Book a Week 2017 - BW13 : Happy Birthday Robert Frost

[Chrysalis Academy]

Still obsessing over the Terra Ignota series I finished last night, and found this review by Jo Walton that describes my feelings very well, so I had to share it:

 

"It’s quite a common experience when you’re a teenager to read a book that blows you away, that causes the top of your head to come off and your brain to rearrange itself and be a better more interesting brain thereafter. . . It’s a much less common experience when you’re grown up. I read books now and I think “Oh I like this! This is a really great example of that thingâ€. I may get immersed in a book and hyperventilate but I won’t finish a book and think “Wait, who am I? Why is the world like this? Do I even have a head? This did that to me.†

[mumto2]

Not too much reading for me last week; my dh was out of town for 8 days, so I was flying solo. Remarkably, no one got sick or ended up in the ER, although our refrigerator did break. Still, I would call that a success. Usually somebody comes down with a fever or starts throwing up or ends up with stitches because he and his brother were sword fighting with sticks and got carried away. He's only home for a few days before he's gone again, though, so we may not be out of the woods yet.

 

VC, I hope your WeeGirl is able to keep something down today!

 

And for everyone who was having a hard week last week, I hope this week is better and that spring is coming to everyone soon. Literally and figuratively. [emoji846]

 

Also from last week... Nan, two of my boys are/were late talkers. My oldest, who is now 20, was my first late-talker and my current 4 year old is also a late-talker. They both followed roughly the same pattern. They didn't have very many words until they turned 3. Then the words started snowballing until at 3.5 they started using phrases and sentences and now with my 4 year old we are starting to have the beginnings of conversation. Incidentally, my 20 yo now wants to be a linguist. [emoji5] We have kind of a controlled experiment in our house with 9 kids and the same parents, so considering that my late-talkers are separated by 6 other kids who talked "normally", I don't think it has anything to do with parenting style. When my oldest was little and not talking, I read Thomas Sowell's book Late-Talking Children and I could have kissed him, it described our situation so well. I guess late-talking is often associated with "math, memory, and music" and tends to run in families, as it does in ours. My oldest disproves the math part, but he's very analytical and mainly enjoys languages for their grammar. My 4 year old seems to be very musical. Apparently, though, it is much more likely today for a late-talker to be wrongly diagnosed with autism than it was 16 or 17 years ago. I was kind of catching up on things with Stephen Camarata's book Late-Talking Children: A Symptom or a Stage?

 

I did read this week, but it was an e-book written by Elizabeth Foss for an online Lenten workshop about recovering from burnout. I enjoyed the book and it was 178 pages long; this should be enough for me, so why does it bother me so much that I can't put it on Goodreads??? Oh well. It will still make my big personal list. The title is Restore: Talking Together About Restoration.

 

I also read a bit of Black Lamb and Grey Falcon by Rebecca West. My kindle app tells me I am on page 30 of 1071. I really have no business reading this book. It is going to take me years. But I have really enjoyed these 30 pages. West is a wonderful writer mixing history and travelogue and memoir and her perspective on the interwar years in the Balkans is enlightening.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I have to agree Black Lamb and Grey Falcon looks fascinating. I found it in my overdrive. I wonder if it might work as a read along for the group in the future? Jane any interest?

 

I know there is a way to add books to Goodreads but no idea how. Someone here might know......

 

My ds was a late talker also. Dd was to some degree also, she started talking in order to advocate for the kid section at our house after ds was born! One of my brothers talked late too so my mom kept me from worrying too much. Both of mine did one big skill at a time and tended to create stressful conversations at the drs. Their new skill was frequently ahead of where they should be but they continually skipped several that they were supposed to have. Dd never rolled over until she wanted to crawl...practical I guess. Lol. Regarding what you said about musical, memory, math etc. Both of mine love maths.

[Jane in NC]

I have to agree Black Lamb and Grey Falcon looks fascinating. I found it in my overdrive. I wonder if it might work as a read along for the group in the future? Jane any interest?

 

Great idea says the traveler who was in Yugoslavia when it was still a country and Tito was alive. Should we nominate this as a possibility for a 2018 year long book? (We'll have to stock our bars with slivovitz. *wink*)

[Kareni]

A one day only book by Eleanor Roosevelt that is currently free for Kindle readers ~

 

This Troubled World by Eleanor Roosevelt 

 

"Eleanor Roosevelt’s stirring call for peace in the face of rising fascism.
 
We will have to want peace, want it enough to pay for it, pay for it in our own behavior and in material ways.
 
