Stacia Posted May 26, 2017 Share Posted May 26, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted May 26, 2017 Share Posted May 26, 2017 Around the world in 37 books 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' instead of 'We of the Never Never,' or Nevil Shute or Henry Lawson or Anita Heiss? I bite my thumb at them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted May 26, 2017 Share Posted May 26, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted May 26, 2017 Share Posted May 26, 2017 A one day only currently free Kindle classic ~ Pensées by Blaise Pascal "An illuminating exploration of the nature of faith from one of history’s greatest thinkersBlaise Pascal was not a gambler, but he posited one of the most famous wagers of all time: Every man’s life is a bet against God. It is a wager that any man can win, however. Sacrifice earthly pleasures—drink, lust, sin, etc.—and a lifetime of happiness awaits, in this world or the next. Live every day as if God exists, and you can’t lose. Pascal devised his wager in the seventeenth century, but the lessons written by this brilliant man ring true today. In this collection of fragments intended as a defense of Christianity, everything is up for debate. From the nature of love to the relationship between scientific inquiry and religious faith, Pascal shows that skepticism and devotion go hand in hand." Regards, Kareni 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted May 26, 2017 Share Posted May 26, 2017 (edited) Around the world in 37 books Love it, thanks! I recently decided to start my own personal reading-around-the-world challenge. I was inspired by Ann Morgan's A Year of Reading the World project, but I have no deadline. I am still working on making up my rules for myself. Her list is here. It was a 2012 project - y'all probably talked about it long ago...but maybe it is new to somebody. Edited May 26, 2017 by Penguin 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted May 26, 2017 Share Posted May 26, 2017 A couple of book reviews I enjoyed reading ~ Winter Tide by Ruthanna Emrys by Carrie S from the SBTB site "Winter Tide is the first novel in the Innsmouth Legacy series (it was preceded by a novella, The Litany of Earth). It’s one of a wave of recent books that re-imagines the legacy of H.P. Lovecraft in a feminist and otherwise inclusive and progressive light. It’s probably possible to enjoy this book without knowing anything about its inspiration, but here’s a refresher on the original Innsmouth story. “The Shadow Over Innsmouth†was written by H.P. Lovecraft (1890 – 1937). Lovecraft was a creepy dude who was racist, and when I say, racist, I mean that even his contemporaries were all, “Dude, maybe dial it down.†Here is an incomplete list of people and things that Lovecraft disliked: Jewish people (except his wife, who had “assimilated†to his satisfaction) Homosexuality Anyone who didn’t fit his definition of “white,†which was most people, including the Welsh Immigrants The theory of relativity..." AND REVIEW: The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy by Jennie from the Dear Author site "Dear Reader: Thomas Hardy and I have a fraught relationship (not that he’s aware of it, having been dead for the past 89 years). Once upon a time I read Jude the Obscure, and I did not like it. It was boring and depressing , a particularly noxious combination. Then I read Far From the Madding Crowd, and liked it quite a bit better; I gave it a B+. Recently, I decided to give The Mayor of Casterbridge a try. It ended up falling in the middle of the other two books; not as dull or depressing as Jude the Obscure but less compelling (and more downbeat) than Far From the Madding Crowd...." Regards, Kareni 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted May 26, 2017 Share Posted May 26, 2017 Yesterday I read with pleasure Laura Florand's contemporary romance Trust Me (Paris Nights). While this is third in a series, it stands alone well. The heroine is a survivor of a terror attack -- which does not seem as fictional an event these days as one would wish. (Adult content) "She's nobody's damsel in distress...Top Parisian pastry chef Lina Farah is used to fighting for her success. But when a violent attack shatters her security, she needs a new tactic to battle her dragons. What better way to banish the monsters under her bed than by inviting a sexy SEAL to tangle the sheets?He's a professional dragon slayer...Elite operative Jake Adams has never stayed in one place long enough to form a lasting relationship. Lina's fire and beauty tempt him to give her the hot affair she craves. But her spirit and courage make him long for more. Can he convince a woman seeking forgetfulness to dream of ever after...with him?" ** I also read Half-Blood Dragon: Book One of the Dragon Born Trilogy by K.N. Lee. This was an enjoyable fantasy except for two facts -- first, it ends with a definite cliffhanger and second, some of the language doesn't seem to fit the setting (for example, use of the word okay). It's currently free to Kindle readers if you wish to read it. "Pirates, dragons, mermaids. Embark on a coming of age journey that will leave you breathless. New York Times bestselling author, K.N. Lee presents Half-Blood Dragon, the first epic fantasy adventure in the Dragon Born Trilogy. A lady-in-waiting's job is to follow orders. For Rowen, it is to execute her stepfather's plan to elevate the family's station by an advantageous marriage to the crown prince. Intrigue and seduction fill Rowen's days, but the prophecies that haunt her dreams at night warn her that death awaits.The taunts of her sleepless nights are realized when she is framed and sentenced to death for the prince's murder. For a human, there's nowhere to run and no one to turn to in a kingdom where power is tightly held by full-blooded dragon shifters.It will take a stranger from the shadows to save Rowen from execution and reveal a truth full of terrifying potential. It is time for Rowen to find the courage to accept her fate, awaken her gift, and set the world on fire." Regards, Kareni 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted May 26, 2017 Share Posted May 26, 2017 My husband recently finished Jay Worrall's Any Approaching Enemy: A Novel of the Napoleonic Wars which is the third book in the series that began with Sails on the Horizon. While he enjoyed it, he found it less satisfying than the first two books. I'll be interested to hear if any one else reads the series and what their thoughts are. Regards, Kareni 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted May 26, 2017 Share Posted May 26, 2017 I finished reading the fifth Mosaic Chronicles book, Reclaim, by Andrea Pearson. I really, really like this series and starting with the next book it'll have more characters from the Kilenya series I'm reading to my boys so I'm pretty excited about that. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 This week (photo evidence above) I got to meet Amy and her delightful family. In a lovely literary setting, too -- a ruined abbey on a windswept island, and the cultural mecca that is Edinburgh ("Embro"), via Waverley Station. Devoted husband, charming daughter, and fearless son -- the novel writes itself, if only the bagpiper in the island wedding party had been found dead among the seagull nesting rocks.... Last night I finished George Douglas' classic novel The House with the Green Shutters, the book that is regarded as bringing an end to the sentimentalized turn-of-the-century "kailyard school" of Scottish literature (Ian Maclaren, J. M. Barrie, George MacDonald). It's the story of an exceeding unpleasant man in southwest Scotland, his unpleasant neighbors, and his unpleasant and doomed family. Not cheerful reading, but very enjoyable. 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 (edited) The adventures continue in Scotland. The beautiful 85° unseasonable weather we have been having has ended and we're now left the traditional weather. Just as well since all I packed for my family was sweaters. Today we had a great time with Mumto's family. We hit up Stirling Castle and reenacted the Battle of Bannockburn. It was family member against family member in the reenactment. Also it's possible that there was a strategic political alliance formed between Sandy's son and my daughter. So go ahead and save the date for a wedding in 10 years. You'll all be invited. Caitlin patiently chased John all over the place and I was tempted to smuggle her home with me. My family is on the left. Sophia, Kevin, and me. You can see a pair of mystery gray legs kind of hiding behind us. That's John who hates getting his picture taken. On the right is Cameron, Caitlin, Sandy, and Gordon. Edited May 27, 2017 by aggieamy 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 I loved checking in this morning to find such happy posts from Violet Crown and AggieAmy! And photos too! And wouldn't a BaW wedding be delightful? Green with envy, y'all! 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 Rose - So sorry you and your family are going through all this. Safe travels to you! Angela - Great to hear about Abby! I'm not doing well at keeping up with these threads! I've entered an overwhelmed stage where I'll probably be for the next several months. Since I last posted, I finished Madeleine Albright's Prague Winter. Fascinating read of a combination of memoir and history regarding WWII and the Czech Republic. At the same time, I was reading The Chilbury Ladie's Choir, also set during WWII. I highly recommend both books. And then DS and I finished Tolkien's Fellowship of the Ring and had a great time exploring the literary devices Tolkien used. As a lighter read, I finished Ellen Herrick's The Forbidden Garden - Lovely read. Now I'm on to reading Susan Wittig Albert's fictional account of the "special friendship" between journalist Lorena Hickok and Eleanor Roosevelt (Loving Eleanor). I'll probably follow with Susan Quinn's Eleanor & Hick: The Love Affair that Shaped a First Lady. I'm also reading a friend's new book: She Flies On: A White Southern Christian Debutante Wakes Up by Carter Heyward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 The adventures continue in Scotland. ... Today we had a great time with Mumto's family. .... So go ahead and save the date for a wedding in 10 years. You'll all be invited. Thanks for sharing the fun photos! I'll look forward to my wedding invitation. (No, not the weeding invitation which is what my fingers first typed!) Regards, Kareni 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 A one day only currently free Kindle classic ~ The Exploits of Juve by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre About the AuthorsMarcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914) were French authors of crime fiction best known for creating the sinister master criminal Fantômas. Introduced in 1911, the archvillain was an immediate sensation, popular in pulp magazines, books, and silent serials. Allain and Souvestre wrote thirty-two books in the series together. After his cocreator’s death, Allain continued the exploits of Fantômas in eleven more novels. "The scourge of Paris commits his most ingenious crime yetThe second installment in this groundbreaking series opens with a crime that even Inspector Juve, dedicated hunter of the archvillain Fantômas, finds impossible to believe: A woman has been murdered in the very same room the inspector was staking out not an hour before.Only an evil genius such as Fantômas could commit a crime so astonishing. But the master of disguise is dead—or is he? As Inspector Juve investigates, he encounters a host of nefarious characters, including the criminal ringleader Loupart, alias “the Squareâ€; his charming and seductive lover, Josephine; and Doctor Chaleck, who is either an innocent man or a cunning player in a diabolical scheme." Regards, Kareni 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 As you