Book a Week 2015 - BW20: rabbit trails

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday dear hearts:  We are on week 20 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 - Rabbit Trails:   Josephine Wall's art always sends my imagination spiraling. Instead of doing the expected and highlighting all of Machiavelli's books such as The Prince or the Art of War, decided to follow a few rabbit trails this week.  His The Art of War leads to Sun Tzu who wrote The Art of War which leads to Forbes Sun Tzu's 31 Best Pieces of Leadership advice.  The Prince, of course, lead me to Antoine de Saint Exupery's The Little Prince.  I guess the story was supposed to be motivating but I found it extremely sad.  Has anyone read his other book Wind, Sand and Stars?   It's available for free for Kindle unlimited members.


This week we have  Honoré de Balzac and Sigurd Undset sharing the same birthday (may 20) as well as Dante and Alexander Pope (may 21).   Balzac honestly reminds of someone in The Princess Bride, I just can't put my finger on it.    Or maybe it was some other movie. Speaking of which, there are 17 films based on books hitting the big screen this year. The Moon and the Sun with Pierce Brosnan based on Vonda McIntyre's book which looks interesting as well as Victor Frankenstein from Igor's perspective and The Martian with Matt Damon based on Andy Weir's novel.  

You have to check out Project Vox which is working to revive or restore female voices which were left out of the 1700's philosophical canons.  They are highlighting Lady Masham, Margaret Cavendish and Anne Conway from England and Émilie Du Châtelet from France.

Have fun exploring rabbit trails!

 

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History of the Medieval World - Chapter 23 Aspirations pp 159 - 164

 

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What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

 

 

Link to week 19

 

 

[Robin M]

My brain took a vacation this week so I dove into the world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood and just finished reading  #6  Phury's story Lover Enshrined.  Alas I must stop there as someone highjacked my atm/visa card #. B of A caught it quicker than quick.  I have no idea how they knew it was a charge out of my norm, but they did and contacted me.  I immediately had to stop using it and have to wait a few days for a replacement to arrive in the mail.   Yes, within the past couple months I've used Home Depot, Target and Office Depot which have all been targets of late.  Think I'll go back to writing checks. 

[Just Robyn]

  Alas I must stop there as someone highjacked my atm/visa card #. B of A caught it quicker than quick. 

 

Ack! Sorry you have to deal with that, but glad it didn't get too out of hand before it was caught and blocked. 

 

 

I finished Purgatorio - didn't like it as much as Inferno, but there were a couple of good spots, like eyes sewn shut with wire. And I also read volume 4 of iZombie. 

 

I continue to read the 2015 Rhysling Anthology, The Boy Who Lost Fairyland and various writing books.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I only finished one book this week, The Graveyard Book.  I see in the paper that Gaiman is releasing a new volume of short stories - I'll have to get on that. I'm not a big fan of short stories generally, but I do like creepy short stories - Poe-ish, and it sounds like Gaiman's might fit the bill.

 

My lack of progress in finishing books has a couple of causes - one is that two nonfiction reads I'm enjoying, How Not to be Wrong and The Amazons, were requested by other users so had to be returned to the library.  Darn other people who want to read the same books I am!  

 

But the real culprit is that I'm totally sucked into the Game of Thrones world.  I'm halfway through A Clash of Kings now. I'm really enjoying being totally engrossed in a series, the way I used to when I was younger and had fewer responsibilities - but given that I'm older with plenty of responsibilities, I'm finding it somewhat disruptive!  Oh well, it won't last long at this rate, then I'll get back to my more responsible reading.

 

My dd just started Shannon Hale's Dangerous, while she's waiting for the next volume of The Mallorean. I'm looking forward to reading that, too.  We're finishing up Much Ado About Nothing this week, then on to The Tempest.  I love Shakespeare Spring!

[Onceuponatime]

I'm almost through Jacques the Fatalist and His Master by Diderot, which I picked up in a thrift store. The story is full of rabbit trails. Half way through I almost gave up. It is supposed to be philosophical and I'm still waiting for something enlightening.

[Guest]

I finished Ulysses!!!

 

...though a single read through doesn't feel like "finishing".  

 

It was a fascinating experience.  

 

...and then, apparently in search of more brilliantly assemble shards of image and illusion, I reread The Waste Land... I don't know why I appreciate this so much more than I do Pound's poetry... but this I love, and Pound I admire in places, and tolerate in others. 

 

Other things finished last week:

 

4 Pereine novellas:

 

Next World Novella - compulsively readable, this reminded me, a little of The Blazing World, though from a very different angle.  When I reached the conclusion, I went back and looked at some earlier sections.. and then upgraded my rating of the unreliability of the narrator... and was left with an interpretive choice.  The one I made wasn't the one I'd prefer, but the one that made the most sense, to me, with the text.  Stacia, I wonder what you would think of this? 

 

Chasing the King of Hearts - reading of horrors in such a dispassionate, dissociated voice was disturbing - and the narrator's dissociation was a disturbing as her experiences.

 

The Mussel Feast - the book starts quietly and ends with the implication of an upheaval to come, which according to the book's blurb, is symbolic of national upheaval (pre-reunification Germany in this case)

 

The Dead Lake - a short, odd but gripping story set in  Kazakhstan, not an area I have 'visited' often.

 

3 plays:

 

Copenhagen by Michael Frayn: At the other end of the stylistic register from Noises Off (which is enormous, frothy fun).  This is a quiet, serious, introspective play with no action, but a (to me at least) compelling exploration of motivation and understanding.  Jane, we've talked before about the dearth of literary works which have science at the heart of their story - you might like to try this.

 

Philoctetes by Sophocles: I wanted to try this translation... and the production of Othello I saw this month has me thinking about war and the wounds it gives to the human psyche.  (If anyone is in the Seattle area and wants to see a production that will tear your heart out and leave you with these questions - the Seattle Shakespeare Company show is running through this Sunday),  The intro to this translation touched on these issues (including some of the reactions of today's servicemen and women to the play), and then I learned that the translator is the founder of Theater of War:

 

Theater of War presents readings of Sophocles’ Ajax and Philoctetes to military and civilian communities across the United States and Europe. These ancient plays timelessly and universally depict the psychological and physical wounds inflicted upon warriors by war. By presenting these plays to military and civilian audiences, our hope is to de-stigmatize psychological injury, increase awareness of post-deployment psychological health issues, disseminate information regarding available resources, and foster greater family, community, and troop resilience. Using Sophocles’ plays to forge a common vocabulary for openly discussing the impact of war on individuals, families, and communities, these events will be aimed at generating compassion and understanding between diverse audiences.

It has been suggested that ancient Greek drama was a form of storytelling, communal therapy, and ritual reintegration for combat veterans by combat veterans. Sophocles himself was a general. At the time Aeschylus wrote and produced his famous Oresteia, Athens was at war on six fronts. The audiences for whom these plays were performed were undoubtedly composed of citizen-soldiers. Also, the performers themselves were most likely veterans or cadets. Seen through this lens, ancient Greek drama appears to have been an elaborate ritual aimed at helping combat veterans return to civilian life after deployments during a century that saw 80 years of war.

 

 

 

...and, on a much lighter, more frivolous note, A Flea in Her Ear by Georges Feydeau: There isn't amy depth of character here, or deeper meaning (at least not that I saw), but it is a fast moving farce that is a frothy I remembered it from my pre-kid days.

 

2 works of popular fiction:

 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night: I loved the narrator's voice and approach, but had less enthusiastic feelings about the content of the story.  I would have appreciated a less plot laden, more realistic story for our engaging ASD narrator to navigate.

 

The Humans by Matt Haig: The premise was amusing, and the opening sections had an engaging voice, the middle section was fairly predictable, but the tension of the narrator's learning curve was appealing.  The final section strained my suspension of disbelief and veered into popular fiction canned sentimentality a little too much for my taste.  ...but it was the type of sentimentality I fall for, so I shouldn't be too critical.

