Angel
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Posts posted by Angel
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I am finally beginning to finish some of the books that I have been reading. It is unusual for me to have so many going at one time! Sunday night I finished Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings. I have been so tired lately, too tired to read, that it's not surprising that the first thing I've finished in weeks is another audio book. I enjoy how this book brings so much together in the first series. Though I knew how it was going to end and what was going to happen, it is still as much fun getting there as the first dozen or more times lol. I do really wish my family would read these. I've spent quite a bit of time in the last two years delving into the books they really wanted me to read. I think it's time they reciprocate!
Though it has taken me months, I have finished Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. It took me a while only because it was so deep that I needed no distractions while reading it. Taking it in small chunks also helped me to process what I read. I enjoyed discussing this with Aly and her co-op class. I didn't always agree with Lewis, which is to be expected. He is after all just a man. I found, however, that I could relate to many of his illustrations. He explained things in a down to earth way that was completely understandable. Some difficult topics were covered in such a conversational tone that I was able to look at them from a whole new perspective. It was truly an excellent book, one I would recommend.
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Remarkable Creatures is by Tracy Chevalier https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6457081-remarkable-creatures?ac=1&from_search=true. I don't remember any particularly adult content scenes but when I found the link in Goodreads discovered that many had put it on their Adult bookshelves. Perhaps you should read it first.....
I agree with the bolded but on looking back to see how old loesje's dd was, I probably wouldn't recommend it without pre-reading. Everyone's 13 yo is different ;) I probably wouldn't have handed it over to my 13 yo. Well, neither of my dd's at 13 would have enjoyed it. :D
Though it has been a while, I don't remember anything explicit in Remarkable Creatures. There was one s*x scene but it was short and really didn't tell/show much about what was going on.
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We went to 'The Cobb' today, you know The Cobb in Lyme Regis from Austens' Persuasion....
:)
It was fun to be there.
The other part of being there was about the Jurassic Coast.
Ooohh! Fun! You should be reading Persuasion and Remarkable Creatures! :D
Stacia: Here's hoping the little (um) lady settles in and let you love on her more and more!
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I just hate it when I forget a book! At least you were able to find a good solution.
I'm checking in but haven't read/finished anything in a long time. DH and I are self employed and we've invoiced as much this year already as we did all last year. It's been crazy busy. Oh and the Chews-on-Books is full of energy and he doesn't want me to sit and read when I could be paying attention to HIM. It's a lovely but high energy phase.
We are leaving for vacation in three days. I'm so excited and planning on getting some reading done then.
And this is the part I'm really excited about ... the aggieamy family is going to meet the mumto2 family!!! Eek. How exciting. DH is going to get tips on how to not run people into ditches while driving in England from Mr. Mumto2 while Sandy and I chat about books.
Chews on Books sounds like he is in that FUN stage! And count me as another that is totally jealous here! Have a wonderful trip!
Found another satisfying mystery series, this time the Longmire series set in Wyoming. I think one of you recommended it recently, but I can't find it mentioned via the search function, though I have not reached anywhere near the level of "google-fu" as the master, Kareni! Anyway, last night I finished the first title in the series, The Cold Dish, after being rudely interrupted by family members thinking we needed dinner! I understand there is also a tv series based on the books, so will have to check those out as well.
:lol: I hate when they expect food when I'm in the middle of a good book!!! Priorities people!!
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Millenium Force! Loved it in spite of squeezing my eyes closed on the lift hill and saying "are we there yet?"! We rode it 5 times, only rode the new Valravn once as the line was long. We rode everything else twice, I think -- Dragster (omg!!!), Maverick, Rougaroo (sp?!), Gatekeeper, and Raptor.
The procedures at the rides are so different from Disney, which we are most familiar with. At Disney, there is always someone who directs you to line up for a specific car, and who makes sure the loading area is never swamped with too many people. At Cedar Point, it was practically a free for all at every ride except the newest -- just line up where you want. I stood there waiting for someone to direct me but quickly learned to embrace the mayhem. And on one ride, a couple of kids got off on the wrong side, then realizing their mistake crossed back over the track between cars. My Disney employee son was stunned -- he said that alone would have automatically initiated a 90 minute ride shut down!! I'm guessing Cedar Point isn't the target of as many frivolous law suits as Disney, or perhaps the California laws regulating coasters are more stringent.
