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Book a Week 2016 - BW6: Side Trip to Burma


Robin M
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Good morning, dear hearts! This is the beginning of week 6 in our quest to read 52 books.  Welcome back to all our readers, to those just joining in and all who are following our progress.  Mr. Linky is all set up on the 52 Books blog to link to your reviews. The link is also below in my signature.

 

52 Books Blog - Side Trip to Burma:  As it is known to happen, I zigged, when I should have zagged, got sidetracked, took a rabbit trail and ended up in Burma.  Officially it is now called the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. General elections were held in 2015, the first since 1990, which began the transition from an authoritarian rule and a new parliament convened on February 1st.  I happened to have stumbled upon this happy little factoid, after I found Jan Phillip Sendker's A Well Tempered Heart a few days ago at Barnes and Noble.  
 

Almost ten years have passed since Julia Win came back from Burma, her father’s native country. Though she is a successful Manhattan lawyer, her private life is at a crossroads; her boyfriend has recently left her and she is, despite her wealth, unhappy with her professional life. Julia is lost and exhausted. One day, in the middle of an important business meeting, she hears a stranger’s voice in her head that causes her to leave the office without explanation. In the following days, her crisis only deepens.

Not only does the female voice refuse to disappear, but it starts to ask questions Julia has been trying to avoid. Why do you live alone? To whom do you feel close? What do you want in life? Interwoven with Julia’s story is that of a Burmese woman named Nu Nu who finds her world turned upside down when Burma goes to war and calls on her two young sons to be child soldiers. This spirited sequel, like The Art of Hearing Heartbeats, explores the most inspiring and passionate terrain: the human heart.

 

I wasn't quite paying attention to the spirited sequel part so we''ll see what happens when I start to read it as I prefer reading books with sequels in order. That in turn sent me down another rabbit trail, leading me to George Orwell's Burmese Days.
 

Imagine crossing E.M. Forster with Jane Austen. Stir in a bit of socialist doctrine, a sprig of satire, strong Indian curry, and a couple quarts of good English gin and you get something close to the flavor of George Orwell's intensely readable and deftly plotted Burmese Days. In 1930, Kyauktada, Upper Burma, is one of the least auspicious postings in the ailing British Empire--and then the order comes that the European Club, previously for whites only, must elect one token native member. This edict brings out the worst in this woefully enclosed society, not to mention among the natives who would become the One. Orwell mines his own Anglo-Indian background to evoke both the suffocating heat and the stifling pettiness that are the central facts of colonial life:


"Mr. MacGregor told his anecdote about Prome, which could be produced in almost any context. And then the conversation veered back to the old, never-palling subject--the insolence of the natives, the supineness of the Government, the dear dead days when the British Raj was the Raj and please give the bearer fifteen lashes. The topic was never let alone for long, partly because of Ellis's obsession. Besides, you could forgive the Europeans a great deal of their bitterness. Living and working among Orientals would try the temper of a saint."

 

 

How could I pass it up after the comparison with E.M. Forster and Jane Austen. *grin*  And Facts and Details site with its list of folk tales, classical works and modern writers lead me on merry chase around the interwebz, as well as Sadaik, the online manuscript chest for all things literary in Myanmar, where I found a list of Burmese writers as well as literature in translation. 

Happy trails!  

 

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

 

History of the Renaissance World - Chapters three and four

 

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

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

 

Link to week 5

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Robin, thank you, as always, for this wonderful thread.  :grouphug:

 

I read End of Discussion - 4 Stars - This book is a wonderful read and an important one. There were many parts that got me extremely frustrated – those were the parts that were truly eye-opening. The authors are intelligent and have a great deal of common sense, which is quite refreshing in today’s world. As with anyone, I didn’t agree with them on every single issue and they don’t expect you to. We’re never going to agree with anyone on every single issue, although it would be nice if we did! Their chapter on rape culture was fabulous and enlightening, as was most of the book.

The authors also have a lovely sense of humor, making it an entertaining read as well. Unfortunately, as is usually the case, those who need to read this the most, probably won’t. I really like these authors and am going to look into their blogs/articles. This book is definitely a must read for everyone. 

There are so many great quotes in this book. I will only include these two. 

 

“We must picture hell as a state where everyone is perpetually concerned about his own dignity and advancement, where everyone has a grievance, and where everyone lives the deadly serious passions of envy, self-importance, and resentment.†—C. S. Lewis, Preface to The Screwtape Letters, 1960

 

“If you start having a society where people are policing their own thoughts, now we’re back in Salem, Massachusetts, where literally, they didn’t do anything for fun, and then that pressure built up and they all went nuts.â€

 

9780553447774.jpg

 

My Good Reads page - if anyone wishes to add me as a friend. :)

 

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 by Negin
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Happy Sunday everyone!

 

:party: The painter is finished!  The house is not reassembled because I am determined to sort through all of the books, CDs, etc. which of course leads to some interesting conversations.  My husband actually wanted to keep the Hank the Cowdog cassettes!  I couldn't believe that we still had these tales on cassette.  They are now in the giveaway stack (anyone with old technology want these?)

 

I am carrying around a stack of books and have not finished anything this week. Still reading:

 

  • Private Life by Josep Maria de Sagarra
  • A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
  • Loitering by Charles D'Ambrosio

Removing books from a large and heavy bookcase, I stopped when I picked up a book of Marge Piercy's poetry that I have carried with me since I bought it in the '70's.  Time to reread Living in the Open and rediscover something of myself. Why was this book so important to me at one point in time that I have carried it in the knapsack of my life without cracking it open for decades.

