Book a Week 2015 - BW31: analogical august

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday Dear hearts:  We are on week 31 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 - Analogical August:  Welcome to Analogical August and our theme of all things analogous and our author flavor of the month - Isabel Allende.  

Analogies, metaphors, and similes - oh my! 

 â€œFailure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.â€
― Truman Capote

If people were like rain, I was like drizzle and she was a hurricane.â€
― John Green, Looking for Alaska

 â€œA house without books is like a room without windows.â€
― Horace Mann

Imagine my surprise when I went on line to look up analogical reasoning and got caught up in Stanford's Encylopedia of Philosophy.  Our theme this month will have us exploring trails that are long and narrow, wide and short or meandering through the backwoods and back roads, getting lost..... or found as the case may be. *grin*   Yes, I'm a fan of rabbit trails.  So whether you go the nonfiction or fiction route, you'll have much to choose from.

When you think of analogies, what authors spring to mind?  Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, Tolkein or Bradbury? How about Rowling or our author flavor of the month, Isabel Allende.  

 

I've had The House of the Spirits on my shelves for quite a while, but as is the case with many of my books, never got around to reading the story. It is the first, her debut novel.  Since then, she has written over 20 novels, which have been translated into 35 languages and for which she has won many awards.  

The astonishing debut of a gifted storyteller,

The House of the Spirits

is both a symbolic family saga and the story of an unnamed Latin American country's turbulent history. Isabel Allende constructs a spirit-ridden world and fills it with colorful and all-too-human inhabitants, including Esteban, the patriarch, a volatile and proud man whose lust for land is legendary and who is haunted by tyrannical passion for the wife he can never completely possess; Clara, the matriarch, elusive and mysterious, who foretells family tragedy and shapes the fortunes of the house and the Truebas; Blanca, their daughter, soft-spoken yet rebellious, whose shocking love for the son of her father’s foreman fuels Esteban’s everlasting contempt, even as it produces the grandchild he adores; and Alba, the fruit of Blanca’s forbidden love, a luminous beauty and a fiery and willful woman.

The Trueba family's passions, struggles, and secrets span three generations and a century of violent change, culminating in a crisis that brings the proud and tyrannical patriarch and his beloved granddaughter to opposite sides of the barricades. Against a backdrop of revolution and counterrevolution, Allende brings to life a family whose private bonds of love and hatred are more complex and enduring than the political allegiances that set them at odds.

 

 

Check out her website for more information about her and her books, plus watch her TED talks on how to live a passionate life, as well as her foundation supporting women and children.

Join me in reading all things analogical and dive into one (or more) of Isabel Allende's magical stories. 

 

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

 

History of the Medieval World

Chapter 35 Gregory the Great pp 572 - 604 

 

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

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

Link to week 30

[Robin M]

Good morning, my darlings.  I started reading The House of the Spirits last night and think I'll enjoy it.  Reminds me a bit of One Hundred Years of Solitiude.  Also rereading Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews and currently in #2 - Magic Burns.

 

I'm off to meet my new grandnephew Theo. My niece and her honey are in town for a few days so we are off for the day.  He's 4 months as of the 6th.  Isn't he adorable!!!

 

 

 

 

 

[Just Robyn]

Very cute baby pic, Robin!

 

Ds and I finished The Three Musketeers. Honestly, whatever. It was fun in the beginning, but not fun enough for so many pages, imo. And I don't know how Constance Bonacieux went from cunning and brave to overly trustful and wilty.

 

I also read The Dead Wrestler Elegies by W. Todd Kaneko. Really loved this. Some poems are autobiographical, mixing the author's private life with the public life of the wrestlers. Others are focused on the wrestlers, maybe poeticizing some quote of theirs or some moment in their career. I do not watch wrestling. I have seen enough tidbits here and there to know how they dress and talk, etc. A name or two sounded familiar, and of course i know Andre the Giant from The Princess Bride, but my point is, this book is not just for wrestling fans.

 

I started The Travels of Marco Polo yesterday. (Is it just you and me Stacia? Am I supposed to be waiting for someone else?)

 

And I also started Among Others by Jo Walton. Eliana, your reviews of this author and your links to speeches or live journal posts of hers have made me want to check out her work.

 

A poem from The Dead Wrestlers Elegies.

 

Be More Like Sputnik Monroe

 

It's hard to be humble when you're 235 pounds of twisted steel and s*x appeal with a body women love and men fear.  -- Sputnik Monroe

 

When my father died, he left me a trove

          of video tapes, a warped memorial

for those men he watched with my mother

          before she left for parts unknown,

for those fights he relived once he was laid

          off from the plane yards. We watched

men like Sputnik Monroe bleed the hard way,

         shook our fists as he broke rules

against guys who were easier to cheer.

