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Book a Week in 2012 - Week 3


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Happy Sunday, my dears! Today is the start of week 3 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 - Ahab's Wife. Introducing Sena Jeter Nasland and her book Ahab's Wife. We are having a readalong (thank you Jennifer for introducing the story to us) so if you want to play, jump right in. There are 167 chapters averaging 4 pages each for a total of 667 pages. You can read at your own pace and when we come up for air on Saturday January 21, we'll see where we all stand and take it from there. Or read 48 pages a day which will have you finishing in two weeks. I started reading it last night and was quickly captured by her writing within a few pages. There's a reading guide at the end of the story, so will post those for all to discuss or you can just share your thoughts when we are done.

 

If you don't have a blog and/or want to keep track of your reads in a handy list, we have a goodreads group where you can discuss your reads as well as a social group 2012 reading challenges.

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

 

 

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I just finished The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, and now I'm starting Walden.

 

I really liked The Immortal Life--now I am wondering about all those vials of blood from my Red Cross donations and the little dots of my newborns' blood on metabolic screening cards that are owned by my state. What, if anything, is being done with them? It's a lot to think about.

 

I was also shocked by the descriptions of lives that seem so far removed from my own--the extreme poverty, for instance.

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I finished By the Light of the Moon by Dean Koontz and loved it. Chilling, not gory. More paranormalish, psychological, scary than anything else. Looking forward to delving into more stories by him. Also finished "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" by John Berendt. Didn't realize it was nonfiction until midway through. So was annoyed the narrator didn't introduce himself at all, described in great detail all these weird colorful characters. I kept wondering where's the plot. :lol: Note to self - read the back cover more carefully.

 

Started Ahab's wife yesterday on my nook. The beginning 2 pages were a bit tough for me to get, but once got into the story, it really grabbed me. Also started a review book "The Silent Oligarch" by Christopher Morgan Jones which is being released on the 19th. Not sure how I like it yet but reviewing for TLC book tours so will give it a chance.

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<<What kind of Christian novels does she write? Are they like those light romance novels or more literary? I like to read Christian novels sometimes, but ones that are pithy and well written. >>

 

I'm answering you here, Karin! Robin's started a new week.

 

Ann Lamott is a REAL person with real stuff, like drug addiction and a gorgeous child out of wedlock, etc. So her "Jesus" is gritty and well, rather pernicious. She writes/talks about how at the worst point in her life, she saw Jesus crouching in a corner of her bedroom and she got mad because she didn't want to be Christian because Christians are boring and drink too much Koolaid and don't think for themselves, etc. etc. That image of Jesus crouching in the corner, watching her and willing her to him stayed with me.

 

Some people don't like her. My mom goes to a mega church type thing and they've had AL for a couple of events as a speaker. More "proper"/older type women hate her and can write some really awful letters. :(

Younger, more "progressive" people tend to love her because she's honest about how hard faith is for some people at least some of the time. She also writes about race and faith and that can be an uncomfortable trigger for some people.

 

I found her through her parenting books - I read her when I was trying to TTC years ago and then I continued to read her as I walked away from Christianity. Like I said, if I went to her church, I'd probably still be Christian. But maybe not... I think I'd have faked it a lot longer though!!!

 

Now I'm craving some writing by her... :)

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I didn't post last week, so I'll catch up. I read My Man Jeeves, by p.g. wodehouse. Loved, loved and loved it some more. I will definitely be reading more of his work soon. I am currently reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp and I am loving it! She is a beautiful writer (almost poetic).

 

I will also be beginning (or attempting lol) Ahab's Wife this week:001_huh:

 

Wish me luck!

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Also finished "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" by John Berendt. Didn't realize it was nonfiction until midway through. So was annoyed the narrator didn't introduce himself at all, described in great detail all these weird colorful characters. I kept wondering where's the plot. :lol: Note to self - read the back cover more carefully.

 

I did the very same thing when I read that book - and had the same thought - how did I miss that?

 

I'm starting Ahab's Wife today.

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<<What kind of Christian novels does she write? Are they like those light romance novels or more literary? I like to read Christian novels sometimes, but ones that are pithy and well written. >>

 

I'm answering you here, Karin! Robin's started a new week.

 

Ann Lamott is a REAL person with real stuff, like drug addiction and a gorgeous child out of wedlock, etc. So her "Jesus" is gritty and well, rather pernicious. She writes/talks about how at thw worst point in her life, she saw Jesus crouching in a corner of her bedroom and she got mad because she didn't want to be Christian because Christians are boring and drink too much Koolaid and don't think for themselves. That image of Jesus crouching in the corner, watching her and willing her to him stayed with me.

