Jump to content

Menu

Book a Week in 2012 - Week 2


Recommended Posts

Still reading My Name is Asher Lev for book club Friday night. Hope I can finish in time. Anyone read this and have thoughts?

 

I read that book in 10th grade. I remember enjoying it. It's slow paced, but very interesting. I can't say much else about it, really - I don't know what I would think of it today. I'm sure I would get a lot more out of it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 219
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

 

Still reading My Name is Asher Lev for book club Friday night. Hope I can finish in time. Anyone read this and have thoughts?

 

I read it this summer and enjoyed it. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been reading a number of depressing books at the time, because I love Chaim Potok's writing. I found Asher Lev's struggle to "fit" his gift into his religious beliefs and the struggle of his family and friends to understand his gifting, fascinating. It was one of those books where you have to really try to put yourself into each of their heads to understand the feelings of each and to fully appreciate the conflict. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to give anything away. :001_smile:

 

My favourite of his is still The Chosen. That book enthralled me and I still think about the characters, and the father of one character in particular, and if I agree or disagree with his actions. It was so startling to completely disagree, then find out the reason for his actions, completely agree with the reason and then have to assess whether the benefit gained from these actions (that on their own, you still disagree with), makes the actions acceptable. Wow! I spent at least a couple of weeks arguing with myself after I read that book! :lol:

 

In any case, I digress ......:D I hope you end up enjoying Asher Lev!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Finally finished Pride & Prejudice. So much better than the '05 movie (which I enjoyed!).

Have you seen the A&E/BBC version with Colin Firth? I thought it was done very true to the book. Love, love, love that version. I saw it the day after I finished the book and loved it. I have come to a point where I refuse to see Hollywood re-makes if the BBC, etc. have already done it. ;)

 

pride.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

 

Pride and Prejudice is one of my all-time favorites.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Finished Invisible, an Ivy Malone Mystery by Lorena McCourtney. I didn't know what to expect from this book, but was very surprised that I read it straight through to the end.

 

If you are offended by religious references, this is probably not the book for you. It plays an integral role throughout the story. Scripture is quoted; a lot. Also, if you are sensitive about death and dying, the beginning of the book might overwhelm you. It was hard for me, made me sniffy, but I worked through it.

 

I will have to check the library for others in this series because this was a free download from Kindle. I would definitely try other books in this series.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just finished book 2 and I'm miraculously on track for the year. Yay!

 

1. Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone

2. The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society -- loved it on audio book because of all the voices for each letter writer!

 

Still reading My Name is Asher Lev for book club Friday night. Hope I can finish in time. Anyone read this and have thoughts?

 

I LOVED My Name is Asher Lev and all the others by Chaim Potok. I read them in high school (Senior year I think). One of the few authors that I kept all the books from. thanks for reminding me, they may go on my re-read list this year!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a lovely surprise this morning! A package arrived from Amazon containing a gift from one of our WTM Book a Week ladies. Thanks to her I'll be reading Dark Tide once I finish Ahab's Wife and Moby Dick.

 

Thank you, that was the highlight of my very crazy day!

 

Now who can I send a surprise gift to...

Edited by proverbs356lady
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you seen the A&E/BBC version with Colin Firth? I thought it was done very true to the book. Love, love, love that version. I saw it the day after I finished the book and loved it. I have come to a point where I refuse to see Hollywood re-makes if the BBC, etc. have already done it. ;)

 

pride.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

 

Pride and Prejudice is one of my all-time favorites.

 

I did see that version and it was excellent. I did like the actress Who played Jane in the movie better than the one from the mini series. Other than that, the BBC series was wonderful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I finished book 3 and 4, which happen to be a series. Most of the house is sick, so I thought that I would curl up and read tonight. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. For some reason when I am feeling ill, I just can't focus to read. :( And, I probably shouldn't have written reviews. :glare:

 

My reviews are here. I'm not a very good reviewer. I really dislike giving away spoilers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did see that version and it was excellent. I did like the actress Who played Jane in the movie better than the one from the mini series. Other than that, the BBC series was wonderful.

