Book a Week in 2011 - Week thirty Five

[Robin M]

Good morning dolls! Today is the start of week 35 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 Heminway, sort of.... A pictorial of a few authors back before the invention of computers, writing their books the old fashioned way - with typewriters.

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

Link to week 34

[NanceXToo]

With my almost 11 y/o daughter I'm reading "These Happy Golden Years" (Little House series).

 

On my own, I'm reading "A Feast For Crows" by George R.R. Martin.

[Robin M]

Still in washington, having a grand time. Still on Laurell K. Hamilton reading kick. We are staying at the guesthouse of romantic suspense author (she says action adventure with a bit of romance thrown in *grin*) Cherry Adair. We had a lovely chat yesterday (for three hours) and she gave me her newest books "Riptide".

[-M-]

I read nine this week, bringing my year-to-date total up to 83.

 

■ Drawing Birds (John Busby)

Non-fiction. Highly recommended. Chapbook entry here.

 

■ Be Mine (Laura Kasischke)

■ Suspicion River (Laura Kasischke)

■ White Bird in a Blizzard (Laura Kasischke)

Fiction. Suspicion River and White Bird in a Blizzard were Kasischke's first two novels; Be Mine was published in 2007. That I didn't care for River or Mine is my own fault; I should have read the descriptions carefully, instead of letting my unbridled enthusiasm for In a Perfect World lead me to acquire Kasisichke's remaining novels. Just... grimly explicit and not my cuppa. And White Bird? Meh. Also pretty graphic and dark; more, I saw the conclusion coming.

 

■ Want to Go Private? (Sarah Littman)

YA fiction. An honors student on the social fringes begins high school with some fear, but soon after connecting with an older boy in a teen chat room, she finds a friend in whom she can confide her concerns. His attention makes her feel compelling -- even attractive. This book's frank treatment of a young girl's seduction by an online predator was so lurid that it can only be described as an R-rated "Afterschool Special."

 

■ Mid-Life (Joe Ollmann)

Graphic novel. Promising but, in the end, not one of my best encounters with this genre. I found the pages too "heavy" -- dense and dark with image and text. And really? The protagonist is not at all likeable.

 

■ A Hope in the Unseen (Ron Suskind)

Non-fiction. Suskind won the Pulitzer Prize in 1995 for the series of articles that grew into A Hope in the Unseen, the chronicle of Cedric Lavar Jennings' journey from an impoverished and dangerous Washington, D.C., public school to Brown University. Subtitled "An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League," Unseen unflinchingly and repeatedly points out that Jennings didn't graduate from Brown (and later, Harvard and the University of Michigan, according the afterword in this revised and updated edition) because of extraordinary academic gifts; he succeeded through hard work alone -- the grueling, single-minded study of a "headstrong monk." I was transfixed by the story, a result of its compelling subject as well as Suskind's assured narrative style. Highly recommended.

 

■ A New Culture of Learning (Doug Thomas and John Seely Brown)

Non-fiction. Chapbook entry here.

 

■ The Accident (Linwood Barclay)

Fiction. And with this, I had my fill of Barclay. It was fun while it lasted.

[Ali in OR]

I finished our next bookclub book in a couple of days...The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein. Loved it! This is a non-fiction memoir of his childhood in WWI era England. His side of the street is Jewish and the other side is Christian. Wait, let me just paste in the Amazon blurb which will give a much better description than I can:

 

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Bernstein writes, "There are few rules or unwritten laws that are not broken when circumstances demand, and few distances that are too great to be traveled," about the figurative divide ("geographically... only a few yards, socially... miles and miles") keeping Jews and Christians apart in the poor Lancashire mill town in England where he was raised. In his affecting debut memoir, the nonagenarian gives voice to a childhood version of himself who witnesses his older sister's love for a Christian boy break down the invisible wall that kept Jewish families from Christians across the street. With little self-conscious authorial intervention, young Harry serves as a wide-eyed guide to a world since dismantled—where "snot rags" are handkerchiefs, children enter the workforce at 12 and religion bifurcates everything, including industry. True to a child's experience, it is the details of domestic life that illuminate the tale—the tenderness of a mother's sacrifice, the nearly Dickensian angst of a drunken father, the violence of schoolyard anti-Semitism, the "strange odors" of "forbidden foods" in neighbor's homes. Yet when major world events touch the poverty-stricken block (the Russian revolution claims the rabbi's son, neighbors leave for WWI), the individual coming-of-age is intensified without being trivialized, and the conversational account takes on the heft of a historical novel with stirring success.

