Book a Week 2015 - BW30: Aldous Huxley

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday Dear hearts:  We are on week 30 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 - Aldous Huxley:   It is the anniversary of the birth of British novelist Aldous Huxley, best known for his dystopian novel Brave New World.  He was a prolific writer and published many poems, short stories, essays, film adaptations and scripts.  Check out Somaweb.org, a compilation of links about Huxley and his philosophy, ideas, works and politics as well as all things Brave New Worldish.  Fascinating site which will keep you busy following rabbit trails for days.

I'll leave you with the beginning of Chapter 1 of Brave New World

       

 

A SQUAT grey building of only thirty-four stories. Over the main entrance the words, CENTRAL LONDON HATCHERY AND CONDITIONING CENTRE, and, in a shield, the World State's motto, COMMUNITY, IDENTITY, STABILITY.

The enormous room on the ground floor faced towards the north. Cold for all the summer beyond the panes, for all the tropical heat of the room itself, a harsh thin light glared through the windows, hungrily seeking some draped lay figure, some pallid shape of academic goose-flesh, but finding only the glass and nickel and bleakly shining porcelain of a laboratory. Wintriness responded to wintriness. The overalls of the workers were white, their hands gloved with a pale corpse-coloured rubber. The light was frozen, dead, a ghost. Only from the yellow barrels of the microscopes did it borrow a certain rich and living substance, lying along the polished tubes like butter, streak after luscious streak in long recession down the work tables.

"And this," said the Director opening the door, "is the Fertilizing Room."

Bent over their instruments, three hundred Fertilizers were plunged, as the Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning entered the room, in the scarcely breathing silence, the absent-minded, soliloquizing hum or whistle, of absorbed concentration. A troop of newly arrived students, very young, pink and callow, followed nervously, rather abjectly, at the Director's heels. Each of them carried a notebook, in which, whenever the great man spoke, he desperately scribbled. Straight from the horse's mouth. It was a rare privilege. The D. H. C. for Central London always made a point of personally conducting his new students round the various departments.

"Just to give you a general idea," he would explain to them. For of course some sort of general idea they must have, if they were to do their work intelligently–though as little of one, if they were to be good and happy members of society, as possible. For particulars, as every one knows, make for virtue and happiness; generalities are intellectually necessary evils. Not philosophers but fret-sawyers and stamp collectors compose the backbone of society.

"To-morrow," he would add, smiling at them with a slightly menacing geniality, "you'll be settling down to serious work. You won't have time for generalities. Meanwhile …"

Meanwhile, it was a privilege. Straight from the horse's mouth into the notebook. The boys scribbled like mad.

Tall and rather thin but upright, the Director advanced into the room. He had a long chin and big rather prominent teeth, just covered, when he was not talking, by his full, floridly curved lips. Old, young? Thirty? Fifty? Fifty-five? It was hard to say. And anyhow the question didn't arise; in this year of stability, A. F. 632, it didn't occur to you to ask it.

"I shall begin at the beginning," said the D.H.C. and the more zealous students recorded his intention in their notebooks: Begin at the beginning. "These," he waved his hand, "are the incubators." And opening an insulated door he showed them racks upon racks of numbered test-tubes. "The week's supply of ova. Kept," he explained, "at blood heat; whereas the male gametes," and here he opened another door, "they have to be kept at thirty-five instead of thirty-seven. Full blood heat sterilizes." Rams wrapped in theremogene beget no lambs.

Still leaning against the incubators he gave them, while the pencils scurried illegibly across the pages, a brief description of the modern fertilizing process; spoke first, of course, of its surgical introduction–"the operation undergone voluntarily for the good of Society, not to mention the fact that it carries a bonus amounting to six months' salary"; continued with some account of the technique for preserving the excised ovary alive and actively developing; passed on to a consideration of optimum temperature, salinity, viscosity; referred to the liquor in which the detached and ripened eggs were kept; and, leading his charges to the work tables, actually showed them how this liquor was drawn off from the test-tubes; how it was let out drop by drop onto the specially warmed slides of the microscopes; how the eggs which it contained were inspected for abnormalities, counted and transferred to a porous receptacle; how (and he now took them to watch the operation) this receptacle was immersed in a warm bouillon containing free-swimming spermatozoa–at a minimum concentration of one hundred thousand per cubic centimetre, he insisted; and how, after ten minutes, the container was lifted out of the liquor and its contents re-examined; how, if any of the eggs remained unfertilized, it was again immersed, and, if necessary, yet again; how the fertilized ova went back to the incubators; where the Alphas and Betas remained until definitely bottled; while the Gammas, Deltas and Epsilons were brought out again, after only thirty-six hours, to undergo Bokanovsky's Process. 

(Yes, this seems like the world's longest sentence, but it isn't)

"Bokanovsky's Process," repeated the Director, and the students underlined the words in their little notebooks.

One egg, one embryo, one adult-normality. But a bokanovskified egg will bud, will proliferate, will divide. From eight to ninety-six buds, and every bud will grow into a perfectly formed embryo, and every embryo into a full-sized adult. Making ninety-six human beings grow where only one grew before. Progress.

"Essentially," the D.H.C. concluded, "bokanovskification consists of a series of arrests of development. We check the normal growth and, paradoxically enough, the egg responds by budding."

Responds by budding. The pencils were busy.

He pointed. On a very slowly moving band a rack-full of test-tubes was entering a large metal box, another, rack-full was emerging. Machinery faintly purred. It took eight minutes for the tubes to go through, he told them. Eight minutes of hard X-rays being about as much as an egg can stand. A few died; of the rest, the least susceptible divided into two; most put out four buds; some eight; all were returned to the incubators, where the buds began to develop; then, after two days, were suddenly chilled, chilled and checked.

Two, four, eight, the buds in their turn budded; and having budded were dosed almost to death with alcohol; consequently burgeoned again and having budded–bud out of bud out of bud–were thereafter–further arrest being generally fatal–left to develop in peace. By which time the original egg was in a fair way to becoming anything from eight to ninety-six embryos– a prodigious improvement, you will agree, on nature. Identical twins–but not in piddling twos and threes as in the old viviparous days, when an egg would sometimes accidentally divide; actually by dozens, by scores at a time.

"Scores," the Director repeated and flung out his arms, as though he were distributing largesse. "Scores."

But one of the students was fool enough to ask where the advantage lay.

"My good boy!" The Director wheeled sharply round on him. "Can't you see? Can't you see?" He raised a hand; his expression was solemn. "Bokanovsky's Process is one of the major instruments of social stability!"

Major instruments of social stability.

Standard men and women; in uniform batches. The whole of a small factory staffed with the products of a single bokanovskified egg.

"Ninety-six identical twins working ninety-six identical machines!" The voice was almost tremulous with enthusiasm. "You really know where you are. For the first time in history." He quoted the planetary motto. "Community, Identity, Stability." Grand words. "If we could bokanovskify indefinitely the whole problem would be solved."

