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Book A Week in 2010 - Book Week 11

Robin M
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Robin M

Robin M

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Hello my darlings! It is the start of book week 11 and Mr Linky is now up. Book week 10's mr linky is now closed.

 

K is for K.M. Weiland. I'm spotlighting an author who is new to me and I plan on spotlighting more authors during the year. She's written a great e-book on crafting characters plus a couple interesting fiction books - historical and western that look very interesting.

 

I finished Sartre and haven't decided what I'm going to read next. Once I make up my mind, will let you know. What's coming up on My Two Blessings this week however is a review of Phil Vischer's new "What's in the Bible" dvd series. Remember Veggie Tales. Now he's created a series geared towards kids about reading the bible. Very, very good! Be on the lookout for the first two dvds in the store.

 

I have a request to make: We are having a lot of folks lurking on 52 books but not commenting. I posted a guest post by author Sneed Collard and no one commented. I hope to have more author guest posts in the future, but if no body is going to comment, it is embarrassing to say the least. I had to ask family and friends to comment on his post my blog. It's making me rethink asking for guest author posts either for my blog or 52 books. So would you please read the guest post on 52 books and leave a comment, thanking the author, I would really appreciate it.

 

 

What are you all reading this week?

Edited by Mytwoblessings
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Guest Virginia Dawn

Guest Virginia Dawn

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I'm half-way through Foucault's Pendulum. About 1/4 of the way through I began to feel suspiciously like Alice in Wonderland. Right now I'm sure this book has to be satire or farce, which I didn't realize when I picked it up. It is pretty amusing if it is poking fun at books in that same genre as The Da Vinci Code, you know, where the historical and the mystical are all impossibly related at various levels. If it is not, it is just confusing, so I will maintain my belief that the nonsense is intentional. I will look up something about the author's intent after I'm done with the book.

 

P.S. If you've read it, please, no spoilers. :-)

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eaglei

eaglei

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I finished:

 

#15 - The Scarlet Thread, by Francine Rivers. Always good writing by this author - I am so glad Hive ladies recommended her!

 

I have FINALLY started a classic, with which I am almost done:

 

#16 - Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton. I first read this as a college freshman and was privileged to have a prof who really knew how to bring books to life, including this one. I am actually re-reading this (for about the third or fourth time over a great many years), and am using my college copy which is literally falling apart - I have gumbands around it!

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Mommyfaithe

Mommyfaithe

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YIPES!!! I think I lost a week somewhere....But I am ok in the book dept. For weeks 10 and 11 I have read Lightning Thief, Sea of Monsters and The Titan's Curse...The 1rst 3 Percy Jackson Books. I am now reading Walkabout while ds reads Book 4. Walkabout is a short book about 2 children stranded in the Austrailian outback because of an airplane crash, their meeting with an aboriginie boy and the quest for safety. So far it is very interesting and I may use it as a living geography for my 11 and 15 y/o's.

 

~~Faithe

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prairiegirl

prairiegirl

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I am still reading Walden by Thoreau but I decided this weekend that I need to read other books at the same time. Thoreau is a bit boring. So I have already finished Long Lost by Harlan Coben and am now on Book #12--Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (I think that is the title. It is so long, I always get it mixed up.)

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Crissy

Crissy

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Hello my darlings!
:)

 

What's coming up on My Two Blessings this week however is a review of Phil Vischer's new "What's in the Bible" dvd series. Remember Veggie Tales. Now he's created a series geared towards kids about reading the bible. Very, very good! Be on the lookout for the first two dvds in the store.

 

We LOVE Phil Vischer.

Did you ever read Sidney and Norman? loveshower.gif

 

I have a request to make: ...would you please read the guest post on 52 books and leave a comment, thanking the author, I would really appreciate it.

 

 

I will be sure to comment more at 52 Books.

I have a question. Since I don't post reviews at Reading Notes, only quotes and links that pertain to the reading I have been doing, would you mind if I participate by using the Mr. Linky posts and whatnot?

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Crissy

Crissy

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This week's reading was all over the map, and I loved every minute of it.

 

Audrey Niffenegger's Her Fearful Symmetry was amazing. I had read that it is a ghost story, and that didn't thrill me. Still, I picked it up from a library shelf on Wednesday and ended up reading through the night. I could not put it down.

 

My son and I were having a discussion about eyewitness testimony, so I pulled Picking Cotton from my shelf to read a passage or two to him. I ended up reading the entire book again. The story is altogether heartbreaking and fascinating.

 

I also read The Help. My thanks to those of you who recommended it last week! It was wonderful.

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Crissy

Crissy

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I just started The Children's Book by A. S. Byatt, and it's LONG. 700+ pages. Will have to find something short to read to break it up.