[Kareni]

From last week's thread:

 

Atlantic article on Herman Wouk's war novels. I haven't (yet) read The Caine Mutiny.
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/05/herman-wouk-at-100-one-of-the-greatest-american-war-novelists/393203/

 

I enjoyed reading the article, so thank you, Violet Crown.  My father was a big fan of Wouk's books.  His favorite Wouk work was Don't Stop the Carnival, perhaps because he (my father) spent most of his working life as a hotel manager.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Kareni]

I recently finished Devon Monk's Infinity Bell which is the second volume in her House Immortal series.  I enjoyed it very much though I do recommend starting with the first book in the series, House Immortal.  Now I have to wait until September for the next volume. "At least," as my daughter said, "you don't have to wait until next year!" 

 

"Return to national bestselling author Devon Monk's heartpounding House Immortal series, where eleven powerful Houses control the world and all its resources. But now, the treaty between them has been broken, and no one—not even the immortal galvanized—is safe....

Matilda Case isn’t normal. Normal people aren’t stitched together, inhumanly strong, and ageless, as she and the other galvanized are. Normal people’s bodies don’t hold the secret to immortality—something the powerful Houses will kill to possess. And normal people don’t know that they’re going to die in a few days.

Matilda’s fight to protect the people she loves triggered a chaotic war between the Houses and shattered the world’s peace. On the run, she must find a way to stop the repeat of the ancient time experiment that gifted her and the other galvanized with immortality. Because this time, it will destroy her and everything she holds dear.

Caught in a cat-and-mouse game of lies, betrayal, and unseen foes, Matilda must fight to save the world from utter destruction. But time itself is her enemy, and every second brings her one step closer to disaster...."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Guest]

Robin,  I'm so sorry you have to deal that hassle!  We've had our card compromised more than once over the years.  I've been impressed at how quickly our bank has caught it.  (Each time they've frozen the card before any of the unauthorized charges have been allowed through.  They've also frozen the card until we've confirmed that our activity was authorized - which is wildly inconvenient, but reassuring that they're paying such careful attention and recognize charges out of our normal patterns.)

 

 

 

 

 

I finished Purgatorio - didn't like it as much as Inferno, but there were a couple of good spots, like eyes sewn shut with wire. 

 

Purgatorio was my favorite of the three, though Inferno had more verve.  I found the richest blend of image and idea here... or at least of ideas and images I found most interesting. 

 

 

 

But the real culprit is that I'm totally sucked into the Game of Thrones world.  I'm halfway through A Clash of Kings now. I'm really enjoying being totally engrossed in a series, the way I used to when I was younger and had fewer responsibilities - but given that I'm older with plenty of responsibilities, I'm finding it somewhat disruptive!  Oh well, it won't last long at this rate, then I'll get back to my more responsible reading.

 

 

Isn't it fun when a series grabs you like that?  (Bujold's Vorkosigan series did that for me...)

 

GoT is outside my tolerance range, but I've heard much enthusiasm about it (you might enjoy some of Jo Walton's musings on it) ETA: link to her tor.com post on the first book

 

 

I'm almost through Jaques the Fatalist and His Master by Diderot, which I picked up in a thrift store. The story is full of rabbit trails. Half way through I almost gave up. It is supposed to be philosophical and I'm still waiting for something enlightening.

 

I'm reading that too (well, off and on)... and since I'm also (intermittently) rereading Don Quixote, I'm feeling their kinship very strongly.  They are rambling books, books which don't set out a clear narrative arc, or a visibly defined theme, but which convey their ooomph indirectly.  I'm thinking about picking up Gargantua and Pantagruel again when I finish at least one of these.. and/or Tristam Shandy.  In my mind these four are all shelved together - and DQ was the only one I appreciated as a young person.

[Jane in NC]

"Just keep shelling the beans."

 

This is the last line of a novel that begins "You're here to buy beans, sir?  From me?"  Yes, beans are the metaphor for life, a life that is filled with twists and turns that chance brings.  The narrator of Wieslaw Mysliwski's novel is a war orphan, a pupil in a rigid Soviet style technical school, a saxophone player.  In his old age, he has become the caretaker of some vacation cabins.  His life is told in discontinuous bits to the enigmatic, never named stranger who has come to buy beans.  We so not hear the stranger's questions or comments, only the narrator's responses that reveal a life that has been filled with tremendous pain yet is a life well lived.  He carries on, he finds joy and meaning, and he keeps shelling the beans.

 

When I reached the last chapter of A Treatise on Shelling Beans, I did not want this book to end.  When I reached the last few pages, tears rolled down my cheeks.  I am crying as I write this.

 

A Treatise on Shelling Beans is one of the most beautiful novels I have ever read.  Mysliwski's Stone Upon Stone is a more difficult book, namely because of the rogue who narrates it and the violent turmoil that follows in his wake.  Our gentle readers may not care for Beans but for those who are willing to accept the bitter with the sweet this is The Book. 

 

Started reading Guantanamo Diary and feeling a naive sense of disbelief that my country does this to people.

 

Just keep shelling the beans...

 

[Ali in OR]

Finished the two I mentioned last week, Ricochet River and The Buried Giant. Loved them both. I'm currently reading Unbroken for book club (need to be done by Tuesday!) and I am loving that one too. I do occasionally go through times when I'm just too busy and stressed for any deep reading and fluff fills the bill, but I have to say I'm finding it a treat reading these three books that are Important and Have Something to Say. Dd finished up Essay Voyage (MCT) this week and one of the final questions was to discuss what is the best thing about academic writing. Dd immediately said, "there's a reason for it." I do not easily come up with essay topics for her, so one day we searched online for some essay prompts. All we could find were totally inane nonsense nobody would care to write or read about. So she appreciates that for *academic* writing, there is a purpose and meaning. For my recent reading, I appreciate that all of these books have purpose and meaning. They're worth reading.

[Guest]

From last week:

 

 

Atlantic article on Herman Wouk's war novels. I haven't (yet) read The Caine Mutiny.
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/05/herman-wouk-at-100-one-of-the-greatest-american-war-novelists/393203/

 

Thank you, VC!  I have a fondness for the Wouk I've read (and I give Cm more credit for nuance than the reviewer does), so it is nice to see him getting some recognition for his strengths.  (while acknowledging his imperfections) 

 

 

 

 

I have heard mixed reviews of The Jane Austen Book Club--has anyone here read it? Thoughts?

 

I felt it was typical chick-lit.  Forgettable & predictable, but readable and entertaining enough while I was reading it.  (Otoh, I really loved We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves).

 

If you're in the mood for that flavor of book, you might enjoy it. Ymmv, but, for me, loving Austen's books was a barrier to appreciating this one.  

 

 

 

I have not posted in awhile.  I have been reading everyone's posts, but haven't chimed in.  It has been a busy few weeks.  DD turned 18, then took (and passed!) her driver's test.  We got her registered for classes for her first semester of college this fall.  DH is still job hunting.  Lots of interest, and some interviews, but no offer yet.  We are learning patience!!  I also went through food allergy skin testing.  There are now 12 foods I have eliminated from my diet for the next 2 months, then I can test them one at a time for reactions.  Learning more patience!!

 

 

While patience is a very useful virtue, I find it hard to appreciate the things in my life that offer me opportunities to increase my capacity for it.  :grouphug:  I hope your food tolerances are quickly determined and leave you with better health and well being. Good luck with your husband's job search - I've found it to be a nerve wracking process.  And hurrah for your daughter's milestones!  You must be so proud of her.  

 

 

Reading Hamlet: I was very surprised to realize that I've never read it straight through... it is really compelling! and so well-written! I mean, of course, it's Shakespeare!
Also surprised to recognize so many quotes I recognize from reading Dorothy Sayers, and the influence the play has on CS Lewis' The Silver Chair-- both at the beginning when Rilian is obsessed with the serpent who killed his mother, and later on when he is all in black and 'looked a little like Hamlet.'

 

Hamlet is everywhere.  Rereading it can be a little surreal for me, because so much of it is layered with associations and connections... but isn't it amazing?!  I saw the most incredible production of it a few years ago which left me thinking about Hamlet senior, the government, the larger political situation, Polonius's family life before the play, and the Hamlet-Hamlet father-son relationship... 