 

If you are talking about the Jane from the Keira Knightley version, then I agree. The BBC version is my favorite but I am able to watch the new movie and enjoy it for what it is, a shortened version of the real thing ;) However, I have always thought that the Jane in the BBC version wasn't pretty enough to be Jane. I thought the '05 Jane was beautiful.

 

I read Pride & Prejudice last year. It's an all-time favorite here!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Finished King's On Writing. Loved it. Word crafter extraordinarie. Wish I was into horror.

Slogging through Love and Respect. Great concepts but wish authors had read King's advice on how to write.

Finished Out of the Silent Planet. Kids loved it but had questions every 2 sentences. We're now reading My Side of the Mountain by Craighead George. Great read.

I'm counting all read alouds this year from the beginning.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you seen the A&E/BBC version with Colin Firth? I thought it was done very true to the book. Love, love, love that version.

 

Colin Firth...swoon.

 

I'm almost done with Persuasion. There is a Masterpiece Theater 1995 version and a BBC Masterpiece Classic 2007 version on Netflix. Which shall I choose?

 

 

 

I can't remember what I said I would read this week but I finished Raising Freethinkers: A Practical Guide for Parenting Beyond Belief. Highly recommended for non-religious, atheist, agnostic, and liberal religious folks. ;)

 

 

 

 

This has been on my wish list for a very long time. Well, that one and Parenting Beyond Belief by the same author on my wish list. The two books seem very similar. I can't decide which to get.

Edited by Kleine Hexe
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I AM going to catch up on this thread, but not just yet :tongue_smilie:. I did want to post about this week's reading though while it is fresh in my head. I just finished bogging about it here.

If you don't want to click on the link, here's what it says:

 

We are getting close to the end of the second week of the year. FJ finished her second book yesterday, A King’s Ransom by Jude Watson. It is the second book in the second 39 Clues series. Once again she declined to write about it, but really liked it :). I haven’t read it yet, she only finished it yesterday. The first series was excellent and the second one has been good so far as well.

Of course, it is a regular library book and not on the kindle and I am becoming such a snob now that that is a real downside for me. I love to read on the Kindle. It really does take the physical book itself out of the equation and just leaves the story. I love that it remembers where I am in the story, even when I leave it and go on to something else. I love that I can hold it with one hand while I am stirring something in the kitchen. I love that I can take several different books with me wherever I go. So, should I read A King’s Ransom while we have it from the library, or wait until I can read it on my Kindle?

I just finished my second book of the year this afternoon. I finished Eldest by Christopher Paolini, book 2 of the Inheritance Cycle. This was a reread for me. I wanted to reread the whole series before reading the latest installment that came out last fall. I did like the book, but mostly I am glad to be done with it. Thus far book 3 has been my favorite book in the series and I am excited to be rereading that, even though I want to get it done and get on to the last book. Something that I didn’t remember from Eldest that really caught my fancy was the history of Alegesia at the end of the story. I don’t remember that being at the end of the book when I read it originally and it does seem like the kind of thing that I would have been interested in and read if I had seen it. Maybe it was only in later editions or only in the kindle editions. Who knows? But it was nice to hit something new that I wasn’t expecting icon_smile.gif?m=1304368641g .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I'm almost done with Persuasion. There is a Masterpiece Theater 1995 version and a BBC Masterpiece Classic 2007 version on Netflix. Which shall I choose?

 

 

The 1995 version left me kind of blah though all my friends say it is their favorite. I haven't seen the 2007 version. Is it on Netflix streaming? Off to look! I read Persuasion last year, too, with dd's Jane Austen lit study.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was making good progress on Lit! and A Praying Life when we went to the library on Monday. I got side-tracked into two 14 day books :lol:.

 

Words to Eat By by Ina Lipkowitz. I'm only on the first word after reading the introduction ... it is pretty good and intriguing ... especially if you're interested in words, usage, and word origins.