In 1938, with fascist regimes gaining strength and global tensions on the rise, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt published a visionary plan for achieving world peace. This Troubled World offers a clear-eyed assessment of the political climate in the aftermath of World War I and a set of pragmatic proposals for avoiding global violence.
 
Anticipating the United Nations by nearly a decade, Roosevelt calls for a new world court to replace the failed League of Nations. She speaks of the need to define aggressor nations and to establish a system of trade embargoes to punish wrongdoing. She also advocates for an international peacekeeping force to intervene where economic weapons are insufficient.
 
Along with these proposals—which were in direct opposition to the policies of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration—Mrs. Roosevelt concludes that world peace cannot be achieved with political machinery alone; it requires a popular commitment to tolerance and brotherly love."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Kareni]

An interesting article with a somewhat silly title ~

 

How pregnancy made this publisher a seeker of gooey romance novels  by Chiki Sarkar

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Negin]

Quick note to say that two books on my wish list are on sale today - the Kindle versions:

 

Chesapeake

 

The Last Jihad

 

  

[Kareni]

Do you like biographies?  If so, this post might be of interest ~

 

Women’s History Month: Our Favorite Biographies

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Mom-ninja.]

Still obsessing over the Terra Ignota series I finished last night, and found this review by Jo Walton that describes my feelings very well, so I had to share it:

 

"It’s quite a common experience when you’re a teenager to read a book that blows you away, that causes the top of your head to come off and your brain to rearrange itself and be a better more interesting brain thereafter. . . It’s a much less common experience when you’re grown up. I read books now and I think “Oh I like this! This is a really great example of that thingâ€. I may get immersed in a book and hyperventilate but I won’t finish a book and think “Wait, who am I? Why is the world like this? Do I even have a head? This did that to me.†

 

I'm not sure if I want to read the series or if I want to avoid it. I'm all confused. 

 

I'm listening to American Gods  at the moment and that book is already messing with my mind. The s&x scene had me  :huh:  :ohmy:  :scared:  :eek:  :ack2:  :001_unsure:  :lurk5:  :thumbup1: . It was so shockingly unexpected and disturbing and at the same time left me with an oddly satisfied feeling. No pun intended. I find that Neil Gaiman has that knack of doing that to me. I think that's his goal, to shock, to disturb, to scare, and at the same time have you like it. 

 

I need a nice safe non-fiction to balance me out when I read Gaiman.  

[Mom-ninja.]

VC, so sorry you have a stomach bug in the house. To me there is not much worse than a stomach bug. I'd much rather a cold or the flu any day over a something that causes vomiting. 

[Mom-ninja.]

Do you like biographies?  If so, this post might be of interest ~

 

Women’s History Month: Our Favorite Biographies

 

Regards,

Kareni

Well, that sure lead to rabbit trails

[Liz CA]

Thank you for writing Frost's poem out.

[ErinE]

An interesting article with a somewhat silly title ~

 

How pregnancy made this publisher a seeker of gooey romance novels  by Chiki Sarkar

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

I definitely wasn't interested in romance novels when I was pregnant. But I was a terrible pregnant lady. No real medical issues, just awful nausea, legs popping out of my hip joint, baby wedged up under my ribs, painful veins. Romance was the last thing on my mind.  :tongue_smilie:

[mumto2]

After being very enthusiastic about The Incryptid series I have to admit I an suffering from extreme let down. As another BaWer already said Magic for Nothing https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30712676-magic-for-nothing simply is not as good.

 

The author, Seanan McGuire, has a new book in a new series just released called Every Heart Doorway. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25526296-every-heart-a-doorway. I'm on the wait list.

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Onceuponatime]

I did abandon The Summer Before the War. Then I remembered the discussion here about what kind of books we like. I asked myself why I couldn't get into that book. Well, I like books that intrigue me, which is kind of a personal taste. They need to have something I want to learn or find out. It could be something about the characters, the plot, or information about the real world: A little mystery, a little magic, a little obscure information, a little teasing by the author, failing that -subtle/cryptic humor will do nicely. The Summer Before the War didn't really fill any of those qualifications for me in the first few chapters. It felt very predictable and formulaic. Of course it could have turned unexpectedly, but I didn't feel like waiting to find out.

 

I'm now reading The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett and enjoying it so far. It is so much better than his last book that had Jane Austen as a topic. Like his other books, this is a book about books, this time Arthurian legends, centered around a book missing from a cathedral library. There is not only the mystery associated with the lost book, the grail, and the history of the cathedral, but there is also the clash of the modern electronic age of libraries with conserving antiquities and tradition.