LOL! My first theme park ever was Cedar Point. I had no idea that other parks didn't have ridiculously long lines and that there were sometimes people telling you where to go! Universal was such a treat compared to that! Dh and I used to bring cards to play waiting in line on a summer day at Cedar Point. I get severe motion sickness so I can only ride when drugged up ;) and I can't overcome my fear of heights! I have never been on Millennium Force! Maverick is Skye's all time favorite coaster! I've never been to Disney but Cedar Point has never been super family friendly. It's all about the coasters. Kings Island does a little better job in that area as far as just coaster parks go.
Just the fact that Aly wants to go to college means your doing something right. :hurray:
:D I could care less about college, honestly. My dad was a very successful construction company owner doing everything from drawing the blueprints to finishing touches on the homes they built, all without a college degree. So I don't feel it's necessary to be successful in life. However, I do believe in encouraging my kids in whatever path they want to take, and at this moment that includes college for Aly, who might like to be the next Scully from X-Files or the next Abby from NCIS. :laugh: If she decides to be the next Parker from Leverage, well then I'd have to step in. :lol:
I happened to graduate from high school in Ohio, and the senior trip was to Cedar Point. I remember next to nothing of the day (memory like a sieve), but I can assure you that I didn't ride a roller coaster! You're a braver woman than I.
When I was in high school, the big thing was to do Cedar Point the day after prom!
I just got back from our first graduation ceremony for our CC group - eight years in the making. We had five graduates and it was a very personal and lovely ceremony. I had to emcee and I didn't cry - even after the slideshow with all the baby pictures. My heart is full :001_smile:
That sounds awesome! You are a better woman than I! When they did the slideshow of baby pics during Skye's graduation, I cried, and I didn't know half of the kids that she was graduating with!
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Keep posting about all of these successful post homeschooled high school kids. Cause my ds is a rising sophomore and I keep finding myself in panic mood. Im pretty good at convincing myself that I'm botching his education and he will not thrive as an adult or in college.
:lol: I'm a pretty laid back homeschool parent, I certainly don't fit the classical mold, but knowing that Aly (also rising sophomore) wants to actually go to college makes me have plenty of doubts!
Just now trying to catch up on the thread and this post from Mom-ninja caught my eye...
I totally understand!
With each success my young adult children have, I feel a sense of relief all over again that I didn't, in fact, totally screw them up by homeschooling them!! I explained this to two of my ds's main professors over the weekend as I thanked them for challenging him the last 4 years. They are currently my favorite people in the world for all the wonderful, glowing things they had to say about him, lol!!
So yes, we had a wonderful weekend in spite of the crazy Ohio weather. It was so cold, yet the sun, when it was out, was intense enough for my dh to get sunburned! It was 34 degrees the morning of commencement, a ceremony held outside, yet it turned into a beautiful day. We celebrated the next day at Cedar Point and even I rode the most extreme coasters multiple times! My kids kept joking they could see Canada from the top of the lift hills -- I had my eyes closed on a few of them due to a overblown fear of heights. Speed I can handle, twists and turns and going upside down -- but that 300ft lift hill with nothing on either side of the car Freaks. Me. Out. If the coaster broke down on that lift hill they'd have to blind fold me and carry me down! It didn't stop me from riding it 5 times, though!
I found the perfect airplane read at the Cleveland airport. It one of the Kate Burkholder mysteries set in the Amish country just south of where ds went to college. Jane - have you read these? It was really good with a female chief of police who grew up Amish. I liked her, liked the pacing of the story and the mystery. The bonus was that I could picture it all as we had spent a day dodging Amish buggies as we drove through Amish country. The one I read was the 5th in the series, Her Last Breath, though I will now look for the rest of the titles in my local libraries.
