Book a Week 2016 - BW35: summer sun

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday dear hearts!  This is the beginning of week 35 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 - Summer Sun:  Our summertime break is coming to an end and 11th grade is about to begin. So decided to entertain you with Robert Lewis Stevenson.  :001_smile:

 

 

 

Summer Sun

 

By

 

Robert Lewis Stevenson

 

 

 

Great is the sun, and wide he goes

Through empty heaven with repose;

And in the blue and glowing days

More thick than rain he showers his rays.

 

Though closer still the blinds we pull

To keep the shady parlour cool,

Yet he will find a chink or two

To slip his golden fingers through.

 

The dusty attic spider-clad

He, through the keyhole, maketh glad;

And through the broken edge of tiles

Into the laddered hay-loft smiles.

 

Meantime his golden face around

He bares to all the garden ground,

And sheds a warm and glittering look

Among the ivy's inmost nook.

 

Above the hills, along the blue,

Round the bright air with footing true,

To please the child, to paint the rose,

The gardener of the World, he goes.

 

 

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

 

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

 

 

Link to week 34

 

Edited August 28, 2016 by Robin M

[Robin M]

I finished Diana Gabaldon's Drums of Autumn, took a side trip with Rick Riordan's Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series: Sword of Summer which isn't as good as the Lightning Thief or Kane Chronicles but served as a very light read and now back to the Outlander series with The Fiery Cross.  

 

Just when I thought I'd gotten everything planned for 11th grade, James decided he didn't like my ideas for Creative Writing and doesn't want to use any of his current or future ideas for the class, so rethinking the plan today. *sigh*  

[Jane in NC]

Hello everybody!

 

Under normal circumstances, I would have tossed my current read aside after a chapter or two.  The Lure of the Dutchman: Cracking the Mystery of the Lost Mine by Thomas Geldermann is poorly written with an often ridiculous plot.  Has your friend Jane lost her mind?  Well yes, but not before opening this book.

 

Here is the story:  There is a Little Free Library on my route to the beach, a box I check regularly for treasures.  A couple of weeks ago I saw the aforementioned, pulled it out and noted immediately the desert photo on the cover.  On the backcover, a couple of things are mentioned:  The Apache Trail, Tortilla Flat, Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake.  The book went into my bike basket.

 

In June when my husband was taking a class in Phoenix, I flew out to join him for a week.  On one of his work days, I took a van tour that went on part of the Apache Trail.  We took a ride on the Dolly Steamboat in Canyon Lake and then finished things off with a late lunch at Tortilla Flat.  What a strange coincidence that this book of fiction set in a place I had recently been was in my neighborhood "Wee Free" as I call it. How could I not resist?

 

For those who are not familiar with the story, the Lost Dutchman's Mine holds a treasure trove of gold somewhere in the Superstition Mountains near Phoenix.  Stories abound and our guide told many, pulling off to the side of the road so that we could see the rock formation called Weaver's Needle which the mine is often said to be near.  We took a cactus walk in the Lost Dutchman State Park.  We heard about the lives lost by people who went hiking in the desert in search of the mine.

 

The mine that enters into the story Geldermann tells so far is being used only for nefarious purposes.  Having been in the Superstitions, I am enjoy the setting of the story. The rest?  Meh.  But I continue to read...

 

 

[Onceuponatime]

Our Man In Havana has gone on the back burner. I'm reading Dragonwyck by Anya Seton because that's my book club's pick and the meeting is this Thursday, a week sooner than I had thought. I think this would classify as "flufferton abbey" or gothic lite. The story is engaging so far. It is not as emotionally intense as most gothic novels, but it's got all the familiar elements: big gloomy house, handsome brooding master tied to a neurotic wife, beautiful innocent governess (who is also a poor relation), a creepy old woman warning of dire events to come, and a resentful ladies' maid, etc.

Edited August 28, 2016 by Onceuponatime

[Negin]

I read A Grief Observed - 3 Stars - C.S. Lewis wrote this in the form of a journal after his dear wife’s passing to cancer. I was looking forward to reading it, and although there were many parts that I thought were thought-provoking and insightful, overall I didn’t appreciate it as much as I had hoped. However, I am glad that I read it. It may be eye-opening to many when one sees that the faith of even the strongest soul can be shaken when faced with such grief.

 

He wrote: “Perhaps the bereaved ought to be isolated in special settlements like lepers.†Sadly, in much of modern society, people seem quite uncomfortable with talking about death and losing loved ones.

 

As far as books on death and dying go, my favorite so far is In the Midst of Life by Jennifer Worth. She’s one of my favorite writers.

 

Some other favorite quotes:

“I loathe the slightest effort. Not only writing but even reading a letter is too much. Even shaving. What does it matter now whether my cheek is rough or smooth? They say an unhappy man wants distractions—something to take him out of himself. Only as a dog-tired man wants an extra blanket on a cold night; he’d rather lie there shivering than get up and find one. It’s easy to see why the lonely become untidy, finally, dirty and disgusting.

Meanwhile, where is God?â€

 

“When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him, so happy that you are tempted to feel His claims upon you as an interruption, if you remember yourself and turn to Him with gratitude and praise, you will be—or so it feels—welcomed with open arms. But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more emphatic the silence will become.â€

 

“It is hard to have patience with people who say, ‘There is no death’ or ‘Death doesn’t matter.’ There is death. And whatever is matters. And whatever happens has consequences, and it and they are irrevocable and irreversible. You might as well say that birth doesn’t matter. I look up at the night sky. Is anything more certain than that in all those vast times and spaces, if I were allowed to search them, I should nowhere find her face, her voice, her touch? She died. She is dead. Is the word so difficult to learn?â€

 

“Bereavement is a universal and integral part of our experience of love. It follows marriage as normally as marriage follows courtship or as autumn follows summer. It is not a truncation of the process but one of its phases; not the interruption of the dance, but the next figure. We are ‘taken out of bereavement is not the truncation of married love but one of its regular phases—like the honeymoon.â€