 

 

I have The Children's Book waiting for me, too. It sounds so good that I can't say what has kept it from moving to the top of my stack.

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Stacia

Stacia

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This week, I finished...

 

The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers -- I loved it! Moers' creativity just blows me away. If you're looking for something that is not run-of-the-mill, check out Moers' works.

 

and

 

Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls -- I really, really enjoyed this tale of spunky Lily Casey Smith, the author's grandmother. She comes across as a tough, funny, hard-working, creative, and forward-thinking gal. I think the first 2/3 of the book was great, the last 1/3 was good (just not as good as the rest). As I've said before, I also like that Jeannette Walls always writes with an optimism that shines through her characters regardless of the adversities they face. Definitely recommended.

 

Getting ready to start The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

 

__________________

Last Five Books I've read in 2010:

6. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

7. Iron & Silk by Mark Salzman

8. Lottery by Patricia Wood

9. The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers

10. Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

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Rosie_0801

Rosie_0801

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I had a fun flick through a Janet Arnold fashion book, and a book on dressmaking with leather. I have no intentions of dressmaking with leather, but the book was $2, so I had to bring it home. You know how it is. :rolleyes:

 

Also, inspired by the reincarnation conversation on here, I read a few books on past lives; Past Lives and Many Lives, Many Masters.

 

I wasn't terribly well this week so I did a lot of reading. As well as the above, I finished off The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie and Mountains of the Dragon, by Helen Leete. I quite enjoyed the latter but was a bit so-so about Rushie's book. I don't really know why, either. Maybe I expect something wondrous from authors I've heard of or something. I've also listened to one of his stories on audio book. They are very dense and well written, but somehow leave me wondering what the point was in a way that I don't feel when I've read less dense, less well written but otherwise enjoyable books. Hmm, anyway...

 

Rosie

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PollyOR

PollyOR

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Trying to climb back in the wagon...I can't seem to do more than one thing at a time (reading OR homeschooling).

 

I came across a decently priced boxed set of America: The Last Best Hope Volumes I & II by William Bennett at the used bookstore, so I'm reading volume one. While doing R&S Homelands of North America with my 11yo this year, I realized how very little I know about my country and it's founding. So far it's been an enjoyable read.

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The Governess

The Governess

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I'm trying to get through a good chunk of Susan Wise Bauer's The History of the Ancient World this week. I managed to get through 75 pages last week and hope to read about as much this week. I still have 300 pages to go.

 

I'm also going to try and finish up Last Child in the Woods, I stalled out about 1/3 of the way through a couple months ago.

 

Crissy, I am glad to hear that you enjoyed Her Fearful Symmetry. I loved The Time Traveler's Wife and have been a bit nervous about trying her next book because of mixed reviews.

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Kareni

Kareni

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... I am now reading Walkabout while ds reads Book 4. Walkabout is a short book about 2 children stranded in the Austrailian outback because of an airplane crash, their meeting with an aboriginie boy and the quest for safety. So far it is very interesting and I may use it as a living geography for my 11 and 15 y/o's.

 

Faithe,

 

There is also a movie version of Walkabout. I seem to recall it being something of an art film. I would recommend previewing before watching with children.

 

Regards,

Kareni

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Storm Bay

Storm Bay

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I read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Loved it. I got totally drawn to the characters through their voices in their letters, how others described them and in what they did. Also, I was totally drawn into who Elizabeth was. Put that together with the love story and a part of WW II history I knew nothing about, and it was a hit with me. Of course, I've written over 1000 snail mail letters in my past & got a whole bunch too, so that may have made a difference. I don't write too many snail mail letters anymore, though.

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Narrow Gate Academy

Narrow Gate Academy

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I finished Master Your Metabolism by Michaels on Tuesday, but haven't had a chance to work on anything new. This week I'm still working on The Iliad and The Well-Trained Mind. I have Robinson Crusoe and a stack of books related to ancient Rome which I had better plan out before we start next week. Hopefully, I'll get through a lot more books this time.

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Robin M

Robin M

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:)

 

 

We LOVE Phil Vischer.

Did you ever read Sidney and Norman? loveshower.gif

 

 

 

I will be sure to comment more at 52 Books.

I have a question. Since I don't post reviews at Reading Notes, only quotes and links that pertain to the reading I have been doing, would you mind if I participate by using the Mr. Linky posts and whatnot?

 

 

I haven't read Sidney and Norman. Thanks for pointing it out - added it to my wish list. Sure you can link your blog on mr linky each week. I enjoyed reading the different quotes you did. Gave me an idea of the writing and if I wanted to read the books. Great idea.

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Mom-ninja.

Mom-ninja.