 

I have also started reading HoRW.

 

Those of you joining me on A Passage to India:  let's restrict our conversation on the book to the first part, Mosque. 

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I have to say, I am really enjoying A Passage to India.  When I first started reading it I thought it was all going to be a satirical send-up of British colonialism, and that while I might agree with the sentiment I wouldn't enjoy the process. But I was wrong, this is a much more interesting and thought-provoking book about the creation and interaction of culture and identity. And imagine my pleasure when I read this passage, which neatly paralleled the passage I posted from The New Jim Crow yesterday:

 

(these lines are spoken by Dr. Aziz, a Muslim Indian doctor working for the British, to his British friend Fielding):

 

"No one can ever realize how much kindness we Indians need, we do not even realize it ourselves. But we know when it has been given. We do not forget, though we may seem to. Kindness, more kindness, and even after that more kindness. I assure you it is the only hope."

 

I'm also reading The Bhagavad Gita, translated and introduced by Eknath Easwaran. This is a pre-read for our Ancient History/Lit studies, but also inspired by discussions here.

 

Books read in February:

28. The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England - Dan Jones

27. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness - Michelle Alexander

26. Theogony - Hesiod

25. Aristotle's Children: How Christians, Muslims and Jews Rediscovered Ancient Wisdom and Illuminated the Middle Ages - Richard Rubenstein

24. Richard III - William Shakespeare

 

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Happy Sunday everyone!

 

:party: The painter is finished!  The house is not reassembled because I am determined to sort through all of the books, CDs, etc. which of course leads to some interesting conversations.  My husband actually wanted to keep the Hank the Cowdog cassettes!  I couldn't believe that we still had these tales on cassette.  They are now in the giveaway stack (anyone with old technology want these?)

 

I am carrying around a stack of books and have not finished anything this week. Still reading:

 

  • Private Life by Josep Maria de Sagarra
  • A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
  • Loitering by Charles D'Ambrosio

Removing books from a large and heavy bookcase, I stopped when I picked up a book of Marge Piercy's poetry that I have carried with me since I bought it in the '70's.  Time to reread Living in the Open and rediscover something of myself. Why was this book so important to me at one point in time that I have carried it in the knapsack of my life without cracking it open for decades.

 

I have also started reading HoRW.

 

Those of you joining me on A Passage to India:  let's restrict our conversation on the book to the first part, Mosque. 

Re interesting conversations.  This is what happened when John and I tried to help BIL clear out bookcases after their mom passed away. Each prompted a memory, a story. His brother, who had told us to take away all the books, kept changing his mind.   Sometimes I sit in front of ours and ponder each book.  

 

Cool beans on Passage to India. Decided I wanted to read in physical format and picking up today at B&N 

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Yesterday we celebrated a birthday at my house. Today I had planned on doing a nice long workout, catch up on chores, finish my homework for the week, and then run some errands. So far I have had three cups of tea, a sandwich, left over cake, walked from my bed to the chair, and finished Whiteout by Ken Follett.  

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Yesterday we celebrated a birthday at my house. Today I had planned on doing a nice long workout, catch up on chores, finish my homework for the week, and then run some errands. So far I have had three cups of tea, a sandwich, left over cake, walked from my bed to the chair, and finished Whiteout by Ken Follett.  

Yep, lots of homework here to do as well, writing essays and reading for class. As well as laundry and lesson planning.And James wants me to watch Hunt for Red October with him as well as go out on our annual mom/son shopping trip during the Super Bowl. How many hours are there in a day????   :lol:    Yet, here I sit about to make lunch and continue reading.  

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I recently finished The Master Magician which is the third and final book in the Paper Magician Series by Charlie N. Holmberg; I've enjoyed the entire series.  It is categorized as fantasy in my library.  The first book in the series, The Paper Magician, could be read by teens but the content gets a little darker as the series progressed.  This series should be read in order.

 

"Throughout her studies, Ceony Twill has harbored a secret, one she’s kept from even her mentor, Emery Thane. She’s discovered how to practice forms of magic other than her own—an ability long thought impossible.

 

While all seems set for Ceony to complete her apprenticeship and pass her upcoming final magician’s exam, life quickly becomes complicated. To avoid favoritism, Emery sends her to another paper magician for testing, a Folder who despises Emery and cares even less for his apprentice. To make matters worse, a murderous criminal from Ceony’s past escapes imprisonment. Now she must track the power-hungry convict across England before he can take his revenge. With her life and loved ones hanging in the balance, Ceony must face a criminal who wields the one magic that she does not, and it may prove more powerful than all her skills combined."

 

***

 

And a bookish post ~  Bookish Monopoly Boards Through the Years  by Kristina Pino

 

 

The Monopoly set I own is not a bookish variant; it's the one my parents bought years and years ago in New Zealand; it's the British version and thus has pounds rather than dollars.  I can't begin to estimate how many hours my sister and I spent playing this game growing up.  (I played it so much as a child that I dread the thought of playing it now!)
 
Regards,
Kareni
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Good evening all,

 

I will be finishing the second Frances Brody (Kate Shackleton) book later tonight. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15793108-a-medal-for-murder. At the halfway point and am enjoying it although I don't think I like the mystery as well as the first. While I still like Kate, the sleth, none of the new characters are sympathetic so not as wrapped up in this cozy.

