Book a Week in 2010 - Week 27

[Robin M]

Today is the start of book week 27 and the quest to read 52 books in 52 weeks. Have you started Book # 27 yet? Mr. Linky is all set up on the 52 books blog and ready for you to link to your reviews.

 

Have you ever read The Declaration of Independence or read books about our founding fathers? On 52 books blog, posted the declaration for all to read. Your challenge - - find a living history book about one of our founding father's and read it. Which will be easy peasy since most of us use them in our home school studies. I will be reading The Real George Washington.

 

Happy independence day!

 

What are you reading this week?

[Robin M]

I finished The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein and will be posting a review within the next week or so on SFF Masterworks. Be sure to check it and perhaps follow. We have an interesting group of folks involved.

[Stacia]

Yesterday, I finished Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen. I found it funny, fascinating, & inspiring. I'm a person who has never really been athletic (& now I'm a middle-aged, overweight mom), yet as I read this book, I found myself saying, "I want to be like that. I want to love to run. I want to do this!" :thumbup1:

 

I'm still working on The Swan Thieves. I'm more than halfway through (it's a big book), but it is sort-of melancholy & I'm debating putting it aside for awhile. I think the mood of the book is making me think of it more as a wintertime read, lol.

 

In the meantime, I've also started The Archimedes Codex: How a Medieval Prayer Book is Revealing the True Genius of Antiquity's Greatest Scientist. I had never heard of the Archimedes Codex, so it is intriguing to me; this book probably appeals most to bibliophiles &/or history buffs.

 

Books I've read in 2010: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time; Good Omens; The Palace of Dreams; Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World; Lying Awake; The Remains of the Day; Iron & Silk; Lottery; The City of Dreaming Books; Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel; Clutter Busting: Letting Go of What's Holding You Back; The Power of Less; Stop Clutter from Stealing Your Life; The Bonesetter's Daughter; Life of Pi; Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express; Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide; Waiting for Snow in Havana; The Happiness Project; Ella Minnow Pea: A Progressively Lipogrammatic Epistolary Fable; The Dante Club; Conquering Chronic Disorganization; City of Thieves; Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life; Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

[JennW in SoCal]

After reading Laurie R King's 2 most recent Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes books, I decide to go back and re-read the first in the series, The Bee Keeper's Apprentice. It held up to my memory of it, and is still an enjoyable read.

 

I'm part way through another Discworld book, The Truth, which is full of many silly puns and much silliness in general.

 

I'm also enjoying Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks, in which the author, a D&D player in his teen years, sets out to explore all the different kinds of fantasy gaming out there, from D&D to WoW. It is very funny and interesting as he looks to see how people balance real lives with escapist fantasy games.

 

Has anyone read those "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" books? I picked that one up at a used book sale because I see them around and referred to all over the place. Any good? I figured I should at least see what all the fuss is about.

[Stacia]

Has anyone read those "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" books? I picked that one up at a used book sale because I see them around and referred to all over the place. Any good? I figured I should at least see what all the fuss is about.

 

I read the first one in the series last year. At the time, I didn't like it as much as the hype, if that makes sense. Maybe that was because I didn't expect it to go where it went (serial killer type territory). In addition, there are some pretty brutal scenes in there. Lastly, I was reading it while house-sitting (alone), so that creeped me out fairly well, lol. However, it was pretty good & definitely compelling. I loved the character of Lisbeth Salander, the girl w/ the dragon tattoo. She's a great lead character, imo (as is Mikael Blomkvist, the other main character). Earlier this year, dh & I went to see the Swedish movie of it & really liked it. It re-spurred my interest in going back to read the rest of the series. Conveniently, I got the other 2 books for my birthday, so I have them sitting here on my pile of books to read. And, I'll definitely be intersted in seeing the sequel Swedish movies as they come out.

[Rosie_0801]

I don't seem to have read anything cover to cover this week! I have started two books though, so hopefully I'll have something to report next week. I've been sick so the past week seems to have been sucked into some kind of black hole. :001_huh: Actually, I think I spend the week coughing, playing computer games and feeding everyone pb toast.