Edited March 28, 2017 by Onceuponatime

[ErinE]

The author, Seanan McGuire, has a new book in a new series just released called Every Heart Doorway. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25526296-every-heart-a-doorway. I'm on the wait list.

 

The writing is gorgeous, McGuire at her descriptive best, but I didn't realize it was a novella so the end felt very hurried. She's planning additional books in the series which is exciting.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I'm not sure if I want to read the series or if I want to avoid it. I'm all confused. 

 

I'm listening to American Gods  at the moment and that book is already messing with my mind. The s&x scene had me  :huh:  :ohmy:  :scared:  :eek:  :ack2:  :001_unsure:  :lurk5:  :thumbup1: . It was so shockingly unexpected and disturbing and at the same time left me with an oddly satisfied feeling. No pun intended. I find that Neil Gaiman has that knack of doing that to me. I think that's his goal, to shock, to disturb, to scare, and at the same time have you like it. 

 

I need a nice safe non-fiction to balance me out when I read Gaiman.  

 

 

I totally get it. I'm not sure if I want to recommend the series, desperate as I am to have someone to talk about it with!!  

 

This series isn't anything like a Neil Gaiman book, really, but it has that same effect that his books can - and Too Like The Lightning had some shocking, unexpected, and disturbing stuff in it, for sure, yet it was all . . . somehow . . . right. Necessary. Not egregious, although some of the past actions described were completely over the top, they were a necessary expression of who the character was and what they believed. The actions were internally consistent. That scene you're talking about in American Gods was shocking and disturbing, and it felt to me a little bit out of the blue, although it fit the story ok. This book's disturbing scenes don't have quite the same effect.

 

I should say, this book has disturbing descriptions of torture, rape, really awful stuff. But because it's told about, as past actions deeply regretted, in this amazing narrative voice, it has a completely different impact than if it was describing something awful/traumatic happening in the now of the story, or in a character's remembered past to them. I don't know how to explain the difference of the effect. I quit reading The Underground Railroad because that kind of description of torture/trauma was way too much for me, I couldn't go there. This had a completely different effect. So hard to put into words, but a pretty amazing accomplishment by the author. 

[Kareni]

The author, Seanan McGuire, has a new book in a new series just released called Every Heart Doorway. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25526296-every-heart-a-doorway. I'm on the wait list.

 

 

The writing is gorgeous, McGuire at her descriptive best, but I didn't realize it was a novella so the end felt very hurried. She's planning additional books in the series which is exciting.

 

I read the book last May.  I thought it looked like a young adult novel but definitely wasn't, that it was a quick read, and

that it was an interesting story but not one that really spoke to me.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I know we have/had fans of Wilkie Collins on the thread.

 

A one day only classic that is currently free for Kindle readers ~

 

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

 

"The first and greatest sensation novel, a thrilling story of evil thwarted and love reclaimed

The night before he leaves London for a temporary engagement in the North of England, drawing instructor Walter Hartright walks home on an empty, moonlit road. Suddenly a hand reaches out of the darkness and touches him on the shoulder. Terrified, he turns to find a woman, dressed all in white, who begs him for help in getting to a friend’s place in the city. By a strange coincidence, the woman knows Limmeridge House, the country estate to which Walter is traveling in the morning. Stranger still, she refuses to reveal anything else about herself, including her name. Only after he sees her safely into a cab does Walter learn the truth—the woman in white has just escaped from an insane asylum.

In Limmeridge, Walter falls in love with one of his students, the beautiful and virtuous Laura Fairlie. An orphan in the care of her invalid uncle, Laura is engaged to Sir Percival Glyde, a baronet. She follows through with the marriage despite her feelings for Walter, but soon realizes her mistake. Sir Percival will stop at nothing to gain complete control of Laura’s inheritance, and his diabolical plot hinges on her astonishing resemblance to the mysterious woman in white. It is up to Walter and Marian, Laura’s devoted half-sister, to rescue fair Laura from a fate worse than death.

With its shocking twists and spine-chilling suspense, The Woman in White charted a whole new course for popular fiction. Devilishly entertaining and deadly serious in its indictment of Victorian marriage laws that impoverished women, it is widely recognized as one the nineteenth century’s finest novels."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

The writing is gorgeous, McGuire at her descriptive best, but I didn't realize it was a novella so the end felt very hurried. She's planning additional books in the series which is exciting.

 

 

My multiquotes are out of order so.....

 

I am glad to know you enjoyed it. I have been looking forward to reading the book and had no idea it's a novella. Thanks to my Kindle I wouldn't have known until I was actually reading it!

