Book a Week 2016 - BW39: Book News

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday dear hearts!  This is the beginning of week 39 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 - Book News:  My mind is full of chatter, complexity, corniness, characters and coltish conundrums, and since I haven't entertained you with bookish news in a while, now seems the perfect time.
 
For the couple months now  I've been immersed in the 18th century with Claire and Jamie in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, starting with the 4^th book  Drums of Autumn.  Just finished the whole series ending with Written in My Own Heart's Blood.  I read the first two books a couple years ago, then Voyager last year.  Not sure what put the bee in my bonnet, so to speak, but once started Drums, couldn’t stop.   Gabaldon says there is more to come and she is in the midst of  researching and writing the 9th book Go Tell the Bees That I am Gone.  Fortunately Heart's Blood didn't end in a cliff hanger so I'm not left with an unfinished feeling. Not quite ready to let go and  since it has been a couple years since  I read #1 Outlander and forgotten a few details…  :laugh:  

 

Outlander is one of those series, just like J.D. Robb's In Death Series which I will no doubt, want to revisit again and again.  Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time  has been waiting in wings to be completed as well so contemplating diving in and finishing the series, rather than a slow two book per year slugfest.
 
This week the book world is celebrating Banned Book Week which runs from September 25 through October 1st and the theme is diversity.  Check out the list of frequently challenged diverse books and be sure to check out ALA's free webinar on September 29 on how Authors and Librarian's respond.
 
And while you are delving into banned books, check out the Library of Congress list of Books that Shaped America.

 

The 2016 Nobel Prize winners in all categories including literature will be announced the first week of October  and Literary Saloon (19 September post) contemplate who the winner will be along with links to several discussions.
 
Also check out PW's Inside the 2016 National Book Award Nominees. The finalists will be announced in October and the winner in November.
 
Have you ever read The Lottery by Shirley Jackson?  Publisher's Weekly lists 11 Things You probably didn't know about Shirley as well as Atlantic Monthly's review of  Haunted Womanhood.
 
And speaking of haunted, next week begins our October Spooktacular reading month.  Start brainstorming and figure out which spooky read you want to tackle.
 
 
Happy Reading!

 

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History of the Renaissance World - Chapters 67 - 68

 

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Link to week 38 

Edited October 2, 2016 by Robin M

[Robin M]

Yes, seriously, I started reading Outlander again last night.  During my marathon read of the series, she kept referring back to the beginning and since it had been so long...  I will refrain from reading the whole dang series over again so soon.  Maybe...  :leaving:

Edited September 25, 2016 by Robin M

[Negin]

Robin, thank you, as always, for working so hard on my favorite thread of the week.  :grouphug:

 

I read:

 

102 Minutes - 3 Stars - This was the first book that I read on 9/11. Although it was definitely a compelling read, I soon got bogged down with too many details, especially about the structure of the towers and the building codes. The authors included lots of information all that. They were extremely thorough, but it soon became rather repetitive.

I loved reading about all the individuals. The self-sacrifice and courage of so many were incredible, but I found it difficult to keep track of all the names. I think that I would have appreciated this more if it was written in a more linear way. All the going back and forth with the different people, never mind the building safety code repetition, made it difficult to read.

Overall, it was very good, but also quite depressing, which I expected it to be. I’m happy that I read it and I learned a lot. Above all, reading it has encouraged me to appreciate and thank God for every day that we have and for all the wonderful blessings that we may sometimes take for granted.

 

and

 

Against All Hope - 4 Stars - I loathe communism and I have no respect for those who do. I also have no respect for those who like and romanticize Castro. This was an extremely difficult read. The author refused to support Castro and because of that, he was a prisoner under dreadfully harsh and gruesome conditions. Reading about what those prisoners went through was heartbreaking to say the least. Their strong, unshakeable religious faith was incredible.

 

“I was utterly exhausted. The lack of sleep and the tension were seriously affecting me. I sought God then. My conversations with Him brought me a spiritual strength that gave me new energy. I never asked Him to get me out of there; I didn’t think that God should be used for that kind of request. I only asked that He allow me to resist, that He give me the faith and spiritual strength to bear up under these conditions without sickening with hatred. I only prayed for Him to accompany me. And His presence, which I felt, made my faith an indestructible shield.â€

 

As a result of his wife’s efforts and human rights organizations, he was finally released after 20 years.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“Man is Nature’s most wonderful creature.

Torturing him, crushing him, murdering him for his beliefs and ideas is more than a violation of human rights — it is a crime against all humanity.â€

 

“My response to those who still try to justify Castro’s tyranny with the excuse that he has built schools and hospitals is this: Stalin, Hitler and Pinochet also built schools and hospitals, and like Castro, they also tortured and assassinated opponents. They built concentration and extermination camps and eradicated all liberties, committing the worst crimes against humanity.â€

 

“Unbelievably, while many non-governmental organizations like Amnesty International and America’s Watch have denounced the human rights situation in Cuba, there has been a continuing love affair on the part of the media and many intellectuals with Fidel Castro.â€

 

“Those who hated the crimes of Pinochet closed their eyes when the same crimes were committed by Castro. The posture of many countries was governed by their hostility against the United States, and they excused Castro out of a reflexive anti-Americanism. (The enemy of my enemy is my friend.) These political games still take place today.â€

 

“I have become convinced that hatred towards the U.S. has been a chief reason for Castro’s longevity in power.â€

 

“Every effort to get the Commission on Human Rights of the United Nations even to consider our denunciations was fruitless. We sent that organization detailed information about the tortures, the murders, the plans to blow us up with the explosives installed in the Circulars, but it did nothing. The prestigious Commission on Human Rights had deaf ears and blind eyes for what was happening in the Cuban political prisons.â€

 

“Exactly the same thing happened with the International Red Cross. Talking to it about violations of human rights in Cuba was like talking to a post; it refused to listen. Cuban political prisoners simply did not exist. Why get upset about them, then? Years later, the Red Cross came to believe what it had been told. The United Nations as a whole and its individual nations know about the horrors of the Cuban jails, but they don’t dare condemn Cuba in their annual assemblies.†

 

  

 

 

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.