 

 

 

[Guest]

 

I have an announcement to make!

 

I am HALFWAY THROUGH Les Mis.

 

Please throw a party.  Thank you.

 

Hurrah!!!!   How are you enjoying it?

 

 

Well, she,s gone. Sniff sniff. Another elder clan member died this morning. In many ways we are very happy because she was in great pain, getting weaker every day, and hated being a burden. And it was managed so she died at my sister,s house. Bless hospice. She was such a strong lady. Iit isn't,t like this is a surprise. We,ve been expecting her to go any day. But I am going to miss her very much. I played recorder with her and we had dinner together once a week and did yoga with her twice a week... to say nothing of the numerous family events. She made a long illness look doable. My sister made her a nest in the corner of the library/dining room, and there she lay, all cuddled up under bookcases with the cat comforting her legs and a view of the lovely big trees and her garden (it used to be her house). For a lifelong book lover, it looked ideal.

Nan

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

 

I am so sorry, love.  ...but what a beautiful support network your clan provides for its members!  What a wealth of love and caring and connection.  

 

I wish you peace of heart among all those who mourn... and that as the immediate intensity of grief fades, your many joyful memories will counterbalance the pain of the hole she has left in your life.

 

 

 

 

Wishing a speedy healing to Nose in a Book for your ENT issues and Runningmom for your hernia.   :grouphug:

 

[idnib]

I completed The Pilgrim's Progress. Sometimes the language was a bit of a slog, but I enjoyed the story and feel I have filled a space that was lacking in my reading. The allegorical characters sometimes have the best names, like Mr. Feeble-mind, Mr. Dare-not-ly, and Mr. Facing-bothways. The book is in two parts, the original and the sequel. I believe I liked the sequel better, perhaps because it was a company of Pilgrims and not just one man (Christian) on him own. The problems I had with the book are due to modern thinking, I guess. For example, when someone ahead of our Pilgrims into a hole, they realize they are on the wrong path and turn around without trying to help the man who fell in. It's a kind of "one wrong step off the path and you may be out forever" kind of Christianity. I cried at the end, I must admit.

 

I'm still working on Inferno, On Politics (year long read), and I've started The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in my Narnia reading.

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

 

 

Isn't it fun when a series grabs you like that?  (Bujold's Vorkosigan series did that for me...)

 

GoT is outside my tolerance range, but I've heard much enthusiasm about it (you might enjoy some of Jo Walton's musings on it) ETA: link to her tor.com post on the first book

 

 

 

 

Wow, I love her review of Game of Thrones!  She described, most eloquently, exactly what I liked about the book, and what I noticed about the experience of reading it.

 

http://www.tor.com/2009/09/09/stick-them-with-the-pointy-end-george-rr-martins-a-game-of-thrones/

 

I'm not going to read about the other books till I finish them, but it will be fun to compare my responses to Jo's as the series continues, she hit it spot-on for the first one.

[TeacherZee]

I finished a non-romance book this week! En av oss by Ã…sne Seierstad. It was a tough read and I needed a break before reading about the trial. It was well worth reading but I won't be re-reading it. I've also made real progress in The Girls of Atomic City, yay four day weekend! I am now only 5 books from my goal of 52 books. :lol:

 

Only four weeks left of term...I think I can, I think I can, I think I can

 

 

 

May 20th is my birthday too

[Guest]

"Just keep shelling the beans."

 

This is the last line of a novel that begins "You're here to buy beans, sir?  From me?"  Yes, beans are the metaphor for life, a life that is filled with twists and turns that chance brings.  The narrator of Wieslaw Mysliwski's novel is a war orphan, a pupil in a rigid Soviet style technical school, a saxophone player.  In his old age, he has become the caretaker of some vacation cabins.  His life is told in discontinuous bits to the enigmatic, never named stranger who has come to buy beans.  We so not hear the stranger's questions or comments, only the narrator's responses that reveal a life that has been filled with tremendous pain yet is a life well lived.  He carries on, he finds joy and meaning, and he keeps shelling the beans.

 

When I reached the last chapter of A Treatise on Shelling Beans, I did not want this book to end.  When I reached the last few pages, tears rolled down my cheeks.  I am crying as I write this.

 

A Treatise on Shelling Beans is one of the most beautiful novels I have ever read.  Mysliwski's Stone Upon Stone is a more difficult book, namely because of the rogue who narrates it and the violent turmoil that follows in his wake.  Our gentle readers may not care for Beans but for those who are willing to accept the bitter with the sweet this is The Book. 

 

Started reading Guantanamo Diary and feeling a naive sense of disbelief that my country does this to people.

 

Just keep shelling the beans...

 

:grouphug:  That sounds amazing.   

 

I haven't felt brave enough for Stone Upon Stone, but this... calls to my heart.  I am putting it at the top of my Amazon wishlist.  (And I'm going to put in a purchase request with my library too!)  

 

I'm on the waitlist for GD, but even just reading the description left me wishing I could believe it was fictional, or untrue.  I have read enough that I acknowledge this could happen, but that Guantanamo still exists, that people defend these atrocities I struggle to believe.

 

Thinking about this while beginning Goethe's Faust raises some disturbing thoughts... for what are we selling our soul?

[Butter]

Hurrah!!!!   How are you enjoying it?

 

I really like it.  I mean, some parts are tedious (like do I really need to know *that* much about cloistered nuns and Waterloo in the middle of a novel?), but for the most part I am enjoying Les Mis a lot.

[Stacia]

52 Books blog - Rabbit Trails:   Josephine Wall's art always sends my imagination spiraling. Instead of doing the expected and highlighting all of Machiavelli's books such as The Prince or the Art of War, decided to follow a few rabbit trails this week.  His The Art of War leads to Sun Tzu who wrote The Art of War which leads to Forbes Sun Tzu's 31 Best Pieces of Leadership advice.  The Prince, of course, lead me to Antoine de Saint Exupery's The Little Prince.  I guess the story was supposed to be motivating but I found it extremely sad.  Has anyone read his other book Wind, Sand and Stars?   It's available for free for Kindle unlimited members.

 

 

This week we have  Honoré de Balzac and Sigurd Undset sharing the same birthday (may 20) as well as Dante and Alexander Pope (may 21).   Balzac honestly reminds of someone in The Princess Bride, I just can't put my finger on it.    Or maybe it was some other movie. Speaking of which, there are 17 films based on books hitting the big screen this year. The Moon and the Sun with Pierce Brosnan based on Vonda McIntyre's book which looks interesting as well as Victor Frankenstein from Igor's perspective and The Martian with Matt Damon based on Andy Weir's novel.  

 

You have to check out Project Vox which is working to revive or restore female voices which were left out of the 1700's philosophical canons.  They are highlighting Lady Masham, Margaret Cavendish and Anne Conway from England and Émilie Du Châtelet from France.

 

Have fun exploring rabbit trails!

 

Thanks for all the rabbit trail links! Very fun.

 

4 Pereine novellas:

 

Next World Novella - compulsively readable, this reminded me, a little of The Blazing World, though from a very different angle.  When I reached the conclusion, I went back and looked at some earlier sections.. and then upgraded my rating of the unreliability of the narrator... and was left with an interpretive choice.  The one I made wasn't the one I'd prefer, but the one that made the most sense, to me, with the text.  Stacia, I wonder what you would think of this? 

 

Chasing the King of Hearts - reading of horrors in such a dispassionate, dissociated voice was disturbing - and the narrator's dissociation was a disturbing as her experiences.

 

The Mussel Feast - the book starts quietly and ends with the implication of an upheaval to come, which according to the book's blurb, is symbolic of national upheaval (pre-reunification Germany in this case)

 

The Dead Lake - a short, odd but gripping story set in  Kazakhstan, not an area I have 'visited' often.

 

I'm jealous that you've gotten to dive into some Pereine novels. I've been wanting to try some of their books ever since mumto2 (?) mentioned them. Next World sounds fascinating. Maybe that's the one that I should take the plunge with.

