Book a Week 2017 - BW50: Eating and Reading through the holidays

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday and welcome to week 50 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.

 

 

It's time to start cooking!  December is a time of celebration  which means baking and experimenting with different recipes as well as making or remaking of the old standards. Years ago, my son and I read How to Make an Apple Pie and see the world by Majorie Priceman.  After reading the book, we followed the recipe in the back.  Such simple ingredients --- apples, cinnamon, sugar, salt, butter -- which when mixed together, created the world's best apple pie.  Absolutely delish. 

 

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to take one of your favorite recipes and read a book with the one of the ingredients in the title. Or choose one of your favorite cookbooks and read a book with one of the colors that is on the cover. 

 

In the meantime, while your house is filling up with appetizing aromas and you are waiting for the timer to ding, check out a few scrumptious finds:

 

Foodie books for every eater and reader on your Christmas List.

 

Taste of Home Christmas 2017

 

27 Books Every Foodie Needs In Their Library

 

Best Food Focused Memoirs

 

10 of the best new cookbooks in 2017

 

“Give two cooks the same ingredients and the same recipe; it is fascinating to observe how, like handwriting, their results differ. After you cook a dish repeatedly, you begin to understand it. Then you can reinvent it a bit and make it yours. A written recipe can be useful, but sometimes the notes scribbled in the margin are the key to a superlative rendition. Each new version may inspire improvisation based on fresh understanding. It doesn't have to be as dramatic as all that, but such exciting minor epiphanies keep cooking lively.†  ~  David Tanis, Heart of the Artichoke: and Other Kitchen Journeys

 

Share a favorite recipe or cookbook, family tradition or new tradition starting for the holidays.

 

 

Happy Cooking!

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

Link to week 49

Edited December 10, 2017 by Robin M

[Negin]

Robin, I'm going to look into some of those links. They look like something I'm going to love! :)

 

I read Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House - 3 Stars - Housekeeping interests me and I’m often eager to learn more. This housekeeping tome is definitely informative and useful. The author, a Harvard educated attorney and part-time professor, takes on a rather academic approach to housekeeping.

The beginning of the book was inspiring. She talks about housekeeping having become a dying art, and rather than focusing on perfection, the emphasis should be on making the home welcoming and clean.

I would love to be able to do most of the things that the author suggests, but many other things interest me also, and so housekeeping often gets put on the back burner. I learned quite a bit, but I have to say that much of it is rather overwhelming and there were parts of it that I felt were a bit over the top. Honestly, if I were to attempt to carry out most of her suggestions, which again I would love to be able to do, I would have to find a way to clone myself. Books like this have a tendency to make me feel slightly inadequate.

 

 

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.

[Robin M]

I'm totally enjoying Neil Gaiman's View from the Cheap Seats.  It really isn't a book that you read linearly front to back but skipping around the different sections: Some Things I Believe, Some People I have Known, Introductions and Musings in Science Fiction, Film and Movies and Me, On Comics and Some of the People Who Make Them, Introductions and Contradictions, Music and the People Who Make It,On Stardust and Fairy Tales, Make Good Art and The View From the Cheap Seats - Real Things.  Funny, intense, emotional and revealing.  Highly recommend.

 

From Credo:

 

I believe that it is difficult to kill an idea because ideas are invisible and contagious and they move fast.  I believe that you can set your own ideas against ideas you dislike. That you should be free to argue, explain, clarify, debate, offend, insult, rage, mock, sing, dramatize, and deny.  I believe that repressing ideas spreads ideas.  I believe I have the right to think and say the wrong things. I believe your remedy for that should be to argue with me or to ignore me, and that I should have the same remedy for the wrong things that I believe you think.  

 

 

From Why Our Future Depends on Libraries:

 

We need Libraries. We need books. We need literate citizens.  Books are the way that the dead communicate with us.  The way that we learn lessons from those who are no longer with us, the way that humanity has built on itself, progressed, made knowledge incremental rather than something that has to be relearned over and over.  There are tales that have long outlasted the cultures and the buildings in which they were first told.  We have an obligation to support libraries.  If you do not value libraries then you do not value information or culture or wisdom.  You are silencing the voices of the past and you are damaging the future.  

 

 

 

I finished Keri Arthur's The Black Tide which is the 3rd of her trilogy The Outcast series.  Epic and I'm happy how it ended. Now I want to go back and reread the whole trilogy over again back to back for the full affect. 

 

I picked up Carrie Vaughn's (of Kitty Norville fame) Discord's Apple which fits in great with this week's read a book with an ingredient in the title.

 

When Evie Walker goes home to spend time with her dying father, she discovers that his creaky old house in Hope's Fort, Colorado, is not the only legacy she stands to inherit. Hidden behind the old basement door is a secret and magical storeroom, a place where wondrous treasures from myth and legend are kept safe until they are needed again. The magic of the storeroom prevents access to any who are not intended to use the items. But just because it has never been done does not mean it cannot be done. And there are certainly those who will give anything to find a way in.Evie must guard the storeroom against ancient and malicious forces, protecting the past and the future even as the present unravels around them. Old heroes and notorious villains alike will rise to fight on her side or to undermine her most desperate gambits. At stake is the fate of the world, and the prevention of nothing less than the apocalypse

 

 

 

But first, Nora Robert's Year One is on my reading plate:

 

It began on New Year’s Eve.

The sickness came on suddenly, and spread quickly. The fear spread even faster. Within weeks, everything people counted on began to fail them. The electrical grid sputtered; law and government collapsed—and more than half of the world’s population was decimated.

Where there had been order, there was now chaos. And as the power of science and technology receded, magic rose up in its place. Some of it is good, like the witchcraft worked by Lana Bingham, practicing in the loft apartment she shares with her lover, Max. Some of it is unimaginably evil, and it can lurk anywhere, around a corner, in fetid tunnels beneath the river—or in the ones you know and love the most.