         He was a bad Elvis, greased-back

hair with a shock of white, Sputnik Monroe

         mixed it up everywhere, a rodeo

fistfight, a henhouse tornado. My mother

         picked a fight in an Idaho truck stop

once, stabbed a man's chest with her middle

        finger, then stepped to one side

so my father could fight him in the parking lot.

        Afterwards, my mother was silent

all the way back to Seattle, her disgust

        with him--the way he wrapped his arm

around her shoulder, guided her to the car,

        and sped back to the freeway--hanging

between them from that point forward.

        Sputnik Monroe clobbered men

wherever he went, sneered at those fists

        raised against him in Memphis.

Some nights, as my wife sleeps upstairs,

        I watch my father's video tapes and

imagine what I would have done that day

        if I knew that my marriage depended

on what I did with my hands.

[Guest]

Although each of the books I read last week offered some interest or even insight, only one didn't also have some disappointment associated with it:

 

The Travels of Daniel Ascher (thank you, again, Stacia!): which approached Holocaust related topics from an angle that brought freshness to an all-too-familiar underlying story.

 

Two Israeli stories [both free to borrow for Prime members]:

 

If You Awaken Love by Emunah Elon: This had so much potential and did raise a number of questions in ways that themselves had a great deal of potential... and in a context (just before the assassination of Rabin) that offered even more potential.  ...but it wasn't well enough written to fulfill any of that potential, which was sad.  

 

The Lemon Tree by Ilil Arbel: The main story is based on real people (and even has photographs!).  It reads like a children's story and is a little cardboard-y, but I was very glad I read it... and then there's the afterward which is over the top propaganda (for things I agree with even, but that doesn't make me appreciate it more).

 

Three guys in limbo looking for meaning:

 

The Trial by Franz Kafka: I started this in May, I think, but the surreal, grim, depressing world is not one I can spend very long in at one time.  It is brilliant and important, but also suffocating and discouraging.

 

Waiting by Ha Jin: I liked the beginning of this, but it evolved into something I shelve with the Titanic movie - things where I like the background, but wish the main story were off in a corner where I didn't have to see so much of it.  ...but I appreciated the glimpses of that era of Chinese history.

 

A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood: Very readable, but a mixture of appealing and off-putting for me.  (and why it is on the Guardian's new list of 100 best books, I cannot fathom... but there have been a number of puzzling choices....)

 

One dreadfully disappointing SFF book:

 

Servant of the Crown by Melissa McShane: I had reams of scathing things to say about this, but then I realized that it isn't really a SFF book at all.  It is a romance novel with SFF trappings... and the things which bothered me are really genre issues... which has left me trying, unsuccessfully, to articulate why this genre (in general) doesn't work for me... but failing. Those of you who like the romance genre (and who don't mind some pages I had to skip), might enjoy this very much.

[Guest]

Robin, what a precious little one!!

 

 

 

 

I started The Travels of Marco Polo yesterday. (Is it just you and me Stacia? Am I supposed to be waiting for someone else?)

 

And I also started Among Others by Jo Walton. Eliana, your reviews of this author and your links to speeches or live journal posts of hers have made me want to check out her work.

 

 

 

I have Marco Polo on my list too, but I can pull it out whenever you guys are ready.

 

Among Others is Walton's Hugo winner, but it is her only novel that I didn't love.  (I am in the distinct minority on this, most of the reviews I've seen or reactions I've heard have been intensely positive)

 

...not to discourage you from continuing!

 

 

 

[Loesje22000]

I finished the biographic novel about Anna Magdalena Bach(in)

A very impressive story.

 

I continued Germinal (Zola)

I like it so far.

 

I finished 'De Lege Stad' a book about WWII in the Netherlands.

It is not the best book of this author, but it is less black/white then most WWII novels.

[Kareni]

At 2:00am this morning, I finished reading M. L. Buchman's latest military romance Bring On the Dusk (The Night Stalkers). The chapters are short, and I made the mistake of thinking "Oh, just one more chapter" until I'd finished the book.  You can probably guess from this that I enjoyed it.  The book seemed less action oriented and had more introspective characters than other books in the series.  I didn't quite understand the mission that the characters undertook, but that might have had more to do with my post-midnight brain than any shortcoming on the author's part.  While I think the book could stand alone, I'd suggest reading the series in order.