 

Chasing the King of Hearts was on my list of ones to read, but I didn't expect to hear that it would have such a dissociated & disturbing voice.

 

Copenhagen by Michael Frayn: At the other end of the stylistic register from Noises Off (which is enormous, frothy fun).  This is a quiet, serious, introspective play with no action, but a (to me at least) compelling exploration of motivation and understanding.  Jane, we've talked before about the dearth of literary works which have science at the heart of their story - you might like to try this.

 

I've been wanting to read another Michael Frayn book ever since I read Sweet Dreams a couple of years ago. That was just such an amazingly lovely book.

 

I finished Ulysses!!!

 

...though a single read through doesn't feel like "finishing".  

 

Congrats! Ulysses is one I would like to read someday, but somehow I don't feel like I'll even be able to get/understand it.

 

"Just keep shelling the beans."

 

This is the last line of a novel that begins "You're here to buy beans, sir?  From me?"  Yes, beans are the metaphor for life, a life that is filled with twists and turns that chance brings.  The narrator of Wieslaw Mysliwski's novel is a war orphan, a pupil in a rigid Soviet style technical school, a saxophone player.  In his old age, he has become the caretaker of some vacation cabins.  His life is told in discontinuous bits to the enigmatic, never named stranger who has come to buy beans.  We so not hear the stranger's questions or comments, only the narrator's responses that reveal a life that has been filled with tremendous pain yet is a life well lived.  He carries on, he finds joy and meaning, and he keeps shelling the beans.

 

When I reached the last chapter of A Treatise on Shelling Beans, I did not want this book to end.  When I reached the last few pages, tears rolled down my cheeks.  I am crying as I write this.

 

A Treatise on Shelling Beans is one of the most beautiful novels I have ever read.  Mysliwski's Stone Upon Stone is a more difficult book, namely because of the rogue who narrates it and the violent turmoil that follows in his wake.  Our gentle readers may not care for Beans but for those who are willing to accept the bitter with the sweet this is The Book. 

 

Started reading Guantanamo Diary and feeling a naive sense of disbelief that my country does this to people.

 

Just keep shelling the beans...

 

What an amazing recommendation, Jane. One I'll definitely have to check out.

 

I'm still working on the same two books. Have been hampered in reading by a busy schedule & being sick (again -- ack, I'm so sick of being sick). I've spent too much time napping this week rather than reading.

 

One of my in-progress books is No Cause for Indictment: An Autopsy of Newark, about the Newark race riots in the 1960s where 20+ people were killed. Unfortunately, here we are almost 50 years later & things don't really seem all that different.

 

The definitive account of the 1967 Newark riots, reissued on the cataclysmic event's fortieth anniversary.

 

Forty years ago, Newark's oppressed black majority erupted in a revolt that was ruthlessly put down by the police and National Guard. It left twenty-six people -- many of them children and senior citizens -- dead. Most of the fearful white press stayed outside the combat zone and reported solely from the police perspective, but Ronald Porambo lived in Newark and investigated the story from the inside.

 

The resultant publication -- this book -- was a stunning, tour-de-force example of "New Journalism" that was so unflinching it led Nat Hentoff to note in the Village Voice, "Since the publication of this book, the murderous question is whether Porambo is going to be added to the victims." One day later, Porambo was shot and wounded on the streets of Newark.

 

This reissue includes an introduction from the book's original editor discussing the tumult surrounding the publication, as well as an interview with Porambo himself about the struggles he faced afterwards. Forty years later, Newark is still recovering from this devastating event, and No Cause for Indictment is as relevant as when first published -- a must-read to understand issues still plaguing urban America: poverty, political corruption, and racism.

 

The other book I'm reading is Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams.

 

On Bob Edwards today, I heard about a couple of books that sound interesting....

 

Carsick by John Waters sounds like a perfect fun & entertaining read for summer.

 

Famed director John Waters—the man behind Hairspray, Pecker, and many other films—made a cardboard sign that read “I’m Not Psycho†and hitchhiked from Baltimore to San Francisco.  His book Carsick is his account of what happened during his unforgettable and unconventional “vacation.†It is now available in paperback.

 

Tale of Sand is a graphic novel adaptation of a screenplay originally written by Jim Henson.

 

Then Bob talks with Stephen Christy about one of Henson’s lesser known works. Tale of Sand is a Jim Henson-written screenplay that was eventually released as a graphic novel. Christy was the editor of the project.

[mumto2]

Kareni, I just checked out your Devon Monk recommendation, the first in the series. She is an author who has been on the list!

 

My current read is the second in Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation series titled The Masque of the Black Tulip. It's definately good. I have let it be returned a couple of times in favour of other books, big mistake. I am captivated enough 70 pages in that I checked the third in the series out while getting Kareni's recommendation at overdrive. I love E libraries........

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/lauren-willig/masque-of-black-tulip.htm

[Butter]

I tweeted my review on my blog of Shannon Hale's Dangerous.  And Shannon Hale retweeted it.  My daughter and I screamed like little girls  :lol:

[Chrysalis Academy]

I tweeted my review on my blog of Shannon Hale's Dangerous.  And Shannon Hale retweeted it.  My daughter and I screamed like little girls  :lol:

 

How cool!  My Shannon started reading it this morning. I asked her how she liked it.  "It's Awesome!!"

[TeacherZee]

I tweeted my review on my blog of Shannon Hale's Dangerous. And Shannon Hale retweeted it. My daughter and I screamed like little girls :lol:

I go totally little girl scream whenever an author I like retweets or comments on my blog :D

[Negin]

I read:

Neither Here Nor There - 5 Stars - Bill Bryson is, without a doubt, one of my favorites. His writing simply flows off the page. The Daily Telegraph summed this book up perfectly: ‘Hugely funny (not snigger-snigger funny but great-big-belly-laugh-till-you-cry funny)’. Yes, this is what I experienced also. There were a few parts where I honestly could not stop laughing for the life of me and felt pain in my stomach and had tears rolling down my cheeks.

Here’s one example of his visit to Istanbul, “The one truly unbearable thing in the city is the Turkish pop music. It is inescapable. It assaults you from every restaurant doorway, from every lemonade stand, from every passing cab. If you can imagine a man having a vasectomy without anaesthetic to a background accompaniment of frantic sitar-playing, you will have some idea of what popular Turkish music is like :lol:.† As with all of Bill Bryson’s travelogues, I’m so sorry that it ended. Some may be offended by his language – not a problem for me.

and

A Fine Romance - 5 Stars - From time to time, I come across a book that makes me wish I could afford to place a bulk order and send copies to my friends – in this case, to all my friends who love the English countryside and/or British literature. This is one of the most beautiful books that I have ever read. It’s a travel journal of the author and her husband’s two-month trip visiting the homes of authors, artists, and all sorts of fascinating places. The watercolors and photos are an absolute joy – recipes included as well! Reading this makes me look even more forward to our upcoming trip to England.

 

 

MY RATING SYSTEM

5 Stars

Fantastic, couldn't put it down

4 Stars

Really Good

3 Stars

Enjoyable

2 Stars

Just Okay – nothing to write home about

1 Star

Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad.

[JennW in SoCal]

It is such a delight to open this thread on a Sunday afternoon and enjoy the conversation that's unfolded already. 

 

But the real culprit is that I'm totally sucked into the Game of Thrones world.  I'm halfway through A Clash of Kings now. I'm really enjoying being totally engrossed in a series, the way I used to when I was younger and had fewer responsibilities - but given that I'm older with plenty of responsibilities, I'm finding it somewhat disruptive!  Oh well, it won't last long at this rate, then I'll get back to my more responsible reading.

 

 

I'll be curious to hear how books 4 and 5 hold up for you.  And yes, those Jo Walton reviews are great!  I've turned to each of her reviews on the Master and Commander series as I finish each title compare impressions and to see if there is a plot point she appreciated more than I did.

