BW47: Happy Thanksgiving

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday my lovelies! We are on week 47 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 in my signature.
 
52 Books blog - Happy Thanksgiving: 

 

The Pumpkin

 

BY

 

 JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER

 

 

Oh, greenly and fair in the lands of the sun,

The vines of the gourd and the rich melon run,

And the rock and the tree and the cottage enfold,

With broad leaves all greenness and blossoms all gold,

Like that which o'er Nineveh's prophet once grew,

While he waited to know that his warning was true,

And longed for the storm-cloud, and listened in vain

For the rush of the whirlwind and red fire-rain.

 

On the banks of the Xenil the dark Spanish maiden

Comes up with the fruit of the tangled vine laden;

And the Creole of Cuba laughs out to behold

Through orange-leaves shining the broad spheres of gold;

Yet with dearer delight from his home in the North,

On the fields of his harvest the Yankee looks forth,

Where crook-necks are coiling and yellow fruit shines,

And the sun of September melts down on his vines.

 

Ah! on Thanksgiving day, when from East and from West,

From North and from South come the pilgrim and guest,

When the gray-haired New Englander sees round his board

The old broken links of affection restored,

When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,

And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before,

What moistens the lip and what brightens the eye?

What calls back the past, like the rich Pumpkin pie?

 

Oh, fruit loved of boyhood! the old days recalling,

When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling!

When wild, ugly faces we carved in its skin,

Glaring out through the dark with a candle within!

When we laughed round the corn-heap, with hearts all in tune,

Our chair a broad pumpkin,—our lantern the moon,

Telling tales of the fairy who travelled like steam,

In a pumpkin-shell coach, with two rats for her team!

 

Then thanks for thy present! none sweeter or better

E'er smoked from an oven or circled a platter!

Fairer hands never wrought at a pastry more fine,

Brighter eyes never watched o'er its baking, than thine!

And the prayer, which my mouth is too full to express,

Swells my heart that thy shadow may never be less,

That the days of thy lot may be lengthened below,

And the fame of thy worth like a pumpkin-vine grow,

And thy life be as sweet, and its last sunset sky

Golden-tinted and fair as thy own Pumpkin pie!

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

 

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

 

History of the Medieval World

Chapter 63: Basileus  pp 479 - 487

Chapter 64: Creation of Normandy  pp 488 - 491

Chapter 65:  The Kingdom of Germany   pp 492 - 497

 

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

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

Link to week 46

 

[Robin M]

I'm currently in the midst of two books

 

Non fiction wise - In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Adventure of the USS Jeannette by Hampton Sides and Fiction wise - reading #5 in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series - The Fires of Heaven.

 

My birthday haul: 

 

 

John managed to surprise me with a few books,not on my Amazon wishlist including renumbered Chronicles of Narnia in which they decided The Magician's Nephew is #1.   Reminds me of Star Wars and trying to explain which order they came out and which order to watch them in.   :lol:

 

and a birthday gift to myself

 

 

Sorry, didn't realize how huge the pictures are.

 

Plus I got myself MiddleMarch,Midwife of Venice,  H.M.S. Surprise, and James Michener's The Source.  

Edited November 22, 2015 by Robin M

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished listening to The Great Disruption: Why the Climate Crisis will bring on the end of shopping and the birth of a new world by Paul Gilding, a former CEO of Greenpeace Australia and a green business dude.  It's been on my stack for a couple of years now, but I had trouble getting past the depressing early chapters. I work in sustainable agriculture, so I have to deal with climate modeling quite a bit, and always have to fight off depression and hopelessness when I get too immersed in it. I'm glad I persevered with Gilding's book. He managed to take a very clear look at the current state of ecology and the economy, and make some reasonable predictions about the immediate future, yet maintains optimism anyway. I could use more of that. This was a good combination with the Climate Fiction anthology I recently finished (Loosed Upon the World).

 

 

Books Completed in November:

169. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit - Jeanette Winterson

168. Ancillary Mercy - Ann Leckie

167. The Great Disruption - Paul Gilding

166. The Gap of Time - Jeanette Winterson

165. In Cold Blood - Truman Capote

164. The Winter's Tale - William Shakespeare

163. The Sellout - Paul Beatty

162. Charles and Emma: The Darwin's Leap of Faith - Deborah Heligman

161. Loosed Upon the World: The Saga Anthology of Climate Fiction - John Joseph Adams, ed.

Edited November 23, 2015 by Chrysalis Academy

[JennW in SoCal]

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all! I'm looking forward to getting my college boy home for a few days, a first for his college career as he has spent it with friends the last 3 years.  AND we'll have the entire nuclear family gathered for Thanksgiving dinner, though it will be at a restaurant close to where my working boy lives as he has to be at work at 8 that night. Just a few weeks ago my dh and I thought it would be only the two of us for turkey dinner, so this is a very happy turn of events!

 

I really loved listening to Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. It is sad, funny, beautifully written and as I commented last week, the audio version is read by the author so it feels like a series of monologues, as if it is a one man show. 

 

I'm finally getting around to reading Wee Free Men, and am of course loving it! It's on my phone's kindle app and is the perfect escape when I have a few free moments.

 

This week is the quiet before the storm of holiday music gigs. I mindlessly grabbed some fluffy mysteries at the library yesterday, hoping to have something on hand to get all the dancing sugar plums and sleigh ride tunes out of my head! Winner for the best song title of an upcoming concert is "Chanukah in Santa Monica"! I'm looking forward to finally hearing the lyrics for that one.  And one of the more fun pieces to play will be a Trans-Siberian Orchestra arrangement of Nutcracker tunes. 

 

ETA In reviewing my music for rehearsal tonight I see that Hanukah in Santa Monica is a Tom Leher song, and after a quick internet search and a listen to it on YouTube -- it is quintessential Leher!  

 

Edited November 22, 2015 by JennW in SoCal

[Jane in NC]

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

 

The Boy is Home for the Holidays!!  Happy dancing!  :party:

 

Life got in the way of my reading the last two weeks.  But I finally finished The Miracle Game by Josef Skvorecky.  At times humorous, at times thought provoking.  I am not sure how to articulate this, but I felt that this book shared a certain quality with jazz riffs or scat singing in which there were recurring themes and jumps to the past.  Despite the humor, The Miracle Game is more a somber analysis of the Soviet occupation of the Czech Republic.  Soon winging its way to VC.

