Robin M Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Happy Sunday! Today is the start of week nine in our quest to read 52 books in 52 weeks. Welcome to everyone who is just joining in, welcome back to our regulars and to all who are following our progress. Mr. Linky is all set up on the 52 books blog to link to your reviews. The link is in my signature. 52 books blog - H is for hitchcockian. Did you know that the majority of movies Hitchcock produced were adapted from books by other authors. I didn't. When I came across the book 39 Steps by Buchan, I did a little research. I'm looking forward to comparing some of the books to the movies. February is such a short month and I'm not quite ready for it to end, but really don't have any choice about the matter. What having you been reading and what's on your nightstand for March? Link to week 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 This past week I have been reading The Imperfectionists and Left Neglected. Today I am starting On Kindness and One Simple Act: Discovering the Power of Generosity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglei Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 This week I finished an historical fiction page-turner: #15 - Lady's Maid, by Margaret Forster I am currently reading: #16 - Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America, by James Webb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted February 27, 2011 Author Share Posted February 27, 2011 I'm currently reading "Angelology" by Danielle Trussoni. Interesting so far and I'm supposed to be reviewing it for TLC book tours on March 1st. Forgot this was a short month. Not sure if I'll finish it in time. The publisher is letting me do a giveaway for two copies of the book so if you are interested in the book, let me know, plus drop by my blog on Tuesday to enter. I'm starting week 4 of the Artist's Way on Wednesday. This week calls for a week of 'reading deprivation'. Hah! Not so sure I can do a whole week. May have to modify that a bit. Plus I'm reading Writing for Life by Sheppard Kominar's which was a free ebook during one of barnes and nobles free ebook fridays. It's actually quite well done. All about journaling. Which has started me thinking about what I'm going to be reading or studying for lent this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I'm still reading 36 Arguments for the Existence of God, but now I'm also reading Bill Bryson's At Home, the result being that I didn't finish either one of them last week. I'm hoping to finish both this week, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I just finished my Baudelaire (got it into the last thread just under the wire...) and am still working on the lengthy Sot-Weed Factor, which is a kind of historical fiction for grownups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I loved At Home! I learned so much from it and have enjoyed re-listening to it. It is one of those audio books that you can just start at any point and be immediately immersed and fascinated. Since last stopping by, I've read Alexander McCall Smith's La's Orchestra Saves the World, which is a lovely little gem of a book. It isn't a part of any of his series, but has his trademark gentle story and writing with a compelling plot and likeable characters. I also read Charlotte Bronte's Villette. It is beautifully written, very rich and very unlike Jane Eyre. Well, it is like Jane Eyre in that the setting and elements of the story are based off Charlotte's own life, but it isn't as heavy and tragic. I'm in the midst of The Year of Living Biblically which, while light hearted, is actually a far more serious book than I had expected. I'm also reading Simon Winchester's Atlantic at a slow pace, meaning about a chapter a week. It isn't that it is a slog -- far from it. His writing is evocative, but I'm not compelled to pick it up to see what happens next! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narrow Gate Academy Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 (edited) I managed to finish and review two books this week, The Lark and the Laurel by Williard and The Dark is Rising by Cooper. My plan is to continue with the Cooper series and try to get caught back up with the challenge this week. Books for 2011 7. The Dark is Rising by Cooper 6. The Lark and the Laurel by Willard 5. Over Sea, Under Stone by Cooper 4. Watership Down by Adams 3. Otto of the Silverhand by Pyle 2. Lose 200 Pounds This Weekend by Adler 1. The 5000 Year Leap by Skousen Edited February 27, 2011 by Narrow Gate Academy Finish post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I started 'The Disappearing Spoon' by Sam Keane but set it aside to start Book 15--'The Lord of the Rings' I have never read this and I am enjoying it so much, I am wondering why I have waited so long. I will go back to Kean's book when I am done LOTR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Finished God's Middle Finger by Richard Grant about the lawless Sierra Madre and was very glad to be done and get that back to the library. I found it heavy and depressing and a very negative reflection on this part of Mexico, more than the author intended I think. Then I read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford and loved it. Much more my style! Next up: our March book club pick which is The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama. I've had a few Japanese themes recently! Here's the list so far: 2011 Reading List 13. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet-Jamie Ford 12. God’s Middle Finger-Richard Grant 11. Kristin Lavransdatter-I: The Wreath-Sigrid Undset 10. The Housekeeper and the Professor-Yoko Ogawa 9. A Lucky Child-Thomas Buergenthal 8. Three Cups of Tea-Greg Mortenson 7. Run-Ann Patchett 6. The Red Queen-Philippa Gregory 5. Agnes Grey-Anne Bronte 4. The Daughter of Time-Josephine Tey 3. Mythology-Edith Hamilton 2. Phantom Toll Booth-Norton Juster 1. Her Fearful Symmetry-Audrey Niffenegger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 This week I am reading Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, I read and really enjoyed her Mortal Instruments series and am eagerly awaiting the latest one, City of Fallen Angels, out in 37 days. This one is a prequel and is Book 1 of The Infernal Devices. You can check them out here. I reviewed the series this morning. http://www.aworkinprogress.net/2010/12/52-books-in-52-weeks-challenge.html I've said it before, this is my year for light and escapist books, I am doing very little heavy reading this year. Don't judge. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted February 27, 2011 Author Share Posted February 27, 2011 This week I am reading Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, I read and really enjoyed her Mortal Instruments series and am eagerly awaiting the latest one, City of Fallen Angels, out in 37 days. This one is a prequel and is Book 1 of The Infernal Devices. You can check them out here.I reviewed the series this morning. http://www.aworkinprogress.net/2010/12/52-books-in-52-weeks-challenge.html I've said it before, this is my year for light and escapist books, I am doing very little heavy reading this year. Don't judge. :tongue_smilie: No judging here. I've got City of Ashes waiting for me in my TBR pile. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MominIN Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I finished One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. It was a very encouraging read! I started 1776 by David McCullough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I've been reading, but I haven't posted in a while. My list so far this year: * Room (thanks to Julie in Austin, whose comments added this one to my TBR pile) * The Imperfectionists * Water Witches * Operation Mincemeat * Wedding Season * Like Water for Chocolate * The Lightning Thief * 2001: A Space Odyssey * The Magicians Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I read Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith who is a fairly well known fantasy author. This is the first of her books that I've read (it's a modern fantasy), but my teen has read a number of her books including her Wren books, Crown Duel, and some in the Inda series. "From Publishers Weekly History aficionado and champion fencer Aurelia Kim Murray investigates her taciturn grandmother's European roots and her own identity in Smith's sweeping, feminist Ruritanian romance. Kidnapped by Prince Alec Ysvorod, who mistakes her for his not-much-beloved fiancée, the slightly-too-perfect Kim is thrust into the complicated and potentially deadly politics of a small, haunted kingdom threatened equally by its neighbors as by its scheming ruling families. Smith (Inda) engages readers with humor and rapier-sharp wit, and extensive details from Central European history (right down to a 19th-century method of stamping coins) make the nation of Dobrenica terrifically real. Though readers who prefer lightning-paced books may stumble over long sections of expository conversations, a lively heroine, mysterious ghosts, and a complex and intricate plot always get the action going again. © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved." I'll be on the lookout for the sequel. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairytalemama Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 (edited) Finished God's Middle Finger by Richard Grant about the lawless Sierra Madre and was very glad to be done and get that back to the library. I found it heavy and depressing and a very negative reflection on this part of Mexico, more than the author intended I think. Then I read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford and loved it. Much more my style! Next up: our March book club pick which is The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama. I've had a few Japanese themes recently! Here's the list so far: 2011 Reading List 13. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet-Jamie Ford 12. God’s Middle Finger-Richard Grant 11. Kristin Lavransdatter-I: The Wreath-Sigrid Undset 10. The Housekeeper and the Professor-Yoko Ogawa 9. A Lucky Child-Thomas Buergenthal 8. Three Cups of Tea-Greg Mortenson 7. Run-Ann Patchett 6. The Red Queen-Philippa Gregory 5. Agnes Grey-Anne Bronte 4. The Daughter of Time-Josephine Tey 3. Mythology-Edith Hamilton 2. Phantom Toll Booth-Norton Juster 1. Her Fearful Symmetry-Audrey Niffenegger First of all, Ali in OR, you are a rockstar! I couldn't believe it when I saw you had hit 13 on your list! I am still just puttering along here. ;) I finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest in 5 days by pretty much reading it every single available free moment (I guess I could have paid some late fees to keep it longer, but I'm a psycho). My review of it is here. I'm still working on A Reliable Wife (I must pick up the pace on that one. Book club meeting is 3/9), I started The Forgotten Garden (that one I'll definitely be paying some late fees on. I'm less than 100 pages in and I only have it until Thursday), and still plodding in Jane Eyre. I don't even know if you can call it plodding anymore. I guess it's collecting dust until I can get motivated to read more of it...and stop checking out books from the library that are one week only titles. :tongue_smilie: Edited February 27, 2011 by fairytalemama forgot to add book review link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvnlattes Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I finished The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I started out liking the book and could relate to the author but by the middle I grew tired of the idea and the author started to get on my nerves. I'm glad to be done. This week I'm reading The Birth Order Book by Kevin Leman. We've got some sibling rivalry issues that need to be dealt with around here and this book was recommended to give me some insights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I read Embers of Heaven by Alma Alexander. It's about a fictional country heavily based on China. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 (edited) Earlier today, I finished A Voyage Long and Strange: On the Trail of Vikings, Conquistadors, Lost Colonists, and Other Adventurers in Early America by Tony Horwitz. I quite enjoyed it & am planning to have my dd read it too when we rotate back around to American history. I think it would be a great book to add in to any high schooler's American/North Am. history list. Not quite sure which book or books I'll start next, but I am waiting on my next book club book from the library: Meeting Faith: The Forest Journals of a Black Buddhist Nun by Faith Adiele. "From Publishers Weekly Jan Willis meets Anne Lamott in this funny, observant memoir by Adiele, an English professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Burned out by the pressure of undergraduate studies at Harvard, Adiele took a year off to get her head together and do field research in Thailand, where she had once spent time as a Rotary exchange student. She became fascinated with Buddhist nuns and began soliciting their stories, a process that led to her rather impulsive decision to seek "temporary ordination" as a nun herself. The nominal-Unitarian-turned-Buddhist is humble about her spiritual insights: "Where I should be über-nun, I'm not even what is perceived as a practicing Buddhist. I don't meditate regularly; I nurse anger; I despise tofu. Dammit, I don't appear to have learned anything! So how can anyone learn from me?" But readers can and will learn from Adiele, who parses out her second stay in Thailand with a comic's timing, a novelist's keen observations about human idiosyncrasies and an anthropologist's sensitivity to issues of race and culture. Her main narrative is almost talmudically surrounded by commentary: all along the outer margins of the book, quotes from Buddhist luminaries mingle with excerpts from her own very raw journals from that year. As she admits her fear of the rats that infested her meditation cave or chronicles her pride in gradually increasing her meditation hours, we are privileged to see an unvarnished vulnerability." 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 A Voyage Long and Strange Edited February 27, 2011 by Stacia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I finished The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I started out liking the book and could relate to the author but by the middle I grew tired of the idea and the author started to get on my nerves. I'm glad to be done. :iagree: I found it to be an irritating book too. Plus, I expected to find 'joy' in this book (rather than obsessive-compulsive list-making tips :lol:). :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairytalemama Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 :iagree: I found it to be an irritating book too. Plus, I expected to find 'joy' in this book (rather than obsessive-compulsive list-making tips :lol:). :tongue_smilie: :iagree: I flipped through it at Barnes and Noble and decided not to read it for the same reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I finished Churchill by Paul Johnson and The Demon in the House by Angela Thirkell. I also read Wild Strawberries by Thirkell, which was very amusing; and How Sweet It Is by Alice Wisler, which ended up being better than I thought it would. I'm about half way through Beethoven's Hair by Russell Martin. February's reading list: 18. Excellent Women 19. Best of Clarence Day 20. High Rising 21. Ten P's in a Pod 22. The Professor 23. How Right You Are, Jeeves 24. Bertie Wooster Sees it Through 25. Diary of a Provincial Lady 26. Churchill 27. The Demon in the House 28. Wild