 

My roast dinner is close to done. I need to finish cleaning and organizing for our trip with final bits tomorrow. In order to pack today I ended up straightening everyones drawers. One thing leads to another....

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Yesterday we celebrated a birthday at my house. Today I had planned on doing a nice long workout, catch up on chores, finish my homework for the week, and then run some errands. So far I have had three cups of tea, a sandwich, left over cake, walked from my bed to the chair, and finished Whiteout by Ken Follett.  

Happy Birthday to whoever's birthday it was! I love birthdays and cake!

Your goals and your accomplishments today sound very much like mine. I ate, and ate, and ate. I also walked from bed to chair and back again. Went out for usual Sunday morning coffee with dh. Really nothing much else. Figuring out what to read next. 

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My roast dinner is close to done. I need to finish cleaning and organizing for our trip with final bits tomorrow. In order to pack today I ended up straightening everyones drawers. One thing leads to another....

Your roast dinner sounds lovely. Have a wonderful trip. 

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I am still reading Queen Bees and Wannabees, slowly, because I am also reading The Martian, and somehow Mark Watney's survival on Mars depends on me finishing this book. I started A Passage to India earlier in the week, but the pages turned to dust in my hands. I think I have been carrying it around for a several light years. I managed to read a few pages before the whole thing disintegrated and before Mark Watney so desperately needed my help. I should be done with the Martian later today and will be rejoining several of you in India (on my new digital version) as well as returning to the terrifying world of teenage girls. They make Mars survival look like a cake walk. 

 

 

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I wasn't quite paying attention to the spirited sequel part so we''ll see what happens when I start to read it as I prefer reading books with sequels in order. That in turn sent me down another rabbit trail, leading me to George Orwell's Burmese Days.

 

How could I pass it up after the comparison with E.M. Forster and Jane Austen. *grin*  And Facts and Details site with its list of folk tales, classical works and modern writers lead me on merry chase around the interwebz, as well as Sadaik, the online manuscript chest for all things literary in Myanmar, where I found a list of Burmese writers as well as literature in translation. 

 

 

I've never heard of this particular Orwell book. It looks really intriguing. I worked at an academic library for a brief spell after college where my boss was an expert on Burma. I believe he had been the resident Burma expert at the Library Congress.  I spent hours and hours proofreading and editing his magnum opus, a huge bibliography on all things Burmese, and you'd think I would have learned a thing or two along the way other than realizing I never, ever wanted to become a professional academic librarian!  

 

Today I had planned on doing a nice long workout, catch up on chores, finish my homework for the week, and then run some errands. So far I have had three cups of tea, a sandwich, left over cake, walked from my bed to the chair, and finished Whiteout by Ken Follett.  

 

Was the Ken Follett book a hard bound print edition? Knowing the size of his books this could count as weight bearing exercise. But sounds like a perfect day to me!

 

I forgot to hit multi quote on Jane's post. We had painters and new flooring put it a little over a year ago so know only too well the pain of moving all those books!!  Then moving them back and the purging during both steps. And now marveling that we purged but you'd never know based on those full book shelves!!

 

And mumto2 -- cleaning out drawers when getting ready for a trip!  I totally understand!  But the real important question is if you've got some yorkshire puddings to go with your roast...

 

And now to a more boring topic -- the pathetic state of my reading:

 

Longing by J.D. Landis.  I'm trying to plow through to the end of this but it is slow, slow going.  It is beautiful but pretentious.

 

The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson. Still a mixed bag. Funny but with a few too many diversions into his curmudgeonly opinions.

 

And thanks to the recommendations here yesterday, I escaped into the most lightweight fluff, complete with recipes at the end of the book:  Tapas, Carrotcake and a Corpse by Sherri Bryan.

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Finished Last Week:

8.  The Misanthrope by Moliere - Frankly I was a little disappointed after reading and enjoying Tartuffe.  I found it thought-provoking but not entertaining, with writing that was witty but not really humorous (to me at least).  Here's my review.

7.  Written in Red by Bishop and 6. Tartuffe by Moliere  which I reviewed and posted about midweek.

 

In Progress:

  • ESV Bible - Halfway through Levitcus and ready to be finished with it
  • Jesus Calling by Young - I'm still current in this devotional, but I'm finding the content rather repetitive and am considering setting it aside.
  • Getting Things Done by Allen - This is the first time I've read his newest edition, but I have previously read his first edition of the book.  His methods definitely work.  I just need to work on my own implementation; hence, reading again.
  • The Horse and His Boy by Lewis - reading with youngest, Shasta and the horses are now safely through Tashbaan
  • Passage Through India by Forrester - only a couple of chapters in, hoping to at least finish the first part this week

At some point this week, I'll probably want a break and add in something lighter.  The hard part will be choosing among too many good options. :toetap05:

 

Finished so far this year:

5.Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Sloan

4.  My Viking Vampire by Shannan

3.  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by Lewis

2.  Soulless by Carriger

1.  Sink Reflections by Cilley

 

Goodreads

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I finished thief of time by Pratchett and found it enjoyable although I thought the book was almost finished then realised there were still 100 pages to go. I think it's time for a pratchett break as they distract me from my other reading - so I do have one more on hold to read then I'll let it go for a while.

 

I do love the auditors. They are ever so entertaining.

 

I also began looking into a cartoony style book on math concepts but I think I'm going to squish it in as school as it looks quite suitable for my oldest.