 

Before joining VC in reading The Good Soldier Å vejk, I need to read The Gap of Time. The clock is ticking on the library copy. 

 

And I need to clean the house before the arrival of Thanksgiving guests. Busy week ahead!!

 

 

[Butter]

Robin, that is a truly beautiful birthday present picture :)

 

My surgery is tomorrow.  Finally!  We have to be at the hospital at 7 for surgery at 9:30.

 

This morning I finished reading Chef Maurice and the Wrath of Grapes.  It's a mind vacation sort of book.  The first half was so slow.  The last third was great.  It's the second Chef Maurice book, but reading them in order is totally not necessary.

[Jane in NC]

Happy Belated Birthday, Robin!  It sounds like you had a special day.

 

Indulge me as I share a few more photos from Baja California Sur.  Surrounding myself in its intoxicating beauty was one of the greatest experiences of my life!

 

 

 

The dramatic volcanic rocks were so delightful as one explored by skiff or kayak.  Here is a photo of my husband falling off a paddle board--although that is not why I am showing it here.  Look at the keyhole in the rocks.

 

 

And a closer view of these composite volcanic rocks:

 

Edited November 22, 2015 by Jane in NC

[Jane in NC]

Heather,

 

I believe that I can speak for all of the BaWers in saying that we will be collectively sending you good thoughts in the morning. 

 

May you find relief,

Jane

[Chrysalis Academy]

Heather,

 

I believe that I can speak for all of the BaWers in saying that we will be collectively sending you good thoughts in the morning. 

 

May you find relief,

Jane

 

:iagree:  Hear, hear!  :hurray:

[Negin]

Heather,

 

I believe that I can speak for all of the BaWers in saying that we will be collectively sending you good thoughts in the morning. 

 

May you find relief,

Jane

Yes, Heather, thinking of you and sending prayers your way.  :grouphug:

 

I read In the Midst of Life - 5 Stars - My, oh my, what a beautiful book. 2015 has been a wonderful year reading-wise, since I’ve had the joy of reading all of Jennifer Worth’s books (well, most of them anyway – other than one on eczema and food allergies). This was yet another fantastic book by her and unfortunately her final one. It was about death and dying and very thought-provoking. I just realized that I’ve been reading quite a few books on death as well, not that I mind at all. Most people don’t like to talk about death, yet we’re all going to have to face it at some point, and for that reason I think that everyone should read this, but most especially those in the medical professions. I love how reading this encouraged me to have a new perspective on life – “life is short, enjoy it while you may.†I highlighted so many quotes and excerpts, here are a few of them.

 

"In the natural course of events, the period when death is taking over a body is fairly brief. My grandfather (who had no medication) had about a fortnight of this period in his life. Today it can drag on for months or years."

 

"There is not a single dying human being who does not yearn for love, touch, understanding, and whose heart does not break from the withdrawal of those who should be drawing near."

 

"The husband of one of my dearest friends died in hospital of lung cancer, but she was with him most of the time in the last few weeks. She told me, ‘I was with him, and I could see that he was going to die, so I pulled the curtains round and lay on the bed beside him. I took him in my arms (he weighed almost nothing, he was so thin) and whispered to him and kissed him. He knew I was there. Then he just stopped breathing, but I didn’t move. I stayed there with him until he was quite cold. Then I got up and went to one of the nurses and told them that he had gone. The nurse came to check, and touched him. 'But he’s quite cold,' she said. 'When did he die?' '“It was at half past two – I know because I looked at my watch.' 'But you should have come and called one of the staff; it’s nearly four o’clock now,' the nurse said. '“No, I wanted to be alone with him, quietly, lovingly, giving him time for his soul to leave his body.' 'This is most unusual,' remarked the nurse, and gave me a very funny look. But I didn’t care what anyone thought. I knew that he was safely on his way to wherever we go after we die, and I left the hospital, happy.'"

 

"As everything slides away, what I am left with is faith and love. Faith, which has been the cornerstone of my life, and love, which has been always with me. Love of my husband; our love for each other; love of my daughters and my grandchildren, and their surpassing care of me. And overall, and around all, the love of God. Thanks be to God."

 

 

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.

Edited November 22, 2015 by Negin

[Mom-ninja.]

Smooth and speedy recovery!

[Kareni]

To those in the US who are celebrating ~

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

...and a birthday gift to myself

 

Cute socks!  My husband very much enjoyed Rod Dreher's How Dante Can Save Your Life;  I hope you enjoy it, too.

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all! I'm looking forward to getting my college boy home for a few days, a first for his college career as he has spent it with friends the last 3 years.  AND we'll have the entire nuclear family gathered for Thanksgiving dinner,

 

ETA In reviewing my music for rehearsal tonight I see that Hanukah in Santa Monica is a Tom Leher song, and after a quick internet search and a listen to it on YouTube -- it is quintessential Leher!  

 

Yay for the family get together!

 

We're big Tom Lehrer fans here.  I was listening to one of his collected works CDs just the other day.

 

 

My surgery is tomorrow.  Finally!  We have to be at the hospital at 7 for surgery at 9:30.

 

Wishing you well tomorrow and hoping for a smooth recovery.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

 

The Boy is Home for the Holidays!!  Happy dancing!  :party:

 

Yay indeed!  Have a great visit with him and other family and guests.

 

And thanks for the additional photos; they are truly lovely.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Angel]

 

 

 

The Pumpkin

 

BY

 

 JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER

 

 

Oh, greenly and fair in the lands of the sun,

The vines of the gourd and the rich melon run,

And the rock and the tree and the cottage enfold,

With broad leaves all greenness and blossoms all gold,

Like that which o'er Nineveh's prophet once grew,

While he waited to know that his warning was true,

And longed for the storm-cloud, and listened in vain

For the rush of the whirlwind and red fire-rain.

 

On the banks of the Xenil the dark Spanish maiden

Comes up with the fruit of the tangled vine laden;

And the Creole of Cuba laughs out to behold

Through orange-leaves shining the broad spheres of gold;

Yet with dearer delight from his home in the North,

On the fields of his harvest the Yankee looks forth,

Where crook-necks are coiling and yellow fruit shines,

And the sun of September melts down on his vines.