 

“The more joy there can be in the marriage between dead and living, the better. The better in every way. For, as I have discovered, passionate grief does not link us with the dead but cuts us off from them. This become clearer and clearer. It is just at those moments when I feel least sorrow—getting into my morning bath is usually one of them—that H. rushes upon my mind in her full reality, her otherness. Not, as in my worst moments, all foreshortened and patheticized and solemnized by my miseries, but as she is in her own right. This is good and tonic. I seem to remember—though though I couldn’t quote one at the moment—all sorts of ballads and folktales in which the dead tell us that our mourning does them some kind of wrong. They beg us to stop it. There may be far more depth in this than I thought. If so, our grandfathers’ generation went very far astray. All that (sometimes lifelong) ritual of sorrow—visiting graves, keeping anniversaries, leaving the empty bedroom exactly as ‘the departed’ used to keep it, mentioning the dead either not at all or always in a special voice, or even (like Queen Victoria) having the dead man’s clothes put out for dinner every evening—this was like mummification. It made the dead far more dead.â€

 

“I will turn to her as often as possible in gladness. I will even salute her with a laugh. The less I mourn her the nearer I seem to her.â€

 

 

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.

[Kareni]

Yesterday I read Luck Is No Lady (Fallen Ladies)  by Amy Sandas;  it was a pleasant read but not a book I'll soon re-read.  I will admit though that the blurb for book two in the series has piqued my interest.

 

"Gently bred Emma Chadwick always assumed she'd live and die the daughter of a gentleman. But when her father's death reveals a world of staggering debt and dangerous moneylenders, she must risk her good name and put her talent for mathematics to use, taking a position as bookkeeper at London's most notorious gambling hell. Surrounded by vice and corruption on all sides, it is imperative no one discovers Emma's shameful secret or her reputation-and her life-will be ruined.

 

But Roderick Bentley, the hell's sinfully wealthy owner, awakens a hunger Emma cannot deny. Drawn deep into an underworld of high stakes gambling and reckless overindulgence, she soon discovers that in order to win the love of a ruthless scoundrel, she will have to play the game...and give in to the pleasure of falling from grace."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

Still reading Stiletto but only three hours left of my current Julia Spencer Fleming audiobook. Almost to the binding stage for my extra quilt finish for the quilt show. I remembered after I started working on it that I had put that top together with imperfect blocks from a quilt I made for dd when she was 7. The corners don't match etc. Not the quilt top I should have picked from my stack of unfinished quilts.....yes, I like making the tops but not the finish work.

[JennW in SoCal]

I stopped at the library to grab a few mysteries to read as a reward for getting through a busy few days. I read the blurb on each book flap before checking them out to be sure they weren't repeats, but sure enough, when I settled down to read one, I realized no more than 3 pages in that I had read it!  No matter, the next one I picked up was new, and fit the bill for a perfect Saturday afternoon read.  It was another of Linda Castillo's Ohio Amish country books, After the Storm.  

 

The other mystery I grabbed which I know I haven't read is the latest, or at least one of the more recent, Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes titles. 

 

From my "dusty" audible "shelf", I downloaded and started Rudyard Kipling's Kim. It has been in my audible library for 6 years or more as I'm sure I picked it for a one ds or the other to read. I believe one ds did read it, but I certainly never joined him on it.  So far so good in spite of some cringe worthy phrases about the manner and temper of the locals. 

 

I need to better organize my lists of "to read" authors and titles. When I popped into the library the other day I started scrolling through the list I have on my phone plus my goodreads list, trying to remember some of the authors y'all have recommended recently.  But my lists are too crowded with every genre, even with books I've already read, so I just went with the first author names I could think of -- hence grabbing a book I've already read! I know I can place holds on the titles I want to read, but there is something fun about running into a branch library, not knowing what books you will find to read, and it is extra satisfying to discover a title you want on the shelves! 

[Mothersweets]

Hello everyone!

 

I've started three different books in the past few weeks and only managed to finish one - Yes Please by Amy Poehler. It was funny and there were a few chapters that really resonated with me.

 

I'm still working on Desolation Island (everyone's just gotten over goal fever), started The Girls by Emma Cline but didn't finish it before it was due back at the library(and I was super close!), and the last one was To the Ends of the Earth by William Golding with almost a third left to read.

[Mothersweets]

Yesterday I read Luck Is No Lady (Fallen Ladies)  by Amy Sandas;  it was a pleasant read but not a book I'll soon re-read.  I will admit though that the blurb for book two in the series has piqued my interest.

 

"Gently bred Emma Chadwick always assumed she'd live and die the daughter of a gentleman. But when her father's death reveals a world of staggering debt and dangerous moneylenders, she must risk her good name and put her talent for mathematics to use, taking a position as bookkeeper at London's most notorious gambling hell. Surrounded by vice and corruption on all sides, it is imperative no one discovers Emma's shameful secret or her reputation-and her life-will be ruined.

 

But Roderick Bentley, the hell's sinfully wealthy owner, awakens a hunger Emma cannot deny. Drawn deep into an underworld of high stakes gambling and reckless overindulgence, she soon discovers that in order to win the love of a ruthless scoundrel, she will have to play the game...and give in to the pleasure of falling from grace."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Kareni, are you able to find most of your books at the library? I usually have to buy romances and fluffy books because my library system never has the romance/fluffies that I want! :( I've had to cut back and be super choosy because I just can't afford to buy all the ones I want to read!

[Ali in OR]

Did I read this week? Not much. It was a busy week of getting kids registered for school (which manages to take hours) and doctor type stuff. And haircuts. And trying to get dd enough driving hours to get her driver's license before school starts.

 

I've started Caleb's Crossing but it's not keeping my attention well enough to really make progress. It's of one of my lesser favorite genres--historical fiction with a female character who is a modern American woman plunked down in a different time period. Meaning her values, choices, etc. just don't match women of that era. So I've been going back to Captain Lacey on my kindle. I finished #5 and started #6 and without seeing a title on a cover over and over, I simply don't remember the names of the books! Also dds and I finished Pride and Prejudice and watched the first half of the BBC Colin Firth version last night.

