Robin M Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Happy Sunday dear hearts! This is the beginning of week 30 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 - Come Sail Away: "Come Sail Away" by Styx I'm sailing away, set an open course for the virgin sea I've got to be free, free to face the life that's ahead of me On board, I'm the captain, so climb aboard We'll search for tomorrow on every shore And I'll try, oh Lord, I'll try to carry on I look to the sea, reflections in the waves spark my memory Some happy, some sad I think of childhood friends and the dreams we had We live happily forever, so the story goes But somehow we missed out on that pot of gold But we'll try best that we can to carry on A gathering of angels appeared above my head They sang to me this song of hope, and this is what they said They said come sail away, come sail away Come sail away with me Come sail away, come sail away Come sail away with me I thought that they were angels, but to my surprise They climbed aboard their starship and headed for the skies Singing come sail away, come sail away Come sail away with me Come sail away, come sail away Come sail away with me I'm in the mood for a seafaring mini challenge. Pick a word related to water. It can be nautical or ship related as well as ocean related. You can even use a fantasy ocean generator to help you fire your imagination. I'm going to go with something mundane and boring - SEA. Find a book on your shelves, the library or even pick up a new book at your local bookstore. My finds of the day: ************************************************************ History of the Renaissance World - Chapters 51 and 52 ************************************************************* What are you reading this week? Link to week 29 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted July 24, 2016 Author Share Posted July 24, 2016 Actually I'm sailing away in a new steampunk adventure by Jim Butcher - Aeronaut's Windlass - which I picked up at Barnes and Noble yesterday. A chunky book so it will last me a while. I also picked up the 3rd book in Justin Cronin's Passage trilogy - The City of Mirrors and James got some star wars books and mags. Thank you B&N for the credit. :thumbup: The Aeronaut’s Windlass is the first book in Jim’s upcoming Steampunk series, The Cinder Spires. It’s jam-packed with airships, crazy sorcerers, privateers, warrior monks, and intelligent cats. An ancient evil has reawakened, and the entire world is plunged into a sinister mist, filled with terrible creatures. Also delving into Devon Monk's newest series Ordinary Magic in Death and Relaxation (ebook) Police Chief Delaney Reed can handle the Valkyries, werewolves, gill-men and other paranormal creatures who call the small beach town of Ordinary, Oregon their home. It’s the vacationing gods who keep her up at night. With the famous rhubarb festival right around the corner, small-town tensions, tempers, and godly tantrums are at an all-time high. The last thing Delaney needs is her ex-boyfriend reappearing just when she's finally caught the attention of Ryder Bailey, the one man she should never love. No, scratch that. The actual last thing she needs is a dead body washing ashore, especially since the dead body is a god. Catching a murderer, wrestling a god power, and re-scheduling the apocalypse? Just another day on the job in Ordinary. Falling in love with her childhood friend while trying to keep the secrets of her town secret? That’s gonna take some work. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Just saw a New Yorker cartoon with 4 middle-aged women who had just robbed a bank in a get-away-car. One woman turned to the others and said: "And to think we started as a book group!" Thanks for the chuckle, Ethel Mertz! ** A fun column from a WTM-er: Nailed It! Tales of Woe From a Literary Kitchen by Nicole Mulhausen ** Some currently free Kindle books: Chop, Chop - The Series of a Lifetime: Books 1 - 7 (Chop, Chop Series) by L.N. Cronk (This set of books is described as Christian fiction.) Aunt Bessie Decides (An Isle of Man Cozy Mystery Book 4) by Diana Xarissa Two books by Cate Charleston described as historical fiction: Pommeroy and Romilly Regards, Kareni 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 I finished a few books recently ~ Boundary Born (Boundary Magic) by Melissa F. Olson I enjoyed this, but I'd recommend starting with the first book in the series, Boundary Crossed. "Something wicked is at work in Colorado’s supernatural community. Vampires are being paralyzed or killed with poison…a weapon favored by witches. This offense threatens to break apart the already-fractured alliance between witches and the undead. The state’s cardinal vampire, Maven, summons boundary witch Allison “Lex†Luther to stop the killing before it ignites a war. Lex has barely started investigating when she gets another surprise: the biological father she’s never met arrives on her doorstep. He has answers to all of Lex’s questions about her bloodline, but getting those answers could mean betraying the life she’s already built. Then the next vampire is poisoned—and this time it’s Maven herself. The new evil that hunts Lex is powerful and ruthless enough to stop the strongest supernatural creature in the state. In order to find such a killer, Lex will have to face down her own birthright and call on every ally—both living and dead." ** the contemporary romance Hot in Hellcat Canyon by Julie Anne Long. This had some witty dialogue that had me attempting to stifle laughter while reading on the bus. I definitely enjoyed this. "A broken truck, a broken career, and a breakup heard around the world land superstar John Tennessee McCord in Hellcat Canyon. Legend has it that hearts come in two colors there: gold or black. And that you can find whatever you’re looking for, whether it’s love . . . or trouble. JT may have found both in waitress Britt Langley. His looks might cause whiplash and weak knees, but Britt sees past JT’s rough edge and sexy drawl to a person a lot like her: in need of the kind of comfort best given hot and quick, with clothes off and the lights out. Her wit is sharp but her eyes and heart—not to mention the rest of her—are soft, and JT is falling hard. But Britt has a secret as dark as the hills, and JT’s past is poised to invade their present. It’s