 

Ah! on Thanksgiving day, when from East and from West,

From North and from South come the pilgrim and guest,

When the gray-haired New Englander sees round his board

The old broken links of affection restored,

When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,

And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before,

What moistens the lip and what brightens the eye?

What calls back the past, like the rich Pumpkin pie?

 

Oh, fruit loved of boyhood! the old days recalling,

When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling!

When wild, ugly faces we carved in its skin,

Glaring out through the dark with a candle within!

When we laughed round the corn-heap, with hearts all in tune,

Our chair a broad pumpkin,—our lantern the moon,

Telling tales of the fairy who travelled like steam,

In a pumpkin-shell coach, with two rats for her team!

 

Then thanks for thy present! none sweeter or better

E'er smoked from an oven or circled a platter!

Fairer hands never wrought at a pastry more fine,

Brighter eyes never watched o'er its baking, than thine!

And the prayer, which my mouth is too full to express,

Swells my heart that thy shadow may never be less,

That the days of thy lot may be lengthened below,

And the fame of thy worth like a pumpkin-vine grow,

And thy life be as sweet, and its last sunset sky

Golden-tinted and fair as thy own Pumpkin pie!

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

 

 

Thank you for sharing!  What a beautiful poem!

 

 

My surgery is tomorrow.  Finally!  We have to be at the hospital at 7 for surgery at 9:30.

 

 

Heather, I will be praying for you!  

 

Robin, didn't you hear my awesome rant last week on how one should really read the Chronicles of Narnia?!?  :svengo:  :lol:

 

Negin, thank you for those beautiful quotes!  It sounds like an amazing book.  

 

Happy day to all of you who are getting some time with your grown children  :hurray:

Edited November 22, 2015 by Angel

[aggieamy]

((HUGS)) to Heather.

 

My parents are incoming as we speak.  They will either be here tonight later or tomorrow at lunch.  They are coming from Pennsylvania so my dad wants to push through and make it in a day.  My mom wants to stop for the night and make it leisurely.  Last I talked to them they hadn't decided.  We'll see who has the stronger personality by when they arrive.  :)

 

 

My book club discussed The Martian.  Lots of yelling.  Name calling.  Disagreeing.  It was great fun.  Good thing we are all such good friends.  DH and one gal GENEROUSLY (in their opinion) gave it two stars.  Everyone else said four stars.  Two people (I was one of them) didn't read it. 

 

Still working my way through Nine Tailors. 

[Ali in OR]

I did finish Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale last Sunday and now The Gap of Time is waiting for me at the library.  But in the meantime I have discovered Sebastian St. Cyr (thanks mumto2, and I think Amy reads these too). These Regency era mysteries are perfect for what I want in my reading right now. They are darker than most Austen-inspired fare and the murders are none too genteel, but they are well-written, fast-paced, and short-chaptered--all plusses for me! I finished What Angels Fear and then also checked out the next two from the library--almost done with When Gods Die, then I'll go to The Gap of Time before starting Why Mermaids Sing.

[Angel]

Last night I finished The Wave by Todd Strasser.  I know this was a BaW rec but can't remember by whom.  Wow.  Dh and I are fond of using object lessons and getting kids involved when we are teaching, so I could relate to Mr. Ross.  I understand that drive to have the kids “get it.† I was shocked by how quickly the experiment went south!  As I was explaining what happened to dh this morning, I was surprised to realize that it all happened in less than two weeks!  Maybe less than one!  Though scary, I can only imagine that those kids (now adults) will never forget it.  I believe I will have Aly read this when we get to World War II and Hitler early next year, and will probably share with my nephew who loves WWII stuff.  Though a little simplistic in writing style, A POWERFUL SUBJECT MATTER.  This also filled "a book based on a true story category" in my Reading Challenge.  

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie.  Fantastic ending to a fantastic trilogy!  I haven't enjoyed a sci fi series this much in years.  I'm going to start over and read the whole thing straight through, as soon as I can get the first one from the library again.

 

From the beginning of the final chapter:

 

"Entertainments nearly always end with triumph or disaster - happiness achieved, or total, tragic defeat precluding any hope of it. But there is always more after the ending - always the next morning, and the next, always changes, losses and gains. Always one step after the other. Until the one true ending that none of us can escape. But even that ending is only a small one, large as it looms for us. There is still the next morning for everyone else. For the vast majority of the rest of the universe, that ending might as well not ever have happened. Every ending is an arbitrary one. Every ending is, from another angle, not really an ending."

 

[Loesje22000]

No books finished,

just following the news.

[mumto2]

I did finish Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale last Sunday and now The Gap of Time is waiting for me at the library. But in the meantime I have discovered Sebastian St. Cyr (thanks mumto2, and I think Amy reads these too). These Regency era mysteries are perfect for what I want in my reading right now. They are darker than most Austen-inspired fare and the murders are none too genteel, but they are well-written, fast-paced, and short-chaptered--all plusses for me! I finished What Angels Fear and then also checked out the next two from the library--almost done with When Gods Die, then I'll go to The Gap of Time before starting Why Mermaids Sing.

I am glad you are enjoying the St. Cyr books. They aren't right for everyone but I thought you would like them.

 

My reading this week has been rather scattered. I have started many books and plan to continue with all of them but can't seem to settle down and read one. I did manage to finish one by Deanna Raybourn called A Curious Beginninghttps://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/deanna-raybourn/a-curious-beginning/which I really enjoyed. It was set in Victorian England and had a highly independent woman for a main character. I have read her Lady Jane Grey series and enjoyed it. Looking forward to more books with these characters.

 

I am desperately trying to decide if I want to finish Career of Evil by Galbraith/Rowling. I promised my library copy to someone else due to an odd situation. I knew Jenn hadn't liked it and thought it would either be something I would easily abandon or read quickly. I agree it isn't quite right, dark. Almost an I just don't want to read what I think is going to happen feeling. Roughly 70 pages in. As I write this I am deciding just to drop the book off in the morning and skip my planned late night readathon. I can always check it out again. Lol

 

I also have one of Nora Robert's MacGregor series in progress and planning to finish Carrying Albert Home. Some others barely started but doubt I will finish before overdrive takes them and not bothered.....

