Book a Week 2017 - BW 38: September Equinox

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday and welcome to week 38 in our 2017 adventurous prime reading year. Greetings to all our readers and those following our progress. Mister Linky is available weekly on 52 Books in 52 Weeks  to share a link to your book reviews.

 

 

 

Nothing Gold Can Stay

 

By

 

Robert Frost

 

Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

It's time to celebrate the changes of the seasons once again with the September Equinox starting on Friday, the 22nd. The beginning of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere brings on the changing of the leaves and cooler temperatures and Spring in the Southern Hemisphere brings the birth of new wildlife and wildflowers as well as warmer temperatures.

 

 

I have the colors of fall on my mind today - gold, green, yellow, red, orange as well as well as purple and blue from the flowers blooming on the morning glory and sagebrush in my yard.  

 

So my challenge to you is two fold: Pick a color and 1) Find the color in the title or find a book about the color and/or  2) choose a book based on the color of the cover.

 

 

Such as  Ted Dekker's Circle Trilogy:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or Clive Cussler's Inca Gold

 

 

 

Or Red: A History of the Redhead

 

 

 

 

 

(Sorry for the large images. My computer and the internet aren't cooperating today)
 

 

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

 

War and Peace:  Read Volume Four – Part Two

 

Chat about what stood out for you, thoughts on storyline, setting, characters and motives as well as favorite quotes prior to this week’s reading.

 

 

**************************** 

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

Link to Week 37

Edited September 17, 2017 by Robin M

[Robin M]

Not sure what I'm going to read next.  May reread Green or perhaps dive into Lilac Girls or maybe Red House Mysteries.  

[Kareni]

Something bookish ~

 

Danielle Steel’s Desk Is Unlike Anything You’ve Ever Seen

**

 

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

 

The Black Gang by H. C. McNeile

 

About the Author

Herman Cyril McNeile, (28 September 1888 – 14 August 1937), commonly known as Cyril McNeile, was a British soldier and author.

 

 

"A fearsome cadre of ex-soldiers joins Bulldog Drummond on his second explosive adventure

Eight evil men assemble in an English country house. Thieves, white slavers, drug dealers, and communists, they share one common goal: the destruction of everything that England holds dear. Police surround the manor in preparation for a raid. Suddenly, a gang of men in black masks appears and knocks the officers unconscious. Whips in hand, the Black Gang enters the house—and the crooks inside beg for the soft touch of the police.

A conspiracy against the English crown is afoot, the plotters operating just within the boundaries of the law—making it impossible for Scotland Yard to intervene. Thankfully, the Black Gang has no such restraints. Led by the fearless veteran Bulldog Drummond, they will stop at nothing to save England, no matter how many lashings they must deliver along the way."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Chrysalis Academy]

I'm doing well with fall colors: I finished listening to Poe's The Gold Bug this morning. I also started listening to Kim Stanley Robinson's The Wild Shore, and will probably follow with The Gold Coast.

 

I started reading The Massacre of Mankind, the "official" sequel to HG Wells's War of the Worlds. I love that book so I have high hopes for the sequel. The beginning does not disappoint: it's set in 1920, and the Martians are . . . back. But it's written in the same style & tone as the original, and the protagonist is a woman. So I'm excited about it.

 

Other than that, I finished The Long Walk, a RIchard Bachman/Stephen King novel. Really well done psychologically, but the ending felt kind of abrupt and rushed, so I didn't end up liking it as much as I thought I would. I also finished listening to a really good book about treating Lyme disease. Shannon is on Day 4 of antibiotics, and taking a bunch of nutritional & herbal supplements, ramping the herbs up slowly. She has had some struggles, but nothing too much more extreme than her pre-treatment symptoms, so that's a good thing. It's hard to be patient, I'm ready to see a change for the better. 

Edited September 17, 2017 by Chrysalis Academy

[JennW in SoCal]

I have an update on ds and typhoon Talim that will warm the hearts of all you BaW aunties.  

 

When I checked in with him last night it was the peak of the storm, lots of rain and wind, but not hurricane force winds. It was just enough weather to keep him inside and looking for book recommendations. So we messaged back and forth about books for almost an hour.  I suggested The Bear and the Nightingale, Rise of the D.O.D.O and The Historian, and promised him I had heard good things about each title from my BaW gang. His verdict was to get D.O.D.O for his kindle but he couldn't decide which of the other two to start on audible, though he was leaning towards The Historian. Judging by our shared audible account he never did decide. He wanted to know which book I'd want to read so it would be there for me, too. Then we talked about books coming out in November that we are looking forward to, particularly the next Brandon Sanderson Way of Kings. 

 

Haven't finished any books this week, am about half way through War and Turpentine (the Great War was just starting when I left off), and I have a couple of hours left in both Hidden Figures and Blue at the Mizzen. 

 

 

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[Negin]

I read Still the Best Hope: Why the World Needs American Values to Triumph – 5 Stars - Dennis Prager is a favorite of mine and here he gives a clear and strong argument for a return to American values and the two forces that are opposing it. This book is profound and what I always appreciate with Prager is that there is none of the type of nastiness and contempt that one sees so often today.

 

It was challenging for me to pick my favorite quotes. I’ve included a few here. If you wish to see more, you can visit my review on Good Reads. Other quotes are shown at the end of my review.

 

“One of the credos of my life is taken from Viktor Frankl, a Jewish survivor of Nazi concentration camps, who was a psychiatrist and author. In his highly influential book, Man’s Search for Meaning, he related that after the war someone asked him if he ‘hated the German race.’ He responded that he did not because in his view, ‘There are only two races, the decent and the indecent.’ That is how I divide the world. Not between Muslim and non-Muslim, black and white, or American and non-American, but between the decent and indecent. The issues I raise about Islam are not about the decency of Muslims, but about whether Islam in its traditional Islamist configuration is more or less likely than the American value system to produce good societies.â€

 

“Given the amount the human suffering Communists have caused, why is Communist so much less a term of revulsion than Nazi? When people describe particularly evil individuals or regimes, why do they use the terms Nazi or fascist but almost never Communist? And, unlike Hitler, Communist mass murderers are rarely used as examples of evil incarnate. Sometimes, in fact, they are used in a heroic or even entertaining way. There are “Mao†restaurants in various cities in the Western world. It is unlikely that there are any “Hitler†restaurants in the West. So, too, while Che Guevara T-shirts and posters are ubiquitous, there is nothing similar celebrating a Nazi, or fascist, or perhaps any non-Communist killer.â€

 

“I have devoted much of my life to studying, writing, and lecturing about the subject of happiness. In particular, I have advocated that people act as happy as possible even when they do not feel happy. This is, I believe, both a moral obligation to all those who are in our lives—it is unfair to others to inflict our bad moods on them—and a particularly effective way to increase our own happiness, since acting happy elevates one’s mood. This is hardly controversial—in just about every area of life, human beings deeply influence how they feel by how they act. As a rule, those who object to this idea of acting contrary to how one feels are people on the Left—because on the Left, feelings are sacrosanct.â€

 

 

Final picture of Monet's Garden:

 

"Anyone who came to lunch would be conducted around the flowerbeds, water garden, and greenhouses afterward. Those who admired particular fruits and flowers often found that Monet sent them later as gifts."

 

 

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.

Edited September 17, 2017 by Negin

[Kareni]

Jenn, glad to hear that your son is faring well and that you had such an enjoyable book discussion.  Generally, my taste in books is quite different from that of my adult daughter though we've had a few overlaps (The Martian, the Don Camillo books of old, some Star Trek favorites).  I recently sent her a book which I think/hope she'll like ~ The Q  by Beth Brower ~ as it's currently on sale for 99 cents.  I read a very favorable review of the book about a year ago here and it piqued my interest.