Solved by standard Gammas, unvarying Deltas, uniform Epsilons. Millions of identical twins. The principle of mass production at last applied to biology.

"But, alas," the Director shook his head, "we can't bokanovskify indefinitely."

Ninety-six seemed to be the limit; seventy-two a good average. From the same ovary and with gametes of the same male to manufacture as many batches of identical twins as possible–that was the best (sadly a second best) that they could do. And even that was difficult.

"For in nature it takes thirty years for two hundred eggs to reach maturity. But our business is to stabilize the population at this moment, here and now. Dribbling out twins over a quarter of a century–what would be the use of that?"

 

Continue reading here.

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

 

History of the Medieval World - Chapter 34 

Mayors of the Palaces  pp 246 - 254

 

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

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

Link to week 29

[Robin M]

I'm late!
I'm late!
For a very important date!
No time to say "Hello", goodbye!
I'm late!
I'm late!
I'm late! I'm late! And, when I wave I lose the time I save My fuzzy ears and whiskers took me too much time to shave
I run and then I hop hop hop
I wish that I could fly
There's danger if I dare to stop and here's the reason why
You see I'm overdue
I'm in a rabbit stew
Can't even say "Good-bye", hello
I'm late, I'm late, I'm late
No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
I'm overdue!
I'm really in a stew!
No time to say "Goodbye", hello!
I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!

 

~White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland~

 

:001_wub: 

 

Sorry dolls, hubby and I were having a meeting.

 

Currently reading Karen Moning's Iced, # 6 in Fever series.

 

 

[Kareni]

Over the weekend I read with pleasure Sarina Bowen's The Year We Hid Away  which is the second book in her new adult Ivy Years series.  I read this series decidedly out of order as my library first obtained volume three, then one, and now two.  I've enjoyed them all very much.  One of the things I enjoy about this series is that the major characters talk with each other so we get to know them while they're getting to know each other.

 

"She's hiding something big. He's hiding someone small.

 

Scarlet Crowley's life was torn apart the day [her] father was arrested for unspeakable crimes. Now the shock has worn off, but not the horror. It's a safe bet that Scarlet is the only first year at Harkness College who had to sneak past TV news trucks parked on her front lawn just to leave town. But college will be Scarlet's fresh start. Clutching a shiny new student ID - with a newly minted name on it - she leaves it all behind. Even if it means lying to the boy she's falling for.

 

Bridger McCaulley is a varsity hockey star known for being a player both on and off the ice. But a sobering family crisis takes that all away. Protecting his sister means a precarious living arrangement and constant deception. The only bright spot in his week is the few stolen hours he spends with Scarlet.

 

The two form a tentative relationship based on the understanding that some things must always be held back. But when grim developments threaten them both, going it alone just won't work anymore. And if they can't learn to trust one another now, the families who let them down will take everything they've struggled to keep."

 

After reading this book, I reread Sarina Bowen's novella Blonde Date (Ivy Years 2.5).  The main characters of Blonde Date were introduced in The Year We Hid Away but the novella had worked fine as a stand alone when I read it previously.  I enjoyed this reread also.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Violet Crown]

Still reading Roderick Random. But I finished planning French, classics, and religion! All of which I am trying this year to make more literature-oriented for Middle Girl; so much of my own reading may be driven by needing to be able to keep along with her.

 

Which reminds me, I did finish, for homeschooling discussion, something far too short to count, but interesting nevertheless: Freud's letter to Einstein on the topic of why human beings resort to violence, and whether war is avoidable. Written right before the Second World War, alas. If I can find a link, I'll add it.

[Loesje22000]

My brains are a little bit back working again so I could finally read in English again and finish Longbourn.

 

I am reading a Dutch book about Philosophers for 12-15yo.

It is written very enganging but have so far no clue how to implement it in homeschool :)

 

And I started an abridged translation of Rousseau's: 'Emile'.

I finished book 1 out of 5 ( the book doesn't have chapters, only 'books' as dividing).

 

Still cleaning and decluttering of course...

[Butter]

I'm determined to get my special books challenge for the year done with.  I went through the categories yesterday and picked at least options if not specific books for each of the categories I have left.  The two categories I am having trouble with are a book with bad reviews and a book that made you cry.

 

I don't usually pick books with bad reviews because, well, they don't sound like they'd be good.  I think 2 1/2 stars or less on Amazon would qualify for a book with bad reviews for the purposes of this challenge.  I probably just need to go through the free Kindle books and find one that sounds decent but still gets bad reviews.  If you liked a book that has a low rating on Amazon, let me know!

 

A book that made me cry is almost impossible for me.  I just don't cry.  The only books that have ever made me cry are The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler.  That's it.  And I can't use them because unless the category requires it, I'm not doing an re-reads for this challenge.  So... help?

 

I'm currently reading Gone With the Wind (Pulitzer Prize winning book and also a book I'm pre-reading for Cameron) and Boxcar Children Mystery at the Alamo (book that takes place in my hometown - I already had it since my 9 year old read it last year so I went with it).

[TeacherZee]

Brave New World was my favourite book from my high school reading list. I loved it. For me it really opened my eyes to other ways of looking at literature and reading. I think this book was where I understood HOW and WHY literary analysis was important. It also made me look at my own world and my own values in a new way.

 

My list of books read in the second half of the year:

 

60. Kiss Me by Susan Mallery

61. The Last Thing He Needs by J. H. Knight

62. In Front of God and Everyone by Nealy Wagner

63. Everything He Needs by J. H. Knight

64. It's Never Over by Nealy Wagner

65. HIM by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy (review will be up on the blog on Monday)

66. Radio Silence by Alyssa Cole

67. Finding Their Way by A. M. Arthur

68. Signal Boost by Alyssa Cole

69. Focus on Me by Megan Ericksson

 

This is moving week for me, most of my stuff is packed so I will have some reading time. I want to try and read some of the non-e-books I have not packed yet since the dead kindle issue and I don't really like reading on the iPad (glare). But I there are two books due out this week that I have pre-ordered (plus HIM which I have already read an ARC copy of). On Tuesday the next Fool's Gold book Thrill Me by Susan Mallery is out, and on Wednesday Curve Ball by Sloan Jones is coming out. So that is what my reading week looks like.

 

[Onceuponatime]

I'm reading Death in the Stocks by Georgette Heyer.

 

I read Brave New World in high school on my own initiative, because it was on a list of recommended books my English teacher had handed out. I wrote a report on it for my Social Studies class and the teacher was dismayed. He wanted to know why I would chose to read such a disturbing book. Unfortunately, I don't remember much about the story. I have a vague impression of drugs and being under surveillance.

[TeacherZee]

 

Over the weekend I read with pleasure Sarina Bowen's The Year We Hid Away  which is the second book in her new adult Ivy Years series.  I read this series decidedly out of order as my library first obtained volume three, then one, and now two.  I've enjoyed them all very much.  One of the things I enjoy about this series is that the major characters talk with each other so we get to know them while they're getting to know each other.

 

"She's hiding something big. He's hiding someone small.