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Whew! I finally finished Inside the Victorian Home. I learned a bit, and frankly I wonder if the woman in the future, reading a book about our time, comes away thinking we were all crazy and baffled at what seems to her to be common sense. For example in my mind it is plain common sense to wash one's hands with soap and water. But before we knew about germs it wasn't common sense. So what things do we do that 150 years from now people will think nuts and tsk tsk at?

 

I will say it took me a long time to read this book because I kept falling asleep. Maybe it was because I was awake a lot at night with my sick baby. However, I found myself nodding off anytime furniture descriptions showed up on the pages.

 

I've started What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew. So far the writing is not quite as dry. Then I think I'll need a break from the Victorians!

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Imprimis

Imprimis

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Whew! I finally finished Inside the Victorian Home. I learned a bit, and frankly I wonder if the woman in the future, reading a book about our time, comes away thinking we were all crazy and baffled at what seems to her to be common sense.

 

 

 

I've started What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew. So far the writing is not quite as dry. Then I think I'll need a break from the Victorians!

 

Is there anything in this book that may be inappropriate for a young teen?

 

My 14 yo dd is a lover of all things Victorian, including literature, history,architecture, furnishings, fashion, you name it. Inside the Victorian Home sounds like something she would really enjoy.

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Mom-ninja.

Mom-ninja.

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Is there anything in this book that may be inappropriate for a young teen?

 

My 14 yo dd is a lover of all things Victorian, including literature, history,architecture, furnishings, fashion, you name it. Inside the Victorian Home sounds like something she would really enjoy.

 

Not at all. She mentions s*x in a footnote saying that it will not be discussed in her book. She talks about how pregnancy was handled then...as in it was not talked about as it was such a private matter, and also that doctors began to take the place of midwives.

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Imprimis

Imprimis

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Not at all. She mentions s*x in a footnote saying that it will not be discussed in her book. She talks about how pregnancy was handled then...as in it was not talked about as it was such a private matter, and also that doctors began to take the place of midwives.

 

Thanks so much! It sounds perfect for my dd (me too, actually!)

 

I have no problem with mature themes, but would like to avoid books with gratuitous or graphic s*x.

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txbloobonnet

txbloobonnet

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I posted a comment. I understand how awkward that could be and I really enjoyed learning more about Mr. Collard.

 

I am behind in my reading but I know I will catch up as soon as this busy part of the school year gets wrapped up. (I am so thankful for beginnings AND endings!!!! So ready for a break!!)

 

I just finished The Solitary Envoy for book club. Not a favorite. And I am currently reading The House at Riverton. I loved The Forgotten Garden by the same author (Kate Morton) so had high hopes for this book. I am not quite sucked in yet...but I still have hope.

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Mom-ninja.

Mom-ninja.

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Does anyone count read alouds?

 

I keep a list each year of the books I read. I'm wondering if I should include read alouds? I don't mean picture books of course, but some of the classics maybe? For example I just finished The Enchanted Castle

 

BTW, it'll be a long time before I read another Nesbit. That book took me forever to read!

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MelanieM

MelanieM

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I, Claudius - Robert Graves (this is a re-read - a favorite!)

 

 

I read this in February after a recommendation on these forums. (Was it you? :)) It was fabulous! I really enjoyed it, and can see myself reading it again.

 

I finished The Crystal Cave last night. Excellent! I'm looking forward to the next book in the trilogy.

 

Now I need to find something else fun and light for vacation reading on the beach in Cuba next week!

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Storm Bay

Storm Bay

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I've started What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew. So far the writing is not quite as dry. Then I think I'll need a break from the Victorians!

 

 

If you like that sort of book, there is one about Elizabethan England called Elizabeth's London by Liza Picard. The subtitle is Everyday Life in Elizabethan London. There are even photos of artwork, etc, from the era, some of them in colour.

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The Governess

The Governess

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This week, in addition to reading more of SWB's The History of the Ancient World, I read two silly YA Fairie-genre books: Wondrous Strange and Darklight. The writing wasn't so great but they were quick reads and I wasn't feeling well, so I had the time. I wouldn't really recommend either of them.

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SusanAR

SusanAR

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May I post here?:001_smile: I'm not sure which "reading group" I joined:tongue_smilie:

So... I finally finished Sharon Penman's trilogy - When Christ and His Saints Slept, Time and Chance, and The Devil's Brood (wow, almost 2000 pages total) I learned a lot but need a break before I read more of her books.

 

The Chatham School Affair http://www.amazon.com/Chatham-School-Affair-Thomas-Cook/dp/0553571931 - very thought-provoking

 

 

The Dogs of Riga http://www.amazon.com/Dogs-Riga-Henning-Mankell/dp/1400031524/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269207737&sr=1-1

 

Last night I started The Girl With a Dragon Tatoo.

 

The last three are very different from what I usually read, but I needed a few light reads. KWIM??

 

I plan to read Middlemarch next.

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