[Jane in NC]

Someone's homeschool needs Anita Lobel's memoir No Pretty Pictures:  a child of war.  Just let me know who you are and I will mail it to you.

 

As I have noted before, I am fan of Susan Howatch, preferring her later books to her earlier Gothic romance books.  The latter though are often compared to books by Victoria Holt. Months ago I grabbed a Holt novel from the Wee Free box and placed it in my dusty stacks.  Over the weekend I cracked open The Legend of the Seventh Virgin and felt as if I had started a Mary Stewart novel. I'm rather fond of Stewart's smart and independent heroines.  I know there are a number of Victoria Holt fans here and I think I can see why.

 

We went to the big semi-annual library book sale yesterday.  I am on a perpetual mission to find old Dolciani math texts and this formerly had been the place.  No luck in recent years though.  I did come home with a small stack of novels.  My husband found a couple of hardcover Terry Pratchett's for The Boy as well as a Medieval cookbook.  His roommate is a grad student in Classics so we think the boys will have fun with that.

 

The archaeologist has moved his home base closer to the Rocky Mountains--although he just flew back to continue working on a project in the Midwest.  Most of my contact with The Boy is now via Skype.  Sigh. I should note that he has moved to a very bike friendly city. That was one of his goals, i.e. to be in an outdoorsy, bike friendly atmosphere.  He found it in Colorado.

[Ethel Mertz]

Thanks Robin for all the links! I can feel my TBR list growing! I read 2 more of Leslie Meier's mysteries and only have one more to go. Hopefully, she's working on her next book. I also read the second Miss Dreamsville book and it was great fun - almost as much fun as Ann Robb's Miss Julia series. Rosamunde Pilcher's September was a lovely read.

 

I've bogged down with Willa Cather's The Song of the Lark. I'll keep working away at it. I'm focusing on escapist reading these days; we'll see how long this mood lasts!

[Lady Florida.]

I finished Between the World and Me today. 

 

I'll be sticking with my current reads and trying not to add anything this week =

 

The Lake House - audio book

The Art of Racing in the Rain - book club

The Sunne in Splendour

Alexander Hamilton - going slowly through this one

 

I downloaded the free historical mystery Kareni linked near the end of last week's thread but don't plan to start it until I finish one of my current books. I also haven't started the second Last Policeman book - Countdown City - that I have checked out from the library. I should probably read that one first. :)

 

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts from BookRiot ~

 

This first post is an interesting thought experiment.  I don't agree with all that the author's piece says, but it's worth reading.

 

  What 12 Books Would You Give Your 12-Year-Old Self?  by James Wallace Harris

 

"Have you had moments of regret, and thought: â€œIf I only knew then, what I know now?†Did you realize your childhood dreams? Do you ever wish for a life do-over? Here’s a playful thought experiment. If you had a time machine, and could go back to visit your twelve-year-old self for one hour, what advice would you give? Let’s imagine you could also carry a small suitcase with twelve books. Books your younger self could study in the years before college. What books would you bring? Would they be fiction or nonfiction?

 

We all wish we had done more with our life, made fewer mistakes, been better human beings. I never trust people who claim, “If I had my life to live over, I wouldn’t change one damn thing.†Unless reincarnation allows for reincarnating in our original bodies, we don’t get do-overs. Playing this game can be psychologically revealing. Readers often swear a great book has changed their life. Are there twelve books that could have actually changed your life if you had read them soon enough?..."

 

**

30 Weird Books I Have Read   by Elizabeth Hopkinson

 

The above post was in response to a prior BookRiot post on 100 strange and unusual novels -- http://bookriot.com/2016/04/11/i-got-your-weird-right-here-100-wonderful-strange-and-unusual-novels/

 

Stacia, this may give you some more weird books to investigate.  I particularly enjoyed the postscript. 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

Basically marking the thread. I finished the first book in a new to me Lorraine Heath series https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18053044-when-the-duke-was-wicked. I do like this author for entertaining historicals.

 

The other book I finished was the first book in a quilting romance series titled To Scotland with Love. It was well done including the quilt part. :lol: A woman reporter returns to her childhood home after a nasty divorce and discovers that her small hometown is also the home of a famous reclusive heart throb known for playing Mr. Darcy. She has a story that could revive her career but..... More books in the series which at this point I plan to read. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18812348-to-scotland-with-love

[Butter]

#92: Hot Tamale by Paisley Ray.  That's the 8th Rachael O'Brien Chronicles book.  It was very good.  The story was great.  It just seriously needed another edit to get rid of name errors and words that weren't edited out properly.  Some of the sentences required a second read to figure out which word was the wrong one.  That got a bit annoying.