 

Scarlet Crowley's life was torn apart the day [her] father was arrested for unspeakable crimes. Now the shock has worn off, but not the horror. It's a safe bet that Scarlet is the only first year at Harkness College who had to sneak past TV news trucks parked on her front lawn just to leave town. But college will be Scarlet's fresh start. Clutching a shiny new student ID - with a newly minted name on it - she leaves it all behind. Even if it means lying to the boy she's falling for.

 

Bridger McCaulley is a varsity hockey star known for being a player both on and off the ice. But a sobering family crisis takes that all away. Protecting his sister means a precarious living arrangement and constant deception. The only bright spot in his week is the few stolen hours he spends with Scarlet.

 

The two form a tentative relationship based on the understanding that some things must always be held back. But when grim developments threaten them both, going it alone just won't work anymore. And if they can't learn to trust one another now, the families who let them down will take everything they've struggled to keep."

 

After reading this book, I reread Sarina Bowen's novella Blonde Date (Ivy Years 2.5).  The main characters of Blonde Date were introduced in The Year We Hid Away but the novella had worked fine as a stand alone when I read it previously.  I enjoyed this reread also.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

There is one more book in the series now The Shameless Hour. It is Bella's book. There is also at least one more book being written :)

 

 

[Kareni]

There is one more book in the series now The Shameless Hour. It is Bella's book. There is also at least one more book being written :)

 

I've just put in a purchase suggestion at my library for The Shameless Hour; now it's a matter of waiting to see if they decide to buy it!  I do like this author.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

I've never read Huxley, though I've wanted to. Maybe I should make some time to read Brave New World.

 

I have accomplished almost no reading this week. Haven't made any progress on Marco Polo, but I did start one of the (many) books that came in on my library hold list: Bone Gap. I originally saw it recommended somewhere (Flavorwire maybe?) & since the library had it, I requested it. I didn't originally realize it's a YA book (not my fave), but it's actually decent so far & I'm kind of curious where it will go since it mentions folktale/mythology references & magical realism. It got starred reviews on both Kirkus & Publishers Weekly.

 

In a story that blends realism with dreamlike imagery and echoes of myth, Finn is the only witness to the kidnapping of 19-year-old Roza. However, his vague description of the man who took her leaves just about everyone in the small town of Bone Gap—including his older brother, Sean, who is in love with Roza—without much faith in his story. Through a complex interweaving of chapters, mostly told from Finn and Roza's points of view, Ruby (Bad Apple) slowly reveals that what actually happened to the beautiful Polish immigrant is more complicated than Finn even knew, and that his own disability, which only becomes clear to readers late in the novel, will make it difficult for him to find her. Ruby raises incisive questions about feminine beauty, identity, and power (Finn's new girlfriend, Petey, is marginalized for not being pretty, while Roza is harassed and abused by men who desire her) in a story full of subtle magic that is not compelled to provide concrete explanations. A haunting and inventive work that subverts expectations at every turn. Ages 14–up. Agent: Tina Wexler, ICM. (Mar.)

 

Heather, The Fig Eater has only a 2.5 star review on amazon & a 2.93 on Goodreads. Is that low enough? I absolutely loved that book. I think the low ratings stem from the fact that some expected it to be a straight-out mystery novel, but it's not. Not at all. My Goodreads review of it:

 

Finished The Fig Eater while lingering over a cup of coffee & freshly-baked Gruyère gougères today. Perfect. If you have some decadent food or wine or coffee or fruit or pastry to have with this book, all the better.

I absolutely loved this book. It is full of spare beauty, of opposites (the rational vs. the emotional; male vs. female; etc...), of art.

I'm dismayed to see the low ratings this book has received on amazon & Goodreads; I'm guessing many picked up this book thinking it is a traditional or cozy mystery or thriller, when it is really nothing, nothing of the sort (& would definitely not appeal if that is what one is seeking). The Fig Eater is an artistic, atmospheric look at Vienna in 1910, the fledgling study of crime through systematic investigative practices contrasted with the superstitions & emotions involved in crimes, in life. There's a detached, cold air around the characters, the story, but there are bold slashes where superstition or life or art come crashing through -- a frenzy in the icy snows of a Viennese winter. Cunning, folklore, passion, photography, cafés, cigarettes, balls, husbands, wives, gypsies, fire, ice, investigations, insanity, infidelity, watercolors, figs, gardens, medicine, doctors, glints, secrets, superstitions.The mystery is really the least of the story; read it for the poetry, the beauty. Really gorgeous.

 

As for a book that made me cry, I always think of The Book Thief. (I cried through the last 30 minutes of it.) But, if you're not the type to cry when reading books, I'm not sure that one will make you cry either.

[mumto2]

I am almost done with One Night More by Mandy Baxter. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19083258-one-night-more?ac=1. I am enjoying it. Adult content.

 

I remember Brave New World. I haven't read it since high school.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Brave New World was my choice for the Banned Book category for our Adult Summer Reading Program.  I had read it in high school, and remembered being affected by it, but not as horrified as I was by 1984.  I enjoyed this re-read very much. I think it is one of those books that is so clearly a product of its time, yet also so prescient, it doesn't seem as dated as many mid-20th century dystopias do.  In fact it feels like some of the predictions are actually happening, in a subtle way.  So it's disturbing, without being horrifying.  I've had BNW Revisited sitting on my to-read stack for awhile now.

 

I listened to the audiobook of Dodger. I liked it.  It will be fun to pair with Oliver Twist some day for Shannon, but not for awhile yet.

 

 

Recently completed books:

108. The Reluctant Assassin - Eoin Colfer

107.  How To Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success-Julie Lythcott-Haims. 

106. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

105. Letters to a Young Poet - Ranier Maria Rilke

104. Dodger - Terry Pratchett

103. The Far Side of Evil - Sylvia Louise Engdhal

102. Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls - Matt Ruff

101. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

100. Enchantress from the Stars - Sylvia Louise Engdahl

 

 

 

[melmichigan]

I haven't gotten much reading done lately, and I haven't had time to do more than glance through the last few threads.  We have a new puppy and I just don't deal with sleep deprivation like I used to!  (Required photo from yesterday is below.) :)  He's finally sleeping a stretch at night and I'm slowly catching up on everything I haven't gotten done in the last month.

 

Recently I finished the seven book series The Dark Angels by Keri Arthur.  It is a spin off from her Riley Jensen Guardian Series (which I also enjoyed).  Some of the reviews are mixed, especially with the first book, and it took me a little longer to get into, but overall I enjoyed both series.  You could read them independently, but you'd have a better understanding if you read the Riley Jensen Guardian series first.

 

 

 

[JennW in SoCal]

Wow.  Just finished Ishiguro's The Buried Giant. I really liked it, even though it is melancholic and moody, and as Neil Gaiman wrote in his NYTimes review of the book, "The narrative is dreamlike and measured." Gaiman says he liked but didn't love the book, but it has tugged at him enough to want to reread it, to dig a little deeper into looking for its hidden meanings. Lots of readers on Goodreads seem to really dislike it. (Heather -- it might be a good choice for books with bad reviews!)  My college boy has abandoned it mostly because it moved too slow, and he wasn't drawn in enough to want to see where it was going. 