 

I'm still trying to make my way through All Together In One Place by Jane Kirkpatrick. I'm feeling very manipulated. I'm in the middle of this Oregon Trail story, and all of the decent male leaders have just died. I'm reluctant to read on, knowing that the sadistic evil brother who is left will wreak havoc and the many new widows will find their inner strength and bond together to pull themselves through. Ugh. But I do want to finish the book so I can pass it on to someone else. Maybe it will be better than I think.

 

Want to also mention a read-aloud we just finished that I loved: Between the Forest and the Hills by Ann Lawrence. This was on our history list. After the first chapter I thought it likely that we would abandon the book. But we stuck with it and I'm so glad we did. We were cracking up by the middle of the book. It's a pretty inventive plot line and we enjoyed it quite a bit.

 

2011 Reading List

 

35. The Invisible Wall-Harry Bernstein

34. A Red Herring Without Mustard-Alan Bradley

33. At the Sign of the Sugared Plum-Mary Hooper

32. The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag-Alan Bradley

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

Edited August 28, 2011 by Ali in OR

[eaglei]

I had been reading the Williamsburg Series by Elswyth Thane and thoroughly enjoying it when I had to take a hiatus because the library phoned to tell me a book I requested ages ago was now available and I was next on the list. So, this week I finished:

 

#55 - Lessons From the Mountain: What I Learned From Erin Walton, by Mary McDonough. Quick-reading. Glad it wasn't a tell-all! If you like The Waltons, then there are some nice and some rather interesting stories about the cast and filming. Much of the book deals with her vast insecurities (not in a complaining way - just the facts, so to speak), and what she learned as a result and how it caused her to grow and mature and ultimately bring her to the place she is today as an active spokeswoman (among other things) for certain health issues, particularly those resulting from the use of implants - a surgery she had done in her youth and mightily regrets. (She later had it undone). Not overall heavy reading - just nice to read nice things about characters who seemed so nice on the show - they really were/are family to one another and that was refreshing.

 

Now, I am happily back to the series and am reading:

 

#56 - The Light Heart (Williamsburg Series, vol. 4), by Elswyth Thane

[Rosie_0801]

Yay! I read two of Sarah Addison Allen's books. They're so cute. *happy sigh*

 

Rosie

[Negin]

I'm reading The Good Earth. Dh, (who only reads classics or stuff online), has wanted me to read this for years. I didn't think I'd like it. I'm happy to say that I do. :)

 

[prairiegirl]

Yay! I read two of Sarah Addison Allen's books. They're so cute. *happy sigh*

 

Rosie

 

I read Allen's 'The Girl Who Chased the Moon.' I really liked it and would like to read her other two books as well. I am now reading 'Romancing Miss Bronte" I can't remember the author's name. I am enjoying this one as well.

[Stacia]

,

Edited September 12, 2014 by Stacia

[Negin]

Lessons From the Mountain: What I Learned From Erin Walton, by Mary McDonough.

If you like The Waltons, then there are some nice and some rather interesting stories about the cast and filming.

Added this to my wish list. We often watch The Waltons and I think I'd like this. Thanks for suggesting it. :)

 

I am now reading 'Romancing Miss Bronte" I can't remember the author's name. I am enjoying this one as well.

Looks good. Added this one to my wish list also.

 

Can you tell I'm just itching to edit this book?

Yes :lol:, especially since I feel that I know you quite well. I'm sure that I would agree with you, Stacia. :grouphug:

 

I just picked up Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran. I've only read the prologue, but I'm looking forward to getting immersed in this book.

 

This looks really good. I loved reading many of the Scarlet Pimpernel books. I think I'll like this one.