[JennW in SoCal]

Back in January I had at least 3 books pressed into my hands by a local author who was helping out at my local independent bookstore. I finally got to the third of those books, and am happy to report that all three were terrific.  The most recent was Dead Soon Enough, by Steph Cha, the 3rd book in the Juniper Song mystery series. It is a smart and modern noir, set in LA with a young, Korean-American female PI. It ranged from the Armenian Genocide to modern dating in LA to Korean comfort women to surrogate pregnancies, all of which was woven throughout a tight mystery.  I loved it -- Jane or Kathy (Lady Florida) or Negin -- I think you'd love it.  Can I send it off to someone?  (The other 2 books were Rock, Paper, Tiger, by Lisa Brackmann and The Secret Place by Tana French.)

 

I also finished Kim this week, and was happy to read Nan's endorsements, late in last week's thread, of Rudyard Kipling. Kim definitely starts slow, but I got completely hooked. 

 

This week I'm starting The Plover! After Stacia's and Rose's rave reviews I placed it on hold, and it came in just as I finished those other 2 books.

 

 

 

 

[Violet Crown]

Finished The Caine Mutiny just this morning. A very well-done specimen of the classic story of the boy turning into a man through the experience of war.

 

Still reading--slowly--Newman's Parochial and Plain Sermons (too slowly to finish by the end of the year, but it gives me a goal for next year...) and my little collection of Matthew Arnold's poetry. Meanwhile ... I've never participated in the Banned Books week, but it's high time I got around to The Worm in the Bud: The World of Victorian Sexuality. Which, if it hasn't been itself banned, at least has extensive (if scholarly) discussion of Victorian pornography.

[SKL]

I'm about 2/3 through The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.  Not the best read ever, but interesting in a unique sort of way.  So many ways to look at an apparently simple thing.

 

Audiobooks with the kids:  we finished Rush Revere and the First Patriots.  Now we are listening to Pax, the next selection for their middle school book club.  Pax is interesting so far, but a little hard to follow for the kids, at first anyway.  I still don't know where it is set.  Sounds like the USA in the 20th century, but it talks about a war to the west in the same country, so ... I guess I will look it up!

 

There are no more Rush Revere books yet, but a new one will be out in November, which I intend to acquire as soon as I can.  :)

 

Still not half done with Little Women (read-aloud).

 

ETA well, amazon.com says Pax is set in an unspecified time and place, so the details of war are unimportant.

 

Well that is awkward....

Edited September 26, 2016 by SKL

[-M-]

Hello, BaWers!

 

Like any over-fifty, my husband and I make a number of annual health appointments, and this year, we decided to schedule all of these in September and October. Waiting rooms have this to recommend them: They give one time to finish a couple of books. *chuckle* Here are the last few books I've read:

 

â–  Eileen (Ottessa Moshfegh; 2015. Fiction.)

â–  The Code of the Woosters (P.J. Wodehouse; 1938. Fiction.)
â–  Slaughterhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut; 1970. Fiction.)
â–  The Walking Dead, Volume 26: Call to Arms (Robert Kirkman; 2016. Graphic fiction.)
â–  Revival, Volume 7: Forward (Tim Seeley; 2016. Graphic fiction.)
â–  Jack of Spades (Joyce Carol Oates; 2015. Fiction.)
â–  Smarter Faster Better (Charles Duhigg; 2016. Non-fiction.)
â–  A Fair Maiden (Joyce Carol Oates; 2010. Fiction.)

 

From Slaughterhouse-Five:
 

p. 4
And even if wars didn’t keep coming like glaciers, there would still be plain old death.

 

p. 101
So they were trying to re-invent themselves and their universe. Science fiction was a big help.
 

 

From The Code of the Woosters:
 

p. 221

“You can’t be a successful Dictator and design women’s under-clothing.â€
“No, sir.â€
“One or the other. Not both.â€
“Precisely, sir.â€
 

Because I generally only include cover-to-covers, ninety-four titles appear on my list to date. In these years of reading slowly, my goal is usually a minimum of two books per week; I am positioned to exceed that.

 

What am I reading right now?

 

~ The poetry volume, Stressed, Unstressed for the University of Warwick’s rerun of “Literature and Mental Health,†a MOOC that has been every bit as compelling as I had hoped.

 

~ My husband and I will see Julius Caesar at the Writers Theatre later this week — our first just-us theater adventure in thirty years — so I am currently rereading that, one of my favorite works of Shakespeare. (“Would he were fatter!â€)

 

~ I am still savoring Kij Johnson’s The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe, which features an over-fifty woman with a “never-absent pain in her back.†I think I may love the fictional Vellitt Boe as much as love the non-fictional and now ninety-eight-year-old Diana Athill, whose latest memoir arrived at the forever home late last week.

 

~ And The Last Policeman grabbed my attention on Friday night.

Edited September 26, 2016 by M--

[Stacia]

I'm still working on Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan. I've passed the 300-page mark, so I guess that's the equivalent of reading about a regular book, right? (This book is over 500 pages.)

 

I love this book. Seriously love it. I don't read tons of fantasy (though I do love Terry Pratchett) & yet this is the second fantasy book this year that is blowing me away. (The first was Uprooted by Naomi Novik.)

 

There are at least four separate storylines going on (though they're all thoroughly intertwined) & I love the characters. This is McClellan's first book & I'm just so impressed; rarely is a newly-published writer so strong. Definitely recommended (& I'm not even done with the book yet).

