Dicentra

January 19, 2021

33 minutes ago, Kareni said:

I just finished The Address: A Novel by Fiona Davis which I read for my local book group which will be meeting on Zoom on Thursday. I mostly enjoyed it (there were times of dread); however, there were a number of elements that strained credulity. I look forward to the discussion.

I have this on my Kindle but haven't started it yet. You've reminded me it's there - thank you! 🙂

January 18, 2021

4 minutes ago, SusanC said:

😂😂😂 Ahhh! Spoiler alert! It is the curse of recently (re-)studying history. Next up on my possible read-aloud list, after we finish Jane Eyre, is The Jane Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. I expect that will explore some alternate endings? I'm trying to preskim, though, anyone know if it has adult content that will be surprising and embarrassing and awkward?

Ack! Maybe I should "white out" my statement - I'm sorry if I spoiled it for anyone! 😉 🙂

January 18, 2021

3 hours ago, Lori D. said:

Coincidence! Robin's focus this week on Calliope, the muse of epic hero poetry, fits right in with TWO books I read this past week, both by Madeline Miller: The Song of Achilles, and, Circe, and both involve re-imaginings of Ancient Greek epic hero poetry! The first is a re-telling of the events of the Ancient Greek epic the Illiad from the first-person point of Patroclus, close companion/lover of Achilles, while the second is a first-person weaving together of many of the myths about Circe, and includes her encounter with Odysseus from the Ancient Greek epic, the Odyssey.

First, may I say that the images of the covers at Amazon do NOT do the real book covers justice! For both covers, the main image is actually slightly raised, AND is printed with a metallic ink. The image of Achilles' helmet is done in bronze, and not only is slightly raised, but also has a hammered texture, while the face of Circe on the cover of her book is raised, but smooth and in the orange-copper color on black that mimics the Ancient Greek vases. Both are SOOOOO gorgeous! 💕 A reason to hold the real-deal in your hands rather than use an e-reader for either of these books... 😉

Both are beautifully written with imaginative, creative descriptive language -- very poetic prose. It is that same poetry of word choice that @Robin M mentions above, about the Paollini book she is reading, and that she quoted Billy Collins on his thoughts about the Yeats poem.

The first-person narrators of each are strong and believable, and she creates complex characters and a world where the Greek gods feel both very real and alien -- as they should. 😄 Both books were like getting to savor a gourmet meal of many rich and original dishes. The very last paragraph of Circe is absolutely perfect and so satisfying.

In a short personal essay at the end of The Song of Achilles, Miller writes the following:

"Around 29 BCE the Roman poet Vergil began his answer to the Iliad and the Odyssey—the Aeneid. As pieces of the new work become public, he was accused not of alluding to Homer, but of plagiarizing him. He answered, 'Int is as easy to steal the club from Hercules as a line from Homer.' ... From the time I [Madeline Miller] was a small child, I have been deeply moved by Homer's exquisite attention to the human condition, the beauty and power of his tragic characters. .. I wanted to understand further: their past before the Iliad begins, and their future, beyond it... And this is Homer's final gift to us, of so many: his expansive, magnanimous ability to inspire... No, you can't steal Hercules' club, but it turns out the generous man is always willing to let you borrow it. Hold the same might wood that fit so well in Vergil's hand. Give it a swing or two. Then give it back and make your own."

She has done exactly that in these two books: honored the original epics and myths, and added depth and made them her own, while using language and imagery that seamless blends her books in with the ancient originals.

Note:
The Song of Achilles contains several explicit s*x scenes, between the two male main characters, and another between a man and a woman. Also: done in a very similar way as to The Illiad, the book also contains explicit descriptions of the battle violence and the fatal wounds. In Circe, there is a r*pe scene. Not graphic, and not very long, but it may be a trigger for some.

I have both of these in "real" format and you're absolutely right, Lori - they're gorgeous! They are on my TBR pile so I have the pleasure of digging into them in future!

3 hours ago, SusanC said:

Do you ever read historical fiction and find yourself rooting for a different outcome? Like maybe this time Achilles will decide not to lend Patroclus his armor.....but, no.

Yes. All the time. 😄 Maybe this time, Henry will have a moment of non-megalomanic clarity and let Thomas Cromwell live...

January 18, 2021

Thank you, everyone, for the discussion and the feedback. I have lots to think about now. 🙂 I think the reason I was considering the split stream was because I wanted to keep the current rigorous course for student who wanted/needed that level of rigor but also wanted to offer something between my regular course and my Honors course. I wasn't sure if the concept of a split-stream course was common, though, and might be confusing to parents and students. No matter which direction I choose to take, I promise that the current rigorous course will always remain available to students. 🙂

Over my years of teaching chemistry, I think I've realized something that ties into the conversation about young, very bright students. Students who are very talented at math are often very good at "intuiting" subjects like math and physics and those subjects will come easily to them. Chemistry is an odd beast - it contains math but the theory behind the calculations that need to be done can't be "intuited" without a lot of work being put into learning the theory. Strong math students are often flummoxed by that. 🙂 @Roadrunner - I think your oldest fits that category. 🙂 He's very bright and talented at math and physics and those subjects can be "intuited" by very bright students so they aren't used to taking notes or paying careful attention to lectures. They learn by doing the problems and homework. The trouble with honors chemistry is that it seems like the kind of subject that can be learned that way as there is a fair amount of math involved but without learning the theory, the student will run up against a wall when trying to "intuit" the problems. And then there are all the topics that contain no math whatsoever - naming, Lewis structures, VSEPR theory, etc. And chemistry is so very abstract - you can visualize physics and even biology (to some extent) but what one "sees" during a chemical reaction (at the macro level) is often not what's going on at the atomic level. That also tends to stymie the "intuiting" process.

