Robin M: with Sanderson's Wheel of time series. The Wheel of Time is not Sanderson's series. It's Robert Jordan's. Sanderson only co-wrote the last three books ;)

Chrysallis Academy: I've been holding off on giving her one, because I don't want it to be too soon, and for her not to appreciate it. When did you guys give your daughters Austen? And which one first? 15/16 is when we did our Austen study. We did Sense & Sensibility first because all of the girls were REALLY familiar with the movie, and we were saving Pride & Prejudice for last. Northanger Abbey was our second book. mumto2: Dd was 11 turning 12 when she read Austen. She was coming off her Charles Dicken's marathon and read Agatha Christie exclusively after. One of her best friends at that time loved Austen and knew where all the filming locations in our area. To be honest I am not sure that I had much choice because she had a group of friends that were all reading the same books simultaneously. She started with Pride and Prejude, Sense and Sensibility, then Emma. I picked up a three book set somewhere and had her godmother(who has actually read the books ;) ) put them in a reading order for dd. For the Austen film fans the girls had one really marvellous fall day with heather in bloom on this moor discussing Austen sitting on rock piles that were shown in this or that according to the expert friend.http://www.weekendno...athersage-moor/They were supposed to be doing a scientific survey on grouse habitats. :lol: It is so much more fun with friends!!! And I REALLY REALLY want to visit there!!! Honestly, in my opinion, reading Austen at 12 is fine, BUT I would really (I'm liking that word today) think that you should revisit it Junior or Senior year in high school as there is so much good discussion to be had and much of that will go over her head at 12. But that's just me ;)

I'm enjoying witnessing the power of suggestion and peer pressure as I read these threads and eat my salad for lunch! :lol: I'm back on my diet so no grilled cheese, but SunnyDays sounds Yum-O!

I guess my "bad" words are crap, butt, and fart. Umm, I had no idea they were "bad" words until one of my co-op students went home and told his mom (my IRL friend) that Miss Angel was swearing in class :lol: Yes, I live a sheltered life :lol:

I picked up and finished Neil Gaiman’s Fortunately, the Milk yesterday. It was cute. I think the little girls that Skye nanny’s for will enjoy it as a read aloud. This was my third Gaiman. I read The Graveyard Book last year, and Stardust a few years ago. I can’t say that he is my favorite writer but I certainly applaud his unique stories and creativity! When you pick up one of his books, it’s like you know that you are not going to get a formulaic story. I appreciate that. In fact, The Graveyard Book still floats its way into my mind now and again. I think I may have liked it better than I thought. But back to the milk! I chuckled at the reference to the pink pony with a pale blue star. Obviously the author is familiar with the My Little Pony craze :laugh: And the image of the nice, handsome, misunderstood wumpire also gave a chuckle. All in all definitely a CUTE book that is a great read for the kids! Favorite quote: “We have spoons. Spoons are excellent. Sort of like forks, only not as stabby.†I don't know why but I can envision Matt Smith's Doctor saying this :laugh: *01. As You Wish by Cary Elwes (non fiction) *02. The Strange Library by Haruki Murukami (January Author, BaW rec, Japan) *03. The Princess Bride by William Goldman *04. Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman (BaW rec)

:thumbdown: This is the third time I've lost a post. Now I'm annoyed. Stupid internet has screwed everything up. So I'll sum up... Glad I'm not alone in my view of The Princess Bride! And Mom-ninja, I was trying to be nice to poor Buttercup! I agree with guilford lake. I don't like language in my books! It annoys me. The language leaps off the page at me and lingers in my brain. My brain has better stuff to be filled with than that ;) Mom-ninja, just to offer another view...my dh, Skye, and Aly all finished The Giver series (well Skye will finish Son this week). They have all enjoyed it. They seem to have taken each story for itself and enjoyed Lowry's writing. If this doesn't work, then I give up :tongue_smilie:

I finished The Princess Bride by William Goldman last weekend. Finally! I don't know if I'm disappointed in the book or in the fact that it took such a long time! Days later I still have mixed feelings. While I enjoyed the actual story of The Princess Bride, I did not enjoy Goldman's narrator voice. No matter how many times I told myself that Goldman's interruptive narrations were fictional, I still found myself thinking they were real. Ugh. That was so annoying. I also found Buttercup a little vague and insipid. Robin Wright did a great job of giving her balance and spunk in the movie. I love princesses and fairy tales, and happily ever after, but some of the interactions between Buttercup and Westley were over the top. On a positive note, as far as the fairy tale goes, it was a fun read. I liked getting the back story on Fezzig and Inigo. The Zoo of Death was an interesting, and intense, part that they left out of the movie. Although I'm glad I read it, the movie was far superior to the book! I would categorize this as an OK read but I'm not sure I would recommend it. Skip to the movie! *01. As You Wish by Cary Elwes (non fiction) *02. The Strange Library by Haruki Murukami (January Author, BaW rec, Japan) *03. The Princess Bride by William Goldman