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My kids went to a youth retreat on Friday and just got back an hour ago so I had 48 hours of silence.  It was delightful and perfect for lots of reading.  I finished  A Passage to India yesterday and I do believe that this is one of my favourite books of all time.  The theme of mystery vs. muddle that was strung through most of the book resonated deeply with me.  I am interested in reading other Forster books but I need to give it some time.

 

After India, I thought that I needed a fluff book to offset the heaviness.  I chose wrong.  I picked A Woman with a Secret by Sophie Hannah but it was not an enjoyable fluff book.  I thought the writing was poor and the storyline upsetting.  Note to self: never read her books again.  I just found out that Hannah is the author of the new Agatha Christie mystery and that she was chosen by the people who run Agatha Christie's estate--that boggles my mind.

 

Seeing that I didn't get my fluff book, I decided to try again.  I went real fluff this time: Devil's Food Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke.  I  have also started  The Narnia Planet by Michael Ward

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I'll post book related stuff in a separate post.

 

Yesterday was a sad day in our household. I had made an appointment (THE appointment) for our dog for Tuesday, but he was in such bad shape Friday night that we knew it wasn't fair to make him wait that long. We had hoped for a few more days to say goodbye, but we feel we made the right decision. Fortunately our vet has half day hours on Saturday, so when I called in the morning they said we could bring him in. They were very caring and understanding and let us have as much time as we needed before actually doing anything. 

 

Ds' girlfriend came over early in the morning, went to the vet with us, and stayed most of the day and a good part of the evening. I was grateful to her, and I think her presence really helped him deal with his sadness. Of course our grieving is not over, but yesterday was the hardest and I'm glad she was able to be here to help him through it. She volunteers at an animal rescue thrift shop on Saturdays, but when she called and told them why she couldn't come in, they completely understood.

 

As I mentioned, my heart is breaking from missing the dog, but also for my son, who grew up with him. They were the poster for "A boy and his dog." I don't want to end this post on such a sad note, so I want to share a message sent to me by a friend. It was in response to a comment I made about seeing my big 18 year old man fall apart over the loss of his childhood pet. I though it was a wonderful sentiment.

 

This is so so SO hard. The thing is...Dingo left Dennis with a gift he will carry with him his whole life: compassion, and the ability to love and look after a creature put under his care. This, in some way, is Dingo's legacy: he left behind a boy, a young man in pain, but who is a better person for it.

 

 

 

 

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I've never heard of this particular Orwell book. It looks really intriguing. I worked at an academic library for a brief spell after college where my boss was an expert on Burma. I believe he had been the resident Burma expert at the Library Congress.  I spent hours and hours proofreading and editing his magnum opus, a huge bibliography on all things Burmese, and you'd think I would have learned a thing or two along the way other than realizing I never, ever wanted to become a professional academic librarian!  

 

 

 

Was the Ken Follett book a hard bound print edition? Knowing the size of his books this could count as weight bearing exercise. But sounds like a perfect day to me!

 

I forgot to hit multi quote on Jane's post. We had painters and new flooring put it a little over a year ago so know only too well the pain of moving all those books!!  Then moving them back and the purging during both steps. And now marveling that we purged but you'd never know based on those full book shelves!!

 

And mumto2 -- cleaning out drawers when getting ready for a trip!  I totally understand!  But the real important question is if you've got some yorkshire puddings to go with your roast...

 

And now to a more boring topic -- the pathetic state of my reading:

 

Longing by J.D. Landis.  I'm trying to plow through to the end of this but it is slow, slow going.  It is beautiful but pretentious.

 

The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson. Still a mixed bag. Funny but with a few too many diversions into his curmudgeonly opinions.

 

And thanks to the recommendations here yesterday, I escaped into the most lightweight fluff, complete with recipes at the end of the book:  Tapas, Carrotcake and a Corpse by Sherri Bryan.

Somewhere on one of my lists I think I have a mystery set in Burma. If I find it I will post. I was saving for my next serious attempt at around the world. I would love working in a research library I think. Peaceful, maybe.... That being said I don't find working in a regular old library as a volunteer nearly as glamourous as I expected. It's work....I am happy to do it because our village gets to keep the library but not what I anticipated!

 

Yorkshires.......I don't like to make Yorkshire's from scratch. I never know what to do with all that leftover oil....people dump it down the drain which just bothers me. Anyway I buy frozen (which are really good consistently ;) ) and we had none in the freezer. As today's meal was cleaning out our freezer and fridge ds had to live without them! So roast potatoes, parsnips, and sweet potatoes, to go with a pork roast. Carrot Cake (purchased) for dessert.

 

Two other books that are in progess:

 

Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preblehttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8256691-dreaming-anastasiawhich is a YA a checked out for dd as travel fluff. Since I like Romanov books this one was intriguing. Not bad so far.....

 

Garden of Lies by Amanda Quickhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24358781-garden-of-liesA BaWer read it last fall and loved it, no idea who. I have had it on hold every since. I started it last week when sleepy and read enough to be utterly confused ;). Decided to give it another try when out doing errands with dh this afternoon and got hooked. So glad I didn't return it!

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:grouphug: , Kathy. It's so heartbreaking. When we had to put our 15 year old dog to sleep a couple of years ago, it was so wrenching. I had never seen my dh really and truly cry before. But sensitive and caring people can make all the difference. The vet actually came to our house with his assistant, and they gave her the shots while we sat with her in the grass under the shade of a tree in our yard. They did their work quietly and efficiently and then left, and she died in our arms.  Gah, I'm crying now just thinking about it!  It was good to be able to sit there as long as we needed to, and to comfort each other. We were able to bury her beneath a pear tree at our friend's farm.  

