Book a Week in 2011 - Week Twenty Eight

[Robin M]

Happy Sunday! Today is the start of week 28 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 - A is for art mysteries. Highlighting Iain Pears Flavia Di Stefano mystery series. Bookmarks magazine also had a wonderful article about "Crime in the Art World" with a few other authors who have written some interesting art history crime books: Michael Gruber - The Forgery of Venus, Ian Rankin - Doors Open, The Rembrandt Affair by Daniel Silva (read this one - excellent)

 

JuJudalu asked in the last thread "I am so envious and in awe of all you readers. I have a question. "How do you find the time?" And as a follow-up question, "How do you stay awake?" If I read at the end of the day, even with the best of intentions, I fall asleep. I really would like to regain the habit of reading for myself. I read almost all day to my children :-)"

 

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

Link to week 27

[Robin M]

I don't watch a lot of television so find plenty of time to read. I rarely read in bed because will get caught up in story and not go to sleep. So do all my reading elsewhere in the house. My best bit of advice if you want to carve out some reading time for yourself - make yourself a comfy nook somewhere in the house and make into your reading spot.

 

This past week I revisited the MacKade Brothers series by Nora Roberts on my nook. Her writing puts me in the mood to write. Also read Changeling Moon and Changeling Dream by Dani Harper which will be reviewing soon. Paranormal werewolves!

[hsbaby]

This past week I read For Laci written by Laci Peterson's mom. I think that after the Casey Anthony verdict I wanted the reminder that sometimes our justice system works....even in a circumstantial case. It was heartbreaking. I also read Stealing Faces by Michael Prescott. It was a gory, disturbing thriller. It was tied together a little too neatly at the end for me, but it was a fast paced, page turning read.

 

As for finding time to read, well, I just make time. I sneak in a few minutes during the day, read while putting my youngest to sleep, and read a little when dh gets home from work. I do end up staying up late at night reading. Not because it's the only time I can find, but because I am the type that starts a book and NEEDS to know how it ends. Unless it is an unusually boring book (I've been reading The Trial by Kafka for months now...ugh!), I will read it in a day or two.

[Ali in OR]

For finding time to read, I've been doing a lot better this year at remembering to bring a book along to all kid activities. I'm having a little harder time in summer since we're in a different kind of schedule, but reading while the kids are at ballet or swim lessons is a good way for me to sneak it in. I'm usually too tired at the end of the day and end up just internet surfing.

 

This week I finished Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. This was a pre-read--going to go through it with my girls this fall. I really like the title phrase and I want to use it on my kids every time they complain about having to do the simplest things like making their beds. And I think there is a lot in the book that will lead to good discussion. They break their subject down into 5 different kinds of hard things--two that stood out to me are doing things that take you out of your comfort zone and doing "small" hard things that don't win you any fame, reward, or recognition (but make up so much of real life). This book is written by teens to teens, and that aspect can get a little annoying at times. The way I see it, everyone has to do hard things in this life, not just teens. There is also a focus on "rebelling against low expectations" that our society sets for teens. I want my kids to learn to do hard things for the intrinsic value in doing so, not as part of any rebellion. But overall I think I will be able to discuss the themes and ideas with an 11 and 8 year old.

 

For this week I picked up the second Flavia de Luce mystery from the library. I keep forgetting the title, so let me actually get the book...okay it's The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag. Reading the opening post above, I saw "Flavia" and "mystery" and had to take a closer look to see if it was this book. But I guess that's a different Flavia, and this one isn't an art mystery. Still, I feel like I'm almost on the theme!

 

2011 Reading List

 

31. Do Hard Things-Alex and Brett Harris

30. Anna of Byzantium-Tracy Barrett

29. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie-Alan Bradley

28. Cutting for Stone-Abraham Verghese

27. Stay With Me-Sandra Rodriguez Barron

26. Radical Homemakers-Shannon Hayes

25. Heaven is for Real-Todd Burpo

24. Under the Tuscan Sun-Frances Mayes

23. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother-Amy Chua

22. These Three Remain-Pamela Aidan

21. Chocolat-Joanne Harris

20. Where the Red Fern Grows-Wilson Rawls

19. Duty and Desire-Pamela Aidan

18. An Assembly Such As This-Pamela Aidan

17. Left Neglected-Lisa Genova

16. Classics in the Classroom-Michael Clay Thompson

15. True You-Janet Jackson

14. The Samurai’s Garden-Gail Tsukiyama

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

[Onceuponatime]

I'm waay behind but here's what I've read so far this year.

