Book a Week 2017 - BW8: Book festivals and birthdays

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday my lovelies!  This is the beginning of week 8 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 festivals and birthdays:  Time for a round of book festival news and bookish birthdays as I'm still traipsing around South America and hiking with Mark Adam's in Turn Right at Machu Picchu,  There are quite a few historical books about the Incas that sound intriguing including Kim McQuarries The Last Days of the Incas, and  Hugh Thomson's The White Rock,  If you haven't checked out Historicalnovels.com, they have a great selection set in the precolumbian era and the Spanish conquest, 17th-20th century as well as mysteries. Fiction wise, check out goodreads list of Aztec, Maya and and Inca reads.

 

We may have missed Brazil's Hay Festival Cartagena 2017 in January, but there are plenty of links to all the authors involved and will most likely will be next year as well. However, start preparing yourself for the Paraty International Literary Festival which will take place late July in Brazil.

 

The Literary Women Festival is coming up the first weekend in March as well as the Festival Leue Literature in New York highlighting German language books. To check out festivals coming up in your area, go to the Book and Literary Festivals calendar on Everfest.

 

Authors celebrating birthdays this week are:

February 19:  Colombian poet and novelist José Eustasio Rivera and American writer Amy Tan

 

February 20:  South African novelist Alex La Guma and French novelist Georges Bernanos as well as Japanese novelist Shiga Naoya

 

February 21:  Humorist Erma Bombeck and novelist Anaïs Nin as well as poet W.H. Auden

 

February 22:  Author Edward Gorey and Australian poet John Shaw Neilson as well as Nobel prize winner and Greek novelist Giorgos Seferis

 

February 23:  English diarist Samuel Pepys and poet Haki R. Madhubuti 

 

February 24:  German author Wilhelm Carl Grimm and Polish novelist Juliusz Kaden-Bandrowski

 

February 25:  English author Anthony Burgess and Journalist George Schuyler

 

 

 

Have fun following rabbit trails! 

 

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

 

The Story of Western Science -  Chapter four 

 

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

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

Link to week 7 

 

Edited February 19, 2017 by Robin M

[Robin M]

I'm currently working on spelling out Amethyst.  A bit behind but not going to rush and worry about it.  I'm currently rereading J.D. Robb's Promises in Death.   I'm still debating which E and T book I want to read. My E choices are 6th Extinction by James Rollins or  Inheriting Edith by Zoe Fishman.  For T I could read a dusty book of which I have several or the newbie Three Body Problem which looks quite enticing.  Choices, Choices!!!    

 

Garnet 

 

G:  Spartacus: The Gladiator - Ben Kane

A:  Alexandria Link - Steve Berry

R:  Russian Winter - Daphne Kalotay

N:  The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah

E:   Echoes in Death - J.D. Robb

T:   The Translator - John Crowley

 

Amethyst

 

A: Axis - Robert Charles Wilson

M: MIdnight Crossroads - Charlaine Harris

Edited February 19, 2017 by Robin M

[Kareni]

Last night I finished a collection of two historical romance novellas; I enjoyed them both though I enjoyed the Mary Balogh story a bit more as some of the characters have appeared in other of her books.

 

Once Upon A Dream  by Mary Balogh and Grace Burrowes

 

"Mary Balogh and Grace Burrowes team up to create a pair of Regency novellas each set at a summer house party. 

In Another Dream, by Mary Balogh, Miss Eleanor Thompson has found satisfaction as the director of a respected school for girls. The life of a dedicated educator offers many rewards and much meaning--but also more loneliness than Eleanor anticipated. She accepts an invitation from her sister, Christine, Duchess of Bewcastle, to attend a Bedwyn houseparty, never dreaming the summer curriculum might include stolen kisses and true love. 

In The Duke of My Dreams, by Grace Burrowes, banker's daughter Anne Faraday is cast into the company of Elias, Duke of Sedgemere, at house party in the Lakes. Anne warms to the lonely man and conscientious father behind the title, and Elias becomes enthralled with the brilliant, burdened woman beneath Anne's genteel facade. Liking turns to love under the Cumbrian summer moon, but family obligations, secrets, and a prodigal duck conspire to thwart the course of true love."

**

 

I also finished and very much enjoyed Scrap Metal by Harper Fox which is a contemporary romance featuring two men.  This is a book I'll likely re-read.  (Adult content)

 

"Is there room for love in a heart full of secrets?

 

One year ago, before Fate took a wrecking ball to his life, Nichol was happily working on his doctorate in linguistics. Now he’s hip deep in sheep, mud and collies. His late brother and mother had been well suited to life on Seacliff Farm. Nichol? Not so much.

 

As lambing season progresses in the teeth of an icy north wind, the last straw is the intruder Nichol catches in the barn. He says his name is Cam, and he’s on the run from a Glasgow gang. Something about the young man’s tired resignation touches Nichol deeply, and instead of giving him the business end of a shotgun, he offers Cam a blanket and a place to stay.

 

Somehow, Cam quickly charms his way through Nichol’s defenses and into his heart. Even his grandfather takes to the cheeky city boy, whose hard work and good head for figures help set the farm back on its feet.

 

As the cold Scottish springtime melts into summer, Nichol finds himself falling in love. When tragedy strikes, Cam’s resolutely held secret is finally revealed and Nichol must face the truth. He’s given his heart away, and it’s time to pay the price."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Jane in NC]

Thanks to Mom-ninja for putting The Lost Art of Dress on my radar.  I loved it!  Author Linda Przybyszewski, a professor of history at Notre Dame, examines the "Dress Doctors", the university faculty who taught sewing, home economy, and recycling in Home Ec departments at a time when women were not necessarily allowed to participate in other academic disciplines.  This book is a tremendous tribute to these women and their influence but also a highly informative look at how the lives of American women have changed as seen through our wardrobes.  Pants were a radical thing, my friends.

 

Admittedly, I am a pokey non-fiction reader which is why the BaW readalongs of Susan's books work so well for me.  But I am moving on to another non-fiction selection, another book mentioned on this thread, The Right to Be Cold by Sheila Watt-Cloutier, a book about climate change and the Inuit culture.

 

My fiction selection is something that I believe both Stacia and Pam read:  A General Theory of Oblivion by Jose Eduardo Agualusa (translated from the Portuguese by Daniel Hahn).  It is a "wow" so far.  What really fascinates me about this book though is its setting in Angola during the revolution when colonial ties to Portugal were cut in the '70's.  As a student of the Cold War, I once had a bit of fascination for Angola due to the involvement of the Soviets and Cubans there--which of course meant the CIA was also involved. The story is not overtly political at this point--the politics are the background motivation for the characters who have no choice but to react to the happenings of the world around them.