Yeah for ds's commencement! Boo to our stupid Ohio weather! I totally agree with the bolded! And enquiring minds want to know which roller coaster it was? Millennium Force or the new one?
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Five Books With Families We’d Like to Live Alongside as Neighbors by Stephen H. Segal and Valya Dudycz Lupescu
Regards,
Kareni
The Vale of Aldur was on the list from The Belgariad by David Eddings! :001_wub: I'm in the middle of listening to the series (I've read them over and over so many times that I thought they would be the perfect audio books...and they are!). I love the characters in David Eddings' books! They are like family or old comfortable friends.
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To add to the historical fiction list, a few books I read last year and enjoyed:
I just started reading My Antonia (18th Century America) as Rose recommended it a few days ago. I dusted it off my shelf and am already enjoying it.
I also just finished reading For Whom the Bell Tolls which takes place during the Spanish civil war.
I acquired a copy of My Antonia last month. Which is better Death Comes for the Archbishop or My Antonia?
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Re: Angel's list of historical fiction....
I see both I, Claudius and People of the Book were mentioned already. I was also going to mention them.
I'm not sure I could come up with a seamless list of 20 through history. So, I'll just make some random suggestions (way too many of them are modern-day, I know) & maybe a few of them will slot into places or times you want:
Madame Tussaud [Revolutionary France]
The Fan-Maker's Inquisition (same time period as Madame Tussaud & prob. wouldn't meet your rating criteria, but it's so, so good) [Revolutionary France]
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress [China; Mao's Cultural Revolution in the 1970s]
Sunjata (more epic history than historical fiction) [Ghana & Mali; 1200s]
Good Morning Comrades [Angola; 1990s]
My Name is Red (this is a dense read, though; I'm sure I missed a ton of cultural references while reading it) [Turkey, 1500s]
The Distant Marvels [Cuba; 1900s]
The Nun [italy; 1800s]
The Book of Embraces (not historical fiction; I don't even know what it is exactly, but I had to put something South American on my list & this, to me, epitomizes much modern South American writing) [uruguay; 1900s]
The Wandering Falcon [iran/Afghanistan/Pakistan; 1900s]
I believe People of the Book is also in my Amazon list! I know that over 3/4 of that list is recommendations from here! I, Claudius is not, but I'll need to look it up. Actually, I have a ton of looking up to do with all of these suggestions!
Thought I should let all the BaW aunties know that one of "your kids" who has been responsible for a few books discussed here over the years is graduating college this weekend. Get the tissues ready!! The whole nuclear family will be there for commencement, followed by a celebratory trip to ride extreme roller coasters. Dh and I think our extreme roller coaster days are long gone, but we'll certainly ride a few!
:party: Congrats to college boy! And carry the Kleenex! So what do people on the west coast consider an Extreme Roller Coaster park? Here in the Mid-West, it's Cedar Point! I am not, nor ever have been, an extreme roller coaster rider but I live with 3 of them (the girls take after their daddy!). That sounds like an absolute blast!!!
How about a Brother Cadfael mystery? They only cover Wales and England in the early 12th century but are historically accurate (aside from the mystery in each one of course). I'm on my tablet or I'd link for you. It's easy to find in a search though.
I completely agree with you about discussion and censorship. I have Infidel on my Kindle and plan to read it soon, but will add this one to my list.
Another that I had not considered and the first 2 are on my shelf! I really enjoyed the first one! I just acquired the 2nd last week and haven't had a chance to read it!
Angel...I am still thinking about your historical list. I second several of Rose's suggestions, especially People of the Book.
Now for some more general ideas. I really enjoyed Simon Winchester's Proffessor and the Madman. While that probably shouldn't be a top 20 read through history you might want to consider one of his others, maybe The Map that changed the World. I am pretty sure Jenn has read it recently. It is one of those on my list.
Now for the Tudors, I love that time period but most (probably all) of the books I can remember reading have explicit scenes. Two books that I am planning to try soon are Bess of Hardwick by Mary S. Lovell https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/306403.Bess_of_Hardwick?ac=1&from_search=true and Antonia Fraser's The Wives of Henry the Eighth https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/530793.The_Wives_of_Henry_VIII?.