 

 

 

I did abandon The Summer Before the War. Then I remembered the discussion here about what kind of books we like. I asked myself why I couldn't get into that book. Well, I like books that intrigue me, which is kind of a personal taste. They need to have something I want to learn or find out. It could be something about the characters, the plot, or information about the real world: A little mystery, a little magic, a little obscure information, a little teasing by the author, failing that -subtle/cryptic humor will do nicely. The Summer Before the War didn't really fill any of those qualifications for me in the first few chapters. It felt very predictable and formulaic. Of course it could have turned unexpectedly, but I didn't feel like waiting to find out.

I'm now reading The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett and enjoying it so far. It is so much better than his last book that had Jane Austen as a topic. Like his other books, this is a book about books, this time Arthurian legends, centered around a book missing from a cathedral library. There is not only the mystery associated with the lost book, the grail, and the history of the cathedral, but there is also the clash of the modern electronic age of libraries with conserving antiquities and tradition.

 

 

I have the Lost Book of the Grail on hold also. :)

 

I have to agree about your reading philosophy. The book needs either interest me by it's setting or the characters need to be ones I find entertaining.

 

 

 

I have started one that I think Jenn &/or mumto2 recommended last year: Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch. Fun fluff for me so far. Made my way part-way through because I had to take ds to the doctor yesterday. And later today, I'll be sitting at an orthodontic appointment.

  

 

Midnight Riot is probably a recommendation from both of us. I managed to get Jenn hooked on them. I am so glad you are enjoying it! :)

 

 

I read the book last May.  I thought it looked like a young adult novel but definitely wasn't, that it was a quick read, and

that it was an interesting story but not one that really spoke to me.

 

Regards,

Kareni

Sorry guys, not a new release. I thought I waited through the coming soon part on my overdrive which normally means it's a new release.

 

Since Kareni and I frequently enjoy the same paranormal books I am even more curious about it now. As I keep saying I love her Incryptid series but abandoned the Rosemary and Rue one very early when reading the first book. Planning to try again....

[Kareni]

Some recent reads ~

 

'Tis the season?  I guess it is for me.  This book is appropriate for all readers:

 

A Regency Christmas II by Mary Balogh, Carla Kelly, Mary Jo Putney, Anita Mills, Sheila Walsh, and Mary Jo Putney

 

I picked it up yesterday at a thrift store when I saw it included stories by a couple of my favorite authors (the first two above).  I enjoyed all of the stories, only one of which had I previously read.  I enjoyed the Mary Jo Putney story because it told the story of a minor character who was mentioned in her book, The Rake.

**

 

A Storm of Stories  by K.B. Jensen

 

This was a curious novel in that consisted of stories being told by a man and a woman who were trapped in a car during a storm.  I was sufficiently engrossed in that I read the whole book, but it's not a book I'm inclined to reread.  It was NOT a romance.

 

"Sometimes telling a story is just another way to stay alive. Swerving to avoid a hitchhiker out in a whiteout storm, Julie’s car ends up wedged in a snow bank. With the inches piling higher on the dark road, she can’t escape a man who makes little sense. Stranded in the freezing cold, the two tell stories to pass the time. From the Midwest to India, Denmark and Canada, they offer visions of lives and loves from young to old, far and wide. But as the hours blur together, and the snow and ice set in, it becomes less clear how their own story will end.

A tale of love, craziness and impossibility."

**

 

The Douglas Fir  by Anyta Sunday

 

"Somehow, someway, Jason will find Noah the most unique and clever gift ever. A gift that will surprise him, and win his heart.

A gift that just might be magic.

If only that Dave guy would stop getting in the way..."

 

This was a pleasant story.  (Some adult content)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[6packofun]

I finished the lengthy Seveneves by Stephenson a few days ago and I'm so torn because I enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book and the last third bored me to tears.  Really a letdown.  Blah.  I hate when excellent plots aren't fully taken advantage of and fail to wow me!

 

I'm reading Home by Harlan Coben.  Picked it up and didn't realize it was one of his Myron Bolitar stories but I'm liking it quite a bit so far.  I didn't realize that Myron's life had changed significantly and so the feel is much different than the 2 earlier books I tried and put down years ago.

 

Next up is Quick Sand by Malin Persson Giolito, my first Scandinavian pick of the year.  Totally weird, nerdy side trail....I was recently looking up how many billionaires there are in Sweden and was interested to see the last name "Persson" on it 5 times (out of 26).  The first is the owner of H&M fashion stores (started by HIS father) and his four children.  Doesn't seem like this author is related that I can tell, but it also appears to be a common name.  Anywho...  lol

[prairiegirl]

I finished the lengthy Seveneves by Stephenson a few days ago and I'm so torn because I enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book and the last third bored me to tears. Really a letdown. Blah. I hate when excellent plots aren't fully taken advantage of and fail to wow me!