[Jane Elliot]

I had been reading the Williamsburg Series by Elswyth Thane and thoroughly enjoying it ....

 

 

Now, I am happily back to the series and am reading:

 

#56 - The Light Heart (Williamsburg Series, vol. 4), by Elswyth Thane

 

I have such fond memories of Elswyth Thane's books. I was first introduced to them as a girl on a family camping trip. Rain poured down mercilessly on that trip. The whole time we were stuck in the tent my mother read to us by flashlight the book she had brought along for her own reading, the first in the Williamsburg series. After that I devoured the series on my own and have often thought I'd like to revisit it. It's been fun to read your posts.

 

I haven't posted for awhile. Summer always sets me behind in my reading goals, and that's okay. I'm not sure where I left off in my posting.

 

I finished Howatch's Starbridge series. The last book was by far my favorite.

 

I've finished The Hiding Place, which I read aloud to my girls. What a great book to enjoy together! Now we're enjoying Great Expectations.

 

I finished Water for Elephants. I'm not sure what the hoopla was about. I thought it was sappy and forgettable.

 

I finished Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. Great writing. I think the story will stick with me (my own measure of a good book) and I enjoyed it, but not as much as I thought I would. It had been on my list for a long time. Maybe my expectations were too high going in.

 

I'm on the last chapter of Boys Adrift. This is an excellent book for anyone raising boys. I've thoroughly enjoyed the substance and writing style. He's right on the mark.

Edited August 29, 2011 by Luann in ID

[nd293]

I read Not a Fairytale by a South African Muslim author Shaida Kazie Ali. It was a fascinating novel. The first part is narrated in the first person by Zuhra, the younger of two sisters, and the second part the tale of the older sister, Salena, told in the third person. Salena's life follows a more traditional route, fulfilling familial expectations, whereas Zuhra leaves the country, and makes a life of her own choosing. Each of the short chapters covers an incident, often spaced several years apart, so we get a snapshot of the experiences which shape the girls. These include their different experiences of race (Zuhra is dark and Salena light enough to pass as white in an era when it mattered in South Africa) as well as education, against the backdrop of an oppressive and abusive family.

 

The two parts to the book interleaf in that an incident is sometimes mentioned with no explanation in the first section, with details filled in in Salena's section. There are recipes at the end of many of the chapters, and rewritten fairy tales intersperse both stories. These fairy tales are warped versions of the traditional, and the revisions cover everything from gruesome and disturbing to feminist, Muslim and amusing. (The Big Bad Wolf didn't eat the little pigs, as he was Muslim - a separate fairy tale suggests he converted out of love for Little Red Riding Hood, whose headcovering made it clear she was Muslim.) There are no princesses swooning over handsome princes here, just proud women making their own way in life.

 

And finally, when the tales are all told, there is one more story, completely unexpected that took me several reads to grasp. Highly recommended, although the South African context of Zuhra and Salena's childhood is very dominant in parts of the book, and might be difficult to fully grasp without a translator. (This both literally for some Afrikaans words, and figuratively, in terms of the political realities of the time, such as Zuhra encouraging her sister to sit in the front of the bus, where only white people should have sat). It's a worthwhile read, and I volunteer as translator if anyone manages to get hold of it!

 

This week I am reading Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. I started it yesterday and stayed up late reading it. It's a wonderful read, funny and touching and grounded and thoughful. (ETA: As I read further, less thoughful than irreverent and funny and cynical.) In short, it's everything I expected Eat, Pray, Love to be, and felt it wasn't. Julie, 29 and stuck in a rut, decides to cook all of the 524 recipes in a Julia Child's cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year. Along the way she eats, and loves, and changes her life.

 

Finally more than halfway through The Liberated Bride and halfway through the audiobook of The Three Musketeers.

 

I have had a few weeks of reading great stuff again, and have several recommendations from this thread to request, so I'm a very happy reader right now.

 

Nikki

Edited August 31, 2011 by nd293

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Just finishing up A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly and started listening to The Scarlet Pimpernel last night.