[Chrysalis Academy]

We're home!  Whew.  Long drive today, 10-ish hours.  Our house is still standing, though not in one piece, although in all fairness it was torn up when we left.  I was kind of hoping that the home improvement fairies might have finished installing the wood floors while we were gone, but no such luck.  :001_rolleyes:

 

Let's see, since I posted last, I finished listening to Moby Dick.  Can I just say, without getting kicked out of the club, that this was a terrible book?  If I had been reading rather than listening, I never would have finished it - like the 3 or 4 previous times I have tried to read it.  What it really needed was an excellent, and ruthless, editor.  You could cut 2/3 of the book and have a pretty decent adventure story.  As expected, I didn't like all the whale-slaughtering bits, but particularly didn't care for the characterization of vicious beasts set on malevolent attacks on the poor humans.  Um, you're out there slaughtering them, remember???  And even when it got to the good action sequences, it ruined them by panning from one character to the next and giving each one a long soliloquy.  I gave it two stars for the few flashes of humor and the brilliant satire, but that was a stretch.  However, I suppose I have marked one off my culture-virtue bucket list now, so there's that.

 

I also finished reading The Faraway Nearby, by Rebecca Solnit.  It's a little hard to characterize - kind of a memoir, kind of a set of connected essays on why we create and tell stories, and on wisdom gained with aging, love and loss.  Hard to put your finger on, but brilliantly written and very moving and thought provoking.  

 

I am currently reading Suite Francaise, which is really wonderful, The HIdden Forest, which I love, and I'm taking another stab at The Name of the Wind - my SIL gave me a copy and bullied me into starting to read it, I'm going with Kathy's advice of reading, not listening, to books with difficult bits - I think maybe the problem I had before was that I was listening to it on a long drive, and so where the dark parts got too dark, I was a captive audience.  Reading it, I can take breaks whenever I want, and the chapters are nice and short.  Plus, I've read a few posts by the author on goodreads, and he's quite hilarious, which bodes well for his books.

 

We are supposed to start school tomorrow, but I think it will be a soft start, just a little math & reading, while I tackle my pile of laundry and a slew of work emails.  It's bittersweet to be home, our vacation is lovely and we're all sad it's over.

[NoseInABook]

I'm almost done with Karen Glass' Consider This and am still stuck in Ransom Riggs' Hollow City. I have zero desire to pick it up. I did finish Paul Miller's A Praying Life, Nora Roberts' Bay Of Sighs, and The Confident Homeschooler by Pam Barnhill. I started reading Kevin Hearne's Tricked on my Kindle. 

[Kareni]

Kareni, are you able to find most of your books at the library? I usually have to buy romances and fluffy books because my library system never has the romance/fluffies that I want! :( I've had to cut back and be super choosy because I just can't afford to buy all the ones I want to read!

 

To answer your question: maybe.  I'd have to do a survey to figure out the numbers!  I belong to two libraries -- one is my local city library (the cost of belonging is paid by our taxes) and the other is a paid membership to the library in the neighboring city.  The latter costs $130 per year per household.  I get my money's worth as I check out numerous books for me and a good number of DVDs for my husband.  They also purchase a healthy number of my suggestions.  My local library also buys a good fraction of my recommendations.  I'm fortunate.

 

I have a large stash of books at home many of which I purchased (and continue to purchase) at thrift stores and used book stores.  I also have an embarrassing number of books on my Kindle; many were obtained at no cost, others I purchased at low cost.  (Last week I bought two books for my Kindle that cost $4.99 each; that was highly unusual!)  The e-book I just finished  was borrowed from my library which is unusual for me.

 

Is your library receptive to purchase suggestions, Laura?

 

I've also been known to borrow books through inter-library loan.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Mom-ninja.]

I found a scarf for next winter

https://storiarts.com

Why have I never thought of wearing books before?

Stacia I'm sure is coveting the Wuthering Heights scarf. ;)

 

 

 

I'm reading Jane Austen's collection of short stories/novellas. They are so funny. She really lets her wit and silliness fly in her short stories. My favorite quote so far, "She has many rare and charming qualities, but sobriety is not one of them." I actually laughed loudly when I read that. I was in a lobby surrounded by people who just looked at me. Couldn't help it.  

Edited August 29, 2016 by Mom-ninja.

[Kareni]

Kareni, are you able to find most of your books at the library?

 

The book I mentioned to which you appended your query was actually a find on the New Books shelf at the ($130/year) library.  I'd never heard of the author, but the book looked interesting.

 

My most recent read Brothers of the Wild North Sea  by Harper Fox was obtained from my library's e-book collection.  This was a book about which I'd heard good things, so I'd put it on my hold list.  I enjoyed it very much.  It's a story of two enemies coming to love one another during the Dark Ages.  The main characters are a monk and a Viking.  Religion and mysticism are part of the story and there is even the odd bit of Latin.  (Adult content)  This is definitely a book I will re-read.

 

"Caius doesn’t feel like much of a Christian. He loves his life of learning as a monk in the far-flung stronghold of Fara, but the hot warrior blood of his chieftain father flows in his veins. Heat soothed only in the arms of his sweet-natured friend and lover, Leof.

 

When Leof is killed during a Viking raid, Cai’s grieving heart thirsts for vengeance—and he has his chance with Fenrir, a wounded young Viking warrior left for dead. But instead of reaching for a weapon, Cai finds himself defying his abbot’s orders and using his healing skills to save Fen’s life.

At first, Fen repays Cai’s kindness by attacking every Christian within reach. But as time passes, Cai’s persistent goodness touches his heart. And Cai, who had thought he would never love again, feels the stirring of a profound new attraction.