[Negin]

I read My Cousin Rachel - 2 Stars - My daughter told me that the movie version of this book is coming out soon. The trailer looked good and so I decided to read it first. I really wanted to like this but I did not. The protagonist was stupid to the point where the reader starts to find him irritating to say the least. I’ve read “Rebecca†and loved that. Although this wasn’t nearly as good, I’d still like to read some of Du Maurier’s other books.

 

I also read The Envoy: The Epic Rescue of the Last Jews of Europe in the Desperate Closing Months of World War II - 4 Stars - This story is heartbreaking. Raoul Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat in Budapest during WW II who saved 100,000 Jews from the gas chambers. I had never heard of him until I picked up this book. He was a truly remarkable man.

 

A quote that I thought to share:

 

"Although most well-informed people have heard of Wallenberg today, many, including Jews, know less about him than about Oscar Schindler, who saved far fewer people and in any case profited from their forced labor.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.

[Faithr]

I have not read My Cousin, Rachel, but I recently read Jamaica Inn which I enjoyed very much, though I do think Rebecca is Du Maurier's masterpiece.  

I read My Cousin Rachel - 2 Stars - My daughter told me that the movie version of this book is coming out soon. The trailer looked good and so I decided to read it first. I really wanted to like this but I did not. The protagonist was stupid to the point where the reader starts to find him irritating to say the least. I’ve read “Rebecca†and loved that. Although this wasn’t nearly as good, I’d still like to read some of Du Maurier’s other books.

 

I also read The Envoy: The Epic Rescue of the Last Jews of Europe in the Desperate Closing Months of World War II - 4 Stars - This story is heartbreaking. Raoul Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat in Budapest during WW II who saved 100,000 Jews from the gas chambers. I had never heard of him until I picked up this book. He was a truly remarkable man.

 

A quote that I thought to share:

 

"Although most well-informed people have heard of Wallenberg today, many, including Jews, know less about him than about Oscar Schindler, who saved far fewer people and in any case profited from their forced labor.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.

 

[Mothersweets]

I read My Cousin Rachel - 2 Stars - My daughter told me that the movie version of this book is coming out soon. The trailer looked good and so I decided to read it first. I really wanted to like this but I did not. The protagonist was stupid to the point where the reader starts to find him irritating to say the least. I’ve read “Rebecca†and loved that. Although this wasn’t nearly as good, I’d still like to read some of Du Maurier’s other books.

 

 

 

 

I read this years ago and hated it. It had an interesting premise but by the end of the book I almost wanted to throw it across the room! Glad to know I'm not the only one who wasn't enchanted. Have you read The House on the Strand ? I liked that one a lot - there is time travel involved - maybe you'll like it, too? 

[Narrow Gate Academy]

I did more reading than housework this week and watched almost no tv, so I made it through four books. :D

 

Finished This Week (reviews linked) - Books 13-16

• The Graveyard Book by Gaiman - not what I expected, but still quite enjoyable.  4 stars for my 3rd audiobook
• The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Christie - I'm not sure why I haven't picked up any Agatha Christie books to read since high school.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  4 stars (Bingo: Mystery square)
• Slathbog's Gold by Forman - an enjoyable adventure I will pass on to my 12yo when he needs a new book idea. 4 stars
• Murder of Crows by Bishop - an engaging reread of the second Others book, 5 stars

Long term reads:

• ESV Bible - finished Numbers
• History of the Ancient World - finished chapters 13 and 14 this week

 

Current reads (always subject to change on a whim) -

• Audiobook:  I Am Half Sick of Shadows by Bradley - I was delighted to see this book available in audio format on Overdrive.  I know I will enjoy the story and that I don't have to worry about the youngest listening in if the mood strikes him. :thumbup:
• Fiction books:
  • The Color of Magic by Pratchett - After seeing many recommendations for the Discworld series, I finally checked out the first book from Overdrive as an ebook.  I'm currently just over 1/4 of the way through (an excellent way to pass time while awaiting the new Book a Week thread :tongue_smilie: ).
  • The Purple Pterodactyls:  The Adventures of W. Wilson Newbury by de Camp - I was looking for a book with purple in the title for the gemstone challenge and the title of this one intrigued me. 
• Nonfiction book:  Getting Things Done by Allen - I'm a little more than halfway through this reread and hope to finish the book this week.

 

Finished for the year

16.  The Graveyard Book  by Gaiman

15.  The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Christie (Bingo: mystery)

14.  Slathbog's Gold by Forman

13.  Murder of Crows by Bishop

12.  The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Covey

11.  Samantha Watkins:  Chronicles of an Extraordinary Ordinary Life by Venem

10.  The Happiness Project by Rubin

9.  Adventures of a Vegan Vamp by Lawely

8.  The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher (Bingo:  prime number)

7.  A Red Herring Without Mustard by Bradley (Garnet book and bingo: female adventure)

6.  The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Adams (Bingo: outer space)

5.  Stormbreaker  by Horowitz (Bingo: one word title)

4.  Moon Dance by Rain (Bingo: flufferton)

3.  The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Doyle (Bingo: collection of short stories)

2.  The Strange Library by Murakami

1.  Written in Red by Bishop

[Mothersweets]

I did a lot of reading this week! I think I'm up to 15 books for the year so far. 

 

Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer - loved it!!  It's one of my favorite GH's at this point. 

 

Becoming Sister Wives by the Brown family. Super interesting and I was pleasantly surprised at how honest they were about their feelings/struggles. 

 

The Book of Mormon Girl by Joanna Brooks. This was on the shelf near the Sister Wives's book so I picked it up, too. Quick read.

 

The Ladybird Book of the Midlife Crisis - very funny in a sardonic way :)

 

eta - still working on the Truman biography.

 

 

Edited February 19, 2017 by Mothersweets

[Faithr]

I have gotten a slow start this year in reading due to my marathon reading of City of God via a twitter book study.  We just finished the first portion of the book which apparently many professors don't even teach.  They just go for the second part.  So now we've read the first 10 books and are on to the 2nd half starting with Book XI.  It is an incredible deep reading of history and theology.  Augustine takes you on a tour of Ancient mythology, religion and philosophy.  He writes very well, very nuanced, tons of sarcasm, which I did not expect!

 

I finished Simon the ColdHeart by Georgette Heyer (enjoyable but not my favorite) which fulfills the Middle Ages square in my blackout bingo.

 

I also finished Little Sins Mean A Lot which is a great down to earth, honest look at the little flaws we struggle with every day, like procrastination, gossip, etc.  Very insightful.  (I blogged about both of these).