 

 

"Promise of Blood is a hugely promising debut. Guns, swords, and magic together? What more could you want? How about tense action, memorable characters, rising stakes, and cool, cool magic? Not only the finest flintlock fantasy I've read, but also the most fun. Brian McClellan is the real thing."―New York Times bestseller Brent Weeks

"This book is just plain awesome. I found myself enjoying every moment of it. Innovative magic, quick-paced plot, interesting world. I had a blast."―New York Times bestselling author, Brandon Sanderson

"Brian McClellan is an explosive powder keg of imagination with an expertly-plotted fuse. The stories he tells are the stories we'll be reading for years to come."―Sam Sykes on Promise of Blood

"The world of the privileged sorcerers and the strange abilities of the powder mages who can manipulate gunpowder are just as well drawn in this captivating universe."―RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars)

"McClellan's debut packs some serious heat...A thoroughly satisfying yarn that should keep readers waiting impatiently for further installments."―Kirkus (Starred Review)

"McClellan's debut is a lot of fun --- a historically influenced fantastical romp filled with machismo, intrigue and magic."―SciFi Now (UK)

"McClellan neatly mixes intrigue and action...in a society where new forces like labor unions, gunpowder-armed soldiers, and explosion-causing 'powder mages' clash with traditional magics, more, and beliefs."―Publishers Weekly

"Gunpowder and magic. An explosive combination. Promise of Blood is the best debut I've read in ages."―Peter V. Brett

"I love the world Brian McClellan builds, Powder Mages with flintlock pistols against white-gloved Privileged for the fate of a nation and more. Promise of Blood feels like the start of something amazing."―Django Wexler

"Brings a welcome breath of gunpowder-tinged air to epic fantasy."―Anthony Ryan

 

[Nan in Mass]

Jenn - Rave review of The Plover from me, too. I,m not sure what it feels like if you don,t trust to jacklines to keep your family safe, struggle with engine troubles, and live in fear of pirates and storms, but for me, at least, this book was very real. I loved it.

 

Nan

[Jane in NC]

Another fan of The Plover--no surprise since I've got a thing for the birds!

[aggieamy]

Hello!  Popping in to say 'howdy' and check on our injured ladies.  Is everyone healing from dog related trauma?

 

I've been reading ... mostly audiobooks because I have a work project in Dodge City, Kansas that I've been driving too.  I don't live anywhere near Dodge City.  About six hours away to be exact.  I guess that the truth is out - my life isn't as glamorous as I've led you guys to believe.  :coolgleamA:  Ah well.  Engineering pays the bills so I guess I'll keep doing it. 

Edited September 26, 2016 by aggieamy

[Chrysalis Academy]

Someone's homeschool needs Anita Lobel's memoir No Pretty Pictures:  a child of war.  Just let me know who you are and I will mail it to you.

 

As I have noted before, I am fan of Susan Howatch, preferring her later books to her earlier Gothic romance books.  The latter though are often compared to books by Victoria Holt. Months ago I grabbed a Holt novel from the Wee Free box and placed it in my dusty stacks.  Over the weekend I cracked open The Legend of the Seventh Virgin and felt as if I had started a Mary Stewart novel. I'm rather fond of Stewart's smart and independent heroines.  I know there are a number of Victoria Holt fans here and I think I can see why.

 

We went to the big semi-annual library book sale yesterday.  I am on a perpetual mission to find old Dolciani math texts and this formerly had been the place.  No luck in recent years though.  I did come home with a small stack of novels.  My husband found a couple of hardcover Terry Pratchett's for The Boy as well as a Medieval cookbook.  His roommate is a grad student in Classics so we think the boys will have fun with that.

 

The archaeologist has moved his home base closer to the Rocky Mountains--although he just flew back to continue working on a project in the Midwest.  Most of my contact with The Boy is now via Skype.  Sigh. I should note that he has moved to a very bike friendly city. That was one of his goals, i.e. to be in an outdoorsy, bike friendly atmosphere.  He found it in Colorado.

 

I will definitely have to check out Susan Howatch - I grew up on a steady diet of Victoria Holt/Jean Plaidy and Phyllis Whitney and Mary Stewart along with Georgette Heyer.  Any best first book you'd suggest starting with?

 

 

 

Some bookish posts from BookRiot ~

 

This first post is an interesting thought experiment.  I don't agree with all that the author's piece says, but it's worth reading.

 

  What 12 Books Would You Give Your 12-Year-Old Self?  by James Wallace Harris

 

"Have you had moments of regret, and thought: â€œIf I only knew then, what I know now?†Did you realize your childhood dreams? Do you ever wish for a life do-over? Here’s a playful thought experiment. If you had a time machine, and could go back to visit your twelve-year-old self for one hour, what advice would you give? Let’s imagine you could also carry a small suitcase with twelve books. Books your younger self could study in the years before college. What books would you bring? Would they be fiction or nonfiction?

 

We all wish we had done more with our life, made fewer mistakes, been better human beings. I never trust people who claim, “If I had my life to live over, I wouldn’t change one damn thing.†Unless reincarnation allows for reincarnating in our original bodies, we don’t get do-overs. Playing this game can be psychologically revealing. Readers often swear a great book has changed their life. Are there twelve books that could have actually changed your life if you had read them soon enough?..."