[Medieval Mom]

I've started reading The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley to ds8. When I read this to myself last year, I thought it entirely ho-hum. This book really comes alive when read aloud!

Edited August 29, 2011 by Medieval Mom

[eaglei]

I'm reading The Good Earth. Dh, (who only reads classics or stuff online), has wanted me to read this for years. I didn't think I'd like it. I'm happy to say that I do. :)

 

 

 

I haven't read this since high school (and that's a long time)! Your post reminded me that I want to add this to my already long list of wanna-re-reads! :D In fact, I'm going to do that now, before I look at any other posts!

[eaglei]

I have such fond memories of Elswyth Thane's books. I was first introduced to them as a girl on a family camping trip. Rain poured down mercilessly on that trip. The whole time we were stuck in the tent my mother read to us by flashlight the book she had brought along for her own reading, the first in the Williamsburg series. After that I devoured the series on my own and have often thought I'd like to revisit it. It's been fun to read your posts.

 

Oh I do hope you will find time to revisit this series! I first read it back (waaay back) in my twenties and enjoyed it then. A college prof always required her students to read this series. Since the campus library did not have it :glare:, her students would find their way, at her urging, to the public library where I worked. :) I came to personally know the prof and of course I was intrigued that it was required reading, so one summer when there were no students clamoring for it, I signed these books out and absolutely devoured them. I am enjoying rereading these books immensely, probably even more than the first time! :)

 

Have you read any of the authors' other books? Are they as good as this series? It is my intention to check if our library has any other of her books and read them, too! If you've read others, do you have any you especially recommend?

[Violet Crown]

Finished Thomas Hardy's The Return of the Native. Not even close to 35 books. But I'm optimistic.

[nd293]

Not even close to 35 books. But I'm optimistic.

 

That's how it is here, too - I keep a list of the books I've read, with blank numbered lines up to 35 so I am constantly reminded of The Need to Read.

 

I figure by adding a couple of classic audio books that I listen to when driving, walking or before bed, I will eventually get there. Although if this was my aim I should perhaps not have selected The Three Musketeers which requires over 24 hours of listening...

[Jane Elliot]

 

Have you read any of the authors' other books? Are they as good as this series? It is my intention to check if our library has any other of her books and read them, too! If you've read others, do you have any you especially recommend?

 

No, I haven't read the others, just the Williamsburg series. I have a few of them on my shelves. They came in a large box of books dh bought at an auction for $1. I'd love to hear about it if you read any of her others.

[dangermom]

I did Plain Kate, an amazingly good YA book. The Hourglass Door, a reasonably good YA book. And I finally, finally finished Hayek's The Fatal Conceit, about the faulty premises behind communism.

[Negin]

Now we're enjoying Great Expectations.

Luann, we loved this. I have to admit that we read the abridged version about two years ago. Still fabulous. And then we really enjoyed the BBC series.

 

 

I finished Water for Elephants. I'm not sure what the hoopla was about. I thought it was sappy and forgettable.

I couldn't stand this book. I had such high hopes and was thoroughly disappointed. I didn't even bother finishing it. Kept skipping parts until I finally gave up on it.

 

The Scarlet Pimpernel last night.

Love this series. I read several of these.

 

I haven't read this since high school (and that's a long time)! Your post reminded me that I want to add this to my already long list of wanna-re-reads! :D In fact, I'm going to do that now, before I look at any other posts!

I hear you about high school being a loooong time ago :lol:.

This book is so painful at times, or, should I say, most of the time, but I am enjoying it. I hope the ending is not a very painful one. I can't stand painful and bad endings.

 

That's how it is here, too - I keep a list of the books I've read, with blank numbered lines up to 35

I've never counted how many books I read each year. I guess I'll start doing that for 2012. My question is: do we include the books we read with our children? Or just the books that we read for ourselves? I guess I just never like the idea of counting how many books I read. I just want to read for the love of reading.

[nd293]

I've never counted how many books I read each year. I guess I'll start doing that for 2012. My question is: do we include the books we read with our children? Or just the books that we read for ourselves? I guess I just never like the idea of counting how many books I read. I just want to read for the love of reading.