 

Rosie

[dangermom]

I just put up my review of In Search of London, which I LOVED. I have got to get more of his books. The only other one at the library by him is In the Steps of the Master, a tour of the Holy Land which I checked out, and I can tell it's wonderful too, but it's huge and I don't have time right now so I don't want to start it.

 

Karen Cushman's new book, Alchemy and Meggy Swann, is also there.

 

I just started Locke's 2nd essay on civil gov't, which is the famous one. I tried to read the 1st one first, and found out why it isn't famous. It's entirely a rebuttal of a book that no one has ever heard of, defending absolute monarchy and the divine right of kings. It's no fun, don't read it.

 

As for reading something about the founding of our country, I shall now take the opportunity to plug my new reading challenge blog, The American Primary Sources Challenge. It starts today, and July is colonial month. I won't be posting here on WTM about it every week, so subscribe if you want to keep up!

[Mom-ninja.]

My current book

 

Man, am I on a parenting book marathon or what?

Edited July 5, 2010 by Kleine Hexe

[Amira]

The only book I finished was The Golem's Eye, and now I'm nearly done with Ptolemy's Gate. Next up are a bunch of food and cooking books, but I'm not sure I'll read any of them all the way through.

[LauraGB]

Has anyone read those "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" books? I picked that one up at a used book sale because I see them around and referred to all over the place. Any good? I figured I should at least see what all the fuss is about.

 

I'm reading it right now, but I'm not sure I can continue. It's becoming highly disturbing to me, and I'm in the midst of searching this forum to find any discussion about it. I really want to find out what happens, but I'm a little to troubled by where it is heading.

[Ali in OR]

I finished Moloka'i this week which was book #25 for me so I'm a little behind. I enjoyed it. I've got The Death and Life of the Great American School System from the library right now, so I'll try to get through that this week. I may pre-read a history book for dd too, just to pad my numbers a bit! Actually I need to read them anyway and summer is my best chance to get it done.

[Holly in FL]

I am in awe of how so many of you parents find time to read for yourselves. I find, by the time I am done doing household jobs, taking care of my children, errands, schooling, reading to my children in the afternoon, making meals, etc. ...I just want to sit on the couch at night and veg in front of the TV for an hour or so. I guess that's when I should be reading! Smiles! It's just, my hubby wants me to sit and watch TV with him.

 

Is it just making it a priority to organize your daily routine in order to make time to read? I actually read a lot every afternoon...it's just to my children! We always spend time reading together.

 

Thanks for any ideas...especially from those who have been in my situation and made the change! I have a stack of books on my shelf that are waiting for me!

 

~Holly

[dangermom]

Well, I have to admit that I am not the world's best housekeeper and cook. Things function and all, but very very imperfectly! I am also good at reading while I cook.:001_smile:

 

Sometimes instead of TV, my husband and I will sit on the couch and read together. It's very pleasant.

 

And I always read in bed before I turn the light out. I always have a book with me, so I can read while the kids are doing martial arts or dance class. Stuff like that.

[laughing lioness]

Last week I finished Tuck (by Lawhead-terrific!) and The Last Christian (on singularity- very intriguing and somewhat disturbing, esp. given the New Rules book I'm also reading!).

I also started New Rules for the New Economy by Kevin Kelly-hope to finish that this week.

I didn't read Animal Farm but ds 15 did. I tried to start it, just couldn't get into it.

[Stacia]

Thanks for any ideas...especially from those who have been in my situation and made the change! I have a stack of books on my shelf that are waiting for me!

 

When my dc were younger, it helped when I could find books that could be read in really short snippets (i.e., easy to read for 4-5 minutes, then put down again). Kurt Vonnegut's writing style is perfect for that, imo.

 

Carry a book w/ you so that if you get stuck in traffic, long lines, waiting in general, you can find time to read a couple of pages.

 

After lunch on the weekends (when everyone else has already gotten up from the table), I grab my book & another cup of coffee & read a chapter.

 

When one or both of my dc are in a class or workshop, I make the commitment to myself NOT to use that time for errands, etc.... Instead, I use it as time to myself to go to a park or to Starbucks & spend the time reading.

 

I think you have to start small & give yourself many small/short times during the day to read a couple of pages. Over time, you'll find yourself eking out more time for reading. It also helps as your dc get a bit older.

[Holly in FL]

Thanks so much!