 

Yet old loyalties call Fen back to his tribe and a relentless quest to find the ancient secret of Fara—a powerful talisman that could render the Vikings indestructible, and tear the two lovers’ bonds beyond healing."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Mothersweets]

To answer your question: maybe.  I'd have to do a survey to figure out the numbers!  I belong to two libraries -- one is my local city library (the cost of belonging is paid by our taxes) and the other is a paid membership to the library in the neighboring city.  The latter costs $130 per year per household.  I get my money's worth as I check out numerous books for me and a good number of DVDs for my husband.  They also purchase a healthy number of my suggestions.  My local library also buys a good fraction of my recommendations.  I'm fortunate.

 

I have a large stash of books at home many of which I purchased (and continue to purchase) at thrift stores and used book stores.  I also have an embarrassing number of books on my Kindle; many were obtained at no cost, others I purchased at low cost.  (Last week I bought two books for my Kindle that cost $4.99 each; that was highly unusual!)  The e-book I just finished  was borrowed from my library which is unusual for me.

 

Is your library receptive to purchase suggestions, Laura?

 

I've also been known to borrow books through inter-library loan.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Lucky you!!  I use to belong to a library that charged a yearly fee and they had A LOT to choose from! I have two library systems to use and neither one seems to carry very many of the types of romances I enjoy - they seem to be heavy on the modern/contemporary romances and I just don't find those compelling.

 

I'd forgotten about inter-library loan! and I'll ask and see about purchase suggestions - hadn't thought of that before. Thanks! :)

 

[Kareni]

A couple of currently free Kindle books. 

 

This one sounds quite bizarre ~  The Rock Child: An Adventure of the Heart (American Dreamers Book 4) by Win Blevins

 

From Library Journal

"Blevins, whose Stone Song (Tor, 1995) fictionalized the life of the legendary Crazy Horse, has stated his aim is to write "mythic novels of the American West." He meets that goal in his new work, which is told from the shifting perspectives of Asie, a mixed Native American-Anglo musical savant; Sun Moon, a virginal Tibetan nun shanghaied into American prostitution; and Sir Richard Burton, real-life explorer, linguist, and Arabian Nights translator. Joining Burton in rescuing Asie and Sun Moon from a dreadful fate is Mark Twain, a ready-made, easy-to-use comedic catalyst that surprisingly few historical novelists have thought to exploit. Like Twain, Burton is rendered as simple caricature?he's a cultivated, Sean Connery-type sinner who feels badly about his appetites?but the picaresque passages told from his perspective liven the pace of this ambitious narrative. Endeavoring to combine New Age/Buddhist philosophy with familiar Western genre devices to deliver a plea for racial tolerance, this historical novel is at times anachronistic. Yet despite its crowded agenda, the novel works well as a fugitive-vs.-stalking villain Western yarn."  Scott H. Silverman, Bryn Mawr Coll. Lib., Pa.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

**

 

The Cogsmith's Daughter (Desertera #1)   by Kate Colby

 

"In a desert wasteland, one king rules with absolute power and unquenchable lust, until the cogsmith’s daughter risks everything for vengeance.

Two-hundred years ago, the steam-powered world experienced an apocalyptic flood. When the waters dried up, the survivors settled around their moored steamship in a wasteland they named Desertera. Believing the flood and drought were caused by a scorned goddess, the monarchs demanded execution for anyone who commits the unforgivable sin—adultery.

Today, King Archon entraps his wives in the crime of adultery, executing each boring bride to pursue his next infatuation. Most nobles overlook King Archon’s behavior, but when Lord Varick’s daughter falls victim to the king’s schemes, he vows revenge.

When Aya Cogsmith was a young girl, King Archon had her father executed for treason. Orphaned and forced to turn to prostitution for survival, Aya dreams of avenging her father’s death. When Lord Varick approaches Aya with plans for vengeance, she agrees to play the king’s seductress—even though it puts her at risk for execution."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

  I have two library systems to use and neither one seems to carry very many of the types of romances I enjoy - they seem to be heavy on the modern/contemporary romances and I just don't find those compelling.

 

Do you have a Kindle or the ability to read Kindle books?  If so, here are a few currently free historical romances.  I haven't read them, so ....

 

Heart of a Knight  by Barbara Samuel  (This author has an excellent reputation, and this book was a RITA winner for Best Historical Romance.)

 

Alexandra: A Sweet & Clean Historical...  by Lauren Royal

 

Touching the Clouds (Alaskan Skies Bo...  by Bonnie Leon

 

An Inconvenient Ward by Audrey Harrison

 

The Captain's Bluestocking Mistress  by Erica Ridley

 

All I Want (Dukes of War Book 8) by Erica Ridley

 

The Earl's London Bride  by Lauren Royal

 

The Governess Affair  by Courtney Milan  (this one I have read and it's an excellent novella)

 

The Measure of Katie Calloway  by Serena B. Miller

 

Maids of Misfortune  by M. Louisa Locke

 

Regards,

Kareni

[JennW in SoCal]

Also dds and I finished Pride and Prejudice and watched the first half of the BBC Colin Firth version last night.

 

You inspired me to pull out my P&P DVDs tonight -- I watch that BBC production almost once a year and it was time. It kept me happily entertained while I finished a quilt binding and folded laundry.  One of my ds's got a huge kick out of the Colin Firth P&P, but it wasn't Elizabeth and Jane's love life that got him caught up in the story -- it was Mrs. Bennett's nerves! 

[aggieamy]

Two more books finished!  I feel like I'm on a reading streak. 

 

The Island of Doctor Moreau by HG Wells - This was this months book club and I liked it.  It's creepy and awful but engrossing.  The people that didn't like it thought the writing style was too stuffy and old fashioned (my DH was one of those people) and I thought that was fascinating.  It is definitely written in a style that isn't used any more but I thought that was part of it's charm.    

 

Jackaby by William Ritter - Have I mentioned how much my DD loves this series now?  I think this was a Stacia recommendation ... thank you!