 

When dh went in to the vet's the next day to settle up - they had left without a word about the "business" side of things - they told him, no charge, they hoped that the house call made the hard decision a little easier to handle.  I was pretty blown away by the way they handled the whole thing. Needless to say, they have our business for life!

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Sending hugs to Kathy and her son. 

 

I am living in a whirlwind of chaos at the moment.  It has not helped that we had three inches of rain today--on top of the 2-3 inches we had on Wednesday, on top of all of the rain of the last few months.  At the moment things seem semi-sorted.  Books are not shelved but my son has made it from his weekend home visit to the area where he is supposed to dig tomorrow, my husband is home from an emergency call out to work, and tomorrow is a new day to deal with other loose ends.  (Poor kid comes home for a visit only to find his bedroom filled with books!)

 

May I just say how delighted I am that so many of you are responding so positively to A Passage to India! It is wonderful to witness such appreciation for one of my favorite writers.

 

Jane (glowing from happiness)

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Was very busy for a while with political stuff (volunteering to make phone calls and hang stuff on doors to make sure everyone knew when and where to caucus, had a ride, etc.) and I've also been spending time at Blogilates and Nerd Fitness. Little reading has gotten done, but I've made a bit of progress on The Fellowship of the Ring and The Language Instinct

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I also began looking into a cartoony style book on math concepts but I think I'm going to squish it in as school as it looks quite suitable for my oldest.

 

May I ask what book this is?

 

 

I want to share a message sent to me by a friend. ... it was a wonderful sentiment.

 

This is so so SO hard. The thing is...Dingo left Dennis with a gift he will carry with him his whole life: compassion, and the ability to love and look after a creature put under his care. This, in some way, is Dingo's legacy: he left behind a boy, a young man in pain, but who is a better person for it.

 

Your friend's words are lovely indeed.  My sympathies to your family.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

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How funny, my SIL just returned from a trip to Myanmar today. She is a ER doctor who goes on a short-term medical team there yearly. Funny to see the BOW thread be about Burma. 

 

I had a slow week of reading last week. Last weekend dh and I went to NYC for a getaway and I read Rare Bird by Anna Whiston Donaldson. It's a memoir by a woman whose 12 year son died in a freak drowning accident 4 years ago. She lives in my town and I had heard of the book and that it was wonderful but had resisted reading it because I have a 12 year son and it just was a little too easy to imagine myself in her shoes. I'm really glad I finally read it. It's a really wonderful, thoughtful book about grieving. She is very honest but it isn't without hope. She is a Christian and her faith gives her comfort but she doesn't offer platitudes and she is very honest about the questions she still struggles with after her son's death. I felt like I gained a better idea of how to maybe help people who are grieving in the future through the stories she tells  about what people did for her (and didn't do or did badly). 

 

I'm participating in a Newbery Challenge where we read one Newbery book from a particular decade a month. I did this last year and it was fun. January was the 1920s and I read Smoky the Cowhorse by Will James. It was mostly good, if slow but then the end was made ugly by some very blatant racism. 

 

I am currently reading two other books: Five Days at Memorial about the aftermath of Katrina at a New Orleans hospital and The Dust that Falls from Dreams by Louis de Bernieres. The latter is for a book club and I had been waiting and waiting for it to come in from the library. It got delayed due to the storm here a few weeks ago and not that I finally have it I need to read it quickly by next weekend. So that should occupy most of my week. 

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Last night, I read A Quaker Book of Wisdom by Robert Lawrence Smith. (It was mentioned here earlier this year, but I can't remember who recommended it!) I found it to be a quiet & inspiring look at basic beliefs & tenets of living a life of love & service. A very nice little book with valuable & thoughtful ideas for today's world.

 

I started a biography but I'm not sure if I'll finish it or not: Aghvook, White Eskimo: Otto Geist and Alaskan Archaeology by Charles J. Keim. It's pretty dry so far, even though Geist led an interesting life. I'm still in the beginning chapters, so I may hang in there for a few more to see if it gets a little more interesting further on.

 

2016 Books Read:

 

Africa:

  • We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo, pub. by Reagan Arthur Books/Little, Brown and Company. 2 stars. Zimbabwe. (Child’s-eye view of life in post-colonial Zimbabwe & as a teen immigrant to the US. Choppy & hard to connect with the characters. Disappointed.)

Europe:

  • Gnarr! How I Became Mayor of a Large City in Iceland and Changed the World by Jón Gnarr, trans. by Andrew Brown, pub. by Melville House. 3 stars. Iceland. (A quick, easy, fun, & inspiring read with an emphasis on being nice & promoting peace. Just what I needed this week.)

Latin America:

  • The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez, trans. from the Spanish by Anne McLean, pub. by Riverhead Books. 4 stars. Columbia. (Brilliant & bittersweet story showing the impact of the rise of the Colombian drug cartels on an entire generation of people growing up during the violent & uncertain times of the drug wars.)