 

I just started reading Mr. Midshipman Easy by Frederick Marryat.  It's funny!  I didn't realize this.  I am reading it for the 'Seagoing' square in the bingo thing.  Very enjoyable so far.  Like Jane Austen and P. G. Wodehouse put together only nautical.  

 

Since no matter how hard dh and ds try they can not figure out what is wrong with my bluetooth in the car, I have been at a disadvantage because I can't listen to books on audio!  This is slowing me down!  So Saturday I broke down and did things the old fashion way and went to the library and got an audio book out.  I just started listening to Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.  So far it is gripping.  I've only listened to the intro and the first part of Ch. 1 though.

 

For my morning meditation I've also started reading a book called Ten Minutes a Day to Heaven by J. P. Arendzen, who was an English priest.  This book was published in 1938, though its advice is timeless.  He is a bit of a scold, but that's ok.  I need a scolding now and again.  

Edited February 19, 2017 by Faithr

[Faithr]

 

 

Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer - loved it!!  It's one of my favorite GH's at this point. 

 

 

I have read probably 70% of Heyer's books and Faro's Daughter is one of my all time favorites.  I've reread it many times.  I think it would make a great movie.

[BarbecueMom]

I finished The Twenty-Seventh City by Jonathan Franzen. I really, really wanted to like this one. I don't live in a city like New York or LA, where it's not uncommon to see fiction set in your backyard. Until about 3/4 the way through the book, I was hooked. From that point on, it lost me. Overambitious, incongruent with the plot and character development to that point. The last 50 or so pages were, frankly, sloppy. There is also a heavy assumption that one would understand the social nuances of the the St. Louis region, which I do, but I'm not sure a map at the front of the book alone would help someone with no familiarity of the area. I didn't feel that he built those things into the narrative as well as he should have.

 

To his credit, I've read that the author also cringes a bit reflecting on his debut work. I think a screenplay adaptation could easily absorb some of the problems, as the overall themes are just as relevant today as they were 30 years ago. Honestly, we're still banging on about the possibility of a city-county merger here in St. Louis. Nothing has changed since 1988.

 

I finally picked up Hidden Figures last night, and I have a couple other books to start on as well. Not sure how much I'll get to read with 70+ degree bug-free weather this week.

Edited February 19, 2017 by BarbecueMom

[Onceuponatime]

I read this years ago and hated it. It had an interesting premise but by the end of the book I almost wanted to throw it across the room! Glad to know I'm not the only one who wasn't enchanted. Have you read The House on the Strand ? I liked that one a lot - there is time travel involved - maybe you'll like it, too?

I've read most of DuMaurier's books multiple times. Many of the stories are frustrating in some way. They are what I would call atmospherically oppressive.The main characters are rarely happy, things rarely turn out well. They are great if you are young, idealistic, and like an excuse to wallow in helpless emotion. 😜 I guess you would call it psychological fiction, exploring themes of addiction, codependence, narcissism, suicide, etc. In the last 15 years I find that I no longer enjoy reading them, but I still think they are well written. I agree that the House on the Strand is a good read, fascinating because of the time travel angle, but still very much DuMaurier.

 

I'm caught up with The Story of Western Science! This week I read Neil Gaiman's The Sleeper and the Spindle a quick read that retells the story of Sleeping Beauty by combining it with Snow White, shaking it up, and turning it upside down. It was...different.

 

I'm still working on the Snow Leopard, which crossed paths with The Story of Western Science by discussing ancient science and philosophy. I'm also reading Death and The Dutch Uncle by Patricia Moyes.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Currently I'm listening to The Basque History of the World - something I never would have picked up if it weren't for the 240 Bingo, but which I'm enjoying immensely. I'm reading this book about the 2016 campaign, Sinclair Lewis's It Can't Happen Here, Sometimes We Tell The Truth, Katherine, and Half of a Yellow Sun.  I had wanted to listen to that, for the Nigerian accents that the reader does so well, but the only audio I could find was heavily abridged, which I didn't want, so I'm back to reading it.

 

I finished a few things this week. Highlights were The Goldfinch, which I enjoyed very much. But I will offer the strongly-felt criticism that it could have been about 200 pages shorter, easy! I thought that she took way to long to get to the tragic event that kicked off the whole story, and then she took way too long to wrap things up at the end. It was satisfying, but to the point of tedium, almost. It was a book that would benefit from some ruthless abridging, IMO.

 

I also immensely enjoyed Evicted. People have written about it before, so I'll just point out a few things that particularly struck me. I like how the author focused on a single place - Milwaukee - and how he went back and forth between describing the experiences of black inner-city residents and white trailer park residents. Without being at all pontifical, he was able to clearly show how the interests of these two groups, separated as they are by politics, race, etc., are actually way more closely aligned than are the interests of either with more wealthy members of the same race. The stories were compelling and moving, but the meta-story was even more fascinating to me, and I really liked that he spent a sizable chunk at the end of the book explaining how he did the sociological investigation that he wrote about. He did such a good job of effacing himself, of letting the people's stories come through, but his story of how he carried out this research is also quite fascinating.  I listened to the audio version of the book, which was extremely well done. Interestingly, the reader was black, and so for awhile I assumed the author was black, but when I looked him up, I realized, nope. white Harvard sociologist. Which made it even more fascinating. I highly recommend it, and don't skip the Afterword.

 

Finished in Feb:

39. The First 20 Minutes - Gretchen Reynolds

38. The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt

37. Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City - Matthew Desmond

36. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou

35. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell. 5 stars. Looking forward to seeing the movie and reading more books by this author

34. The View from the Oak - 4 stars. A great read aloud for animal-loving kids, not only a nice introduction to ethology, but some practical advice in how to see things from other (creatures) POV

33. Three Gothic Novels: The Castle of Otranto, Vathek, The Vampyre

32. The Fire This Time - Jesmyn Ward - 5 stars. Already reviewed here, recommended again

31. Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey - 4 stars. A re-read of the first Dragonriders of Pern novel, all of which I read in high school. I liked it again and am enjoying seeing dd get into this series

30. The Bear and the Nightingale - Katherine Arden. 4 stars, recommended

29. Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain - 4 stars. this book helped get me off the couch and back into an exercise habit!

28. The Color Purple. 5 stars. Amethyst & Black History Month. Brilliant and beautiful book

Edited February 19, 2017 by Chrysalis Academy

[Alice]

I just got back from my annual birthday getaway. I go to a local hotel alone and mostly just read. It's lovely. This time I also did a fair amount of school planning for next year...high school.