As word spreads that neither the immune nor the gifted are safe from the authorities who patrol the ravaged streets, and with nothing left to count on but each other, Lana and Max make their way out of a wrecked New York City. At the same time, other travelers are heading west too, into a new frontier. Chuck, a tech genius trying to hack his way through a world gone offline. Arlys, a journalist who has lost her audience but uses pen and paper to record the truth. Fred, her young colleague, possessed of burgeoning abilities and an optimism that seems out of place in this bleak landscape. And Rachel and Jonah, a resourceful doctor and a paramedic who fend off despair with their determination to keep a young mother and three infants in their care alive.

In a world of survivors where every stranger encountered could be either a savage or a savior, none of them knows exactly where they are heading, or why. But a purpose awaits them that will shape their lives and the lives of all those who remain.

The end has come. The beginning comes next.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 10, 2017 by Robin M

[Kareni]

An enjoyable post from the Word Wenches site that seemed appropriate given this week's theme ~

 

The Comfort of Cookies—Then and Now

**

 

A one day only currently free book for Kindle readers ~

 

Brainrush (Brainrush Series Book 1)  by Richard Bard

 

also by the same author,

Gifted: A Brainrush Novella (Brainrush Series)

 

Also currently free ~

 

Tales from the Crib  by Jennifer Coburn

 

Bittersweet Memories: A Novel  by Lynn Osterkamp

 

The Antics of Evangeline: Collection 1: Mystery and Mayhem in steampunk Melbourne  by Madeleine D'Este

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Zebra]

This week I finished What She Knew by Gilly MacMillan.   A child goes missing, and the investigation ensues.   It was slow at first, but then picked up about half way through.

 

I also read A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.   It wasn't what I thought it was, which was a good thing.   The main character was handed a sentence of house arrest in the hotel in Moscow that he lived in.   The book detailed his life for the next 30 years.  It had a bit of a sense of humor to it, and a little Russian culture and history thrown in.

 

Currently I am listening to The Women of the Castle.   I am also reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, I Don't Know How She Does It, and Alexander Hamilton.  I am trying to make myself read 1 chapter of Hamilton every day, but I am finding very good excuses to put it off, excuses like posting on this thread.

 

 

 

 

[Lady Florida.]

I also read A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.   It wasn't what I thought it was, which was a good thing.   The main character was handed a sentence of house arrest in the hotel in Moscow that he lived in.   The book detailed his life for the next 30 years.  It had a bit of a sense of humor to it, and a little Russian culture and history thrown in.

I started reading that a while ago and decided to wait until it was my turn to choose a book for book club (it was going to be my choice). My book club seems to be falling apart so I didn't want to wait any longer. I started it again yesterday. I hadn't gotten very far the first time but since it's been so long I went back to the beginning. So far I haven't passed the parts I already read so I can't comment much. 

 

Currently I am listening to The Women of the Castle.   I am also reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, I Don't Know How She Does It, and Alexander Hamilton.  I am trying to make myself read 1 chapter of Hamilton every day, but I am finding very good excuses to put it off, excuses like posting on this thread.

The Women in the Castle is on my to-read list. I'll be interested to hear what you think. My book club read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and I liked it.

 

I read Alexander Hamilton this year, though it took me a few months. I kept putting it aside in favor of other books (book club books, library books I had to finish before the loan ended, etc.) so it ended up being a long term read. I'm glad I read it. I've always had a soft spot for the man. He founded my hometown and when I was in grade school our teachers always idolized him and demonized Aaron Burr. Obviously it's more complicated than that but it's why I've always liked him. Funny (and perhaps a bit scary) how a teacher can put ideas in your head that stay with you for life.

 

I'm also currently reading The Sparrow, and my long term read, Truman. 

 

While I wait for my next Brother Cadfael audio book to become available at the library (I have it on hold) I'm listening to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for the zillionth time. I've read and listened to the entire series a zillion times.

 

Speaking of HP, my niece was here yesterday to make Christmas cookies. It's a tradition we started when she was little and now we're continuing it with her own kids. While we were talking she said her daughter (9yo, one of a pair of fraternal twins) brought the first Harry Potter book home from the school library and they read the first chapter. She was really interested but it had to go back to the library. My niece asked if she could borrow our books so she could read them aloud to her daughter (and son if he'll listen). She took the first three home with her and will decide if they should go farther or wait until the kids are a bit older, to read the rest. I'm just thrilled that they're interested in reading the series. 

[Mothersweets]

Hello all! Eating and reading through the holidays? Sign me up! :) Can't wait to look through those links, Robin.  (How to Make an Apple Pie... was one of our favorites, too!)

 

Just this morning I finished Prairie Fires:The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33911349-prairie-fires

This was excellent! Here's what I wrote on my GR page:  Wow! Hats off to Caroline Fraser. This is a fascinating biography of not only LIW but also of her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, and of the American pioneer. 

 

We get to know a side of Laura that is only hinted at: she comes off as being very driven, no 'suffering fools gladly' going on there, and maybe not as warm and loving as I'd imagined although it is easy to understand seeing how hard her life really was. Rose on the other hand...oh my. She seems to have truly suffered from some form of mental illness and ends up a very unlikeable person. We see so much of Rose in her letters to her mother and father; how I would love to see what her parents' replies were and what they truly thought of their daughter's actions. Almanzo is always in the background working quietly and steadfastly on. I do wish there was more written about him. 

Caroline Fraser has done an incredible job of pulling so many sources together. This is no dry, scholarly tome but a very readable, well-researched biography of LIW and the times she lived in and wrote of. Highly recommended!

 

Has anyone else read this? I know we have varying degrees of love/interest in LIW so I'd love to hear other thoughts on it.

 

 

 

[mumto2]

Robin's food topic is highly appropriate with regards to my weekend because I have a cold and have spent a great deal of time reading magazine's on my iPod from the library. Lot's of Taste of Home magazines which are my favorites. I continued to subscribe to for years at my mom's house. I am also caught up on celebrity gossip and Christmas decorating ideas! I'm glad I figured out how because it's been an entertaining thing to do while a bit fuzzy from benadril.