IRL I am a Marianne surrounded by Elinor's, with a couple Elizabeth Bennett's thrown in. I'm getting a little worried that I'm the only Marianne here. We are oft misunderstood, of course :lol: My Elinor's tell me it just takes all of them to keep me in line ;) :001_tt2:

JennW: What about her going on about Sucklings of Maplegrove? and Knightley? :ack2: A total nightmare of a woman! Though Emma isn't exactly a paragon of virtue, either. I think it is Mrs. Elton's character that opened me up to Austen's sharp satirical wit, well, that and the over-the-top portrayals in the Colin Firth P&P of Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Collins and Lady Catherine DeBourgh! Oh do not even slightly compare Mrs. Elton with Emma!! :laugh: Emma certainly isn't perfect but she grows and learns I don't know if there was any better casting than Mr. Collins in the Colin Firth P&P :lol: That man is simply ridiculous. Poor Charlotte! ETA: There are times in my life where I want to be Mrs. Bennet, and take to my room with such flutterings and tremblings, and have my lady's maid bring me my tea. :rofl: I think I'm having one of those moments today! I could probably channel enough drama for Mrs. Bennet :lol:

Rosyl: 2. Sleeping Coconut by John and Bonnie Nystrom 3.5 stars. It is a good book about Bible Translation in Papua New Guinea and the changes that have been happening for the last 20 years that are speeding up translations. The catalyst was a tsunami. For a modern missionary pick, I would definitely recommend this book. I have a better understanding of the process of translating and culture of PNG. I read this because I have very good friends in Papua New Guinea with Wycliffe Bible Translators. That said, I would not have read the book if not for that connection. I added this to my TBR list! Thanks! Stacia: Those of you planning to read Jane Eyre.... Are any of you also planning to read Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affairalong with it? It is a fun one to add to your reading, imo. :D I think I'm the only person who was so disappointed in this book! Robin: I'm Elinor Dashwood Of course! Our fearless leader would need Elinor tendencies :laugh: Whew! Now I'm mostly caught up! :hurray: I hate busy weeks where I can't check in a little at a time!

shukriyya: Last night ds sat down with The Invention of Hugo Cabret and finished it in one sitting. He thoroughly enjoyed it and recommends it for readers 10 and up ;) Aly really enjoyed that a few years ago! She did not enjoy Wonderstruck as much. In fact, I'm not sure that she finished it. Stacia: Now that I'm older & look back at some of the lit choices when I was in high school, I sometimes wonder why certain books were assigned because, imo, some books need a certain amount of life experience before you would really 'get' them. (Madame Bovary springs to mind to me.) But that's a whole 'nother can of worms that I won't open now. :iagree: and :lol: about the worms! Just because you can read something doesn't man that your should, or that it wouldn't be better if saved for a later time. Violet crown: I enjoyed Northanger Abbey most of all her books, too, and had the added advantage of reading it for the first time after having read several of Mrs Radcliffe's gothics. Oh the hilarity. I've been wanting to read The Mysteries of Udolpho for years now because of N.A.! JennW: Though I'm not a huge fan of Emma, I think my all time favorite satirical character from any of the Austen novels is Mrs. Elton, the classless and judgmental wife of the vicar. And of course poor Miss Bates, the dotty aunt of Jane Fairfax is a hoot, as is Emma's neurotic father. I usually revisit the second half of the book as it is where all those characters are set loose. :lol: :lol: to the bolded! I can't STAND Mrs. Elton and her infamous Mr. E. :ack2: Robin: And let's not forget all the spin-off books for those who want to explore rabbit trails. I've read Pride & Prejudice and Zombies :willy_nilly: "It's a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie is possession of brains must be in want of more brains." :lol: Yes, that's the first line! I have never read Hemmingway. I've tried to read Dickens multiple times and with the exception of A Christmas Carol, have never made it through a single one! I have yet to decide if I'm reading an Austen or a Bronte in February. In a perfect world, I would like to read one of both!!