 

 

[aggieamy]

I am definitely hooked on this series. I am about a third of the way through number six. I spent a few minutes googling and found a comment from her saying she is working on the next one but that it is going slow. I read a spoiler and can see that wainting for the next book is going to be a irritating!

 

Have you tried the Kate Burkholer series yet? There are many similarities between these series both set in small towns with an unbelievable amount of violence. The latest for this series was recently released an is sitting in my stack.

 

I also have Stiletto which is the sequel to The Rook https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10836728-the-rook?ac=1&from_search=true which is one of my favourite books ever. It is good but I am having to go slow because I am still quilting pretty intensely for the quilt show. I finished my large quilt but decided to finish a quilt top I made several years ago also. So I listen to audiobooks while quilting and am still suffering from insomnia. I do read during the night but tend to pick things that don't require full concentration in case I manage to actually fall asleep. Kate Burkholder is too violent for insomnia reading,gives me weird dreams so haven't started it.

 

Quilting is one of those activities that I have always wanted to try but think that I might be lacking the patience and time at this point in my life.  When we move closer you'll have to take me under your wing and show me how to do it.  I would love to see pictures of your quilt when you get it finished!

 

My grandmother used to listen to The Cat Who books at night to help her sleep.  She has listened to them all about a dozen times so she didn't worry about missing anything if she fell asleep and she could start them at any point and know the story line. 

 

I found a scarf for next winter

https://storiarts.com

Why have I never thought of wearing books before?

 

I know that with gift giving it's the thought that counts so my thought would be to buy everyone of you dear ladies a Secret Garden book scarf. Then I looked at the price tag and my gift giving budget and decided that unless I win the lotto (that would be a real surprise since I don't buy tickets) that we'll just have to leave it at good intentions right now. 

 

Anna Lee Huber has a list of her favorite reads that might interest you, mumto2 ~

 

Book Recommendations

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

My to-read list is growing ...

 

About a week ago we saw the BBC version of Women in White.

I alsways thought it was 'just' a novel. A romance.

I had no idea it was that thrilling...

DD liked it too :)

 

How did I not know this existed?!?!  Did you watch the late '90s version?  It looks like they are doing a new version this year but I don't see that it's out yet.

 

Did I read this week? Not much. It was a busy week of getting kids registered for school (which manages to take hours) and doctor type stuff. And haircuts. And trying to get dd enough driving hours to get her driver's license before school starts.

 

I've started Caleb's Crossing but it's not keeping my attention well enough to really make progress. It's of one of my lesser favorite genres--historical fiction with a female character who is a modern American woman plunked down in a different time period. Meaning her values, choices, etc. just don't match women of that era. So I've been going back to Captain Lacey on my kindle. I finished #5 and started #6 and without seeing a title on a cover over and over, I simply don't remember the names of the books! Also dds and I finished Pride and Prejudice and watched the first half of the BBC Colin Firth version last night.

 

My to-watch list is growing as fast as my to-read list now.   

 

I'm reading Jane Austen's collection of short stories/novellas. They are so funny. She really lets her wit and silliness fly in her short stories. My favorite quote so far, "She has many rare and charming qualities, but sobriety is not one of them." I actually laughed loudly when I read that. I was in a lobby surrounded by people who just looked at me. Couldn't help it.  

 

Which book is this?

[Ethel Mertz]

I read 3 books this last week: 

 

Two Leslie Meier's mysteries and Winifred Peck's House-Bound. I loved the latter! It took me a good long while to get into it as I thought at first it was dull. It definitely picked up and I'm glad I stuck with it.

 

This week's reading: I'm almost done with Michael Dorris's A Yellow Raft in Blue Water. Excellent book. Am also reading A Year By the Sea by Joan Anderson. This week I've got to get the rest of our lesson planning done. We start back with school the day after Labor Day.

[Loesje22000]

 

 

How did I not know this existed?!?! Did you watch the late '90s version? It looks like they are doing a new version this year but I don't see that it's out yet.

 

 

My to-watch list is growing as fast as my to-read list now.

 

 

Which book is this?

This one :

https://www.bol.com/nl/p/woman-in-white/1002004006153242/?suggestionType=typedsearch

[Violet Crown]

Still reading Trollope's The Prime Minister. Hey, it's 700 densely typed pages, don't judge.

 

Let's see, since I posted last, I finished listening to Moby Dick. Can I just say, without getting kicked out of the club, that this was a terrible book? ... However, I suppose I have marked one off my culture-virtue bucket list now, so there's that.

Well I was going to ding you for your unfathomable (ho ho) Melville-hating, but gave you a full score for invoking Cultural Virtue Points. :D (I know everyone here knows that CVP is a facetious expression.)

[Kareni]

  Well I was going to ding you for your unfathomable (ho ho) Melville-hating...

 

Good one!  I love a witty pun.

**

 

I finished a re-read (Kindle) of the contemporary romance Act Like It by Lucy Parker; it had me laughing aloud several times. 

 

"This just in: romance takes center stage as West End theater's Richard Troy steps out with none other than castmate Elaine Graham

 

Richard Troy used to be the hottest actor in London, but the only thing firing up lately is his temper. We all love to love a bad boy, but Richard's antics have made him Enemy Number One, breaking the hearts of fans across the city.

 

Have the tides turned? Has English rose Lainie Graham made him into a new man?

 

Sources say the mismatched pair has been spotted at multiple events, arm in arm and hip to hip. From fits of jealousy to longing looks and heated whispers, onlookers are stunned by this blooming romance.

 

Could the rumors be right? Could this unlikely romance be the real thing? Or are these gifted stage actors playing us all?"

 

I've also enjoyed this author's Artistic License which was written under the name Elle Pierson.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Chrysalis Academy]

Still reading Trollope's The Prime Minister. Hey, it's 700 densely typed pages, don't judge.

 

 

Well I was going to ding you for your unfathomable (ho ho) Melville-hating, but gave you a full score for invoking Cultural Virtue Points. :D (I know everyone here knows that CVP is a facetious expression.)