 

 

Thank you, VC!  I have a fondness for the Wouk I've read (and I give Cm more credit for nuance than the reviewer does), so it is nice to see him getting some recognition for his strengths.  (while acknowledging his imperfections) 

 

 

 

Hamlet is everywhere.  Rereading it can be a little surreal for me, because so much of it is layered with associations and connections... but isn't it amazing?!  I saw the most incredible production of it a few years ago which left me thinking about Hamlet senior, the government, the larger political situation, Polonius's family life before the play, and the Hamlet-Hamlet father-son relationship... 

 

The only Wouk I've read was The Caine Mutiny, and I had my oldest read it in high school when he was on a WWII kick.  I enjoyed the second time I read, too.

 

And about Hamlet: I wish I could remember the book I read my freshman year in college. It was for a cultural anthropology course and was about a woman's year doing field research on a tribe in Africa.  At one point the chief asked her to share a story from her culture so she decided to do Hamlet.  The reactions to the story by the tribe were fascinating, they truly saw and interpreted it from a completely different cultural perspective.  I've thought about that many times, wishing I had the book and could reread just that section.

 

Negin, Stacia and Jane all described books I want to read!

 

And Butter and Teacher Zee are both on twitter?!!  You modern youngsters!!  

[JennW in SoCal]

Me again.

 

I finished Far from the Madding Crowd but now I'm not sure if I want to see the movie.  I hear the cinematography captures the pastoral beauty of "Wessex" but I'm afraid the actors won't be what I want them to be, either in casting, acting or the writing of their parts.  Have any of you seen it?  I was pleasantly surprised by Bathsheba, that a male Victorian author created such a complex, flawed yet strong female protagonist. As I was reading I kept thinking of the world of Jane Austen's novels where young people had support and/or interference by older and wiser adults. These characters acted entirely on their own, often impulsively, seemingly without any counsel.

 

On tap this week is Willa Cather's Death Comes for the Archbishop. Can't believe it has taken me til now to read it as it was a title I heard bandied about throughout my childhood in New Mexico.  I'll be soon heading back there for a quick trip and figured it made sense to read it now.   

[idnib]

I finished Ulysses!!!

 

...though a single read through doesn't feel like "finishing".  

 

It was a fascinating experience.  

 

:hurray:

 

I felt the same way about not really finishing but I'm not sure anyone does feel finished. 

 

May I suggest you now read The Most Dangerous Book: The Battle for James Joyce's Ulysses? It gave me so much insight into the Ulysses and made me appreciate it all the more.

[Jane in NC]

Me again.

 

I finished Far from the Madding Crowd but now I'm not sure if I want to see the movie.  I hear the cinematography captures the pastoral beauty of "Wessex" but I'm afraid the actors won't be what I want them to be, either in casting, acting or the writing of their parts.  Have any of you seen it?  I was pleasantly surprised by Bathsheba, that a male Victorian author created such a complex, flawed yet strong female protagonist. As I was reading I kept thinking of the world of Jane Austen's novels where young people had support and/or interference by older and wiser adults. These characters acted entirely on their own, often impulsively, seemingly without any counsel.

 

On tap this week is Willa Cather's Death Comes for the Archbishop. Can't believe it has taken me til now to read it as it was a title I heard bandied about throughout my childhood in New Mexico.  I'll be soon heading back there for a quick trip and figured it made sense to read it now.   

 

Well I have not seen Far from the Madding Crowd since the film is not "in theaters everywhere" but in selected theaters that do not include my world.  Pfui.

 

 

[mumto2]

I'm jealous that you've gotten to dive into some Pereine novels. I've been wanting to try some of their books ever since mumto2 (?) mentioned them. Next World sounds fascinating. Maybe that's the one that I should take the plunge with.

 

 

I'm still working on the same two books. Have been hampered in reading by a busy schedule & being sick (again -- ack, I'm so sick of being sick). I've spent too much time napping this week rather than reading

 

 

The other book I'm reading is Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams.

 

Carsick by John Waters sounds like a perfect fun & entertaining read for summer.

 

 

 

The Pereine Bookstore is a Teacherzee find. Thanks to her I now get their newsletter. It sounds lovely.

 

:grouphug: on being sick. The cold/runny nose/ hacking cough is going through our house for the third (yes, 3) time. It feels like the same stuff each time....have caught it on both sides of the Atlantic. No apparent immunity.

 

Looking forward to hearing about Carsick. Not sure that I am up for the hitchhiking parts!

[Chrysalis Academy]

I tweeted my review on my blog of Shannon Hale's Dangerous.  And Shannon Hale retweeted it.  My daughter and I screamed like little girls  :lol:

 

 

How cool!  My Shannon started reading it this morning. I asked her how she liked it.  "It's Awesome!!"

 

 

And, 6 hours later, she finished it! She gives it a 10.  It's definitely going back on my stack!

[Butter]

And, 6 hours later, she finished it! She gives it a 10.  It's definitely going back on my stack!

 

I couldn't put it down.  I gave it a 5/5 stars.  It amazes me how Shannon Hale can write so many genres and do it all so well.  You'll love it!

[Kareni]

And about Hamlet: I wish I could remember the book I read my freshman year in college. It was for a cultural anthropology course and was about a woman's year doing field research on a tribe in Africa.  At one point the chief asked her to share a story from her culture so she decided to do Hamlet.  The reactions to the story by the tribe were fascinating, they truly saw and interpreted it from a completely different cultural perspective.  I've thought about that many times, wishing I had the book and could reread just that section.

 

 

With a little searching, I found this article in Natural History Magazine which I think may be what you are talking about.  I certainly enjoyed reading it!

 

Shakespeare in the Bush by  Laura Bohannan

 

"Just before I left Oxford for the Tiv in West Africa, conversation turned to the season at Stratford. “You Americans,†said a friend, “often have difficulty with Shakespeare. He was, after all, a very English poet, and one can easily misinterpret the universal by misunderstanding the particular.â€

 

I protested that human nature is pretty much the same the whole world over; at least the general plot and motivation of the greater tragedies would always be clear—everywhere—although some details of custom might have to be explained and difficulties of translation might produce other slight changes. To end an argument we could not conclude, my friend gave me a copy of Hamlet to study in the African bush: it would, he hoped, lift my mind above its primitive surroundings, and possibly I might, by prolonged meditation, achieve the grace of correct interpretation. ..."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

About the author of the above article (from the Natural History Magazine site):

 

"Laura Bohannan, (née Laura Marie Altman Smith), (1922–2002), pen name Elenore Smith Bowen, was an anthropology professor at University of Illinois at Chicago. She was highly regarded for her studies in Africa and wrote one of the first books about the experience of doing fieldwork, Return to Laughter. Her research in Nigeria and her publications about the social system of the Tiv people "influenced a whole generation of anthropologists," according to fellow anthropologist James Phillips.

 

“Shakespeare in the Bush†is consistently the most popular article on our website and one of the most anthologized anthropology articles of all time."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[JennW in SoCal]

About the author of the above article (from the Natural History Magazine site):

 

"Laura Bohannan, (née Laura Marie Altman Smith), (1922–2002), pen name Elenore Smith Bowen, was an anthropology professor at University of Illinois at Chicago. She was highly regarded for her studies in Africa and wrote one of the first books about the experience of doing fieldwork, Return to Laughter. Her research in Nigeria and her publications about the social system of the Tiv people "influenced a whole generation of anthropologists," according to fellow anthropologist James Phillips.

 

“Shakespeare in the Bush†is consistently the most popular article on our website and one of the most anthologized anthropology articles of all time."

 

 

Kareni, I bow before your masterful google-fu (one of my college boy's "isms").  Thank you for taking the time to look it up!  I simply wrote what crossed my mind, closed my lap top and took a nap!!  I'm thinking we read Return to Laughter -- the title seems familiar.

 

ETA: I hope you all read the Shakespeare in the Bush article in the link above. You never know whether to trust a 35 year old memory, but it is as good a story as I remember!  Thank you so much Kareni for taking the time to find it!

[Kareni]

Kareni, I bow before your masterful google-fu (one of my college boy's "isms").  Thank you for taking the time to look it up! 

 

I'm glad to have been of help.  I can understand how the article stayed with you; it was an enjoyable read.