 

For me, the Book-a-Week thread has been a real challenge, because I've become so lazy in the past ten year - or seven really, from when I stopped working part-time and we moved overseas. We lived without a library for 5 years, and I think that contributed, as did the general intellectual malaise I felt at being a stay-at-home-mother after working in an academic environment before that. The "counting" has spurred me on when I've had weeks of just wanting to watch TV in the evening and sink into bed.

 

Here are the "rules" of the challenge from Robin's blog, linked from the first post of the thread.

 

The rules are very simple and the goal is to read one book (at least) a week for 52 weeks.

 

 

• The challenge will run from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.
  
  
• Our book weeks will begin on Sunday.
  
  
• Participants may join at any time.
  
  
• All books are acceptable except children books.**
  
  
• All forms of books are acceptable including e-books, audio books, etc.
  
  
• Re-reads are acceptable as long as they are read after January 1, 2011.
  
  
• Books may overlap other challenges.
  
  
• Create an entry post linking to this blog.
  
  
• Come back and sign up with Mr. Linky in the "I'm participating post" below this post.
  
  
• You don't have a blog to participate. Post your weekly book in the comments section of each weekly post.
  
  
• Mr. Linky will be added to the bottom of the weekly post for you to link to reviews of your most current reads.
  
  

All the mini challenges are optional. Mix it up anyway you like. The goal is to read 52 books. How you get there is up to you.

 

**in reference to children books. If it is a child whose reading it and involved in the challenge, then that's okay. If an adult is doing read aloud with kids, the book should be geared for the 9 - 12 age group and above and over 100 pages. If adult reading for own enjoyment, then a good rule of thumb to go by "is there some complexity to the story or is it too simple?" If it's too simple, then doesn't count.

I asked dd10 if she would like to do the challenge with me next year, and she thinks she'll be keen. Now I really have to catch up, and read the full 52 books this year, or what sort of example am I setting? :001_huh:

[Stacia]

Based on an Amazon recommendation, I just finished Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (my review is here). I enjoyed it and I found the incorporation of the vintage photographs really added to the story.

 

That sounds quite interesting. I just requested it from the library (but I'm 57th in line, so I'll be waiting a few weeks or more...).

 

In the meantime, I've gotten further into Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution & am really liking it.

[Mom-ninja.]

I'm reading Celiac Disease right now. I'm also reading gluten free cookbooks, but don't count those.

 

I'm listening to The Hounds of the Baskervilles on audio.

[Mommyfaithe]

I finally finished West with the Night. It was so lovely, I wanted to take my time and savor the words. She made me want to fly...and she gave me eyes to see Africa and a heart to desire both.

 

I am almost finished reading The Hobbit to my boys...and they absolutely are enchanted.

 

Faithe

 

Eta....I am now reading Katherine, by Anya Seton. This is the story of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, the Great Duke of Lancaster.

Edited August 30, 2011 by Mommyfaithe

[ladydusk]

I finished Howatch's Starbridge series. The last book was by far my favorite.

 

 

Are you going to try any of the St. Benet's trilogy?

[Medieval Mom]

I finally finished West with the Night. It was so lovely, I wanted to take my time and savor the words. She made me want to fly...and she gave me eyes to see Africa and a heart to desire both.

 

I am almost finished reading The Hobbit to my boys...and they absolutely are enchanted.

 

Faithe

 

Eta....I am now reading Katherine, by Anya Seton. This is the story of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, the Great Duke of Lancaster.

 

Ooh, Katherine! I enjoyed that book!

 

Tolkien is good any time of year, but especially excellent in the autumn. Don't you agree? Just finished the Prologue to Fellowship of the Ring.

[CAMom]

Had a productive week reading last week.:)

 

Over the weekend, I finished Shanghai Girls by Lisa See and just finished the follow up Dreams of Joy. Really liked these! I heard of this author through these threads and am glad I checked her out!

 

Now I'm reading Brave Girl Eating by Harriett Brown. It chronicles a family's road to recovery with their daughter's anorexia.

[laughing lioness]

Just finished Sugar Queen by Sarah ADdison Allen. Delightful!