 

I finished my Bingo card with A Tan and Sandy Silence https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/267763.A_Tan_and_Sandy_Silence by John MacDonald. I have been avoiding this book all year and it was far better than I expected but it was dated. No where near as good a Lee Child's Reacher. I would read another in the series if it happened to fit a challenge. I doubt that I will just read them for pleasure because I have too many other books on my lists. :). At some point this week I will post my Bingo card books.

 

I also finished the latest Agatha Raison cozy. The Witches Tree was a good outing with a favorite detective. I have to say that after several books in the series where it was hard to read about someone my age (she is 54 in this book) being that desperate for well, everything. It was nice to see her calm down a bit a not be so man crazy and jealous.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33602096-the-witches-tree

 

Currently reading The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal and Origin by Dan Brown. I have both The Quants and A Conjuring of Light on audio but haven't really listened to either.

 

Year One on hold so am curious about Robin's opinion. I need to try Keri Arthur.

 

The Women of the Castle was an interesting read. I am waiting to see what Kathy and Zebra think of it. I read it very close to Thee Zookeeper's Wife.

[ErinE]

Robin, I'm going to look into some of those links. They look like something I'm going to love! :)

 

I read Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House - 3 Stars - Housekeeping interests me and I’m often eager to learn more. This housekeeping tome is definitely informative and useful. The author, a Harvard educated attorney and part-time professor, takes on a rather academic approach to housekeeping.

The beginning of the book was inspiring. She talks about housekeeping having become a dying art, and rather than focusing on perfection, the emphasis should be on making the home welcoming and clean.

I would love to be able to do most of the things that the author suggests, but many other things interest me also, and so housekeeping often gets put on the back burner. I learned quite a bit, but I have to say that much of it is rather overwhelming and there were parts of it that I felt were a bit over the top. Honestly, if I were to attempt to carry out most of her suggestions, which again I would love to be able to do, I would have to find a way to clone myself. Books like this have a tendency to make me feel slightly inadequate.

 

I ironed my sheets once because of this book. Wow, did my sheets feel heavenly, all crisp and smooth. I never did it again, because ironing sheets takes a ridiculously long amount of time and I hate ironing. I did pick up the habit of airing out my bed for fifteen minutes before making it. It makes a difference.

[Mom-ninja.]

I am working on the last two books I need for bingo. Silly me thought I would have lots of time to read during my ds's rehearsal. I got zero reading done. 

[Negin]

I ironed my sheets once because of this book. Wow, did my sheets feel heavenly, all crisp and smooth. I never did it again, because ironing sheets takes a ridiculously long amount of time and I hate ironing. I did pick up the habit of airing out my bed for fifteen minutes before making it. It makes a difference.

Erin, I already air out my bed, but now you've gotten me thinking about ironing my sheets. I hate ironing also, but now I'm tempted. :)

[Nan in Mass]

I am mired in alibris lists and hoping everything arrives in time for Christmas. And I am reading the same series that I have been for a few weeks now. And annoyingly, my boston public librrary card has expired and I can't figure out how to renew it. I guess I'm going to have to telephone.

 

Nan

[Lady Florida.]

I read Home Comforts years ago and thought she was a bit over the top. She even admits to it in the book. I chuckled at the part where you're supposed to open your bedroom window while you air your bed out before making it. Ha! Windows here stay closed from April or May until at the earliest late October. If you opened your window during those months the bedroom would become a sauna within minutes. 

 

I grew up in a time before wrinkle free and permanent press. I remember what it was like to have to iron nearly everything. I'm not going back to that time by ironing my sheets.

 

I liked the part early on where she talked about her English grandmother vs. her Italian grandmother and how they dealt with leftovers. It describes perfectly dh's family vs. mine. His mother always tried to turn leftovers into something else. Mine always served leftovers exactly as is the second (and sometimes third) time around because it was so good you wanted to eat it again..

 

 

[mumto2]

I am mired in alibris lists and hoping everything arrives in time for Christmas. And I am reading the same series that I have been for a few weeks now. And annoyingly, my boston public librrary card has expired and I can't figure out how to renew it. I guess I'm going to have to telephone.

 

Nan

I'm curious, what series? I hope your phone call goes well!

 

Kathy, :lol: Totally agree Italian food is so good it can be eaten over and over again. Generally I just repeat everything as is, except meat which I chop up and stir fry with noodles and veg. My kids have eaten lots of odd lo mein combos during their life! I guess I turn things into Chinese spaghetti when in doubt. :lol:

 

Ironing sheets, I have never read the book but all I can think of is something weird I have learned in recent years. I have many South African friends and friends whose parent's spent years in South Africa. The one thing all those people have in common in guilt that they don't iron everything. They all grew up with their underwear ironed even, which is apparently nicer, so they feel bad their kids don't receive the same level of care ;). Now, for the why.......insect larva from being dried on a line outside......I was going to say pegged out but edited. ;) Ironing kills it. Yuk!!!

 

I normally leave our bed open while eating breakfast and make it after. It is nicer.

Edited December 11, 2017 by mumto2

[Kareni]

A one day only currently free classic for Kindle readers ~

 

On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

I recently finished a couple of ho hum (as opposed to ho ho ho) books. 

 

Lost Heart: A Celta Novella  by Robin D. Owens; I've enjoyed the author's Celta novels and am looking forward to reading her newest.  Unfortunately, this novella seemed lacking.

 

The Barren (Kelderan Runic Warriors Book 2)  by Jessie Donovan; I persevered with this science fiction romance as it was loaned to me by an online acquaintance.  Unfortunately, it too did not speak to me.  

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[ErinE]

Erin, I already air out my bed, but now you've gotten me thinking about ironing my sheets. I hate ironing also, but now I'm tempted. :)

 

I did it once and that was enough for me. I think the author mentions she purchased a rotary iron to get the pressing done, but the price point shocked me. She must really like her sheets pressed.