~Holly

[Mom-ninja.]

I am in awe of how so many of you parents find time to read for yourselves. I find, by the time I am done doing household jobs, taking care of my children, errands, schooling, reading to my children in the afternoon, making meals, etc. ...I just want to sit on the couch at night and veg in front of the TV for an hour or so. I guess that's when I should be reading! Smiles! It's just, my hubby wants me to sit and watch TV with him.

 

Is it just making it a priority to organize your daily routine in order to make time to read? I actually read a lot every afternoon...it's just to my children! We always spend time reading together.

 

Thanks for any ideas...especially from those who have been in my situation and made the change! I have a stack of books on my shelf that are waiting for me!

 

~Holly

 

 

It can be hard for me to read during the day because my little one is 19 months old. I mostly read after the kids are in bed. DH will watch TV (I wish he would read a book!) and I'll sit next to him and read. I try to remember to always have a book in my bag, so if my toddler falls alseep in the car, I can read while the older boys are in karate or swim or piano.

[Holly in FL]

I'm with ya on wishing my hubby would read with me...but, reading at night puts him to sleep. I can't read while he's watching TV because that would mean turning on a light!..which is a no-no! Ha!!

 

Smiles!

~Holly

[Stacia]

I can't read while he's watching TV because that would mean turning on a light!..which is a no-no! Ha!!

 

Book lights!

 

:D

[Holly in FL]

Smiles!

 

You don't know my hubby! HA!! I have a Harry Potter Lightwedge...but, it still bothers him! I'll try to sneak it on, though.

 

~Holly

[Imprimis]

Just finished Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and am now steamrolling through Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

 

I think I'm officially hooked on this series now.

 

Yes, yes, I realize I'm about a decade or so behind. :D

[Stacia]

Just finished Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and am now steamrolling through Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

 

I think I'm officially hooked on this series now.

 

Yes, yes, I realize I'm about a decade or so behind. :D

 

Hey, last week you mentioned going to the Harry Potter theme park in Orlando.

 

Details??? Please, do tell! :D

[Holly in FL]

I finished reading all the Harry Potter books to my 11yo son last month. They are SO good! I had read through the first 4 on my own before I had my second child. Then, all reading for my own enjoyment was replaced by reading for my children...not to say I don't enjoy reading to my children. I have read through many books that I never read as a child and always wished I had. So, I guess I should be happy with that accomplishment.

 

Smiles!

~Holly

[Holly in FL]

My brother loves Kurt Vonnegut!

 

Thanks for the suggestion.

~Holly

[Rosie_0801]

Is it just making it a priority to organize your daily routine in order to make time to read?

 

Nah, it's neglecting a bunch of other things because reading is important for my mental health, and if that goes, I won't be doing the housework and stuff anyway. One good way of organising your life to build in guilt free reading time is to cook things that'll burn on the bottom if you don't stir constantly. Then you have no choice but to stand there and stir, and you can easily have a book in the other hand.

 

:)

Rosie

[Holly in FL]

Smiles!!

 

~Holly

[WiseOwlKnits]

I finished Petals in the Ashes by Mary Hooper. It was good! I also finished Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcom Gladwell. I'd recommend it...it was a great read!

 

I'm currently reading Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. They are books 24 and 25 for me.

 

I'm slowly working my way through Washington: The Indispensable Man by Flexner. It's good, but very dense. Maybe I'll finish it by the end of the year! LOL!

[WiseOwlKnits]

I am in awe of how so many of you parents find time to read for yourselves. I find, by the time I am done doing household jobs, taking care of my children, errands, schooling, reading to my children in the afternoon, making meals, etc. ...I just want to sit on the couch at night and veg in front of the TV for an hour or so. I guess that's when I should be reading! Smiles! It's just, my hubby wants me to sit and watch TV with him.

 

Is it just making it a priority to organize your daily routine in order to make time to read? I actually read a lot every afternoon...it's just to my children! We always spend time reading together.

 

Thanks for any ideas...especially from those who have been in my situation and made the change! I have a stack of books on my shelf that are waiting for me!