 

 

Yesterday I read with pleasure With Every Breath by Elizabeth Camden.  This is set in Washington DC in the late 1800s; it's published by Bethany House so would be categorized as inspirational fiction.

 

"In the shadow of the nation's capital, Kate Livingston's respectable life as a government worker is disrupted by an encounter with the insufferable Trevor McDonough, the one man she'd hoped never to see again. A Harvard-trained physician, Trevor never showed the tiniest flicker of interest in Kate, and business is the only reason he has sought her out now.

 

Despite her misgivings, Kate agrees to Trevor's risky proposal to join him in his work to find a cure for tuberculosis. As Kate begins to unlock the mysteries of Trevor's past, his hidden depths fascinate her. However, a shadowy enemy lies in wait and Trevor's closely guarded secrets are darker than she ever suspected.

 

As revelations from the past threaten to destroy their careers, their dreams, and even their lives, Trevor and Kate find themselves in a painfully impossible situation. With everything to lose, they must find the strength to trust that hope and love can prevail over all."

 

This was a very enjoyable story; it's a pleasure to read a historical romance with an intelligent heroine.  (She's a statistician.)  The religious component of the book was not heavy handed or preachy; it consisted primarily of the idea of being called to do particular work and of the idea that we might not understand God's plan. The medical information seemed well researched.  I felt as though I was both entertained and educated.

 

Here's a review for you, Angel.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[SunnyDays]

Goodness, you ladies have already been busy this week!  I've been completely submerged in my books... yesterday and today, I finished the last three cozies in the Booktown series!  Nice to be caught up with it, and while I still roll my eyes at the protagonist, I'll keep reading when the next book releases. 

 

As of this morning, Goodreads tells me I have read 24 books so far this year.  I'm ahead of schedule for 52, but I actually set a goal for myself of 100 this year... not all of them grand literature, obviously, but I wanted to charge through some of my TBR list!

 

Going back to finish Misquoting Jesus, then sort though my shelves to see what's next!!

[Jane in NC]

I finished Ulysses!!!

 

...though a single read through doesn't feel like "finishing".  

 

It was a fascinating experience.  

 

...and then, apparently in search of more brilliantly assemble shards of image and illusion, I reread The Waste Land... I don't know why I appreciate this so much more than I do Pound's poetry... but this I love, and Pound I admire in places, and tolerate in others. 

 

Other things finished last week:

 

 

3 plays:

 

Copenhagen by Michael Frayn: At the other end of the stylistic register from Noises Off (which is enormous, frothy fun).  This is a quiet, serious, introspective play with no action, but a (to me at least) compelling exploration of motivation and understanding.  Jane, we've talked before about the dearth of literary works which have science at the heart of their story - you might like to try this.

 

 

I am filled with admiration for those in the group who made it through Ulysses.

 

Thank you for the mention of Copenhagen.  I look forward to reading it.

 

Speaking of plays, I recently saw a performance of a silly 19th century farce, Box and Cox, a one act that would make a good middle school read or a fun rainy afternoon activity for three kids in need of a distraction. 

 

 

[Pam in CT]

Rabbit Trails R Us around here...

 

 

 

I finished Ulysses!!!

 

...though a single read through doesn't feel like "finishing".  

 

It was a fascinating experience.  

 

---------

 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night: I loved the narrator's voice and approach, but had less enthusiastic feelings about the content of the story.  I would have appreciated a less plot laden, more realistic story for our engaging ASD narrator to navigate.

 

re: Ulysses:   :party: I humbly bow before you.   I thought I was determined and plowed doggedly more than two thirds in, and then it just... stopped happening.  Some.Day.

 

 

ETA re: Curious Incident: did you ever come across Siobhan Dowd's London Eye Mystery?  Another good (in the sense of plausible) ASD narrator.  I liked the voice in Incident better (and also the imperfect parents); but the story of Eye better.  It is also very plot driven -- perhaps the ASD characters lead in that direction?

 

 

 

"Just keep shelling the beans."

 

This is the last line of a novel that begins "You're here to buy beans, sir?  From me?"  Yes, beans are the metaphor for life, a life that is filled with twists and turns that chance brings.  The narrator of Wieslaw Mysliwski's novel is a war orphan, a pupil in a rigid Soviet style technical school, a saxophone player.  In his old age, he has become the caretaker of some vacation cabins.  His life is told in discontinuous bits to the enigmatic, never named stranger who has come to buy beans.  We so not hear the stranger's questions or comments, only the narrator's responses that reveal a life that has been filled with tremendous pain yet is a life well lived.  He carries on, he finds joy and meaning, and he keeps shelling the beans.

 

When I reached the last chapter of A Treatise on Shelling Beans, I did not want this book to end.  When I reached the last few pages, tears rolled down my cheeks.  I am crying as I write this.

 

A Treatise on Shelling Beans is one of the most beautiful novels I have ever read.  Mysliwski's Stone Upon Stone is a more difficult book, namely because of the rogue who narrates it and the violent turmoil that follows in his wake.  Our gentle readers may not care for Beans but for those who are willing to accept the bitter with the sweet this is The Book. 

 

Started reading Guantanamo Diary and feeling a naive sense of disbelief that my country does this to people.

 

Just keep shelling the beans...

Oh, Jane.  

[Lady Florida.]

Me again.

 

I finished Far from the Madding Crowd but now I'm not sure if I want to see the movie.  I hear the cinematography captures the pastoral beauty of "Wessex" but I'm afraid the actors won't be what I want them to be, either in casting, acting or the writing of their parts.  Have any of you seen it?  I was pleasantly surprised by Bathsheba, that a male Victorian author created such a complex, flawed yet strong female protagonist. As I was reading I kept thinking of the world of Jane Austen's novels where young people had support and/or interference by older and wiser adults. These characters acted entirely on their own, often impulsively, seemingly without any counsel.

 

On tap this week is Willa Cather's Death Comes for the Archbishop. Can't believe it has taken me til now to read it as it was a title I heard bandied about throughout my childhood in New Mexico.  I'll be soon heading back there for a quick trip and figured it made sense to read it now.   

 

Hardy's women are usually strong and complex. Even though I didn't choose that book for book club, I do plan to read it. I'll probably wait for the movie to come to Amazon or some other streaming source.

 

I loved My Antonia and really liked O Pioneers. The next one of Cathur's I tried to read was Death Comes for the Archbishop but for some reason I just couldn't get into it. It might have been the wrong book for me at the time, and I plan to try again one day.

 

Well I have not seen Far from the Madding Crowd since the film is not "in theaters everywhere" but in selected theaters that do not include my world.  Pfui.

 

That's not my world either.

 

I too bow before those who finished Ulysses. I had grand plans but just couldn't do it. I don't know what made me think I could, because I really dislike that style of writing. If I can't get through the work of lesser stream of consciousness writers, I surely couldn't get through the master's work. 

[6packofun]

Funny, I just picked up a copy of The Caine Mutiny from the free bin at our library yesterday!

 

Anywho... I am currently reading a spy thriller--not my usual genre, although I do like suspense and/or thrillers in general.  It's I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes and so far it has me hooked.  I was up reading until 2 a.m. although that's not too strange for me.  lol

 

Next up:  The Assembler of Parts by Raoul Wientzen

 

(From the start of this extraordinary first novel, eight-year-old Jess finds herself in heaven reviewing her short life. She is guided in this by a being she calls the Assembler of Parts, and her task, as she understands it, is to glean her life's meaning. From birth, it was obvious that she was unlike other children: she was born without thumbs. The Assembler left out other parts too, for she suffers from a syndrome of birth defects that leaves her flawed. But soon it becomes apparent that by her very imperfections she has a unique ability to draw love from — and heal — those around her, from the team of doctors who rally to her care, to the parents who come together over her, to the grandmother whose guilt she assuages, to the family friend whom she helps reconcile with an angry past. With a voice full of wisdom and humor, she tells their stories too. Yet, only when she dies suddenly and her parents are suspected of neglect, unleashing a chain of events beyond her healing, does the meaning of her life come into full focus. And only then does the Assembler's purpose become clear.