 

Books read last week:

• The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine by Lindsey Fitzharris. History - Medicine. A surgeon introduces hygiene to surgery. This was a fantastic microhistory though as evidenced by its subject matter, very gritty. Lister documented his surgical methods, keeping track of what worked and what didn't, but the medical and science communities were against him. Interesting fact: his last name was the inspiration for the mouthwash Listerine.
• Music as a Mirror of History by Robert Greenberg. History - Music. A survey of important musical pieces as inspired by historical events. When Greenberg sticks to the composer's history, he does an excellent job, but when he mentions more current history, it felt clumsy and detracted from the course.
• Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham. Historical Fiction - Young Adult. After discovering a skeleton in her backyard, a young woman seeks to uncover the truth behind its death. The story suffered from the things I find irritating about many YA books, but it revolves around an important part of US history. In 1921, whites rampaged through a black section of Tulsa, Oklahoma, destroying buildings and killing people. The victims deserve to be remembered, and I plan on finding a nonfiction book on the riots. Dreamland Burning might spark an interest in the historical event for a teen, but I recommend pre-reading first, and I hope to find a better non-fiction book.
• The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal by Jared Diamond. Science - Human Biology and Evolution. An overview of human evolution, but it suffers from its age.
• Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer. Science Fiction - Young Adult. A cyborg escapes from prison and seeks answers in her mysterious past.
• Raven Strategem (The Machineries of Empire #2) by Yoon Ha Lee. Science Fiction. An undead general has taken over his human host and plots to undermine an empire based on quantum technology that runs on religious belief.
• Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan. History. A history of a Jewish prophet. Unlike many similar books, Aslan grounds Jesus in the history of his time period and explains what his message meant to the people to whom he preached.
• True Grit by Charles Portis, narrated by Donna Tartt. Historical fiction. A girl hires a marshal to track down her father's killer. Based on a discussion a few weeks ago, I borrowed this audiobook from the library and I'm so glad I did! It is a fantastic book and read to perfection by Tartt. Highly recommended.
• Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine, 1921-1933 by Anne Applebaum. History - Eastern Europe. While many Soviet satellites suffered from the famine in the early thirties, Applebaum provides thorough research that Ukraine was specifically targeted, making the population's starvation and death toll worse.
• The Great Degeneration by Niall Ferguson. Economic History. A brief look at how countries fall from prosperity.

I have another Ferguson read, The Ascent of Money and I've started Pachinko.

[Nan in Mass]

I'm curious, what series? I hope your phone call goes well!

 

Kathy, :lol: Totally agree Italian food is so good it can be eaten over and over again. Generally I just repeat everything as is, except meat which I chop up and stir fry with noodles and veg. My kids have eaten lots of odd lo mein combos during their life! I guess I turn things into Chinese spaghetti when in doubt. :lol:

 

Ironing sheets, I have never read the book but all I can think of is something weird I have learned in recent years. I have many South African friends and friends whose parent's spent years in South Africa. The one thing all those people have in common in guilt that they don't iron everything. They all grew up with their underwear ironed even, which is apparently nicer, so they feel bad their kids don't receive the same level of care ;). Now, for the why.......insect larva from being dried on a line outside......I was going to say pegged out but edited. ;) Ironing kills it. Yuk!!!

 

I normally leave our bed open while eating breakfast and make it after. It is nicer.

 

Honor Harrington (a suggestion of my nephew, since I was enjoying Hornblower), and for my youngest, I am reading the Ender's Game series.  The source of the books is getting me through the grittier parts, especially with the Ender's Game series, which is beyond what I normally tolerate.

 

Hmm...  I have sometimes wondered about ticks when I hung the clothes out.  We've never had a problem, though, so I am assuming we won't.  Ironing is waaaaaay down on my priority list.  I will iron dress clothes, if necessary, and damask table clothes for Christmas or Thanksgiving or Easter.  Otherwise, we live wrinkly.  Mostly, the stuff we have has been worn into softness and any wrinkles go away with the crinkliness from the drying rack or clothes line.

 

I air our bed while we eat breakfast, too, usually.  I have no idea if it makes any difference.  I air the sleepingbags on the boat when I can do it without them blowing away or getting damper or saltier.  That I do know makes a difference.

 

Nan

 

ETA - I am enjoying the Honor Harrington series.

Edited December 11, 2017 by Nan in Mass

[Lady Florida.]

I did it once and that was enough for me. I think the author mentions she purchased a rotary iron to get the pressing done, but the price point shocked me. She must really like her sheets pressed.

 

She has some good ideas in that book but is a bit too concerned about housekeeping. I can't even imagine buying that if I didn't need it for professional reasons.

 

Books read last week:

• The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal by Jared Diamond. Science - Human Biology and Evolution. An overview of human evolution, but it suffers from its age.

 

I'm curious. In what way. Obviously discoveries have been made since it was published (early 90s?) so is it factual information that's wrong or just the tone? It does sound interesting.

[ErinE]

She has some good ideas in that book but is a bit too concerned about housekeeping. I can't even imagine buying that if I didn't need it for professional reasons.

 

 

I'm curious. In what way. Obviously discoveries have been made since it was published (early 90s?) so is it factual information that's wrong or just the tone? It does sound interesting.

 

The first point that pops into my mind is that most human DNA is junk. If I remember correctly, it was generally accepted in the early nineties, then evidence appeared that it wasn't true, and now more evidence has appeared that it might be true as a protection against genetic mutation. Either way, Diamond's definitive statement isn't so definitive. It also claims Neanderthals were a seperate species with no intermingling with Homo sapiens, which if true, doesn't explain why some now believe there was gene sharing. In Diamond's defense and based on my limited knowledge, genetic science has grown in leaps and bounds in the past thirty years so possible mingling with Neanderthals wouldn't have had evidence then. Diamond also introduces his geography-based economic determinism which is the premise for Guns, Germs, and Steel, an argument that I've seen refuted by many cultural geographers (my most recent listen on the subject was Understanding Cultural and Human Geography which specifically addresses Guns in one lecture). So it was an interesting listen, but I already knew the central thesis (chimpanzees are our closest living relatives) and there's been a wealth of anthropological and genetic research since its publication that puts Diamond's other positions on shaky grounds. I have Sapiens in my TBR pile, which I'm hoping might have more up-to-date information and would be a better recommendation. 