Again, thank you guys so much for the feedback. The Hive was so very encouraging when I was first thinking about offering these courses and I value the diversity of opinion that resides here. 🙂

January 18, 2021

5 minutes ago, Farrar said:

I don't feel like I have a real handle on what the right level of rigor is. It does seem like kids who are taking WTMA honors chem or Blue Tent honors chem are not putting in the sheer hours that your honors chem students are, Connie. I guess I would just say that's something to think about. But you're definitely right that the experience of first year college chem at a random non-flagship school is probably miles apart from at a top tier school. And maybe you're just teaching the MIT prep level high school chem class and other providers are teaching the State College prep level high school chem class and that's okay because kids who need that challenge are out there.

I wonder if they're doing different content? Or maybe have different output? Less readings? Less video lectures? All things that I'll ponder. 🙂

January 18, 2021

3 hours ago, Roadrunner said:

Another vote for not watering down the course! If we wanted the PS Honors course (which uses the text that’s equivalent to your regular course), we would not be in your class. Your honors course is amazing and absolutely doable. My boy is loving it and although he is on the younger side, he has no trouble with the material (unlike his older sibling 😌 who still wants nothing to do with chemistry). In fact he is enjoying it so much, he thinks maybe he should consider more advanced coursework.
honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing. And please, please please don’t water it down!

I would love to have your boy in my Intro to Organic Chem & Biochem class if he's interested! 🙂

January 18, 2021

22 minutes ago, Farrar said:

Hm. The regular level was good for my kids. Well, it was good for one of them. The other one less so. But it was so good for one of them - he liked it enough that he's thinking of doing DE chem next year, which would really give him a lot of science credits for a kid who is unlikely to ever go into STEM. Neither of them could have done the honors level.

But... I've heard from a number of families in my orbit who have done the honors class that they regret it. It took too much out of their kid. In some situations, it seems like it just wasn't a good fit - parents had a vision for education and rigor that just didn't match where the kid was. But I guess I'd worry that it's pushing some kids who think of themselves as smart, STEM lovers to dislike the subject. Like - it seems like you get a pretty big drop of kids going from honors to regular every year and I wonder what that says. I think the easy answer is what others are saying here - they just weren't ready for "real" high school chem and rigorous work. But... I guess I'd just explore if that's entirely the case. I don't feel like I know enough to say.

I wonder if rather than changing the content, if changing the credits would help families plan for it more effectively. Like, what if it were just a 1.5 or a 2 credit course. When I was in high school, some of the honors and AP sciences were 2 period, 2 credit courses. WTMA's set up has the science as a credit and the lab as a half credit. I know that's not exactly the breakdown you're envisioning, but I wonder if just clearly delineating that this course takes more time and making the credits reflect that would help families go into it with eyes a little more open.

The bolded makes my heart heavy. 😞 I would never want to cause a student to move away from STEM and that fact that I might have done that makes me sad. But I also don't want STEM students to not be prepared for the rigor that they'll encounter at uni - know what I mean? But again - I'm coming from the background of university in Canada, not the States, and I might be over-estimating the level of knowledge/chem skills that students need in order to be prepared for college intro chemistry. I think you guys have a much broader range of what first year looks like for students depending on which school is attended. Intro chem at, say, MIT is probably going to be vastly different than intro chem at a less science-oriented school. Here in Canada, I think it's pretty standard across the universities as to what 1st year chem looks like. We also start degree requirements from year one so there are no gen ed credits to be taken. By the time we're in 3rd year undergrad, we're doing really specific course work that might not be done until grad school in the States. It's hard for me to judge, you know? 🙂

The credit thing is interesting - that's something I could think about.

Thanks for the feedback, Farrar!

January 18, 2021

12 minutes ago, 8filltheheart said:

I agree with @Roadrunner that your course seemed perfect the way you constructed it. I thought it was right on par with a rigorous honors course (and I say that having had a student who had no exposure to chemistry prior to your course.) Maybe you could label some questions as bonus questions or some topics as optional if you think they are truly outside of the scope a traditional honors course, but no, I wouldn't reduce your course now to form a new watered down honors course to label the original one as a lead into AP. (Do you think it is on par with AP? Dd didn't end up taking the CLEP bc we moved and it was all too much, but based on what I remember from looking at the CLEP she probably would have done OK, but not a given slam dunk.)