 

My next Jodi Taylor time travel book (Chronicles of St. Mary's) is due on Thursday and can't be renewed. I will probably start that tonight.

 

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating. Thursday is the start of the Christmas season in our village with a formal tree lighting, street fair, and lots of bell ringing for the dc's. Some years I have forced a turkey dinner into the madness of the day but not sure if I will this year or not.

[Jane in NC]

No books finished,

just following the news.

 

I cannot "like" your post but I want you to know that my heart is with you during this difficult time.

 

Peace to you, your friends and family,

Jane

 

[aggieamy]

I did finish Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale last Sunday and now The Gap of Time is waiting for me at the library.  But in the meantime I have discovered Sebastian St. Cyr (thanks mumto2, and I think Amy reads these too). These Regency era mysteries are perfect for what I want in my reading right now. They are darker than most Austen-inspired fare and the murders are none too genteel, but they are well-written, fast-paced, and short-chaptered--all plusses for me! I finished What Angels Fear and then also checked out the next two from the library--almost done with When Gods Die, then I'll go to The Gap of Time before starting Why Mermaids Sing.

 

Yay!  Glad you're enjoying them.  I once read three in a week because I just had to find out what happened next!

 

No books finished,

just following the news.

 

Such a stressful time.  ((HUGS))

[Nan in Mass]

Many thanks, Jane!!! The holiday is not exactly being a time of serene, happy thanksgiving around here.  Too many people missing, among them, oldest.  At least the seaman's home (a hostel) where he is staying serves a Thanksgiving dinner.  Too many people stressed.  This looks absolutely perfect!

 

 Mum and I loved your last book (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day).  Mum has been recommending it left and right.

 

(A surprise package arrived in the mail.  For me!  Kind Jane sent me An Alligator Named Daisy.)

 

Nan, who wishes she could reciprocate but hasn't read any Jane-type books recently

[Jane in NC]

Many thanks, Jane!!! The holiday is not exactly being a time of serene, happy thanksgiving around here. Too many people missing, among them, oldest. At least the seaman's home (a hostel) where he is staying serves a Thanksgiving dinner. Too many people stressed. This looks absolutely perfect!

 

Mum and I loved your last book (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day). Mum has been recommending it left and right.

 

(A surprise package arrived in the mail. For me! Kind Jane sent me An Alligator Named Daisy.)

 

Nan, who wishes she could reciprocate but hasn't read any Jane-type books recently

You are welcome, Nan. Just bear in mind that it is a very silly book! (And not as great as Miss Pettigrew.)

[Shawneinfl]

Robin, that is a truly beautiful birthday present picture :)

 

My surgery is tomorrow.  Finally!  We have to be at the hospital at 7 for surgery at 9:30.

 

Heather, I am so happy you are finally getting your surgery. Praying for complete healing and relief. Wish we were near and could bring you meals and books to read.

 

 

Indulge me as I share a few more photos from Baja California Sur.  Surrounding myself in its intoxicating beauty was one of the greatest experiences of my life!

 

 

 

The dramatic volcanic rocks were so delightful as one explored by skiff or kayak.  Here is a photo of my husband falling off a paddle board--although that is not why I am showing it here.  Look at the keyhole in the rocks.

 

 

And a closer view of these composite volcanic rocks:

 

Jane, These are marvelous. Thanks for sharing your vacation with us.

 

Yes, Heather, thinking of you and sending prayers your way.  :grouphug:

 

I read In the Midst of Life - 5 Stars - My, oh my, what a beautiful book. 2015 has been a wonderful year reading-wise, since I’ve had the joy of reading all of Jennifer Worth’s books (well, most of them anyway – other than one on eczema and food allergies). This was yet another fantastic book by her and unfortunately her final one. It was about death and dying and very thought-provoking. I just realized that I’ve been reading quite a few books on death as well, not that I mind at all. Most people don’t like to talk about death, yet we’re all going to have to face it at some point, and for that reason I think that everyone should read this, but most especially those in the medical professions. I love how reading this encouraged me to have a new perspective on life – “life is short, enjoy it while you may.†I highlighted so many quotes and excerpts, here are a few of them.

 

"In the natural course of events, the period when death is taking over a body is fairly brief. My grandfather (who had no medication) had about a fortnight of this period in his life. Today it can drag on for months or years."

 

"There is not a single dying human being who does not yearn for love, touch, understanding, and whose heart does not break from the withdrawal of those who should be drawing near."

 

"The husband of one of my dearest friends died in hospital of lung cancer, but she was with him most of the time in the last few weeks. She told me, ‘I was with him, and I could see that he was going to die, so I pulled the curtains round and lay on the bed beside him. I took him in my arms (he weighed almost nothing, he was so thin) and whispered to him and kissed him. He knew I was there. Then he just stopped breathing, but I didn’t move. I stayed there with him until he was quite cold. Then I got up and went to one of the nurses and told them that he had gone. The nurse came to check, and touched him. 'But he’s quite cold,' she said. 'When did he die?' '“It was at half past two – I know because I looked at my watch.' 'But you should have come and called one of the staff; it’s nearly four o’clock now,' the nurse said. '“No, I wanted to be alone with him, quietly, lovingly, giving him time for his soul to leave his body.' 'This is most unusual,' remarked the nurse, and gave me a very funny look. But I didn’t care what anyone thought. I knew that he was safely on his way to wherever we go after we die, and I left the hospital, happy.'"

 

"As everything slides away, what I am left with is faith and love. Faith, which has been the cornerstone of my life, and love, which has been always with me. Love of my husband; our love for each other; love of my daughters and my grandchildren, and their surpassing care of me. And overall, and around all, the love of God. Thanks be to God."

 

 

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.

 

Negin! Not again! Another book recommendation that I must read immediately. I love Jennifer Worth as well and the excerpt you shared has me in tears already. I can't tell you how many times I have shared the Hirsi Ali books with others this week in light of all that is happening in the world. I would have never known about them if you hadn't read them first.

 

 

 

To those in the US who are celebrating ~

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Cute socks! 

 

 

((HUGS)) to Heather.