 

Over the weekend I mostly read through a big stack of New Yorkers that I had gotten behind on. I also read most of The Brinded Cat Thrice Mewed (a Flavia de Luce mystery). I would have finished it today but I stupidly left it in my room. Luckily I can go get it tomorrow since the hotel is local. :) I also am reading Galileo's Daughter. I've had it for a long time but was inspired to pick it up and read it after reading about Galieleo in The Story of Science with my oldest. 

Edited February 19, 2017 by Alice

[Angelaboord]

First, a question: do graphic novels/graphic memoirs count as a book for purposes of the 52 books? I know they don't count for Bingo.

 

I finished 2 books this week:

 

Right, Ho, Jeeves and American Born Chinese, a graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang. It took me a little under an hour to read American Born Chinese, but I'm still chewing on the issues it raised. It was an excellent, possibly semi-autobiographical book about a Chinese-American teenage boy and the Monkey King, who both learn some lessons about accepting themselves as they are rather than who they think they ought to be. The ending was a little obscure, but I very much enjoyed the book. I'd had a rough day and reading something short, somewhat humorous, and thoughtful all at the same time was pretty much what I needed.

 

Right Ho, Jeeves was my first Wodehouse. I thought it got funnier as it went along and the French chef Anatole's tirade toward the end was hilarious. I did wonder if maybe I should have started with a different book, though? I had no idea until I was finished that it was #6.

 

I currently have 5 other books going that I do plan to finish :

 

Out of the Ashes: Rebuilding American Culture - Anthony Esolen (Esolen is a very in your face writer but I'm enjoying this even if I'm a little intimidated. I'm not sure "enjoying" is the right word, but it's a lot worth thinking about.)

 

Behind Her Eyes - Sarah Pinborough (Book of the Month selection for February, not bad so far but not gripping enough for me not to put it down.)

 

The Loving Push: How Parents and Professionals Can Help Spectrum Kids Become Successful Adults -- Temple Grandin (on my mind lately and excellent so far)

 

Home (Binti, #2) - Nnedi Okoafor (SF novella. I read #1 last year and liked it enough to pick up #2.)

 

The Learning Tree - Stanley Greenspan. (Still plugging away at this book about learning disabilities little by little.)

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Loesje22000]

For the first time, I really, really liked a book from a Flemish author:

https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1318402899l/12857058.jpg

So far it is only available in Dutch and German.

 

Mrs. Bromley her baby died and so she nursed a baby whoms mother died.

This boy became friends with her other son and also a kind of 'part of the family'.

John Patterson is that baby, and as his father is mailman, the further story is written with a focus on 'mail' and 'books'.

(One could have chosen worse perspectives for a gookmI think ;) )

 

When the great war starts Martin Bromley is furious he is too young too fight.

John is glad as he can start college this way.

But love is hard when everybody on street yells at you because you are still 'here' in England, instead of fighting.

 

Johns father struggles with the mails he has to deliver:

Al those young man dying.

When father died at a bom explosion, John discovers a lot of undelivered letters.

Als a letter to mrs. Bromley that her son martin is dead.

 

John joins the army and developes a fine web of lies and intriges just mrs. Bromley won't know her son died.

When he finally discovers how his friend Martin died, he is ready to send the letter to mrs. Bromley, but then he becomes in the frontlines...

 

This is one of those books I became 'in' the story at the first page.

I became intrigued by the role of letters in the war,

The role of those who could read and write,

The role of mailmen who had to read all those letters aloud as mostly soldiers died, and their family were not able to read (or write).

 

I also liked it, that the book described the role of the Talbot House in the life of Soldiers.

I have visited that house (a museum now) and it tells one of those stories of daily life during war.

[mumto2]

I've been working on my Birthstone Challenge this week. So far I have the following letters.

 

A.....Snow Angels, James Thompson

M.....Witch Miss Seeton, Heron Carvic

E.....Echoes in Death, JD Robb

T.....The Time of the Clockmaker, Anna Caltablano

H.....The Ice Beneath Her, Camilla Grebe

Y.....

S.....A Summer to Remember, Mary Balogh

T.....A Terrible Beauty, Tasha Alexander

 

I started reading Ways to Disappear https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25746685-ways-to-disappear which is set in Brazil. Amethyst's are mined in Brazil.

 

I am waiting on two holds for my Y. Also a book by Phyllis Whitney with Amethyst in the title.

[Just Robyn]

 

 

I also immensely enjoyed Evicted. People have written about it before, so I'll just point out a few things that particularly struck me. I like how the author focused on a single place - Milwaukee - and how he went back and forth between describing the experiences of black inner-city residents and white trailer park residents. Without being at all pontifical, he was able to clearly show how the interests of these two groups, separated as they are by politics, race, etc., are actually way more closely aligned than are the interests of either with more wealthy members of the same race. The stories were compelling and moving, but the meta-story was even more fascinating to me, and I really liked that he spent a sizable chunk at the end of the book explaining how he did the sociological investigation that he wrote about. He did such a good job of effacing himself, of letting the people's stories come through, but his story of how he carried out this research is also quite fascinating.  I listened to the audio version of the book, which was extremely well done. Interestingly, the reader was black, and so for awhile I assumed the author was black, but when I looked him up, I realized, nope. white Harvard sociologist. Which made it even more fascinating. I highly recommend it, and don't skip the Afterword.

 

 

Thanks for the review! The afterword does sound interesting.

 

I just got back from my annual birthday getaway. I go to a local hotel alone and mostly just read. It's lovely. This time I also did a fair amount of school planning for next year...high school.

 

Over the weekend I mostly read through a big stack of New Yorkers that I had gotten behind on. I also read most of The Brinded Cat Thrice Mewed (a Flavia de Luce mystery). I would have finished it today but I stupidly left it in my room. Luckily I can go get it tomorrow since the hotel is local. :) I also am reading Galileo's Daughter. I've had it for a long time but was inspired to pick it up and read it after reading about Galieleo in The Story of Science with my oldest. 

 

Happy birthday! 

 

I finished Breakfast at Tiffany's, which was wonderful - a great example of a character-driven story with just the thinnest thread of plot running through it. The three short stories included in the book were really good too. My only complaint is that I couldn't get

out of my head for about a week.

 

I also finished Good Prose, which was part writing advice, part memoir of the editor/writer relationship between the two authors. The book talks about various types of nonfiction: narratives, memoirs, essays, and other issues in nonfiction, like memory and accuracy, and, of course, editing. One comment that interested me toward the end:

 

"If some editors don't really edit, it is equally true that writers themselves sometimes resist editing. I always wince when a reviewer says, 'This book needed an editor.' Often it had an editor, but the writer prevailed. Sometimes a book arrives at an editor's desk too late for the editor to make a substantial difference. The writer is exhausted and committed to his errors, the publishing schedule is set, it is simply too late all around."