Bess is sitting on my nightstand because it is going to be my Dusty for bingo. A museum shop purchase which was inspired because Bess was an incredible woman. Her start in lfe was relatively humble but some consider her to have been Elizabeth I's best friend. She married four times well. She was Mary's jailer but also a close friend as evidenced by beautiful gifts from Mary at Hardwick Hall. She eventually married one of the wealthiest men in England and built Chatsworth. Her children married incredibly well. She created a dynasty......
Antonia Fraser is an author I just discovered. I am currently reading her Jemima Shore mystery series (too modern for this project) but she is also the author of several historical biographies which look incredible. I hope to read some of those in the fall. If the Henry one doesn't appeal maybe one of the others will.
For one last time period which I know you would enjoy you might like a local(for me) series about the Scrooby Pilgrims (Mayflower).http://www.mayflowermaid.com/home....couldn't find any good reviews so I linked her website. I haven't read these either but I did just put the first one, The Mayflower Maid on hold. I promise to read it in the next couple of months. One of my friends loved these. They are sold in the gift shop at Gainsborough Hall which was visited by Henry VIII. You can veiw his and Catherine Howard's bedrooms when you visit. ;)
I love reading about Tudor's as well, but you are right, they are hard to find clean! I mean it is Henry the VIII and let's be honest, he was a little fixated on procreating a boy :rofl: I will definitely be looking up the Bess book for myself!
I would love one about the Scrooby Pilgrims! This summer we are finishing the cycle (again) on our Christian history trips with our youth group at church. We've done Williamsburg and areas south, Boston/Plimoth and areas surrounding, and finishing up this year with Philadelphia and areas surrounding. Our youth would love to travel over the pond and do England and Holland! Our church is really behind our trips and so are our parents but I'm not sure we could raise enough funds to do it!
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I haven't read any historical fiction for quite a long time (can't seem to find anything I care for), but there were a few I remember that I liked. None of them are very recent books, and I can't say that I loved all of them. In no particular order
The Good Earth
The Far Pavillions
The Greenlanders
Daughter of Time
Crown in Candlelight (can't remember how much romance in this one)
Chesapeake
I Claudius
Wild Swans
The Historian
Death Comes as the End
The Red Tent
The Killer Angels
Death Comes for the Archbishop
The First Man in Rome
The Greek Treasure
The Plantagenet Series by Thomas Costain
My sister gave me a couple books by Philippa Gregory, which I couldn't get into, and The Name of the Rose, which I haven't attempted yet. In high school I remember loving Dear and Glorious Physician, Great Lion of God, Glory and the Lightning and A Pillar of Iron by Taylor Caldwell. I just gave those to my dd who was asking for some historical fiction but without all the sex.
I read The Historian last year but never considered putting it on the list! Aly would love it, I think. And I have Death Comes for the Archbishop in my own TBR pile.
Historical fiction:
My history nut loves The Tale of two Cities by Dickens. He's currently into books by Bernard Cornwell.
I like my history with a side of time travel:
Doomsday- Connie Willis (the Black Plague)
Timeline- Michael Crichton
Time and Again- Jack Finney
From Time To Time- sequel ^
Lincoln's Dreams- Connie Willis (The title is misleading, it is mostly about Robert E. Lee with ties to Lincoln.)
And Twain's masterpiece, Joan of Arc.
Timeline would be a great one, though maybe with a little editing (dd is sensitive to language). I love Crichton and I think she's seen the movie!
Angel, I just found thishttp://www.historicalnovels.info/ webstite for historical fiction seems to be really good. Ability to separate out mystery novels. This might be really good for planning. I could blow may whole day playing with this website and make my stack really huge.
Ooohh! Thanks! This is amazing and will help so much! I'm not sure how I'm going to narrow it down!
