for me.  It began with the loss of a dear friend.  He was elderly so on the one hand one should not be surprised, but this is a deep loss for both my son and me.  Our friend would not want us to grieve though, but grieve I will.

 

 

 

Hugs to you friend.  I'm sorry for your loss.  Our elderly friends are such treasures with their wonderful life stories and so much knowledge to pass on.  

[Violet Crown]

Jane, I'm sorry. Blessed are those who mourn.

[Violet Crown]

Not paying any attention to the disrespect for Henry James' masterpiece on this thread. La la la la la....

 

Finished 23. Hilaire Belloc, A Conversation With an Angel & Other Essays (1929). The best piece is "On Translation," in which Belloc takes up two of his favorite themes, the translation of books and European unity and disunity. But my favorite was "On Not Reading Books," in which Belloc, after commencing with an unsurprising confession of disdaining modern novels, particularly romances, suddenly and endearingly confesses to a weakness for science fiction:

 

"If any book deal with a journey to the planets, no matter how badly it be written, no matter what a goat the writer may be, what abominable sentiment he breaks into during his narration, no matter what the padding of pseudo-science, no matter what the strange style, I am on. I am afraid I have missed a few, but I honestly believe I have read more than half of those that have appeared in the English tongue during the last thirty years. And as with the planets, so with Atlantis. I can eat Atlantis. No man can give me enough of Atlantis."

 

I've resumed reading an old Pelican paperback on opera--Middle Girl and I just enjoyed Don Giovanni--and should start Sayers' Dante. But I kind of want to read some more James now.

[aggieamy]

Nose - How are your new kids doing?  Are they still at your house?

 

 

In reading news - I'm starting on Saga tonight.  It was a secret Santa Christmas present from Robin.  (See what a book Sahara I was in?!?!?  I'm just now reading my Christmas books!)

[LaughingCat]

Read this week:

 

Diet Cults -- this was an interesting read, especially since I have been flipping through too many diet books lately attempting to get motivated to diet and I really like 'social science for the layperson' style books, so a win/win -- on the downside, I thought there was too much opinion and not enough science (although enough science to keep me reading at least)

[mumto2]

 

 

My 7 year old has been on a Meindert de Jong kick for a while and we finished Shadrach last month, then started reading Wheel on the School. Then I got a terrible sore throat and couldn't read anything aloud. He's really itching for me to finish that book, though!

 

--Angela

I loved the Wheel on the school when we read it aloud. Wonderful book.

 

I hope all of your family recovers from their various ailments soon. At our house patient zero always receives a great deal of teasing because their germs always seem to get the rest of us in the end no matter how much disinfecting of door handles and light switches I do! I can't even imagine it with eight kids.

[mumto2]

Angel, Happy Birthday and enjoy Harry Potter!!!!! You share a birthday with my dd. Right now she would much rather be going to Harry Potter Studio's than taking a Calculus AP on her birthday! She has been wide awake since 7:30 and is busy being studious-- today is a bank holiday here and it is lovely out.

 

 

On a completely other subject, I just finished Oranges and Sunshine. This was such a moving, eye-opening book about the child migration program in Britain after WWII. WOW!

This looks really interesting. I plan to go looking for it after I get done posting.

 

I finished Rock Addiction this morning. All the time I was reading it on my kindle I kept thinking about Robin's husband and the cover. :lol: I was glad to be reading it on my kindle.

[TeacherZee]

Hugs to all those going through rough times

 

I didn't get much reading done this weekend as the headache reared its ugly head again. I have a phone appointment with the neurologist on Wednesday so hopefully they will have some idea of what is going on, the cat-scan was inconclusive.

 

There is at least one new book out in a series I read tomorrow so I will probably read that, plus continue with The Girls of Atomic City. I won't be reading any Dante, it just doesn't work with this month (as a teacher I don't have to take any tests on my birthday, but I have to proctor them so I feel for your daughter mumto2)

[idnib]

Hugs to all those going through rough times

 

I didn't get much reading done this weekend as the headache reared its ugly head again. I have a phone appointment with the neurologist on Wednesday so hopefully they will have some idea of what is going on, the cat-scan was inconclusive.

 

There is at least one new book out in a series I read tomorrow so I will probably read that, plus continue with The Girls of Atomic City. I won't be reading any Dante, it just doesn't work with this month (as a teacher I don't have to take any tests on my birthday, but I have to proctor them so I feel for your daughter mumto2)

 

I'm sorry your headache is back. Hopefully the appointment Wednesday will shed some light. 