 

ETA: None of the above means I'm in any way an expert when it comes to anthropology, biology, genetics, or culture so take my opinion with a grain of salt

Edited December 11, 2017 by ErinE

[Mothersweets]

 

• True Grit by Charles Portis, narrated by Donna Tartt. Historical fiction. A girl hires a marshal to track down her father's killer. Based on a discussion a few weeks ago, I borrowed this audiobook from the library and I'm so glad I did! It is a fantastic book and read to perfection by Tartt. Highly recommended.

 

 

  :hurray:  This is one of my very favorite audiobooks! So glad you liked it, too!

[Lady Florida.]

The first point that pops into my mind is that most human DNA is junk. If I remember correctly, it was generally accepted in the early nineties, then evidence appeared that it wasn't true, and now more evidence has appeared that it might be true as a protection against genetic mutation. Either way, Diamond's definitive statement isn't so definitive. It also claims Neanderthals were a seperate species with no intermingling with Homo sapiens, which if true, doesn't explain why some now believe there was gene sharing. In Diamond's defense and based on my limited knowledge, genetic science has grown in leaps and bounds in the past thirty years so possible mingling with Neanderthals wouldn't have had evidence then. Diamond also introduces his geography-based economic determinism which is the premise for Guns, Germs, and Steel, an argument that I've seen refuted by many cultural geographers (my most recent listen on the subject was Understanding Cultural and Human Geography which specifically addresses Guns in one lecture). So it was an interesting listen, but I already knew the central thesis (chimpanzees are our closest living relatives) and there's been a wealth of anthropological and genetic research since its publication that puts Diamond's other positions on shaky grounds. I have Sapiens in my TBR pile, which I'm hoping might have more up-to-date information and would be a better recommendation. 

 

ETA: None of the above means I'm in any way an expert when it comes to anthropology, biology, genetics, or culture so take my opinion with a grain of salt

 

Thanks. I haven't read Guns, Germs, and Steel and for years have gone back and forth on whether I even want to read it. I do remember the belief that Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens didn't mix, and I remember when the information started to come out that there was mixing after all. I'll probably skip this one and if I want to read more about the topic will choose something current.

[ErinE]

Thanks. I haven't read Guns, Germs, and Steel and for years have gone back and forth on whether I even want to read it. I do remember the belief that Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens didn't mix, and I remember when the information started to come out that there was mixing after all. I'll probably skip this one and if I want to read more about the topic will choose something current.

 

Understanding Human and Cultural Geography was a good Teaching Company offering (if you like geography and culture) which discusses how geography influences human culture and how humans are influencing Earth, but doesn't make the leap that Diamond does - that geography determines cultural success. The coursebook has an extensive list of additional reads, but I haven't had the chance to explore the recommended books.

[Robin M]

I just added Code Girls and Hidden Figures to my want list thanks to Brainpicking's  Code Girls: The Untold Story of the Women Cryptographers Who Fought WWII at the Intersection of Language and Mathematics.

 

Ironing. I avoid it if at all possible these days.   I remember ironing every week when I was a lot younger -  not only my clothes but my dad's uniforms and  sheets and drapes for grandma.  Nowadays, I make sure to take everything out of the dryer and hang it up as soon as possible to avoid having to iron out wrinkles.   

 

Zebra - I've added The Women of the Castle to my want list. Sounds quite interesting. 

 

Kathy - Recently added Brother Cadfael to my stacks. Will be reading soon.  Always happy to hear of another Harry Potter fan in the making.  

 

Erin - Lot of intriguing reads.  I have Guns, Germs and Steel and have yet to start reading.  Thinking I'll shelve it and watch Teaching Company instead. We have a subscription to Great Courses Plus and having been planning on watching the cultural and human geography videos.  

 

Mum  - Hope you feel better soon.  Just started Year One and not sure yet what I think of it.  I just finished reading one dystopian novel so that may be affecting my judgement.  

 

Time to get back to work. TTFN!   :thumbup1:

 

[Penguin]

I love our subscription to Great Courses Plus. I hope I can keep it in the budget after DS finishes homeschooling in 1.5 years. There are so many courses I would like to watch! I like history, but I read history so darn slowly that I learn most of my history through a video format like the Great Courses or documentaries.

 

I have been working my way through the eight ghost stories that I mentioned last week. I have read 6/8 and liked all of them. None of them are horror stories, and none of them have a Christmas theme. They are just solid, old-fashioned ghost stories that could just as well be read in Spooky October.

 

Last year, I read most of A Very Russian Christmas: The Greatest Russian Holiday Stories of All Time, and I want to finish that up. For Francophiles, A Very French Christmas came out this year.

Edited December 11, 2017 by Penguin

[Kareni]

I don't think this list has been posted ~

 

A Gift Guide for the Bookworm in Your Life

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Penguin]

I am going to participate in the Twitter readalong of The Dark Is Rising. I’ve been wanting to read this for a long time, and then end up forgetting. Supposedly, it will be ok to start with this one, even though it is the 2nd in the series. I hope so!

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/664586-the-dark-is-rising-midwinter-eve-read-along/?do=findComment&comment=7912584

Edited December 12, 2017 by Penguin

[Loesje22000]

We passed inspection :)

[Penguin]

We passed inspection :)

Hooray!!!! So happy for you!!!!!!!

[Loesje22000]

Hooray!!!! So happy for you!!!!!!!

Thank you!

 

They only inspected 4 subjects and our schedules and left after 40 minutes.