 

I am still listening to I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and I started reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

 

ETA: And one more week until From the Beast to the Blonde!

Edited February 19, 2017 by crstarlette

[Ali in OR]

Finished Baratunde Thurston's How to be Black which I enjoyed. A good discussion of being black in America told with lots of humor. One thing a little sad to me is that this was written during the Obama administration which was a more hopeful time. I can't help feeling race issues have gone backward since then.

 

I'm really enjoying Ali and Nino by Kurban Said. It's opening up to me a desert/Islamic outlook on life, at least in the early 20th century. The Mohammedans don't think much of women. Ali asks a devout friend, "So you believe that a woman has neither soul nor intelligence?" and the friend responds, "Of course she hasn't. Why should a woman have either? It is enough for her to be chaste and have many children." Thankfully Ali does not share this view, and he is in love with the Georgian (European) Christian, Nino. I'm learning more about the Caucasus--Georgia, Armenia, Azerbeidshan--and the mix of peoples there though the land is under Russian control. WWI is beginning. There are references to things I know a little about (Ottoman Turkey entering the war on the side of Germany, the Armenian massacre was just mentioned), but I'm seeing them from a completely new perspective. Very well written.

Edited February 19, 2017 by Ali in OR

[Faithr]

Currently I'm listening to The Basque History of the World - something I never would have picked up if it weren't for the 240 Bingo, but which I'm enjoying immensely. 

 

I read the Basque History of the World several years ago.  I thought it was riveting!  

[Lori D.]

Gosh, I'm such a slacker. I'm just going to be happy if I can get to 52 books this year, without trying for all the bonus points of all the cool mini-challenges, birthstone challenge, and the Bingo challenges... At least I am managing to roughly keep up with the book a week pace. ;)

 

This week I picked up -- and set down after the prologue and chapter 1 -- Finnikin of the Rock (by Melina Marchetta). sigh. I don't know if I'm going to be able to make myself keep going. The writing feels like an enthusiastic teen's first fan fantasy: lots of excited ideas about a fantasy world, but also "meaningful" names that too obvious and immature writing that tells rather than shows, with lots of very unrealistic character motivations. I hate abandoning books, but I think I'm going to need to hear some very enthusiastic personal experience with this one before I'm willing to try again.

 

So I shifted over and completed Tamsin, by Peter Beagle (of The Last Unicorn fame). While the the first-person narrator (a teen girl of the 1990s) was such a weirdly wrong choice (because she sounds like an older-middle-aged man -- which Peter Beagle was when he wrote this  :ack2: )-- and the story is flawed, the book's conceit kept me reading, and then the strength of Beagle's writing made the last half of the book worthwhile.

 

The story follows a modern NY teen girl who is forced to move to an old English manor house on a working estate when her mother remarries, and the girl develops a relationship with the 17th century ghost of a young woman who had lived in the same house and who can't rest until she can remember the terrible things that happened in her life that are now keeping her from eternal rest.

 

Beagle's strength of writing is what kept me reading in spite of the flaws -- plus the fascinating peeks at some of the ancient British "Other World" creatures and ideas, such as the Wild Hunt, the pooka, a bogart, and even a brief and creepy glimpse of a red cap.

 

Speaking of Peter Beagle, I see that he *just* this week released a new book featuring a unicorn: In Calabria. I'm tempted to go back and re-read The Last Unicorn (it's been probably 30 years since I read it), and then try his newest offering...

Edited February 19, 2017 by Lori D.

[Jane in NC]

Gosh, I'm such a slacker. I'm just going to be happy if I can get to 52 books this year, without trying for all the bonus points of all the cool mini-challenges, birthstone challenge, and the Bingo challenges... At least I am managing to roughly keep up with the book a week pace. ;)

 

 

Joining you in the Slacker corner, Lori.  I'll probably exceed the 52 books but not if I find myself lost in a bunch of dense chunksters.  Quantity is not the issue for me.

 

I do want to mention this for lurkers who might be thinking Holy Moly---do I have to read bunches and do 101 challenges as I go along?  Nope.

 

Just read, folks.  I'd say Stretch Yourself too but then that is my deal--and the point of Bingo.

 

[Butter]

I'm still reading The Train to Crystal City slowly.  It's horrifying to know what our country did to American citizens.  It's a little triggering because I feel like our country is still the same (just anti-a different religion or country) and hasn't learned a thing.  Today's the anniversary of FDR's Executive Order authorizing internment.

 

I'm also reading Melissa Explains it All by Melissa Joan Hart.  I needed another break from Crystal City.

[Raifta]

Y'all have to stop reading such interesting books!  I've added Evicted and How to be Black to my holds list at the library.

 

I finished reading Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome to the kids this week.  It was an odd adventure but enjoyable in its quietness.  I did have to say "Tilly" rather than "Titty" for the one sister's name as my children could not handle Titty (and to be honest, neither could I).  Remarkably, that did not slow down or impede the read aloud aspect of it in any way.  We have been reading some heavier stuff during our day time reading so this was a refreshing and light, imaginative change.

 

I also finished the next book on The Shelf - The Celestial Omnibus and Other Stories by E.M. Forster.  I have 4 Forster books to read and decided to start with this one.  I have read some of them in the distant past but not this one and was rather surprised by the fantastical element in many of the stories.  At the same time it was definitively Forster in style.  Despite my usual distaste for short stories, most of these did draw me in and seemed to be fully realized worlds of which we were getting a glimpse - and that let us wonder about the events after the story.  It was also nice light reading compared to a lot of articles I am currently reading, but you could also delve deeper into the messages and morals behind the stories.

 

Still working on Morality Play by Barry Unsworth for my middle ages Bingo Square.  I enjoy his writing and am finding the book engaging but I put it down for a while when I started reading Dear Fang, With Love by Rufi Thorpe, which is a book I accidentally took out of the library (found it in the new novels section and thought it was a different book).  I am quite taken with Dear Fang in many aspects - the relationship between the two main characters, father and daughter who have not had much to do with each other up til then, the ideas generated by the daughter about the nature of people and consciousness, the setting in Vilnius, Lithuania and the history of this area, particularly with reference to the Holocaust.  I'm hoping that since it is set in Lithuania and the area plays a large role in the book this will qualify for the Eastern Europe bingo square - wasn't sure if that was intended for Eastern European authors or could be interpreted more loosely than that.

 

Still haven't started my book in French yet and I really have to do that.  This week I promise myself I will read it during our morning reading time.  Of course, I am also starting a job this week so that will also play into a lot of things.  We shall see.