 

~Holly

 

I stay up waaaaaay too late every night. I usually go to bed at 2 or 3 am and then get up at 8. I also read while my kids are in swim lessons. And I'm trying to get in the habit of having the kids sit down for a set 30 minutes a day to read. It's not a big deal for my DD, who reads chapter books at the speed of light. But it is a big deal for my DS, who doesn't want to sit still for more than 20 seconds. LOL!

[Holly in FL]

I used to stay up until 1am or 1:30am...but, my kiddos get me up SO early...I just couldn't survive on so little sleep.

 

Thanks!

~Holly

[eaglei]

I finally finished:

 

#34 - The Custom of the Country, by Edith Wharton, my sixth classic (of a planned twelve) for this year. This book was really hard for me to read with any speed - seemed like it took *forever* to read. Not sure why. Wharton is a good writer and I followed the characters and the story - the only thing I can think is that it just moved . way . too . slowly . . .

 

I followed this with my seventh classic, which I am still reading, but I sidetracked myself with the following two:

 

#35 - Home Another Way, by Christa Parrish. I just happened to notice this on the library shelf and the words "a homeschool mom" in the authors' bio-sketch on the bottom back cover really stood out - so of course I had to read it! :D Glad I did. Quick read; page-turner.

 

Then, I glimpsed this book and it looked intriguing:

 

#36 - The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, by Terry Ryan. The sub-title is: "How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less." It is the true story of a lady in the '50's and '60's, married to an alcoholic, who participated in contests writing jingles for products and won various prizes which really helped this large family. It is quite funny in places, as well as nostalgic, sad, and a reminder of the conventions of those times (which the authors' mother flouted).

 

I am also reading the following, which I read for the first time many-many years ago!

 

#37 - Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens

[Imprimis]

Hey, last week you mentioned going to the Harry Potter theme park in Orlando.

 

Details??? Please, do tell! :D

 

As someone who is a devoted Walt Disney World fan---and Disney is known for their attention to detail---I can tell you that Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter is unlike anything I've experienced before.

 

The Forbidden Journey attraction, which is housed in "Hogwart's Castle" employs state of the art technology, some of which has not been used in any attraction anywhere.

 

Between the high-definition 3d hologram technology, the IMAX screens, the in-your-face special effects, the ride vehicles (which do a lot of swooping, flying, dipping, turning---but all of it smoothly), and the detailed ambience of the castle---Forbidden Journey is straight-up amazing. I LOVED this ride :001_smile:

 

The queue for the ride is an attraction in it's own right. It really is not to be missed, imo.

 

The whole 20 acre area devoted to Wizarding World is very detailed and immersive--with cobbled streets, snow-dusted (some suspension of disbelief needed here, especially in 96 degree Florida heat :glare:) Hogsmeade buildings with crooked chimneys, and even Ollivander's wand shop.

 

If you are planning a trip in the near future, I can't stress enough the importance of being at the gates before Islands of Adventure opens. There was a 3 hour wait just to get into The Wizarding World area when we were leaving it.

 

Even better, if you stay in one of the Universal resorts, you get in an hour earlier than the general public.

[Vida Winter]

I am in awe of how so many of you parents find time to read for yourselves. I find, by the time I am done doing household jobs, taking care of my children, errands, schooling, reading to my children in the afternoon, making meals, etc. ...I just want to sit on the couch at night and veg in front of the TV for an hour or so. I guess that's when I should be reading! Smiles! It's just, my hubby wants me to sit and watch TV with him.

 

Is it just making it a priority to organize your daily routine in order to make time to read? I actually read a lot every afternoon...it's just to my children! We always spend time reading together.

 

Thanks for any ideas...especially from those who have been in my situation and made the change! I have a stack of books on my shelf that are waiting for me!

 

~Holly

 

Now that my children are a bit older (15, 10, 5) I have more time to read. To save time I'd say that I do about two thirds audio books and one third regular books, since I can listen while doing yard work or cleaning house. I also gave up watching TV a couple of years ago when I had decided to take a break from watching news programs - I never intended to not watch TV at all but I find I have no patience for it any more -- it's too hard to sit still. I do love to go to movies though.