With prose that is rich in emotion — from laughter to tears to outrage to joyful relief — and an eloquence that distills poetry from the language of medicine and the words for ordinary things, Raoul Wientzen has delivered a novel of rare beauty that speaks to subjects as profound as faith, what makes us human, and the value of a life.)  Seems like a love it or hate it novel to me.  I think it sounds like it could be very good, a more lyrical version of The Lovely Bones, which people do love or hate as we've seen.  LOL

[Little Nyssa]

Finished Hamlet-- what a ride!!

Jenn and Kareni, thank you for the article! I will read that with great interest! I've read Return to Laughter and enjoyed it very much.

Eliana, I take my hat off to you-- I made a concerted effort to read Ulysses last year and managed exactly one chapter. Now that you've read it, do you feel it was worth it, and did you enjoy it, and why? I confess I need some motivation to try it again...

 

Reading Tennyson this week-- a bit less exciting that the other poetry I've read lately, but still likeable.

[Chrysalis Academy]

We finished Much Ado About Nothing today. That's crept right up there among my favorite Shakespeare. Really enjoyed it. It was much easier to read than Romeo & Juliet, or Midsummer, too, FWIW.  

 

And I keep sneaking in chapters of A Clash of Kings - man, I need to finish it or I will get fired as teacher!  :lol:

[TeacherZee]

We finished Much Ado About Nothing today. That's crept right up there among my favorite Shakespeare. Really enjoyed it. It was much easier to read than Romeo & Juliet, or Midsummer, too, FWIW.

 

And I keep sneaking in chapters of A Clash of Kings - man, I need to finish it or I will get fired as teacher! :lol:

The kindle app on my computer is always deadly when I am proctoring exams. It LOOKS like I am working...but really I am not. :D

[TeacherZee]

The Ulysses talk is scaring me. I want to read it at some point but...I am considering giving War and Peace another try this summer but keeping proper notes on the characters this time. That's what lost me last time.

[ChrisB]

Here is what I've been reading since my last post, oh so many weeks ago, ya know, life and all...  

 

Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand - A very worthwhile read!  It's truly amazing what a person can go through and still survive and even thrive, along with the power of forgiveness.  I find that I oftentimes read WWII stories set in the European theater, but only a few in the Pacific theater, so this book helped me better understand the Japanese role in the war.

 

Hound of Heaven at my Heels, Robert Waldron - Waldron writes about the poet, Francis Thompson, who had a deep opium addiction, was rescued from homelessness on the streets of London, and put in a rehabilitative retreat abbey with holy monks.  If you read it knowing that it is the author's artistic license version of a reconstructed diary, you're less likely to feel cheated knowing it's not the actual diary of Thompson.  Thompson's poetry is among the writing and is very deep and thoughtful.   

 

The Dress Shop of Dreams, Menna Van Praag - Among all of these heavier books, I enjoyed this fanciful, light read.  It was a good change of pace.  While not my favorite read, it was entertaining for the time I was reading it.

 

The Jeweler's Shop, Karol Wojtyla - I feel like I'm at the time in my life where many in my age group are going through divorces, and this play speaks to what some of them are going through.  What happens when you realize your spouse can't fulfill your everything?  It was a quick, deep, and poignant read about realities of relationships.

 

All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr - The book is written as separate character vignettes that eventually come together in the end.  I felt that the book was building up to something great, but only briefly touched on it, making it feel undeveloped, and left me wanting for a better ending.  The stories leading up to the end where engrossing, keeping me engaged until the end.  

 

 

Next up, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.  I've always wanted to read it, and it'll take me a while to get through this tome of a book, but I'm up for the challenge.  I might have to read a few quick, fluffy books during the journey.    

[Lady Florida.]

 

Here is what I've been reading since my last post, oh so many weeks ago, ya know, life and all...  

 

Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand - A very worthwhile read!  It's truly amazing what a person can go through and still survive and even thrive, along with the power of forgiveness.  I find that I oftentimes read WWII stories set in the European theater, but only a few in the Pacific theater, so this book helped me better understand the Japanese role in the war.

 

 

 

All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr - The book is written as separate character vignettes that eventually come together in the end.  I felt that the book was building up to something great, but only briefly touched on it, making it feel undeveloped, and left me wanting for a better ending.  The stories leading up to the end where engrossing, keeping me engaged until the end.  

 

 

Next up, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.  I've always wanted to read it, and it'll take me a while to get through this tome of a book, but I'm up for the challenge.  I might have to read a few quick, fluffy books during the journey.    

 

 

I almost finished Unbroken, but just stopped and never picked it up again. I agree it's fascinating and I learned much about the Japanese role in WWII that gets pushed to the background due to Hitler. However, at some point I was getting bored. I felt horrible for feeling that way but it seemed like constant repeats of: We're captured and tortured. Oh, maybe we'll be rescued. No. More torture. I think the torture is over now. Not yet. There's more. I don't think the author intended to beat readers over the head with descriptions of torture but I feel like that's what she did.

 

I understand that it's a true story and there shouldn't be any glossing over the absolutely horrible torture, but it makes the reading very long and tedious at times. Of course that's me. Dh flew through the book and couldn't wait for me to finish so we could discuss it. I know he's disappointed that I haven't finished.

 

As for All the Light We Cannot See, I agree with you. It's a lovely story all the way through then it falls apart with a so-so ending. 

 

I loved Anna Karenina. I didn't like Anna, and didn't even like the character I was supposed to like (he's a bit too holier than thou for me), but I loved the book. I loved the writing, and what to me was a glimpse of Russian history, and the way Tolstoy writes about very human characters.

[Pam in CT]

I think I missed last week's thread entirely.  It's finally good to garden!!

 

I finished Rebecca Newburger Goldstein's Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won't Go Away, which I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed -- simultaneously hilarious and (for me) tremendously helpful and (as Goldstein always is) ultimately generous-spirited.  I should have started here last year when I bit off more than I could chew rather than trying to tackle dusty philosophical tomes directly; turns out I need a guide.  It was slow going for me, in part because it's critically important to read the Very Extensive footnotes, where at least 2/3 of the best comedy lies... Jane, it follows Santa very well; and Rose, if you haven't taken the plunge yet.... She then sent me off onto a rabbit trail and I've now tackled Peter Singer's The Expanding Circle: Ethics, Evolution, and Moral Progress, which both she and Steven Pinker have spoken highly of.  

 

For a study group at my synagogue, I read Richard Friedman's The Bible with Sources Revealed, which follows up on his earlier book and further delves into the Documentary Hypothesis, the obviously controversial idea that the Torah/Pentateuch was authored by four (ish) different (human) authors and later integrated by two (ish) redacting editors.  I've read several other books on the subject; what's interesting about this one is that it includes the actual biblical text color-coded into Friedman's / other scholars' best working view which parts were the work of the different hypothesized JEDP authors.  Quite interesting; definitely not for everyone.

 

The Eye of the Elephant by Delia and Mark Owens is about their rather hair-raising experiences in northern Zambia first trying to study elephants, and soon re-directed to trying to save the elephant population from poachers, ultimately by forging alliances with local citizens through incorporating employment and small business opportunities associated with conservation.  My youngest is really, really smitten with elephants and we read it together.  While it's a little dated, and the Owenses have subsequently had their share of controversy, I thought the book did a good job describing both the tradeoffs and challenges of conservation and also how having such a passion can drive a person right up to the brink, maybe past it.

 

Between Friends, by Amos Oz - interlinked stories set in an Israeli kibbutz i the 1950s.  I'm generally an Oz fan, and several of these were nuanced and lovely, particularly the understated title story; but overall not his strongest.

 

For an IRL book group, The Wanting by Michael Lavigne - a complexly woven story, told by three narrators, spanning Soviet refuseniks in the 1980s and the aftermath of a bus bombing in Israel fourteen years later.  Brilliantly constructed with an edge (but not too much, lol) of magical realism.  Stacia, I think you'd like this one. 