 

I'm reading Home by Harlan Coben. Picked it up and didn't realize it was one of his Myron Bolitar stories but I'm liking it quite a bit so far. I didn't realize that Myron's life had changed significantly and so the feel is much different than the 2 earlier books I tried and put down years ago.

 

Next up is Quick Sand by Malin Persson Giolito, my first Scandinavian pick of the year. Totally weird, nerdy side trail....I was recently looking up how many billionaires there are in Sweden and was interested to see the last name "Persson" on it 5 times (out of 26). The first is the owner of H&M fashion stores (started by HIS father) and his four children. Doesn't seem like this author is related that I can tell, but it also appears to be a common name. Anywho... lol

I love Harlan Coben but not a big fan of the Mickey Bolitar books. I, too, picked up Home not knowing it was a Mickey book. I didn't mind it. It was definitely the best of the Mickey books.

[Butter]

I finished Rupee Millionaires by Frank Kusy today.  It was pretty good.  Quite a bit of humor.  A bit eye-opening about how wholesalers/importers work.

[Kareni]

I just finished Rachel Grant's newest book which is probably classified as romantic suspense; I enjoyed it.  (Adult content)

 

Tinderbox (Flashpoint Book 1) by Rachel Grant

 

"This first novel in Grant's Flashpoint series offers a multilayered, suspenseful plot that's strengthened by its appealing characters, strong attention to detail, and a healthy dose of romance." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

 

"In the volatile tinderbox of the Horn of Africa, Morgan Adler has made the paleoanthropological find of a lifetime. The discovery brings her to the attention of a warlord eager to claim both Morgan and the fossils, forcing her to make a desperate dash to the nearby US military base to beg for protection.

Master Sergeant Pax Blanchard has orders to intercept Dr. Adler before she reaches the base, and in so doing saves her life. After a harrowing afternoon he safely delivers her to his commanders, only to find his responsibilities toward protecting the obstinate archaeologist have only just begun.

Morgan and Pax are forced to work together in the Djiboutian desert heat, but it is the fire that ignites between them that threatens to combust them both. For the Green Beret, involvement with the woman he must protect is a threat to his career, while for the archaeologist, the soldier is everything she never wanted but somehow can’t resist. When Morgan uncovers a mystery surrounding Djibouti’s most scarce and vital resource, the danger to her reaches the flashpoint. For Pax, protecting her is no longer a matter of following orders, and he’ll risk everything to bring her back alive."

 

 

If you'd like to sample the author's writing, one of her other books is currently free to Kindle readers ~ Concrete Evidence (Evidence Series Book 1)  by Rachel Grant.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Kareni]

And now I've finished Close Enough to Touch: A Nove by Colleen Oakley which I enjoyed.  I'll be on the lookout for other books by this author.

 

"One time a boy kissed me and I almost died...

And so begins the story of Jubilee Jenkins, a young woman with a rare and debilitating medical condition: she's allergic to other humans. After a humiliating near-death experience in high school, Jubilee has become a recluse, living the past nine years in the confines of the small town New Jersey house her unaffectionate mother left to her when she ran off with a Long Island businessman. But now, her mother is dead, and without her financial support, Jubilee is forced to leave home and face the world--and the people in it--that she's been hiding from.

One of those people is Eric Keegan, a man who just moved into town for work. With a daughter from his failed marriage who is no longer speaking to him, and a brilliant, if psychologically troubled, adopted son, Eric's struggling to figure out how his life got so off-course, and how to be the dad--and man--he wants so desperately to be. Then, one day, he meets a mysterious woman named Jubilee, with a unique condition...

Close Enough to Touch is an evocative, poignant, and heartrending exploration of the power and possibilities of the human heart."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Narrow Gate Academy]

I finished reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Kondo and posted a long review on my blog and Goodreads. I think my favorite part was her folding method. My first attempts didn't quite work, but I found

which was extremely helpful. Then I decluttered three drawers so I could put it to practice, and now all three now have an amazing amount of room. I like being able to see all of the contents at a glance.

 

Next up for nonfiction is The Obesity Code which I have until the 8th.

Edited March 29, 2017 by Narrow Gate Academy

[Lady Florida.]

I love Harlan Coben but not a big fan of the Mickey Bolitar books. I, too, picked up Home not knowing it was a Mickey book. I didn't mind it. It was definitely the best of the Mickey books.