[Kareni]

I just finished rereading Nora Roberts' True Betrayals. This novel contains elements of mystery and romance and is set in the world of horse racing. I enjoyed it.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[ladydusk]

List (Links are to my review):

Week 1: Touch Not the Cat - Mary Stewart

Week 2: Classical Education and the Homeschool - Douglas Wilson, Wesley Callihan, Doug Jones

Week 3: Parenting from the Heart - Marilyn Boyer

Week 4: Meet the Austins - Madeleine L'Engle

Week 6: The Moon by Night - L'Engle

Week 6: The Little Book of Christian Character and Morals - Dedrick

Week 7: How Lincoln Learned to Read - Daniel Wolff

Week 8: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Week 10: The Young Unicorns - L'Engle

Week 12: Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics - Liping Ma

Week 12: The Arm of the Starfish - L'Engle

Week 15: Building Her House - Nancy Wilson

Week 16: Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit - Teri Maxwell

Week 17: A Ring of Endless Light - L'Engle

Week 20: Just So Stories - Kipling

Week 20: Wise Words - Peter Leithart

Week 24: Troubling a Star - L'Engle

Week 24: House Like a Lotus - L'Engle

Week 24: The Talisman Ring - Georgette Heyer

Week 24: The Grand Sophy - Heyer

Week 24: The Corinthian - Heyer

Week 24: Arabella - Heyer

Week 25: A Civil Contract - Heyer

Week 25: The Princess and the Goblin -George MacDonald

Week 25: Crocodile on the Sandbank - Elizabeth Peters

Week 26: An Acceptable Time - L'Engle

Week 27: The Curse of the Pharaohs - Elizabeth Peters

[Mom-ninja.]

Just finished Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and am now steamrolling through Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

 

I think I'm officially hooked on this series now.

 

Yes, yes, I realize I'm about a decade or so behind. :D

 

I haven't started the series yet but intend too.

 

 

I finally finished:

 

#34 - The Custom of the Country, by Edith Wharton, my sixth classic (of a planned twelve) for this year. This book was really hard for me to read with any speed - seemed like it took *forever* to read. Not sure why. Wharton is a good writer and I followed the characters and the story - the only thing I can think is that it just moved . way . too . slowly . . .

 

 

#36 - The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, by Terry Ryan. The sub-title is: "How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less." It is the true story of a lady in the '50's and '60's, married to an alcoholic, who participated in contests writing jingles for products and won various prizes which really helped this large family. It is quite funny in places, as well as nostalgic, sad, and a reminder of the conventions of those times (which the authors' mother flouted).

 

 

 

 

Congrats on finishing the book. It's good to finally put a book down after trudging through it.

 

There is a movie based on "Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio" and it's a good movie.

[eaglei]

There is a movie based on "Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio" and it's a good movie.

 

I didn't know that - thanks for telling me! I'll have to check if the library has it. I'm assuming the movie has the same name as the book?

[qfbrenda]

I keep coming back to the Book a Week threads so I guess I should go ahead and join it. :D In the last two weeks I've finished My Sister's Keeper and Toward the Sunrise by Judith Pella. I just started A Tale of Two Cites and Mattimeo, a request from my Redwall-crazed son. LOL I have the last book in the Daughter's of Fortune series requested from the library, so I'll read that whenever it comes in on ILL.

[Storm Bay]

I am in awe of how so many of you parents find time to read for yourselves. I find, by the time I am done doing household jobs, taking care of my children, errands, schooling, reading to my children in the afternoon, making meals, etc. ...I just want to sit on the couch at night and veg in front of the TV for an hour or so. I guess that's when I should be reading! Smiles! It's just, my hubby wants me to sit and watch TV with him.

 

Is it just making it a priority to organize your daily routine in order to make time to read? I actually read a lot every afternoon...it's just to my children! We always spend time reading together.

 

Thanks for any ideas...especially from those who have been in my situation and made the change! I have a stack of books on my shelf that are waiting for me!

 

~Holly

 

How old are your dc? Other than reading out loud & reading my Bible in the mornings, I hardly read anything for the first 10 years or so I was a parent. Now I make time for it. My house isn't as tidy as it ought to be, but I read while my dc are swimming or in the evening when I'm tired. Dh, however, doesn't ask me to watch TV with him since we have different tastes. I only watch TV once a week right now, and try not to watch because a. I wouldn't have time to read & b. TV seems to make me lazy even if I plan to do something while watching.