Our shortest one :)

[ErinE]

We passed inspection :)

Wonderful news to have that stress done and gone!!!

[mumto2]

We passed inspection :)

 

 

Great news! I am so glad the stress is over.

 

 

I am going to participate in the Twitter readalong of The Dark Is Rising. I’ve been wanting to read this for a long time, and then end up forgetting. Supposedly, it will be ok to start with this one, even though it is the 2nd in the series. I hope so!

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/664586-the-dark-is-rising-midwinter-eve-read-along/?do=findComment&comment=7912584

I just checked the audio book out. This series was one I read aloud at the end of our read aloud history. At that stage I couldn't read quickly enough and the dc's kept stealing my books from me! No idea if I finished it or not but it might vbe nice to have someone read it to me! I doubt that I'm ready for twitter, maybe we can discuss a bit here?

 

I just finished Dan Brown's Origin https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32283133-origin. It was fast paced and not bad. The thing is it wasn't really up to his standard either IMO.

 

Last night I put the books I have sourced (library etc) for a reading around Europe in 2018 out on a Goodreads shelf. I even managed Sardinia! :lol: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/51042385-mumtotwo?shelf=europe I think that takes you there if anyone wants to browse.

[Penguin]

 

 

Great news! I am so glad the stress is over.

 

 

I just checked the audio book out. This series was one I read aloud at the end of our read aloud history. At that stage I couldn't read quickly enough and the dc's kept stealing my books from me! No idea if I finished it or not but it might vbe nice to have someone read it to me! I doubt that I'm ready for twitter, maybe we can discuss a bit here?

 

I just finished Dan Brown's Origin https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32283133-origin. It was fast paced and not bad. The thing is it wasn't really up to his standard either IMO.

 

Last night I put the books I have sourced (library etc) for a reading around Europe in 2018 out on a Goodreads shelf. I even managed Sardinia! :lol: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/51042385-mumtotwo?shelf=europe I think that takes you there if anyone wants to browse.

Yes, let’s plan to discuss The Dark is Rising! I should have my library copy within a day or two. It is in transit from another library.

 

Looking forward to perusing your Europe shelf, too.

[Kareni]

We passed inspection :)

 

 

Congratulations!!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Angelaboord]

I've finished four books since I posted last: 1 fantasy, 2 romance, and 1 poetry. Oddly, I think that 2 of the 4 books will make my favorites list for the year.

 

Age of Assassins, RJ Barker (fantasy) - excellent story of a young assassin's apprentice who is hired along with his master to protect a very unsympathetic prince instead of killing him. Highly recommended. One of my favorite reads this year.

 

Wondrous Moment: The Poetry of Alexander Pushkin - It seems to be really hard to find a decent English translation of Pushkin's poetry. I was really hoping for his fairy tales, but they're not all in here. Passionate, sometimes silly, and sometimes rather dark; I did enjoy the poems.

 

A Lady's Code of Misconduct, Meredith Duran (romance) - This was all kinds of fun for me because Duran took the old amnesia plot trope and absolutely made it work. There is nothing I like better than a good amnesia plot. Lol The book was very well-written and is also one of my favorites this year. Some adult content, but it felt like it served the plot and I could skim for important dialogue.

 

The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie, Jennifer Ashley (romance) - Ian Mackenzie's "madness" is autism, which makes him an unusual hero. This part was done well, but I thought the adult content got a bit "extra" sometimes. Wish she had spent more time having them relate out of the bedroom.

 

And now a question, because I think y'all are the ones who would know... Is all paranormal/fantasy romance about werewolves, vampires, shape shifters, or other magical creatures? I am not a big magical creatures fan, but it seems like that's all that's out there if it's labeled romance.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Matryoshka]

Finished three books this week.

 

143. Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver (ebook).  Everyone (and the world around them) in this book seemed to be in rutting season.  Lots of pheromones.  Literally the title of one of the recurring character's chapters was "Moth Love".  It followed three main characters on and around mountain in Appalachia.  Two of the main characters were female PhD scientists (one a native, one from outside) stuck in this area with a lot of, well, hillbilly farmers.  And I liked it - but I do tend to like Barbara Kingsolver.  For the 'written in your younger dd's birth year' square.  4 stars.

 

144. The Map Thief by Michael Blanding (audiobook) - Nonfiction about a colorful antiquarian map dealer who turned thief.  Lots of interesting history of cartography and of the antiquarian map business, and library security (or lack thereof...).  For the 'Geography or Maps' square. 4 stars.

 

145. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt - Yeah, I dumped the Klondike book in favor of this one.  On paper, this seems very much not my type of book, but I'm glad you guys recommended  it, because I did end up quite liking it!  For the 'Gold Rush' square. 4 stars.

 

Currently reading:

 

 - Stardust by Neil Gaiman (audiobook)  - I'm liking it so far, but I do think it helps to have him read it.  He does have a lovely reading voice.

 

 - Â¿Cuándo se jodió Venezuela?/Crude Nation by Raúl Gallegos (ebook) - About how the economic crisis in Venezuela came about.  I'm still not sure which language this was written in, or if the author wrote it in both (neither version has a translator listed).  But it came out in ebook on Overdrive, and it's more interesting sounding than any other book with 'Curse word in the title' - and the curse word is only in the Spanish edition.  ;)  Another complete renaming rather than translation of a title (but not sure which came first!)

 

Coming up:

 

Think my next hardcopy book might be Night Sessions by Ken MacLeod.  I've got a couple of fast, easy reads to finish up some Bingo rows - a Seuss collection (already have it here), and a Manga.  Manga question - I think of Manga as only Japanese graphic novels, not any graphic novel.  How do others understand the term?  Any suggestions?  Otherwise I might read one my kids had lying around.