 

 

:lol:

 

And just for the record, I don't hate Melville, I just hate Moby-Dick.  I like Bartelby and Benito Cereno.  Moby-Dick should have been that length.  ;)  :D  :001_tt2:

Edited August 29, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy

[Violet Crown]

Oh well if you like Bartleby, all is definitely forgiven

 

We used to call Middle Girl "Bartleby" in the preK years. You can doubtless figure out why.

 

:lol:

 

And just for the record, I don't hate Melville, I just hate Moby-Dick. I like Bartelby and Benito Cereno. Moby-Dick should have been that length. ;) :D :001_tt2:

[Kareni]

And just for the record, I don't hate Melville, I just hate Moby-Dick.  I like Bartelby and Benito Cereno.  Moby-Dick should have been that length.  ;)  :D  :001_tt2:

 

So, if asked to read Moby Dick again, I imagine you'd say, "I would prefer not to."

 

 

 We used to call Middle Girl "Bartleby" in the preK years. You can doubtless figure out why.

 

I've a vague idea!

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

Woot! Woot! Finally finished Stiletto https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25695756-stiletto. It was actually pretty good when I sat down and concentrated on it!

[Mom-ninja.]

Amy, I bought this book

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

So, if asked to read Moby Dick again, I imagine you'd say, "I would prefer not to."

 

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Well played.  I probably would be less polite than Bartleby, but well played.

[Stacia]

Typing on a tablet, so please forgive typos....

 

Re: literary scarves. I have the Poe one! Love it. (Lol, mom-ninja about me & the Wuthering Heights one.)

 

May give up on Scarlet Sister Mary. It's ok, but I don't feel compelled to pick it back up once I set it down. Was mentioning the book to my sister re: it being set in the Gullah community & I found out that my sister knows Queen Quet (Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation), so I learned something new (didn't know there was a Chieftess for one thing)!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquetta_Goodwine#/search

 

Mostly doing crossword puzzles these days more than reading....

[Negin]

If you like British charm, farm-life type books, you may like this. It's been on my to-read list for a little while and today the Kindle edition is on sale for $2.99.

 

 

[Jane in NC]

Negin--The Shepard's Life has been on my TBR list for a while too, ever since Jenn raved about it.

 

And to all--gather around as we give Stacia a Group Hug. 

 

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

[JennW in SoCal]

This was one of my top 2 books from last year.  Don't read it if you are looking for "British charm", though. The author is a rough and tumble northerner and making a living off of raising sheep isn't for the faint of heart. Read it instead for his beautiful writing about his family's land, their sheep, and his own very compelling story of discovering a love of learning in spite of a hatred of school and of his going to Cambridge as a very non-traditional student.

 

If you like British charm, farm-life type books, you may like this. It's been on my to-read list for a little while and today the Kindle edition is on sale for $2.99.

 

 

[aggieamy]

Still reading Trollope's The Prime Minister. Hey, it's 700 densely typed pages, don't judge.

 

 

Well I was going to ding you for your unfathomable (ho ho) Melville-hating, but gave you a full score for invoking Cultural Virtue Points. :D (I know everyone here knows that CVP is a facetious expression.)

 

*ba dum ching*

 

What?  I live and die by the Cultural Virtue Points!   

 

Amy, I bought this book

 

Thank you.  It will be teetering on top of indecently tall to-read stack. 

[fastweedpuller]

Robin, have you watched Outlander?  (Maybe I have missed a whole convo thread on this topic, considering I am new-ish...my girlfriend wanted me to read the series but I thought the series did just fine for me thanks.  Haven't watched this season tho.  Waiting for cold weather.) 

 

Negin, A Grief Observed is a book I give to those in grief...it's raw and that he doesn't dodge how it makes him question his faith redeems it for me.  It and The Iceberg are tops in that category for me.  Yeah.  I would like to think that, like war, I am a tourist in death and don't know it personally but that would be untrue :crying:

 

Ali, love that version of P&P!  Gald you're getting your daughters in on the wonder that is Mr Firth.  I have forced dd to watch it since she was a baby.  I think she never "got it" when she was younger because in her experience adults just didn't behave badly/disseminate.  She's older and knows better now.  Sigh.

 

Rose!  sigh.  Okay, it is just fine you didn't like one of my fave books...you like enough of my other ones.  And I totally read it that you weren't Melville-bashing just Moby-Dick-bashing. 

 

Mumto2 and Amy, I quilt!  Very badly.  More in the improv style/modern stuff with bold colors and patterns.  Started doing it a couple of years back with dd.  It's another winter hobby...a usable winter hobby too.  Who mentioned buying a small portable player to listen to audiobooks?  Last week I think?  Hubs purchased a couple different bluetooth speakers so we can throw podcasts or audiobooks out of our phones and into a bigger sound bubble.  Works a charm when gardening or quilting. 

 

Ethel, err...Dorris.  Don't look up his backstory.

 

Thanks for the mention of the shepherd's book, Negin. His was one of the best twitter accounts when I actually did Twitter.  (I own sheep so I have a soft spot for those who're pros.)  It's now on my TBR list

 

SO people I finished Seveneves.  Long!  Interesting!  much better than I thought it would be.  And because it ALL comes back to Jane Austen, it took me but two days and I devoured Eligible.  So silly.  And mumto2, yep, I ditched The Royal We.  I'd only read a third of it but decided life is too short and am a big girl who can handle disappointing my book club mates.

 

[Loesje22000]

If you like British charm, farm-life type books, you may like this. It's been on my to-read list for a little while and today the Kindle edition is on sale for $2.99.

 

  

This was one of my top 2 books from last year.  Don't read it if you are looking for "British charm", though. The author is a rough and tumble northerner and making a living off of raising sheep isn't for the faint of heart. Read it instead for his beautiful writing about his family's land, their sheep, and his own very compelling story of discovering a love of learning in spite of a hatred of school and of his going to Cambridge as a very non-traditional student.