guilford lake: On the topic of Austen, I was going to have dd (7th) read Pride & Prejudice next, but do y'all think we should do a different Austen? (I remember reading Austen in school but have no recollection of which book we read.) At this point in her life, she dislikes every book I pick out but maybe if I tell her The Hive suggested the book... :) I may get stoned by the BaW majority, but I think your dd will not only enjoy, but will comprehend the subtleties, in P&P better if you wait a couple years. Especially if she is resistant to your selections, it could color her view of Austen before she has a chance to figure it out for herself. :leaving:

Nan said: There are books with women main characters that are strong and lively. The reason I love the books so much is that Jane Austen has all sorts of women in her books - strong, weak, quiet, controlling, passive, meek, lively, small-minded, very young and silly, selfish... Most of them don't come to a bad end. Most of them are just managing as best they can in the times they live in. :iagree: I have been too busy this week to join in this lovely discussion of one of my favorite authors. Because of the quote above, Jane Austen means so much to so many different people! I have been inwardly chuckling as many of you have listed your favorite Austen books or characters, sometimes agreeing, sometimes, disagreeing, and sometimes rolling my eyes. I truly think that is the beauty of Austen. You will find someone to identify with. A few years ago now, I did an Austen study with Skye and three of her friends. It was so much fun, and very enlightening! We had four very different personalities (plus us moms) and every one of those personalities identified with a certain character or characters. This brought such a diverse, and lively discussion to each of the six main Austen books we read and studied. Truly, whether you think Fanny strong or weak, whether you admire the practicality of an Eleanor Dashwood or the passion of Marianne, or even the lively wit of an Elizabeth Bennett, I believe it ties into what you, as a woman, relate to. At the end of our study, the girls had to list the books from their favorite to least favorite, as well as the heroines and heroes. As each girl (plus myself) read our list, there was always someone interjecting about how could so and so be so high on your list, or low, or I can't believe you liked that one! Which is funny, because that is kind of what's been happening here this week :laugh: I love how Jane Austen, centuries later, is still vibrant and lively and pertinent to so many! Here is a fun quiz you can take to see what Jane Austen character you might be (I made all the girls take it!) http://www.strangegirl.com/emma/quiz.php I am Marianne Dashwood :laugh: with some Emma tendencies. And since we are giving opinions, I think Pride & Prejudice is the book everyone should start with. Emma would probably be my second pick. As much as I like the story and Marianne, Sense & Sensibility is a harder read. Northanger Abbey and Persuasion are short. Northanger Abbey is a fun read, but I believe that P&P gives a better Austen overview. I can't identify with Anne Elliot so Persuasion, though a great story, always gets a lesser vote from me. My least favorite was Mansfield Park! Ugh! Though Skye identifies with Fanny (though she is also very much a Marianne as well!) If any of you are interested, here's the blog that Skye and her friends kept on our year long Austen study. The only thing that never got posted was the Regency Ball we attended. http://theaustensisterstogether.blogspot.com/

:grouphug: prairiegirl! I hope they find out what the problem is and your back to normal soon!

Thanks, Karen! That's exactly what I needed to know!

Kareni: Those who like stories with some magical realism might enjoy the book I read today. The Dress Shop of Dreams: A Novel by Menna van Praag Karen, what's the rating on this, if you don't mind me asking! This sounds like a book Skye may enjoy. She read a book last year about a dress shop called A Vintage Affair, which was one of her favorite books of the year. She enjoys delving into the dresses, etc.

Mum2: I love A Murder for Her Majesty.......it was one of the last read alouds we dis. :( Libriomancer, I am at the halfway point so not done. Nothing overly explicit has happened so PG13. There is violence pretty frequently but so far it has been quick. There is a war with vampires happening so things could escalate beyond this level so I will report when done. I think a romantic relationship is going to happen eventually but not sure wHat level of description. I can't remember which paranormal type books we have both read to use as a comparison. Skye remembers A Murder for Her Majesty fondly. It was one of the few Sonlight books that we actually liked :laugh: She was excited to see that Aly and I were going to read it. Thanks for the review! I look forward to seeing how you like it overall! Lady Florida: While the book is well loved, including by many of the stars of the movie, I've often heard this is one of those rare instances where the movie is better. I've never tried to read the book, so I don't know how true that is. The bolded is what made me want to pick up the book even more! The actual story is good. The fictional narration about a fictional William Goldman and a fictional Morgenstern just annoy me and interrupt the story. I keep thinking it's real. :glare:

I had a delightful weekend with my cousin. We shopped a ton and scrapbooked a ton. Scrapbooking is more a creative outlet for me than a stay caught up and current thing. I managed to get 14 pages done, most simple, but I'm pleased. I'm currently working on our pictures from our Universal Orlando trip 3 years ago. I thought I should finish them before we went again this year :lol: In book news, I'm still reading The Princess Bride. I was so excited to read this after reading As You Wish, but though it is good, I'm wishing I would have just watched the movie. I haven't had much time to sit and read so that may be coloring my view. It's just taking me a while to finish, which is also coloring my view after clipping along through so many reads at the end of last year. Currently reading: The Princess Bride Archimedes and the Door of Science Aly and I are going to start A Murder for Her Majesty today for her read aloud. We are also reading a selection of Grimm's Fairy Tales together. I'm also reading 101 More Devotions for Homeschool Moms and Be Committed: Ruth & Esther with my Bible reading.