Hmm, I like historical fiction. Sometimes, especially when I'm thinking about what to read with a kid, it's hard for me to differentiate historical fiction from classics which really capture the spirit of their age, but aren't actually, historical fiction. So Hemingway and Gatsby would fall into the first category, but The Grapes of Wrath into the second, I think. Anyway, things that I'd call historical fiction, worth reading with a high schooler:
Ransom - David Malouf (not really historical fiction, but fleshes out a scene from The Iliad. amazing!)
The Songs of the Kings (retelling of the Iphigenia story)
The Red Tent (It's been awhile since I read this, can't remember if it is R-rated)
The Secret Chord (King David)
The Agony & the Ecstasy (haven't read this since high school, but it had a big impact on me at the time - Michelangelo)
Bring Up the Bodies/Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel (Henry VII/Anne Boleyn)
The Three Musketeers
The Scarlet Pimpernel
A Tale of Two Cities
The Friendly Persuasion
My Antonia
The Grapes of Wrath
The Daughter of Time
Things Fall Apart
Cry The Beloved Country
Night
The Joy Luck Club
People of the Book
I agree with the bolded! I was thinking that The Illiad and The Odyssey would fall into a similar category. The Daughter of Time has shown up on almost everybody's list, and I realized it is in my Amazon TBR list!
Angel,
As a reader of historic fiction, I have thought about your request and have decided that I can't even begin such a list limited to 20 books. So many cultures over this broad swath of time.
And of course there are fourteen Dorothy Dunnett books I'd want on the list. Even though they only cover a hundred years or so of European/Middle Eastern history, they do it so well that no list of good historical fiction is complete without them.
Sigh.
:laugh: I understand!
You all are broadening my perspective. On my original list I was thinking classics plus some children's/YA books that we never got to as read alouds. I don't think I had fully considered the scope of some of the adult historical fiction.
Basically Aly's school year (9th) turned out to be very heavy, not only in load but in content (Modern World History...war & atrocities :scared: and then the Worldview curriculum). I usually do a lighter 9th to ease into high school and a lighter 12th to give free time to really nail down their niche. We are not super classical over-achiever homeschoolers. Anyway, since we are finishing the cycle of history, I decided history next year would be light. A reading trip down the timeline of the world basically. Aly really liked this idea, and at first I was thinking only of all the cool kids books we never did as read alouds. Then I started thinking about all the classics that would fit. And then I had the great idea to ask here :laugh: So I'm trying to narrow down what could easily fit into a school year. I think maybe it's a bigger task than I realized.
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Possibly the best literary historical fiction I've read is John Barth's The Sot-Weed Factor, set in colonial Maryland. But while it's not R-rated, that's only because it verges on X-rated. It is hilarious though.
:eek: :lol:
I can't think of any right now, but I'd sure like to see your list! Lately I don't seem to find any historical fiction that is not historical romance with little history in it.
Though I have heard great things about Hilary Mantel's books on Thomas Cromwell: Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies. I couldn't handle her unconventional writing style.
Bring Up the Bodies sounds familiar. I'll have to check those out. I will definitely share my list as soon as I whittle it down some!
Not sure how fluffy or not these should be but Josephine Tey's Daughter of Timehttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77661.The_Daughter_of_Time might be a good one to add to the mix if you are planning for your co op.
I personally liked most of Paul Maier's Flames of Romehttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202603.The_Flames_of_Rome?ac=1&from_search=true But the scenes between Nero and his mother were eye burning for me. Truly bothered me. It was a pre read for dd at about 13 and we ended up skipping it. We substituted his Pontius Pilate. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18815644-pontius-pilate which I found fascinating.
This is more for me and Aly, though what I'm planning could go on the co-op options list come to think of it. That's not a bad idea! Aly will be 16 at the start of the school year, and she definitely is not as sensitive as my older dd. But you know I'm fairly conservative, lol, so definitely no eye-burning moments :lol:
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Does anyone want to play a game? Ok, well not really a game, but you all are MOST knowledgeable in the book department and there is no one better to turn to in my not so humble opinion ;)
If you had to pick 20 (or so) historical fiction books to "read through history" with what would they be? This would be from Creation (or early Sumerian culture for those of you who are evolutionist in nature) all the way to present day. The books can include any age range but I would prefer no R rated books ;)
I've been trying to figure out what my picks would be, but I'm already over 20!! :eek:
What would your picks be?