 

"Name: Claudia Jean Casperson

Rank: Captain, SOAR - 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)
Motto: Night Stalkers Don't Quit

 

Name: Michael Gibson

Rank: Colonel, Delta Force – Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta ("The Unit")
Motto: Without Equal

 

Mission: To go together where no one else can, and to get out alive with no one the wiser

 

Five nations surround the Caspian Sea, five nations desperate for the vast resources there, and willing to go to war. It will take all of Claudia and Michael's ingenuity to avert disaster. As they discover how right they are for each other, it will take even more to breach the walls they've so carefully built around their hearts..."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

Robin, he's adorable! I love babies. I hope you have a wonderful time meeting him (is this the first time you'll see him in person?) and visiting with your niece and her sweetie.

[Kareni]

Here's an enjoyable book review about the 1864 book

The Ladies Guide to True Politeness and Perfect Manners by Eliza Leslie

 

The book itself is in the public domain and is available free to Kindle readers here.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Negin]

I've had The House of the Spirits on my shelves for quite a while, but as is the case with many of my books, never got around to reading the story. It is the first, her debut novel.  Since then, she has written over 20 novels, which have been translated into 35 languages and for which she has won many awards.  

Robin, this used to be one of my favorite books ever. My tastes have changed a bit. I still love it very much, but not as much. Out of all of Allende's books, this is my favorite. I've read most of them. Her recent ones are not as good, IMHO. She recently accepted my friend request on Good Reads! :D

[JennW in SoCal]

Ahem.

 

Here's what I was up to this morning...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSE9jvRfcNc

 

 

[Negin]

Multi-quote is not working, which I find annoying. Anyway, I've missed you all and am happy to be back from our holiday. We had a fabulous time (Amsterdam, Brugge, London & the Cotswolds).  

 

I started a few and abandoned them. These are the ones that I completed.

 

Shadows of the Workhouse – 5 Stars - Yet another gorgeously written and utterly captivating book in the “Call the Midwife†series. The characters are truly memorable. Once again, I experienced an entire gamut of emotions – sobbing in some parts and laughing in others.

 

Being Mortal – 4 Stars - This is an important and beautifully-written book that I would recommend to everyone. The subject matter (aging and death) definitely sounds depressing, yet I felt that reading it was uplifting and helpful. I would give it 5 Stars, but I felt that it was a little too lengthy and detailed at times. I have to say that I wish that Dr. Gawande was my physician. I wish that my family and I lived in a society that offered good geriatric and hospice care.

 

The Hell of it All – 3 Stars - I love Charlie Brooker. This book wasn’t as relevant and funny as his others. I couldn’t fully relate to much of the pop culture in the U.K, since I no longer live there. It was enjoyable, but not as good as his other book, “I Can Make You Hateâ€. He has some clips on You Tube, which, although irreverent & offensive to many, are simply hilarious. 

 

      

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.

 

 

 

[beckster]

Ahem.

 

Here's what I was up to this morning...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSE9jvRfcNc

 

Jenn!!  Love it!!!

[Ali in OR]

All I finished this week was Dear Mr. Knightley which I would classify as a good quick summer read. I've started July author of the month Tracy Chevalier's The Lady and the Unicorn which is um, not so very chaste! Don't know what I was expecting. I'll try to get that finished up soon--I know The Philosopher Kings is waiting for me at the library.

[mumto2]

Jenn-- Wow, that was great! Thank you for posting.

 

Robin, What a cutie! I hope you get lots of cuddles. I am another baby lover.

 

Still meandering through Remarkable Creatures. Lovely book. Not sure how it equates with the fossil hunting I have experienced with the kids. But we haven't done Lyme Regis.....

[Chrysalis Academy]

Ahem.

 

Here's what I was up to this morning...

 

 

Wait, wait, that's you?? How cool!

 

Did you get lots of spare change?  ;)  :D

[shukriyya]

Robin, this used to be one of my favorite books ever. My tastes have changed a bit. I still love it very much, but not as much. Out of all of Allende's books, this is my favorite. I've read most of them. Her recent ones are not as good, IMHO. She recently accepted my friend request on Good Reads! :D

 

I, too, used to be quite enamored of Isabelle Allende in my late twenties and The House of Spirits was one of my favorites. I haven't been able to find my way into her books nowadays but I have fond memories of sinking into that one!

 

I'm plugging away here with A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch, the first in the Charles Lenox mystery series. I feel my tastes running decidedly to light reading these days. And I have to be fine with that or reading won't get done at all. Some books on the horizon for me...

 

The Outskirter's Secret -- a series Eliana and I are in polarity with and thus joined in a way ;)

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate -- a book my inner 12 year old tomboy is anticipating with glee

The Novel Habits of Happiness -- the latest and last book in the Isabel Dalhousie mystery series

The Paper Magician -- I bought this last year as a kindle daily deal hoping for something similar to Night Circus

Her Own Devices -- second in the steampunk series, Magnificent Devices

When the Warriors were Women -- to engage my inner Artemis

Ticker -- another 'last year kindle daily deal buy' that has yet to be opened. Reading the blurb I'm scratching my head as to what about it prompted me to buy it as it's very outside my usual areas of interest.