 

I used to work all the time, but then would get angry at my dh for taking time to relax after a hard day's work (of course, you relax when you sit with him & watch TV, but this is how I used to be). However, I finally tried making some time to relax myself & found it healtheir for me & my attitude. Of course, I think age has a lot to do with how much time I need to relax, and had I started having dc 10-15 years earlier than I did, I'd have had more energy when my dc were little & at the ages they are now.

[Storm Bay]

Right now I'm reading The Eleventh Man, another WW II novel (seems to be a theme for me right now). I found it when I got brave & decided to find some author I'd never read before on the library shelf. I'm also going to read Goldwhiskers this week, the third book in a series ds is reading. Kid novel, but I'm learning to find fiction books ds likes, and as a former James Bond fan, I have to enjoy Glory. For those of you with dc who like action books, it's in the Spy Mice series. Not exactly literary, but not as fluffy as some books out there.

[Imprimis]

I haven't started the series yet but intend too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've never been much of a fantasy fan, so I've been pleasantly surprised by how much I'm enjoying this series.

 

Rowling definitely has a knack for it.

 

I finally understand the all the hoopla over Harry Potter now......:D

[Mom-ninja.]

I didn't know that - thanks for telling me! I'll have to check if the library has it. I'm assuming the movie has the same name as the book?

 

Yes.

[Robin M]

I am in awe of how so many of you parents find time to read for yourselves. I find, by the time I am done doing household jobs, taking care of my children, errands, schooling, reading to my children in the afternoon, making meals, etc. ...I just want to sit on the couch at night and veg in front of the TV for an hour or so. I guess that's when I should be reading! Smiles! It's just, my hubby wants me to sit and watch TV with him.

 

Is it just making it a priority to organize your daily routine in order to make time to read? I actually read a lot every afternoon...it's just to my children! We always spend time reading together.

 

Thanks for any ideas...especially from those who have been in my situation and made the change! I have a stack of books on my shelf that are waiting for me!

 

~Holly

 

I can't not read if that makes sense. We don't have a tv in our bedroom so don't have that issue of one trying to read in bed while the other watchs tv. I'll read during breakfast, lunch, afternoon quiet time, when son is watching a video. Believe me there is time during the day to read if you look for it. Maybe my house isn't as clean as it should be....

 

I just finished rereading Nora Roberts' True Betrayals. This novel contains elements of mystery and romance and is set in the world of horse racing. I enjoyed it.

 

Roberts is one of my favorite authors and her newest The Search in heading my way right now via UPS.

 

I keep coming back to the Book a Week threads so I guess I should go ahead and join it. :D In the last two weeks I've finished My Sister's Keeper and Toward the Sunrise by Judith Pella. I just started A Tale of Two Cites and Mattimeo, a request from my Redwall-crazed son. LOL I have the last book in the Daughter's of Fortune series requested from the library, so I'll read that whenever it comes in on ILL.

 

Welcome to the challenge!

[Kareni]

Roberts is one of my favorite authors and her newest The Search in heading my way right now via UPS.

 

 

Now you're making me envious! I'm on the hold list at two libraries, but I suspect you'll have read it before a copy comes my way. Let me know what you think of it.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[prairiegirl]

I am in awe of how so many of you parents find time to read for yourselves. I find, by the time I am done doing household jobs, taking care of my children, errands, schooling, reading to my children in the afternoon, making meals, etc. ...I just want to sit on the couch at night and veg in front of the TV for an hour or so. I guess that's when I should be reading! Smiles! It's just, my hubby wants me to sit and watch TV with him.

 

Is it just making it a priority to organize your daily routine in order to make time to read? I actually read a lot every afternoon...it's just to my children! We always spend time reading together.

 

Thanks for any ideas...especially from those who have been in my situation and made the change! I have a stack of books on my shelf that are waiting for me!

 

~Holly

 

When my kids were younger, I didn't read much. Now, I don't read much during the day but nothing gets between me and my reading time which is 9:00 until bedtime ( 10 or 11, depending on the day.) I look forward to the time when I can get my kids in bed and regroup with a good book.