**

 

Sending good thoughts for your daughter, Rose.

**

 

And hoping that those who dealt with the forces of nature are getting back to normal and enjoying their power, showers, and  flushing toilets.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

Jenn, Let us know how he likes DODO. I think it will make a great storm companion because it is good and rather long! My vote is for The Historian, especially if you have never read it. I love that book so much that I have been contemplating reading it a third time for spooky October! I might read Dracula again too......or I may just make an effort to finish one of the paranormal series I have started.

 

Speaking of Spooky I have been reading a book by Cherie Priest called The Family Plot that would certainly qualify. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25543181-the-family-plot. So far it's a ghost story that hasn't gone over the spooky everyone has seen a different ghost limit. So mild but not horror....I don't do ghosts particularly well. ;). A group of salvage employees are sent to an old mansion outside of Chattanooga to recover what they can before the estate is demolished and turned into a park......I am at the halfway mark and still reading. This is one that I had intended to weed out of my stack. Read a few pages and return but so far it's good enough to keep reading.

 

I finished White Hot and loved it. I can't wait to get my hands on the third in the series!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22303684-white-hot

[Ali in OR]

Just finished Radiance, a fantasy romance recommended by Kareni and enjoyed it. Thank you! That puts me at 2 books finished this week (fluffy fun stuff). I'm all caught up in W&P, 20 pages into this week's short section, and I'm beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Also made some progress in my non-fiction book, The Nordic Theory of Everything which has me ready to move to a Nordic country. Any of them. Their values as expressed in their health care and education systems are what I wish we could have here in America. It might be worth living up in the cold and dark. I'll be continuing with that and W&P this week.

[Mothersweets]

Hello everyone :)

 

Cold Earth (Shetland Island, #7) by Ann Cleeves was the only book I finished this week. Great detective series in the same vein as the Inspector Gamache books. I've been watching the tv series and found a couple of the books at my local library so I thought I'd give it a try even though I already know what happens. BUT - this was a new-to-me story and I find that certain characters and the timeline has been changed a bit for the tv show. I want to go back and read the series starting with the first one, they're well done and the Shetland Islands are fascinating to me. Anyone been there?

 

Still working on War and Peace.

[Loesje22000]

Almost bedtime here, but I have to react on your post Robin:

 

Ohhhh

New - to - me Ted Dekkers! :)

I didn't know new ones had been released and translated!

Dd has french oral exam this week and I am already stressing for both of us.

I think I will look for a Ted Dekker to survive this week:

His books are thrilling enough to push the stress away.

 

I will post tomorrow my finished books.

[fastweedpuller]

Hello, glad to hear my fellow BaWers in Irma's path are with us and safe.  Likewise those lads in typhoon territory!

 

The Man Who Spoke Snakish was book #1 that I finished this week...an odd but overall pleasant romp that is a cultural phenom in its native Estonia.  (Like War and Turpentine, it made a list of the US ambassadors' best "you'll get it" books of their particular station/country.  Great list, thanks for posting it Robin.)  It is part cultural criticism, part rewriting native myths, part critique of civilization/modernity/village life.  Interestingly, The New Yorker had an article this week on this very last point ("The Case Against Civilization: Did our hunter-gatherer ancestors have it better?") and considering I am elbow-deep in putting away the harvest, I am ruing the day we got all civilized and stuff. 

 

Desert Solitaire was my second book.  Edward Abbey.  I am coming up with a potential list of books for kiddo's 1st semester 10th grade that would more or less be categorized as "the American in Nature."  (DD's grand plan is to attend a semester school that spring of 10th with an environmental ed focus.)  I thought I would suss out this particular tome as one of those ecology classics and hoo boy has this book not aged well.  His descriptions of solitude in the desert were perfect.  His polemics and single-mindedness were not.  I do understand where he stood and how he climbed there...but, well. 

[Guest]

Trying to get this posted before activism and holidays derail me!

 

Last week I kept meaning to post, but I am heavily involved with the work of a new coalition here in Seattle (Housing for All)...and last week that involved lots of meeting, testifying at City Council, and getting arrested (photo here: https://www.facebook.com/neighborhoodaction.info/posts/350826225377762 More photos and some context on a friend's blog: https://witnessrebelcity.com/2017/09/14/police-arrest-our-peaceful-neighbors-for-helping-homeless-and-mayor-murray-resigns-amid-exploding-scandal/ (though you have to scroll past all the mayor resigning stuff to get to it) )  This was my second arrest this year (the first was an defund KXL protest; here's the wrap-up video: http://350seattle.org/2017/05/09/check-awesome-wrap-video/ )

 

I'm organizing a group of folks to testify again tomorrow, facilitating a meeting, and getting ready for Rosh Hashanah... while really wondering what this next year is going to bring.

 

And, for anyone really interested in civil disobedience, here's a talk given by Tim Dechristopher:

[30 minutes of talk, followed by lots of Q&A, the part that I keep mulling over is around the 23 minute mark about the vulnerability and its significance in civil disobedience... which helped me see why engaging in CD is such an emotional powerful thing to do, from the inside, and why some acts of CD have moved me so deeply.]

 

In the past two weeks I read:

 

two nonfiction works:

 

The Broken Ladder: This look at how inequality effects our thinking and decision making was fascinating - thank you for mentioning it, Melissa

 

Nothing is True and Everything is Possible: This look at Putin's Russia makes me think of behind the Iron Curtain writings crossed with Gilded Era inequality and excess.  (and was fascinating to read in conjunction with The Broken Ladder)

 

1 play & 1 book of essays:

 

Dear Elizabeth: If you appreciate either Elizabeth Bishop's or Robert Lowell's poems, you might want to read this.  If you are interested in their friendship or just want to see what a brilliant, moving play can be made from a ~30 year correspondence, then you want to read this. 

 

Brutus and Other Heroines: This collection of essays by Shakespearean actor Harriet Walter (who also played harriet Vane in the fabulous dramatization of the Harriet-Peter Whimsey books by Dorothy Sayers) was a delight.  I loved hearing her experiences playing various parts and how she came to perform in a series of all women productions of some Shakespearean plays.

 

1 read-aloud completed:

 

The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy: I have always loved this book and this time through only made me love it more. It is a sequel to the (much more light-hearted) Good Master which takes place during and shortly before WWI.  It manages to show the maelstrom war can be, the growing anti-Semitism & class tension happening afar, the physical and psychic cost of war in the most loving, positive, faith-filled way one can imagine.  Like The Good Master, there is "just a girl" type talk from some boys (not supported by the author or adults) and the issue of growing up for a young girl meaning giving up riding and other activities she loves and is good at. (this is supported as the normal way of things in this society)

 

 

4 fiction books:

 

Death at La Fenice: Kathy, are you the one who recommended these?  If so, thank you!  Not the utter delight of the Hilary Tamar mysteries (of which I wish there were a dozen more), but I appreciated the quiet humor and compassionate decency of the detective.

 

We Need to Talk About Kevin: Compulsively readable, but I really hated it.  (I'm not sure if the strand of reading I've been doing about children who commit atrocities and the impact of their mothers is the flip side of my Medea reading, but it is equally harrowing - though I would welcome recommendations for more, I don't feel I'm finished exploring this.)