 

My parents are incoming as we speak.  They will either be here tonight later or tomorrow at lunch.  They are coming from Pennsylvania so my dad wants to push through and make it in a day.  My mom wants to stop for the night and make it leisurely.  Last I talked to them they hadn't decided.  We'll see who has the stronger personality by when they arrive.  :)

 

 

My book club discussed The Martian.  Lots of yelling.  Name calling.  Disagreeing.  It was great fun.  Good thing we are all such good friends.  DH and one gal GENEROUSLY (in their opinion) gave it two stars.  Everyone else said four stars.  Two people (I was one of them) didn't read it. 

 

Still working my way through Nine Tailors. 

 

ROBIN - those socks - I must have them.  :drool:

 

AMY - I would have loved your book club discussion. A good friend of mine just shared pics from her book club that celebrated it's 20th anniversary of monthly meetings. I have to admit I was a bit envious. They listed their 20 years of book selections and I wish I could start with year 1 and work my way through them. Sigh. So many books, so little time. BTW, I thoroughly enjoyed The Martian.

[Robin M]

Robin, didn't you hear my awesome rant last week on how one should really read the Chronicles of Narnia?!?  :svengo:  :lol:

I somehow missed that.  Would you like to point me in direction of the rant.

[Robin M]

Heather,

 

I believe that I can speak for all of the BaWers in saying that we will be collectively sending you good thoughts in the morning. 

 

May you find relief,

Jane

 

Yes,we will!  Many prayers,good thoughts and good vibes and hugs winging your way! 

[Robin M]

No books finished,

just following the news.

Hugs doll and all praying for safety for everyone involved.  

[Stacia]

Robin, looks like a great birthday haul!

 

Heather, :grouphug:  as you head into surgery in the morning. So glad it's here. Hope your recovery is quick & life returns to wonderful for you very soon!

 

Jane, gorgeous photos of course.

 

Loesje, :grouphug: .

 

Nan, :grouphug: .

 

Amy, sounds like a fun meeting!

 

Angel, enjoyed your review of The Wave as ds just read this one too. (Heather was the one who originally recommended it here.)

 

As for my reading, I'm not sure I'll finish You Animal Machine. I just don't seem to be in the mood to pick it back up. However, crstarlette, if your library carries it, check it out. I think it's definitely up your alley.

 

I've had a really busy weekend, but did have time to start Hogfather, a seasonal favorite of mine.  :lol:  I need something light & funny. This is perfect as it's one of my faves of the Terry Pratchett books.

 

From Publishers Weekly:

The master of humorous fantasy delivers one of his strongest, most conventional books yet. Discworld's equivalent of Santa Claus, the Hogfather (who flies in a sleigh drawn by four gigantic pigs), has been spirited away by a repulsive assassin, Mr. Teatime, acting on behalf of the Auditors who rule the universe and who would prefer that it exhibited no life. Since faith is essential to life, destroying belief in the Hogfather would be a major blow to humanity. It falls to a marvelously depicted Death and his granddaughter Susan to solve the mystery of the disappeared Hogfather, and meanwhile to fill in for him. On the way to the pair's victory, readers encounter children both naughty and nice; gourmet banquets made of old boots and mud; lesser and greater criminals; an overworked and undertrained tooth fairy named Violet; and Bilious, the god of hangovers, among other imaginative concepts. The tone of much of the book is darker than usual for Pratchett -- for whom "humorous" has never been synonymous with "silly" -- and his satire, too, is more edged than usual. (One scene deftly skewers the Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas.") Pratchett has now moved beyond the limits of humorous fantasy, and should be recognized as one of the more significant contemporary English-language satirists.

 

Edited November 23, 2015 by Stacia

[Guest]

I finished 6 things last week that connected to our ongoing discussions about race:

 

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates:  Wow.  Thank you, Pam & Stacia for not only putting this on my radar but convincing me this was a book I had to read now.  I think this is an urgently important book, a powerful, insightful reflection on what it has been for Coates to be a black man in the States in our generation.  There are better books for the sociology, for the data, for intellectually exploring the concepts of "race" and racism... but nothing better that I've see for enabling me to feel I have a glimpse of how this world we share looks from that angle of view.  I think everyone should read this.

 

Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life: This is does a much better & more coherent job of discussing the concepts of race, racism, and what the authors term racecraft.  I think some of the chapters were published as individual pieces, so there can be some repetition (a few anecdotes are repeated word-for-word), but I found it a compelling, if unsettling, read.  Highly recommended.

 

Disgraced: A Play by Ayad Akhtar: The jacket copy bills this as being about religion (mostly Islam), but I see it as being about "race" - about some of the ugly, complicated things about being an Arab-American in the States post 9/11.  I felt it was a flawed play and missed the chance to bring out some of the inherent complications int he set-up and characters, but it an explosive, disturbing, unsettling play with a emotional weight and reality that kept me riveted despite its flaws. 

 

Dutchman and The Slave (two plays) by LeRoi Jones (aka Amiri Baraka): Jones came up so much in No Cause for Indictment & I had this sitting on the shelf, so I decided to read it and see if his work was as provocative as the book had implied.  The first play was weird and very disturbing.... the second was devastating and filled with a rage and pain I'm not sure I could have handled seeing on stage.  I have absolutely no urge to seek out more of his plays or poetry right now... but I am thinking of reading his first wife's memoir How I Became Hattie Jones... especially after seeing the autobiographical content of the second play (in the set-up *not* the way it played out), I want to hear what it was like to be the "white", Jewish wife of Jones as became Baraka and more and more militantly anti-white.

 

 

Five on the Black Hand Side by Charlie Russell: This is a less topical play than those by Jones or Akhtar - and a much happier, less disturbing one too!  It isn't as powerful or tautly written as the Jones plays, and the issues of the period are part of the background - the foreground issue is a woman with 3 grown children deciding to stand up for herself.  It's a comedy & characterization and plot are handled broadly, which made an easy happy ending possible... 

 

Other reading in a separate post... 

[Kareni]

I just finished reading Everything I Left Unsaid by M. O’Keefe.  This dark romance is definitely NOT for conservative readers.  I enjoyed it.  It does end with a cliffhanger, so now I'm interested in reading the sequel which comes out later this month.

 

"I didn’t think answering someone else’s cellphone would change my life. But the stranger with the low, deep voice on the other end of the line tempted me, awakened my body, set me on fire. He was looking for someone else. Instead he found me.

And I found a hot, secret world where I felt alive for the first time.