 

Not sure what to read once the spell lifts from The Buried Giant. 

 

 

[Butter]

I finished Mystery at the Alamo by Gertrude Chandler Warren.  It's a kids book so it was short.  But they got the story about Angelina's ring wrong!  It's a very well-known story so the fact that they got it wrong really just shows a lack of even cursory research.  In the book, they say her father gave it to her.  In reality, the ring belonged to William Barret Travis and he put it around the 15 month old Angelina's neck before the siege ended.  This isn't even a "this might have happened" story.  It's a story that her mother told right away and the ring had been known to have been Travis's.  It's not a huge deal, but when a book is set in a location and is using something that is real, I expect that part to be accurate.  Also, the Boxcar Children, who are usually very smart, as well as all the adults in the area, apparently were afflicted with amnesia all at the same time.  I am sure it was to draw out the suspense, but instead it just made them all look dumb.  My son read the book last year when he was 8.  He said the ending was bad.  Now I know what he meant.  I gave it 3 stars.

 

Next up: It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini (a book written by someone under age 30).

[Just Robyn]

 

I have accomplished almost no reading this week. Haven't made any progress on Marco Polo, 

 

Is it okay for me to be happy about this since I haven't started it yet, or even picked it up from the library?

 

Brave New World: I read and enjoyed this a few years ago. Someone here recently mentioned all the Shakespeare references in it, and since I hadn't read much Shakespeare at the time, I now feel like I ought to eventually re-read it.

 

I finished Whatcha Mean, What's a Zine? by Mark Todd, which I already talked about enough.

 

I also read A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf, which I think would be a good book for people who aren't much into Woolf's style, but want to read something by her. Even though her style was definitely recognizable in the piece, it was more clear and easy to follow, imo, than To the Lighthouse or Mrs. Dalloway.

 

I'm perplexed by the idea that her point that being independently wealthy is the only way to achieve genius is snobbish. It's not like she's saying only wealthy people are born with the intellectual potential for genius. She's only saying that if you have to do menial, soul-crushing work all day and spend your nights racked with worry because all that work still won't pay the bills, you won't be able to reach your potential. You might still write great things, but you could have written even greater things if only you'd had the leisure time of wealth and assured calm of knowing you'll be able to sleep indoors and eat good food.

 

And today I finished Rilke's Duino Elegies - not what I was expecting. I spent a good portion of the book wondering who died or if indeed anyone had died before I felt like the translator's notes sufficiently explained the poem's theme and purpose so I could let go of my original ideas and appreciate it for what it was. Something I'll have to read again sometime.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Is it okay for me to be happy about this since I haven't started it yet, or even picked it up from the library?

 

Brave New World: I read and enjoyed this a few years ago. Someone here recently mentioned all the Shakespeare references in it, and since I hadn't read much Shakespeare at the time, I now feel like I ought to eventually re-read it.

 

 

 

Oh yeah, that was me! I definitely appreciated all the Shakespeare references this reading, ones I missed in high school. I'm definitely going to make sure my kids read The Tempest before they read it.  It was the only book John Savage had to read, so all of his perceptions of the Brave New World (a line from The Tempest) are expressed in Shakespearean language and filtered through Shakespearean situations, it was the only tool he had to try and understand the world. Fascinating, it was one of my favorite aspects of the book.

[mumto2]

I haven't gotten much reading done lately, and I haven't had time to do more than glance through the last few threads. We have a new puppy and I just don't deal with sleep deprivation like I used to! (Required photo from yesterday is below.) :) He's finally sleeping a stretch at night and I'm slowly catching up on everything I haven't gotten done in the last month.

 

Recently I finished the seven book series The Dark Angels by Keri Arthur. It is a spin off from her Riley Jensen Guardian Series (which I also enjoyed). Some of the reviews are mixed, especially with the first book, and it took me a little longer to get into, but overall I enjoyed both series. You could read them independently, but you'd have a better understanding if you read the Riley Jensen Guardian series first.

He is adorable!!!! I added the Riley Jensen series to my list. :)

[shukriyya]

Still working on Catherine the Great and Under an English Heaven. Enjoying both.

[Just Robyn]

Oh yeah, that was me! I definitely appreciated all the Shakespeare references this reading, ones I missed in high school. I'm definitely going to make sure my kids read The Tempest before they read it.  It was the only book John Savage had to read, so all of his perceptions of the Brave New World (a line from The Tempest) are expressed in Shakespearean language and filtered through Shakespearean situations, it was the only tool he had to try and understand the world. Fascinating, it was one of my favorite aspects of the book.

 

Ah, thank you! I enjoyed The Tempest, too, so I'll happily re-read that before re-reading Brave New World.

[Ali in OR]

I just finished The Just City by Jo Walton which I enjoyed very much--I already have the sequel, The Philosopher Kings, on hold though it's still on order at our library (just released). Heard of these from Eliana--thank you! In The Just City, Athene tries to create Plato's ideal city as described in The Republic, populated by masters from various time periods and 10-year-old children adopted from slavery to be raised according to Plato's standards. I thought I might struggle through this as I don't really know Plato or Socrates, but Walton does such a good job that I feel like I probably understand them better than I would have just reading The Republic and other works. Well done.

 

Brave New World was a favorite when I was in high school--I certainly liked it better than 1984, but I have to say I don't remember either well. I would like to re-read BNW as an adult to see how it strikes me now (I have no desire to re-read 1984).

 

Rose, I enjoyed Dodger earlier this year. JennW, I was also struck by The Buried Giant. Up next for me--I still have a Tracy Chevalier (The Lady and the Unicorn) and Dear Mr. Knightley from the library. We have a BNW on the shelf and it's nice and thin. And of course a few others on my TBR pile--Go Set a Watchman, GlimmerGlass, and Americanah, which aren't library books and thus I feel like I can take more time with them. We'll have a road trip in August and one, some, or all of those may be going along. 

[Chrysalis Academy]

Just finished Letters to a Young Poet, which I believe was a suggestion from Jane.  It had some luminous bits of wisdom. I am sitting with this quote, from the last letter, "With each encounter with truth one draws nearer to reaching communion with it."

 

Next up is The Magus by John Fowles, my IRL book group's August selection.  I'm kind of looking forward to it!

[Violet Crown]

I finished Mystery at the Alamo by Gertrude Chandler Warren. It's a kids book so it was short. But they got the story about Angelina's ring wrong! It's a very well-known story so the fact that they got it wrong really just shows a lack of even cursory research. In the book, they say her father gave it to her. In reality, the ring belonged to William Barret Travis and he put it around the 15 month old Angelina's neck before the siege ended. This isn't even a "this might have happened" story. It's a story that her mother told right away and the ring had been known to have been Travis's. It's not a huge deal, but when a book is set in a location and is using something that is real, I expect that part to be accurate.