 

The two sequels to Court of Fives, which I'm not even going to link.  The first one was 'meh', but I wanted to see if she did more with the two cultures, the family tensions, and the dual status of the protagonist, but there was nothing of interest to see here... I felt she copped out all around, including the real and fake romance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

Desert Solitaire was my second book.  Edward Abbey.  I am coming up with a potential list of books for kiddo's 1st semester 10th grade that would more or less be categorized as "the American in Nature."  (DD's grand plan is to attend a semester school that spring of 10th with an environmental ed focus.)  I thought I would suss out this particular tome as one of those ecology classics and hoo boy has this book not aged well.  His descriptions of solitude in the desert were perfect.  His polemics and single-mindedness were not.  I do understand where he stood and how he climbed there...but, well. 

 

I would love to hear more about this.  What was he single-minded about, would you say?  And how might it have gone over better back when he wrote it, but feel dated now?

 

(This is on my to-read-someday list and I know very little about it.)

[Ethel Mertz]

Geez. Twice now, I've typed a long response and lost it!

 

This will be shorter. Didn't get to last week's thread as we are swamped with getting ready to move in December, homeschooling, medical appointments, etc. I expect I will be only popping in to the BAW thread on occasion until all the moving chaos is behind us.

 

Big plug for Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. 5 Stars. Trigger warning: flashbacks to the main character's abuse in childhood. Despite the dire content, the book is funny in parts and, ultimately, hopeful. Highly recommend.

 

Two books for IRL book groups. (1) The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I first read this in the mid 80s. The details had become fuzzy in the intervening decades and I dreaded re-reading it. However, the re-read is going more smoothly than I anticipated. One thing I do remember from my first reading is that, generally speaking, Canadian women responded to the book with horror; U.S. women asked "How long do we have?"  (2) Dorothy Day: The World Will be Saved by Beauty: An Intimate Portrait of Dorothy Day by her granddaughter, Kate Hennessy. I've only just started this one, but am fascinated by the first chapter.

 

I'm behind in W&P. Ah well.

 

Rose - I've been thinking of you and Shannon. Hope she starts feeling better sooner than soon.

 

Now I'm going to post this before I lose it again.

[Penguin]

Just finished Radiance, a fantasy romance recommended by Kareni and enjoyed it. Thank you! That puts me at 2 books finished this week (fluffy fun stuff). I'm all caught up in W&P, 20 pages into this week's short section, and I'm beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Also made some progress in my non-fiction book, The Nordic Theory of Everything which has me ready to move to a Nordic country. Any of them. Their values as expressed in their health care and education systems are what I wish we could have here in America. It might be worth living up in the cold and dark. I'll be continuing with that and W&P this week.

My DS23 and I are both reading Radiance right now. I love its weirdness, but I sort of have to force myself to pick it up. 

 

I lived in Denmark for 5.5 years. the weather there is waayyy milder than in, say, Norway. I actually liked the weather there. And the health care system :) I didn't love the educational system, but if you had grown up there or started there instead of trying to plop tweens and teens into it, you would probably have a better experience.

 

ETA: You might like The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia if you have not read it already.

Edited September 17, 2017 by Penguin

[Ethel Mertz]

Hello, glad to hear my fellow BaWers in Irma's path are with us and safe.  Likewise those lads in typhoon territory!

 

Desert Solitaire was my second book.  Edward Abbey.  I am coming up with a potential list of books for kiddo's 1st semester 10th grade that would more or less be categorized as "the American in Nature."  (DD's grand plan is to attend a semester school that spring of 10th with an environmental ed focus.)  I thought I would suss out this particular tome as one of those ecology classics and hoo boy has this book not aged well.  His descriptions of solitude in the desert were perfect.  His polemics and single-mindedness were not.  I do understand where he stood and how he climbed there...but, well. 

 

Would love to hear what you come up with as a reading list for 1st semester 10th. DS is very interested in environmental studies and may be pursuing that as a college major. First we have to get through 9th grade ....

 

 

Eliana - loved reading about your activism!

[Ali in OR]

My DS23 and I are both reading Radiance right now. I love its weirdness, but I sort of have to force myself to pick it up. 

 

I lived in Denmark for 5.5 years. the weather there is waayyy milder than in, say, Norway. I actually liked the weather there. And the health care system :) I didn't love the educational system, but if you grow up there or start there instead of trying to plop tweens and teens into it, you would probably have a different experience.

 

And they have Hygge! Denmark is supposed to be the happiest country. I like to think their weather is probably about the same as Oregon.

 

Radiance dragged a bit in the third quartile, then picked up a bit at the end.

Edited September 17, 2017 by Ali in OR

[Guest]

Just finished Radiance, a fantasy romance recommended by Kareni and enjoyed it. Thank you! That puts me at 2 books finished this week (fluffy fun stuff). I'm all caught up in W&P, 20 pages into this week's short section, and I'm beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Also made some progress in my non-fiction book, The Nordic Theory of Everything which has me ready to move to a Nordic country. Any of them. Their values as expressed in their health care and education systems are what I wish we could have here in America. It might be worth living up in the cold and dark. I'll be continuing with that and W&P this week.

 

You were looking for romances that a non-romance reader who likes Heyer might like, yes?

 

The Heyer-esque books I can think of which are equally G-rated:

 

Madeleine Robins has several sweet ones: Heiress Companion is one (she also has an alternate-regency mystery series, for our mystery lovers!)

 

Sherwood Smith (better known for her wonderful fantasy novels): Danse de la Folie (I would count her Trouble with Kings, and a few others, as fantasy romances, which, apparently, work better for me than straight romances)

 

Sheila Simonson's Lady Elizabeth's Comet and its sequel are enjoyable romances with a degree of agency and mutual respect often lacking in historical romances, but her Cousinly Connection is my favorite.

 

Joan Smith's name often comes up on these lists and I've read her Letters to a Lady and found it enjoyable enough to finish, but not to feel I want to seek out more.

 

Clare Darcy is another name that comes up frequently and I remember reading them all as young teen after finishing all the Heyer's my library had.  I reread a few more recently and would rank them with Joan Smith (but since they seem to be well liked by many Heyer fans, I don't want to omit them)

 

 

Not G rated at all:

 

Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation books have whole pages I need to skip past (I don't do s*x scenes in my reading, and these, especially the first book, do not cater that preference), and I really don't care for the modern time line parts, but the period parts have a Heyer-feel to them with a dash of Scarlet Pimpernel spoof and I am (guiltily) rather fond of them, despite the long list of flaws I could make...

 

=====================================

 

I have added the Nordic Theory of Everything to my reading list.  ...I don't want to move there, but I do want to use their ideas to help make *here* better.  As part of my Housing for All coalition work, I've been reading about the ways other countries address housing and houselessness (**Suggestions welcome**) and appreciated this article about Finland's work:  https://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2016/sep/14/lessons-from-finland-helping-homeless-housing-model-homes

[ErinE]

Jenn, I love discussing books with my DS15. My DD11 still doesn't trust my judgement when it comes to books, but DS will at least attempt to read it when I recommend a book. DS and I are looking forward to the Brandon Sanderson release as well. I don't normally buy hardbacks, but The Way of Kings books are so gorgeous and well-planned I've opted to make the purchase.

 

I'm recovering from my venogram and vein embolization. I was feeling awful last weekend. Around Wednesday the aches and pains started improving, but I developed a large bruise across my lower abdomen. The doctor looked at it on Friday and said it was likely backup from the veins he embolized. I'm really hoping this is the last procedure I need. I'm feeling better this weekend, so much so I coached my DS4's flag football game. What was I thinking when I signed up for it? Hot, hot, hot, and ten four years olds begging to be done already. 

