Book a Week in 2011 - Week eight

[jenL]

I finished Heaven is for Real on Monday... it was a light, quick read.

 

I'm almost done Voyageur... I cannot get enough of the Scottish Highlands in the 18th century, and of Jamie Fraser, of course! ;)

[jenL]

This week I will read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, my book club book.

 

This is an excellent book!

[Kareni]

I read the third Chet and Bernie mystery yesterday in its entirety. (Can you guess that I was enjoying it?) The question now is when Book 4 will come out.

 

To Fetch a Thief: A Chet and Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn

 

"From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. When Peanut, the elephant star of the Drummond Family Traveling Circus, goes missing, along with elephant tamer Uri DeLeath, Uri's tearful clown partner, Popo, seeks the help of canine detective Chet the Jet and Chet's human partner in cracking crimes, Bernie Little of the Little Detective Agency, in Quinn's terrific third Chet and Bernie mystery set in "the Valley" of an unnamed Western state (after January 2010's Thereby Hangs a Tail). Sgt. Rick Torres of Missing Persons adds his considerable expertise, but it's Chet's fearless nose for clues that leads them on a strange odyssey that becomes downright hairy after Uri's found dead in the desert from the bite of an illegal African puff adder. Quinn, the pseudonym of suspense author Peter Abrahams (End of Story), radiates pure comedic genius via Chet's doggy bright narrative. You don't have to be a dog lover to enjoy this deliciously addictive series.

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[twoplustrips]

Book #7 was Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. It was really good, though I wasn't impressed by the ending - I don't know what I wanted, just more?

Kathy

[sarahj]

I haven't posted for a couple of weeks but in the meantime I have finished Mommy, Teach Me! by Barbara Curtis (book #4) and have started An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon (book #5).

[NanceXToo]

Alexa (my 10 y/o daughter) and I are struggling a little bit with trying to keep up with our reading while we are on vacation, but we're managing okay... we just finished "Tuck Everlasting" today, which was last week's book, and we're a day or so behind on starting our next book, but plan to start it today.

 

This week's book will be "Sounder" by William H. Armstrong.

 

In addition, I am reading "Zipporah, Wife of Moses" by Marek Halter on my own, and Alexa is reading "Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist" on her own.

[prairiegirl]

I just finished 'Sarah's Key.' The up side of having two migraines within 4 ours is that all you can do is read in bed. ;) Wow! What a book! I thought it was a wonderful book.

 

I am not at all sure what to read next. It will be either 'The Disappearing Spoon' or 'The Lord of the Rings.'

[Nan in Mass]

In Progress:

Where the Indus is Young

Drawing A Likeness (Graves)

Inner Fish

 

Nan in Mass Running List:

 

Light Thickens (Ngaio Marsh) - Macbeth theme, which is fun.

Tied up in Tinsel (Ngaio Marsh)

Final Curtain (Ngaio Marsh)

The New Global Student - again, just as annoying as ever but comforting while the youngest is in Japan

Grave Mistake (Ngaio Marsh)

Bloomability - young adult, nice

Sense and Sensibility - for the umpteenth time

A Rulebook for Arguments - this is a great book - it answered my questions about writing a persuasive paper

Study is Hard Work

Reader and Raelynx

Starfarers

Transition

Metamorphosis

Nautilus - 5 books of vacation fluff - Could do without the graphic bits, although they were easy enough to skip. The Starfarer series is a bit strange in spots and R+R was a bit too close to straight romance, but not so bad that I didn't finish it.

 

 

 

I started and gave up on a bunch of books these last weeks.

-Nan

Edited February 26, 2011 by Nan in Mass

[Nan in Mass]

You are reading a bunch of my favourite books! I love Jeeves and A Demon in the House.

[Negin]

Book #7 was Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. It was really good, though I wasn't impressed by the ending - I don't know what I wanted, just more?

Kathy

Good to know. This has been on and off my wish list for over 2 years. Endings for me are everything. They don't all have to be super-happy and ride off gloriously in the sunset, but there does need to be some form of closure. I'm this way with movies also. Thanks for sharing this. Off to take it off my wish list once more. :)

 

With the dc, we're reading The Silver Chair (almost done) and just started The Time Garden.

 

[Mom-ninja.]

I need to be satisfied with an ending as well. To this day I'm irritated with the ending of the Pirate of the Caribbean trilogy. I really thought there would be a 4th movie because the last one ended so badly.