probably already figured out we just arrived home from our BaW adventures. Probably best summarized as .....and a lovely time was had by all. Amy is very lucky my dd didn't smuggle her John home with us. What a cutie! And yes a political alliance was formed. Stay tuned for future meet ups! I'm just sorry things couldn't work out for all three of the BaWer's to meet at once. It was so hot in Scotland. Not something one hears often. Dh convinced us to travel in shorts yesterday and we never changed into our other clothes. The forecast I looked at said mid 60's in Stirling, so wrong! We drove home over the North Yorkshire moors with a massive lighting storm that finished off with hail. Very atmospheric and definitely made me think of my fluffy historicals. Last night around 3am I finished Razor's Edge while my family made sleeping noises all around me. I was boiling while they slept peacefully.....this morning I discovered that the fan definitely wasn't pointed in my direction. Grrr I didn't get much other reading done because the scenery great was on the drive. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 Thank you, BaW families for posting about your adventures. How fun that you were able to get together!!! 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 I was just thinking, what a shame we didn't go over to Stirling today! ... but then the heavens opened and the lightning crashed, and I thought of how fun it might not have been slogging between train and bus and home. But we should figure out some way to get the border BaWers together. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraBeth475 Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 (edited) For me lately: The Case Against Sugar (Gary Taubes) -- eh! Some of the history was fascinating! -- but there was too much of it, and not enough 'case'. Sad to say, I think I ate more sugar afterwards than normal rather than less. Mr. Taubes definitely does not hit my motivating buttons (not just this book but his others as well). Blood of the Earth (Faith Hunter) -- Definitely like this better than the Jane Yellowrock series (as someone here suggested I believe) Death's Rival (Faith Hunter) -- Gave the next Jane Yellowrock a chance after a LONG absence. I think I need to read this series with some space between books. Thick as Thieves (Megan Whelan Turner) -- I really enjoy her books. Fated (Jacka Benedict) -- I enjoyed this -- however, I got the next one out of the library and I 'm not diving in -- so it was not love at first sight :) I Dare (Sharon Lee and Steve Miller) -- reread my favorite of their books Self-Reg (Stuart Shanker) -- the beginning of this was excellent-- but about halfway my interest petered out and took me ages to finish. Probably should relook at the begining (or my notes on it -although often I don't get the emotion or 'essence' when taking notes) to see if I can rekindle the light bulb I was seeing FWIW this is my page 109 quote from weeks ago: "What is it that we find so scary about our kids' emotions?" I Dare was one of my favorite of the Liaden books I've read so far. Pat Rin turned out to be a pretty interesting character. It's the last one I read in that series as well, now that I think about it. I really enjoyed all the Clan Korval books, but I never quite managed the right mood to try the YA oriented books with Theo. Edited May 27, 2017 by LauraBeth475 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 Today I read Conceal by Andrea Pearson. That's the sixth Mosaic Chronicles book and the first in a story arc joining the Kilenya world with the Mosaic world. I love both series, so it was a seriously awesome book. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 (edited) I'm home!!!!!!! Boy, does it look good. Haven't seem my girls yet, they are at the town fair. But soon. Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I finished listening to Mansfield Park on the drive. I know it's less popular than Austen's other novels, but I really enjoyed it. Yes, Fanny is a bit of a prig, but Mrs. Norris is one of the superb satirical characters in all of literature, IMO, and Lady Bertram just behind her. And it's so, I don't know, wholesome? vice punished, but not too badly. virtue rewarded, but not too extravagantly. Everyone learns life lessons and lives happily every after. Just what the doctor ordered. I heard a most wise statement from my parent's pastor yesterday: The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. And I think in a way that could be the moral of Mansfield Park, too. Edited May 27, 2017 by Chrysalis Academy 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted May 28, 2017 Share Posted May 28, 2017 I'm home!!!!!!! Welcome home, Rose! ** Earlier today I finished Ashley Gardner's latest regency mystery A Mystery at Carlton House (Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries Book 12) which I enjoyed. If you're interested in reading this series, do start with the first book which is currently free ~ The Hanover Square Affair (Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries Book 1). Regards, Kareni 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted May 28, 2017 Share Posted May 28, 2017 It is a crowded holiday weekend in coastal Carolina. Fortunately we had a pleasant (and quiet) paddle in the estuary: Yes, that is The Boy and The Girl!! A fisherman warned us that he had seen an alligator in the water the previous day but none materialized. This charming green heron posed for photos as we paddled by. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted May 28, 2017 Share Posted May 28, 2017 Jane - Love the green heron pic! As soon as we get a hitch put on the car for a kayak trailer, we'll be out on the water as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted May 28, 2017 Author Share Posted May 28, 2017 Link to week 22 - please continue conversation in new thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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