[Loesje22000]

I got boxes today :)

I recieved my Dante today!

 

Somehow I managed to order a readable edition with footnotes and explanation notes!

So I've read the first cantico today, and I think I can handle this with al those notes :)

 

My edition is republished by a poet from an older edition.

It is not the most current or most scientific translation, but for 6 euro's one takes what ones can get.

[Robin M]

, Jane. I have another friend who lost two elderly friends in the past week too. We are struggling right now with my dear fil's health, which is deteriorating. It's heartbreaking & is hitting my dh hard (me too).

 

Just not much concentration for reading lately. I'm still working on Pratchett's Going Postal. My slow pace does not indicate anything other than I'm completely scattered & swamped lately. I'm thoroughly enjoying it & can see why both my ds & Jenn love Moist von Lipwig! He is cracking me up. I guess Vetinari can be my character stand-in right now for Machiavellian May, eh?

 

:grouphug: to you and your hubby. 

 

Jane  Hugs to you and your son and condolences on your loss of a friend. Grieving is a necessary and healing, and I don't think your friend would want you not to do what you needed to in order to accept his passing.

 

Robin, I just might join in on Swann's Way. I've been wanting to tackle it this year and we're already nearly halfway through the year (can you believe it?). I downloaded the Kindle version quite some time ago but never got around to starting it.

 

Chrysalis, Robin, and others who've read and/or watched Game of Thrones: I don't think I could have read the books if I hadn't watched the show first. I rarely do this type of thing backwards (it's always book first) but in this case I wouldn't be the least bit interested in the books if I started with them. Dh read all of them. I've only read the first two and keep trying to get to the third. It's just not compelling enough. I will eventually read them but I'll have to be in the right mood.

 

Swanns Way  - That would be great!  I dove in last night, on my kindle, rather than the physical book (have both) and glad I did.  Had fun looking up various people and ideas mentioned.  Going to be a slow thoughtful read.  

 

Game of Thrones -   I read the first couple books and looked forward to the tv show, but couldn't handle it - to much violence, nudity and crudeness.  Guess I do better reading than experiencing it visually.  Glad I read the book first, otherwise the show would have turned me off entirely.

 

I hope to check in some this week before leaving but it's crazy here with Aly trying to finish up all but math before we leave for vacation, packing, cleaning, and my birthday Tuesday :party:   Don't party too much without me!

Happy Birthday!  Have fun!

 

 

Well, I introduced myself a few weeks ago in the hopes of regularly participating, and then April became an unexpectedly difficult month. For some reason, we have all been really sick this past month, and with a large family (I have 8 kids), it all just takes that much longer for everything to run its course.  We also went on a vacation to the Great Smoky Mountains -- lots of fun, except that almost all of us were sick again by the time we left.  This one has been really bad, with ear infections and eye infections, and even I am on antibiotics.  It's been several years since we've been to the doctor this much.

 

Anyway... my reading for April kind of reflects the sort of month it was.  Nothing that deep. A lot of diet books actually, some of which were decent, others not so much.  I've been trying to start working on my fiction writing again after a long hiatus, and I got an idea mid-month that sent me scrambling back to an old novel which was sitting in my closet.  I read the whole thing start to finish -- about 200,000 words! (Oh, and so many of them need to be cut, too.)   But that was time I didn't spend reading other books.

 

My 7 year old has been on a Meindert de Jong kick for a while and we finished Shadrach last month, then started reading Wheel on the School.  Then I got a terrible sore throat and couldn't read anything aloud.  He's really itching for me to finish that book, though!

 

--Angela

Glad you stopped by and that you managed to have fun in the Smoky Mountains despite the illnesses.  This year flu has turned into infections for a lot of people. My sister's turned into bronchitis and another friend developed pneumonia.  Take care of yourselves.   Yeah for inspiration and getting back into your writing.  Editing is always hard.    I taking a bunch of online writing courses and working on short stories right now.     We've loved The Wheel on the School but didn't read anymore of Jong's books. Will have to check them out.

 

I think this is a sign.  I've been thinking of reading the Prince this summer to prepare for next year's history class, but maybe I need to read it now.  (Especially since I looked at it on audible just this morning and said I need to do this now.)

 

On a completely other subject, I just finished Oranges and Sunshine.  This was such a moving, eye-opening book about the child migration program in Britain after WWII.  WOW!