[mryann]

I think I've missed a few of these. I've finished the HPotter series, 3 Grace Livingston Hill books. Now I'm reading the Forgotten Garden (fiction) and Simple Living Guide.

[prairiegirl]

I have never really thought about it before but endings are important to me as well. This is why I didn't really like 'The False Friend.' It left me hanging with so many unanswered questions and I just hate that. :glare:

[Storm Bay]

I have never really thought about it before but endings are important to me as well. This is why I didn't really like 'The False Friend.' It left me hanging with so many unanswered questions and I just hate that. :glare:

 

They are very important to me. This is why I loathe The Grapes of Wrath, becuase it ends even worse than it started. I'd never require any of my dc to read it.

[breffe]

I need to be satisfied with an ending as well. To this day I'm irritated with the ending of the Pirate of the Caribbean trilogy. I really thought there would be a 4th movie because the last one ended so badly.

 

 

The fourth one is coming May 20th! Never fear!

[laughing lioness]

Reading Unchristian by Kinnaman. Sobering.

I need something light and happy.

[LostSurprise]

Finished:

 

1. The Secret Life of Houdini: the Making of a Superman by William Kalush

2. 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison

3. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

4. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

5. Blink: the Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

6. The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux

 

Working on:

 

7. Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed the World (LeCouteur)

8. Phantastes (MacDonald)

9. Boneshaker (Priest)

10. Cloudsplitter (Banks)

 

Really enjoying Napoleon's Buttons (fascinating chemistry) but it works best in short spurts, so I'm mixing it up with the George MacDonald fairy tale Phantastes.

[Parrothead]

I've finished The Complete Idiot's Guide to Zen Living 2nd edition by McClain and Adamson.

 

Last week I read (I don't think I posted it) The Complete Idiot's Guide to Tai Chi Qigong.

 

And I'm in the process of reading the Tao Teh Ching translated by John C.H. Wu

 

I have 365 Tao: Daily Meditations and Mindfulness in Plain English on the way.

[NanceXToo]

I finished Heaven is for Real on Monday... it was a light, quick read.

 

I'm almost done Voyageur... I cannot get enough of the Scottish Highlands in the 18th century, and of Jamie Fraser, of course! ;)

 

Yum! :) I love Jamie, and those were my favorite books ever!

[Medieval Mom]

I needed a break from reviewing history texts this week, so I'm reading an old classic, set in my home state, Wisconsin: Caddie Woodlawn. :)

[Mom-ninja.]

The fourth one is coming May 20th! Never fear!

 

I knew it! DH didn't believe me when I told they *had* to make another because they just couldn't have it end like that. You've made my day! Oh no, it looks like Orlando and Keira are not in the movie. That's the love story that ended badly.

Edited February 22, 2011 by Kleine Hexe

[Imprimis]

I knew it! DH didn't believe me when I told they *had* to make another because they just couldn't have it end like that. You've made my day! Ah, I love Orlando Bloom.

 

Alas, I don't believe Orlando Bloom or Kiera Knightly will be in the new movie. I love Orlando, too!

[Robin M]

Robin, when you post the new link for the week, is there any way you could link to the week prior's post too? I know when you close the prior week's thread you link to the new week, but it might be nice to go backward through the threads, too ...

:)

 

You wish is my command. :) I'll try to remember.

 

We got the news that my dear sister in law's angiosarcoma is not only back but back in her liver and ovary and that, and I quote, "she is going to have to fight for every year she wants to still be here". She is 36, went through this in her breast, chemo, radical mastectomy and reconstruction and was declared cancer free at Christmastime. And now this.

Frankly, find myself just staring at the page more often then not and then watching marathons of Psych.

Don't even know why I am sharing but a weekly update is a weekly update.

So, that's mine.

 

Will keep her and your family in our prayers.

 

 

****************

I'm stoked. Just received the lastest J.D. Robb in death book "Treachery in Death." Love the series. Also picked up at Borders today Beth Revis's Across the Universe. Instantly sucked into the story at the store. Son had to drag me out of the book. Of course had to get it.

[ladydusk]

You wish is my command. :) I'll try to remember.

 

Hm. I'll have to think of some more wishes ;)

 

Thanks so much! You do such a wonderful job keeping us all on track :)

[Mom-ninja.]