 

I only read the first Mickey Bolitar book and wasn't impressed. I enjoyed the Myron Bolitar books for quite a while, but eventually tired of them. I've never read any of Coben's stand alone books, though I've often meant to try one.

[Mom-ninja.]

I did not read The Obesity Code in entirety so maybe someone here can answer. Does he at all address HIIT and strength training and how that affects insulin, glucose usage, and glucose/glycogen storage? From what I gleaned he did not. I take issue with that as he leaves out what I feel is vital information. If you regularly do HIIT your body is burning fuel (glucose or fat) for many hours later while resting. The same goes for muscle. Muscle is hungry and gobbles up fuel even in resting state. So just those two things alone will dramatically decrease the amount of unused glucose in your blood which would then be stored as fat. You can eat that banana and enjoy the many health benefits from all the fiber, vitamins, and minerals without worrying about the fructose being stored as fat.

 

Obviously, people with diabetes have different concerns when it comes to glucose and insulin. However, type 2 diabetes (which he addresses) can be helped with building muscle mass.Muscle and brain love glucose and eat lots of it. So double up and lift weights while listening to an audio book. ;) 

 

So does he go into HIIT and muscle mass? 

[mumto2]

I only read the first Mickey Bolitar book and wasn't impressed. I enjoyed the Myron Bolitar books for quite a while, but eventually tired of them. I've never read any of Coben's stand alone books, though I've often meant to try one.

Only one Mickey Bolitar for me too. I've continued to read the Myron Bolitar books but agree they were going downhill. The current one Home was good. I really enjoyed it.

 

Btw, I like most of his stand alones far better than the Bolitar series. One of them was a bit too much a repeat of previous plots for me to really like it but other than that great suspense books.

[Ethel Mertz]

Yesterday, I finished Ali and Nino for the translated bingo square. I found it interesting, but not all-consuming. Here is the blurb from the back of the book.

 

"Ali Khan is an Islamic boy from Azerbaijan with his ancestors' passion for the desert and warrior legends. His lover, Nino, a beautiful Christian girl from Georgia (the country, not the state), is the child with a more European sensibility. Close from childhood despite admonishments from their families, the lovers spend their days in Baku on the Caspian Sea. There, in a city where Orient and Occident collide, they are inevitably caught up in the events of the First World War and the Russian Revolution. First published in Vienna in 1937, Ali and Nino has been hailed as one of the enduring romantic novels of the century. With the rise of fundamentalism and the collapse of the Soviet Union, its remarkable story has gained an unexpected topicality and resonance for today's readers."

[Butter]

This morning I finished Queen Victoria's Children by John Van der Kiste.  I really enjoyed it.  The only problem was keeping track of who was who (there were handy charts in the back to help with that).  Sometimes the author used the children's given names, sometimes their nicknames, and sometimes their official title names.  It wasn't really consistent so that made it a bit difficult.  It was quite fascinating how Victoria spread her kids/grandkids all around the royalty of the world.

[aggieamy]

Finished Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem by David Oshinsky. Highly recommend. It's not just the history of the hospital but the history of medicine in the US with the hospital serving as the backdrop. A few of the sections (prohibition, yellow fever, AIDS) were so fascinating that I wish they'd had their own books. Also I'm glad we've progressed past bleeding and purging.   :scared:  Wow. Early medicine was horrific. 

 

 

Ethel - this book touches on the medical and nursing school attached. I think you and your mother would really find it interesting since she has worked there. 

[aggieamy]

Mom-ninja - A while back after I read Spark I posted that I was getting on the treadmill everyday and HATING it. You kindly scolded me and told me to find something I loved. I took your advice. I've been playing tennis and it's much better. When I have no choice but to get on the treadmill for my 30 minutes of cardio then I take a kindle book and it's better that way.  I'm also getting more books read that way. Win-Win-Win!

[Kareni]

A one day only classic that is currently free for Kindle readers ~

 

Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

 

"The beloved story of a puppet who longs to be a boy—and whose nose grows with every lie he tells

When the poor woodcarver Geppetto builds a lifelike puppet, he doesn’t expect it to become a willful creature who talks back, dances, and generally misbehaves. Determined to have great adventures, Pinocchio runs away. Out in the big world, he makes many animal friends—and enemies—including a cat, a fox, a fire-eater, a giant dog-fish, and sea monsters. He is thrown in jail, stranded on an island of bees, in danger of being fried like a fish, and turned into a donkey. And every time he tells a lie, his nose grows longer. But he wants more than anything to be a real boy.
 