 

**

 

 

 

 

Actually, I feel kind of sorry for this poster's 12 year old self.  The books he lists are all things I've enjoyed as an adult, but as a 12 year old? Heck no.  That's the age of the mystery, the Gothic romance, the adventure story . . . Pinker? Kristof? Gladwell?  You have plenty of time to be a grownup when you are a grownup!!!  (Although, full disclosure, my dd did read Barbara Oakley when she was 12).  And only one novel a month?? One book a week??  Them's fighting words!   :boxing_smiley:  (I think this is the first time I've had the opportunity to make use of this particular emoji)  :P

[Angelaboord]

I finished and loved To Kill a Mockingbird, and passed it on to my dd. I'm not sure what I would have gotten from the book had I read it as a teenager, but reading it for the first time now as the parent of many children, I loved Atticus as much for his skill at being a father as for anything else. And beneath the main issues of race and justice, I also thought that Harper Lee's critique of progressive education was interesting. Hopefully my dd will finish the book this week and we can talk about it, then watch the movie.

 

I'm still reading Circling the Sun, the fictionalized biography of Beryl Markham by Patricia McLain. I wish I had read West with the Night first, because I have to stop now and then to look up an event so I know whether it really happened or not. I like the Beryl of the book and McLain is a good writer, but I still don't know about her use of first person. It's not that her characterization is inconsistent or wooden or fake sounding in any way, but there's always this little voice in the back of my head wondering if this is really what Beryl Markham would sound like or think like.

 

It was a bit of a stressful week around here; all the kids were sick, including the baby who had enough trouble with her breathing that the possibility of bringing her in to the hospital was discussed. Thankfully, many breathing treatments and an antibiotic later, she is much better. But I am hoping that this week is a little easier.

 

--Angela

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Stacia]

Angela, :grouphug: :grouphug:. Sorry to hear of a sickness-filled week. Glad Abby didn't need to go to the hospital!

[NoseInABook]

I read The Plover, Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill, guilty pleasure Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich, Joe Hart's Midnight Paths, and John Green's Paper Towns since last check in here. I really enjoyed The Plover and was trying to get my husband to read it... we shall see if he does it or not! I think it would be right up his alley though.

 

[Angelaboord]

I'm still working on Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan. I've passed the 300-page mark, so I guess that's the equivalent of reading about a regular book, right? (This book is over 500 pages.)]

I thought this book sounded familiar and now that I see the cover I realize that I put it on my Goodreads TBR shelf some time ago mostly because of its cover.[emoji5]

[Stacia]

So far behind, but replying to a couple of posts from last week....

 

 

From Rose:

 I always want to thank whoever got me there, but so rarely remember exactly who.  Unless it was Stacia, the books she suggests are enough different from what I'd pick on my own, I usually remember that she was the suggester!  ;)  :D  :thumbup:

 

:lol: (I kind of like having such an exotic reputation!)

 

 

From Lori D.:

 

I just finished Longitude: The True Story of the Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time (Dava Sobel) -- I think it might qualify as a sort of "September Equinox" book, since time, or rather, the accurate measure of time, played a huge role in the book. Very interesting and entertaining, and definitely better-written than most of the non-fiction along these lines that I've been trying to get through in the past few years. ;) Years back, I saw the PBS Nova episode: "Lost at Sea: The Search for Longitude" which was based on Sobel's book. BTW -- that's a great NOVA episode, if you ever have the chance to catch it. ;)

 

Good to see you here, Lori! Hope you stay & post often. I always enjoy your book-ish posts! I have Longitude on my shelf; I've read other Sobel books, but not this one (yet).

 

 

From Ethel Mertz:

Stressful week here from several standpoints all at once. I hate being an adult sometimes. In the spirit of denial, I'm burying myself in Rosamunde Pilcher's book September.

 

:grouphug: :grouphug: . Wishing you a better week this week.

 

 

From Jane in NC:

Books in translation are sometimes a bit challenging to find...

 

You are right on that count! I like to think we are doing our bit to help out on that front here in our little BaW-corner-of-the-world.

[Stacia]

This week the book world is celebrating Banned Book Week which runs from September 25 through October 1st and the theme is diversity.  Check out the list of frequently challenged diverse books and be sure to check out ALA's free webinar on September 29 on how Authors and Librarian's respond.

 

Yay!

 

Robin, thank you, as always, for working so hard on my favorite thread of the week.  :grouphug:

 

Hear! Hear! Yes, thank you, Robin!

 

 30 Weird Books I Have Read   by Elizabeth Hopkinson

 

The above post was in response to a prior BookRiot post on 100 strange and unusual novels -- http://bookriot.com/2016/04/11/i-got-your-weird-right-here-100-wonderful-strange-and-unusual-novels/

 

Stacia, this may give you some more weird books to investigate.  I particularly enjoyed the postscript.

 

Thanks, Kareni. Some of those are books I've never even heard of & others I've either tried (& didn't like) or have read & enjoyed. I did notice that Perfume is on the list -- one of my favorite books to hate (along with Wuthering Heights, of course)! Lol. Worst ending of a book ever, imo. :ack2:

 

This week I'm starting The Plover! After Stacia's and Rose's rave reviews I placed it on hold, and it came in just as I finished those other 2 books.

 

Cool. It's so neat to see how many of you have read & loved The Plover. I wonder if we have a little Brian Doyle groupie club starting here? I'm humbled & shamelessly proud that my recommendation has gone over so well for so many of you. :)

 

 I've never participated in the Banned Books week, but it's high time I got around to The Worm in the Bud: The World of Victorian Sexuality. Which, if it hasn't been itself banned, at least has extensive (if scholarly) discussion of Victorian pornography.