 

And finally the addition of two non-fiction books sparked by hearing the wonderful Avivah Zornberg, a Scottish contemporary Torah scholar now living in Jerusalem, speak on onbeing about The Genesis of Desire, midrashic musings on the book of Genesis, and Cargo of Hidden Stories more musings on the book of Exodus. I love how she expresses herself with a kind of quiet passion and engagement for her material. It makes the subject material feel accessible and oddly relevant. The two books of hers on the horizon for me are The Murmuring Deep :: Reflections on the Biblical Unconscious which I find such an intriguing landscape to explore. The Beginning of Desire expands on her onbeing talk. It's unlikely I'll read either of these cover to cover but I'm looking forward to dipping in as my interest sees fit.

 

In addendum, Angel, you mentioned a book last year that I put on my tbr list and now can't remember the title of. It was about a woman who is studying the Amazons or a lost tribe of women that resembled them. Any ideas? ETA I found it, The Lost Sisterhood. I seem to recall you quite enjoying it.

 

Jenn, play it sister!

 

Robin, what a cutie your grand-nephew is. Look at that smile, it encompasses the whole world :D

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

 

In addendum, Angel, you mentioned a book last year that I put on my tbr list and now can't remember the title of. It was about a woman who is studying the Amazons or a lost tribe of women that resembled them. Any ideas?

 

 

 

Is this it? I remember Angel mentioning it a few months ago.

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18077814-the-lost-sisterhood

[shukriyya]

Is this it? I remember Angel mentioning it a few months ago.

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18077814-the-lost-sisterhood

 

Yep. We must have cross-posted.

[shukriyya]

Double post... :lol:

 

 

[Guest]

 

The Outskirter's Secret -- a series Eliana and I are in polarity with and thus joined in a way ;)

 

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

 

And finally the addition of two non-fiction books sparked by hearing the wonderful Avivah Zornberg, a Scottish contemporary Torah scholar now living in Jerusalem, speak on onbeing about The Genesis of Desire, midrashic musings on the book of Genesis, and Cargo of Hidden Stories more musings on the book of Exodus. I love how she expresses herself with a kind of quiet passion and engagement for her material. It makes the subject material feel accessible and oddly relevant. 

 

 

Having strong feelings about a book, even diametrically opposed ones, is a connection, yes.  I hope you enjoy this one as much as you did the last one!  (I will not, however, venture into another one, not even for the fun of parsing our differing experiences.  :) )

 

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

 

Aviva Zornberg is a favorite of mine.  I reread her Genesis of Desire, pieces if not always the whole thing, frequently.  ...and have her recently released book on Bamidbar (Numbers) on my wish list... I'm hoping to get it before we get back to Bamidbar (which we just finished for this year).

 

I appreciate her blend of heart and mind - of textual study, philosophy, literary thinking, passion, and compassion.  I hope you enjoy it!

[6packofun]

 

 

Waiting by Ha Jin: I liked the beginning of this, but it evolved into something I shelve with the Titanic movie - things where I like the background, but wish the main story were off in a corner where I didn't have to see so much of it.  ...but I appreciated the glimpses of that era of Chinese history.

 

.

 

Waiting is not my favorite by Ha Jin.  I liked In the Pond and The Crazed a bit better.  Mainly I like the portrayal of China; the stories are somewhat dreary!  I read a few of his short stories as well--some good, some meh.

 

I finished The Rosie Effect and liked it well enough.  lol  Starting a total fluff selection called Ark Storm by Linda Davies about an hypothetical superstorm called an ARk Storm (it's a real scenario believed to be possible, had no idea) that would destroy a large portion of California and how different groups are trying to benefit from the ability to predict it, via insider trading, etc.  

 

Next up:  The Cairo Affair by Olen Steinhauer and Socrates in the City: Conversations on Life, God, and Other Small Topics edited by Eric Metaxas.

[Just Robyn]

 

 

I have Marco Polo on my list too, but I can pull it out whenever you guys are ready.

 

Among Others is Walton's Hugo winner, but it is her only novel that I didn't love.  (I am in the distinct minority on this, most of the reviews I've seen or reactions I've heard have been intensely positive)

 

...not to discourage you from continuing!

 

Hey, all right - three! Well, I'm gonna keep reading Marco Polo unless someone says "stop."

 

No discouragement felt!

 

 

Jenn, you're awesome!