 

Books read last week:

• Promise of Blood (Powder Mage #1) by Brian McClellan. Fantasy. A military leader overthrows the ruling king and attempts to impose order facing an invasion of internal and external enemies. My first book from McClellan, it was a good read. I plan on reading the sequel.
• The Escape by Mary Balogh. Historical Romance. After her infirm husband's prolonged illness, a widow is uncertain she can love a man severely injured by war.
• Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley. Historical Fiction. Haley traces the family line of an African forced into slavery through the modern era. I was inspired to read Roots from reading The American Slave Coast last summer. The first half of this book is devoted to Kunta Kinte's life in Africa and the United States which I found an interesting and heartbreaking read. The latter half felt a bit like a rock rolling down hill, essentially building up the series of events until the modern day yet overall it's a fantastic book. My BAW Bingo Bestseller Spouse's Birth Year. Highly recommended.
• Women Who Run With Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. Mythology and Folktale. A psychoanalysis of wild women in folktales and mythology. I was excited about this book, thinking it would be similar to Campbell's The Hero With a Thousand Faces or The Teaching Company's Myth in Human History. It fell far short of my expectations and proved to be a disappointing read, most especially because the author rewrites the stories then conducts cultural and textual analysis, often separate from the original culture and without any support other than her own conjecture. 

I'm currently reading Rosalind Miles' Who Cooked the Last Supper?, Seanan McGuire's A Local Habitation and James Joyce's Ulysses, plus Beyond Heaving Bosoms. Three books left in my A-Z challenge and BAW Bingo!

Edited September 17, 2017 by ErinE

[Stacia]

.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Stacia

[ErinE]

I, too, love discussing books with my ds. He recently finished Mink River (but loved The Plover more). He's gotten into some of Walter Moer's books & loved them. And, now he's reading News of the World & really loving it too.

 

Erin, :grouphug: :grouphug: .

 

I read Promise of Blood too (author Brian McClellan?). Here's where I will contradict myself. I think this is a series I actually *want* to read. Lol. I thought the first one was great. Will get around to the second one eventually. But with the rest of the big HP tomes awaiting me for the remainder of this year, along w/ other reading I want to do (something for Banned Books Week, all my October spooky reading), I won't be approaching it this year. I am fine waiting years & years between books in a series. :laugh:

 

You're right about the author - I thought I knew the name and typed away without double checking. I have a whole list of books I'm waiting to share with DS. I think he'll enjoy The Remains of the Day, but he needs to be older. The Plover he might like as well, but he's 15 and very much into horror, swords, intrigue, and adventure. I can't buy him skinny books as he finishes them too fast so we use the library and the library's used book store a lot.

[Kareni]

Just finished Radiance, a fantasy romance recommended by Kareni and enjoyed it. Thank you!

 

I'm glad you enjoyed it.  There is also a sequel which I was gifted by my Secret Sister and which (tsk, tsk) I've yet to read entitled

Eidolon (Wraith Kings Book 2).

 

Big plug for Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. 5 Stars. Trigger warning: flashbacks to the main character's abuse in childhood. Despite the dire content, the book is funny in parts and, ultimately, hopeful. Highly recommend.

 

I'd heard other good reviews of this book.  Thanks for the recommendation, Ethel.

**

 

A few currently free Kindle books ~

 

Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (Dead Things Series Book 1) by Martina McAtee

 

Tender Echoes: A Dark Prequel to Digital Velocity (The McAllister Justice Series Book 1) by Reily Garrett

 

Tiago (A Kurupira Romance Book 1) by Reily Garrett

 

Maui Widow Waltz…  by JoAnn Bassett

 

Wrong (Wrong Series Book 1) by Jana Aston

 

Murder by Misrule: A Francis Bacon Mystery (The Francis Bacon Mystery Series Book 1)  by Anna Castle

 

Regards,

Kareni

[JennW in SoCal]

Oh Erin, hope you continue to feel better. And yes, what were you thinking in agreeing to coach 4 year olds in flag football? Bless you for doing it -- I'm sure the other moms appreciate you, but what a feat of heroism!

 

Eliana -- I wish I could introduce you to a social worker friend who grew up in the Seattle area and is now working to house homeless vets. And, by the way, have you had your Hep A boosters?  (A reference to the news out of San Diego...)

 

Stacia -- We were so thrilled when HP 5 finally came out after an eternity of waiting while JK Rowling had the nerve to live her life, get married and birth babies. My ds, the one in Japan, was 9 at the time, and he came to me almost in tears over the book. "Mom, I think JK Rowling has forgotten how to write fun books"!  

 

Mothersweets -- I LOVE the Shetland series, mostly because I've become as obsessed about the area, similar to how Jane is obsessed about Iceland. Never visited, don't know if I'll ever find a way to coax my dh into visiting just because I like the books set there and oh by the way they do cool knitting and have puffins. Not going to be big selling points for him, lol!

 

 

[Matryoshka]

Finally managing a Sunday post for the first time in a few weeks!  Still need to get caught up in W&P, though...

 

Finished three this books this week if you count the one I just finished today, but as it's finished on Sunday before posting, I'll include it. ;)

 

100. (hey, I hit 100!)  The Golem and the Jinni (ebook) - about two supernatural creatures in turn of last century NYC.  For the "Mythological Creature in Title" square.  I really enjoyed the way this one played out, and I liked the characters of the Golem and the Jinni as well as a few of the supporting characters.  4.5 stars.

 

101. The Man Who Spoke Snakish - Yes, this was one odd book!  I did like it, but maybe not quite as much as some of the other absurdist books I've read this year.  For the "Translated from a Language you haven't previously read in translation" square for BigBingo.  I'm thinking of also using it for the "Middle Ages" square in BaW bingo, as I'm not sure I'm going to get to Sunne in Splendour this year, as much as I've been looking forward to it.  I've got so many chunky books on my list, and I also want to finish a bunch (though far from all, and probably not the one with "middle ages") BigBingo rows.  Anyway, I've had BaW bingo done except for the Middle Ages square for, well, ages. ;)  We'll see if I also get to SiS.  I haven't been trying for any specific number of Chunky books this year, but with or without SiS, it will be over 10.  I keep starting books and only then realizing how long they are...   This book did happen to finish up the seventh BigBingo row for me, so that's nice. :)  Anyway, for this book, 3 stars from me.

 

102. Todesrosen - this is Erlendur #2, not yet translated into English.  I read this one for the "Rose on the Cover" square.  The title means "Death Roses".  I don't have any other obvious color books coming up on my to-read list, but I could count this, I think, as the title directly has to do with fall leaves.  On the second to last page, Erlendur looks out the window at the trees outside and says, "Death roses."  the other person says "What?"  Erlendur says, "The trees are wearing the colors of fall.  The color of death."  Such a sunny book! ;)  I think I might see why this book hasn't been translated yet.  The book includes a lot of text on the Icelandic freedom struggle against Denmark, current Icelandic affairs such as the buying of of fishing quotas in the villages leading to job loss, depopulation and flight to the cities (hm, echoes of themes in the Snakish book...), and there's a decent amount of railing against American culture and values taking over and leading to the downfall of traditional ways of life (by Erlendur and some other older characters in the book; Sigurður Ã“li thinks he's full of beans as he studied in the US and loves everything American). ETA: I also meant to mention an interesting piece of character development that takes place in this book, for fans of the later ones. Sigurður Ã“li's girlfriend in later books, Bergþora, is the primary witness in this case; that's how they meet.  He shouldn't be kanoodling with her, but they're together by the end of the book.  Eva Lind was a mess per usual, but not yet as bad a mess as in the later few books.   4 stars.

 

Currently reading:

 

- Long Walk to Freedom (audiobook) - which is a very long book, but I think worth it, especially with everything going on in the world at the moment.  Again. 

 

- W&P - literally didn't read anything in it this week.  Will make a concerted effort to make good progress this week - no way am I giving up at this point!  I had been doing so well for so long!  I have been very heartened to hear from others that the story picks up steam again after the battle scenes I've been oh-so-slowly battling though.