I don't think my course is on par with AP, no, but I think it's a strong lead-up course - know what I mean? 🙂 I think what I mentioned above to Roadrunner is part of my worry - that I'm used to teaching this content to students who are 16 to 18 years old here in Canada and most of the students taking my online course are 13 to 15 (which, again, totally makes sense as that's the age range of 10th graders) and that I might be expecting too much from the younger set of students.

I think a lot about my students. 🙂

January 18, 2021

1 hour ago, Roadrunner said:

I think it’s perfect the way it is 😉.

I think if you believe you don’t need to work through every problem to have an honors designation on the transcript, you can mark those “extra” problems with an asterisk and just they are bonus questions for those planning to take AP as a follow up course. I wouldn’t create a third (separate) course. I hope I understood you post correctly.

Yes - you did understand me. 🙂 I think part of my struggle is knowing what is considered "Honors" level material in the States. In Canada, we have a completely different way of approaching high school science courses and students wouldn't encounter what I teach in Honors until the 11th and 12th grades so the material that, to me, says "Honors" 🙂 would be done by students here with a few more years of maturity under their belts. Because I'm getting a lot of students who are between the ages of 13 to 15 taking the course (which totally makes sense - that's 10th grade in the States), I wondered if maybe I was expecting too much from the younger set. Does that make sense?

And I like your thinking of having optional "AP prep" questions!

January 18, 2021

I thought I'd ask this here since you all were so instrumental in helping me to get this going. 🙂

Do you think people would find the concept of a split-stream course too confusing? 🙂 I'm going into the 4th year of offering my chemistry courses and I feel like the Honors Chem is DEFINITELY on the rigorous end of things. Maybe too much so. I still think that it fills a need for a small group of students and don't want to do away with that level of rigor for those students who need it/want it. I had a thought that I could keep the same lecture videos and overall schedule but do something like Derek Owens does with his assignments and tests - have the first part of the assignment/test/exam be for everyone and then have one or two more questions for students who want more challenge. I think I would call one stream "Honors Chemistry" (this stream of students would only do the first part of the assignments/tests/exams) and the other stream "Honors Chemistry with Lead-up to AP Chem" or something like that (this stream of students would do all the questions including the challenge ones). I have to be careful about College Board property rights with "AP" labels, though, so I might need a different name. The course as it currently is would become the second, more rigorous stream. As it is right now, I think there is too much "distance" between my regular Chemistry and my Honors Chemistry in terms of rigor. Adding in the other stream of Honors Chem would help to fix that, I think.

So... Is that too confusing? Should there be two separate courses instead? Hive thoughts?

January 17, 2021

I finished an audiobook! I've long struggled with audiobooks as my brain seems wired for print reading - my memory is almost exclusively visual (my brain "takes pictures" of the pages I read) and I have a very hard time remembering something if I only hear it as opposed to seeing it. (Except for music. I remember song lyrics and words to pieces I've sung. Weird.) I chose one of the Fairacre series that wasn't available for Kindle and bought it with a free Audible credit. I figured that I know the characters and setting well from having read almost the entire series so it would be easier for my brain to settle in to the listening. It worked! 🙂 At least - I enjoyed it. 😄 We'll see if my brain remembers the story as well as if I had read it. 😉

I took the quiz and got the same result as you, @Robin M but I don't often read romances so I'm not sure if my answers to all the questions made sense. 😄 It was fun - thanks for the link!

I remember reading that Yeats poem in an English class at some point and it does have beautiful imagery. Solitude is very, very appealing to me and solitude in nature feeds my soul. I love that I live where I can't see my neighbours. 🙂

For my next audiobook, I think I'll try Stephen Fry's Mythos:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45731786-mythos

I won't get the illustrations (which, I hear, are gorgeous) but I know the stories from school and Stephen Fry is highly entertaining. 🙂

Books read in 2021

2. Miss Clare Remembers (Fairacre #4) by Miss Read *Fiction (audiobook)

1. Changes at Fairacre (Fairacre, #18) by Miss Read *Fiction

January 16, 2021

On 1/10/2021 at 9:25 AM, Robin M said:

I’m currently sipping from Sharon Kay Penman’s When Christ and Her Saints Slept and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I didn’t get too terribly far in either book when I was distracted by life events and turned to comfort reads. Nora Robert is one of my favorite authors and her Key Trilogy drew my attention this week. I think a Nora Roberts reread is in order for the year as she provides not only comfort, but creativity as her writing inspires me.

Decided with ebooks I’m going to go alphabetical A to Z and I finished And Then There were Nuns as well as Baking Bad and even managed to write reviews for them. Started My Christmas Number One by Leona Mack.

Craft wise I’m sipping on Light the Dark: Writers on Creativity, Inspiration, and the Artistic process edited by Joe Fassler as well as James Scott Bell’s Just Write. In the middle of John Strelecky’s Café on the Edge of the World and for some reason this story strikes me as an advertisement for something else. Can’t quite put my finger on it, but something is missing in the narrative. For some reason it reminds me of Amway. 😊

I don’t have just one favorite anti hero. At this point in time, Roland from Stephen King’s Dark Tower series and Severus Snape from Harry Potter are my two favorites. Lizbeth Salander from the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo runs a close third. She was an odd duck.