[JennW in SoCal]

On the reading front last week:

 

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger.  This has been sitting in my kindle library for the last couple of years but I finally started it while waiting at the DMV this last week. What a lovely book! It is a coming of age story, set in Minnesota in the early 1960s, and it is a mystery, too, but the family and the writing and the setting just make it a great read.

 

Hell on Wheels -- is that what it was called?  The romance book Kareni and Mumto2 recommended.  I got a kick out of it, have to confess to enjoying the romance genre from time to time!

 

Hound of the Baskervilles.  I read this aloud to my kids 8-10 years ago and remember trying in vain to find a piece of stationery paper in the house that had a watermark, since that is one of the clues Holmes turns to early in the book!  I reread it last week in advance of a terrific production of Ken Ludwig's play Baskerville, which was absolutely brilliant and funny and true to the book. 3 out of the 5 actors play every single other character in the book than Holmes and Watson, with fast costume changes and over the top accents. It was like an improv show on steroids. The staging and choreography were clever with props that popped out of the floor and clever lighting.

 

As for this week -- don't know yet.  I can't quite motivate myself to read Go Set a Watchman and its due back at the library in a few days. 

[Guest]

Waiting is not my favorite by Ha Jin.  I liked In the Pond and The Crazed a bit better.  Mainly I like the portrayal of China; the stories are somewhat dreary!  I read a few of his short stories as well--some good, some meh.

 

I finished The Rosie Effect and liked it well enough.

.

 

Yes!  The depiction of China at that time was very evocative... and the setup for the story had real potential and the opening of it pulled me in... but the passivity of all three of the main characters, the lack of growth/development... the stagnation (which was clearly central to the heart of the story) dragged me down, and the, imho gratuitous graphic assault was part of a tendency towards shallow, soap-opera-like characterizations rather than an integral part of the situation and the characters.

 

So, there were parts that needed to be there and conveyed message that were story pieces that I don't like to experience, and other parts that lessened the impact of the living parts of the story... but I am glad I read it, and feel I have another little piece in a mosaic picture of that time and place.

 

I might try one of the ones you like better... but not any time soon!  I'm not ready to revisit that space just yet.

 

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

 

I've been meaning to read the Rosie Effect - the Rosie Project was an entertaining light read the other year and was curious how he would handle a more settled situation.  Thank you for reminding me.

 

[Stacia]

Jenn, how cool. At first I started watching the video thinking that you went to see these musicians perform today. A few seconds later (when my brain cells caught up), I realized that's you playing! Wow! Love it.

 

I guess I need to jump back into Marco Polo this week, then! Lol. Hopefully will get back to it by mid-week or so.

 

I mentioned last week that overall I've felt kind of blah about my 2015 reading. (Thanks for the commiseration last week too, gals.) I've read quite a few good books (good writing, good stories) but very few that have really rocked my world, kwim? So, I spent much of this past week not reading at all.

 

Last night, I did start a Europa Editions book that came out a little earlier this year: The Distant Marvels by Chantel Acevedo. I'm about a quarter of the way in & am enjoying it. At this point, I can also say it's one that I think quite a few of you might enjoy too.

 

Maria Sirena tells stories. She does it for money—she was a favorite in the cigar factory where she worked as a lettora—and for love, spinning gossamer tales out of her own past for the benefit of friends, neighbors, and family. But now, like a modern-day Scheherazade, she will be asked to tell one last story so that eight women can keep both hope and themselves alive.
 
Cuba, 1963. Hurricane Flora, one of the deadliest hurricanes in recorded history, is bearing down on the island. Seven women have been forcibly evacuated from their homes and herded into the former governor’s mansion, where they are watched over by another woman, a young soldier of Castro’s new Cuba named Ofelia. Outside the storm is raging and the floodwaters are rising. In a single room on the top floor of the governor’s mansion, Maria Sirena begins to tell the incredible story of her childhood during Cuba’s Third War of Independence; of her father Augustin, a ferocious rebel; of her mother, Lulu, an astonishing woman who fought, loved, dreamed, and suffered as fiercely as her husband. Stories, however, have a way of taking on a life of their own, and transported by her story’s momentum, Maria Sirena will reveal more about herself than she or anyone ever expected.
 
Chantel Acevedo’s The Distant Marvels is an epic adventure tale, a family saga, a love story, a stunning historical account of armed struggle against oppressors, and a long tender plea for forgiveness. It is, finally, a life-affirming novel about the kind of love that lasts a lifetime and the very art of storytelling itself.

 

Re: Isabelle Allende. It has been many years since I've read one of her books. I enjoyed The House of the Spirits years ago. I also really enjoyed Daughter of Fortune which is one that I think you gals might enjoy too. In Daughter of Fortune, I found the beginning (set-up/background) a little slow, but once the story got rolling, I was completely sucked in. I think those are the only two I've read by her. Has anyone read Island Beneath the Sea? I've thought about reading that one of hers.