 

The second is Early Christian Thinkers edited by Paul Foster and published by InterVarsityPress. I haven't started it yet, and might not after all, but at least I'll give some circulation numbers to an IVP book. It looks good, though and I'm sure I'd enjoy it if I had enough time to read it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ohhh. I'm waiting on this one too. (I've never read Stephen King before because I always figured he would scare me too much. :lol:)

 

Well, let me tell you, this book is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AMAZING! I am about 150 pages in and can't put it down. It's not scary, and he seriously is one amazing writer.

 

Okay, enough gushing. If you can get your hands on this book, do!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I read your previous post about The Nearby Feast- did you finish that, too? The latest issue of Mother Earth News had an excerpt (which I really enjoyed), and I was wondering if the book as a whole was just as good. :)

 

Hmm, that wasn't me...but maybe I'll read it! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just finished The Night Circus and it was simply divine. It was the author's debut novel and that girl is definitely going places! I'll post my review once I get it written to next week's thread, but get on your library's wait list for this one! :D

 

I added it to my wish list on amazon. You've got me intrigued! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The 1995 version left me kind of blah though all my friends say it is their favorite. I haven't seen the 2007 version. Is it on Netflix streaming? Off to look! I read Persuasion last year, too, with dd's Jane Austen lit study.

 

I just watched the 2007 version and did not like it at all. The 1995 version is by far my favorite of the two. The 2007 version seemed to take more liberties and strayed more from the book. I just wasn't very impressed.

 

 

I finally finished my first book of 2012: Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope. I very much enjoy Trollope's sense of humor in commenting on the social changes taking place at the time. This is the third in the Barchester series.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[Raising Freethinkers] has been on my wish list for a very long time. Well, that one and Parenting Beyond Belief by the same author on my wish list. The two books seem very similar. I can't decide which to get.

 

I haven't read PBB (I requested both from my library and RF came first) so I can't recommend one vs. the other, but it's my understanding that PBB is more "why" to have a non-religious family and RF is more "how"- a practical guide, chock full of Q & A, activities, games, role plays, stories, books, websites, celebrations etc to help parents who want to go the non-religious route. So I guess it depends on what you're looking for, where you are in exploring the idea. Having said that, I still want to read PBB!

 

Hope this was helpful. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I finished The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt today. Even though I'm not sure I've read a 'western' book, I enjoyed this one. Initially, the cadence & pacing of the book reminded me of the movie True Grit (the one that came out a year or two ago).

 

The story is told in a spare, straightforward style & takes us on a trip w/ the Sisters brothers -- brothers who are hired heavies (i.e., killers) who are sent to kill a prospector in California. The story is told by the more likeable brother, who is beginning to question his participation in their bloody profession. Although they are killers & there is killing going on, the story doesn't focus exclusively on that. Everything is told in a very up-front manner w/ no real lingering over actions, good or bad. The story is at times striking, desolate, funny (very dry but hilarious things), heartbreaking, and unexpected.

 

This book was short-listed for the 2011 Man Booker Prize. The cover art is pretty amazing too. :001_smile:

 

There is a quote on the back of the book which I really like & agree with...

 

from David Wroblewski, author of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle:

"The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt is a gorgeous, wise, riveting work of, among other things, cowboy noir. Comic, too, but of a species that arrives bearing a scorpion's stinger. You smile, then you wince, then you turn the page to find out what happens next, happily disarmed all the while by the voice of Eli Sisters as he puzzles his way back to humanity. Honestly, I can't recall ever being this fond of a pair of psychopaths."

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1. Envy, by J.R. Ward (3rd in the Fallen Angels series).

I don't like this series AS much as her Black Dagger Brotherhood (vampire) series but I do like it.

 

2. Kiss of the Highlander, by Karen Marie Moning (Highlander series).

(Okay it's total fluff reading, but whatever! lol. And for the record this series is not as good as her Fever series, which I loved- that one was more paranormal urban fantasy and was highly entertaining with a linear storyline to the whole series, as opposed to more of "typical" romance feel even though she puts a little time travel and magic and stuff like that into her Highlander series, but in the Highlander series each book is really more of a standalone instead of an ongoing storyline).