Shame on the author! Susanna Dickinson is buried only a few miles away from me and I think I can hear her turning over in her grave.

 

If you'd like a children's book about the Alamo that's much more accurate--and engaging--try The Boy in the Alamo. I think every Texas schoolchild of the last fifty years has enjoyed reading it.

[Stacia]

Is it okay for me to be happy about this since I haven't started it yet, or even picked it up from the library?

 

:lol:  Sure!

 

Actually, I have quite a few library holds that came in this week so I'll just plan to keep Marco waiting in the wings until you (& others?) are ready to read it too. So, when you want to start (or if we're just waiting until Robin's assigned month of Sept.), let me know....

 

:thumbup1:

 

Hmmm. Maybe I'll need to schedule a Shakespeare study for myself before tackling Brave New World. I'm afraid I would probably miss a lot of the references.... :leaving:

 

mumto2, thanks for letting me know about the second Johannes Cabal book (in one of your posts last week). I wasn't in a hurry to read the second one, now I'm less so after reading your comments. I did enjoy the first part of the first book, but it lost some steam for me after that. Jenn, did your ds finish it or did it turn out not to be appealing?

 

[Stacia]

Sounds like a good review for this book. I had this book on my want-to-read list after seeing a good review for it. I thought my library didn't have a copy, but I just looked & it seems that they now have a few copies on order. Don't know when they'll arrive, but at least I'm on the waitlist.

 

Astoria Bookshop is selling Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book at cost to encourage people to read it

 

ETA: A couple more good articles:

 

This week in dangerous children’s books, at home and abroad

 

and (perhaps one for Jane) Little Free Libraries robbed, philosophical questions raised

 

....This concept is uncomfortable on multiple levels. Of course, there’s the base disgust at whatever jerk or jerks took all these books from a community that values them. But upon hearing that rationale, a latent uncertainty that rises to the surface for all book lovers: how many books is too many books?
 

Every devoted reader owns at least one book he or she is excited to crack open, but after an extended period of time, still hasn’t....

 

[shukriyya]

Disappointed to discover that Under an English Heaven by Alice Boatwright is the first in a series which came out last year. Book number two is nowhere to be seen. Sigh. This is truly a cozy mystery, full of British vicarage life, pots of tea, parkin and housekeepers who iron and clean endlessly and keep the household going with steak-and-kidney pie. But thanks to the vagaries of a restless collective mind Amazon provided enough 'if you like this then..' links and my fingers stumbled upon a cozy mystery series written in the 30s by John Bude. The Cornish Coast Murder promises to be full of wit and keen description of that lovely part of England. Jane, Mumto2 and perhaps VC (?!do you do mysteries?!) might like this one.

 

Rose, your post reminded me...A Year with Rilke has been keeping me company for the past few months.

[Stacia]

Melissa, what an adorable puppy!

[Violet Crown]

VC (?!do you do mysteries?!) might like this one.

 

Unfortunately, whatever flaw in my brain's Aesthetic Center makes me unable to enjoy science fiction, romances, or spy thrillers, has also determined that I am not to enjoy mysteries. I swear it's not snobbishness; dh has twice my intelligence and education, and he likes good writing in all those genres.* It's just something wired wrong. (But he doesn't like poetry, so there you go.)

.

.

.

*Okay, not so much romances.

[Loesje22000]

Oh yeah, that was me! I definitely appreciated all the Shakespeare references this reading, ones I missed in high school. I'm definitely going to make sure my kids read The Tempest before they read it. It was the only book John Savage had to read, so all of his perceptions of the Brave New World (a line from The Tempest) are expressed in Shakespearean language and filtered through Shakespearean situations, it was the only tool he had to try and understand the world. Fascinating, it was one of my favorite aspects of the book.

I've never read that shakespeare play, and I doubt anybody has notified the connection here in highschool. I've read BNW in Higschool for English Literature, and reread it last year in Dutch.

Thanks!

[mumto2]

Shukriyya....I read a Judith Cutlerhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20767173-death-in-elysiumcalled Death in Elysium that might interest you. I remember the village politics and PCC descriptions as being very present day accurate and hilarious from my perspective (dh is on the PCC). The books centers on a successful career woman from the city (maybe advertising in Birmingham) who marries a widowed small village vicar after a whirlwind courtship. The village ladies are in shock....and they would be. :lol: I can't remember how cozy the murder was though which could be a problem for you. Someone else was planning to read it, maybe they can chime in.

[Lady Florida.]

I've never read Brave New World but it's been on my TBR list for years. Maybe I'll get to it before the year is out.

 

I'm currently almost through a Charlotte and Thomas Pitt historical mystery, Death in Devil's Acre. My current Kindle Owner's loan is another historical mystery, Crow Hollow but i just can't get into it. This is my July loan, so I can't get another one until Saturday. If this book doesn't grab me by then, I think I'll return it and give Under an English Heaven a try. That one was mentioned in last week's thread as being a KOLL book. 

[Kareni]

Yesterday I finished Flight of Magpies by K. J. Charles which is a historical paranormal mystery romance featuring two male leads.  It's the third in the A Charm of Magpies series; this is a series best read in order.  I'm enjoying this series.

 

"With the justiciary understaffed, a series of horrifying occult murders to be investigated, and a young student who is flying-literally-off the rails, magical law enforcer Stephen Day is under increasing stress. And his relationship with his aristocratic lover, Lord Crane, is beginning to feel the strain.

 

Crane chafes at the restrictions of England's laws, and there's a worrying development in the blood-and-sex bond he shares with Stephen. A development that makes a sensible man question if they should be together at all.

 

When a thief strikes at the heart of Crane's home, a devastating loss brings his closest relationships into bitter conflict-especially his relationship with Stephen. And as old enemies, new enemies, and unexpected enemies paint the lovers into a corner, the pressure threatens to tear them apart."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Two interesting BookRiot pieces ~

 

Jumpstart Your Art: Books To Revive Your Creative Spirit  by Kelly Jensen

This features an intriguing collection of books.

***

 

5 Completed Series to Read While You Wait for WINDS OF WINTER  by A. J. O'Connell

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Angel]

Back from our History Trip!  Had a great time, the kids all had a great spirit!  I've spent most of today sleeping, though.   ;)

 

I'll give a little recap in case anyone is interested.

 

Sunday - Started the trip with 14 of us in a 15 passenger van driving, through heavy, intense storms which put us farther behind schedule than we wanted to be.  Got food at a McDonald's that I swear was straight out of the Twilight Zone  :eek:

 

Monday -  More driving.  Boston Tea Party Ship stop in which it exceeded my expectation.  They hand out little historical cards that tell about a person in relation to the Boston Tea Party.  I was Herman Melville's grandfather, Thomas Melvill.  We also took a side trip to the airport to pick up one more person.  Skye's friend (20) had missed all of our previous trips because she was a missionary kid in Kenya.  She changed her mind about going last minute and flew in to join us.  Now there are 15 of us in a 15 passenger van with over 15 pieces of baggage  :willy_nilly:

 

Tuesday - Plymouth Day.  We visited Plimoth Plantation (where I loved the Wampanoag village), the Mayflower II, and The Matrix of Liberty (aka The Monument to the Forefathers).  The last was one of the favorites of the trip for most of the kids.  The story behind this monument is astounding!  We also had dinner at The Cabby Shack where I had the best clam chowder ever!