 

Glad you're going to do Banned Books reading. As always, VC, you stand shoulders above me in depth of reading (esp. since I'm considering kids picture books including Walter the Farting Dog for this year). :tongue_smilie:

 

 From Slaughterhouse-Five:

 

p. 4

And even if wars didn’t keep coming like glaciers, there would still be plain old death.

 

 

p. 101

So they were trying to re-invent themselves and their universe. Science fiction was a big help.

 

<snip>

 

~ I am still savoring Kij Johnson’s The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe, which features an over-fifty woman with a “never-absent pain in her back.†I think I may love the fictional Vellitt Boe as much as love the non-fictional and now ninety-eight-year-old Diana Athill, whose latest memoir arrived at the forever home late last week.

 

:001_wub:  on the Slaughterhouse-Five quotes. Still one of my top five books ever. I may have to pull my copy off the shelves & re-read it yet again in honor of Banned Books Week.

 

I sort-of fell off the track on Vellitt Boe. (It was around the time of my dog adventures so my concentration was interrupted.) At this point, I would need to re-start from the beginning. I want to tackle it again, alongside the H.P. Lovecraft work that inspired it. Maybe in October....

 

Hello!  Popping in to say 'howdy' and check on our injured ladies.  Is everyone healing from dog related trauma?

 

I've been reading ... mostly audiobooks because I have a work project in Dodge City, Kansas that I've been driving too.  I don't live anywhere near Dodge City.  About six hours away to be exact.  I guess that the truth is out - my life isn't as glamorous as I've led you guys to believe.  :coolgleamA:  Ah well.  Engineering pays the bills so I guess I'll keep doing it. 

 

Mostly recovered from the dog stuff, but I still can't bend down on my injured knee. I think it's still pretty deeply bruised & may be a few more weeks. Robin, how are you doing???

 

You probably look cool on all your driving treks, Amy! :auto:

 

I'm still reading Circling the Sun, the fictionalized biography of Beryl Markham by Patricia McLain. I wish I had read West with the Night first, because I have to stop now and then to look up an event so I know whether it really happened or not. I like the Beryl of the book and McLain is a good writer, but I still don't know about her use of first person. It's not that her characterization is inconsistent or wooden or fake sounding in any way, but there's always this little voice in the back of my head wondering if this is really what Beryl Markham would sound like or think like.

 

I loved West with the Night & have wondered about reading Circling the Sun. Still not sure....

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished reading The Mandibles.  I really liked it, not surprisingly, it's my kind of book - an exploration of the psychological and interpersonal effects of an external trauma. I thought the characters were really well done, and the social commentary was scathing and right-on. The economics lectures got to be a bit of a slog at times, but they were quite integral to the plot.  It was ironic - intentionally, I'm sure - that the "post-recovery" US of the late 2042 was much more terrifying than the post-crash times.  And, as incredulous as I am about this, she actually pulled off a very satisfying ending.  

[mumto2]

So in the middle of the night my sleep deprived brain fixated on what to read for spooky October. Some years I just read a couple paranormal series books and call it done but one year I joined Stacia in a great read. We did The Historian https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10692.The_Historian?ac=1&from_search=true and Stoker's Dracula in the fiction category. We also read a historical account of Vlad, I read https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/73989.Dracula_Prince_of_Many_Faces but I think Stacia had an updated version. It was great......btw I love The Historian. I have read it three times in total but sections a couple other times. My dd hasn't read it so it will probably go on the kindle for some planned travels.

 

Since many here have enjoyed The Historian already I thought I would share some of my more productive links from my search for a book like The Historian.

 

I found a book called The Passage on this list. One interesting thing google told me about the Passage is people love the audiobook. Anyway I downloaded it from overdrive in book form because it is 800 pages long so would take weeks to listen to for me.

 

Number 10 on this list is called Interred with Bones.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4332646-interred-with-their-bones It's something that I would normally enjoy so I checked that one out too.

https://isleofbooks.com/2012/07/17/ttt-books-for-people-who-liked-the-historian/

 

This list also has some good ideas. I ended up with Sarah Water's The Little Stranger on audio. I haven't liked her other books so hoping I will like it on audio.

http://itcher.com/mag/books-like-the-historian/

[Jane in NC]

First let me send some hugs to Angela and baby Abby.

 

Now to the business of books:

I will definitely have to check out Susan Howatch - I grew up on a steady diet of Victoria Holt/Jean Plaidy and Phyllis Whitney and Mary Stewart along with Georgette Heyer. Any best first book you'd suggest starting with?

 

Normally I would say the Starbridge series, six novels which begin with Glittering Images, but for you, Rose, I might take a different path. Given your love of Shakespearean retellings, you might consider The Rich are Different and its sequel, The Sins of the Fathers. These two books offer a retelling of Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra through the lens of the American financial industry.

 

She also wrote a saga of the Plantagenets set in modern times called The Wheel of Fortune, a book I have yet to read. Howatch novels are chunksters so after immersing myself in them for a while, I came up for air. I really need to read/reread more Howatch.

Edited September 30, 2016 by Jane in NC

[Kareni]

 

 

It was a bit of a stressful week around here; all the kids were sick, including the baby who had enough trouble with her breathing that the possibility of bringing her in to the hospital was discussed. Thankfully, many breathing treatments and an antibiotic later, she is much better. But I am hoping that this week is a little easier.