The classic tale of the rebellious marionette who discovers what it means to be human continues to delight young readers across the world."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

Yesterday I finally had a chance to sit down and finish Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop. I wanted to be able to immerse myself in a book that I knew I would really enjoy. I gave it 5 stars and thought that it was done exceeding well for a fifth book in a series. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22062213-etched-in-bone

 

I also finished MC Beaton's Death of a Ghost. It is the 32nd book in the Hamish MacBeth series. It was very typical Hamish solving the crime but I will admit I really enjoyed it. I haven't actually used one of my mysteries for Bingo yet and for now this is residing in the spot. :)

[JennW in SoCal]

Greetings friends! [Waves through the hazy fog of jet lag.]

 

We got home late afternoon yesterday after the longest Tuesday ever. 3 hours on the Shinkansen (bullet train), another hour on an express to the airport, 10 hours on the airplane, and thanks to the mercy of the the Southern California traffic gods, only 2 hours in the car. I slept on the plane, slept hours and hours last night, but my body is ready to sleep again as it is the middle of the night in Japan.

 

My reading buddy for this leg of our trip was the audio version of the first Wheel of Time book, Eye of the World. It is the perfect book for such travel as I slept through half of it but missed nothing! High praise indeed for the book, but my boy in Japan has been begging me to read the series so we can talk about it. He says he has never equally loved and hated any other books, and I can see why. Great world building, basic fantasy epic hero trope, a dark and mysterious power. There are strong female characters who are unfortunately portrayed as stubborn and shrewish.  What's not to love and hate?

 

We had a fabulous time in Japan. The food is all so good, from the sashimi to the bakeries. My husband and I got scolded for our apparently crass behavior in quietly discussing the art at a museum -- the place was as quiet as a morgue with people standing in long, quiet contemplation in front of each work. It was an exhibit on loan from the D'Orrsey. We spent a day at a unique Disney park with thousands and thousands of mostly teen agers, mostly female groups of friends who purposely dressed alike. The park, Disney Sea, was pretty amazing, by the way. We visited shrines and temples with throngs of tourists from all over the world, and went off the beaten path to explore the less popular shrines and temples. Because it is a time of spring celebration, many Japanese women (and some Chinese and Western tourists) were dressed in traditional kimono while visiting the shrines and temples. A few men were also in traditional garb. We had dinner at the house of an old friend. We spent a night in a traditional Japanese inn in the mountains, soaked in a hot springs tub while large fluffy snow flakes fell, then had a 14 course Japanese meal.  My son who is teaching there was in shock at seeing so many Westerners as he is one of 5 Westerners in his rural community.

 

All in all a whirlwind of a good time. I'll post some pictures later today or tomorrow.

[Jane in NC]

Welcome back, Jenn. Can't wait to see the photos!

[mumto2]

Jenn, I can't wait to see the photos!

[Mom-ninja.]

Mom-ninja - A while back after I read Spark I posted that I was getting on the treadmill everyday and HATING it. You kindly scolded me and told me to find something I loved. I took your advice. I've been playing tennis and it's much better. When I have no choice but to get on the treadmill for my 30 minutes of cardio then I take a kindle book and it's better that way.  I'm also getting more books read that way. Win-Win-Win!

 

:hurray:   I've never played tennis, but it looks like so much fun. Do you like jump rope? I think adults forget how much fun jumping rope can be. It's fun to have a competition with one's kids. 

 

Guess what I did today? I forgot my book in the car when I went to the dr. If that wasn't bad enough I had a long wait time, and I sat there so bored. There weren't even magazines. The horror. I sat there for a total of an hour with nothing to read. My x-ray was on the screen in the exam room while I was waiting so I started naming all the bones to see if I could remember them. The good news is that all I need is PT. That hopefully will solve my problem. Forgetting my book was a big problem though and I suffered. 

[Narrow Gate Academy]

Finished book 31, The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie for my March birthstone challenge this afternoon. I also decided to up my goal for the year from 52 to 71.

[Heatherwith4]

Hi everybody! I'm still plodding along....I haven't really read anything I loved in weeks, which is a bummer.

 

The boys and I finished The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. They loved it, but I was meh about it.

 

I've tried to read The Outlander series, but the ebook was returned to the library, and I didn't check it back out right now. I have begun Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. That one is interesting so far. I finished a biography a couple weeks ago, too.

[prairiegirl]

Only one Mickey Bolitar for me too. I've continued to read the Myron Bolitar books but agree they were going downhill. The current one Home was good. I really enjoyed it.

 

Btw, I like most of his stand alones far better than the Bolitar series. One of them was a bit too much a repeat of previous plots for me to really like it but other than that great suspense books.