 

1. The Help

2. The Alchemist

3. A Briefer History of Time

4. The Last Lecture

5. Whimsical Christianity

6. Pilgrims Regress

7. McGillicuddy Mc Gotham (a childhood re-read)

8. The Sunday Philosophy Club

9. Twelve Types

10. Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow

11. Pay it Forward

12. The Battle for God

13. The History of God

14. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

15. A Winter Yarn

16. Dressing Your Truth

17. The Five Love Languages

18. Currently on Twelve Steps to Compassion

[prairiegirl]

I usually read for an hour before bed. Yes, it does put me to sleep that is why I do it before bed. I think I must be a fast reader because I can usually read a book a week with an hour a day of reading time. Sometimes, though, I just take a day and read the whole entire day. Like this weekend. I read all weekend and finished two books. But this doesn't happen very often.

 

This week I finished "The Paris Wife" by Paula McLain. This is a fictionalized account of the marriage betwwen Ernest Hemmingway and his first wife, Hadley Richardson--very good. I also read "From This Moment On" by Shania Twain (for singer's memoir it wasn't too bad) and "Caught" by Harlan Coben. I love Coben's books, they are a quick easy read--not great literature but a quick read.

 

I am now reading the memoir of Euna Lee. I can't remember the title but it is an account of her being held captive in N.Korea with Laura Ling.

[eaglei]

This week I finished:

 

#48 - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. I could not put this down, and I did not want it to end. Thanks to all the Hive readers who recommended this book. :)

 

Currently reading:

 

#49 - Page After Page, by Heather Sellers - a book about developing writing skills.

[-M-]

Since I last contributed, I finished Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout (Lauren Redniss) and another round of Sherlock Holmes short stories. I also reread A Short Course in Canon PowerShot S5 IS Photography (a long story) and caught up on all of the periodicals that had accumulated in my basket.

 

I'm nearly finished with Acceptance: A Legendary Guidance Counselor Helps Seven Kids Find the Right Colleges--and Find Themselves (Dave Marcus) and expect to add it, The Hypnotist (Lars Kepler), and The Winter's Tale (Shakespeare) to my list in next week's "Book a Week."

 

As for finding time to read, "Ruthlessly trim your virtual itinerary" is the best bit of advice I can offer. Fewer screens = more pages.

________________________________

 

YEAR TO DATE: 53 books

 

 

July

 

 

■ Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout (Lauren Redniss)

■ A Short Course in Canon PowerShot S5 IS Photography

 

 

June (reviews/discussion

here)

 

 

 

■ The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth (Alexandra Robbins; non-fiction, education)

■ Confessions of a Prairie ***** (Alison Arngrim; memoir)

■ Pitch Uncertain (Maisie Houghton; memoir)

■ The Silent Land (Graham Joyce; fiction)

■ A Midsummer Night's Dream (William Shakespeare; play, classic)

■ The Hound of the Baskervilles (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; fiction)

■ Robopocalypse (Daniel H. Wilson; science fiction)

 

May (reviews/discussion

here)

 

■ Daughters-in-Law (Joanna Trollope; fiction)

 

■ Sempre Susan (Sigrid Nunez; memoir)

■ Gardening Step by Step (Phil Clayton, et al.)

■ John Brookes' Natural Landscapes (John Brookes)

■ Month-by-Month Gardening in Illinois (James A. Fizzell)

■ The New Gardener (Pippa Greenwood)

■ Glorious Gardens (Jacqueline Heriteau)

■ Midwest Top 10 Garden Guide (Bonnie Monte, ed.)

■ Midwest Gardens (Pamela Wolfe)

■ Low Maintenance Garden (Jenny Hendy)

■ The Complete Beginner's Guide to Archery (Bernhard A. Roth)

■ Know the Sport: Archery (John Adams)

■ Sherlock Holmes: More Short Stories (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; fiction)

■ The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton; YA fiction)

■ The Raising (Laura Kasischke; fiction)

■ The Life before Her Eyes (Laura Kasischke; fiction)

■ No Time for Goodbye (Linwood Barclay; fiction)

■ Too Close to Home (Linwood Barclay; fiction)

 

April (reviews/discussion

here)

 

 

■ Things a Brother Knows (Dana Reinhart; YA fiction -- the book that reminded me that I am, in fact, a reader)

■ Illyria (Elizabeth Hand; fiction)

■ The Merchant of Venice (William Shakespeare)

■ Model Home (Eric Puchner; fiction)

■ Mouse Guard, Volume 1: Fall 1152 (David Petersen; graphic novel)

■ Mouse Guard, Volume 2: Winter 1152 (David Petersen; graphic novel)

■ The Worst Loss: How Families Heal from the Death of a Child (Barbara D. Rosof)

■ Beyond Tears: Living after Losing a Child (Ellen Mitchell)

■ Love Never Dies: A Mother's Journey from Loss to Love (Sandy Goodman)

■ After the Death of a Child: Living with Loss through the Years (Ann K. Finkbeiner)

■ Trapped (Michael Northrop; YA fiction)

■ Sherlock Holmes: Short Stories (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; fiction)

■ The Colony (Jillian Marie Weise; fiction)