 

Sending positive thoughts your way for a healthier household and easier times ahead. 

 

 

Regarding   What 12 Books Would You Give Your 12-Year-Old Self?  by James Wallace Harris:

 

Actually, I feel kind of sorry for this poster's 12 year old self.  The books he lists are all things I've enjoyed as an adult, but as a 12 year old? Heck no.  That's the age of the mystery, the Gothic romance, the adventure story . . . Pinker? Kristof? Gladwell?  You have plenty of time to be a grownup when you are a grownup!!!  (Although, full disclosure, my dd did read Barbara Oakley when she was 12).  And only one novel a month?? One book a week??  Them's fighting words!   :boxing_smiley:  (I think this is the first time I've had the opportunity to make use of this particular emoji)  :p

 

Yes, his statement of "Read no more than one book a week, only one novel a month, and never for escape" was one of my objections, too.

 

In my early teens (perhaps even ...cough, cough... today), I was often reluctant to take reading suggestions.  I recall that my father recommended The Scarlet Pimpernel for months, maybe years, before I gave in, read it, and enjoyed it.  Were an older me to have shown up with reading suggestions, I may well have refused those, too!

 

Regards,

Kareni 

[mumto2]

I forgot to send :grouphug: to all our members who aren't feeling well or are under a lot of stress. I hope we all have a great week.

 

Rose, I read several books by Howatch a couple of years ago. Mainly the first part of the Starbridge series and some of her gothics. I couldn't source the others at that time so at some point will go back. I loved the Starbridge but suspect Jane's advice is right for you. I also grew up on the Whitney, Stewart, Holt combo and will be honest and say some really show their age. I reread those a couple of years ago too. The Howatch gothics show their age to be honest. For a first time read thats a bit disappointing. I believe dd liked them so might be worthwhile from your perspective. ;)

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished a re-read of The Maltese Falcon last night.  What a brilliant book. And it's fun reading it juxtaposed to The Great Gatsby.  Sam Spade is the anti-Gatsby on so many levels.  

 

We're doing a unit on the hard-boiled detective and film noir, so I get to indulge in some great books and movies in the coming weeks.

 

Thanks for the Howatch suggestions, guys. It's nice to get book recs from those who know my reading habits so well!  :)

[Kareni]

I read a review yesterday of the historical romance April and May by Beth Elliott which is currently available free to Kindle readers. 

 

The review is here: April and May by Beth Elliott

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Jane in NC]

I forgot to send :grouphug: to all our members who aren't feeling well or are under a lot of stress. I hope we all have a great week.

 

Rose, I read several books by Howatch a couple of years ago. Mainly the first part of the Starbridge series and some of her gothics. I couldn't source the others at that time so at some point will go back. I loved the Starbridge but suspect Jane's advice is right for you. I also grew up on the Whitney, Stewart, Holt combo and will be honest and say some really show their age. I reread those a couple of years ago too. The Howatch gothics show their age to be honest. For a first time read thats a bit disappointing. I believe dd liked them so might be worthwhile from your perspective. ;)

 

I only read one of the Howatch Gothics (The Devil on Lammas Night) which was a little too Rosemary's Baby for me.  It was dated.

 

Her sagas are fabulous though.

[Ali in OR]

We have our new puppy! So, not much sleep (for me--Molly gets 18-20 hours per day at this age, but not much at night yet!), and not much reading. I did finish the second book in Andrea Host's Medair series and enjoyed it--I think it was Voices of the Lost. I'm making progress in John Green's Looking for Alaska but glad I haven't finished yet if this week is actually banned books week--I thought it was last week. I'm liking it better than Paper Towns and less than The Fault in Our Stars. It deals with teen suicide; I can see why teachers/libraries might find the book useful in exploring this issue and I can see why parents would challenge due to descriptions of pornography, sexual situations, etc.

 

I think I have something on hold at the library but can't remember what. It might be a cookbook. I have Roald Dahl's Ghost Stories for October--not sure if he wrote them or collected them.

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

I finished So We Read On - Maureen Corrigan's homage to The Great Gatsby. It made me so happy! Someone who loves the book even more than I do and helps me appreciate it even more.

[mumto2]

I only read one of the Howatch Gothics (The Devil on Lammas Night) which was a little too Rosemary's Baby for me. It was dated.

 

Her sagas are fabulous though.

I know I had a "stack" of Howatch Gothics. I was pretty impressed that I had manage to source so many old ones from storage areas in my local libraries. I personally read all of The Dark Shore and The Shrouded Wall according to my records. I know I tried others but never finished. The Dark Shore was the one I didn't care for. I just looked at Goodreads comments out of curiosity and now remember thinking it was a not so good version of Rebecca. I am sort of hoping I didn't give dd The Devil on Lammas Night, doesn't sound familiar. It was a long time ago (3 years ;) ).

 

 

Also just finished Colleen Hoover's new New Adult novel It Ends with Us. It wasn't fluffy like her others. It dealt with spousal abuse. It did a good job but has lots of adult scenes.

[idnib]

I also finished Kim this week, and was happy to read Nan's endorsements, late in last week's thread, of Rudyard Kipling. Kim definitely starts slow, but I got completely hooked. 

 

I loved Kim, and I say this as someone who doesn't like any other Kipling works. 

 

I finished the second book the The Last Policeman trilogy, and I liked it better than the first book so I'm glad I stuck with it. DH and I decided to watch Twin Peaks in honor of its 25th anniversary this year, and it made me realize I think of the policeman in the book as being very similar to FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (youtube link).