:bigear:
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I'm off on a girlfriend getaway tomorrow. One friend got comp nights at the Seminole Hard Rock in Ft. Lauderdale (about 3 hours away). Two of us don't like to gamble and plan to spend time by the pool reading. The one who does gamble won't be able to spend much so we hope to explore the resort and enjoy some good food.
Have fun! I love getting away with my friends!
Filli is the bigger one (on the left) and Kree is the smaller one (on the right). We named them after Jasmine's friends, the black bird and (likely from the descriptions in the book) sugar glider, from Deltora Quest.
Adorable! I will refrain from showing my animal loving older dd. Our 2 cats and the Bunny have enough animal personality for us right now!
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'Villette' is packed for our holiday to southern England :)
Guide will be:
How exciting! Have a wonderful holiday! And take pictures to share ;)
I've started a re-read of The Hobbit after watching the movies this past week with my kids. I was surprised (and disappointed) that they stretched it out into three movies - how many sword fights do we really need to see? Loved Martin Freeman as Bilbo and the movie looked mostly as I had imagined it in my head.
It has been awhile since my last reread of The Hobbit but I was also surprised and disappointed with the movies. I enjoyed reading The Hobbit more than The Lord of the Rings Trilogy but loved The Lord of the Rings movies better.
Speaking of moms & mother's day, I'd appreciate any good thoughts or prayers for my mom. She was just diagnosed with breast cancer.
Thanks. :grouphug:
:grouphug: and ...
I'm so sorry. Praying for successful treatment and for all the help, support, love, and strength she (and you, and all those close to her) will need for the journey ahead.
Ali took the words right out of my mouth!
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and a belated happy birthday to you, Angel. I hope it was happy.
Regards,
Kareni
Thanks! I didn't have to cook a thing and OBVIOUSLY didn't clean :laugh: and then had Vanilla Bean cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. Yep it was good!
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:seeya: Hey there everyone! I think it's been a couple weeks! Theater is finally over. Whew! What an experience! Aly love love loved it, though, so I'm guessing we'll be doing this craziness again next year. Though I will be more prepared for it! I will post of picture of Aly in her costume (that her sister made) when I get them onto my computer.
There hasn't been a whole heck of a lot of time for reading lately. After recouping from theater, we are now trying to finish up school.
I'm counting the last book I read in April for my "Mediterranean May." ;) It certainly fit the category! The Night Villa by Carol Goodman has actually been sitting on my shelf for years, ever since finding it at the library's book sale. I'm trying to read more of the books this year that I've picked up at the book sales and thrift stores. At first I wasn't sure I was going to like it. I prefer a fantasy or historical setting. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only did we get the story of Sophie Chase but we also went back in time to hear the story of a young slave girl in Herculaneum in 79 AD, which had me looking up some history and geography! It was a wonderful story filled with ancient history and mythology. Funny enough I had unknowingly picked up another Carol Goodman book at the book swap store. I can only hope it is as good.
A couple days ago I realized that Magician's Gambit was going off my Overdrive. Fortunately it was on my shelf. When I realized that I only had around 55 pages left, I picked it up and just finished it. All along as I've been listening to it, I've thought how I've only ever read these in my book club Collector's Edition. They kind of all read as one book that way. Listening to it separately, I realized that this was one of my least favorite of the series. It's still good but not great, really feeling like just a bridge or transition book. Funny how that happens. Anyway, I'm thankful that the library has the next one on audio. I'm actually enjoying listening to them.
Our pastor's wife gave us two more bookshelves :hurray: Then Pastor promptly gave dh a laundry basket full of history and church books :lol: My house is a total disaster zone! In fact I really wanted to spend my birthday yesterday in my pj's reading but I ran away from my house instead :tongue_smilie: and went shopping. I need to find a place for the new bookshelves and get all these books & curriculums sorted and put away! A daunting task indeed!