I love the idea of sipping from books. Every time I read that phrase, I smile. 🙂

Severus Snape is one of my favourite literary characters. I'm not great at identifying literary devices or themes or character attributes (I had an abysmal English/writing/reading education in high school on top of the fact that my brain simply doesn't seem to be wired to "get" literature or poetry) but I know who/what I like and don't like. 🙂 When I went to look at the list of anti-heroes on Wikipedia, I recognized a fair number of characters from literature and film that I've liked over the years so I apparently have a thing for anti-heroes. I think it's the depth and darkness that appeal to me.

I've still only finished one book for 2021 but I'm almost finished the Yrsa Sigurdardottir book and I've started on the final Fairacre book. I've also made the decision last week to deactivate my Facebook account. The amount of time I was spending on the endless scroll was ridiculous - there has to be a better use of my time than the dang endless scroll that just NEVER ENDS. This last week has been a real eye-opener for me. I actually felt anxious when I wasn't logging in for the first 3 or 4 days which tells me that there was a bit of addiction to social media happening there. 😉 🙂 My attention span is getting longer (even just in a week!) and I have more time for serious reading, exercising, and other pursuits. I think I like the "non-FB me" better than the "FB me".

January 10, 2021

1 hour ago, Granny_Weatherwax said:

I have tried two ways to journal my reading. For two years, I created a list in a blank lined journal.. I wrote the title, the author and a quick rating. Then I got all fancy and purchased a legit book journal that requires quite a bit of info: author, title, publisher, # of pages, genre, why I read it, who will I recommend it to, quotes, start and end dates, etc and etc. It's too much for me and it's only partially filled in. It holds info for 100 books (I'm on 96); as soon as it's filled, I'm going back to the standard blank journal

I do track on Goodreads so I can see my progress for the Reading challenge and the end of year review. I like having the paper copy too.

Thanks, GW! 🙂

1 hour ago, mumto2 said:

I seem to do best with a journal that is just plain old lined paper one as I never fill out the fancier versions that my best friend kept giving for years.......finely I think she noticed what I actually use!😂. I used to use pencil but I now write with Frixion.........two colors as I have done my set up with red the past few years. Simple page headers........I make lists for challenges leaving plenty of space for each completed book. I usually get three years to a notebook. I travel with my book so I also have pages with a few important life notes like everyone’s library card numbers!

Oh my to the erasable highlighter. I might order one for my kids as they hate to mark textbooks.......

I ❤️ Nordic Noir and have read quite a bit. My library recently bought a series by Yrsa Sigurdardottir so I am looking forward to trying that author.

Some favorites ..........

Ragnar Jonasson has written two good series set in Iceland. I just read Whiteout last week which is number 5 in the Dark Iceland/ Ari Thor series https://www.goodreads.com/series/144035-siglufj-r-ur which is probably my favorite Nordic Detective. The other series is great but a bit darker than most.

The Department Q series is seriously great. I am working my way through slowly but enjoying them. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10822858-the-keeper-of-lost-causes?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=iXdW811Mae&rank=1

Some others that I have enjoyed are......Nesbo is a fail for me but super popular

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6861265.Arnaldur_Indri_ason

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12073100-the-ice-princess

https://www.goodreads.com/series/51610-konrad-sejer

Thanks, mum! 🙂 I think I've said it before - we must have very similar reading tastes! I was looking at the Jonasson books and might start on those next. While I'd love to read everything in the original language, Icelandic seems REALLY daunting. I may have to stick with translations. 🙂 And the Afdeling Q series looks really good, too!

1 hour ago, Robin M said:

The plan is to start the first week in February and many wanted to take it slowly since have so many other books want to read. The schedule settled upon is three chapters a week. I have the Penguin Classic Version so page number are based from it. If reading on Kindle or a different version, page number will most likely be different.

Chapters / Pages
01 – 03 / 7 - 32
04 – 06 / 33 - 61
07 – 09 / 62 - 88
10 – 12 / 89 -111
13 – 15 / 112 – 147
16 – 18 / 148 – 186
19 – 21 / 187 - 211
22 – 24 / 212 – 235
25 – 27 / 236 - 266
28 – 30 / 267 - 299
31 – 33 / 300 – 358
34 – 36 / 359 – 412
37 – 39 / 413 – 435
40 – 42 / 456 -484
43 – 45 / 485 – 524
46 – 48 / 525 – 557
49 – 51 / 558 – 581
52 – 54 / 582 – 620
55 – 57 / 621 - 652
58 – 60 / 653 - 677
61 – 63 / 678 – 704
64 – 66 / 705 – 732
67 – 69 / 733 - 760
70 – 72 / 761 – 773
73 – 75 / 774 - 820
76 – 78 / 821 - 860
79 – 80 / 861 - 895
81 – 83 / 896 – 931
84 – 86 / 932 – 962
87 – 89 / 963 - 986
90 – 92 / 987 - 1012
93 – 95 / 1013 – 1039
96 – 98 / 1040 – 1056
99 – 101 / 1069 - 1090
102 – 104 / 1091 - 1115
105 – 107 / 1116 – 1150
108 – 110 / 1151 – 1173
111 – 113 / 1174 – 1206
114 - 116 / 1207 – 1229
117 / 1230 – 1243

I may try to join in on this read along but after my spectacular fails with the SWB books and the Tolkien books last year, you probably won't want to place any bets on my finishing. 😉 Thank you for all you do, Robin!