North America:

  • The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail by Óscar Martínez, trans. from the Spanish by Daniela Maria Ugaz & John Washington, pub. by Verso. 5 stars. Mexico. (Front-line reporting of the dangers migrants face – from physical challenges, terrain, kidnappings, robberies, murders, rapes, & more – when crossing Mexico while trying to reach the US. Required reading.)
  • A Quaker Book of Wisdom by Robert Lawrence Smith, pub. by Eagle Brook/William Morrow and Company. 3 stars. USA. (A quiet & inspiring look at basic tenets of living a life of love & service. Nice little book with valuable & thoughtful ideas for today's world.)

 

 

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Some currently free Kindle books that might be of interest ~

 

ETA: THIS TITLE IS NO LONGER FREE (though the other one still is).
Manalive  by G. K. Chesterton
 
"A wind sprang high in the west, like a wave of unreasonable happiness, and tore eastward across England, trailing with it the frosty scent of forests and the cold intoxication of the sea.
 
Seeking shelter from a storm of biblical proportions, a mysterious new tenant by the name of Innocent Smith arrives on the doorsteps of Beacon House. Eccentric, spry, and eager to make new friends, Innocent turns the culture of this ho-hum London boarding establishment upside down. But the fun and games come to an abrupt end when word arrives that the new lodger is wanted on charges of burglary, polygamy, desertion of a spouse, and murder. Only a jury of his peers can determine if Innocent is as guilty as he appears.
 
Written in upbeat and lighthearted prose, this charming novel of life, salvation, and the human predicament captures G. K. Chesterton at his finest."
 
**
 
 
"In May 2000, Joel Smith is a cocky, adventurous young man who sees the world as his playground. But when the college senior, days from graduation, enters an abandoned Montana mine, he discovers the price of reckless curiosity. He emerges in May 1941 with a cell phone he can't use, money he can't spend, and little but his wits to guide his way. Stuck in the age of swing dancing and a peacetime draft, Joel begins a new life as the nation drifts toward war. With the help of his 21-year-old trailblazing grandmother and her friends, he finds his place in a world he knew only from movies and books. But when an opportunity comes to return to the present, Joel must decide whether to leave his new love in the past or choose a course that will alter their lives forever. THE MINE is a love story that follows a humbled man through a critical time in history as he adjusts to new surroundings and wrestles with the knowledge of things to come."
 
 
Regards,
Kareni

 

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Well into Ivanhoe, and getting through Newman's P&P Sermons one at a time. Each one is like a little polished gem; carefully crafted around a single concept; erudite, lucid and convincing. Or, "convicting," as my Baptist friends say. I hope to spend Lent with Newman as my retreat-master. :)

 

Ivanhoe is interesting. I dislike historical fiction where the protagonist just happens to have the mores of a 21st-century American humanist and other characters serve as foils against which he or she exhibits these anachronistic views. But of course Ivanhoe himself is a 19th-century Englishman in the milieu of Robin Hood, with all those enlightened views; and yet I don't mind it at all. It feels like I'm reading a two-hundred-year-old English novel in which the characters are play-acting at Sherwood Forest. Which is surprisingly fun.

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Last night, I read A Quaker Book of Wisdom by Robert Lawrence Smith. (It was mentioned here earlier this year, but I can't remember who recommended it!) I found it to be a quiet & inspiring look at basic beliefs & tenets of living a life of love & service. A very nice little book with valuable & thoughtful ideas for today's world.

I think that was Great Girl. :)

 

 

Was very busy for a while with political stuff (volunteering to make phone calls and hang stuff on doors to make sure everyone knew when and where to caucus, had a ride, etc.) and I've also been spending time at Blogilates and Nerd Fitness. Little reading has gotten done, but I've made a bit of progress on The Fellowship of the Ring and The Language Instinct.

 

 

 

Obviously staying away from politics in the specific, but I have to say this is the time every four years I'm glad I live in a state nobody bothers to campaign in more than halfheartedly. I haven't seen so much as an ad or sign for the national election. It's like living in a different country.

 

 

May I just say how delighted I am that so many of you are responding so positively to A Passage to India! It is wonderful to witness such appreciation for one of my favorite writers.

 

I read it year before last but am enjoying lurking in the conversation!

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Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preblehttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8256691-dreaming-anastasiawhich is a YA a checked out for dd as travel fluff. Since I like Romanov books this one was intriguing. Not bad so far.....

 

I read that in 2011.  I remember it being good, but I don't remember specifics.  I like anything about Anastasia Romanov since my daughter is named after her.

 

I finished book #13 today, True Stories from the Files of the FBI by W. Cleon Skousen.  It was good.  It covered some of the high profile cases from the 1930s FBI like the Lindbergh baby, Dillinger, and "Baby Face" Nelson.  It is told in a somewhat cold, detached way of an FBI agent.  There are a lot of names and details that are hard to keep straight in some of the stories.

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I'll post book related stuff in a separate post.

 

Yesterday was a sad day in our household. I had made an appointment (THE appointment) for our dog for Tuesday, but he was in such bad shape Friday night that we knew it wasn't fair to make him wait that long. We had hoped for a few more days to say goodbye, but we feel we made the right decision. Fortunately our vet has half day hours on Saturday, so when I called in the morning they said we could bring him in. They were very caring and understanding and let us have as much time as we needed before actually doing anything. 

 

Ds' girlfriend came over early in the morning, went to the vet with us, and stayed most of the day and a good part of the evening. I was grateful to her, and I think her presence really helped him deal with his sadness. Of course our grieving is not over, but yesterday was the hardest and I'm glad she was able to be here to help him through it. She volunteers at an animal rescue thrift shop on Saturdays, but when she called and told them why she couldn't come in, they completely understood.