His name was Dylan, and, strangely, he made me feel safe. Desired. Compelled. Every dark thing he asked me to do, I did. Without question. I longed to meet him, but we were both keeping secrets. And mine were dangerous. If I took the first step, if I got closer to Dylan—emotionally, physically—then I wouldn’t be hiding anymore. I would be exposed, with nothing left to surrender but the truth. And my truth could hurt us both."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Guest]

I'm in a weird reading place right now - my fiction reading is barely happening at all... not for lack of love and interest for the books, but I seem to only read a bit of them and then I want to pick up one of the nonfiction titles, or a play, or maybe some poetry...

 

Stacia, I finally read Altazor!  Thank you for recommending it so enthusiastically over these past few years.  It isn't my usual style of poetry (and I can completely see how it would be very much yours!), but the mixture of image, language play, idea, and emotion were beautiful and powerful.

 

...and I reread Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones: This is one of DWJ's most brilliant accomplishments, I think, but it also has some of the most disturbing content I've seen in any of her books. She handles it amazingly and with a minimum of explicitness, but this is not one I'd hand to younger kid. 

 

...and then there were the plays:

 

History Boys by Alan Bennett: Very well done, but the relatively casual acceptance of an adult groping teens is deeply disturbing.

Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl: An interesting adaptation, but disappointing compared to some of the adaptations of other Greek stories I've read recently.

Rent: Like most musicals, I imagine this would be more effective seen than read.  ...but an interesting read given my recent readings and the relatively recent reading of Angels in America...

Glengarry Glen Ross by Mamet: I found Oleanna amazingly powerful, but have bounced off most of Mamet's other plays... they are gripping and powerful, but often so bleak and brutal, and this is definitely both.

Harvey by Mary Chase: I know I am weird outlier, but I found this disturbing rather than endearing.

Yerma, Blood  Wedding, and House of Bernarda Alba all by Lorca: Grim and tragic with so much repression of self and desire...

 

 

 

 

[Stacia]

Eliana, glad to read your comments re: LeRoi Jones' work. I have been thinking I should read something of his after seeing him mentioned....

 

Glad you enjoyed Altazor. Most poetry isn't my thing, but that one was. Totally.

 

 

[Guest]

I finished listening to The Great Disruption: Why the Climate Crisis will bring on the end of shopping and the birth of a new world by Paul Gilding, a former CEO of Greenpeace Australia and a green business dude.  It's been on my stack for a couple of years now, but I had trouble getting past the depressing early chapters. I work in sustainable agriculture, so I have to deal with climate modeling quite a bit, and always have to fight off depression and hopelessness when I get too immersed in it. I'm glad I persevered with Gilding's book. He managed to take a very clear look at the current state of ecology and the economy, and make some reasonable predictions about the immediate future, yet maintains optimism anyway. I could use more of that. This was a good combination with the Climate Fiction anthology I recently finished (Loosed Upon the World).

 

 

I will try to remember that it is worth pushing through those first few chapters!  This sounds like another important one to read...

 

 

 I'm looking forward to getting my college boy home for a few days, a first for his college career as he has spent it with friends the last 3 years.  AND we'll have the entire nuclear family gathered for Thanksgiving dinner, though it will be at a restaurant close to where my working boy lives as he has to be at work at 8 that night. Just a few weeks ago my dh and I thought it would be only the two of us for turkey dinner, so this is a very happy turn of events!

 

I really loved listening to Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. It is sad, funny, beautifully written and as I commented last week, the audio version is read by the author so it feels like a series of monologues, as if it is a one man show. 

 

 

I am so happy you'll have everyone together!  We don't do T-day, but we will have all our kids here for a few days the beginning of this week... which feels like a major event in and of itself!

 

I've had the Alexie on my list for a long time... but then I read Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven and although it was something eye opening and important to read it was also bitterly depressing.  It sounds as if Diary is weighted a smidgen more toward humor and is a little less bleak?  

 

 

 

 

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

 

The Boy is Home for the Holidays!!  Happy dancing! 

 

 

I am so happy for you!!  Have a wonderful time, love!  (And thank you for all the amazing photos of your trip!)

 

 

 

My surgery is tomorrow.  Finally!  We have to be at the hospital at 7 for surgery at 9:30.

 

 

 

:grouphug:  You'll be in my thoughts and prayers tomorrow, love.  I am relieved you are finally getting taken care of & I hope your recovery is smooth and easy!

 

 

 

I finished Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie.  Fantastic ending to a fantastic trilogy!  I haven't enjoyed a sci fi series this much in years.  I'm going to start over and read the whole thing straight through, as soon as I can get the first one from the library again.

 

From the beginning of the final chapter:

 

"Entertainments nearly always end with triumph or disaster - happiness achieved, or total, tragic defeat precluding any hope of it. But there is always more after the ending - always the next morning, and the next, always changes, losses and gains. Always one step after the other. Until the one true ending that none of us can escape. But even that ending is only a small one, large as it looms for us. There is still the next morning for everyone else. For the vast majority of the rest of the universe, that ending might as well not ever have happened. Every ending is an arbitrary one. Every ending is, from another angle, not really an ending."

 

Isn't that a lovely ending?  It struck just the right balance for me... and I too want to reread it back to back... 

 

 

No books finished,

just following the news.

 

:grouphug:   You're in my heart, dearest.  

 

 

Many thanks, Jane!!! The holiday is not exactly being a time of serene, happy thanksgiving around here.  Too many people missing, among them, oldest.  At least the seaman's home (a hostel) where he is staying serves a Thanksgiving dinner.  Too many people stressed.  

:grouphug:   Wishing you peace and joy and serenity... for you and all your dear ones.  

[Negin]

Negin! Not again! Another book recommendation that I must read immediately. I love Jennifer Worth as well and the excerpt you shared has me in tears already. I can't tell you how many times I have shared the Hirsi Ali books with others this week in light of all that is happening in the world. I would have never known about them if you hadn't read them first.

Shawne, what can I say? I'm delighted that you've enjoyed the Ayaan books also. Her husband is Niall Ferguson and he's so smart also. I saw her on CNN just the other day. You can find it on You Tube. It's about 10 minutes long. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to give links for these here or not, for the You Tube video and the WSJ article. I've been sharing her stuff on Facebook (very mildly, far and few in between, so as not to overwhelm). I've also been looking at some of her quotes on Pinterest. 