 

Thank you both!

Amazon says to me the kindle is $9.xx

 

But I will look for a cheap edition.

[Onceuponatime]

I finished Dragonwyck. It was very predictable but interesting enough. I left out one gothic element it had from the list on my last post: the ghost of a mistreated ancestor.

 

Back to Our Man in Havana.

[Kareni]

My most recent book (from my local public library, Laura) provided a good physical workout as I picked it up, put it down, picked it up, put it down, ....  It was oddly repellent yet intriguing.  It was a fantasy which felt like a young adult book (I actually checked the spine label at one point) but wasn't.  I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but I'll probably look for the next volume in the series.  Can you say conflicted?

 

The Queen of All that Dies (The Fallen World Book 1)   by Laura Thalassa

 

"In the future, the world is at war.

For the last decade, King Lazuli of the Eastern Empire has systematically taken over the world. No one knows much about him other than a series of impossible facts: he cannot die, he has not aged since the conflict began, and he wants to rule the world.

All Serenity Freeman has known is bloodshed. War has taken away her mother, her home, her safety. As the future emissary of the Western United Nations, the last autonomous region of the globe, she is responsible for forging alliances where she can.

Surrender is on the horizon. The king can taste it; Serenity feels it deep within her bones. There is no other option. Now the two must come face to face. For Serenity, that means confronting the man who’s taken everything from her. For the king, it means meeting the one woman he can’t conquer. But when they meet, something happens. Cruelty finds redemption.

Only in war, everything comes with a price. Especially love."

**

 

I read a short romance novella last night which was a quick pleasant read; it also happens to be currently free to Kindle readers.

 

Second Chance  by Audra North

 

"A tricky ghost treats a lonely librarian to another chance at love…

Wilford town librarian Marnie Thomas has had too much loss to risk her heart ever again. She buries her hurt in books and finds her friends in stories, even though she longs for love and a family of her own.

Real estate developer Collin Morgan is back in town on Halloween to help his sister, but the last person he expected to see at his niece’s story hour is Marnie Thomas. The shy, awkward girl he remembered from high school has turned into a beautiful—but still shy—woman, and Collin can’t help the desire that rises up when he sees her.

But this year, the magic of Halloween conjures a wisecracking, cigar-smoking ghost named Bill in the library archives, frightening Marnie out from behind her books. Bill does everything in his power to bring Marnie and Collin together…but he can’t make them fall in love. Before the clock strikes midnight on Halloween, will Marnie finally open up to a second chance at happiness, or will she be forever haunted by the past?"

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Ali in OR]

You inspired me to pull out my P&P DVDs tonight -- I watch that BBC production almost once a year and it was time. It kept me happily entertained while I finished a quilt binding and folded laundry.  One of my ds's got a huge kick out of the Colin Firth P&P, but it wasn't Elizabeth and Jane's love life that got him caught up in the story -- it was Mrs. Bennett's nerves! 

 

 

Ali, love that version of P&P!  Gald you're getting your daughters in on the wonder that is Mr Firth.  I have forced dd to watch it since she was a baby.  I think she never "got it" when she was younger because in her experience adults just didn't behave badly/disseminate.  She's older and knows better now.  Sigh.

 

We finished it last night and I'm so happy that the girls loved it too! I think I tried to get them to watch it several years ago (and without having read the book) and they did not get into it. But this time around they understood it all and laughed at all of the hilarious characters. We love Mrs. Bennet!

[-M-]

 

Happy Tuesday, BaWers!

 

Despite my best intentions, I have only finished four of the ten books I assembled for this post):

 

â–  You Will Know Me (Megan Abbott; 2016. Fiction.)
â–  My Name Is Lucy Barton (Elizabeth Strout; 2016. Fiction.)
â–  A Study in Scarlet (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; 1887. Fiction.)
â–  Eileen (Ottessa Moshfegh; 2015. Fiction.)

 

This puts me at only six books for August, a number that makes sense when I consider that (1) we spent most of the month preparing for our daughters' departure; (2) we're all adjusting to new routines and communicating (phone, text, email, packages, etc.) takes much longer now that we all spend most days apart; and (3) I've been under the weather for a week... which reminds me: When I was much younger, I had an idea -- crafted from a complete misunderstanding of the subtext of stories about genteel characters recovering in sanatoriums -- that illness translates into more time to read. I clung to this misinformed idea into my early twenties, when a bout with sinusitis and later with the flu (not a really bad head cold but influenza) taught me that I can't read -- At. All. -- when I'm sick. This may be because I am the world's worst patient, but it may also be that everyone finds it difficult to focus when feverish, congested, drowsy, in pain, coughing, or [insert symptom(s) here].

So, six books this month -- although if I'm feeling particularly motivated later this afternoon, I may be able to finish Duhigg's Smarter Faster Better. My current plan for September, though, is simply to return to reading at whim -- hence, the rather anonymous-looking stack pictured above.

 

Regarding the only book I've finished this week: I understand how Eileen made the Man Booker Prize longlist, but it was a claustrophobic read for me -- too small, too sordid. Two passages made it into my commonplace book, though:

 

p. 65
Nobody missed me. I know other young women have suffered far worse than this, and I myself went on to suffer plenty, but this experience in particular was utterly humiliating. A psychoanalyst may term it something like a formative trauma, but I know little about psychology and reject the science entirely. People in that profession, I'd say, should be watched very closely. If we were living several hundred years ago, my guess is that they'd all be burned as witches.

 

p. 256
I don't know where we went wrong with my family. We weren't terrible people, no worse than any of you. I suppose it's the luck of the draw, where we end up, what happens.

Edited August 30, 2016 by M--

[mumto2]

Robin, have you watched Outlander?  (Maybe I have missed a whole convo thread on this topic, considering I am new-ish...my girlfriend wanted me to read the series but I thought the series did just fine for me thanks.  Haven't watched this season tho. 