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Jenn: Awesome photos! It looks so beautiful. And fun!!
Dd turns 18 today so we have a girly day planned until they get home. Planning to surprise her with lunch at a local favourite carvery of hers before the guys return.
Happy Birthday to your dd! I'm trying to remember if I knew we shared a birthday!
I'll be traveling next week for a family wedding and will be staying with my sister who invited me to accompany her to her book group. They will be discussing The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry: A Novel by Gabrielle Zevin which a number of you have already read. Several years ago I enjoyed the author's young adult novel, Elsewhere, so I was happy to read this book also. It was a lovely book, and I quite enjoyed it. I recommend it.
"A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, its unexpected arrival gives Fikry the chance to make his life over--and see everything anew."
I read this just a couple months ago. My friend and my cousin, like you, both quite enjoyed it and thought for sure I'd love it too. For me it just fell short.
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I need some help! Those of you who have read World War Z and seen the movie...does the book EVER connect with the movie!?!? I really loved the movie and was looking forward to the book but I"m 100 pages in and it's nothing like the movie. If none of the movie story line is in there, I think I'm ready to give it up.
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I should be reading, but instead I'm reading all your posts ( :001_wub: ) while sipping a small glass of red wine & eating a dark chocolate salted caramel candy that my sister got me at a wonderful French chocolate shop. I'm at about my peak of functioning right now. :lol:
Yummy! My favorite!
*no rattlesnake encounters this year, so far
:scared: :hurray: Let's keep it that way shall we!
I was too sick to concentrate on reading over the weekend but was able to listen to my audio book. I finished Queen of Sorcery by David Eddings. It was a comfort to listen to one of my favorite stories. I was able to drift off to sleep without worrying about missing anything (though I still rewound it when I woke up). I'm getting used to the reader's voice and just enjoying the story again.
Our April book theme (IRL book club) is Birds, a book with a bird in the title or a book about birds or a book with a bird as a character. I chose one of my favorite Lori Wick books to revisit, The Hawk and the Jewel. I started it last week before I got sick and was finally able to concentrate enough to finish it today. Brandon Hawksbury has got to be one of my favorite heroes. It has been quite a few years since I have read this, and though it is still one of my favorite stories, I did find the writing more simplistic than I remember. It's kind of funny how that happens. Like I said, still one of my favorites.
Thanks for all the well wishes! I'm still battling a cough and crazy fatigue but better than I was over the weekend. I'm trying to rest up as the first round of Mary Poppins performances start Friday night.
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This is my current audio book! It's been a couple years since my last reread, and I figured this non-auditory person could keep up with a story I know so well ;) I'm still waiting for my girls to read it. :glare:
Congratulations to Wee Girl!!!!! May I recommend the Droon Series to go with the Magic Tree House.
:iagree: Aly loved the Droon series after she finished Magic Tree House!
This is my fly by post for the week! We are deep into dress rehearsals and performances begin a week from today. :scared: I also have come down with a cold or allergies or whatever this crud may be :thumbdown: so I'm feeling pretty crappy!
I'm currently listening to Queen of Sorcery and reading Mere Christianity (still), The Hawk and the Jewel, and World War Z. I'm feeling a little ADHD with all the other stuff I have going on and can't settle in.
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The onset of Spring Break enabled me to have some uninterrupted quiet time for my morning devotions. I finished Be Joyful by Warren Wiersbe. A devotional type book on Philippians I had been reading since January (I think). Though I liked his Be Committed book that I read last year a little better, this was still an excellent study of Philippians and a wonderful reminder of all that we have to be joyful for. Not only did it remind us to find our joy in Christ but also to watch out for those things that can be stealers of our joy!
Quote: "As you contemplate the day's schedule, be sure that nothing you have planned robs you of the joy God wants you to have."