 

Coming up:

 

Half a Yellow Sun has been sitting in my Overdrive cart for a bit now.  Still have 10 days left on the check-out, so I should be able to finish it.  Oh, and apparently The Goblin Emperor just came in as well, so I guess that will follow?   I have Capitán Alatriste by Arturo Reverte Perez coming in from the library.  I wanted to read something else by this author first, but I needed something for my En garde! square, so I guess this one's first after all.  Wee Free Men is still sitting around waiting to be read, and I also ordered a book called Safekeeping from the library for a Sapphire book (plot centers around a sapphire brooch), and I'm also hoping to count it for Indie Publisher square.  Is Fig Tree Books and indie publisher?  It sounds Indie... ;)

 

 

Edited September 17, 2017 by Matryoshka

[Guest]

 

 

Eliana -- I wish I could introduce you to a social worker friend who grew up in the Seattle area and is now working to house homeless vets. And, by the way, have you had your Hep A boosters?  (A reference to the news out of San Diego...)

 

 

Jenn, I would love to connect with them. Feel free to share my email address: eliana@efn.org  or PM me for my phone number.

 

Thank you for the Hep A reminder, I still need my second shot. 

 

[Matryoshka]

nm, meant to edit previous post and accidentally posted again instead...  went back and edited, so nothing to see here...  :blushing:  

Edited September 17, 2017 by Matryoshka

[Happy]

Howdy Y'all...

It's been a few weeks since I posted, but I want you all to know how much I enjoy this thread each week. It's both informative and relaxing. 

 

Work has been busy and a bit stressful which has sucked a lot of energy...as a result not reading a lot. This week I've been mostly parked on my bed with my swollen left ankle propped on pillows. Oddly enough I didn't spend a lot of time reading--ended up doing some computer work on my laptop and watching movies. 

 

Let's see...what have I read? 

 

Jodi Thomas one of her Ransom Canyon romance books called 'Indigo Lake'. I did not care for that book, but I loved the novella included in the back--'Winter's Camp'. It really caught my attention probably because I've been fascinated this year by Indian captives. This book builds a nice story around that. 

 

One recommended on the 'Old Hen Literature' thread from a few weeks ago. Becky Masterman's  'Rage Against the Dying'. It kept me interested and entertained until the end. 

 

Today I read 'The Mountain Between Us' by Charles Martin. Now I must go to the movie when it comes around. 

​On the non-fiction side, Brian Buffini's 'The Emigrant Edge'. I like his story--raised in Ireland, came to the US with 92 bucks in his pocket, but through hard SMART work and determination made it big. 

 

Have a lovely word-filled week, my friends!
 

[fastweedpuller]

Re:  Abbey's Desert Solitaire

I would love to hear more about this.  What was he single-minded about, would you say?  And how might it have gone over better back when he wrote it, but feel dated now?

 

(This is on my to-read-someday list and I know very little about it.)

Would love to hear what you come up with as a reading list for 1st semester 10th. DS is very interested in environmental studies and may be pursuing that as a college major. First we have to get through 9th grade ....

 

Hi Eliana.  From what I understand from my DH's uncle, this book was a bit of a revelation to his (Vietnam war-era) buddies: they were college dropouts, all trying to avoid the war (and failing to a man).  Though they were much more of the Deerhunter crowd (read: blue collar NEsterners) than sunburnt desert rats though, come to think of it.  Anyway, the book had sailing moments of self-righteousness of saving Nature from Man which I can completely see my uncle copying.  But it's dated in that it's very white male 1960s, talks about getting himself a good dark-skinned whore, categorizing stupid (native americans) and savvy (native americans), advocating compulsory birth control for all native americans, and really just believing that that the National Park system should only be for able-bodied people who should walk in 5 miles minimum to any park.  Barring that, parks are where militias should group and exercise if the government turns tyrannical (like these knuckleheads think). In other words, I doubt he'd be someone you'd hang with.  :001_rolleyes:

 

Ethel, I need to get through 8th grade first !! but I hear you...in fact, this group would be a wonderful sounding board for such a list.  I had an American history seminar in college that used this text and I thought I might use it as a spine, with diversions fictional and non, lots of primary source stuff, etc.  Off the top of my head, I am thinking the usual suspects (Emerson, Stegner, Muir, Leopold, McPhee) and Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, maybe even Krakauer's Into the Wild, etc.  I think I would do the class chronologically.  The semester school she is interested in is in Wisconsin; this would be a huge step for her (and us! only kid!) but it would scratch that itch she has to "do" environmental science, as it covers it AP lab-style in one semester. 

[Violet Crown]

If the name of the author counts for the challenge, I'm in. I'm just finishing up the 1945 novel Loving by Henry Green. I'd been meaning to read Green for a while, and a NYRB article on his novels from last month convinced me to give him a try. Apparently he was a great influence on John Updike, whom I haven't read much.

 

ETA: Maybe it's time for a re-read of A Clockwork Orange. Haven't hung out with Alex and his droogies since high school.

Edited September 18, 2017 by Violet Crown

[Guest]

If the name of the author counts for the challenge, I'm in. I'm just finishing up the 1945 novel Loving by Henry Green. I'd been meaning to read Green for a while, and a NYRB article on his novels from last month convinced me to give him a try. Apparently he was a great influence on John Updike, whom I haven't read much.

 

ETA: Maybe it's time for a re-read of A Clockwork Orange. Haven't hung out with Alex and his droogies since high school.

 

I have Green on my TBR list, but if it makes you think of Clockwork Orange, I'll just wait a while longer...

[Guest]

Re:  Abbey's Desert Solitaire

Hi Eliana.  From what I understand from my DH's uncle, this book was a bit of a revelation to his (Vietnam war-era) buddies: they were college dropouts, all trying to avoid the war (and failing to a man).  Though they were much more of the Deerhunter crowd (read: blue collar NEsterners) than sunburnt desert rats though, come to think of it.  Anyway, the book had sailing moments of self-righteousness of saving Nature from Man which I can completely see my uncle copying.  But it's dated in that it's very white male 1960s, talks about getting himself a good dark-skinned whore, categorizing stupid (native americans) and savvy (native americans), advocating compulsory birth control for all native americans, and really just believing that that the National Park system should only be for able-bodied people who should walk in 5 miles minimum to any park.  Barring that, parks are where militias should group and exercise if the government turns tyrannical (like these knuckleheads think). In other words, I doubt he'd be someone you'd hang with.  :001_rolleyes:

 

Ethel, I need to get through 8th grade first !! but I hear you...in fact, this group would be a wonderful sounding board for such a list.  I had an American history seminar in college that used this text and I thought I might use it as a spine, with diversions fictional and non, lots of primary source stuff, etc.  Off the top of my head, I am thinking the usual suspects (Emerson, Stegner, Muir, Leopold, McPhee) and Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, maybe even Krakauer's Into the Wild, etc.  I think I would do the class chronologically.  The semester school she is interested in is in Wisconsin; this would be a huge step for her (and us! only kid!) but it would scratch that itch she has to "do" environmental science, as it covers it AP lab-style in one semester. 

 

That is incredibly helpful - thank you.

 

And, no, not someone I'd be likely to hang with... though I imagine I'd be willing to work with him on specific projects.  (Solnit, I think in Hope in the Dark, talked about some of the interesting coalitions that formed between, for example, environmentalists and ranchers.)

 

I have an older edition of that text, but haven't looked at it in years.  Ethel, do you know what range you are looking for?  This anthology is nature writings collected with an environmentalist lens.

 

[Violet Crown]

Rose, you and Shannon are fortunate to have each other. Best wishes for steady improvement.