Mum2: I have been busy reading the first in a new to me series which I am loving so far. It is a very clever paranormal with a huge book twist called Libriomancer PG-13 or R. Sounds like something I would like! I can handle violonce, can't handle horror. Stacia: The Mortdecai book is, so far, campy enough to remain mildly interesting. It's not quite as low-brow as Benny Hill, but not yet nearly suave enough to be James Bond. Firmly between the two, I suppose. I consider myself a fan of British humor, but this one has so many references & enough slang that I think a good amount must be flying over my head. Parts of it are sexually forward &/or heavy on innuendo -- mentioning that because I know there may be a few of you who were considering this for your pre-teens &/or teens. If that is something you scan for, you may want to pre-read it yourself first. Ymmv. Thanks for your review so far!

MicheleinMN: I remember this one from Pride & Prejudice: Lady Catherine deBourgh - "Has your governess left you?... No governess! How was that possible? Five daughters brought up at home without a governess! I never heard of such a thing. Your mother must have been quite a slave to your education." (my quote thing isn't working...sorry) I thought this was from Pride and Prejudice, but I was too lazy to get up and see. :laugh: I sometimes get the scenes in the Sense and Sensibility movie mixed up with the book since it has been a while since I've read the book. I do remember talk of Margaret's education, though, in S&S.

Lady Florida:Anyway, I already decided my next non-fiction will beThe Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon. I heard about it on NPR last Friday. Apparently the book has been out since 2009, but there's a movie adaptation coming soon, so the book is getting new publicity. It sounds fascinating to me. I have had this book on my TBR Amazon list for a while. I just haven't got around to it. I'll be looking forward to your review.

mum2: When I think of Johnny Depp I picture a really cool pirate type... He is forever Captain Jack to me! What a sexy pirate! I think Depp is an amazing actor. His ability to become a character, no matter how complex or strange, always wows me. But, he is still the pirate for me, too. I, too, am awaiting Stacia's review on the book. I put it on my TBR list from the books to movie link as well.

Kareni: I did not find the book at all offensive; in fact, I enjoyed it very much and think that many conservative readers might also. Conservative readers might appreciate this review from I Am A Reader which addresses the content. I really appreciate when you give this kind of insight! Thanks for the link!. I'm always looking for blogs that will give me a content review! aggieamy: Okay. Nobody talk about anything Angel is interested in until she gets back. This is a good time to talk about sad books and books written by Kurt Vonnegut. You are amazing! Yes! Talk about all the sad books you want and Kurt Vonnegut :lol: I'm good with that! By the time I get back Sunday we will be on a new week. Angel, who is taking a quick break to shovel some lunch in before going back to planning and packing my scrapbooking stuff....

I have got to stay off here today! I'm leaving for a scrapbooking/shopping weekend with my cousin tomorrow and I HAVE to get ready! I will be Margaret from Sense & Sensibility (Kate Winslet movie version) "Don't say anything important while I'm gone!!!"

Eliana: I'm not sure I *can* think without words. I can have thoughts that go deeper than I can find words for, but even when I'm not actually talking, most of my experiences are accompanied by an inner dialogue or narrative, or string of thoughts, all with words as key components. And when I do a jigsaw puzzle, or when I used to try to draw, there would be even more words. I'd tell myself stories or enter into a mental discussion with someone, or start working through thoughts about something. How can there not be words? :iagree: and re the bolded: I thought I was the only person who did this! Especially the mental discussion. Mom-ninja: Angel, I would love to do our school work at the library. I'm jealous. However, my middle ds is way too distractible it never works. It's a battle not worth fighting. I'm the one who is way too distractable! :lol: Though dd seems to be plenty distracted by me when I'm puttering around upstairs while she is doing schoolwork at home :glare: We left the library and I mentioned that the first 15-20 minutes were really loud, but she didn't think so. I'm an only and I always did homework/studying in a quiet atmosphere. I can't think straight if someone else is talking/doing something. But that may be because I'm just too nosy!! I want to have fun, too!