Strawberries 29. How Sweet It Is 30. Beethoven's Hair Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I'm still working on Esolen's Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child, procrastinating on Lewis' Abolition of Man, savoring One Thousand Blessings, and started The Abyssinian. Is the Abyssinian really Sci-Fi, or did my library mis-label it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 This week it is "Young, Restless, and Reformed" by Colin Hansen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaissezFaire Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I finished Protecting The Gift last week. I am not sure what I want to start now, I have been reading a lot of heavy books and I probably should break from that except that I am not in the mood for fluff...hmmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 :iagree: I found it to be an irritating book too. Plus, I expected to find 'joy' in this book (rather than obsessive-compulsive list-making tips :lol:). :tongue_smilie: I finished The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I started out liking the book and could relate to the author but by the middle I grew tired of the idea and the author started to get on my nerves. I'm glad to be done. This was my assessment too. I started getting really irritated with the author...which was not in line with my happiness. This week I finished Ted Dekker's Circle Trilogy. I had wanted to read Green, but thought I should read these first...I read all 3 in a few days. Enjoyed them but I am not sure I feel like reading more of them. I now found out the are TEN of them....OY! Are they worth the read? Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K in MI Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I finished The Deadly Dinner Party. I'm working on Before My Heart Stops, and will likely have another one going. I just want to say that I really like it when posters give a list of the books they have read so far. I know I can look back on each of the older threads, but having them in one place is great for finding new books to read. Here's what I've read so far: 16. The Deadly Dinner Party (Edlow) 15. Across the Red Line (Karl) 14. All My Patients Have Tales (Wells) 13. Ten Days in a Madhouse (Bly) 12. Heaven is For Real (Burpo) 11. Silas Marner (Eliot) 10. Doctor of the Heart (Rosenfeld) 9. White Fang (London) 8. Ask The Animals (Coston) 7. Call of the Wild (London) 6. The 7 (Beck) 5. Rogue Wave (Moriison) 4. Mockingjay (Collins) 3. Catching Fire (Collins) 2. Hunger Games (Collins) 1. Tales of An African Vet (Aronson) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 The Happiness Project ... I started out liking the book and could relate to the author but by the middle I grew tired of the idea and the author started to get on my nerves. I'm glad to be done. I found it to be an irritating book too. Me too. Exactly the same experience. I'm about to catch up on National Geographic and some other magazines, before going back to reading (which I've just started) The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Not sure if I like it or not. With the kids, we're very, very slowly reading The Time Garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganClassicalPrep Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Well, I've been doing horribly at this. Not at the reading part, but staying on top of posting and reviewing. I have 20 some reviews to get posted. But life is... you know, crazy! Last week I finished: Courage to Love (great book in some places, found myself skimming over other places) The Passion of Artemisia (I loved this book. Probably one of my favorites so far this year.) Between Here and April (Lukewarm on this book. It was okay, but not particularly great.) Am I Blue (I really loved this book, found it hilarious, but...probably not many others on this board would like it... :tongue_smilie:) How To Sew a Button (Really awesome book, full of great information.) How to Build a Fire (This one was great, but not as good as How to Sew a Button) The Bishop's Daughter (I did not like this book. It was the first book this year I've actually put down without finishing.) I would direct you to the blog for reviews, but.... it's either read or review for me, and reading always wins! Up for this coming week: Almost Perfect Forgive Me Passionate Nomad Tales From the Arabian Nights El Diario de Frida Kahlo: Un Intimo Autorretrato I really should stay on top of these threads.... I added a number of new books to my TBR list just from this one thread! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 The only book I completed last week was The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig. I've moved on to the sequel The Seduction of the Crimson Rose. These books of hers are fun to read, which I really need right now. Since placing The Celtic Realms in the bathroom, I've read about 20 more pages of it.:tongue_smilie: I'm also listening to Evening Class by Maeve Binchy on my ipod, but I accidentally crushed one of my ear buds while I was scraping old carpet padding off my basement floor, so that's on hold until I get another pair. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 No judging here. I've got City of Ashes waiting for me in my TBR pile. :) Oh you will love it! I can't wait for the new one. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I'm still working on the Landmark Herodotus (ugh!), and I started reading Age of Innocence from my year's list and Ken Jenning's book, Brainiac, to see if it would be appropriate for dd. The only book I actually finished this past week was a re-read - How to Read Literature like a Professor - as I'm working on some literary analysis plans for next year. I haven't posted in a few weeks, and my list has started growing more slowly as I start working on next year's school plans. Here's where I'm at so far: 12. How to Read Literature like a Professor 11. Rhythms of Life 10. Right Ho, Jeeves 9. Excellent Women (Pym) 8. This Side of Paradise (Fitzgerald) 7. Whole Grain Breads (Reinhart) 6. Northanger Abbey (Austin) 5. Persuasion (Austin) 4. When Bad Christians Happen to Good People 3. Math Coach 2. Theban trilogy 1. Our Town Year-long reading: NKJV Bible, Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Is the Abyssinian really Sci-Fi, or did my library mis-label it? Is it the one by Jean-Christophe Rufin? If so, it's definitely *not* sci-fi. I'd say it's a more modern version of old adventure/romantic classics such as The Three Musketeers. Passionate Nomad Fabulous book about an incredible lady. I really enjoyed that book when I read it so many years ago. Please be sure to post your comments about it once you're finished w/ it. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Is it the one by Jean-Christophe Rufin? If so, it's definitely *not* sci-fi. I'd say it's a more modern version of old adventure/romantic classics such as The Three Musketeers. Yes! I'm enjoying it a lot so far, but that Sci-Fi label on the end had me questioning when the time travel would begin :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Yes! I'm enjoying it a lot so far, but that Sci-Fi label on the end had me questioning when the time travel would begin :lol: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Last week I read Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. Right now I am re-reading The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I LOVE this book and the second book in the trilogy comes out tomorrow! (It's been 4 freakin' years!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganClassicalPrep Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Fabulous book about an incredible lady. I really enjoyed that book when I read it so many years ago. Please be sure to post your comments about it once you're finished w/ it. :001_smile: I'm glad to hear it. I'm looking forward to reading it. I was actually all done at the library, walking along the wall of biographies just sort of glancing and this one happened to be one of the few turned cover-out and caught my eye. I'm starting it tomorrow (which means I'll probably finish early in the morning on Wednesday! :D) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I'm still reading The Year 1000 and Three Cups of Tea. I'm actually listening to Three Cups of Tea on audio and the voice irritates me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Mom Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 (edited) This week I'm reading Columbus and Sons (Foster), and Stepping Heavenward (Prentiss). I finished Caddie Woodlawn (Brink) and Landing of the Pilgrims (Daughterty), last week. I'm in full-mode for pre-reading books in AO. It's humbling just how few of the books on the AO booklists I've read! Edited February 28, 2011 by Medieval Mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahj Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I'm still on book #5, An Echo In the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I'm loving a book that I just started: All the Names by José Saramago. "From Booklist The recent Portuguese winner of the Nobel Prize for literature is known for his cerebral but perfectly enticing novels that are often more about ideas than events. His latest is no exception, a riveting, Kafkaesque journey into one man's obsession amid the arid, repetitive, and cumbersome bureaucratic environment in which he works. Senhor Jose is employed in the Central Registry in what we assume to be the Portuguese capital, Lisbon. This office keeps the vital records of all the country's citizens, including registrations of birth, marriage, and death. Senhor Jose, by an odd set of circumstances, lives in a room attached to the registry and accessed by an old key. One day he comes upon an incomplete record of a woman and is caught up in the idea that she deserves to be known. Surreptitiously, for he could lose his job, Senhor Jose searches the archives available to him and then takes to the streets to track the woman down. This haunting, strangely moving novel is uplifting despite the tragic nature of the woman's life; Saramago's true theme here is how compassion ultimately rules human behavior." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I finally gave up on Ship Breaker over the weekend--it was just too violent for me. I'm now reading a comfort-read of sorts-- Laddie by Gene Stratton-Porter. On my blog yesterday, I published a review of a book I finished a few weeks ago--One Crazy Summer. My 2011 Booklog January Genesis chapters 1-43 Job Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson Magic for Marigold by L.M. Montgomery Betti on the High Wire by Lisa Railsback Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery Behind the Mountains by Edwidge Danticat Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm February Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia Ava's Man by Rick Bragg (If the underlined titles don't link back to my blog, you can click on the link in my siggy and find the same list in the sidebar.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Me too. Exactly the same experience. I'm about to catch up on National Geographic and some other magazines, before going back to reading (which I've just started) The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Not sure if I like it or not. With the kids, we're very, very slowly reading The Time Garden. I really liked No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. I reviewed it here, on my blog. I don't think there are any spoilers in my review. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I finally gave up on Ship Breaker over the weekend--it was just too violent for me. Ack! We were at the library, and the librarian recommended this to a friend's 13 yo dd to read. Is it that bad? I can email her mom and let her know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Today I read a book a friend loaned me: Iodine. Why You Need It. Why You Can't Live Without It. Well, I read if from about 2/3 to the end. Then I backed up to about halfway. Then started from the beginning. I'm about to the point of being done with the first half. I'll probably read it all the way through before midnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I'm keeping up with reading, but I'm not doing too well with posting. Here is my list so far: 1: Graceling 2: Voyage of the Dawn Treader 3. A Single Shard 4: The Fiery Cross 5: A Season of Gifts 6: Otto of the Silver Hand 7: A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver 8: Harry Potter 9: Watership Down 10: Master Cornhill I'm reading and enjoying A Breath of Snow and Ashes right now, but I don't know when I'll finish it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I read All Clear and We've Got Issues, both are excellent in their own ways. ATM I'm reading an Agatha Christie mystery because All Clear put me in the mood. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoplustrips Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I just finished Sarah's Key this morning - great book. I loved the history more than the present-day, but I know they were both important to the story... Now off to The Book Theif, though I'm nervous because I didn't realize it was a YA book...the last YA book that I read was the Twilight series, and I HATED that! Hope this redeems YA books for me :) Kathy 2011 Book List 1. The Help 2. Fahrenheit 451 3. Catch-22 4. Deconstructing Penguins 5. Wicked 6. Obsessed 7. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet 8. Sarah's Key Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I just finished Sarah's Key this morning - great book. I loved the history more than the present-day, but I know they were both important to the story... Now off to The Book Theif, though I'm nervous because I didn't realize it was a YA book...the last YA book that I read was the Twilight series, and I HATED that! Hope this redeems YA books for me :) It will redeem YA books for you. They are nothing alike -- I hated Twilight too; I loved The Book Thief. BTW, in Australia (where The Book Thief was originally published & the author's home country), The Book Thief was published as an adult book. It was only when the book came here to the US that it was marketed as a 'YA' book. I think that's a shame because there will be lots of adults who miss reading this one because it's labeled as YA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 The Passion of Artemisia (I loved this book. Probably one of my favorites so far this year.) This looks interesting. It's not the first in the series. Have you read others? Do you recommend them? :) I'm loving a book that I just started: All the Names by José Saramago. Stacia, this looks really interesting. :D I really liked No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. I reviewed it here, on my blog. I don't think there are any spoilers in my review. :tongue_smilie: Thanks. I'll go visit your blog soon. :) Today I read a book a friend loaned me: Iodine. Why You Need It. Why You Can't Live Without It. This is the one I was referring to in the hyperthyroid thread. Said to be very good. I haven't read it myself. Let us know what you think. It will redeem YA books for you. They are nothing alike -- I hated Twilight too; I loved The Book Thief. BTW, in Australia (where The Book Thief was originally published & the author's home country), The Book Thief was published as an adult book. It was only when the book came here to the US that it was marketed as a 'YA' book. I think that's a shame because there will be lots of adults who miss reading this one because it's labeled as YA. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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