 

Jenn, what are moms for if not to share books in the teeth of a typhoon? Heart-warming indeed.

 

Eliana, after finishing Walden last week I re-read "Civil Disobedience." I admit to lacking the courage to get myself arrested, but I have good friends who have taken civil disobedience to that extreme, and I do admire the courage of conviction required.

[Violet Crown]

I have Green on my TBR list, but if it makes you think of Clockwork Orange, I'll just wait a while longer...

LOL, no, nothing in common there ... just thinking along Robin's color lines.

[Matryoshka]

Eliana, after finishing Walden last week I re-read "Civil Disobedience." I admit to lacking the courage to get myself arrested, but I have good friends who have taken civil disobedience to that extreme, and I do admire the courage of conviction required.

 

Fear of arrest and the importance of being able to get over it to perform civil disobedience has also come up quite a lot (unsurprisingly) in Mandela's autobiography.

 

I'll admit to not being quite there yet, and really admire your courage, Eliana.  If things keep going the way they are, I think I am going to have to learn to be braver.

[Penguin]

Just finished Radiance, a fantasy romance recommended by Kareni and enjoyed it. Thank you! That puts me at 2 books finished this week (fluffy fun stuff). I'm all caught up in W&P, 20 pages into this week's short section, and I'm beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Also made some progress in my non-fiction book, The Nordic Theory of Everything which has me ready to move to a Nordic country. Any of them. Their values as expressed in their health care and education systems are what I wish we could have here in America. It might be worth living up in the cold and dark. I'll be continuing with that and W&P this week.

OK, this is funny. Kareni just told you about the sequel to Radiance, and then I realized that DS and I are reading a DIFFERENT Radiance,  :lol: 

 

We are reading  Radiance by Catherynne Valente a "decopunk pulp SF alt-history space opera mystery set in a Hollywood—and solar system—very different from our own." 

 

I had wondered why you called it fluffy!

Edited September 18, 2017 by Penguin

[Butter]

Heather, how is your dd?

 

I'm still working on Harry Potter 5 (HP & the Order of the Phoenix). I'm about 1/3 of the way in (300 of about 900 pages). Up to this point, I've given the first four books 5-star ratings. But, if I had to rate this one right now, I'd give it 4-stars. I don't mind the darker shift in the storyline, but it's too wordy. And that's bugging me because I feel like it is less precisely written &/or edited.

First about HP.  Funny, but Order is my very favorite book of the series.  I've read the whole series several times and then I listened to Order of the Phoenix while I painted the edges of all the triangles in Ani's bedroom.

 

Ani is doing okay.  She was doing really well, but then she got a cold a couple weeks ago and she's having a rough time shaking it.  She always gets sicker and stays sick longer than everyone else.  She's been crazy busy.  She nannies a 3yo all day Monday and Friday and then picks her up from preschool at 2 T/W/Th and then picks her older sisters up at the elementary school every day.  Mondays Ani works at taekwondo and takes the girls with her since they take class there.  Tuesdays she drops the older two off at gymnastics before going to work.  I watch the little one.  Wednesdays Ani doesn't work at taekwondo, but she takes the girls there to take class.  Thursdays I watch all three girls and Ani works at taekwondo.  And then she works at taekwondo Saturdays.  Weekdays she works 3:30-8:30ish and Saturdays 10-1ish.  She's getting ready to start college on-line in a somewhat self-paced program (she'll have requirements for how much she needs to complete in a given amount of time).  She really can't physically go to classes because if she gets sick she needs to be able to take a couple weeks off.  She works in nursery at church and loves it.  She is mostly in there for a little 3yo with Downs Syndrome.  She adores him (and he her).  She loves kids so much which makes her recent realization that she's probably not able to safely carry and birth babies pretty hard.  She's decided that adoption is an excellent option.  She's been on Diamox about a month and a half now and it's definitely helping.  She was taking nuun tablets every day, but then they started giving her headaches.  Someone suggested coffee.  For some unknown reason it can help POTS.  Our religion does not allow drinking coffee, but we decided to try it because it would be used as medicine.  Amazingly, it is helping so much.  It's not the caffeine since caffeine otherwise does nothing.  There must be something else in the coffee bean doing it.  So she drinks a small coffee every day and her POTS and IIH (intermittent intracranial hypertension) symptoms are practically erased.  She had blood work done the end of August and her vitamin D level is down again.  It goes up and down.  Supplementation barely helps and being out in the sun doesn't either (she drives a convertible with the top down every day in south Texas).  Her ANA (anti-nuclear antibodies) are up more, but lupus and rheumatoid arthritis are still negative thank goodness.  The ANA level may be because she was being kind of risky with gluten cross contamination (she has Celiac).

 

Whoa.  That was long.  tl;dr: Ani is doing a whole lot better, but it's still such a balancing act trying to keep her healthy!

 

I was whining on Thursday that since we started school I haven't had much time to read.  In fact, at that point I'd only read 3 books during our first three weeks of school.  And then Friday Jamie and I went on a date and a tiny piece of onion - beer braised onion - ended up in my fries and I ate it before I realized what it was.  Beer contains gluten.  I was hopefuly it would do nothing, but I reacted terribly.  The digestive issues have resolved.  Now I'm just in pain and swollen.  The worst will be over in a day or two.  I hate how sensitive I am.

 

BUT I have to look on the bright side.  Since I got glutened Friday night, I've read two entire books.  I'm up to six books this month which is much closer to my normal.

 

Rent a Husband by Sally Mason.  It was funny and light, but went on a bit too long and got kind of ridiculous.  But, it was perfect for my poor glutened brain.

 

Humanity's Last Chance by DP Fitzsimons.  I had originally chosen it for the E in spelling out sapphire, but only after I read it did I realize the name of the book was not The Eden Project as I had thought, but rather that's the name of the series of four books.  So it ended up becoming the book for the sci-fi square on the bingo board.  It was super fast-paced and I could barely put it down.  There were a couple giant plot holes (or at least plot questions), but as long as I could ignore them I really liked it.  I most likely will read the rest of the series.  I put them on my Amazon wishlist at least.

[Lady Florida.]

I have an update on ds and typhoon Talim that will warm the hearts of all you BaW aunties.  

 

 

That's great news. I love that you were texting book recommendations during the storm.

 

Nan - how did your kiddo on the ship make out? I hope they rode it out with no problems.

 

 

I'm still working on Harry Potter 5 (HP & the Order of the Phoenix). I'm about 1/3 of the way in (300 of about 900 pages). Up to this point, I've given the first four books 5-star ratings. But, if I had to rate this one right now, I'd give it 4-stars. I don't mind the darker shift in the storyline, but it's too wordy. And that's bugging me because I feel like it is less precisely written &/or edited.

 

 

 

There's a lot of teen angst in that one, which makes sense considering their ages. I think this was probably the first book where JK Rowling truly became too big to edit. She could have used editing in the last two as well. I did like the entire series though. In OotP, Molly's boggart always has me bawling buckets of tears no matter how many times I read it (if you're at 300 pages you should have passed that part by now).

 

Trying to get this posted before activism and holidays derail me!

 

Last week I kept meaning to post, but I am heavily involved with the work of a new coalition here in Seattle (Housing for All)...and last week that involved lots of meeting, testifying at City Council, and getting arrested 

 

I'm  in awe of you. That is all.

 

 

 

I'm recovering from my venogram and vein embolization. I was feeling awful last weekend. Around Wednesday the aches and pains started improving, but I developed a large bruise across my lower abdomen. The doctor looked at it on Friday and said it was likely backup from the veins he embolized. I'm really hoping this is the last procedure I need. I'm feeling better this weekend, so much so I coached my DS4's flag football game. What was I thinking when I signed up for it? Hot, hot, hot, and ten four years olds begging to be done already. 