Synchronicity.   Hubby and I were talking last night and I forgot exactly what but he brings up how Machiavellian it was and asks if I've ever read The Prince.   I had to laugh because he didn't know about our theme for the month. 

 

Angel, Happy Birthday and enjoy Harry Potter!!!!! You share a birthday with my dd. Right now she would much rather be going to Harry Potter Studio's than taking a Calculus AP on her birthday! She has been wide awake since 7:30 and is busy being studious-- today is a bank holiday here and it is lovely out.

 

 

 

This looks really interesting. I plan to go looking for it after I get done posting.

 

I finished Rock Addiction this morning. All the time I was reading it on my kindle I kept thinking about Robin's husband and the cover. :lol: I was glad to be reading it on my kindle.

:lol:

 

Hugs to all those going through rough times

 

I didn't get much reading done this weekend as the headache reared its ugly head again. I have a phone appointment with the neurologist on Wednesday so hopefully they will have some idea of what is going on, the cat-scan was inconclusive.

 

There is at least one new book out in a series I read tomorrow so I will probably read that, plus continue with The Girls of Atomic City. I won't be reading any Dante, it just doesn't work with this month (as a teacher I don't have to take any tests on my birthday, but I have to proctor them so I feel for your daughter mumto2)

Zee, have you checked your medications and side affects?   My doctor put me on a new BP med and once it started building up in my system, it made my fingers freeze and go white and  numb.  I have plenty of weird reactions to meds including a headache after a while.   You've probably eliminated every variable at this point.  Will keep fingers crossed neurologist is able to help. 

 

 

 

We had an unexpected visitor drop by on Sunday - old friend of John's, so everything I planned to do kind of went by the wayside. It's one of those visits where you panic about the house not being clean enough because this is my day to clean and well... Just took a deep breath and let it go. One of those visits where you excuse yourself from the conversation after a reasonable period to do a rush cleaning of the toilet.   :lol:

[Jane in NC]

Stacia,

 

Please keep us updated on your father in law.  In the meantime, sending good thoughts your way.

 

I am missing the voice of Shukriyya who often linked us to the Paris Review.  In her absence, I wandered over to their daily blog and was amused by today's entry.  Those of you who fly cattle class--as opposed to first--will join me in being amused.

 

http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/05/04/the-paris-review-of-the-air-land-and-sea/

[Nan in Mass]

... 

-Agatha Christie - an Autobiography was delightful, but very hefty book. I really enjoyed her childhood memories. :001_smile:

 

My mum gave this to me to read a few summers ago.  I enjoyed it very much.  I especially enjoyed her description of the differences in attitutes and assumptions, things like not talking about sad things and respecting servants as professionals.  I also enjoyed her description of her education.  She was homeschooled. : )

 

Nan

[Nan in Mass]

Oh, and I am reading The Copper Crown.  That will count for May.  Politics and betrayals.  We'll see if I finish it.

 

Hugs, Jane and Rose and Stacia.  We're losing another clan member soon, too.  I know it is "life" and all that, but I liked the period when I was caring for little ones better.  Not that I don't appreciate the closeness that elder care brings.

 

Nan

[JennW in SoCal]

I assume you were talking Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire?

 

That would be great!  I dove in last night, on my kindle, rather than the physical book (have both) and glad I did.  Had fun looking up various people and ideas mentioned.  Going to be a slow thoughtful read.    I read the first couple books and looked forward to the tv show, but couldn't handle it - to much violence, nudity and crudeness.  Guess I do better reading than experiencing it visually.  Glad I read the book first, otherwise the show would have turned me off entirely.

 

I've had a love/hate relationship with the books for years.  I love the world and was enthralled by the first 2 books. The 3rd book started to annoy me and by the 4th book I gave up.  Finally read the 5th book after the tv series started.  My dh and I are huge fans of the tv show as is my college boy, but he doesn't watch it with us!  I've had rehearsals the last several Sunday nights, but my dh records the show so we can watch it together when I get home. 

 

While reading the 5th book I relied heavily on the ASOIF wiki where you can find anything on any character or chapter that you could want to know.  It had been so long between books that I'd forgotten all the secondary and tertiary characters (and GRRM -- the author--keeps adding more.)

 

For those of you ready to totally geek out with me, Entertainment Weekly has a very fun weekly tv-book club that compares the series to the books. 

 

Its true I'm a total geek -- until I'm surrounded by the Comic-con hordes where by comparison I'm just your average suburban mom!!  Those people are obsessed!