[Ethel Mertz]

Currently I'm listening to The Basque History of the World - something I never would have picked up if it weren't for the 240 Bingo, but which I'm enjoying immensely. I'm reading this book about the 2016 campaign, Sinclair Lewis's It Can't Happen Here, Sometimes We Tell The Truth, Katherine, and Half of a Yellow Sun.  I had wanted to listen to that, for the Nigerian accents that the reader does so well, but the only audio I could find was heavily abridged, which I didn't want, so I'm back to reading it.

 

I finished a few things this week. Highlights were The Goldfinch, which I enjoyed very much. But I will offer the strongly-felt criticism that it could have been about 200 pages shorter, easy! I thought that she took way to long to get to the tragic event that kicked off the whole story, and then she took way too long to wrap things up at the end. It was satisfying, but to the point of tedium, almost. It was a book that would benefit from some ruthless abridging, IMO.

 

I also immensely enjoyed Evicted. People have written about it before, so I'll just point out a few things that particularly struck me. I like how the author focused on a single place - Milwaukee - and how he went back and forth between describing the experiences of black inner-city residents and white trailer park residents. Without being at all pontifical, he was able to clearly show how the interests of these two groups, separated as they are by politics, race, etc., are actually way more closely aligned than are the interests of either with more wealthy members of the same race. The stories were compelling and moving, but the meta-story was even more fascinating to me, and I really liked that he spent a sizable chunk at the end of the book explaining how he did the sociological investigation that he wrote about. He did such a good job of effacing himself, of letting the people's stories come through, but his story of how he carried out this research is also quite fascinating.  I listened to the audio version of the book, which was extremely well done. Interestingly, the reader was black, and so for awhile I assumed the author was black, but when I looked him up, I realized, nope. white Harvard sociologist. Which made it even more fascinating. I highly recommend it, and don't skip the Afterword.

Thanks for these details on Evicted. I've got it somewhere in my book pile to read.

 

I finished: 

18. Snowfall at Willow Lake – Susan Wiggs - comfort read

19. The Final Day: A Novel – William R. Forstchen - dystopian. Not as far-fetched as it might seem.

20. The Whole Town’s Talking – Fannie Flagg - This was really different than her previous books. Fascinating story line, but a truly weird ending. I'm still pondering it.

 

I have to catch up with the History of Science read along. Actually, I have to find the book and then start it ... Plus, I'm behind in reading History of the Ancient World; DS is way ahead of me. I'm finally getting around to reading Margaret Walker's Jubilee. I've renewed it as often as I can, so am now in a race to read it before I have to take it back. Harvey Cox's The Market as God is my nonfiction selection and I'm still meandering along with it, though there are rather dense sections of the book. 

[Mothersweets]

I have read probably 70% of Heyer's books and Faro's Daughter is one of my all time favorites.  I've reread it many times.  I think it would make a great movie.

 

Agree x 100!!

 

I think most of her stories would make wonderful miniseries - 2 or 3 parters. BBC or Masterpiece Theater would do an excellent job of it!

[Lady Florida.]

While my Goodreads page makes it look like I read a lot the past few days, I was almost finished with several books. 

 

Yesterday on the old thread I said I finished listening to Lab Girl.

 

Today I finished reading Song of Solomon and A Place Beyond Courage. 

 

I need to get serious about Parable of the Sower because it's just over a week until the book club meeting.

 

Still reading;

 

Alexander Hamilton

A Burial at Sea

 

I don't know what audio book I'll start next, but I'm thinking it will be the next Brother Cadfael book - St. Peter's Fair

 

I put The Draining Lake on hold in the hope that it will be available in time for March's mystery/Nordic reads. 

 

Oh, and I received notice that Stories of Your Life and Others is now available. I put it on hold because of the movie Arrival. I'm not a short story fan, but I'll give it a try. 

[Robin M]

ETA: And one more week until From the Beast to the Blonde!

Robyn, did you want to come up with a post for Sunday's thread about the book or just keep it a casual readalong?  

[ErinE]

.

Edited February 19, 2018 by ErinE

[Shawneinfl]

I have once again made book selling a career choice - this time with a home-based, online bookstore with fulfillment by Amazon. I have just listed my 1000th book online. As before, whenever I am knee-deep in books I seem to have less time to actually read them. It is especially frustrating when I come across so many interesting titles which I want to hold onto but can't because they are part of my inventory. I did read Love Warrior by Glennon Melton who suffers (and survives) the very public implosion of her marriage. Also  finished this week Etched in Sand: The True Story of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood on Long Island by Regina Calcaterra.

 

Currently I have set aside Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann, a National Book Award Finalist, Jamaica Inn by Du Maurier, and Persecution by Alessandro Piperno.

 

Description of Persecution from Amazon:

In a sprawling villa on the outskirts of Rome, the internationally revered pediatric oncologist Leo Pontecorvo and his family—wife Rachel and their two amiable children—have gathered for dinner. The scene is perfect in every way, until, that is, a horrifying accusation airs on the evening news concerning Leo Pontecorvo himself. From this point on, nothing will ever be the same. A spotlight is turned on Leo that reveals the mistakes, regrets, and contradictions of a lifetime. Every detail of his private and professional life is about to come under scrutiny, to be debated by both friends and foes, by ravenous reporters and punctilious prosecutors. But Leo could bear all this if it weren’t for the suspicious gazes of his wife and children. Surely they, of all people, believe in his innocence!

 

I haven't heard of this author before but he is supposed to be quite popular in Europe. This was a "pick a book by its cover" selection for me. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 20, 2017 by Shawneinfl

[Alice]

I forgot to add that I just finished listening to American Housewife by Helen Ellis. These are wickedly funny short stories and the audiobook was excellent. There were multiple readers and they were all spot-on. 

[JennW in SoCal]

Chasing the Phoenix was one of the oddest books I've read. It is a light, breezy, irreverent tale of 2 con men, one a genetically modified half dog/half human, running a long-con in a post-apocalyptic China. It is smartly written with bits of Chinese poetry thrown in, some Tennyson and Shakespeare too, and there were some lovely passages of writing. The characters have appeared in other titles by the author, Michael Swanwick, titles which apparently won Hugo and/or Nebula awards. But I didn't love it, can't think of anyone I'd recommend it to. It was weird sci-fi fluff, I guess, like a snack food that is fun while it lasts but leaves you still hungry.

 

Still listening to and enjoying Civilization by Niall Ferguson. And from the "dusty" stacks on my kindle I have started Slow Horses, the first in a series of espionage thrillers about a group of disgraced Mi5 agents sent to do grunt work at building called Slough House. Only 2 chapters in and I'm liking it!