 

As to Jennifer Worth, my gosh, I love her also. She's had me go through a whole gamut of emotions in all of her books. This latest and final book of hers is one that I believe everyone should read. Sorry that I made you cry :grouphug: . It made me cry also, then my husband as well, when I read those excerpts to him. 

Edited November 23, 2015 by Negin

[aggieamy]

No books finished,

just following the news.

 

Are you guys still on lockdown?

 

...and then there were the plays:

 

History Boys by Alan Bennett: Very well done, but the relatively casual acceptance of an adult groping teens is deeply disturbing.

Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl: An interesting adaptation, but disappointing compared to some of the adaptations of other Greek stories I've read recently.

Rent: Like most musicals, I imagine this would be more effective seen than read.  ...but an interesting read given my recent readings and the relatively recent reading of Angels in America...

Glengarry Glen Ross by Mamet: I found Oleanna amazingly powerful, but have bounced off most of Mamet's other plays... they are gripping and powerful, but often so bleak and brutal, and this is definitely both.

Harvey by Mary Chase: I know I am weird outlier, but I found this disturbing rather than endearing.

Yerma, Blood  Wedding, and House of Bernarda Alba all by Lorca: Grim and tragic with so much repression of self and desire...

 

Do you have any plays to recommend for DD (11 yo)?  I think that would be such an interesting thing for her to read and I know you might have some good ideas that would be age appropriate. 

[Loesje22000]

Brussels Capitol Area is still on security level 4.

Every afternoon (local time) they decide to continue or not this level.

Schools and Metro are closed:

http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/Brussels/1.2503380

 

I can't say much about the lockdown besides the media tells me.

I don't live in Brussel or Brussel Capitol Area.

But I hope for those who live there, police and army find what they are looking for very soon.

[mumto2]

Loejse :grouphug:

[Nan in Mass]

Loesje - Holding you in the light. And sending hugs.

 

Heather - You, too.

 

Nan

[Nan in Mass]

Oh, and thank you, Loesje, for letting us know your status.

[Butter]

Yesterday I read Auggie & Me by RJ Palacio.  It's a companion book to Wonder.  It's got three short stories in.  The Julian Chapter which is Julian's defense of how he treated Auggie and what was going on in his life at the same time period as Wonder, Pluto which is about Chris who was Auggie's best friend from birth but moved away a few years before Wonder happens and tells the story of a very bad day in Chris's life interspersed with memories with Auggie, and Shingaling which is told by Charlotte who was never mean to Auggie but also wasn't his good friend like Summer was and is also what was going on in her life at the same time period as Wonder.  It was excellent.  Very quick read.  If you liked Wonder, definitely read this one, especially The Julian Chapter.

[Violet Crown]

Nice socks, Robin.

 

Trying to get some of The Good Soldier Å vejk in while my dad visits for the holidays. Got him started on The Gulag Archipelago, which he'd always been meaning to read; in part as a Cunning Plan to get myself some reading time! Meanwhile I read a quick and fun and fluffy book--yes I do read fun and fluffy: one of Giovanni Guareschi's Don Camillo series, Don Camillo and the Flower Children. The adventures of irascible parish priest Don Camillo in a small Italian town in the '50s and '60s, with his nemesis the Communist Mayor Peppone, and in this book with his newly assigned young, hip, Vatican 2 priest Don "Chichi" Francesco and Don Camillo's outrageous liberated motorcycle chick niece. Like I say, fluffy but I have no regrets. I think I'll have to read the rest of the series actually.

Edited November 23, 2015 by Violet Crown

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Jeanette Winterson's first, autobiographical novel about her childhood, being raised by an adoptive mother who was a pentacostal/evengelical christian - very non mainstream - and realizing that she was gay.  This was a re-read for me, I first read this book when I was in college, still trying to detach myself from the non mainstream religion in which I was raised, and I found much I could relate to then, and it still resonates.  Not the being gay part, but the not being accepted if your choices, s@xual and otherwise, did not follow the party line.  I think I'm going to enjoy wending my way through Winterson's novels from the beginning.

[Kareni]

... Meanwhile I read a quick and fun and fluffy book--yes I do read fun and fluffy: one of Giovanni Guareschi's Don Camillo series, Don Camillo and the Flower Children. The adventures of irascible parish priest Don Camillo in a small Italian town in the '50s and '60s, with his nemesis the Communist Mayor Peppone, and in this book with his newly assigned young, hip, Vatican 2 priest Don "Chichi" Francesco and Don Camillo's outrageous liberated motorcycle chick niece. Like I say, fluffy but I have no regrets. I think I'll have to read the rest of the series actually.

 

The Don Camillo books are a three generation series in my family.  I first read them when I was a teenager on the recommendation of my parents who had read them (presumably in Dutch) when they were younger.  I have the series on my shelf, and my daughter read and enjoyed them herself starting when she was a teenager.

 

I've never seen them, but there are also Don Camillo movies.  Here's a link to the first ~

 

The Little World Of Don Camillo

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

Loesje, thanks for the update. :grouphug:

 

My dh's extended family is not in Brussels, but I can't imagine having a city on such lockdown for days & days, esp. as the holidays are coming. My in-laws just came back from Belgium last week (of course traveling out of Brussels), but they were there Wednesday (so luckily before the highest alerts & lockdown).

 

I did like this news report: Surreal as only Belgians can be: Facing highest threat alert, they bring out their ... cats.

Cats Take Over #BrusselsLockdown on Twitter

Edited November 23, 2015 by Stacia

[Violet Crown]

The Don Camillo books are a three generation series in my family. I first read them when I was a teenager on the recommendation of my parents who had read them (presumably in Dutch) when they were younger. I have the series on my shelf, and my daughter read and enjoyed them herself starting when she was a teenager.

 

I've never seen them, but there are also Don Camillo movies. Here's a link to the first ~

The Little World Of Don Camillo

 

Regards,

Kareni

In Dutch, yet! How is it I've just recently learned about Don Camillo?

[Jane in NC]

In Dutch, yet! How is it I've just recently learned about Don Camillo?