Dawn, you could also just subscribe to each thread and not delete it. That way you'd have any and all weekly threads under subscription. Then Robin wouldn't have to link two threads.

[Mom-ninja.]

I started reading The Year 1000 last night. I can't remember who here read it but it looked interesting.

 

I'm also listening to Three Cups of Tea on audio.

[Stacia]

We were on vacation for the past week & a half. Though we were busy, I did manage to get some reading done.

 

I finished Empress Orchid by Anchee Min. It was fine, though not exactly my usual type of reading. I did find the facts/info about life in the Forbidden City to be fascinating; all the historical details were neat to read.

 

 

"From Booklist

 

In her second powerful and brilliantly conceived fictionalized portrait of a strong and controversial woman intrinsic to Chinese culture, Min continues to fulfill her mission to tell the truth about her homeland, particularly China's long tradition of demonizing women. In Becoming Madame Mao (2000), Min portrays a vilified twentieth-century figure. Here she steps back to the nineteenth century to illuminate the extraordinary life of the Last Empress of China, Tzu Hsi, or Orchid. The official version castigates the empress as a conniving concubine responsible for the collapse of the Ch'ing Dynasty as China came under assault by European powers, but Min considers her a shrewd and courageous survivor, political tactician, and leader worthy of deep respect. Writing with vigor, clarity, and lavish detail, Min tells Orchid's consuming story through the empress' sharp eyes as she rose, through great sacrifice, from abject poverty to the lonely position of fourth concubine to become the besieged emperor's most trusted advisor and mother of his only son and heir. Steeped in the Forbidden City's elaborate mythology, etiquette, and ritual, Min evokes a doomed realm so opulent, complex, and bizarre that it seems as fantastic as an alternative world in science fiction, but Orchid is 100 percent human, and her earthy story is true and significant. This bewitching novel ends with the empress' struggle to secure power after the emperor's death; Min plans to dramatize Orchid's ensuing 46-year rule in the second installment of her insightful, magnetic, and quietly revolutionary resurrection of a remarkable woman."

I also read Sister Pelagia and the Red Cockerel by Boris Akunin. It's a murdery mystery set in Russia & Palestine. It was so-so, very jumpy (as in the action jumped around a lot). Perhaps Akunin's other murder mysteries are better?

 

 

"From Publishers Weekly

 

After the brilliant triumph of 2008's Sister Pelagia and the Black Monk, Akunin's third and final Sister Pelagia mystery disappoints, in part because the 19th-century nun has little opportunity to display her deductive skills. Pelagia's use of her intellectual gifts for crime-solving draws the censure of St. Petersburg's Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod, who believes she may be unfit to continue to wear the veil. Later, when someone bashes in the head of Manuila, the messianic leader of a rogue Jewish sect, aboard a steamboat on which Pelagia happens to be a passenger, her observations prove useful to the investigating officer. After several attempts on her life, she's shipped off to Palestine, where she continues to look for the truth behind Manuila's murder. In Palestine, she fends off a number of suitors, behaving less like a woman of faith with insights into human nature than a damsel in distress."

Currently I'm reading A Voyage Long and Strange by Tony Horwitz (who, according to the author bio in the book is married to Geraldine Brooks, a fabulous author). I'm enjoying it as a fun/different romp through early North American history.

 

 

"Product Description

 

The bestselling author of Blue Latitudes takes us on a thrilling and eye-opening voyage to pre-Mayflower America

 

 

 

On a chance visit to Plymouth Rock, Tony Horwitz realizes he’s mislaid more than a century of American history, from Columbus’s sail in 1492 to Jamestown’s founding in 16-oh-something. Did nothing happen in between? Determined to find out, he embarks on a journey of rediscovery, following in the footsteps of the many Europeans who preceded the Pilgrims to America.

 

 

 

An irresistible blend of history, myth, and misadventure, A Voyage Long and Strange captures the wonder and drama of first contact. Vikings, conquistadors, French voyageurs—these and many others roamed an unknown continent in quest of grapes, gold, converts, even a cure for syphilis. Though most failed, their remarkable exploits left an enduring mark on the land and people encountered by late-arriving English settlers.

 

 

 

Tracing this legacy with his own epic trek—from Florida’s Fountain of Youth to Plymouth’s sacred Rock, from desert pueblos to subarctic sweat lodges—Tony Horwitz explores the revealing gap between what we enshrine and what we forget. Displaying his trademark talent for humor, narrative, and historical insight, A Voyage Long and Strange allows us to rediscover the New World for ourselves."