 

Eliana, so glad that you enjoyed the short sweet & bittersweet Daniel Ascher book too.

 

Robin, enjoy your adorable grandnephew! What a fun & gorgeous photo of him.

 

ETA: I've been following the KonMari thread on the boards & have been working on my house including (gasp) books. I don't stock as many books as some partially because I don't reread books often & I use the library regularly. (This is just about my books, not about the books my kids have which number in the gazillions.) One that I pulled off the pile to donate is a Ha Jin one (In the Pond) that I've never gotten around to reading. So, I appreciated the comments about it. Not sure it's one I want to get to & can always borrow it from the library in the future if I do decide to read it.

 

Also, dh finished The Martian today & gave it two thumbs up. Dh & ds both want me to read it & dh is thinking his dad would probably love the book too. Ds read Tigerman by Nick Harkaway this past week & loved it up until the end. I haven't read that one yet either, so I don't know the ending but can guess that it must not end well if ds didn't like the ending. And, ds' next book is the Psych (tv show) one that I think Heather mentioned awhile ago.

[Butter]

Shadows of the Workhouse – 5 Stars - Yet another gorgeously written and utterly captivating book in the “Call the Midwife†series. The characters are truly memorable. Once again, I experienced an entire gamut of emotions – sobbing in some parts and laughing in others.

 

I read that book last year I think.  I loved it.  It was especially fascinating because my husband's great-great-grandmother was a servant girl to a family running a workhouse in England back in the 1800s.  I've always had a sort of bond with that particular ancestor of his for some reason.  I don't know why.  She had lifelong problems from her time working there (note she was a worker, not an inmate, she had a family - mother and sisters, father had died - to go home to, but even so she apparently saw horrible things).  She ended up agoraphobic and never left her house for the last 40 years of her life.  She stayed in her bed the last 20.

 

I'm halfway through Gone With the Wind.  I love it so much.  But since I can't focus on single books completely anymore, I'm also reading Summer of My German Soldier.

[Violet Crown]

Oooo, cute baby pictures always improve even the best of threads.

 

I settled on getting started at last on the History of Private Life series. I'm well into volume 1, From Pagan Rome to Byzantium. Not a scholarly work, and occasionally frustrating in the editorial assertions with no obvious support; but very readable and engaging. Unfortunately also quite hefty, with each hardcover volume from 600 to 700 pages of good quality (and heavy) paper. So for the sake of portability I'm also reading Three Lives by Gertrude Stein. More on that as I get through it. It's an odd book.

 

ETA: Since Robin linked to The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, I checked and dh is cited in it ten times. Ooh, fame! Not in the article on Analogy however.

[Kareni]

Hell on Wheels -- is that what it was called?  The romance book Kareni and Mumto2 recommended.  I got a kick out of it, have to confess to enjoying the romance genre from time to time!

 

Glad you enjoyed the book, Jenn.  And, yes, it's Hell on Wheels: Black Knights Inc. by Julie Ann Walker; it's still available free to Kindle readers.

 

 

Also, dh finished The Martian today & gave it two thumbs up. Dh & ds both want me to read it & dh is thinking his dad would probably love the book too.

 

Yay, another The Martian convert.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Butter]

Also, dh finished The Martian today & gave it two thumbs up. Dh & ds both want me to read it & dh is thinking his dad would probably love the book too. 

 

My husband and I went on a date Friday night and saw Jurassic World and one of the previews before the movie was for The Martian.  My husband said it looked good and he wondered if he should read the book first or not.  He put it on his Audible wishlist.  I noticed that I could get the Kindle book for $5.99 (I read on the Kindle) and add the Audible version (which is how he "reads" books) for $2.99.  So I got both :)

[Angel]

 

I'm plugging away here with A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch, the first in the Charles Lenox mystery series. I feel my tastes running decidedly to light reading these days. And I have to be fine with that or reading won't get done at all. Some books on the horizon for me...

 

 

Her Own Devices -- second in the steampunk series, Magnificent Devices

 

 

In addendum, Angel, you mentioned a book last year that I put on my tbr list and now can't remember the title of. It was about a woman who is studying the Amazons or a lost tribe of women that resembled them. Any ideas? ETA I found it, The Lost Sisterhood. I seem to recall you quite enjoying it.

 

Jenn, play it sister!

 

Robin, what a cutie your grand-nephew is. Look at that smile, it encompasses the whole world :D

 

Yes it was The Lost Sisterhood.  And yes, I loved it!  I also loved the same author's book Juliet.

 

Are you enjoying A Beautiful Blue Death?