 

I was introduced to Don Camillo by Kareni over on the high school board back when my darling son was of that age (which means that she has been recommending these books for years now.)  Were you sleeping in class again, VC?  Looks like you are staying after school to clean the chalkboard erasers.  :D

 

[Pam in CT]

Heather, thinking of you...

 

Loesje, holding you and all your nation in the light...

 

Robin, nice socks!   :laugh: 

 

 

[Loesje22000]

Loesje, thanks for the update. :grouphug:

 

My dh's extended family is not in Brussels, but I can't imagine having a city on such lockdown for days & days, esp. as the holidays are coming. My in-laws just came back from Belgium last week (of course traveling out of Brussels), but they were there Wednesday (so luckily before the highest alerts & lockdown).

 

I did like this news report: Surreal as only Belgians can be: Facing highest threat alert, they bring out their ... cats.

Cats Take Over #BrusselsLockdown on Twitter

 

 

It helped dd to relax a little, to see all those funny cats :)

And that adults can be funny in anxious times too

I also showed her the news about the Robot fair in Peking just to get the stresslevels down in house as we have an exam to prepare.

 

It remains security level 4 until monday.

From Wednesday on schools and metro are open again (despite level 4)

 

The exams for homeschoolers were cancelled today and will be cancelled tomorrow, but will be continued from wednesday on.

We'll have next week our last 8th grade exam and hope the securety level will be back at 3 by then.

[Guest]

Do you have any plays to recommend for DD (11 yo)?  I think that would be such an interesting thing for her to read and I know you might have some good ideas that would be age appropriate. 

 

Plays are tricky. 

 

I started with Shakespeare - first seeing, then memorizing sections, then reading the plays... so all my other drama reading past the elementary years was rooted in Shakespeare... and, logically enough given that starting place, my early play reading was all very pre-modern.. until my midteens.  So, my perspective is warped.  :)

 

I've also noticed with my own kids that not all of them are ready to enjoy reading scripts (even Shakespeare!) by middle school - it requires a very different set of reading skills.

 

Two playwrights whose work makes a good transition from reading prose to reading drama: Arthur Miller and George Bernard Shaw.

 

Miller's tragedies are painful, but my kids (so far) have deeply appreciated All My Sons and Incident at Vichy. (I would steer very clear of Crucible which has non-middle grade friendly content & Death of a Salesman, which is really a tragedy for grownups)

 

Shaw's only tragedy is Saint Joan, his favorite of his plays, but not where I would start for either a kid or an adult. Major Barbara has always been my favorite Shaw, but many people prefer starting with Pygmalion, ymmv. (I would avoid Man and Superman and Don Juan and be aware that in Lady Windermere's Profession the profession was prostitution - handled brilliantly and a philosophical issue rather than an on stage one, but still not where you might want to start). Arms and the Man is more farcical, but has Shaw's satirical fingerprints all over it.

 

For Shakespeare, the easiest play to start reading is, for many kids, Julius Caesar.  (Macbeth is equally straightforward, but much more disturbing a play - though my older son saw it when he was 3 and proceeded to memorize large swaths of it...but we're weird). Henry V is another popular starting point for middle grade students.  (Many schools use Romeo and Juliet, which makes no sense at all to me... ymmv)  ...but I, personally, dislike the idea of anyone encountering Shakespeare in print before having a lot of exposure to the real thing - to live productions (or, very much second best, films).

 

As I try to think about this, I'm seeing that some of the most readable plays I can think of aren't ones I'd think of as ideal for middle grades.... Edson's Wit is an amazing, immensely readable play... but its primary subject is terminal cancer.  Talley's Folly is engaging, moving, funny, and endearing, but each of the protagonists has been through some hard, tragic things (nothing explicit, but not sunshine and roses either), Not About Heroes is another gripping read, but the protagonists are WWI poets in a convalescence facility for victims of shell-shock (Owen & Sassoon), A Raisin in the Sun is very engaging and moving, but the challenges and aspirations aren't super relatable for most middle grade kids.  Trifles by Glaspell is a taut semi-mystery, but the subject is SPOILER:    [an abusive husband murdered by his wife].  Doll's House by Ibsen is a masterpiece, but I'm not sure the conflict would resonate for a middle grade kid... and the SPOILER  [mother leaving to make her own life sans children or husband could be a hard one].  Frayn's Copenhagen is a masterpiece, but I'm not sure how much the philosophising, the science, or the historical setting would grab a preteen... 

 

I think Greek tragedy (in a good translation) is immensely readable, but my perspective might be warped... and the subject matter is far from light.  Antigone is my favorite for teens (and then there's Anouilh's version and Brecht's and Heaney's).  I like the translations with Lattimore,but I've also loved the Greek Tragedies in New Translations series.

 

Humorous plays that are G-PGish  & relatively easy to read are harder to think of and tend to be older: Cyrano de Bergerac (not all translations are created equal - my favorite isn't available for purchase, it was commissioned by our local Shakespeare company and the director (with the author's permission) shared a copy with me.  I've linked the Burgess, which is my favorite of the available ones I've read, though he changes a plot piece which annoyed me.), She Stoops to Conquer, Trelawny of the Wells, Wild Oats, Importance of Being Earnest, & The Miser (Moliere) come to mind. [Though several do have sexual situations or humor implied). Or of lesser quality/appeal to age range: You Can't Take it With You, Rainmaker, Holiday (which is more family drama than comedy, really), Sabrina Fair, Ladies of the Camellias

 

Standard ones I've seen done for or handed to younger readers: Miracle Worker and I Remember Mama, neither of which have ever thrilled me, but somebody clearly loves them as they turn up so often... 

 

Hmm... Winslow Boy is an interesting one (though the film is much better.  

Twelve Angry Men is an engaging read.  (I've heard the film is also good, but I haven't seen it)

...perhaps Ibsen's Enemy of the People (or the Miller adaptation)?  It is an Ibsen and therefore tragic, but the subject matter would, I think, be more engaging for a younger person (and most Ibsen I would be very hesitant to hand to one)

The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail

 

All of the above are scripts I have out on the drama bookshelf in the library, so they are freely available to anyone who is interested.  I would not have stopped any of my kids from reading any of the above at 11, but my kids (so far) have tended to develop their strongest interest in reading plays at about 13-14 (some later, one not at all (so far)).  I'm not sure why.... 

 

I'll try to keep thinking...