 

Books read in 2011:

The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag

People Die

Three Ways to Capsize a Boat

The Perfect Man

Food Rules

Empress Orchid

Sister Pelagia and the Red Cockerel

[Robin M]

Dawn, you could also just subscribe to each thread and not delete it. That way you'd have any and all weekly threads under subscription. Then Robin wouldn't have to link two threads.

 

 

I totally forgot about that. Easy peasy!

[Kareni]

Over the course of a week, I read http://www.amazon.com/Family-Readers-Lovers-Childrens-Literature/dp/0763632805 by Roger Sutton and Martha Parravano. The authors are editors of the Horn Book magazine which reviews children's literature.

 

The book is a mix of essays about various types of children's and young adult books combined with book lists. I enjoyed it. Bear in mind though that I love reading about children's books. Favorite books of mine include Jim Trelease's The Read-Aloud Handbook, Michele Landsberg's Reading for the Love of It: Best Books for Young Readers and Kathleen Odean's Great Books for Girls: More Than 600 Books to Inspire Today's Girls and Tomorrow's Women.

 

"From Publishers Weekly

 

Not a children's book, but a book for anyone who has ever loved children's books, this collection of essays and interviews is designed to help parents foster a love of reading in children, while providing insight into the craft of children's bookmaking. Collected by Sutton and Parravano, editors of the Horn Book (where some of the book's content previously appeared), the contributions--Jon Scieszka on book design, Sarah Ellis on writing humor, Bruce Brooks and Virginia Euwer Wolff on Holden Caulfield, among others--are grouped into sections that mirror the reading life of a child: reading to children becomes reading with them, which gives way to their growth as independent readers. "By the time a kid is ready to read on his own, he's ready to... read on his own," writes Sutton. "Your job is, essentially, to let him." Sutton and Parravano also contribute commentary, discussing the best books for all ages and reading levels, and what makes them so. It's an indispensable guide at a time when, as Sutton writes, "debates about what qualifies as ‘reading' are as noisy as the concurrent fights over what can be called a 'family.'" (Sept.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Rosie_0801]

I also read Sister Pelagia and the Red Cockerel by Boris Akunin. It's a murdery mystery set in Russia & Palestine. It was so-so, very jumpy (as in the action jumped around a lot). Perhaps Akunin's other murder mysteries are better?

 

You really can't help liking Sister Pelagia, can you? His Fandorin series must have been written afterwards because they read as though written by a more mature writer. Try them :) Obviously they are better if read in order, but they are fine if you can't too.

 

Rosie

[Jane in NC]

You really can't help liking Sister Pelagia, can you? His Fandorin series must have been written afterwards because they read as though written by a more mature writer. Try them :) Obviously they are better if read in order, but they are fine if you can't too.

 

Rosie

 

I like Sister Pelagia, but felt that the book Stacy mentioned used a cheap trick for resolution of the mystery. Thanks for the tip on the other series.

[Nan in Mass]

How did you like Blink? I thought it was interesting. My husband is really good at thinslicing.

-Nan

[ladydusk]

I enjoyed Barbara Pym's Excellent Women this week at recs from here. Wonderful writing style. I like that style of writing, which although not a mystery, reminds me of Mary Stewart and Susan Howatch. Maybe it is because they're all British mid-century writers ...

 

 

My 2011 Reviews:

 

1. Her Daughter's Dream - Francine Rivers

2. Island of the World - Michael O'Brien (AMAZING!)

3. Mennonite in a Little Black Dress - Rhoda Janzen

4. Cinderella Ate My Daughter - Peggy Orenstein

5. Devil's Cub - Georgette Heyer

6. Keeping a Nature Journal - Clare Walker Leslie and Charles E Roth.

7. Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization (Audio Book)- Anthony Esolen

8. Excellent Women - Barbara Pym

[K in MI]

I'm slow replying this week.

 

Last week I finished Heaven Is For Real, Ten Days in a Madhouse, and All My Patients Have Tales.

 

This week I've finished Across the Red Line, and I'm working on The Deadly Dinner Party.

[laundrycrisis]

I tumbled off the train - jumping back on.

 

I tried to read Story of a Soul but gave up. There is too much there that I just cannot relate to. I felt like I was slogging through rainbow-colored mud.