 

I've been traveling and starting up school so I haven't been around much. It's good to "see" everyone!

[Jane in NC]

:seeya: Good to see you again, idnib!

 

This is one of the most baffling things I have read regarding Banned Books. 

[Onceuponatime]

I am still mired in Martin Arrowsmith's life, hoping to finish up this week. I've been avoiding it by studying for my next CLEP test.

 

From the book: "In novels, these truth seekers quested the "secret of life" in laboratories which did not seem to be provided with Bunsen flames or reagents; or they went, at great expense and much discomfort from hot trains and undesirable snakes, to Himalayan monasteries, to learn from unaseptic sages that the Mind can do all sorts of edifying things if one will but spend thirty or forty years in eating rice and gazing on one's navel."

[Shawneinfl]

My oldest sent my youngest the book El Deafo for her birthday. She came across a reference to "We all live on a Yellow Submarine" on page 1 and started laughing "that is so random!". I had to introduce her to The Beatles' rendition so that she would be properly educated. :laugh: :laugh:

Edited September 26, 2016 by Shawneinfl

[Just Robyn]

:seeya: Good to see you again, idnib!

 

This is one of the most baffling things I have read regarding Banned Books. 

 

Thanks for posting that.

[6packofun]

I'm reading a "romantic Christian thriller."  Lord, help me.  I now remember why I stopped reading Christian fiction.  WWJR?  NOT Christian fiction.

 

But I shall finish!!!

 

I, too, am plotting my creepy October reads. 

 

OK, now I'm off to read Boundless by Kenneth Oppel to my 10yo and 15yo sons.  lol

[Mothersweets]

I just finished a Georgette Heyer - The Convenient Marriage. I liked the relationship between the H and h (and I loved the hero swoon). It wasn't as madcap as some of Heyer's stories and had an unusual heroine-she stutters!

 

 

[Nan in Mass]

Thank you. I enjoyed... well enjoyed isn,t the right word but whatever ... exploring the banned books material. Thank you! I especially liked, or rather disliked, seeing why Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See was banned. Arg...

 

Nan

[Kareni]

There have been a couple mentions lately of a desire for scary reads; these Tor.com posts mention some books with potential.

 

Five Great Reads Featuring Creepy Ass Water  by Kendare Blake

 

 

Five Books Where Insanity is Normalized  by Brian Evenson

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

[Ellesmere]

 

 

 

Have you ever read The Lottery by Shirley Jackson?  Publisher's Weekly lists 11 Things You probably didn't know about Shirley as well as Atlantic Monthly's review of  Haunted Womanhood.

 

And speaking of haunted, next week begins our October Spooktacular reading month.  Start brainstorming and figure out which spooky read you want to tackle.

 

 

Happy Reading!

Oooh, I've had that biography on my to read list for awhile. Thanks you for the links.

 

Last time I posted, I mentioned one of the books I am slowly reading through (and don't expect to finish this year since I started late) is The Art of the Story, edited by Dana Gioia and R.S. Gwynn. Of course it includes The Lottery and an excerpt from Come Along With Me where she writes about how people responded to the story. I have read it a few times since first being assigned it in high school but I hadn't read about how she wrote it yet. It was funny to read of her puzzlement over it being performed as a ballet.

 

 

 

 

[Ellesmere]

 

 

 

:001_wub:  on the Slaughterhouse-Five quotes. Still one of my top five books ever. I may have to pull my copy off the shelves & re-read it yet again in honor of Banned Books Week.

 

 

I am pretty sure it was because of you that I started reading W. Somerset Maugham. I think you posted about loving Slaughterhouse-Five and so I just trusted that if you loved Vonnegut, you must be right. About everything. And I was right! You are!

 

I will probably do the same and re-read Slaughterhouse-Five for Banned Books. I am too sleep-deprived to try anything new this week.

[ErinE]

I found a book called The Passage on this list. One interesting thing google told me about the Passage is people love the audiobook. Anyway I downloaded it from overdrive in book form because it is 800 pages long so would take weeks to listen to for me.

 

If this is the book by Justin Cronin, I highly recommend the series. I've read all of Cronin's novels thus far, including his more literary work and I thoroughly enjoy his writing.

[Ellesmere]

Oh, sorry, a third post. But I logged my 52nd book last week on Goodreads. It wasn't actually the 52nd since I still need to add some that I forgot from over the summer, but it was nice to actually log a project as done. (Finishing projects, not my strong suit. I have printed my Book Bingo sheet three times and lost it every time. I give up!)

The last book I finished was Browsings by Michael Dirda. That was a library book that I chose because the cover was lovely and there it was on the "Recommended by Staff" shelf. I did mostly take his advice and didn't read it all at once. The book, like these threads, added more books to my "to read" list.

Looking over the list of what I read this year, well, quite a few were re-reads. For a couple, it had been so long it was nice to rediscover them, for others, it was pure indulgence. Hoping to finish some new-to-me books in progress and try some things I wouldn't usually go for in the next few weeks.

[ErinE]

.

Edited November 8, 2016 by ErinE

[Butter]

#93: Tales of the Greek Heroes by Roger Lancelyn Green.  I pre-read this for my 10 year old who is currently halfway through and loving it (and pointing out slight differences between these versions of the stories and other versions he's read).  I like Green's narrative style and also how he made all the hero stories seem to fit in a continuous story.