 

And I think I have one more audiobook to get through, and four other hardcopy books, if I somehow finish all the rows I'd hoped to.  We'll see if I can manage.  I'll just be annoyed if I'm one book short in one row! But, not what I should be focusing on over the holidays, so I may have to let it go...   :001_rolleyes:

[Matryoshka]

And now a question, because I think y'all are the ones who would know... Is all paranormal/fantasy romance about werewolves, vampires, shape shifters, or other magical creatures? I am not a big magical creatures fan, but it seems like that's all that's out there if it's labeled romance.

 

The book I read for the Paranormal square this year (Burning Bright by Melissa McShane) had what I'd call more like Regency-era superheroes.  Some people were born with 'talents' which manifested at puberty; there were a limited number of these (teleportation, fire control, telekenisis, telepathy among others), and they manifested to different extents in different people, if they manifested at all.  And the romance was Jane Austen level clean - I tend to shy away from explicit.  The Barbara Kingsolver book was probably as much as I can handle (and apparently for me entomology and coyote preservation are better side dishes than werewolves and vampires ;))   But anyway, I actually really loved the Burning Bright book.  

[Robin M]

I finalized the monthly themes and authors.  Decided to go around the world again for 2018 visiting the places we missed on our last few go rounds.  There will also be a Mystery road trip which Mum and Amy are working on, which they'll share more later. 

 

January Journey along the silk road:
Asia - Haruki Murakimi and/or Miyuki Miyabe 

 

February Peregrinations across the Roman Roads: 
United Kingdom - Agatha Christie and/or Christopher Brookmyre 

 

March footpaths from Dublin to Dorsey: 
Ireland - Iris Murdoch and/or John Connolly

 

April backpacking coast to coast: 
Iceland - Arnaldur Indriðason and/or Yrsa Sigurðardóttir 

 

May Cruise the fjords:
Scandinavia Peninsula - Karin Fossum and/or Jo Nesbo 


June Sojourns by bike and barge: 
Western Europe Low Countries - Georges Simenon and/or Renate Dorrestein


July Quest across the Alps: 
Alpine Region - Umberto Eco and/or Simonetta Agnello Hornby 

August treks around the Middle East:
Fertile Crescent - Naguib Mahfouz and/or Alia Mamdouh


Nomadic September through the Heat:
Sahara desert - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and/or Chinua Achebe


October Rambles: 
North America - James Rollins and/or Sue Grafton


November Narrations: Nonfiction November 


Frosty December: Arctic Circle
 

Edited December 13, 2017 by Robin M

[Robin M]

We passed inspection :)

:hurray:  Congratulations!  So happy and now you can relax.

 

Last night I put the books I have sourced (library etc) for a reading around Europe in 2018 out on a Goodreads shelf. I even managed Sardinia! :lol: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/51042385-mumtotwo?shelf=europe I think that takes you there if anyone wants to browse.

What a great list. Will most likely add a few to my shelves.  

 

And now a question, because I think y'all are the ones who would know... Is all paranormal/fantasy romance about werewolves, vampires, shape shifters, or other magical creatures? I am not a big magical creatures fan, but it seems like that's all that's out there if it's labeled romance.

Pretty much! All fantasies contain magical creatures or witches and warlocks. There are Urban fantasies which are paranormal fantasies without the romance. Science fiction is more human based and more about technological advances and space or time travel.     

[mumto2]

I've finished four books since I posted last: 1 fantasy, 2 romance, and 1 poetry. Oddly, I think that 2 of the 4 books will make my favorites list for the year.

 

Age of Assassins, RJ Barker (fantasy) - excellent story of a young assassin's apprentice who is hired along with his master to protect a very unsympathetic prince instead of killing him. Highly recommended. One of my favorite reads this year.

 

Wondrous Moment: The Poetry of Alexander Pushkin - It seems to be really hard to find a decent English translation of Pushkin's poetry. I was really hoping for his fairy tales, but they're not all in here. Passionate, sometimes silly, and sometimes rather dark; I did enjoy the poems.

 

A Lady's Code of Misconduct, Meredith Duran (romance) - This was all kinds of fun for me because Duran took the old amnesia plot trope and absolutely made it work. There is nothing I like better than a good amnesia plot. Lol The book was very well-written and is also one of my favorites this year. Some adult content, but it felt like it served the plot and I could skim for important dialogue.

 

The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie, Jennifer Ashley (romance) - Ian Mackenzie's "madness" is autism, which makes him an unusual hero. This part was done well, but I thought the adult content got a bit "extra" sometimes. Wish she had spent more time having them relate out of the bedroom.

 

And now a question, because I think y'all are the ones who would know... Is all paranormal/fantasy romance about werewolves, vampires, shape shifters, or other magical creatures? I am not a big magical creatures fan, but it seems like that's all that's out there if it's labeled romance.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I have been trying to sort out the different categories of paranormal, fantasy romance, urban fantasy, myself. I'm definitely not an expert but here is what I think they are.

 

Paranormal romances generally have vampires and were something's. Generally in the real world but always have a romance. Lots of romance.

 

Urban fantasy is in the real world setting but does not necessarily have the huge romance scenes. More apt to have other paranormal creatures as characters. Fairies are common. Generally fighting a common enemy.

 

Fantasy romances contain magic not necessarily creatures. Mages, witches, maybe a fairy. The world is not real. I haven't read this series but enjoy the author's time travel books https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50715.Star_of_the_Morning. This apparently has a dragon. :)

 

I hope this helps. I would be interested in more clarity between the genres if anyone else wants to add anything I would love it.

 

Eta.....I missed Robin's explanation. Sorry.

Edited December 13, 2017 by mumto2

[Kareni]

And now a question, because I think y'all are the ones who would know... Is all paranormal/fantasy romance about werewolves, vampires, shape shifters, or other magical creatures?

 

Not necessarily.

 

From Wikipedia:

 

"... Beyond the more prevalent themes involving vampires, shapeshifters, ghosts, or time travel, paranormal romances can also include books featuring characters with psychic abilities, like telekinesis or telepathy. ..."