 

As far as what I am reading now, I am having a hang of a time keeping myself in a book. I haven't finished a book in a couple of weeks and the scary thing is....I really don't care. :confused: I bought home "The Postmistress" by Sarah Blake. I am hoping (praying) that this will open up the reading block.

[Stacia]

another WW II novel (seems to be a theme for me right now).

 

If you're wanting to stick w/ your theme, I can (highly) recommend two books:

 

City of Thieves

"From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

 

Author and screenwriter Benioff follows up The 25th Hour with this hard-to-put-down novel based on his grandfather's stories about surviving WWII in Russia. Having elected to stay in Leningrad during the siege, 17-year-old Lev Beniov is caught looting a German paratrooper's corpse. The penalty for this infraction (and many others) is execution. But when Colonel Grechko confronts Lev and Kolya, a Russian army deserter also facing execution, he spares them on the condition that they acquire a dozen eggs for the colonel's daughter's wedding cake. Their mission exposes them to the most ghoulish acts of the starved populace and takes them behind enemy lines to the Russian countryside. There, Lev and Kolya take on an even more daring objective: to kill the commander of the local occupying German forces. A wry and sympathetic observer of the devastation around him, Lev is an engaging and self-deprecating narrator who finds unexpected reserves of courage at the crucial moment and forms an unlikely friendship with Kolya, a flamboyant ladies' man who is coolly reckless in the face of danger. Benioff blends tense adventure, a bittersweet coming-of-age and an oddly touching buddy narrative to craft a smart crowd-pleaser."

 

The Book Thief

(I'm guessing you've already read this one....)

 

"From School Library Journal

Starred Review.

Grade 9 Up

 

Zusak has created a work that deserves the attention of sophisticated teen and adult readers. Death himself narrates the World War II-era story of Liesel Meminger from the time she is taken, at age nine, to live in Molching, Germany, with a foster family in a working-class neighborhood of tough kids, acid-tongued mothers, and loving fathers who earn their living by the work of their hands. The child arrives having just stolen her first book–although she has not yet learned how to read–and her foster father uses it, The Gravediggers Handbook, to lull her to sleep when shes roused by regular nightmares about her younger brothers death. Across the ensuing years of the late 1930s and into the 1940s, Liesel collects more stolen books as well as a peculiar set of friends: the boy Rudy, the Jewish refugee Max, the mayors reclusive wife (who has a whole library from which she allows Liesel to steal), and especially her foster parents. Zusak not only creates a mesmerizing and original story but also writes with poetic syntax, causing readers to deliberate over phrases and lines, even as the action impels them forward. Death is not a sentimental storyteller, but he does attend to an array of satisfying details, giving Liesels story all the nuances of chance, folly, and fulfilled expectation that it deserves. An extraordinary narrative."

[Storm Bay]

If you're wanting to stick w/ your theme, I can (highly) recommend two books:

 

City of Thieves

"From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

 

The Book Thief

(I'm guessing you've already read this one....)

 

."

 

 

Thanks. I haven't read either of those. I think I'll put a hold on City of Thieves when I log off here. I hadn't planned to do WW II as a theme, but after reading that novel about Guernsey during WW II (the literary society & pie book,) a couple of novels by an author Jane in NC recommended & then finding The Eleventh Man, it's become one. I'm not sure if I'm in the mood to read something narrated by Death right now.

[Mom-ninja.]

The Book Thief is by far the best book this year....and last year!

 

 

I just started Baghdad Burning. I didn't want to put it down last night when the baby started crying. It's an easy fast read as it's a compilation of blog posts.

[Stacia]

The Book Thief is by far the best book this year....and last year!

 

Yes, it's an excellent book. (But, I was *bawling* through the last 30 minutes or so of reading it....)

 

Well, I just finished Dead Until Dark. I had been on a waitlist at the library & got it the other day. It was an entertaining, summer, beach-style book, imo. And, now I finally know who Sookie Stackhouse is! (I think I may have been one of the few people on the planet who didn't know, lol.)

 

I'm not sure what I'll read next. I have The Girl Who Played With Fire sitting here, so I may start it. But, I now know the story because dh & I went to see the Swedish film of it last night.

[Robin M]

Link to week 28

[LauraGB]

The Book Thief is by far the best book this year....and last year!

 

 

 

 

:iagree:!!