January 9, 2021

Virtual high-fives to all of those who, like me, have the best of intentions to post weekly and follow a reading schedule and participate unfailingly but who then end up binge reading fluff, forgetting to note what's been finished, and letting weeks and weeks go by without a single BaW post. My Goodreads shelves are a mess, I can't remember to update my lists, and when I do remember to update I do it in batches and everything ends up with the same date so it looks like I finished 15 books on the same day. Sigh. And I'm TOTALLY an organizer and a planner!!! My lack of reading organization/planning is a weird anomaly. I think I might be old-school and would do better with some sort of paper planner/journal for reading. Any favourites to recommend?

And did you all know that Frixion makes erasable highlighters?? Genius.

Finished my first book of 2021:

1. Changes at Fairacre (Fairacre, #18) by Miss Read *Fiction

I've given up on rating books because it stressed me out. I don't know why - probably because there was no "right" answer to the rating. My science/math education brain likes "right" answers. 😉

I'm currently reading a horror/thriller novel by an Icelandic writer:

I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir (in translation)

The whole 'Nordic Noir' genre has really been appealing to me lately. I've also been watching 'Fortitude' and 'Wisting' on Amazon Prime. If anyone has author suggestions for Nordic Noir, I'd love to hear them!

January 8, 2021

On 1/6/2021 at 1:33 PM, wintermom said:

When was the last time you played something physical instead of exercising? It could be a simple game of Keep Away with your child or dog/cat. Did you notice a huge boost of positive energy? Did your sense of time fade?

I just played some ice hockey 'games' (keep away, monkey in the middle) with my two boys and I'm so full of energy and feelings of happiness. I don't get this same rush from exercising.

I wonder whether building in more time to play could be a positive way to make this pandemic a little easier for the people in our households. We just picked up a used hockey table and we do quick little challenges while waiting for the food to cook, etc. It's especially silly with a ping pong ball. 😉

Thoughts? Personal experiences?

ETA: Our newest lockdown stopped outdoor ice hockey and all indoor sports, so I've invented a new game called "Lockdown Ice Paddle Ball." We use skates, pickle ball paddles, a tennis ball, and a line on the ice for a net. It's fun, enough danger (of falling and breaking a bone) to make it exciting, and creative.

I really dislike exercise 😜 but I could be out of doors in the winter here constantly - Canadian winters make me so happy. 🙂 I love your pic - did you guys get the perfect freezing conditions in the fall, too? We had a ton of "wild ice" around here that people took advantage of. I didn't get out to do any skating but lots of friends of mine and their kids got out. This video on The Weather Network is the nephew of a friend of mine on our local big lake:

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/videos/gallery/sunset-skate-/sharevideo/6214534417001

I was never much for playing when I was a kid, either, and I don't much like games but I understand what you mean. I can see it with my DD and my DH. They both love to play. 🙂 Good for you guys!

December 31, 2020

On 12/28/2020 at 5:19 PM, Dreamergal said:

The entire Bridgerton series re-read which I did not count in my list of reads because I have practically memorized them through so many repeats. When you grow up like me reading British historical Barbara Cartland romance where the women are always virgins and milquetoast with nary a spine in sight, American and other authors who write the same genre where heroines are virgins with a capital V but with spunk and spine, it is a singular pleasure. Anyone who dares disagree that these versions are "modern" and do not meet stereotypical standards of those years, I point to the eternal Jane Austen and my her Lizzie. One such author favorite was and is Julia Quinn.

So when I met Daphne and the other 7 siblings named from A - Z, I fell in love with the family, but I loved the book for Simon who was always worthy of the lofty book boyfriend title. Thus when Bridgerton was made as a series and premiered on Christmas day, it was as if the book gods were giving me a present. But binge watching is impossible for a mother especially of a 4 year old who is her shadow. So I watched at night often late and it was something I enjoyed slowly instead of devouring.

Since I have waxed on, I better review it. The most obvious one to tackle is the diverse cast. They explain the diversity by use of Queen Charlotte (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_of_Mecklenburg-Strelitz)very liberally throughout the series which was not so in the book. I was familiar with her long before the series due to my gossipy knowledge of the BRF as there was debate on if Meghan Markle was the first Bi-racial person to marry into the royal family or was Queen Charlotte. In any case, the diverse cast is explained away thus.

One thing I remember about book Simon is his blue eyes and that every Bridgerton kid had the distinct color hair easily identifiable. But none of it mattered because the casting worked beautifully for me because of the acting. Rege-Jean Page who plays Simon has the looks, elegance, grace and the ability to portray the brokenness of Simon. One thing I loved in the book is the chemistry between Daphne and Simon in the book, it is also the same between the actors even when they barely touch and when they do, well it sets the screen on fire.