 

I read the first book of the Magnificent Devices series, Lady of Devices.  I didn't realize the second was out.  

 

Robin - LOVE the baby photo!  What a cutie patootie!

 

Jenn -  Looking forward to listening to this.  Right now I'm introducing my nephews to Star Trek The Next Generation.  The younger one (11) bought a Next Gen. book but doesn't know any of the characters.  I'm keeping them for a week so I told him we would remedy that  :laugh:

 

Ugh, I'm very annoyed about multi-quote not working.  

 

Oh, Mum2 - I really enjoyed Remarkable Creatures!  

 

Ali in OR - I'm glad you liked Dear Mr. Knightley!

 

And does The Martian have a lot of bad language?  I, too, thought the preview looked good and was interested in reading, but I seem to remember someone mentioning it was pretty rough.  But I may have got it confused.

 

I'm pages from finishing The Maze Runner.  

[JennW in SoCal]

Yep, multiquote is back on the fritz!

 

Stacia -- Tigerman is a great book. Since you liked Angelmaker so much I think you'd like it too, though they are very different. The ending is a bit, erm, unexpected. I seem to remember my ds feeling out of sorts when he finished it.

 

Angel -- there is lots of language in The Martian. But it doesn't seem out of place to me.  The guy is stranded on Mars, after all, and he is constantly trying to "science his way" out of life threatening situations -- heck yeah he's going to swear, colorfully and profusely!  It fits his character and seems typical for a young man outside of polite company. (Says the little sister to two brothers and the mother of 2 boys -- not that I hear it around me but I know it is a thing.)

 

And bravo to you for introducing the next generation to The Next Generation!!  

 

Which leads me to some questions for the ladies of the club:

 

My ds said he heard of an Agatha Christie book that has an unreliable narrator and perhaps where the guilty person is the detective??  Does that ring a bell at all? 

 

And question #2.  Have any of you read Ready Player One???  

 

Finally -- thanks for the nice comments on my fiddlin.  It is not my usual genre and I've been working hard to "let my hair down" and just jam. 

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

My ds said he heard of an Agatha Christie book that has an unreliable narrator and perhaps where the guilty person is the detective??  Does that ring a bell at all? 

 

And question #2.  Have any of you read Ready Player One???  

 

Finally -- thanks for the nice comments on my fiddlin.  It is not my usual genre and I've been working hard to "let my hair down" and just jam. 

 

Answer #1 - Yep, It's - whited out to avoid a spoiler, so read on at your own risk: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd The Guilty one is the narrator.  It's brilliant!

 

And yep, I read Ready Player One earlier this year.  It was one of the BAWers that turned me on to it.  It was a fun read, especially for a kid who grew up playing video games, or anybody who remembers the 80s!  

[Ali in OR]

Agree with Rose. It's probably my favorite Agatha Christie. And I also read Ready Player One earlier this year and enjoyed it. Quick read.

 

[Stacia]

Re: the Agatha Christie question. I haven't read the book that others mentioned, but did read a different one that I thought she was asking about... (also whited out, so highlight at your own risk): Curtain

 

But, it has been eons since I've read Christie's books, so maybe I'm not remembering correctly?

 

 

[Stacia]

Shukriyya, let me know what you think of The Paper Magician when you get around to it. I've thought it would be one my dd would enjoy. And, if it turns out to be like The Night Circus, I would probably enjoy it too!

[Violet Crown]

I think I might know what this conversation is about, but you can't highlight on an iPad, so maybe not. But doesn't Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone...?

[Stacia]

Thought this article might be of interest since we've mentioned the fictional book The Martian... (except this article is non-fiction).

 

Galaxy Quest:
When my wife, Sonia Van Meter, was chosen as one of the Mars One finalists, at first all I could see was my loss. Then I realized it’s humanity’s gain. So now I’m just taking it one small step for man at a time.

 

 

ETA: Another fascinating space-related article...

 

Is this the most audacious expenses claim ever? Buzz Aldrin reveals how he put in for $33 for his trip to the moon and had to fill in a customs form when he got back 

 

I really never thought about or knew that the moon-landing astronauts had to fill out a customs form upon arrival....

[shukriyya]

Shukriyya, let me know what you think of The Paper Magician when you get around to it. I've thought it would be one my dd would enjoy. And, if it turns out to be like The Night Circus, I would probably enjoy it too!

 

  :thumbup:

[Kareni]

Today I finished Marilyn Pappano's contemporary romance A Promise of Forever; I enjoyed it.  While it could be read as a standalone book, I'd recommend reading the previous books in the Tallgrass series.