 

For those of you who have kids participating, do you let them count schoolbooks?

 

When I did this challenge with my daughter for 2011 we did sometimes count school reading, especially if we were otherwise going to be in danger of falling behind.

 

This week, I read Made to Crave by Lysa Terkhurst. I feel as if she wrote about my life. It's only been since November that I've really started to realize that I have issues with food, my body, weight, etc. I used to joke about them and my dissatisfaction, but now, I realize how deep-rooted they are.

 

I have put this on my "list" of books that I should check out!

 

"Hunger Games" LOVED it. I have had it on my nightstand forever and finally got around to it.

 

I really enjoyed that series, too. I took my daughter to the movies recently and they showed a coming attraction for the movie and it looked like it's going to be good!

 

I was going to read Pride & Prejudice after finishing up LIving Oprah, but my long awaited new Stephen King novel, 11/22/63, FINALLY became available from my library...omg what a BRICK :lol: Seriously, it's huge...866 pages! But I'm going to have to start it soon as I know there are other people on the waiting list after me.

 

I have that on reserve at my library, too, I can't wait to get it!!

 

ETA: Oh and I multi-quoted the wrong person in there somewhere so I had to delete it...but to whoever said she was going back through all of Dean Koontz' old stuff, that's pretty cool! He was always one of my favorite horror writers, too, and every once in a while I'll pick up something more recent of his and find that I still like him. :) That doesn't happen often with writers that I loved as a young teen...in fact I think the only other one is Stephen King! :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Book #3 - "Spider Bones" by Kathy Reichs. Missed this one when it came out. Temperance gets to go to Hawaii in this one. More light, late night reading. I have her latest book checked out, too, and really hope I won't be posting that I finished it tomorrow night, because that will mean the baby got out of bed again tonight.

 

Book #2 - "One Corpse Too Many" by Ellis Peters.

Book #1 - "A Morbid Taste for Bones" by Ellis Peters

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good morning my darlings! Today is the start of week 2 in our quest to read 52 books in 52 weeks. Welcome back to all our readers 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 - Sarah Addison Allen: highlighting the author's books since discovered her stories are incredibly charming and well worth reading.

 

We are off to an incredible start and I hope the momentum carries you forward throughout the year. It makes me happy to see so many folks reading and enjoying it. One thing to remember: Everyone reads at different rates and in different ways. Some can read several books at a time and others only one at a time. Some read fast and some read slow. Some read heavy duty books and others light. Enjoy your mind voyages exploring new works and ideas and don't worry about the numbers.

 

We'll start Ahab's wife next week and then when we are done, think we'll give it a couple weeks before we tackle Moby Dick. Sounds like everyone will need a lot of encouragement with the whale tale. :)

 

I've put together the list we have so far of folks who have amazon wishlists. We can also include your barnes and noble wishlist. Pm me if you'd like to add your lists or receive a copy of the list. I'll be sending it out today to those who already provided their lists. Remember too you can lend ebooks to each other so it you have a nook or kindle, you can add each other as contacts.

 

 

Housekeeping note: Each week I'll post a link to and from the old thread and new thread. Please continue conversation in new thread no matter what book # you are on. Thanks.

 

So.... :bigear: What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to week 1

 

Okay, so I started the second book first, since I never did get to reading all 8 pages of week one. I think I'll get more involved in posting once the number of posts gets down to normal. I'll just do Moby Dick and skip Ahab's Wife. I'm having trouble finding another good book to read. I started one I thought would be good but couldn't stand it, so will read something else this weekend instead. I'm taking Moby Dick a bit at a time as it's no longer a book I can sit & read in on and on as I'm seeing a lot more in it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I must be in a musical mood this month? Strange, as I have no musical ability.... So, my second book this year that revolves around Vienna & music -- I've started the book The Bells by Richard Harvell.