I seem to need this reminder :o I'm a very emotional person and tend to get caught up and let things bother me that really shouldn't. The author compared the people who are a thermometer (going up and down with every situation, always letting others affect them) with people who are thermostats (those who keep steady, setting the tone for the situation and having an effect on others). I tend to be more thermometer than thermostat, much to my shame, and would like to strive to be better.
I'm still trying to finish Mere Christianity, listening to Queen of Sorcery, and also reading World War Z. The latter is not what I expected. I really liked the movie but so far nothing is much like the movie except Israel's 10th man. So I guess the jury's still out there.
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Spent the day dusting off My two blessings blog for the April A to Z challenge. Anybody want to join in?
I haven't touched my blog in a year but I'm thinking about this! (If I don't forget by the end of the day). I don't have a theme, though I thought of picking something from our many travels last year for each day (since I never blogged about them). I also passed it along to Skye who blogs about life more frequently and really enjoys doing these kinds of things.
Just a quick note to Kareni - I really appreciate that you note books with adult content.
The other day I received the weekly notice of new books coming into our library. One looked particularly interesting. Now, I don't enjoy books with a lot of adult content, and I don't hand such off to my high schoolers*. Anyway, I looked the book up on Amazon but it did not have a "search inside" feature which I find very helpful for rooting out key words. :-) It wasn't until I looked at some 1-star reviews that I learned the book contains much explicit, unnecessary, and even violent adult content. Now, of course that is all subjective and perhaps it's not as bad as some reviews made it sound. But it was nice to know and I just passed that book by. There are, after all, plenty of books to be read.
Anyway, it just made me appreciate Kareni and all who point out adult content. Thank you! It helps.
*I don't choose all my kids' books; they are free to find and read anything they want. They are too old to have mommy previewing for them! But I'm not going to suggest something that I would not read myself.
Yes and yes!
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After a wonderful Easter service at church, we had a beautiful 75 degree day in which to relax and read outside! I was able to finish Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs. What a fun cozy mystery! I absolutely loved the atmosphere of historical Charleston. All of the descriptions of the tea shop were lovely. I found myself not only wanting to sip some tea but also to have my own tea shop! The mystery itself was good, not great. I was fairly sure of the murderer early on, but it didn't take away from the fun.
That makes #14 for me for the year.
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It's been a long week. The baby had a cardiologist appointment, which was good on the whole; she's been gaining weight and symptoms related to her heart defect haven't begun to show up yet, but the hole hasn't closed any further. My college-age son stressed us all out by missing his flight home on Thursday, but he did manage to score some stand-by seats so he made it home ok. And my grandfather died on Saturday. He was 100 years old, so I guess we all knew it would happen soon but then again we didn't expect it to be now. I spent a fair amount of time the past two days avoiding Facebook and instead reading book blogs (and the BaW thread) for comfort. I'm looking for some fluff to read this week, or at least something that isn't terribly emotional.
:grouphug: When my Grandad died he was almost 101! He is still missed! And more :grouphug: to sweet girl and you all! It's so good to hear she is gaining weight!
My fluffy recommendation would be The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer. Light and hilarious and properly diverting!
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Book a Week 2016 - BW21: Middle of the World
in The Chat Board
Posted
The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree by Susan Wittig Albert was a fun cozy mystery that I finished this afternoon! I rarely read books set in the early 1900's, but I found this book truly delightful. Set in 1930, the Darling Dahlias are members of a Garden Club in Darling, Alabama. When a young woman is killed, the Dahlias band together to try and figure out what really happened. I enjoyed reading about small town life in the 30's. I could easily picture my Grandad's house as it was when I was growing up, and my aunt's could easily have been part of the club itself! And the author also had lovely descriptions of the food and some recipes in the back of the book. One of the gals in the story was reading a new mystery, "The Secret of the Old Clock." I actually had to look it up and see if Nancy Drew was really written in the 30's!!
Quote: "She had already read every single one of the detective novels the Darling Library had on its shelves (not a great many - it was a small library) and was reading the best ones for the second and third time. But that didn't spoil the pleasure, for it was her opinion that a good novel, especially a good mystery, deserved more than one reading."