 

And Stacia, thank you for Akata Witch, by Mnedi Okorafor, a marvelous YA set in Nigeria, with elements of Harry Potter and Rick Riordan in a vastly more exotic, dare I even say educational, background.  It certainly reads like the first in a series (as we got to the end, Stella declared well I certainly hope she doesn't think this is the end!!) and from the author's website it looks like the second book is due out sometime this year.  Angel, you might take a look at this for your daughter (there is one episode of kissing, to which the 12 yo narrator reacted with Ewwwww, lol), but S and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Guest]

 

 

I finished Rebecca Newburger Goldstein's Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won't Go Away, which I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed -

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 My youngest is really, really smitten with elephants and we read it together.  

 

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For an IRL book group, The Wanting by Michael Lavigne - a complexly woven story, told by three narrators, spanning Soviet refuseniks in the 1980s and the aftermath of a bus bombing in Israel fourteen years later.  Brilliantly constructed with an edge (but not too much, lol) of magical realism.  Stacia, I think you'd like this one. 

 

 

I've added the Goldstein to my tbr list, thank you!

 

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Elephants are very, very dear to my mother's heart, so I enjoy hearing about others who love them too.  Your daughter might be interested in this article from our local paper and the PAWS and Elephant Sanctuary organizations (both mentioned briefly in the article).  

 

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A thin edge? (of magical realism) 

 

 

I almost finished Unbroken, but just stopped and never picked it up again. I agree it's fascinating and I learned much about the Japanese role in WWII that gets pushed to the background due to Hitler. However, at some point I was getting bored. I felt horrible for feeling that way but it seemed like constant repeats of: We're captured and tortured. Oh, maybe we'll be rescued. No. More torture. I think the torture is over now. Not yet. There's more. I don't think the author intended to beat readers over the head with descriptions of torture but I feel like that's what she did.

 

I understand that it's a true story and there shouldn't be any glossing over the absolutely horrible torture, but it makes the reading very long and tedious at times. Of course that's me. Dh flew through the book and couldn't wait for me to finish so we could discuss it. I know he's disappointed that I haven't finished.

 

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I loved Anna Karenina. I didn't like Anna, and didn't even like the character I was supposed to like (he's a bit too holier than thou for me), but I loved the book. I loved the writing, and what to me was a glimpse of Russian history, and the way Tolstoy writes about very human characters.

 

 I've come to feel that extended, graphic descriptions of suffering (especially torture) actually lessen the effectiveness of the work.  I think your response, to pull back, is a common one, and distances the reader from the intensity of the experience.  So, counterintuitively, I think that type of presentation is more of a glossing over than a better crafted presentation would be.  ymmv 

 

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Liking a character and finding him/her engaging and believable are, for me, almost completely unrelated.  For example, I can't say I liked Emma Bovary, but she was a very three dimensional character, whose challenges I found gripping and believable in my recent reread.  ..and Iago... the Iago in a recent Othello production was the most unlikeable one I've seen or imagined in many, many ways, but he was so vividly real, so scarred and distorted in ways I wish humans never really experienced... 

 

I love Tolstoy's world building (to borrow a sff genre term), and the integrity at the heart of his storytelling.  Now I'm wanting to revisit War and Peace... Maybe in the summer.

 

 

 

 

Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand - A very worthwhile read!  It's truly amazing what a person can go through and still survive and even thrive, along with the power of forgiveness.  I find that I oftentimes read WWII stories set in the European theater, but only a few in the Pacific theater, so this book helped me better understand the Japanese role in the war.

 

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The Jeweler's Shop, Karol Wojtyla - I feel like I'm at the time in my life where many in my age group are going through divorces, and this play speaks to what some of them are going through.  What happens when you realize your spouse can't fulfill your everything?  It was a quick, deep, and poignant read about realities of relationships.

 

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Next up, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.  I've always wanted to read it, and it'll take me a while to get through this tome of a book, but I'm up for the challenge.  I might have to read a few quick, fluffy books during the journey.    

 

 

I am alternatively amazed by human resilience and grieved by how deeply traumas can scar our psyches. ...and then I wonder how we strengthen the one and minimize the other.  How can we prevent the creation of the Iagos of the world?  ...those scarred and embittered, who have lost their capacity for love and forgiveness (or, perhaps, just buried it so deeply?)

 

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I wonder if my library has that... I am interested in explorations of love and striving and integrity....

 

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I think that AK is a very engaging read.  It doesn't have the mongo cast of character that make War and Peace a little daunting, nor the tapestry like blend of narratives.  

 

 

We finished Much Ado About Nothing today. That's crept right up there among my favorite Shakespeare. Really enjoyed it. It was much easier to read than Romeo & Juliet, or Midsummer, too, FWIW.  

 

Isn't it delightful?  The love stories are nice, but I am equally fond of the friendships.  I wonder if you might enjoy reading All's Well That Ends Well?  I find there to be some interesting intersections with Much Ado... though that could be my weird associative mind.  It is certainly a more bittersweet play, not as dark as Measure for Measure... but it, in my mind, bridges Much Ado and Measure for Measure... 

 

[Maela]

I am so behind!  Mostly it's because I've gone back to my bad habit of reading five or more books at a time. :o

 

Last night I finished book #13.  It was The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.  I LOVED it.  But I also loved Gone Girl.

 

 

I'm still working on my book in Spanish, I'm reading a book about minimalism (again), I'm reading The Diary of a Young Girl, and I was reading The Happiness Project until I had to return it...  I also have about seven other books on my shelf from the library.  This is why I need to read one (maybe two) books at a time.  I often end up having to return the books before I can finish them.

[Guest]

 

 

ETA re: Curious Incident: did you ever come across Siobhan Dowd's London Eye Mystery?  Another good (in the sense of plausible) ASD narrator.  I liked the voice in Incident better (and also the imperfect parents); but the story of Eye better.  It is also very plot driven -- perhaps the ASD characters lead in that direction?

 

 

 

Yes, a number of years ago.  ...and I agree with your comparison.  That's a fascinating question.  ...and it made me think of The Rosie Project, which was also very plot driven (and also absurdly so in some places).  

 

 

Thank you for the mention of Copenhagen.  I look forward to reading it.

 

Speaking of plays, I recently saw a performance of a silly 19th century farce, Box and Cox, a one act that would make a good middle school read or a fun rainy afternoon activity for three kids in need of a distraction. 

 

 

I wish there were more books which utilized science as art or music or literature might be used... and I'm grateful to you for helping me see the lack.

 

Box and Cox looks like fun!  ...and there's a picture book my little guy might like... 

 

 

 

And about Hamlet: I wish I could remember the book I read my freshman year in college. It was for a cultural anthropology course and was about a woman's year doing field research on a tribe in Africa.  At one point the chief asked her to share a story from her culture so she decided to do Hamlet.  The reactions to the story by the tribe were fascinating, they truly saw and interpreted it from a completely different cultural perspective.  I've thought about that many times, wishing I had the book and could reread just that section.

 

 

Thank you for mentioning this Jenn - and now I want to read her book!

 

 

About the author of the above article (from the Natural History Magazine site):

"Laura Bohannan, (née Laura Marie Altman Smith), (1922–2002), pen name Elenore Smith Bowen, was an anthropology professor at University of Illinois at Chicago. She was highly regarded for her studies in Africa and wrote one of the first books about the experience of doing fieldwork, Return to Laughter. Her research in Nigeria and her publications about the social system of the Tiv people "influenced a whole generation of anthropologists," according to fellow anthropologist James Phillips.

“Shakespeare in the Bush†is consistently the most popular article on our website and one of the most anthologized anthropology articles of all time."

Regards,
Kareni

 

Kareni, thank you finding this for us!  ...isn't it amazing the way we make stories our own?  Experience them through the lens of our of background and experience?  ...which is partly how we can have such dramatically different reading experiences... though we've joked about different editions of books, in a weird way we can never read the same book someone else reads, because we each create the book we read as we read it... 

 

 

The Pereine Bookstore is a Teacherzee find. Thanks to her I now get their newsletter. It sounds lovely.
 

 

Thank you, Teacherzee!  (and mumto2 for ensuring proper credit is given!)