 

So, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir might be reasonably considered a paranormal romance.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

A bookish post ~

 

Natalie Zutter's  7 Curiouser and Curiouser Retellings of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

 

or two ~

 

Ken Scholes'   Five Books About Writing that Made Me a Better Writer

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Zebra]

I finished 2 more books.

 

The Women in the Castle which was meh.  I kept drifting off and not listening to it.   I think there were too many voices done by one person, and it was hard to keep up.  "Wait, are you being Frau Lingenheimer or Fraulein Dinglehopper now?"  I think I would have been better off reading it.  I did learn one interesting thing, which was in Germany they rent out grave plots and if you don't renew them they give the plot to someone else.   I have been saying FOR YEARS that this is what we should do in America.  I think in America we've always had so much land that this idea seems crazy.   But, I live in New England and we are definitely running out of space to bury people.

 

I also finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.   This book was like an exhausting version of Life of Fred.  But at least it was short  :lol: !

[Penguin]

 

I just checked the audio book out. This series was one I read aloud at the end of our read aloud history. At that stage I couldn't read quickly enough and the dc's kept stealing my books from me! No idea if I finished it or not but it might vbe nice to have someone read it to me! I doubt that I'm ready for twitter, maybe we can discuss a bit here?

 

Quoting you again to increase odds that you will see my post :) I have a copy of the book. When do you want to start? I will probably start reading it before the weekend. Do we want to start discussion on the 20th to keep with the Twitter schedule? With no spoilers until we are both (and anyone else interested) done?

[ErinE]

I’m feeling the need to get rid of stuff but before I start giving things away I wanted to offer some books here. I have several free books i can send if you’re interested. Let me know.

 

ETA: I just realized I can send everything but The Weekend Novelist as it’s my DH’s.

[Matryoshka]

Quoting you again to increase odds that you will see my post :) I have a copy of the book. When do you want to start? I will probably start reading it before the weekend. Do we want to start discussion on the 20th to keep with the Twitter schedule? With no spoilers until we are both (and anyone else interested) done?

 

 I didn't read The Dark is Rising sequence till my 20's, as I hadn't heard of it before then (how did that happen?  I literally read through my small library's entire YA section - guess they didn't have it...).  Anyway, love, love, loved it.  

 

Funny story, tried to introduce my kids to it, they didn't 'get' what was going on with the time travel and didn't like it, and I realized I had not exposed them to any SciFi where time travel is such a well-worn trope... somehow that got us into Star Trek and Stargate to remedy that oversight on my part, and now they are super well-versed in time travel but still have not read The Dark is Rising books...   Le Sigh.

 

Ah well, I'd love to reread at least that one book, but I have Bingo priorities, ladies, so I think I may join you Jan 1st; I'm sure I can still manage to read the whole thing no problem by Twelfth Night! :D

[mumto2]

I finished 2 more books.

 

The Women in the Castle which was meh. I kept drifting off and not listening to it. I think there were too many voices done by one person, and it was hard to keep up. "Wait, are you being Frau Lingenheimer or Fraulein Dinglehopper now?" I think I would have been better off reading it. I did learn one interesting thing, which was in Germany they rent out grave plots and if you don't renew them they give the plot to someone else. I have been saying FOR YEARS that this is what we should do in America. I think in America we've always had so much land that this idea seems crazy. But, I live in New England and we are definitely running out of space to bury people.

 

I also finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. This book was like an exhausting version of Life of Fred. But at least it was short :lol: !

:lol: LoF, I remember liking The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night.

 

As for The Women in the Castle I am not sure book form would have helped totally because I remember the last third of the book being a bit sporadic. I really enjoyed the first part of the book but the ending wasn't what I was hoping for. I picked up on the German cemetery politics also. In England an archeology consult is just called in anytime there is something involving a churchyard I think. Very confusing because the gravestones just get moved around over the centuries. Recently a local church discovered that it had empty ground where they had many really old tombstones which was a bit odd because it is usually the opposite problem.

 

About a month ago Kareni helped me find a book with a hedgehog for a character. It is a historical romance by Laura Kinsale called Midsummer Moonhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22030691-midsummer-moon. The storyline could have been less confusing but the hedgehog was adorable. An extra star for the hedgehog! It lived in the main character's apron pocket and loved sunflower seeds. Totally possible from my new research involving pet hedgehogs. ;). I think I will continue to hope for hoglets in my yard this summer because the scene where the hedgehog was scared and his quills got stuck in someone's hand pretty much ended the hedgehog as a pet idea for me. Observation of wild hedgehogs sounds much easier and safer!

[mumto2]

Quoting you again to increase odds that you will see my post :) I have a copy of the book. When do you want to start? I will probably start reading it before the weekend. Do we want to start discussion on the 20th to keep with the Twitter schedule? With no spoilers until we are both (and anyone else interested) done?

I can start reading whenever you want but probably should wait until after this weekend to really dive in. It looks like there will be a question posted each day on twitter starting the 20th which might make starting our discussion on the 20th fun. I couldn't find a reading schedule, is there one?

[Kareni]

A one day only currently free book for Kindle readers ~

 

The Wonder by J. D. Beresford

 

Also currently free ~

 

City of Masks: (An Epic Fantasy Novel) (The Bone Mask Trilogy Book 1)  by Ashley Capes

 

Fluency (Confluence Book 1)  by Jennifer Foehner Wells

 

"Just read FLUENCY by Jennifer Foehner Wells and loved it. Wonderful space opera. Looking forward to the next book." (Nalini Singh, NYT & USA Today bestselling author)

 

YA:  Voiceless  by E.G. Wilson

 

LGBT:  When Heaven Strikes by F.E. Feeley Jr

 

LGBT:  The Master Will Appear  by L.A. Witt

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

Finished Nora Robert’s newest Year One. Didn’t hate it but also didn’t entirely love it as I have a few nitpicks. Could have been so much better. Mum and Karen, have you read it yet? Diving into Cogman’s Invisible Library.