There were also a few disappointments. Anthony is a very caring, loving brother who is uber protective. The series makes him creepy and they gave him an unnecessary love story when his own love story told by Julia Quinn in the Viscount and Me is wonderful. So too Colin, he is charming and popular and a rolling stone, not one serious enough to propose marriage before Anthony and his own story in the books is a wonderful, wonderful story and I am super pissed about that. I also think the father's story should have been told because it explains the whole Bridgerton clan a lot.

Costumes wise, I kept thinking Kate Middleton would love this version of British royalty as there is not a bonnet in sight and they wear headgear that look a lot like her fascinators and also there is a lot of blue dresses which could possibly be Kate's favorite color (apologies for useless BRF knowledge at play here). But they are sumptuous.

What I also loved is the easter eggs if you are familiar with the British historical genre. It was lovely seeing a visual representation of Vauxhall pleasure gardens which practically every single book refers to, Gunter's ices except in this case it was a tea shop and also more generic locations like the men's club, the modiste, the opera and also ballrooms decorated during that period.

It is a beautiful and brilliant world and I am so happy Netflix has woken up to the audience of the British Historical genre. I hope the Bridgertons become a yearly affair for there are 7 more books and there are many, many authors and series I would love to see on screen.

Books are my escape from reality, but I like to live my live with my feet firmly planted in reality.

I just binge-watched Bridgerton!! 🙂 I haven't read the books, though, so that's something to look forward to. And Simon in the Netflix series is SMOULDERING. Whew! ;D

On 12/29/2020 at 10:02 AM, Lori D. said:

Which were your favorite stories... [because they] Made you... dive in and live in their world?

- The Other Bennet Sister (Hadlow)
- The Return of the Thief (Turner)

My dd was SO upset at how Mary is overlooked/mocked in the 2005 film version of P&P that when I saw you mention "The Other Bennet Sister", I suggested that she and I read it together. Hopefully, it will make her feel better. 🙂 She's a quiet, studious, piano-playing girl herself so I think she really identified with Mary. Which just made her feel all the more incensed at Mary's treatment. 😉

On 12/29/2020 at 7:36 PM, Robin M said:

I have Rutherford's Princes of Ireland in my stacks now thanks to you. Thanks for the recommendation.

Rutherford!! 🙂 Try "Sarum" if you haven't read it already. Or "London". Such a great world to immerse oneself in!

December 31, 2020

I managed to go back and put a list together of my 2020 reads. I didn't really have a goal so I can't say whether I met it or not. 🙂 I wasn't very adventurous in my reading choices. By the latter half of the year, I was mostly alternating between the Fairacre series by Miss Read (because they're just so comfortingly boring ;)) and horror (which has some sort of "re-setting" effect on my brain so that if I'm too stressed out or my brain won't "shut off", horror will almost always short-circuit the "won't shut off" switch in my brain:)). I don't think I had one stand-out book but I want to thank whomever (or multiple whomevers) it was who introduced me to Miss Read and to Elly Griffiths. Those two authors have become the reading equivalent of a "comfy blanket" for me - I can just open up a book by one of those authors, snuggle in, and feel safe and warm. 🙂

My goal for 2021 is to participate here more. 🙂 And also to broaden my reading horizons. I used to read all kinds of books but when one is tired or stressed, it's just so easy to stick with the "safe" and familiar.

Thank you to everyone who shares and contributes - you've led me to so many wonderful authors and down so many wonderful rabbit trails!!

Books read in 2020

36. The Silken Rose by Carol McGrath *Historical Fiction (13^th century England)

35. A Country Christmas by Miss Read *Fiction

34. Christmas at Fairacre by Miss Read *Fiction

33. Dark Matter: A Ghost Story by Michelle Paver *Horror

32. Thin Air by Michelle Paver *Horror

31. Village Centenary (Fairacre, #15) by Miss Read *Fiction

30. (Reread) The Vanishing by Wendy Webb *Horror

29. Miss Pringle of Fairacre (Fairacre, #17) by Miss Read *Fiction

28. Village Affairs (Fairacre, #13) by Miss Read *Fiction

27. The Invited by Jennifer McMahon *Horror

26. Farther Afield (Fairacre, #11) by Miss Read *Fiction

25. Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman *Memoir

24. Tyler’s Row (Fairacre, #9) by Miss Read *Fiction

23. Summer at Fairacre (Fairacre, #16) by Miss Read *Fiction

22. (Reread) All Who Go Do Not Return by Shulem Deen *Memoir

21. (Reread) Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayer *Travel memoir