 

 

[strawberries]

I had a great, lazy, reading-in-bed morning yesterday and finished The Wise Man's Fear. It sort of unraveled for me in the second half of the book. The pacing got weird; I thought way too much time was spent on one of the side adventures and then other things were rushed through. I've been awaiting/dreading a certain event...and it still hasn't happened. I looked up Doors of Stone and there's not even a release date for it yet!? Nooo! Now I need to decide whether to get The Slow Regard of Silent Things. Has anyone read it? Auri is one of my least favorite characters. Will it round her out and help me understand her, or is it 150-ish pages of how pears taste like moonlight and a cricket's chirp? It has some pretty terrible reviews, but I would like to spend more time in the Kingkiller Chronicle world.

 

This week I also got caught up on The Story of Science and started Outcasts United. We finished the Wayside Stories and started the Treasure Island audiobook in the car. DS is enjoying it, but DD and I both kinda wish we'd picked something else.  

[Kareni]

I just got back from my annual birthday getaway. I go to a local hotel alone and mostly just read. It's lovely. ...

 

What fun!  I hope you had/have a Happy birthday!

 

**

 

Here's a currently free book that sounds quite bizarre.  (Stacia, does this speak to you?)

 

The Egg Said Nothing by Caris O'Malley

 

"Meet Manny. He's your average shut-in with a penchant for late night television and looting local fountains for coins. With eight locks on his door and newspapers covering his windows, he's more than a bit paranoid, too.

 

His wasn't a great life, but it was comfortable--at least it was until the morning he awoke with an egg between his legs. But what might have been a curse becomes a charm as this unlikely event leads him to an all night diner, where he finds inedible pie, undrinkable coffee, and the girl of his dreams.

 

But can this unexpected chance at love survive after the egg cracks and time itself turns against him, dead-set on rerouting history and putting a shovel to the face of the one person who could bring real and lasting change to Manny's world?"

 

Regards,

Kareni

[JennW in SoCal]

I had a great, lazy, reading-in-bed morning yesterday and finished The Wise Man's Fear. It sort of unraveled for me in the second half of the book. The pacing got weird; I thought way too much time was spent on one of the side adventures and then other things were rushed through. I've been awaiting/dreading a certain event...and it still hasn't happened. I looked up Doors of Stone and there's not even a release date for it yet!? Nooo! Now I need to decide whether to get The Slow Regard of Silent Things. Has anyone read it? Auri is one of my least favorite characters. Will it round her out and help me understand her, or is it 150-ish pages of how pears taste like moonlight and a cricket's chirp? It has some pretty terrible reviews, but I would like to spend more time in the Kingkiller Chronicle world.

 

 

Patrick Rothfuss is a really slow writer. REALLY slow, and sidetracked by everything else he does. He very much enjoys being Patrick Rothfuss, going to conventions and store signings, running his huge World Builders fundraising project every autumn for Heifer International, creating table top games and playing and filming epic D&D games with other geek celebrities. So yeah -- it is going to take ages for that last book to come out. In the meantime, you should try to catch him at a live event sometime because he is a fabulous and very funny story teller. 

 

to a you tube clip of him reading a story from his days on the college newspaper about the time he tried to prove his guinea pigs were actually fish. 

 

I really loved The Slow Regard of Silent Things, but it is a very different book from the main series. It is slow -- nothing much happens -- but the prose is lovely and poetic and you just inhabit her world for a short bit of time. I liked Auri, but I most of all love the current, present-day Kvothe, wish to learn more about him. Not sure how the 3rd book is supposed to get us there!

[thessa516]

Happy Birthday Alice!

 

Books I Finished This Week:

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards (my little ones said it was their favorite read aloud)

Darby by Jonathon Scott Fuqua (prompted great discussions on race and the current political climate with the older kids)

Love in Lowercase by Francesc Miralles (audiobook, I heard people either love or hate this book. I'm in the former group, I absolutely adored it - full of kismet)

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee (technically I abandoned this book with only a few chapters left - I found that I didn't care about the characters at all, completely lost interest, so I skimmed the last of the book. It seems silly to drop a book when I've read 98% of it, so I may come back to it just to say that I technically finished it.)

 

Books I'll Be Starting This Week:

The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne (littles read-aloud)

Farewell to Manzamar by Jeanne Houston (older read-aloud)

 

Books Sitting Next to Me But I Haven't Decided Which to Read First, if at all:

Lost Among the Birds by Hayward (recommended by BAW)

A Guide to the Good Life by Irvine (non-fiction, stoicism and philosophy)

The Devil's Teeth by Casey (non-fiction, great white sharks)

The Wee Free Men by Pratchett (recommended by BAW)

[Little Nyssa]

We've begun reading Wee Free Men, on the recommendation of you BAWers! Me and DD like it so far!

 

I'm reading Madeleine L'Engle, Herself. It's a compendium of thoughts & advice particularly about writing, from various of her works. I'm enjoying it & learning a lot.

 

There are many authors that I enjoy and see as examples (as a writer) but it suddenly occurred to me that of these favorites, L'Engle is one of the few who lived in the video age- so I looked her up on YouTube and found a few nice videos of her giving talks about writing. DD and I enjoyed this very much.

[Matryoshka]

I finished 2 books this week.  Just noticed they were both non-fiction... hmm, that wasn't on purpose!  Usually I read fiction faster than non-fiction...

 

18.  The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down  -  I really enjoyed this book.  Here's a recap of my mid-read review, which still pretty much sums up the book for me: Medical mystery, cross-cultural misunderstandings, and history I don't know much about, and well-written and well-told.  I did some training as a medical interpreter a few years ago, which makes it even more interesting (this story takes place in  the 80's, which is apparently before medical interpreters were required by law)  4.5 stars

 

19.  Das geheime Leben der Bäume/The Hidden Life of Trees - Folksy forester tells us about the interconnected lives of trees.  I live here in the great eastern US forest, and have also lived in the Black Forest, which is a perfect example of the cash-crop, trees planted in rows type of 'forest' he goes on about in the book.  Reading this also makes me realize how long it will take our current much wilder forests here to become mature again after they were razed by the colonists, and to become the kinds of ecosystems he describes in the book.  Hundreds of years yet - makes me a bit wistful. 3.5 stars

 

I've also been working through two other books, A Thousand Splendid Suns (audio) and Dr. Zhivago (bingo for bestseller in family member's birth year).  Enjoying both of those so far.  The Bear and the Nightingale has come in from my library holds list, so that may be next.  Just placed the hold for the Beast to the Blonde to start the read-a-long next week. :D

 

ETA: And Nordermoor/Jar City came in - I'm glad someone mentioned that Nordic mysteries is next month's theme; I'll hold off on it till then. :)

Edited February 20, 2017 by Matryoshka

[Matryoshka]

We've begun reading Wee Free Men, on the recommendation of you BAWers! Me and DD like it so far!