 

from IndieBound:

Young Moses Froben sings like an angel and possesses an otherworldly sense of hearing. These gifts carry him through a life rich in opportunity, while burdening him with unimaginable pain. Set in the Swiss Alps and Vienna in the mid-18th century, Harvell's first novel is a feat of storytelling and rich, descriptive writing. Most striking is his ability to describe sounds and music--an achievement that brings the story and characters to vibrant life in a unique way.

I thought this was an interesting note about the author/research (from Crown Publishing):

Harvell was inspired to write
THE BELLS
upon hearing his wife, a music teacher, practice an aria from Gluck’s
Orfeo ed Euridice
for her music training. Moved by the music, it struck him that no one hears the aria anymore as Gluck intended it: with Orpheus sung by a castrato. He began writing
THE BELLS
that same evening. Delving deeply into history, he learned that no castrato ever wrote his own biography. Over the course of writing the novel, Harvell visited every location that appears in the book—from the attic room in the Abbey of St. Gall, where Moses would have slept, to what would have been Remus’s and Nicolai’s quarters in Spittelberg.

My Goodreads Page

 

2012 Books Read:

01. Mozart's Last Aria by Matt Rees (HHH)

02. Oh No She Didn't by Clinton Kelly (HH 1/2, if you're in the right mood, lol)

03. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt (HHH 1/2)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This week I read: #4 Transcendental Oats by Louisa May Alcott, #5 A Long Fatal Love Chase also by LMA, #6 Rawhide Down: The Near Fatal Assassination of Ronald Reagan by Del Quentin Wilber, which was gripping, and currently reading The Box of Delights by John Masefield, and Bab: A Sub-Deb by Mary Roberts Rinehart which is quite amusing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's what I've read so far:

 

 

  1. Thirteen Reasons Why-Week 1
  2. Welcome to the Goon Squad-Week 1
  3. State of Wonder-Week 1
  4. Sh*t My Dad Says-Week 2
  5. Living Oprah-Week 2
  6. What’s So Amazing About Grace-currently reading
  7. 11/22/63-currently reading

 

 

Loving my two current books. Philip Yancey is pretty great! And Stephen King...wonderful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Finished #3 today (second book in Week 2) - The Me I Want To Be by John Ortberg. I'll probably reread it, and I found some of it helpful. However, he was coming from a very first-world, middle-class perspective, so its usefulness was limited, and at times it rubbed me the wrong way. It wasn't as deep as it could have been.

 

I'm enjoying The Demon-Haunted World, by Carl Sagan. He writes well, and doesn't believe in alien invasions/abductions..or really anything else supernatural. I disagree with him on some points (religion), but it's a fascinating book. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just finished reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo today. A little disturbing, but still pretty good. Don't know if I'll see the movie though as I can't imagine Daniel Craig playing Blomkvist.

 

If you want to see a version, I'd suggest the Swedish version (which has all 3 films). Excellent. (A warning: the movie is graphic like the books are.)

 

The Hollywood version of the film (w/ Daniel Craig) is pretty good, but overall, I preferred the Swedish version. (The American version is also graphic like the book.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When are people reading Moby Dick?

 

 

We are going to read Ahab's wife first starting Sunday and I'm thinking that will take two weeks. And assuming everyone else like me will need an off week or two between two reads, Moby Dick read will start Feb 5 or 12. Somewhere around there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all the great feedback about My Name is Asher Lev!

 

I did finish in time for book club tonight and we had a great discussion about SO many things--could have gone longer I suspect. In the end, I have to say it was not my favorite book, but I did enjoy it, learned a lot, and really enjoyed seeing and understanding the perspective of an artist. His struggle with his art and faith really intrigued me and I found that quite interesting.

 

In fact, by the end of book club night I think I liked the book more than when I arrived. Processing some of the tough stuff really helped me appreciate the author and his creation so much more.

 

Just wanted to pop on here quick and share that with you since some of your comments really helped me plug through and finish! Glad I did. :001_smile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share


×
×
  • Create New...