 

Wednesday - George Whitefield Day.  We visited Whitefield's Rock where he preached to 500 people in a field in what is now West Brookfield, MA.  Also stopped by Ipswich, MA to visit historical sites of John Wise, a preacher whose sermons the Founding Fathers took many of their ideas from.  Then we visited Newburyport, MA where we took a tour of Old South Church where George Whitefield is buried.  The kids (not I) climbed the steeple and touched the bell which was made by Paul Revere.  Then we climbed to the basement to visit George's crypt.  We took a fun stop out to Plum Island Beach (beautiful) and let the kids walk in the freezing Atlantic and saw penguins on the way!!

 

Thursday - Freedom Trail.  Let me say that keeping track of 15 people on the Freedom Trail in downtown Boston is a daunting task  ;) We gave ourselves ALL day and still ended up rushing!  Highlights were The Old State House, the Old South Meeting House (which had a ton of George Whitefield stuff!), and Bunker Hill where all but me climbed to the top of the monument!  We grabbed a canoli at Mike's Pastry on the way back and had a late dinner.

 

Friday - We were all TIRED!  First stop was Lexington and Concord, specifically the Old North Bridge and Paul Revere's capture site.  We also saw the Minuteman Statue in Lexington, but Lexington was very crowded and busy with lots of traffic.  After leaving there we sat and sat and sat and sat in traffic.  A Lot of traffic.  We finally stopped in New Haven to see a monument there (I was pretty tired after driving and don't remember much about that stop  :o )  We drove through the Bronx on our way to our PA hotel and saw the New York City skyline!  Kind of exciting that!

 

Saturday - a fun stop at Hershey World to make our own candy bars and then home!

 

This is my second history trip to Boston and I am always amazed at what a difference it makes to stand in the spot of history or read the original documents written by those who had such influence in the making of our country! 

 

 

Oh, and mum2...I didn't think of Ben Franklin air bathing once  :lol:

 

I will need to pick up an easy to read book as I have to get caught up here at home and finish planning school!

 

 

 

[Violet Crown]

Oh, and mum2...I didn't think of Ben Franklin air bathing once :lol:

 

Is that even possible? :D

 

I envy your trip!

[Chrysalis Academy]

Two interesting BookRiot pieces ~

 

Jumpstart Your Art: Books To Revive Your Creative Spirit  by Kelly Jensen

This features an intriguing collection of books.

***

 

5 Completed Series to Read While You Wait for WINDS OF WINTER  by A. J. O'Connell

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Ah, 3 more for the to-read list!  Thanks Kareni.

[Angel]

Is that even possible? :D

 

I envy your trip!

 

With 13 kids and the pace of our trip...it was possible  :laugh:

 

The trips we take our amazing!  Our church has really gotten behind us and the encouragement we receive is overwhelming.  In fact they would like dh to plan a history trip for them.   

[Kareni]

Back from our History Trip! 

 

Thanks for sharing the details, Angel; it sounds like a wonderful (if hectic) trip. 

 

Ah, 3 more for the to-read list!  Thanks Kareni.

 

You're quite welcome.  It gives me great joy to add books to other people's stacks in addition to my own ever towering stacks.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I previously read and enjoyed this book which I see is currently available free to Kindle readers.  I recall that others here have enjoyed this book/series, too.

 

Hell on Wheels: Black Knights Inc. by Julie Ann Walker

 

"Black Knights Inc.—Behind the facade of their tricked–out motorcycle shop is an elite special ops team assigned the jobs too hot for anyone else to handle.

 

Hold On Tight...

 

Ex–Marine Nate "Ghost" Weller is an expert at keeping his cool—and his distance—which makes him one hell of a sniper. It's also how he keeps his feelings for Ali Morgan in check. Sweet, sexy Ali has always revved his engine, but she's his best friend's baby sister...and totally off limits.

 

Rough Road Ahead

 

Ali's never seen anything sexier than Nate Weller straddling his custom Harley—or the flash of danger in his eyes when she tells him she's in trouble. First something happened to her brother, and now she's become the target of a nasty international organization. With Nate, her life is in the most capable hands possible—but her heart is another story altogether."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished re-reading Ender's Game.  SIgh.  I have to say, this book just gets better for me each time I read it. Each reading adds a layer, without taking anything away. I read it as a young teenager, and related to the kids in the story. I read it as a young adult, and saw more about the wider world. Now I read it as a mom and a teacher and there is this whole other layer - the gifted child, perfectionism, the fear of failure, the fear of what it would mean to still be yourself if you ever, ever failed - it just affected me like a gut-punch. I'm back to relating to Ender, the child, again. but with the experience and wisdom(?) of someone who has been through to adulthood and thought about being, teaching, helping a gifted and perfectionist child.  

 

I have big problems with Card as a person, the more I hear about him the less I want to. But he nailed something in this book.  And for me at least, the impact hasn't faded.

[mumto2]

I previously read and enjoyed this book which I see is currently available free to Kindle readers. I recall that others here have enjoyed this book/series, too.

 

Hell on Wheels: Black Knights Inc. by Julie Ann Walker

 

"Black Knights Inc.—Behind the facade of their tricked–out motorcycle shop is an elite special ops team assigned the jobs too hot for anyone else to handle.

 

Hold On Tight...

 

Ex–Marine Nate "Ghost" Weller is an expert at keeping his cool—and his distance—which makes him one hell of a sniper. It's also how he keeps his feelings for Ali Morgan in check. Sweet, sexy Ali has always revved his engine, but she's his best friend's baby sister...and totally off limits.

 

Rough Road Ahead

 

Ali's never seen anything sexier than Nate Weller straddling his custom Harley—or the flash of danger in his eyes when she tells him she's in trouble. First something happened to her brother, and now she's become the target of a nasty international organization. With Nate, her life is in the most capable hands possible—but her heart is another story altogether."

 

Regards,

Kareni

When I joined the BaW crowd it seemed like everyone was reading this series. They are good. I don't know if fluffy is a good description because guys on motorcycles is really not my idea of fluffy. Adult content also. I won't name people but a couple of you should probably download the first one for free and try them. ;)

 

Angel, Glad you had such a great time. Your dh sounds like my kind of trip planner with lots of activities. :) And :lol:

[Guest]

Much of this batch of reading was unsettling, disturbing, stirring, haunting....

 

Guantanamo Diary was certainly all that and more.  I could not read it straight through, I had to stop, sometimes for days or even weeks, but I kept coming back because this is a story that must be heard, must be witnessed, and because Slahi's simplicity and good heartedness are compelling.  