 

As I mentioned, my heart is breaking from missing the dog, but also for my son, who grew up with him. They were the poster for "A boy and his dog." I don't want to end this post on such a sad note, so I want to share a message sent to me by a friend. It was in response to a comment I made about seeing my big 18 year old man fall apart over the loss of his childhood pet. I though it was a wonderful sentiment.

 

This is so so SO hard. The thing is...Dingo left Dennis with a gift he will carry with him his whole life: compassion, and the ability to love and look after a creature put under his care. This, in some way, is Dingo's legacy: he left behind a boy, a young man in pain, but who is a better person for it.

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug: to you all!

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Finished 3 this week

 

-Flight of the Sparrow by Amy Belding Brown--our February book club book. This was interesting and readable--historical fiction based on the life of a real person, Mary Rowlandson. She was  a Puritan kidapped by Native Americans in the 17th century and when they ransomed her back to her family she wrote a book about her experience. But this version of events felt false to me as the author gave Mary very modern sensibilities--one of my pet peeves in historical fiction. Still, it was a readable, even enjoyable book I guess.

 

-Dying in the Wool by Frances Brody. This was my treadmill mystery. Slow to get started, but eventually I got into the story enough to take it off the treadmill to finish it up quickly. And Mum, I plan to pick up the second one from my library tomorrow! If it's not as good, at least it should keep my brain off my slow jogging while I'm on the treadmill ("How much longer? Am I done yet? I want to quit!")

 

-Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Glad to have read it. My brain will be processing this one for awhile. Very poetic, important message, made me uncomfortable which I think was his intent. Not sure I can automatically accept everything from his point of view.

 

Still in progress--got a few more chapters read in Mansfield Park but still only about halfway done. About one chapter in to A Room with a View. I also picked up Howard's End but I want to finish MP first. A Passage to India was indeed quite a bit fatter than these two, but the deal breaker was actually that the font size was awfully small. Maybe if I become a Forster fan I'll come back to that one.

 

Up Next: The New Jim Crow is waiting for me at the library and as mentioned above I'll track down the second Kate Shackleton mystery if no one has checked it out since yesterday when I checked the online catalogue. So still too much going on at once.

 

Kathy, I'm so sorry. We lived a similar experience with our beloved lab 5 years ago. It hurts.

Edited by Ali in OR
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Rose, that sounds like a wonderful vet. Your family was so lucky to have him during such a sad time.

 

Jane - I got excited when I read a passage in A Suitable Boy and could hardly wait to tell you about it.

 

"Sandeep Lahiri sat down in the stationmaster's office and pulled out Howard's End. He was reading it when...."

 

I imagine the educated people of India at that time (just after the country's independence) had been given a British education. There are quite a few places where a character is reading a classic written by an English author. There were also likely a lot of conflicting emotions. At one point the character whose mother is trying to find her that suitable boy of the title, reads a tribute to British soldiers in a battle against Indians. It was written by Tennyson and she is disgusted that the man whose poetry she loves so much could have written that. 

 

Anyway, I thought that bit about a character reading Forster was interesting. So far, I haven't come across anyone reading A Passage to India, though I doubt I will.

 

 

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Kathy -  Many hugs.  I'm sorry for your loss.

 

 


The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson. Still a mixed bag. Funny but with a few too many diversions into his curmudgeonly opinions.

 

I think that totally sums up how I feel about Bill Bryson.  He could be one of my favorite authors but I always get annoyed at parts of his books.  I remember listening to A Walk in the Woods a few years ago and loving it.  It was going along great.  He had his crazy friend with him.  They were hiking.  They were camping.  The crazy friend was doing crazy things.  And then we have a long discussion on how we are ruining the world with acid rain.  What?  I'm sure he was right about his facts but it was such an odd thing to go off on in what had previously been a fun book.  It kind of killed the rest of the book for me. 

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All - I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the mandolin discussion last week.  I wondered if I didn't know what the darn thing was called and had to google it to make sure I hadn't been confused.  Thanks for laughs.

 

I start the week here

Just discussions among friends

Ladies that love to read

 

 

And with that I'm retiring from haiku's.  What are we doing next?  Dirty limericks?

Edited by aggieamy
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Last week's reading:

 

3 African American related books (all by women this time, which wasn't planned):

 

When and Where I Enter: I had thought myself reasonably well educated in American history - including both the civil rights & feminist movements - but this book showed me angles of view I hadn't seen before.  Pam, you might find this interesting too.

 

Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia Butler: I'd meant to read Kindred, but chickened out (again!).  Fortunately, I had this short story collection on hand to turn to.  These are deftly written science fiction that has both brains and heart... all of the stories were thought provoking and most will reverberate in my mind for some time to some.

 

Antebellum Dream Book by Elizabeth Alexander: Yet more poetry outside of my comfort zone, but well worth experiencing. (These past few years have included so many such that I almost wish I'd been keeping track of them in their own category)

 

2 plays:

 

The Invention of Love by Stoppard: I need to reread Rosencrantz and Guildenstern because I keep reading new-to-me Stoppard's and wondering why R&G is the play of his which gets the most attention... not that I don't appreciate it, but Arcadia and this and Travesties and the Coast of Utopia trilogy do such amazing things interweaving history and literature and philosophy and *thinking*... perhaps I am underrating R&G in retrospect... Anyway, this one is Housman (the poet) with snippets of Wilde (Oscar), and fascinating glimpses of classical academia and politics and the beginnings of tabloid journalism...