up to the people of Hellcat Canyon to help make sure their future includes a happily ever after." ** In the Zone (Portland Storm Book 7) by Catherine Gayle. This was an enjoyable contemporary romance which happens to be currently free to Kindle readers. "One night. Unimaginable passion. Total anonymity.Star defenseman for the Portland Storm, Keith Burns welcomed the single night with a nameless beauty. The undeniable heat was exactly what he needed to let loose. When circumstances bring him face to face with Brianna Hayden after that night was long over, he wants to throw all the rules out the window. There’s no denying chemistry like theirs. But sometimes, desire isn’t enough…If they’re going to have more than one night, Brie wants it all. But a star athlete like Keith can’t drop his guard that easily hiding an ugly and painful past. Refusing to open up might land Keith in the sin bin—for good. Now Keith has to get In the Zone if he’s going to have any chance at scoring the one thing he wants the most—Brie’s heart." ** and the historical romance Wedding Night With the Earl: The Heirs' Club of Scoundrels by Amelia Grey. This was a pleasant story but I found myself skimming it at times. "HE THINKS LOVE IS MUCH ADO.Adam Greyhawke is through with marriage. After losing his wife at a young age, he’s more interested in carousing and gambling at the Heirs’ Club than taking another trip to the altar. When his obligations as the Earl of Greyhawke thrust him into the heart of Society, he dreads the boredom that only a ballroom can inspire in a roguish scoundrel. That is, until he meets a bewitching young woman who captures his curiosity—and reminds him just how delicious desire can be. IS SHE READY TO SAY I DO?Miss Katherine Wright is accustomed to men interested only in her generous dowry. Adam’s attraction is far more powerful—he tests her wits and her courage at every turn, until she finds herself longing to fulfill an everlasting passion she never imagined was possible. But the breathtakingly handsome nobleman is as stubborn as he is scandalous, and Katharine must be the one to convince him that real love is worth any risk…in Wedding Night with the Earl by New York Times bestselling author Amelia Grey." Regards, Kareni 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 (edited) Reading Joris-Karl Huysman's Decadent novel Against Nature (À Rebours). Possibly the funniest book I've read since Bel-Ami. No sign of a plot so far; it's just the rich, idle, overeducated and neurotic Des Esseintes and his home decor. His hapless gilded, jewel-encrusted tortoise gets its own chapter. It's fabulous wallowing. "These plants are really astounding," he said to himself, stepping back to appraise the entire collection. Yes, his object had been achieved: not one of them looked real; it was as if cloth, paper, porcelain, and metal had been lent by man to Nature to enable her to create these monstrosities. Where she had not found it possible to imitate the work of human hands, she had been reduced to copying the membranes of animals' organs, to borrowing the vivid tints of their rotting flesh, the hideous splendours of their gangrened skin. "It all comes down to syphilis in the end," Des Esseintes reflected.... Also reading Treasure Island aloud, for the third time. Fifteen men on a dead man's chest, yo ho ho! Edited July 24, 2016 by Violet Crown 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Robin, That was one of my favourite songs way back when. I remember NOT going to a Styx concert as a teen. ;( I reorganized my whole life, came home early from a camping trip, and they cancelled the concert. I can't remember why. I finished the third Ann Ross book in the Miss Julia series. Really enjoying them. I started a cozy in a new to me author this afternoon. Rumble on the Bayou by Jana DeLeon. Too bad I started it before Robin announced her new challenge! It's not bad, too bad it isn't a series. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/653311.Rumble_on_the_Bayou?ac=1&from_search=true I also have an Inspector Singh in progress. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-M- Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Happy Sunday, BaWers! And thank you again, Robin. How is everyone doing in the heat wave? Apart from early-morning walks, we've been inside for most of the last three days. Thank you, universe, for central air! Neighbors are checking in with one another, especially after the brief power outage last night. We may get more storms this afternoon. On to the books. How to explain How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend and The Other End of the Leash in the above photo? All right. My daughters head off to university next month, and it seemed like as good a time as any to investigate adding a dog to our little company. A project (e.g., training a new companion) would certainly keep me from dwelling on the girls’ absence (overmuch), and multiple daily walks would burn off (some of) my tendency to worry. I had thought I wanted a puppy, but at the shelter, I fell in love with a young new mother whose adorable puppies are about to be put up for adoption. Maybe she and I will work through our separation issues together. We will see…. Speaking of mothers, Cindy Rollins kindly linked my old blog several times back in the day. Her memoir of homeschooling her eight children was released last week, and I wanted to return the favor. Congratulations, Cindy! And speaking of memoirs, my daughter and I are about halfway through Jahren’s Lab Girl. In fact, that's the book beside me as I post this. Here is a Los Angeles Review of Books review I found earlier this week: “A Lab of Her Own.†The MOOC / online book club in which I participate will complete Dubliners this week. In August, we tackle A Study in Scarlet. With all of the Sherlockian studies our family-centered learning project has undertaken, it’s difficult to believe I have never read this, but I haven’t. At the bottom of the pictured stack are my flute books. I’m nearly finished with Rubank Intermediate Method, a fact that stuns me a bit, actually. I am on songs 25 and 26 in Forty Little Pieces in Progressive Order, and my teacher has begun adding assignments in the Pares Scales book. From The Elementals: There’s no point in advertising a circus when everybody hates the clown. McDowell’s The Elementals, which appeared in my photo from last week’s thread, will likely make my 2016 “best†list. When I was younger, I devoured horror fiction: With my first paycheck I purchased two paperback novels, Stephen King’s The Stand and The Shining. Eventually, I believed I had outgrown the genre, but looking back, I think I had simply been selecting from too shallow a pool. The familiar writers became repetitive, and I moved on. The Elementals, with its engaging dialogue, place as character, and a pervasive sense of danger, has reminded me how good a horror novel can be. Here are my June and July titles: June■The Sparrow (Mary Doria Russell; 1996. Fiction.)■Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad; 1899. Fiction.)■The Fireman (Joe Hill; 2016. Fiction.)■A Good School (Richard Yates; 1978. Fiction.)■The Girls (Emma Cline; 2016. Fiction.)■Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders (Vincent Bugliosi; 1974. Non-fiction.)■Outcast, Vol. 3: This Little Light (Robert Kirkman; 2016. Graphic fiction.)■Postal, Vol. 3 (Bryan Hill; 2016. Graphic fiction.)■Saga, Vol. 6 (Brian K. Vaughan; 2016. Graphic fiction.)■Monstress Vol. 1: Awakening (Marjorie Liu; 2016. Graphic fiction.)■Edward III (William Shakespeare; 1596. Drama.)■Henry VI, Part I (William Shakespeare; 1591. Drama.)■Why We Get Fat and What to Do about It (Gary Taubes; 2011. Non-fiction.)■Think Thin, Be Thin (Doris Wild Helmering; 2004. Non-fiction.)■Descender, Vol. 2: Machine Moom (Jeff Lemire; 2016. Graphic fiction.)■The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047 (Lionel Shriver; 2016. Fiction.)■The Only Ones (Carola Dibbell; 2015. Fiction.)■I Let You Go (Clare Mackintosh; 2016. Fiction.)■The Blondes (Emily Schultz; 2015. Fiction.) July■Where They Found Her (Kimberly McCreight; 2015. Fiction.)■The Hidden Child (Camilla Läckberg; 2014. Fiction.)■Wonder (RJ Palacio; 2012. Fiction.)■The Easter Parade (Richard Yates; 1976. Fiction.)■Fell, Volume 1, Feral City (Warren Ellis; 2007. Graphic fiction.)■Injection, Volume 1 (Warren Ellis; 2015. Graphic fiction.)■Trees, Volume 1 (Warren Ellis; 2015. Graphic fiction.)■The Curse of the Good Girl (Rachel Simmons; 2009. Non-fiction.)■The Elementals (Michael McDowell; 1981. Fiction.)■Huck, Volume 1 (Mark Millar; 2016. Graphic fiction.)■Kill Shakespeare, Volume 3: The Tide of Bloos (Conor McCreery Millar; 2013. Graphic fiction.)■Skim (Mariko Tomaki; 2008. Graphic fiction.)■Dubliners (James Joyce; 1914. Fiction.) 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 I'm working on The Relic Master. I was expecting humor a la Monty Python or at least Terry Pratchett. Nope. I am disappointed. The book is mildly amusing in spots but it is not terribly funny. In fact, the first couple of chapters were so boring, I almost quit. Then the story started moving along, so I guess I'll finish it. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 (edited) Reading Joris-Karl Huysman's Decadent novel Against Nature (À Rebours). Possibly the funniest book I've read since Bel-Ami. No sign of a plot so far; it's just the rich, idle, overeducated and neurotic Des Esseintes and his home decor. His hapless gilded, jewel-encrusted tortoise gets its own chapter. It's fabulous wallowing. I'm working on the same book. You are right -- no real plot, mostly just individual chapters that muse on a particular topic or current obsession of Des Esseintes. I think I'm not finding it quite as funny (though parts are definitely amusing); rather, sometimes I'm getting tired of the self-obsessed meanderings of text (which is the point, I suppose). I'm mad about the tortoise, btw! Overall, I'm glad I'm reading it, but I keep getting the feeling that I should like it better than I actually do. Kwim? During the chapter with his obsession with exotic plants, I recognized this one right away... ... from the midst of each bunch rose a stiff stem on top of which trembled a great ace of hearts, as glossy as a pepper; and then, as if in defiance of all the familiar aspects of plant life, there sprang from the middle of this bright vermilion heart a fleshy, downy tail, all white an yellow, straight in some cases, corkscrewing above the heart like a pig's tail in others. I still have a very vivid & distinct memory of being handed an anthurium by a Buddhist monk in an airport when I was a child. Edited July 24, 2016 by Stacia 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 (edited) I have to think the tortoise was a metaphor. ETA: Part of what makes it so funny is that Des Esseintes reminds me so much of certain undergraduates who had read Baudelaire for the first time and wore a lot of black. Hypocrite lecteur, mon semblable, mon frère! Edited July 24, 2016 by Violet Crown 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 (edited) I have to think the tortoise was a metaphor. I know. I agree. But, still. I hate animal stuff like that in books. Any books. It's my Achilles heel I guess. ETA: And, that is my own shortcoming in that, even if it is used as a metaphor, it pulls me out of the story. And that just breaks the continuity of reading for me. I'm a nut, I suppose. Edited July 24, 2016 by Stacia 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 ETA: Part of what makes it so funny is that Des Esseintes reminds me so much of certain undergraduates who had read Baudelaire for the first time and wore a lot of black. Hypocrite lecteur, mon semblable, mon frère! Yes, a very apt description. But sometimes the self-absorbed ego can be wearing instead of funny. I think that's what is making me find it less funny & less likeable than I want it to be (as a book). 