 

"Sergeant First Class Avi Grant's return to Tallgrass, Oklahoma is a long-deferred wish come true. With her final tour in Afghanistan over, Avi can focus on her future-a job here at home and a family of her own. There's just one thing she has to do first: visit her beloved commanding officer's widow and share her grief. The last thing she expected was to feel an instant attraction to the woman's son. Too bad the sexy surgeon is impossible to ignore . . . and even harder to resist.

The sting of his parents' divorce still niggles at Ben Noble. So when a warm, funny, and beautiful young sergeant arrives, mourning his stepfather's loss as strongly as his mother does, Ben can't help but feel conflicted. If his parents taught him anything, it's that love doesn't last-especially with a career soldier. But try as he might to keep his distance, Ben begins to see that Avi and the spark she brings to his life is the stuff forever is made of. As Avi's leave ticks away, can Ben convince her to take a chance on forever with him?"

 

Regards,

Kareni

[LaughingCat]

Reads this week:

Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George -- I think this is as good as most of her books but then only Tuesdays at the Castle has really stood out for me

The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly -- this was a bit of a let down, but then The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate would be hard to beat. Also I think a lot of my issue with this book was it was clear from very early on that my animal sensitive older DD will not enjoy it.

[mumto2]

I think I might know what this conversation is about, but you can't highlight on an iPad, so maybe not. But doesn't Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone...?

I can't highlight either but quote it to respond. The whiteouts show in the quotation.

 

Jenn, I really loved Ready Player One and just got the author's latest Armada. As the mom of a serious game player and game programmer I knew many of the games which made it even better. Oddly enough dd enjoyed the book but ds was blah about it and never finished it. I expected it to be the opposite.

 

Also dd says Rose is definitely right on the Christie. It is one of the best ones. Really hard to find at libraries. ;) She is unsure about Stacia's response...wrinkled brow and a maybe.

[Onceuponatime]

I finished Death in the Stocks and realized I had read it before I started keeping lists. I'm now reading Wuthering Heights for my book club meeting this Thursday. I had checked it off my to read list way back in high school, a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away. It is almost brand new to me.

 

I think I will try The House of Spirits this month. I've never read Isabel Allende.

 

I just opened my book, looking for a suitable analogy to post, and there it was, the first sentence of the chapter I am about to read. It's a two-fer, pun included.

 

"What vain weather-cocks we are!" 😄

[mumto2]

I just finished Remarkable Creatureshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7467548-remarkable-creatures. Lovely book. I think many here would enjoy but many have already read. After someone's comment about The Lady and the Unicorn being adult content wise I want to add that this was not. Lots of talk about reputations and a brief scene, overall mild.

 

Not sure what i will read next. I just loaded my next ones from my stacks and filled up my currently reading on goodreads. This means I have more than 10 that I want to read next! :lol: I think I may read a couple quick ones in order to reduce the stack.....

[Violet Crown]

I can't highlight either but quote it to respond. The whiteouts show in the quotation.

 

Aha! Thank you. And I was wrong; I thought this was about that play of Christie's that's gone on for sixty-odd years.

[Negin]

I read that book last year I think.  I loved it.  It was especially fascinating because my husband's great-great-grandmother was a servant girl to a family running a workhouse in England back in the 1800s.  I've always had a sort of bond with that particular ancestor of his for some reason.  I don't know why.  She had lifelong problems from her time working there (note she was a worker, not an inmate, she had a family - mother and sisters, father had died - to go home to, but even so she apparently saw horrible things).  She ended up agoraphobic and never left her house for the last 40 years of her life.  She stayed in her bed the last 20.

Oh my goodness. I can't even begin to imagine the aftereffects of experiencing all of that.  :grouphug:

[Negin]

Double Post

[Chrysalis Academy]

Reads this week:

Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George -- I think this is as good as most of her books but then only Tuesdays at the Castle has really stood out for me

The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly -- this was a bit of a let down, but then The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate would be hard to beat. Also I think a lot of my issue with this book was it was clear from very early on that my animal sensitive older DD will not enjoy it.

 

Uh-oh, tell me more, pretty please? We are pretty animal sensitive -ok, really animal sensitive - around here, but we'd been looking forward to this sequel because we loved the first one so much.

[Negin]

 Has anyone read Island Beneath the Sea? I've thought about reading that one of hers.

Yes, I read it four years ago. It was okay. Nothing incredible. 

[Chrysalis Academy]

Re: the Agatha Christie question. I haven't read the book that others mentioned, but did read a different one that I thought she was asking about... (also whited out, so highlight at your own risk): Curtain

 

But, it has been eons since I've read Christie's books, so maybe I'm not remembering correctly?

 

I think I read that one, but honestly I can't remember the details, only that it's original title was "Poirot's last case" which implies at least one shocker, right?