 

Spokesong: I saw this in Ashland in the '80's and can still hum some of the songs, but managed to completely forget all the Irish politics.  (How?!?!)  The blend is unsettling but has some oomph.  ..music, a romance (of sorts), snippets of bicycle history, all embedded in the Troubles... and people finding their place in that context.

 

1 comfort read and one disappointing read:

 

Better by Gawande: I loved Being Mortal and wanted to read more of Gawande... but was very disappointed in some aspects of this one.  There was one chapter, which happens to be on a subject dear to my heart, which was so sloppily and inaccurate presented that I wanted to scream.... and it made me less trusting of the author for the rest of the book.  ...but there are many interesting questions raised and he is very, very readable (when he isn't doing dreadful things to my blood pressure!)

 

Blood Spirits by Sherwood Smith: The sequel to Coronets and Steel.  C&S is a fantasy novel in the Ruritanian mold  - and the earlier drafts showed a much clearer direct line to Hope's novels - this one expands out from that and brings some more nuance to some of the minor characters.  I don't think I'm in the mood for the third one, but rereading this was, as always, delightful.

 

 

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Finished 3 this week

 

-

-Dying in the Wool by Frances Brody. This was my treadmill mystery. Slow to get started, but eventually I got into the story enough to take it off the treadmill to finish it up quickly. And Mum, I plan to pick up the second one from my library tomorrow! If it's not as good, at least it should keep my brain off my slow jogging while I'm on the treadmill ("How much longer? Am I done yet? I want to quit!")

Ali, I am glad these have turned into good treadmill books for you. I ended up really enjoying the last part of the second Kate Shackleton. The fist part was a bit slow, maybe I just didn't notice it in the first book. I think I got caught up in the setting (I like visiting old mills) and the background character information while reading the first. For the second book the setting didn't fill in as well for me. Odd because Harrogate is a favourite place irl and I know where most of the places mentioned are. My imagination just refused to fill it in to that time frame. I will definitely resume reading this series later this spring!

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10.  The Sound of Things Falling  by Juan Gabriel Vásquez  Our library is doing the Big Read with In the Time of the Butterflies next month and I read that this was book was a good side book to read with it otherwise I wouldn't have chosen it.  I liked it. 

 

I have several books going at once, it's a lot even for me.  In the Time of the Butterflies, Mansfield Park, the Alchemist, History of the Renaissance World, Trolley Car Days, and The Triumph of William McKinley, and 2 fluff novels.. one in the car and one in the bedroom.  It's hard to believe that before kids i read one book at a time  :laugh:.  How Boring!  

 

 

 

9.  DIY Succulents:  From Placecards to Wreaths by Tawni Daigle

8.  The Scarlett Thread by Francine Rivers on audio.

7. Travels with Casey by Benoit Denizet-Lewis

6.  The Rescuer Suzanne Woods Fisher

5.  A Town Like Alice  by Nevil Shute

4.  Jackson Bog by Michael Witt.  
3.  Toward the Sunrise by Elizabeth Camden     

2.  Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin

1.  Crucial Conversations by Patterson and Grenny

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I'll post book related stuff in a separate post.

 

Yesterday was a sad day in our household. I had made an appointment (THE appointment) for our dog for Tuesday, but he was in such bad shape Friday night that we knew it wasn't fair to make him wait that long. We had hoped for a few more days to say goodbye, but we feel we made the right decision. Fortunately our vet has half day hours on Saturday, so when I called in the morning they said we could bring him in. They were very caring and understanding and let us have as much time as we needed before actually doing anything.

 

Ds' girlfriend came over early in the morning, went to the vet with us, and stayed most of the day and a good part of the evening. I was grateful to her, and I think her presence really helped him deal with his sadness. Of course our grieving is not over, but yesterday was the hardest and I'm glad she was able to be here to help him through it. She volunteers at an animal rescue thrift shop on Saturdays, but when she called and told them why she couldn't come in, they completely understood.

 

As I mentioned, my heart is breaking from missing the dog, but also for my son, who grew up with him. They were the poster for "A boy and his dog." I don't want to end this post on such a sad note, so I want to share a message sent to me by a friend. It was in response to a comment I made about seeing my big 18 year old man fall apart over the loss of his childhood pet. I though it was a wonderful sentiment.

 

This is so so SO hard. The thing is...Dingo left Dennis with a gift he will carry with him his whole life: compassion, and the ability to love and look after a creature put under his care. This, in some way, is Dingo's legacy: he left behind a boy, a young man in pain, but who is a better person for it.

Sorry for your loss 😢

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Note to Eliana and fellow Archipelago subscribers:

 

Private Life begins by following the petty lives of the dying aristocracy in early 20th century Barcelona.  Things have taken an interesting turn from my perspective.  About half way through the novel, it is 1931 and the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera is over.  We all know that the Republican government will not last and that Franco with his Falangists are around the corner somewhere. 

 

What I find to be interesting is that a number of the aristocrats are fleeing to France which is precisely what artists and musicians like Picasso and Casals do later under the Franco regime.  The role of Catholicism in Spanish national identity is part of this story too.

 

I have yet to finish this book but I wanted to comment that if you tire of the insipidness of the characters in the beginning of this tale, hang with it.  Private Life has captivated me to the point that I might forget the book sorting that I am supposed to do today and instead just read!

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