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 (edited) Am I saying all this because I have two teens in my house? ;) :tongue_smilie: :laugh: ETA: No, I have nothing against teens. I adore teens (esp. my own) *most* of the time. Edited July 24, 2016 by Stacia 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 (edited) I know. I agree. But, still. I hate animal stuff like that in books. Any books. It's my Achilles heel I guess. ETA: And, that is my own shortcoming in that, even if it is used as a metaphor, it pulls me out of the story. And that just breaks the continuity of reading for me. I'm a nut, I suppose. I don't think that's a shortcoming so much as an indication that one of us isn't utterly heartless. :) Edited July 24, 2016 by Violet Crown 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Ah, the sea! I'll have to do some thinking about which book to read. In the meantime, last week I finished 3 books. Another of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple mysteries C.S. Lewis's The Last Battle (I'd forgotten how sad the ending of Narnia is.) Blessing the Hands that Feed Us by Vicky Robin (co-author of Your Money or Your Life). Even though Robin needed a better editor, I enjoyed her tale of her experiment in eating entirely from local sources for a month. I recommend it for those who are trying to source food locally through background gardens and chickens, small farms, and farmers' markets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 We came *this* close to getting into the big Star Trek panel yesterday at Comic-Con. We were still sitting under the shade canopies -- with several hundred of our now closest friends -- when it started, my son and a few others around us kept us all posted on all the Twitter updates from the panel. Last time I stood in line for a Hall H presentation was for the final season of Lost in back 2008 -- we were able to get in that time. Doubt I will bother again, unless of course on my kids once again asks me to join them! Almost all the media reports you see from Comic-Con basically come from that hall. It is only a small part of the convention, (small - ha! Hall H holds 6500 people!!) but the hype and the buzz and the frenzy overpower all else. While in line I read Shades of Milk and Honey, the Regency period fantasy which I bought on Thursday. It was the perfect book for the day -- light, fluffy, entertaining but not taxing. I'll happily read others in the series for a fun bit of escapist fluff My other light, fluffy escapist reading this week has been Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard, one of those memoirs by a young woman who is leading a fabulous life. This one has the added bonus of lots of talk about food and food shopping in Paris with recipes at the end of each chapter. There are some really snarky reviews on Goodreads, but I'm enjoying it and don't find the woman to be overly self-absorbed. At the other end of the literary spectrum, I finished then spent time re-reading and savoring sections of both Remains of the Day and A Moveable Feast. I'm a chapter into The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage, and just love it. Not sure what else I'm going to start to keep me company in the hectic days coming up. My youngest leaves for his new job in Japan at the end of the week and right after that I head to a heavenly few days at a quilting retreat in the heart of an area wine country. (It's rough in California -- so many wine countries to choose from!) Good food, good wine, good friends, and long uninterrupted hours to cut, sew, rip out seams, and, well, create!! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Decided on my water related read: The Outermost House: A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod – Henry Beston Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 (edited) Just saw a New Yorker cartoon with 4 middle-aged women who had just robbed a bank in a get-away-car. One woman turned to the others and said: "And to think we started as a book group!" Ethel Mertz, I love that! :lol: Now that sounds like a plot for a book I would like to read! I don't think that's a shortcoming so much as an indication that one of us isn't utterly heartless. :) Awww. Thank you. (And you are not heartless! Don't sell yourself short, VC! :toetap05: ) Btw, that reminds me of a quote: “... and you are my friend. I don't care if you are imaginary.†-- Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book Or, in this case, virtual instead of imaginary. Cheers to VC, my virtual friend! :grouphug: And speaking of memoirs, my daughter and I are about halfway through Jahren’s Lab Girl. In fact, that's the book beside me as I post this. Here is a Los Angeles Review of Books review I found earlier this week: “A Lab of Her Own.†<snip> From The Elementals: There’s no point in advertising a circus when everybody hates the clown. McDowell’s The Elementals, which appeared in my photo from last week’s thread, will likely make my 2016 “best†list. When I was younger, I devoured horror fiction: With my first paycheck I purchased two paperback novels, Stephen King’s The Stand and The Shining. Eventually, I believed I had outgrown the genre, but looking back, I think I had simply been selecting from too shallow a pool. The familiar writers became repetitive, and I moved on. The Elementals, with its engaging dialogue, place as character, and a pervasive sense of danger, has reminded me how good a horror novel can be. I've seen Lab Girl requested for hold quite a few times at the library. Wondering if I'm brave enough to add The Elementals to my spooky October reading list...? Hmmmm. Edited July 24, 2016 by Stacia 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 I read The Story of the Lost Child - I feel so relieved to be done with this series. I really liked it initially, but by the time I was about a quarter of the way through this final book, I knew that I had had enough. I no longer cared for the characters and the endless drama. Quite honestly, I thought that most of them were stupid and continued to make dumb choices and decisions. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t regret reading this series, but I am delighted to now move on. An interesting quote: “As for infidelities, he said, if you don’t find out about them at the right moment they’re of no use: when you’re in love you forgive everything. For infidelities to have their real impact some lovelessness has to develop first. And he went on like that, piling up painful remarks about the blindness of people in love.†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. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 We came *this* close to getting into the big Star Trek panel yesterday at Comic-Con. We were still sitting under the shade canopies -- with several hundred of our now closest friends -- when it started, my son and a few others around us kept us all posted on all the Twitter updates from the panel. Last time I stood in line for a Hall H presentation was for the final season of Lost in back 2008 -- we were able to get in that time. Doubt I will bother again, unless of course on my kids once again asks me to join them! Almost all the media reports you see from Comic-Con basically come from that hall. It is only a small part of the convention, (small - ha! Hall H holds 6500 people!!) but the hype and the buzz and the frenzy overpower all else. <snip> At the other end of the literary spectrum, I finished then spent time re-reading and savoring sections of both Remains of the Day and A Moveable Feast. I'm a chapter into The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage, and just love it. Not sure what else I'm going to start to keep me company in the hectic days coming up. My youngest leaves for his new job in Japan at the end of the week and right after that I head to a heavenly few days at a quilting retreat in the heart of an area wine country. (It's rough in California -- so many wine countries to choose from!) Good food, good wine, good friends, and long uninterrupted hours to cut, sew, rip out seams, and, well, create!! Oh man, sorry you didn't get in! I've been at DragonCon & know what you mean about making several hundred now close friends while waiting! :laugh: :thumbup1: You are right re: savoring sections of both The Remains of the Day and A Moveable Feast. They're both just literary gorgeousness. One of my libraries has The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage, so I'm happy about that. Have a great get-away! Sounds heavenly! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 (edited) Shannon and I are *still* reading The Voyage of the Beagle . . . so I guess that could count as a water-related title? That means we actually have to finish it, though, which I want to do before vacation anyway. Or I could tackle A Door into Ocean, a sci-fi suggestion from Eliana - whose posts I miss terribly! Ooo - or Railsea, which might help get me in the mood for Moby Dick? I just put that one on hold. Also The Tale of the Unknown Island, another Eliana suggestion. Fun challenge, Robin! I've needed a criteria to choose between the many books on my TR list. I'm mostly just reading Glory O'Brien's history of the Future at the moment. When it's done I'll finish Warlock Holmes. Then I need to finish The Just City (Eliana is haunting me today) and read The Checklist Manifesto. I know I am in the middle of a bunch of other books, but we're starting on the floor in our bedroom next, so my reading pile is getting severely disrupted. I might just read fun fiction until my vacation is over. I've been listening to The Sound and the Fury for the past two days. Fascinating novel. At his point I think Jason Compton is the most repellent human being I can imagine. I hope something bad happens to him soon. Edited July 24, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 I finished Hicthhiker's Guide book 4. I did not like it as much as the first 3 books, Hoping #5 is better 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Bookish links ~ Horseback library serves Indonesia's remote readers by Nick Perry "Astride his white mare, a wide-brimmed hat shielding his eyes, Ridwan Sururi looks more cowboy than librarian as he winds towards the hilltop village, his horse Luna saddled with books. Their arrival sends ripples of excitement through Serang, a quiet hamlet fringed by rice fields and a volcano on Indonesia's main island of Java. "The horse library!" children shriek, sprinting towards the mosque where Luna is tethered. Slung over her saddle are two handmade wooden boxes filled with books. For many there, this unique mobile library is their only link to books. There is no traditional library nearby, and stores are miles away in big cities. It's a problem for villages across the sprawling Indonesian archipelago...." ** Bookstore's Tweet Leads To Love, Then Marriage by Camila Domonoske "It's a story as old as time. Man tweets as bookstore. Woman falls in love with his literary Pokemon jokes. The inevitable next chapter: marriage. Wait. What? It started in 2012. Jonathan O'Brien was running the social media accounts for a Waterstone's book store on Oxford Street in London...." Regards, Kareni 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 I finished The Return of the King and therefore finished The Lord of the Rings. It's not like I didn't know what was going to happen, but the ending was very sad and made me think of times in life when we form close friendships only to all go our separate ways - high school, college, play groups maybe, marriages sometimes. I loved Sam's reaction to waking up after having been saved. "Have all the sad things come untrue?" I started listening to a book I got when it was the Audible deal of the day -- First Bite: How We Learn to Eat. I got this because the author believes we can train ourselves to like foods we currently dislike, something I also believe because I have done that for myself--adding carrots, peas, pineapples, cucumber, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes and--just to make dh happy--tater tot casserole to my "likes" list. And I guess I wanted to hear how right I am, or just confirm that it's possible for most people - not must me. But also pickiness in the family makes dinner planning frustrating when it should be a joy, and I wanted to see if it would give me any clues as to how to help dh and my youngest ds open up and eat more things. It's interesting so far. I think I need more food related books on Audible. Maybe I will finally read Salt Sugar Fat and The Omnivore's Dilemma if I can listen to them in the car And today I got a tiny start on Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Bookish links ~ Horseback library serves Indonesia's remote readers by Nick Perry "Astride his white mare, a wide-brimmed hat shielding his eyes, Ridwan Sururi looks more cowboy than librarian as he winds towards the hilltop village, his horse Luna saddled with books. Their arrival sends ripples of excitement through Serang, a quiet hamlet fringed by rice fields and a volcano on Indonesia's main island of Java. "The horse library!" children shriek, sprinting towards the mosque where Luna is tethered. Slung over her saddle are two handmade wooden boxes filled with books. For many there, this unique mobile library is their only link to books. There is no traditional library nearby, and stores are miles away in big cities. It's a problem for villages across the sprawling Indonesian archipelago...." Thanks for the link. I passed it on to my dd. It reminds me of a book we had when the dc were younger. (Actually, we still have the book & it resides happily in my dd's room.): My Librarian is a Camel: How Books Are Brought to Children Around the World. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 JennW, I saw this article and thought of you. Pokemon Go has taken over Comic-Con Shannon and I are *still* reading The Voyage of the Beagle . . . so I guess that could count as a water-related title? That means we actually have to finish it, though, which I want to do before vacation anyway. Oh, I'm so glad I'm not the only one! Finished - Her Royal Spyness (audiobook) and enjoyed it. I'll probably continue the series when I want something fun. Founding Mothers:The Women Who Raised Our Nation - Those were some kickass women! Thank you for bringing it to my attention Mom-ninja. Currently listening to - The Mistress of Nothing, from Audible. Currently reading - The Warden -Trollope Permed to Death I read the author's book on writing cozy mysteries, and thought I'd find out what her cozies are like. So far it's just meh. Still reading The Voyage of the Beagle, as I mentioned above. I had to let How Green Was My Valley go back to the library and had to get on a hold list to check it out again. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 Angela, how's Abby doing??? How are you doing??? Thinking of all of you! :grouphug: :grouphug: 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-M- Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 Wondering if I'm brave enough to add The Elementals to my spooky October reading list...? Hmmmm. There's a bit of rough language and a bit of "gross-ery," but I did not find it distasteful enough to temper my recommendation. I look forward to your remarks! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 (edited) Des Esseintes, in A Rebours, has been referring to art I've recently run into: But neither St Matthew, nor St Mark, nor St Luke, nor any of the other sacred writers had enlarged on the maddening charm and potent depravity of the dancer. She had always remained a dim and distant figure, lost in a mysterious ecstasy far off in the mists of time, beyond the reach of punctilious, pedestrian minds, and accessible only to brains shaken and sharpened and rendered almost clairvoyant by neurosis; she had always repelled the artistic advances of fleshy painters, such as Rubens who travestied her as a Flemish butcher's wife... Here's the Rubens, which happens to be one of my favorite pieces at the National Gallery in Edinburgh, and I got to see it just recently. I love that Rubens thought, "What is the sexiest dancing girl I can imagine?" -- and imagined that healthy-looking gal. And I love that her mother Herodias is the quintessence of a Texas Cheerleader's Mom. "See?" she's saying to Herod. "That's how good she is." Pointing at the head with her dinner fork. And Huysmans is an admirer of Goya's etchings and aquatints, a nicely full exhibition of which is, miracle of miracles, visiting the very modest art museum of our fine arts-deprived town, including the Caprices and the war etchings he particularly mentions. We just saw them the other day. But I have not seen any gilded tortoises. Edited July 25, 2016 by Violet Crown 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 (edited) I finished À Rebours (Against Nature) by J.-K. Huysmans. I remain firmly on the fence about this particular book. (And partially, I question myself because, once again, I'm not that enamored of a French writer. I just seem to have a hard time connecting with French writers... other than Alexandre Dumas. Maybe Huysmans gets a partial pass -- me being on the fence -- because he's half Dutch? :confused1: :lol: ) I wanted to like it more than I actually did like it. While I appreciate that Huysmans' writing/style/subjects were unorthodox for his time & some of the passages are truly lovely &/or amazingly descriptive, I found other parts to be overly tedious & excessive to the point that I felt like I was plodding though an unwanted school assignment. Ironically, a passage within À Rebours itself summed up this particular book for me. Des Esseintes (the main character) is going through his bookshelves... Of course, Des Esseintes still appreciated the works of these two poets, in the same way that he appreciated rare jewels or precious substances; but none of the variations of these brilliant instrumentalists could now enrapture any more, for none possessed the makings of a dream, none opened up, at least for him, one of those lively vistas that enabled him to speed the weary flight of the hours. I think Violet Crown is better poised to appreciate this work than I am. So, VC, I look forward to your continued comments & remarks because they do make me have a (slightly) better (though grudging) appreciation of the book. :thumbup1: P.S. VC, found this blog where the person has posted some of the artworks Des Esseintes has in his home. Thought you would enjoy it. ETA: If you would like my copy of the book, please PM me & I'll send it along... Edited July 25, 2016 by Stacia 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 On a tangential note to this week's theme, I finished Paul Greenberg's excellent examination of the sustainability of popular seafood, Four Fish. Highly recommended. My weather forecast calls for a stack of books and rhubarb. Life is good. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 I finished À Rebours (Against Nature) by J.