■ The Sandman, Vol. 3: Dream Country (Neil Gaiman; graphic novel)

 

March (reviews/discussion

here)

 

 

■ The Source of All Things: A Memoir (Tracy Ross; memoir, review copy)

■ Heaven Is for Real (Todd Burpo; memoir, religion)

 

January (reviews/discussion

here)

 

 

■ The Nest Home Design Handbook (Carley Roney)

■ Decorating Ideas That Work (Heather J. Paper)

■ Speed Decorating (Jill Vegas)

■ Flip! for Decorating (Elizabeth Mayhew)

■ Home Decor: A Sunset Design Guide (Kerrie L. Kelly)

■ Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (Amy Chua; memoir, parenting)

■ Macbeth (William Shakespeare)

■ The Other Side of the Island (Allegra Goodman; fiction)

■ A Lantern in Her Hand (Bess Streeter Aldrich; fiction)

■ Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (Winifred Watson; fiction)

[Rosie_0801]

I read Beyond Organics by Helen Cushing. Now I'm having daydreams about winning Tattslotto so I can buy a place and plant a garden...

 

Rosie

[Stacia]

.

Edited September 12, 2014 by Stacia

[dangermom]

How do I find the time? I am a very fast reader, and I read while doing other things, like brushing my teeth, cooking, etc. that I should be concentrating on. Mostly I'm fast.

 

How do I not fall asleep? I don't always succeed. :)

 

Actually, I've spent the past week obsessing about homeschooling--both prep and preparing two workshops I'm teaching in August. I'm running a little low on blog posts! Here are my two: Anvil of the World and The Scent of Water (which was wonderful, you should all read it, I couldn't come close to doing it justice so I didn't try).

[Stacia]

As far as finding time to read....

 

When my dc were little, it was really hard for me to carve out time to read. I got back into the habit of reading for myself by finding books that I could read in *very* short snippets (i.e., 1 or 2 minutes before I would have to put the book down again). I love Vonnegut & found that his books worked really well for me in this respect. (He tends to write in short sections.)

 

As my dc have gotten older, reading time comes more freely. I don't watch much tv (but do spend too much time on the computer), so that helps some. We live in an urban area w/ lots of traffic, so it helps if I take my book everywhere w/ me. Sometimes, I can get a few pages read while waiting on stoplights. :tongue_smilie: Just keep your books handy & grab one when you have 5 minutes (or can make 5 minutes yours).

[Stacia]

A is for art mysteries. Highlighting Iain Pears Flavia Di Stefano mystery series. Bookmarks magazine also had a wonderful article about "Crime in the Art World" with a few other authors who have written some interesting art history crime books: Michael Gruber - The Forgery of Venus, Ian Rankin - Doors Open, The Rembrandt Affair by Daniel Silva (read this one - excellent)"

 

Thanks for mentioning these books, Robin! :001_smile: I'm not sure I was aware that Iain Pears has a mystery series. I will have to check out some of these books.

 

The only art mystery I can think of off the top of my head is Landscape of Lies by Peter Watson. I read it many years ago, so I don't remember much about it. As I remember, it was a decent enough read.... Off to check your blog post....

[Heather in Neverland]

This week it is "The 6th Man" by Baldacci.

[Storm Bay]

I'm back to reading Darwin on Trial this week, finally. What's really got me going is that one of my kid brothers wants to borrow it, so I want to get it done so he can read it. It's not that it's a bad book, I've just been reading too much fiction :).

[Wildiris]

I've been trying to read more. I wrote a blog post about my weekly read:

What I'm reading this week

 

 

[laughing lioness]

Just finished Escape. What a juxtaposition to In the Land of Believers. One who suffers abuse for heaven and one who has no belief in it at all.

 

Have had company for 7 days and haven't written reveiws. I'm beat. What is it about people staying with you that makes you feel like you've been run over by a mac truck?

 

Finding time to read: The bathroom. Late at night. Very late at night. In the bathroom.;)

[Mom-ninja.]

laughing lioness, I'm listening to "Escape" on audio.

 

 

I'm reading Don Quixote on my Nook.

[Mommyfaithe]

I am reading The Winthrop Woman by Anya Seton. I love her writing and am so excited to be reading this book.....I got it from a dear friend for my birthday.:D. As far as making tome for reading, I always have a book with me. Whenever I have to wait...I read. I also read at night before bed...usually for an hour aloud to my kids and then another hour alone. Sometimes I stretch that alone hour into several..lol. When my kids were babies, I read while I nursed...now, I make a short time in the afternoon to read with my feet up. Everyone knows not to bug mom when she is reading...but they can run and get their own book and cuddle in. I usually end up with a couch full of kids, dogs, cats and books.

Faithe

Edited July 16, 2011 by Mommyfaithe

[Robin M]

 

Link to week 29 - please continue conversation in new thread.