20. Too Much and Never Enough by Mary L. Trump *Nonfiction biography

19. The Loch by Steve Alten *Thriller/Horror

18. Black Potatoes by Susan Campbell Bartoletti *YA Nonfiction

17. Over the Gate (Fairacre, #5) and Fairacre Festival (Fairacre, #7) by Miss Read *Fiction

16. A Room Full of Bones (Ruth Galloway, #4) by Elly Griffiths *Mystery

15. The House at Sea’s End (Ruth Galloway, #3) by Elly Griffiths *Mystery

14. Storm in the Village (Fairacre, #3) by Miss Read *Fiction

13. The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon *Horror

12. The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill *Horror

11. The Janus Stone (Ruth Galloway, #2) by Elly Griffiths *Mystery

10. The Crossing Places (Ruth Galloway, #1) by Elly Griffiths *Mystery

9. Shadows and Strongholds by Elizabeth Chadwick *Historical fiction (12^th century England)

8. Village Diary (Fairacre, #2) by Miss Read *Fiction

7. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann *Nonfiction

6. Crooked River (Pendergast #19) by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child *Mystery/Thriller

5. Village School (Fairacre, #1) by Miss Read *Fiction

4. The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike *Horror

3. Daughters of the Grail by Elizabeth Chadwick *Historical fiction/romance (13^th century France, Cathars)

2 1/2. Extraction (Pendergast #12.5) by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child *Fiction (short story) (I didn't think that a short story would count but I did finish it 🙂 )

2. The Case of the Chocolate Cream Killer: The Poisonous Passion of Christiana Edmunds by Kaye Jones *Nonfiction (history)

1. The Love Knot by Elizabeth Chadwick *Historical fiction/romance (12^th century England)

December 31, 2020

9 hours ago, Moonhawk said:

I forget the formal name. Whataboutism is the common term for that fallacy.

"News X is biased."

"But what about News Y? They are biased too!" <-- implies the first person is being a hypocrite and therefore invalid. But it doesn't directly refute the claim that News X is biased and instead attempts to focus the argument elsewhere.

Just looked it up. Whataboutism is a variant of tu quoque. 🙂

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism

December 31, 2020

10 hours ago, Farrar said:

It's almost like nut picking - where you choose a few examples (two sets of "bad" news sites in this case) and ignore others.

I think it depends a little on the point friend B was making. Was their point to attack friend A's news and supports for their arguments? Or was their point to undermine the idea that news can ever tell the truth or that facts are ever knowable?

I think Friend B was more making the first point rather than the second but I don't want to read too much into an online interaction. It's hard to know what anyone means online (or heck - even in person. 😉 )

10 hours ago, Lori D. said:

Friend A is stating an opinion without backing it up with evidence; not necessarily a fallacy, but also not a supported argument -- just an opinion.
Friend B is making a retort, or swapping opinion for opinion, also without backing it up with evidence -- so also not necessarily a fallacy, but certainly just another opinion.

It's a bit shaky that either Friend has made a logical fallacy (since there is no argument, just opinion swapping), but possibly:

Friend A
- Possibly a definist fallacy = "defining a term used in an argument in a biased manner (e.g., using 'loaded terms'). The person making the argument expects that the listener will accept the provided definition, making the argument difficult to refute." *
(In the example, Friend A defines website X with the loaded terms of "biased and questionable" without evidential backing. Evidential backing is providing supporting evidence in the form of facts, statistics, data, quotations, examples, anecdotes.)

- Possibly a mind projection fallacy -- "assuming that a statement about an object describes an inherent property of the object, rather than a personal perception." *
(Here again, without evidential backing, Friend A's choice of descriptors ("biased and questionable") is personal perception rather than inherent property.)

Friend B
- Possibly a false equivalence fallacy -- "describing two or more statements as virtually equal when they are not." *
(In the example, Friend B describes both websites as virtually equal by stating are "X and Y websites any better than website X" -- Note: this fallacy has to do with *statements* rather than *things* being described as virtually equal, so this may be a stretch to apply this fallacy...)

- Possibly an incomplete comparison " -- "insufficient information is provided to make a complete comparison." *
(Again, because neither Friend has provided any additional information to back their opinions, Friend B's opinion retort is an incomplete comparison to Friend A's incomplete initial opinion.)

* = quoted definitions from Wikipedia: "List of Fallacies" -- under the subheading of informal fallacies

From that Wikipedia article, under the subheading of "Red Herring Fallacies" are a few more possibilities:

- association fallacy -- "(guilt by association and honor by association) – arguing that because two things share (or are implied to share) some property, they are the same." *

- one of the forms of appeal to emotion -- "manipulating the emotions of the listener rather than using valid reasoning to obtain common agreement" *
• judgmental language –- "using insulting or pejorative language in an argument" *
• pooh-pooh -- "stating that an opponent's argument is unworthy of consideration" *

As always, you're the research queen, Lori D. ! Thank you!

9 hours ago, Pam in CT said:

A "logical fallacy" presumes that some sort of claim to "logic" is being made. I don't see any such claim being made by either person in this example. One person makes a claim (offering up neither substantiating evidence, nor logical underpinnings); the other person makes a retort (also without either substantiating evidence, or logical underpinnings).

So to my mind, this is mere nyah-nyah insult-swapping, with neither logic nor even fallacy: just childishness.

(It's been a long year, 2020; here's hoping to better news and better moods ahead....)