 

I've decided instead to read something that is more up my alley...Invisible Acts of Power - Personal Choices That Create Miracles by Caroline Myss. It just arrived today and I am looking forward to starting it.

[Angel]

Dd and I just finished our rainforest read aloud "It's a Jungle Out There!" by Ron Snell. What an excellent read! It tells tales of his family as they were missionaries to the Machiguenga people in Peru. It was a perfect read aloud for the rainforest since his family encountered many of the animals we had read about and discussed. The author's sense of humor about situations they faced was hilarious, even more so when he discussed what his mom must have been thinking. We had so many laugh out loud moments. I highly recommend this!

 

I am working my way through "Emma" since it is our next Jane Austen Lit Study book. It will take me through next week, though, I'm sure. I'm only about a third into it.

 

11. "It's a Jungle Out There!" (read aloud)

10. "Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian"

9. "Remarkable Creatures"

8. "Stardust"

7. "The Diamond Throne"

6. "Adam and His Kin"

5. "Persuasion"

4. "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner"

3. "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" (read aloud carry over from 2010)

2. "Mansfield Park"

1. "Enchantment"

[beaners]

Book 6 was Schools of Dreams by Edward Humes. I attended a very similar high school, and I thought the author did a really good job of conveying the day to day pressure of life in that environment.

 

Book 7 was The Resilient Gardener by Carol Deppe. Some of it seemed like a pitch for the varieties developed by the author and a few friends, but I liked it despite that. There aren't many gardening books I can read at this point and end up writing down notes. I found myself jotting things down about breeding corn to try out this season. I've felt like the only person out there who raises ducks instead of chickens, so I like seeing ducks get a hearty recommendation too. I should be picking up another book by this author on Monday.

 

Book 8 was Pink Brain, Blue Brain by Lise Eliot. I'm not sure if I'm regretting reading this one. I have a tendency to over-think things, and fear that I'm ruining my children is a great way to send that into overdrive. It was fascinating though. I wonder if it will be considered accurate in a few decades.

[Rosie_0801]

I've felt like the only person out there who raises ducks instead of chickens, so I like seeing ducks get a hearty recommendation too.

 

Ah, that made me smile :) I used to love my ducks. The way their beaks curve makes them look so much more pleased about living than chooks. I couldn't help but perk up a bit when I was watching them.

 

Rosie

[Violet Crown]

I'm starting to fall behind! It too me two weeks to read

 

9. Charles Baudelaire, The Flowers of Evil; various tr.

 

I thought this might go a little faster, but I have to read each poem at least twice just to get a firm grasp of it, and many of them are so wonderful that I would read them another time or two, or even flip back a few pages to re-read a favorite. I though I would be looking at the original French (this is a bilingual edition) more than I ended up doing; I recall having read several of them in French back in college, but sadly my French seems to have declined to near-uselessness now, and I just flipped to the back now and then to see the original version of the occasional line.

 

 

Spleen

 

I'm like the king of a rain-country, rich

but sterile, young but with an old wolf's itch,

one who escapes his tutor's monologues,

and kills the day in boredom with his dogs;

nothing cheers him, darts, tennis, falconry,

his people dying by the balcony;

the bawdry of the pet hermaphrodite

no longer gets him through a single night;

his bed of fleur-de-lys becomes a tomb;

even the ladies of the court, for whom

all kings are beautiful, cannot put on

shameful enough dresses for this skeleton;

the scholar who makes his gold cannot invent

washes to cleanse the poisoned element;

even in baths of blood, Rome's legacy,

our tyrants' solace in senility,

he cannot warm up his shot corpse, whose food

is syrup-green Lethean ooze, not blood.

--Robert Lowell, Tr.

 

 

Words I had to look up (not including French words): farded, Heautontimoroumenos, sett, ranunculus, corybantic, pelmet, estaminet.

 

8. Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House and Other Plays (The League of Youth, A Doll's House, The Lady From the Sea); Peter Watts, Tr.

7. Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind*

6. Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France

5. Graham Greene, A Burnt-Out Case

4. Aeschylus, The Oresteia (Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, The Eumenides); Robert Fagles, Tr.

3. Camara Laye, The Radiance of the King

2. St. Augustine, Sermons for Christmas and Epiphany

1. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

0. Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars; Robert Graves, Tr.

 

*not completed

[Robin M]

 

Link to week nine - please continue the conversation in the new thread