 

 

 

:grouphug:

 

 

- W&P - literally didn't read anything in it this week.  Will make a concerted effort to make good progress this week - no way am I giving up at this point!  I had been doing so well for so long!  I have been very heartened to hear from others that the story picks up steam again after the battle scenes I've been oh-so-slowly battling though.

 

 

 

It does pick up again after the battle. In fact, near the end of that section we again meet up with characters we know, so it starts to pick up then.

 

If the name of the author counts for the challenge, I'm in. I'm just finishing up the 1945 novel Loving by Henry Green. 

 

It should count. It counts for the birthstone challenges. I used a Pearl S Buck novel for the June birthstone.

 

 

Ani is doing okay.  

 

I was whining on Thursday that since we started school I haven't had much time to read.  In fact, at that point I'd only read 3 books during our first three weeks of school.  And then Friday Jamie and I went on a date and a tiny piece of onion - beer braised onion - ended up in my fries and I ate it before I realized what it was.  Beer contains gluten.  I was hopefuly it would do nothing, but I reacted terribly.  The digestive issues have resolved.  Now I'm just in pain and swollen.  The worst will be over in a day or two.  I hate how sensitive I am.

 

BUT I have to look on the bright side.  Since I got glutened Friday night, I've read two entire books.  I'm up to six books this month which is much closer to my normal.

 

 

 

Glad to hear Ani is doing better but I'm sorry about your gluten problem. People don't get how serious it is. I blame that partly on those who decided to go gluten free for no real reason then laugh about cheating. They cause problems for people like you, because others (including restaurant workers) start to think it isn't really a big deal. You know you're a dedicated book lover when you see the bright side of being glutened as having been able to read more books.

 

Book updates in a separate post.

[Mom-ninja.]

  And then Friday Jamie and I went on a date and a tiny piece of onion - beer braised onion - ended up in my fries and I ate it before I realized what it was.  Beer contains gluten.  I was hopefuly it would do nothing, but I reacted terribly.  The digestive issues have resolved.  Now I'm just in pain and swollen.  The worst will be over in a day or two.  I hate how sensitive I am.

 

 

 

And this right here is why I just don't eat out. I finally decided eating out is not worth it. People think I'm a diva for refusing to eat. I don't care. I'm sorry you got sick. I hope recovery happens quicker than usual.

 

 

 

I am listening to Love Among the Chickens by Wodehouse. Making me laugh, of course. Haven't yet met a Wodehouse that has disappointed. 

[Angelaboord]

Thought I would pop in and give an update, though I haven't been reading too much. I've only finished one book since I last posted, I think -- The Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne. I really don't know what to think about this one. The hero treated the heroine kind of despicably in a few instances, so I wasn't sure why she would fall for him in the first place. And I didn't really buy that the heroine was a super spy because her behavior seemed to guarantee that she would get caught. But I love the way Joanna Bourne writes French characters. If the French aren't really like that, they ought to be. [emoji5] I think I would still have rather she wrote a series about Hawker, the not-so-very-reformed young thief from Forbidden Rose. There's a big gap between the two books and he seems quite respectable in this one, other than the fact that he still loves his knives. I have the feeling that he was a bit of a mushroom for the author, though, and she probably didn't want him to run away with her books. I'm still debating on whether to read the book in which he's the main character, because I don't really want to read the intervening book but I'm afraid I will miss important history.

 

Otherwise, I have just been dabbling. I've spent more time than I want to admit to reading the TV Tropes site (The Speculative Fiction tropes index is particularly impressive,http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SpeculativeFictionTropes not just for TV or film), a little more War and Peace, a few sample epic fantasy kindle chapters, and then I decided to pick up Diana Gabaldon's books where I left off several years ago, with The Fiery Cross.

 

I should mention that I liked the first 4 Outlander books. This one, though, I think I can see the way she writes a little too much. She doesn't write sequentially, but instead writes scenes sort of as they occur to her, then fits them together afterwards. Generally I have no problem with that, but in this book it seems like the front end is stuffed a little too full of "fun" scenes that might have been streamlined a bit. On the other hand, maybe she's going to tie them together later on. And Claire is rubbing me the wrong way a little, not sure why.

 

Rose and Heather, hope your daughters feel better soon!!

 

And Kathy, I am glad to see that you are safe and accounted for!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Kareni]

Eliana, after finishing Walden last week I re-read "Civil Disobedience." I admit to lacking the courage to get myself arrested, but I have good friends who have taken civil disobedience to that extreme, and I do admire the courage of conviction required.

 

Somehow the use of the word conviction seems strangely appropriate here.

 

OK, this is funny. Kareni just told you about the sequel to Radiance, and then I realized that DS and I are reading a DIFFERENT Radiance,  :lol: 

 

We are reading  Radiance by Catherynne Valente a "decopunk pulp SF alt-history space opera mystery set in a Hollywood—and solar system—very different from our own."

 

An excess of radiance seems like a fine thing to me.

 

 

Concerning Joanna Bourne's character Hawker:

 I'm still debating on whether to read the book in which he's the main character, because I don't really want to read the intervening book but I'm afraid I will miss important history....

 

Go ahead and read his book, The Black Hawk (The Spymaster Series Book 4), you won't miss anything critical.  The author's books are not necessarily chronological.

 

 

I'm recovering from my venogram and vein embolization. ...

 

I hope you'll soon be fully recovered.

 

 

... Ani is doing a whole lot better, but it's still such a balancing act trying to keep her healthy! ...

 

... And then Friday Jamie and I went on a date and a tiny piece of onion - beer braised onion - ended up in my fries and I ate it before I realized what it was.  Beer contains gluten.  ...

 

Glad to hear that Ani is doing better.  Wow, she sounds like a busy young woman!

 

I'm sorry to hear that you were glutened, Heather, and hope you'll soon feel better. 

 

I have a friend who also reacts terribly to gluten contamination to the point of bleeding.  Mom-ninja, said friend is another who doesn't dare eat out.  I also have friends who say that they eat gluten free but are very cavalier about eating at, for instance, a pot luck.  The first friend I mentioned regretfully declines food from my house, because we bake our own bread and she fears contamination of anything we might offer. 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

No new books or finished books for me, but I've made progress in my current books.

 

I finished last week's W&P section earlier today and will get back to seriously reading it this week.

 

Still reading Under the Banner of Heaven and Truman. Still listening to The Raven in the Foregate. 

 

I'm tempted to start a mystery "on the side" but I'm trying to resist. I want to at least get this week's W&P section finished before I start something new.

 

Audible is having another sale, this one ends Thursday. I have so many I would like but need to limit. They add up at $5 a pop. I've been listening to samples and trying to pare down the list based on which ones might be better to read in print than to listen on audio. And still my list is too long. Some of the books that have been discussed recently, including The Year of Living Danishly, Child 44, The Better Angels of our Nature, News of the World, and many more we've talked about are on the sale list.

 

 

 

 

[Kareni]

Earlier today I finished  The Necromancer's Dance (The Beacon Hill Sorcerer Book 1)  by SJ Himes which I enjoyed but not as much as I liked the author's Wolfkin Saga books.  That said, I'd like to read the next book in this series.  (Adult content)

 

"In a world where magic is real and evil walks amongst humanity, a young sorcerer is beset upon by enemies, both old and new.