 

Light and Heavy Things: Selected Poems of Zeeshan Sahil: That there is so much hope and light threaded through these deceptively simple poems despite the author's health issues (which resulted in his early death) and the turmoil in his war-torn native Pakistan was almost more unsettling than the hints of horror.

 

Last First Snow by Max Gladstone: All of Gladstone's Craft books (Three Parts Dead, Two Serpents Rise, and Full Fathom Five) have an integrity and breadth of compassion that I love. ...and they all have parts that are hard to experience, but this is the most unsettling of his books (for me, at least), and also the one that touches on the power of mass action/thought/belief in ways that resonated interestingly with my reactions to Guantanamo Diary.  Although this is chronologically the first book (4th in publication order), this isn't where I'd start.  I still think Three Parts Dead is the best entry to this world - and the strongest, most original of his books - but they are all strong, compelling works which, to my mind, show many of my favorite aspects of what SFF can offer as a genre.

 

Sunday was Tisha B'Av, the Jewish day of intense mourning for the Beis HaMikdash (the Temple) and our many other national tragedies.  It is a hard day, a day of pain and grieving, but also a growthful day, or at least an opportunity for growth.  I reread Rilke's Book of Hours the day before, since it was a powerful entry into the day for me last year.  Torah Temimah on Eicha gave a review of the basic commentaries, Rav Pincus's book on The Three Weeks and Tisha B'Av triggered many, often unsettling, reflections, and Eliach's Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust gave some personal stories.  I read bits and pieces of a number of other things, but these were the only completed works.

 

 

The Train by Georges Simenon was a compelling, unsettling disappointment.  Not the ending, which fit the character and situation well, and was painfully fitting, but the set up for the situation was crude (in more than one sense) and the near-pathological detachment of the narrator (which was more than understandable in Chasing the King of Hearts) was poorly justified and took away from the potential broader implications/message of the ending.

 

Other reading: Princess and the Goblin (readaloud with my little guy), Why Read Moby Dick (recommended here, thank you!), Diana's Tree (sparse, moving poems), and Bryony and Roses (chiefly notable for being so very much in dialogue with Rose Daughter by McKinley, bot otherwise meh)

 

[Little Nyssa]

I read BNW when I was a young teen, since my parents had it on the shelf. I found it frightening, and it has really stayed with me. Of course, I never noticed the Tempest allusions- maybe someday...

I am still working away at Anatole France's Revolt of the Angels. I'll write you all a review once I am done- strangely, it reminds me a bit of The Man Who Was Thursday. I am starting to get an idea of what the author is up to, but I can't really see where he's going with this, or what side he's on.

[Little Nyssa]

Oh and just to rest my poor brain I'm also reading the Idiots Guide to Landscape Gardening. :)

[Guest]

Brave New World was my favourite book from my high school reading list. I loved it. For me it really opened my eyes to other ways of looking at literature and reading. I think this book was where I understood HOW and WHY literary analysis was important. It also made me look at my own world and my own values in a new way.

 

 

 

Perhaps I should reread this soon.  I have yet to be convinced that literary analysis is of any importance at all in high school literature - though we might mean different things by 'analysis'.  ...and I have only a grudging appreciation of it in any other context - except perhaps as an amusing hobby... 

 

 

:grouphug: for the dead kindle...and in the middle of a move!  Grrr!

 

 

Brave New World was my choice for the Banned Book category for our Adult Summer Reading Program.  I had read it in high school, and remembered being affected by it, but not as horrified as I was by 1984.  I enjoyed this re-read very much. I think it is one of those books that is so clearly a product of its time, yet also so prescient, it doesn't seem as dated as many mid-20th century dystopias do.  In fact it feels like some of the predictions are actually happening, in a subtle way.  So it's disturbing, without being horrifying.  I've had BNW Revisited sitting on my to-read stack for awhile now.

 

 

I was traumatized by 1984 - and still have some very vivid memories of moments in the book.  ...but BNW I shrugged off.  I found it distasteful and unbelievable.  ...but I was much, much too young for it (not necessarily in years, but in readiness).  

 

Okay, onto the 'read soon' list it goes...   thank you.

 

 

 

I haven't gotten much reading done lately, and I haven't had time to do more than glance through the last few threads.  We have a new puppy and I just don't deal with sleep deprivation like I used to!  (Required photo from yesterday is below.) :)  He's finally sleeping a stretch at night and I'm slowly catching up on everything I haven't gotten done in the last month.

 

 

:hurray:   what a cute puppy!  I hope you catch up on your sleep (and neglected tasks) soon while still getting to revel in new-puppy love.

 

 

Wow.  Just finished Ishiguro's The Buried Giant. I really liked it, even though it is melancholic and moody, and as Neil Gaiman wrote in his NYTimes review of the book, "The narrative is dreamlike and measured." Gaiman says he liked but didn't love the book, but it has tugged at him enough to want to reread it, to dig a little deeper into looking for its hidden meanings. Lots of readers on Goodreads seem to really dislike it. (Heather -- it might be a good choice for books with bad reviews!)  My college boy has abandoned it mostly because it moved too slow, and he wasn't drawn in enough to want to see where it was going. 

 

Not sure what to read once the spell lifts from The Buried Giant. 

 

How would you compare it to Remains of the Day or Never Let Me Go (if you've read either of them)?

 

It is sitting here on my Kindle, thanks to an earlier in the year recommendation here, but I haven't been sure if I'm in the right place to appreciate it properly.

 

 

 

I also read A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf, which I think would be a good book for people who aren't much into Woolf's style, but want to read something by her. Even though her style was definitely recognizable in the piece, it was more clear and easy to follow, imo, than To the Lighthouse or Mrs. Dalloway.

 

I'm perplexed by the idea that her point that being independently wealthy is the only way to achieve genius is snobbish. It's not like she's saying only wealthy people are born with the intellectual potential for genius. She's only saying that if you have to do menial, soul-crushing work all day and spend your nights racked with worry because all that work still won't pay the bills, you won't be able to reach your potential. You might still write great things, but you could have written even greater things if only you'd had the leisure time of wealth and assured calm of knowing you'll be able to sleep indoors and eat good food.

 

And today I finished Rilke's Duino Elegies - not what I was expecting. I spent a good portion of the book wondering who died or if indeed anyone had died before I felt like the translator's notes sufficiently explained the poem's theme and purpose so I could let go of my original ideas and appreciate it for what it was. Something I'll have to read again sometime.

 

 

Re Woolf  :iagree: .  It seems one would have to really contort her argument to see it as snobbish (not that she wasn't capable of elitism, but I don't see this as reflecting that at all.)

 

Adding the Rilke to my list... thank you!

[JennW in SoCal]

Disappointed to discover that Under an English Heaven by Alice Boatwright is the first in a series which came out last year. Book number two is nowhere to be seen. Sigh. This is truly a cozy mystery, full of British vicarage life, pots of tea, parkin and housekeepers who iron and clean endlessly and keep the household going with steak-and-kidney pie. But thanks to the vagaries of a restless collective mind Amazon provided enough 'if you like this then..' links and my fingers stumbled upon a cozy mystery series written in the 30s by John Bude. The Cornish Coast Murder promises to be full of wit and keen description of that lovely part of England. Jane, Mumto2 and perhaps VC (?!do you do mysteries?!) might like this one.