[Rosie_0801]

Just finished Sugar Queen by Sarah ADdison Allen. Delightful!

 

I haven't read that one! I read Garden Spells last year, and last week I read The Girl Who Chased the Moon and one about peaches. I can't remember the title.

 

I think she might write the cutest adult stories ever!

 

:)

Rosie

[laughing lioness]

The ending was such a fantastic surprise and the "surprise" character was one that I really liked.

A great book about getting unstuck.

[Jane Elliot]

Luann, we loved this. I have to admit that we read the abridged version about two years ago. Still fabulous. And then we really enjoyed the BBC series.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks, Negin. We had been looking on Netflix and there were so many versions we couldn't decide which one to try. We'll get this one when we finish the book.

[Angel]

Yay! I read two of Sarah Addison Allen's books. They're so cute. *happy sigh*

 

Rosie

 

They are great!

[Angel]

I have been so busy gearing up for vacation that I don't know when I posted last. I've read "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" in preparation for our trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Dd16 is already on book 5 *sigh* but she hasn't had so much to do AND she's been sick since last Friday so very little school work. I have no idea how many books that makes me. I will update after vacation. I've got two Twilight books in my bag for beach reading, plus more Harry Potter's :D

 

Gotta run! More stuff to do before our trip!

[Sparkle]

I finished Murder in the Marais, which was an enjoyable read, although a little more violent than most mysteries I'm used to reading. I also read England As You Like It by Susan Allen Toth, which was a delightful travelogue. Looking forward to reading more by this author. Currently about 2/3 of the way through My Ox is Broken!: Roadblock, Detours, Fast Forwards and Other Great Moments from TV's The Amazing Race by Adam-Troy Castro, which is a recap and a bit of a behind-the-scenes look at the first 8 seasons of TAR. Fun read.

[laughing lioness]

Just finished The Girl who Chased the Moon and I liked it even better than The Sugar Queen. Please tell me that this is not "romance"- please. I don't do romance.

Addison Allen might be my new fav author. I want to write like her when I grow up.

[Rosie_0801]

Just finished The Girl who Chased the Moon and I liked it even better than The Sugar Queen. Please tell me that this is not "romance"- please. I don't do romance.

Addison Allen might be my new fav author. I want to write like her when I grow up.

 

 

No, it's cuteness.

[laughing lioness]

No, it's cuteness.

 

pshew!

[Food4Thought]

No, it's cuteness.

 

I totally agree. I loved the Peach Keeper when I read it a few months back. It was the first cute "adult" book I had read in a long time. Comparable to Sarah Dessen's YA novels, I think.

 

This week I started The Book Thief, and I'm about halfway into it. I picked up The Physics of the Impossible at the same time, and I think I have fallen in total geek love with Michio Kaku.

[Stacia]

I finished Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran today. I sped through this book, in spite of its mostly sad and horrific descriptions of the French Revolution & the aftermath. Truly, Madame Tussaud was a survivor & a very strong woman. I learned many fascinating facts about that time period & I liked that the author gave some great historical notes at the end, pointing out what was based on facts, what was fictionalized, etc....

 

The beginning of Moran's historical notes beautifully sum up the heartbreaking tone of the book:

"It is hard to relate just how turbulent and bloody the years of the French Revolution really were. The fall of the monarchy and the subsequent rise of a far worse, far deadlier tyranny make for what can be a challenging read, simply because so many innocent people perished in the name of liberty, equality, and fraternity. Although estimates differ, up to forty thousand people may have met their end by guillotine. And contrary to popular belief, more than eighty percent of those victims were commoners.

 

What began as an earnest desire for freedom ended in a bloodbath that would eventually claim the lives of up to half a million citizens all across France."

Prior to reading this, I had always considered Madame Tussaud's to be a sort-of cheesy wax museum in London. I never realized the importance (her) wax figures had in presenting the news in a tumultuous time prior to the advent of photography. Her popular wax museum constantly changed to report the latest news, show the most popular figures of the day (often political figures), & was an important component of the news in Revolutionary-era France during a time of scathing political pamphlets and heated debates in cafes.