 

I have never read anything by Terry Pratchett.  :blushing:   Methinks I should correct this soon...

[Rosie_0801]

Speaking of Terry Pratchett...

 

I bought and read about half a dozen this week, couldn't find more that I didn't already have, so bought two Garth Nix books from the Abhorsen series.

 

Other universes are good places to hide.

[ErinE]

.

Edited February 19, 2018 by ErinE

[mumto2]

Happy Birthday Alice!

 

Amy, I made a new to me Flufferton find this morning. Since I finished Witch Miss Seeton I went into Amazon hunting for my next free prime book. My next Miss Seeton is not a free option so I put DE Stevenson in for fun and I found books. Prime has some DE Stevenson romances for free! I picked Amberwell https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27205699-amberwell.

 

My dd loves Pratchett and Death is her favourite character by far. When I picked Wee Free Men from reviews here to try she told me I wouldn't love it that I needed to read Mort. I suspect she was right because it was OK but I didn't feel the love everyone else seems to feel.

[Butter]

I finished Melissa Explains it All by Melissa Joan Hart.  That's book #19.  She's relatively normal and transitioned from child star to adult pretty easily.  Of course when she was on Sabrina the Teenage Witch she was already an adult and not the teen she was playing.  She partied a lot as a young adult, but managed to never get caught doing something super bad.  Now her favorite thing is being a mom to her boys.  She seemed pretty honest in her book.  It was a fun read.

[aggieamy]

I read this years ago and hated it. It had an interesting premise but by the end of the book I almost wanted to throw it across the room! Glad to know I'm not the only one who wasn't enchanted. Have you read The House on the Strand ? I liked that one a lot - there is time travel involved - maybe you'll like it, too? 

 

Did you listen to it or read it? 

 

First, a question: do graphic novels/graphic memoirs count as a book for purposes of the 52 books? I know they don't count for Bingo.

 

 

 

Right Ho, Jeeves was my first Wodehouse. I thought it got funnier as it went along and the French chef Anatole's tirade toward the end was hilarious. I did wonder if maybe I should have started with a different book, though? I had no idea until I was finished that it was #6.

 

 

 

They don't have to be read in any order but I do think some are better than others.  He writes short stories and novels.  I prefer the collection of short stories but both have me laughing like an idiot and I can't listen to the audiobooks while driving because I'm a danger to all around me if I do. 

 

 

• Emma by Jane Austen. Classic. A well-to-do girl tries her hand at matchmaking with poor results. This was a slog to get through. Much of the story occurs off-stage with characters retelling the actions rather than Austen showing it as it happens. The sudden realization of love between Emma and Mr. Knightley felt forced. I was disappointed as I adore the movie Clueless, a 1990s re-telling of Emma, second only to Colin Firth's Pride and Prejudice as my favorite Jane Austen movie. My Flufferton Abbey read for bingo.

 

I felt much the same way with Emma.  I've liked the movies and the spinoffs but the book never did it for me.  I was disappointed because I went into it expecting to LOVE it. 

[aggieamy]

 

Amy, I made a new to me Flufferton find this morning. Since I finished Witch Miss Seeton I went into Amazon hunting for my next free prime book. My next Miss Seeton is not a free option so I put DE Stevenson in for fun and I found books. Prime has some DE Stevenson romances for free! I picked Amberwell https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27205699-amberwell.

 

 

Yay.  Read fast so I can hear what you think of DE Stevenson.  I've read about three of her books and liked them.  *Fingers crossed*  I hope you will too!

 

Funny (stupid) story about Amazon Unlimited - I found the habits book on there and it was free so I added it to my kindle and told a friend about it.  She looked and said you had to pay for Kindle Unlimited.  We had a polite 10 minute disagreement about that because I could read them for free and never paid for the service.  Turns out DH did.  Oops. 

[aggieamy]

Finished:

 

Superhuman by Habit by Tynan - If you have Kindle Unlimited and can read it for free then go for it.  I wouldn't pay real money to read it though.  It was basically a long blog post and while there was some good information the author's personality was a bit too strong and distracting.  I would love at least one other person to read it so I can find out if he really only sleeps for 15 minutes every 4 hours or did I completely misunderstand what he was saying in that section ... because that's crazy. 

 

Grey Mask (Miss Silver #1) by Patricia Wentworth - This type of mystery should not only be my cuppa tea but also my warm scone and lemon tart but it wasn't.  The plot was stupid and there was a sinister dark organization (so contrived!) and poor Miss Silver popped in an out of the novel only to serve as a deux de machina.  That didn't stop me from staying up into the middle of the night to finish it though so there was something there that had promise.  I want to try another of her mysteries.  Normally I read in order but I'm happy to skip ahead if one of you gals has one to recommend. 

Edited February 20, 2017 by aggieamy

[aggieamy]

Angela - two of my favorite PG Wodehouse novels:

 

My Man Jeeves (#1)

Carry on Jeeves (#3)

[Mothersweets]

Amy, I read both of them :)

[mumto2]

Yay.  Read fast so I can hear what you think of DE Stevenson.  I've read about three of her books and liked them.  *Fingers crossed*  I hope you will too!

 

Funny (stupid) story about Amazon Unlimited - I found the habits book on there and it was free so I added it to my kindle and told a friend about it.  She looked and said you had to pay for Kindle Unlimited.  We had a polite 10 minute disagreement about that because I could read them for free and never paid for the service.  Turns out DH did.  Oops.

 

I have already read Mrs. Tim of the Regiment and thought it was absolutely lovely. That's the only proper description! Looking forward to trying another one.

 

Regarding Patricia Wentworth and Miss Silver I have apparently read the first and the last books for sure but believe I may have read others years ago. I read The Girl in the Cellar https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1711160.The_Girl_in_the_Cellar back when we first moved here and was on my Agatha Christie kick. It was beside Christie in a mystery display. My family has visited many of the branch libraries in three different systems because I used to combine a tour of a library with another field trip like a walk from a guidebook. I liked The Girl in the Cellar well enough to go intentionally back to the branch where I found it in order to check it out for dd when she was reading mysteries. My Overdrive has many Miss Silver books and I did read the first one like you. I liked it but have been sort of saving them......

 

My dh chuckle for the day was when he informed me that I have a hold available at the library. You should have seen his face when I told him that hopefully the other thirty would be there this weekend so need to wait to pick up. More emails to come.....