 

 

 

Mumto2 and Amy, I quilt!  Very badly.  More in the improv style/modern stuff with bold colors and patterns.  Started doing it a couple of years back with dd.  It's another winter hobby...a usable winter hobby too.  Who mentioned buying a small portable player to listen to audiobooks?  Last week I think?  Hubs purchased a couple different bluetooth speakers so we can throw podcasts or audiobooks out of our phones and into a bigger sound bubble.  Works a charm when gardening or quilting. 

 

And mumto2, yep, I ditched The Royal We.  I'd only read a third of it but decided life is too short and am a big girl who can handle disappointing my book club mates.

 

 

:lol: I didn't think you would make it through that book. Dd and I have had tons of fun with quilting and other craft projects through the years. I miss those days. She is so busy with her stuff right now that I end up by myself for craft time. Everyone except me was gone today, all day. I got quite a bit done but it was boring. She does have all her fabric for a Dr. Who quilt which will be fun.

 

 

 

Quilting is one of those activities that I have always wanted to try but think that I might be lacking the patience and time at this point in my life.  When we move closer you'll have to take me under your wing and show me how to do it.  I would love to see pictures of your quilt when you get it finished!

 

My grandmother used to listen to The Cat Who books at night to help her sleep.  She has listened to them all about a dozen times so she didn't worry about missing anything if she fell asleep and she could start them at any point and know the story line. 

 

 

I am looking forward to quilting with you! I am planning to reread the Cat Who books. Many years ago the author lived (or had lived) nearby and everytime I was reading one of her books someone would ask if I knew her. To the best of my knowledge I never even saw her!

 

 

Quick update on my cozy rereads....I am really enjoying the Sarah Booth Delaney series. I don't think I ever read the second one before and loved it.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/905891.Buried_Bones

 

I think this one will always be my favourite Donna Andrews. I have readit several times!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/615408.Revenge_of_the_Wrought_Iron_Flamingos

[Robin M]

Robin, have you watched Outlander?  (Maybe I have missed a whole convo thread on this topic, considering I am new-ish...my girlfriend wanted me to read the series but I thought the series did just fine for me thanks.  Haven't watched this season tho.  Waiting for cold weather.) 

I haven't watched the series as I rarely watch tv anymore.  In the past however, when I have watched shows made from books such as Game of Thrones, it was so violent and icky, I couldn't handle it. Prefer to leave all that stuff up to my imagination rather than seeing it in full color. 

[mumto2]

I left the Outlander part in fastweedpuller's post for a reason but forgot to comment on it. I have been watching the show on Prime also but am far from caught up. I started watching Mr. Robot because M.. posted that it was good and suspect I will be watching that now instead. Ds wants to watch it with me. :) I tried the books when I was on bed rest years ago. I didn't care for them but suspect the chunkiness factor didn't help.

 

I watched a tv show this afternoon based on a detective series that was new to me called The Last Detective starring Peter Davidson (my favourite Dr.Who). Dangerous Davies, the Last Detective is the name of the first book in the series https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/937254.Dangerous_Davies_the_Last_Detective?ac=1&from_search=true. The episode I watched was enjoyable and the books have good reviews. I am planning to read them if I can find them, the results of my brief search weren't promising. Has anyone read this series?

[Stacia]

Kareni will be happy to know that I have now started the "weird" book she recommended for me: The Hike by Drew Magary. Definitely weird (& creepy) so far.

 

 

From the author of The Postmortal, a fantasy saga unlike any you’ve read before, weaving elements of folk tale and video game into a riveting, unforgettable adventure of what a man will endure to return to his family

 
When Ben, a suburban family man, takes a business trip to rural Pennsylvania, he decides to spend the afternoon before his dinner meeting on a short hike. Once he sets out into the woods behind his hotel, he quickly comes to realize that the path he has chosen cannot be given up easily. With no choice but to move forward, Ben finds himself falling deeper and deeper into a world of man-eating giants, bizarre demons, and colossal insects. 
 
On a quest of epic, life-or-death proportions, Ben finds help comes in some of the most unexpected forms, including a profane crustacean and a variety of magical objects, tools, and potions. Desperate to return to his family, Ben is determined to track down the “Producer,†the creator of the world in which he is being held hostage and the only one who can free him from the path.
 
At once bitingly funny and emotionally absorbing, Magary’s novel is a remarkably unique addition to the contemporary fantasy genre, one that draws as easily from the world of classic folk tales as it does from video games. In The Hike, Magary takes readers on a daring odyssey away from our day-to-day grind and transports them into an enthralling world propelled by heart, imagination, and survival.

 

[aggieamy]

Finished:

 

The Parfit Knight by Stella Riley - Fluffy and sweet.  Not as funny or as many wonderful twists as a Georgette Heyer novel but still a great read.  My favorite couple was the secondary one.  I just adore well written interesting secondary characters and this book was full of them.

 

 

[aggieamy]

 

I am looking forward to quilting with you! I am planning to reread the Cat Who books. Many years ago the author lived (or had lived) nearby and everytime I was reading one of her books someone would ask if I knew her. To the best of my knowledge I never even saw her!

 

 

 

I'm listening to one right now as an audiobook for the first time in at least five years and it's just like catching up with old friends because I know the characters so well.  Did you ever finish the series?  I think LJB died during the writing of the last one and it was finished by someone else.  The reviews scared me off of reading it. 

[Kareni]

Kareni will be happy to know that I have now started the "weird" book she recommended for me: The Hike by Drew Magary. Definitely weird (& creepy) so far.

 

I hope it will prove to be the kind of weird that appeals to you.

 

I read a beautiful book last night. The Unseen World by Liz Moore.  I so enjoyed the structure, and the questions and thoughts it provoked in me by the end.

 

Thanks for linking to the review, Sadie; it sounds like a fascinating book.  And I can't help but wonder if Ada isn't named after Ada Lovelace.

 

Regards,

Kareni