-K. Huysmans. I remain firmly on the fence about this particular book. (And partially, I question myself because, once again, I'm not that enamored of a French writer. I just seem to have a hard time connecting with French writers... other than Alexandre Dumas. Maybe Huysmans gets a partial pass -- me being on the fence -- because he's half Dutch? :confused1: :lol: ) I wanted to like it more than I actually did like it. While I appreciate that Huysmans' writing/style/subjects were unorthodox for his time & some of the passages are truly lovely &/or amazingly descriptive, I found other parts to be overly tedious & excessive to the point that I felt like I was plodding though an unwanted school assignment. Ironically, a passage within À Rebours itself summed up this particular book for me. Des Esseintes (the main character) is going through his bookshelves... I think Violet Crown is better poised to appreciate this work than I am. So, VC, I look forward to your continued comments & remarks because they do make me have a (slightly) better (though grudging) appreciation of the book. :thumbup1: P.S. VC, found this blog where the person has posted some of the artworks Des Esseintes has in his home. Thought you would enjoy it. ETA: If you would like my copy of the book, please PM me & I'll send it along... Stacia, thanks for that link; I especially appreciate the Redons, with which I wasn't familiar. I'm not going to post much more on À Rebours. I think I may have enjoyed it more because I felt as it went that I could firmly place Huysmans between Baudelaire and Genet, and alongside Zola and (to some extent) Wilde. Des Esseintes'/Huysman's keen observations regarding the contribution of a certain strain of Catholicism to the Decadent aesthetic also fell into place, and I'll never read Frédéric Ozanam (founder btw of the now lay-run charity St Vincent de Paul Society) the same way. Also my recent hours scrutinizing Goya's wonderful etchings* were mirrored in Huysman's appeal to an anti-aesthetic in which beauty is exhausted, the senses are beyond stimulation and diseased, and all that's left is ennui, enervation, and lingering death. Books can now only be expensively bound and repeatedly arranged, but no longer read; the natural has neither utility nor appeal but can only serve to mimic the artificial, and then die; sexuality has passed beyond depravity into impotence and sterility. All schools of art, literature, and aesthetics are effectively jewelled tortoises that drag their overladen, exhausted carapaces into the corner of a gorgeous room and quietly die. Five stars. Nobody gets my copy. :D *And wondering how the heck they ended up in Central Texas--especially since the exhibit seems to have been nearly unadvertised and, on the day we went at least, almost completely unattended. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastweedpuller Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 It's my Achilles heel I guess. ETA: And, that is my own shortcoming in that, even if it is used as a metaphor, it pulls me out of the story. And that just breaks the continuity of reading for me. I'm a nut, I suppose. Stacia you're not alone (though admittedly it's not animals that do it for me). I have a huge bugaboo if a story does not address certain life-sustenance issues (monetary, alimentary, sex) when its narrative arc is dependent on such. For example, the book I just finished this weekend for book club had, at its central point of the story, that the two lovers wrote each other daily (and their letters were of course intercepted by The Evil Uncle). Financially there was no way the woman, a peasant in 1950s Burma, would have been able to buy paper much less mail something even quarterly much less daily, but the author somehow can't get his first-world head out of his ass to see this fact. (The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker, maybe this is a fluff read for some but sigh) I have been very fickle with my reading this week. I have 3 books started, hoping one would grab me, then a fourth came in over the Overdrive wires and whammo! I am SWEPT UP now by The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson. Admittedly my powers of Superhypersearch are nowhere near Kareni's but I don't seem to see that anyone's read it here? Please tell me if you have. I do love a poet so maybe that's why this book is singing to me now...and beating out The Yellow Birds and The Nightingale. Audio-wise I am enjoying All Joy and No Fun: the Paradox of Modern Parenthood by Jennifer Senior. I tend to abhor articles-to-books as they tend to be just so full of distractions but perhaps audio is the best way, after all, to handle such things. I am listening to it mainly as a pre-screen for making a book suggestion to book club. DD has been tearing through the Chronicles of Prydain series this last week +. I think she's on book 3? I find this surprising...but pleasant. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 I finished Glory O'Brien's History of the Future late last night. Judging it as a YA book and comparing it to other offerings from that genre that I've read (or tried to read) lately, it rates very highly. The protagonist/narrator is awesome - she's 17, just graduating from high school, so it has a lot of the typical coming-of-age stuff going on, but she in particular is trying to break the paralysis in her life that has existed since her mom's suicide when she was 4. Her voice, her personality, her observations about life and the other people in it are refreshing and so great. I'd love this girl as my dd's best friend. I'll be thrilled if my dds turn out as grounded and self-aware as Glory. I really liked her. The story has some flaws for sure: the device it uses to get her the information for her "history of the future" is requires you to suspend disbelief so far it pretty much falls off the cliff into the ocean. And the future vision itself is a bit a of a stretch too. I kind of feel like the novel was maybe trying to be two things - a coming of age story, which is does very well, and a sort of dystopic visionary tale, which it doesn't really pull off. All the same, I really enjoyed it and I liked Glory a lot. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 Here's an interesting post with some European/books in translation suggestions from current writers/contributors to the New Statesman: Speaking in tongues: the greatest European novels 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 I just finished Superfluous Women (Daisy Dalrymple mystery). I,ve read a number of these this summer. Not up there with Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, etc., but I am reading them anyway. Next up is The Plover (thank you, Stacia!), which with a seagull and a sailboat on the cover counts as a sail away book. Robin, your timing was perfect this week. We are literally sailing away for vacation this week. Jenn, I thought of you and your O'Brien books as I patched the mainsail by hand yesterday, with palm, beeswax, and all. My mother helped by reading aloud a Michael Innes mystery and the cat helped by nesting in a pocket of sail. It took about six hours and I was glad I had decided to do it in the livingroom rather than on the boat. Rose, I loved Door into Ocean. Not an emotionally easy book but one that has stuck with me. Nan 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 (edited) . Edited November 8, 2016 by ErinE 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 I have been very fickle with my reading this week. I have 3 books started, hoping one would grab me, then a fourth came in over the Overdrive wires and whammo! I am SWEPT UP now by The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson. Admittedly my powers of Superhypersearch are nowhere near Kareni's but I don't seem to see that anyone's read it here? Please tell me if you have. I do love a poet so maybe that's why this book is singing to me now...and beating out The Yellow Birds and The Nightingale. I haven't read The Argonauts, but it's on my to-read list because I have read another book by that author: Bluets, which I loved. Glad to hear The Argonauts is great too! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 I had to return library books so I didn't get to finish the Sunne in Splendour, but I'll pick it up when I get back home. I wonder how much GRRM was influenced by the book as even in the little I read, I was reminded of scenes from Game of Thrones (Book #1 in Song of Ice and Fire). I had the same thought about GoT when I was reading Sunne in Splendour. I've read that GRRM was heavily influenced by The Wars of the Roses. It's interesting, because when I read GoT, I remember thinking how totally over the top it was - all the betrayals and assassinations and beheadings. But when you read history, from whatever era and in whatever country, you realize, it's all been done. For real. By actual people. It's kind of depressing. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 I finished listening to The Sound and the Fury. Wow, that was a remarkable and fantastic book. I just downloaded Moby-Dick . . . we'll see how far I get this time. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 I'm not going to post much more on À Rebours. I think I may have enjoyed it more because I felt as it went that I could firmly place Huysmans between Baudelaire and Genet, and alongside Zola and (to some extent) Wilde. Des Esseintes'/Huysman's keen observations regarding the contribution of a certain strain of Catholicism to the Decadent aesthetic also fell into place, and I'll never read Frédéric Ozanam (founder btw of the now lay-run charity St Vincent de Paul Society) the same way. Also my recent hours scrutinizing Goya's wonderful etchings* were mirrored in Huysman's appeal to an anti-aesthetic in which beauty is exhausted, the senses are beyond stimulation and diseased, and all that's left is ennui, enervation, and lingering death. Books can now only be expensively bound and repeatedly arranged, but no longer read; the natural has neither utility nor appeal but can only serve to mimic the artificial, and then die; sexuality has passed beyond depravity into impotence and sterility. All schools of art, literature, and aesthetics are effectively jewelled tortoises that drag their overladen, exhausted carapaces into the corner of a gorgeous room and quietly die. Five stars. Nobody gets my copy. :D :blush: (Obviously you got about ten thousand times more out of this book than I did.) I think my brain hurts right now. :leaving: :lol: 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 Stacia, I had a mad French professor who was really into the Decadents, the Surrealists, and transgressive literature generally. I think that semester left me permanently scarred. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 One last. Stacia, this is for both of us: À Rebours in eight words. http://www.goreystore.com/shop/gashlycrumb-tinies/edward-gorey-n-neville-who-died-ennui-square-magnet 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 Here's an interesting post with some European/books in translation suggestions from current writers/contributors to the New Statesman: Speaking in tongues: the greatest European novels Nice to see old friends listed as well as new authors. Helen Oyeyemi recommended a book that is totally new to me: Love and Garbage by Ivan Klima. And my library has it! Speaking of, I borrowed two books mentioned on our thread, a mystery by Ausma Zehanat Khan entitled The Unquiet Death as well as Zinky Boys by Nobel winning writer Svetlana Alexievich. I also came home with House-Bound by Winifred Peck, a comic take on home front life during WWII set in Scotland. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 One last. Stacia, this is for both of us: À Rebours in eight words. http://www.goreystore.com/shop/gashlycrumb-tinies/edward-gorey-n-neville-who-died-ennui-square-magnet :lol: (An embarrassing admission: I did not know how to pronounce ennui until just a few years ago... after my dd was taking French.) I think I am truly a failure in all things French. :svengo: (Although, I do love hors d'oeuvres! :laugh: ) Mes excuses! :leaving: 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 Ahhh. Feeling more back in my reading territory now that I'm reading (thanks to Jane): Nothing French so far (), but there has been a Post Office Octopus. :thumbup: 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 By the way, I think the alligator looks like he's (or she's) car surfing, so does that mean this fits the ocean theme? ;) :lol: 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 Yesterday I read Ainslie Paton's contemporary romance Offensive Behavior (Sidelined Book 1); I enjoyed it and plan to read more by this author. (Adult content) The book is currently on sale for Kindle readers for 99 cents. Regards, Kareni 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 Do alligators live in the ocean? Nan 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 Needing a change of pace, I'm working through Plato's Apology and Crito. Not because I find Plato particularly compelling but because I've assigned them to Middle Girl and she's at an age where her Hypocritimeter is easily set off. "The unexamined life is not worth living." Yes, Socrates. Indeed, Socrates. It is as you say, Socrates. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.