Angelus Salvatore is the only necromancer in all of Boston, and his name is whispered warily by the undead and fellow sorcerers alike. He and his brother Isaac are the lone survivors of an attack by an army of the undead, in which Angel used a spell so powerful it forever marked his place in history. Now, years later, Angel struggles to balance his career as a teacher of the higher magical arts, his role as big brother, and a tenuous relationship with an Elder vampire from the local clan. When his brother's boyfriend is used as a pawn in a mysterious plot to draw Angel out, Angel is once again drawn back into the old hostilities that fueled the Blood Wars and led to his family's death.

Leaning on others for help is something Angel cannot do, and while he searches for clues into who may be targeting him and his brother, Angel finds his heart steadily growing occupied with Simeon, Elder and vampire. Dealing with death magic and vampires on a daily basis may leave Angel jaded when it comes to life and staying that way, but the more time he spends fending off the ancient vampire's attention and affections, the more he realizes he wants to give in.

Can Angel find out who wants him dead, and keep his heart safe in the process? How can he fall for a vampire, when his whole family was torn apart by an army of the undead?

Death stalks the streets of Boston's historic Beacon Hill....and there is no one more suited to battle against death than a necromancer."

**

 

I also recently finished the novella Blood on Sand by Ofelia Gränd whose blurb I will not post since I don't believe it will pass the board censor.  This was a curious paranormal read that was both intriguing and repugnant; it featured a lizard shifter and a werewolf.  In case you're interested, it's currently free for Kindle readers.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Violet Crown]

After I finished my book this evening and entered it onto my list, I realized this has been a "green" year: besides the Henry Green, I've read two Graham Greenes, Kingsley Amis's The Green Man, and the Scottish classic The House With the Green Shutters.

 

Oh, and can I count the Henry Green as a "Flufferton"? It's set in an Irish country house in the Second World War, and is an upstairs-downstairs novel chiefly about the love affair of the head butler and an under-maid. Do I have the genre right?

[Lady Florida.]

I had to laugh about your green year Violet Crown. Sometimes I don't realize I've been reading a "theme" until I look back and notice it. And Loving definitely sounds like a Flufferton book.

 

I ended up not getting any of the audio books on sale, though I put some on my wish list. I have a few days to decide. The reason I didn't buy any is because I checked my two libraries and nearly all of the ones on my list are available both in audio book form and ebook form at one or both libraries. Others, as I listened to the samples, seemed like they'd be better in print. I just have to decide which of the others, if any, I actually want to own as audio books.

Edited September 18, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[Guest]

 

Eliana, after finishing Walden last week I re-read "Civil Disobedience." I admit to lacking the courage to get myself arrested, but I have good friends who have taken civil disobedience to that extreme, and I do admire the courage of conviction required.

 

I don't know that it is a matter of courage, really.  I think it is a matter of certainty. 

 

What *wouldn't* we do if one of our children was in imminent danger before our eyes?  If we had that absolute certainty that if we did this action, we would have a chance of saving their life? 

 

...but there are very few cases of civil disobedience where we get that level of instantaneous clarity.

 

I have had one where I had gone into the situation with no intention of committing an arrestable action (and, in fact, I didn't end up being arrested), but I couldn't have walked away.

 

...but most of the time it takes reflection and soul searching and planning and, honestly, a group of folks you trust who in this with you.  (Ideally you'd have a plan, have roles chosen (and trained for), and a support team.. and legal observers.) 

 

I went to the first planning meeting for the Chase Bank action not yet certain whether I was going to be one of the arrestables.  I'd been thinking about it, inspired by the example of the valve turners - who risked far more than I would be risking - but I was like a kid standing at the bottom of the ladder up to the high dive, not sure if I was really going to do it.  (and the jump?  That was staying after the final dispersal order.)  But all that reflection came together in the presentations and discussion as we prepared to form our affinity groups... and part of it was getting to really feel how much this would be a group effort, and rooting myself in that sense of common purpose and friendship.

 

Here's an article Emily Johnson (one of the 5 valve turners) wrote that I think speaks to more than the risks she took to combat climate change, but gets to the heart of why we take risks to try to effect change.  I recommend reading it all, but here's the punch line: "So what brought us to a place of being willing to risk jail time? The same thing that always makes people willing to sacrifice: love."  [Emily hasn't had her trial yet.  The charges brought against her could result in decades of jail of time.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

Somehow the use of the word conviction seems strangely appropriate here.

 

 

An excess of radiance seems like a fine thing to me.

 

 

Concerning Joanna Bourne's character Hawker:

 

Go ahead and read his book, The Black Hawk (The Spymaster Series Book 4), you won't miss anything critical.  The author's books are not necessarily chronological.

 

 

 

I hope you'll soon be fully recovered.

 

 

 

Glad to hear that Ani is doing better.  Wow, she sounds like a busy young woman!

 

I'm sorry to hear that you were glutened, Heather, and hope you'll soon feel better. 

 

I have a friend who also reacts terribly to gluten contamination to the point of bleeding.  Mom-ninja, said friend is another who doesn't dare eat out.  I also have friends who say that they eat gluten free but are very cavalier about eating at, for instance, a pot luck.  The first friend I mentioned regretfully declines food from my house, because we bake our own bread and she fears contamination of anything we might offer. 

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Peter, Paul, and Mary have a song "Have You Been to Jail for Justice?"  with a line that plays on the dual meanings of convictions "So get courage from your convictions, let them haul you off to jail" 

 

 

 

Fear of arrest and the importance of being able to get over it to perform civil disobedience has also come up quite a lot (unsurprisingly) in Mandela's autobiography.

 

I'll admit to not being quite there yet, and really admire your courage, Eliana.  If things keep going the way they are, I think I am going to have to learn to be braver.

 

I was thinking about the physical courage needed in some times and places to protest. (including other times here in my own city)  

 

...and as I sat in jail, I thought about the memoirs some of us here have read - Guantanamo Diary and Rue de Retour 

.  ...and about the reserves of strength we have to make it through the moment... and then wondering how long it takes to heal afterwards...

 

...all of which led me to reflect on my own privilege in the situation I was in. (I must admit, that I felt more cowardly than brave after thinking about all of that!)

 

Anyway...

 

If you think you might wish to consider civil disobedience at some point in the future, I highly recommend attending a direct action training with experienced activists from a reliable organization.  (I don't remember where you are geographically, but if you don't have local contacts, feel free to message me and I can see if I can find out what there is near you... or you could come visit me some time and I could connect you to a local training...)  I could recommend books, but this is like first aid or soccer, not something I could have learned from a book alone.

 

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

[Kareni]

Peter, Paul, and Mary have a song "Have You Been to Jail for Justice?"  with a line that plays on the dual meanings of convictions "So get courage from your convictions, let them haul you off to jail"

 

Thanks for the link, Eliana; I don't recall having heard that song previously.  Song lyrics are such an artful way of conveying a message.

 

Wishing you much courage from your convictions.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

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

 

What's Wrong with the World by G. K. Chesterton 

 

About the Author

G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936) was a prolific English journalist and author best known for his mystery series featuring the priest-detective Father Brown and for the metaphysical thriller The Man Who Was Thursday. Baptized into the Church of England, Chesterton underwent a crisis of faith as a young man and became fascinated with the occult. He eventually converted to Roman Catholicism and published some of Christianity’s most influential apologetics, including Heretics and Orthodoxy.

 

 

 

"An enduring collection of moral and social commentary from one of the twentieth century’s most original thinkers

This groundbreaking work epitomizes why G. K. Chesterton is considered one of the pithiest and most versatile philosophers of his era. An anthology of his early writings, What’s Wrong with the World takes on such thorny subjects as public education, jingoism, feminism, imperialism, politics, and the modern family. Chesterton’s humor and intellectual verve are on full display, making these incisive essays as applicable in their exploration of ethics and the human heart today as when they were penned over a hundred years ago."

 

Regards,

Kareni