 

Here is another review of the book. (And, Negin, this reviewer compares the French Revolution w/ the Iranian Revolution.)

Edited September 3, 2011 by Stacia

[Negin]

I finished Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran today.

Prior to reading this, I had always considered Madame Tussaud's to be a sort-of cheesy wax museum in London. I never realized that importance (her) wax figures had in presenting the news in a tumultuous time prior to the advent of photography.

Stacia, this is on my list of books to read. Thanks for the very helpful review. :) Until recently, I also thought of Madame Tussaud's as a tacky place. Then I read a little bit about its history. We were going to go when we were in London, but we couldn't get discounted tickets. It really is very expensive, so we decided not to this time. We'd already gone to a play and that had cost a lot. As a child, I went to Madame Tussaud's a lot, never knowing or appreciating its history.

[ladydusk]

Finally! I got into a reading too many things at once so I wasn't really reading anything at all summer rut. But last night, I finished one of them. Real Love for Real Life by Andi Ashworth. I just forced myself to buckle down and read only that. I liked it well enough, but I didn't love it.

 

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

9. The Abyssinian - Jean-Christophe Rufin

10. In the Company of Others - Jan Karon

11. One Thousand Gifts - Ann Voskamp

12. Regency Buck - Georgette Heyer

13. Bath Tangle - Georgette Heyer

14. The Convenient Marriage - Georgette Heyer

15. The Organized Heart - Staci Eastin

16. Your Home: A Place of Grace - Susan Hunt

17. Christian Encounters: Jane Austen - Peter Leithart

18. Bambi: A Life in the Woods - Victor Salten

19. Aunt Jane's Hero - Elizabeth Prentiss

20. The Magician's Nephew (Audio Book) - C.S. Lewis

21. The Horse and His Boy (Audio Book) - C.S. Lewis

22. Beauty for Truth's Sake - Stratford Caldecott

23. A Mother's Rule of Life - Holly Pierlot

24. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

25. Persuasion - Jane Austen

26. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

27. Real Love for Real Life - Andi Ashworth

[laughing lioness]

I finished Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran today. I sped through this book, in spite of its mostly sad and horrific descriptions of the French Revolution & the aftermath. Truly, Madame Tussaud was a survivor & a very strong woman. I learned many fascinating facts about that time period & I liked that the author gave some great historical notes at the end, pointing out what was based on facts, what was fictionalized, etc....

 

The beginning of Moran's historical notes beautifully sum up the heartbreaking tone of the book:

"It is hard to relate just how turbulent and bloody the years of the French Revolution really were. The fall of the monarchy and the subsequent rise of a far worse, far deadlier tyranny make for what can be a challenging read, simply because so many innocent people perished in the name of liberty, equality, and fraternity. Although estimates differ, up to forty thousand people may have met their end by guillotine. And contrary to popular belief, more than eighty percent of those victims were commoners.

 

What began as an earnest desire for freedom ended in a bloodbath that would eventually claim the lives of up to half a million citizens all across France."

Prior to reading this, I had always considered Madame Tussaud's to be a sort-of cheesy wax museum in London. I never realized that importance (her) wax figures had in presenting the news in a tumultuous time prior to the advent of photography. Her popular wax museum constantly changed to report the latest news, show the most popular figures of the day (often political figures), & was an important component of the news in Revolutionary-era France during a time of scathing political pamphlets and heated debates in cafes.

 

Here is another review of the book. (And, Negin, this reviewer compares the French Revolution w/ the Iranian Revolution.)

 

Fascinating. Adding to my list!

[Storm Bay]

Okay, I'm squeaking in here before the next week is linked. I haven't been on here often this summer! I'm reading The Well Balanced Child by Sally Goddard Blythe finally. There are many good things about it, although I get tired of wading through the evolutionary parts of it.

[Imprimis]

After re-reading the Harry Potter series (I had just read them for the first time last summer!), I read When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishikuro, an oddly compelling story of a man who attempts to discover the truth about the disappearance of his parents when he was a child.

[Robin M]

Link to week 36