Oops, I goofed. I meant to say that I am not a big fan of the Myron Bolitar books. I like his stand alone books much better.

[Kareni]

I had the rare situation today where I had no library holds to pick up, so I grabbed an old favorite from the library's Read and Return rack as I left the library to catch the bus.  I re-read with pleasure Linda Howard's Now You See Her.

 

"A talented landscape painter and portrait artist in her early thirties, Paris Sweeney has achieved enviable success: her work sells at an exclusive New York City gallery owned by her friend, Candra Worth, and her popularity is at an all-time high. Sweeney, as she is affectionately called by those close to her, loves her work and is content with her life.

 

Then she begins to notice odd changes: traffic lights turn green when she approaches. Her plants are in full bloom out of season. Perhaps they're jist coincidences, but she can't ignore her dreams -- lush, vivid, and drenched in vibrant hues -- which are influencing her artwork. And she can't deny her growing

restlessness....Suddenly, impulsively, Sweeney finds herself unable to resist a night of intense passion with millionaire Richard Worth, Candra's estranged husband. But the true dangers of her all-consuming urges are about to be revealed where Sweeney least expects it: in her paintings.

 

After a creative frenzy she can barely recall, Sweeney discovers she has rendered a disturbing image -- a graphic murder scene. Against her better instincts, she returns to the canvas time and again, filling out each chilling detail piece by piece -- a shoe, the body of a victim, and soon, the victim's face. But when a shattering, real-life murder mirrors her creation, Sweeney is thrust into suspicious light. Now, with every stroke of her brush, she risks incriminating herself with her inexplicable knowledge of a deadly crime. And every desire -- including her hungry attraction to Richard -- is loaded with uncertainty and terrifying discovery as Sweeney races to unmask a killer."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[ErinE]

As we reach the end of women's history month, I found an interesting article on Ellen Swallow Richards, the first woman to receive a degree from MIT. The fact she was homeschooled is in quotes though I'm not sure why. She didn't attend formal school until the age of sixteen. A quote from the article:
 

She was driven by the principle of ecology, a new field of study at the time, that focused on the interactions of plants and animals, and how those interactions sustained the health and survival of species. Richards, though, went further. She introduced the term ecology, coined by German biologist Ernst Haeckel, to the American public, and defined it as “the science of normal lives.â€

 

[Jane in NC]

As we reach the end of women's history month, I found an interesting article on Ellen Swallow Richards, the first woman to receive a degree from MIT. The fact she was homeschooled is in quotes though I'm not sure why. She didn't attend formal school until the age of sixteen. A quote from the article:

 

 

What a great article.  Thanks for posting, Erin!

 

I love her "creed":

 

"Utilization of all resources of modern science".  Sing it, sister!

 

"Home Economics" is no longer used as a term; now it is "Family and Consumer Science" with an emphasis on science through nutrition.  Sewing has been lost which I think is a shame.

 

 

[Jane in NC]

Adding to Erin's quote above: those of you not familiar with Ernst Haeckel might want to check out some of his biological illustrations.  I am very fond of them.

 

http://www.kuriositas.com/2012/01/art-forms-of-nature-ernst-haeckel.html

[ErinE]

Adding to Erin's quote above: those of you not familiar with Ernst Haeckel might want to check out some of his biological illustrations.  I am very fond of them.

 

http://www.kuriositas.com/2012/01/art-forms-of-nature-ernst-haeckel.html

 

I adore these. If I could have an office, I would fill it with these framed illustrations. So beautiful.

 

I wonder if the cover of The Invention of Nature was inspired by his work? The book cover is a similar style, though not as gorgeous as Haeckel's art.

Edited March 30, 2017 by ErinE

[Jane in NC]

I adore these. If I could have an office, I would fill it with these framed illustrations. So beautiful.

 

I wonder if the cover of The Invention of Nature was inspired by his work? The book cover is a similar style, though not as gorgeous as Haeckel's art.

 

Haeckel and Humboldt are of the same time period so there is certainly the influence of the Victorian style of embellishment.  Haeckel sometimes sacrificed scientific accuracy for the sake of artistic composition but I too love his work. 

 

If you PM your snail mail address to me, Erin (or anyone else), I'll send you a Haeckel postcard.

[ErinE]

Haeckel and Humboldt are of the same time period so there is certainly the influence of the Victorian style of embellishment.  Haeckel sometimes sacrificed scientific accuracy for the sake of artistic composition but I too love his work. 

 

If you PM your snail mail address to me, Erin (or anyone else), I'll send you a Haeckel postcard.

 

Done! Thank you!