Both you, Pam, and Lori D. are correct - it wasn't the most logical of arguments to witness. 😜 There was just something about the substitution of the denigration of presumed sites Y and Z by Friend B instead of confronting the validity of site X (the site the original article was from that Friend B chose to share) that twigged something in my brain to think that the "whataboutism" (thanks for that, @Moonhawk!) was violating some rule of logical argument.

Thank you so much, Hive mind!! You folks are the greatest! 🙂

December 30, 2020

Can I tap the Hive mind wisdom? 🙂 I just read two statements from some friends who were arguing online and I'm sure that Friend B committed a logical fallacy but I can't think of which one it would be. Here is, roughly, the exchange:

Friend A: The website that you are getting your information from, news site X, is biased and questionable.

Friend B: And news sites Y and Z are any better?? (Friend B is also making an assumption that Friend A is getting their information from sites Y and Z (which are sites that would be considered biased from the opposite direction from Friend B's site X) but that's not what I'm thinking about.)

Is Friend B committing a fallacy? If so, which one? I feel like it's some kind of false equivalency but that doesn't seem quite right. Basically, Friend B's response to Friend A saying that Friend B's site of choice (site X) is biased and questionable is Friend B sarcastically commenting that sites Y and Z (the assumed sites of choice for Friend A) aren't any better.

I feel like this should be an easy one to identify but my brain is not cooperating this evening. 😉

December 14, 2020

18 hours ago, Robin M said:

Getting all my Christmas shopping done and cards prepared and realized we're missing quite a few BAWer's. They either haven't said hello lately or got lost perhaps in the WTM shuffle. Come out, come out, where ever you are and say hello, let us know what you've been up too. We miss you.

@JennW in SoCal @aggieamy @Nan in Mass @Loesje22000 @Dicentra @tuesdayschild @Pen @Excelsior! Academy @vmsurbat1 @Matryoshka

😘

Thank you for thinking of me and tagging me, Robin! I'm still here - sometimes reading, sometimes not. It's been an odd year (possibly the largest understatement EVER) and I've had a lot of family things to deal with (elderly parents' health issues - that sort of thing). My online teaching business has also been doing very well - possibly too well as it's taking time away from reading. 😉 No - I won't say "too well". I'm just continually grateful that there are so many parents who find my little corner of the educational universe and who choose to trust their students' introductory chemistry education to me.

I've not been keeping track of what I've been reading but since most of it is on my Kindle, I should be able to go back and put together a list. Hopefully, I can do that before the year turns.

Thank you so much, Robin, for captaining this amazing community of readers and thank you to everyone who shares and participates! Even if I don't post much, I try to read the threads. And even if I don't get to read every thread, the fact that the threads are here - read or unread by me - makes me feel happy and warm inside. 🙂

December 13, 2020

4 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said:

No, I only think this because the chicken and bacon pie I posted is called "raised" as well, and well I think they wouldn't bother specifying that for chicken right? My knowledge of meat pies is 100% limited to what you can learn from being in the same room as a 10 year old obsessively watching the Great British Baking show.

I just looked it up. 🙂 A raised pie is a free-standing one so the pastry is sturdy enough to retain its shape without being in a pie tin. The elk pies that I buy from the elk farm aren't raised, then, so are made with typical pastry dough instead of the hot-water dough. Still super tasty pies! 🙂

December 13, 2020

53 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said:

I think it’s a raised pie made out of game? Rather than game that has been raised?

The game we use will be raised since apparently it has to be for the butcher to be able to sell it, but I think that the British call these kind of pies with built up sides raised pies, as opposed to a folded over calzone kinda pie.

I wasn't sure of the terminology - I should probably have looked it up before posting. 😉 🙂

December 12, 2020

57 minutes ago, corbster98 said:

I will say that I disagree with Katy on this one about the flavor of game meat. Yes some game meat has a very distinct taste but not all. We live in Alaska now and I love moose meat. Not at all 'gamey' to me compared to other game here like Caribou. I like both but prefer moose. When having it processed or doing it yourself, it is best cut with some fat (about 10% or so) as the meat is super lean.

I think the recipe is a fine idea but not at something special like a Christmas dinner. I would wait and try it at a later time if you are wanting to use game meat.

Moose is definitely less "gamey" than venison - moose is probably one of the least "gamey" of game meats. 🙂

Elk is another meat that is super lean and is considered "raised game" - at least here it is. 🙂 Our local elk farm is just a few kilometers away from where I live and I love elk meat. It's SUPER lean, though, so you need to either add fat or cook it in a way that will tenderize it. The elk farm hires a local woman to make elk pies to sell and the spice/ingredient profile looks very close to the BBC recipe you linked. They are super tasty!

Best of luck with whatever you decide, OP!

November 16, 2020

1 hour ago, MEmama said:

Me too! Love. From Newfoundland.

And Sarah Harmer. From Kingston, I think.

And Blue Rodeo. Our unofficial wedding song was Lost Together. 🙂 26 years of marriage and it still fits!

I was sad when they split. 😞

Blue Rodeo. 🥰

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