 

Shukriyya....I read a Judith Cutlerhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20767173-death-in-elysiumcalled Death in Elysium that might interest you. I remember the village politics and PCC descriptions as being very present day accurate and hilarious from my perspective (dh is on the PCC). The books centers on a successful career woman from the city (maybe advertising in Birmingham) who marries a widowed small village vicar after a whirlwind courtship. The village ladies are in shock....and they would be. :lol: I can't remember how cozy the murder was though which could be a problem for you. Someone else was planning to read it, maybe they can chime in.

 

Downloaded and started Under an English Heaven today thanks to a good Kindle price.  It is the perfect kind of fluff -- a cozy mystery, writing that keeps you engaged and doesn't make you flinch. It's a good thing my phone is about out of battery juice -- I'll have to actually do something useful while it is recharging rather than staying glued to the book til bedtime.

 

My city and county library systems are striking out on all sorts of English cozy (or should I say cosy) mystery titles, even on Overdrive. Do any of you have overdrive accounts with libraries outside your city? Is there a good library to join just for Overdrive titles? Shouldn't every single book in the English language be available to me when I want them?

 

Back from our History Trip! 

 

Angel -- would you mind organizing a BaW history trip? I bow down to you and your dh for having the courage and energy to take 13 teens on a week long van trip!!

 

 

 

:hurray:   what a cute puppy!  I hope you catch up on your sleep (and neglected tasks) soon while still getting to revel in new-puppy love.

 

 

 

How would you compare it [The Buried Giant] to Remains of the Day or Never Let Me Go (if you've read either of them)?

 

It is sitting here on my Kindle, thanks to an earlier in the year recommendation here, but I haven't been sure if I'm in the right place to appreciate it properly.

 

First of all, Melissa, add me to the list of puppy fans!  They are so cute but can be so very much work!!

 

About Buried Giant.  Eliana, I have to confess to never having read any other Kazuo Ishiguro! But I now definitely want to.  I'm thinking Remains of the Day, but would be curious what you recommend.  I really loved Buried Giant.  It is infused with a bittersweet melancholy, but is more sweet than morose. I loved the languid pace of the plot, that the action was more as if in a dream than something you are dragged along into experiencing and feeling. It is quiet and literary and subtle.

[Guest]

 

 

I just finished The Just City by Jo Walton which I enjoyed very much--I already have the sequel, The Philosopher Kings, on hold though it's still on order at our library (just released). Heard of these from Eliana--thank you! In The Just City, Athene tries to create Plato's ideal city as described in The Republic, populated by masters from various time periods and 10-year-old children adopted from slavery to be raised according to Plato's standards. I thought I might struggle through this as I don't really know Plato or Socrates, but Walton does such a good job that I feel like I probably understand them better than I would have just reading The Republic and other works. Well done.

 

 

 

:party:   I am so happy you enjoyed The Just City!

I am also relieved to hear that it really does work well without a familiarity with the Platonic dialogues.  I spent a great deal of time immersed in the dialogues (I went to St John's College and Plato was a large part of Freshman year) and as I read I kept wishing Jo had been at some of our seminar discussions - she engages with texts in a way that brings out much of what they have to offer while still questioning, still seeing other viewpoints.

 

The Philosopher Kings has questions at its heart that speak even more deeply to me, but it also gave me the joy of seeing texts I've studied and loved engaged with in ways that resonated for me.  I look forward to hearing your reactions to it... 

 

 

 

 

 

Actually, I have quite a few library holds that came in this week so I'll just plan to keep Marco waiting in the wings until you (& others?) are ready to read it too. So, when you want to start (or if we're just waiting until Robin's assigned month of Sept.), let me know....

 

 

 

Keep me posted, this is on my 'read this year' list.

 

...speaking of which.... when do you want to tackle Moby Dick? (if you still do!)  I read the first couple chapters a few months ago (not to properly start, but to be sure I had the flavor fresh enough in my mind), and now that I read Why Read Moby Dick?  I am feeling that I might be ready in the foreseeable future. (Is this on anyone else's list?)

 

Unfortunately, whatever flaw in my brain's Aesthetic Center makes me unable to enjoy science fiction, romances, or spy thrillers, has also determined that I am not to enjoy mysteries. I swear it's not snobbishness; dh has twice my intelligence and education, and he likes good writing in all those genres.* It's just something wired wrong. (But he doesn't like poetry, so there you go.)
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*Okay, not so much romances.

 

 

Isn't it funny how that works? I have genres that either completely or mostly don't work well for me.

 

Theoretically all those genres have thematic concerns that do resonate for me, but something about the patterns of those genres doesn't click for me. 

 

I find it fascinating the different ways that stories can be told - the same basic story can be weighted in such different ways, and then different genres have different story telling conventions which shape the reading experience.  ...which can be interesting to see when a writer tried to tell a story in a genre s/he isn't as familiar with.... 

 

I've found there are books which can be the exception to a general reaction to a genre, that somehow have qualities/an experience I can immerse in and enjoy and that connect me to those thematic concerns that I would expect to work for me, but that don't connect in most other works of that genre... 

 

 

 

[Kareni]

Earlier I finished Mary Balogh's historical romance Only a Promise (Survivor's Club); I enjoyed it though it's not my favorite book by this author. 

 

"The Survivors’ Club: Six men and one woman, all wounded in the Napoleonic Wars, their friendship forged during their recovery at Penderris Hall in Cornwall. Now, for one of them, striking a most unusual bargain will change his life forever.…

Ralph Stockwood prides himself on being a leader, but when he convinced his friends to fight in the Napoleonic Wars, he never envisioned being the sole survivor. Racked with guilt over their deaths, Ralph must move on...and find a wife so as to secure an heir to his family’s title and fortune.

Since her Seasons in London ended in disaster, Chloe Muirhead is resigned to spinsterhood. Driven by the need to escape her family, she takes refuge at the home of her mother’s godmother, where she meets Ralph. He needs a wife. She wants a husband. So Chloe makes an outrageous suggestion: Strike a bargain and get married. One condition: Ralph has to promise that he will never take her back to London. But circumstances change. And to Ralph, it was only a promise."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Loesje22000]

I finished:

http://www.amazon.com/Engeland-Jane-Austen-Dominicus-Dutch-ebook/dp/B00PKFRO90/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438061086&sr=8-1&keywords=Quint+austen

 

Last night.

It is a readable travelguide.

I loved travelling by mind with all the photo's and engaging anekdotes(?).

 

It is written with the Jane Austen fan in mind, as the book refers often to 'this place is used for that scene, in that filmedition'

If you don't know them it can ne annoying I suppose.

 

At the back some suggestions for 4 or 5 day trip, a family tree of the austens, and a booklist for further reading.

 

Normally I have to search and buy my birthday present my self.

But this year DH did a great job :D