 

Some people don't like her. My mom goes to a mega church type thing and they've had AL for a couple of events as a speaker. More "proper"/older type women hate her and can write some really awful letters. :(

Younger, more "progressive" people tend to love her because she's honest about how hard faith is for some people at least some of the time. She also writes about race and faith and that can be an uncomfortable trigger for some people.

 

I found her through her parenting books - I read her when I was trying to TTC years ago and then I continued to read her as I walked away from Christianity. Like I said, if I went to her church, I'd probably still be Christian. But maybe not... I think I'd have faked it a lot longer though!!!

 

Thanks for answering here :). I posted right before Robin started this. I like books that show how hard faith can be at times, because that's honest & can be helpful. Even if I don't like her, I'll give her a try. Which novel do you recommend as a first novel?

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Working on the same two books right now....

 

The Bells by Richard Harvell

 

From Booklist:

"Born in a belfry in the Uri Valley of the Swiss Alps, where his deaf-mute mother rang the Loudest Bells on Earth, Moses Froben possesses both a remarkably sensitive ear and an exquisite singing voice, enabling him to overcome his humble origins to become Lo Suizzero, the musical toast of Europe in the eighteenth century. In papers left for the son he raised but did not sire, Froben recounts being rescued from his fatherĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s murderous plan by monks Nicolai and Remus and taken to their abbey, where the choirmaster recognizes the boyĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s gift and goes to inhumane lengths to preserve it. In the neighboring town, Moses meets Amalia Duft, daughter of the areaĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s wealthiest man, whose love becomes a beacon for his life even after his castration. Despite an opening note that reveals part of the story, Harvell builds suspense as Moses struggles against the superior forces of the noble family Amalia is forced by duplicity to marry into, reaching a bittersweet conclusion. Taking few liberties with history, Harvell has fashioned an engrossing first novel ringing with sounds; a musical and literary treat."

Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures by Walter Moers

 

From Kirkus Reviews:

''Cross Lord of the Rings with Yellow Submarine, throw in. . . Monty Python, Douglas Adams, Shrek and The Princess Bride. . . ''

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)

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Thanks for answering here :). I posted right before Robin started this. I like books that show how hard faith can be at times, because that's honest & can be helpful. Even if I don't like her, I'll give her a try. Which novel do you recommend as a first novel?

 

I started with this one: http://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Mercies-Some-Thoughts-Faith/dp/0385496095/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326653437&sr=1-1 but I think her "Plan B' book was my favorite after her parenting stuff.

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I read:

 

5. The Up and Down Life: The Truth About Bipolar Disorder--the Good, the Bad, and the Funny, by Paul E. Jones

 

6. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

 

Currently reading:

 

7. The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Aspergers Syndrome, and One Man's Quest to be a Better Husband, by David Finch

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I finished 2 books this week, The Help and One Day. I have been wanting to read both of these for awhile, and I enjoyed both of them.

 

***SPOILER ALERT*** When Emma Mayhew dies in One Day, the book reads, "Then Emma Mayhew dies, and everything she thought or felt vanishes and is gone forever." For some reason this sentence really took my breath away, and is really sticking in my head. I can't get over it. In the last couple of years I have lost a 2 people very close to me, and that sentence is such a good description of the feeling that you are left with when someone dies. ***END OF SPOILER ALERT***

 

The book I am currently reading is called The End: The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1944-1945. I thought it might be time to tackle something a little less fluffy ;)!

 

My list so far:

1) The Pioneer Woman-A Love Story Ree Drummond

2) Wishful Drinking Carrie Fisher

3) Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Lisa See

4) Shockaholic Carrie Fisher

5) Excellent Women Barbara Pym

6) The Help Kathryn Stockett

7) One Day David Nicholls

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I got Ahab's Wife last week and am about 200 pages into it. This is not a book I would have ever chosen or persisted with on my own, so I am really grateful to be influenced by this group. I like getting out of my comfort zone!

 

Una is an easy character to like, but I am having a hard time understanding her parents and particularly her mother. I do not want to spoil anything, so I will just say that I am mystified by her mother's choices as spelled out in the letter on p. 141.

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Well, it was a crazy end of year and first week of the year so this is my first time to contribute. :)

 

I read Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife. I don't know why. It's always right there at the corner of the fiction section as I turn into the kids' section of the bookstore. The cover is so terribly cheesy and there was no way I'd read something so silly. It was. :) It was also pretty good in a light way. The first 1/3 of the book covers and recovers their s#xual life much more than remotely necessary. Outside of the fact it seems she uses the beginning of the book to write a s3x book the rest is good, fun fiction. They go through a lot and I was surprised by the directions she chose to take some of the characters.

 

I also read The Penderwicks. I've always thought the cover looked so, I don't know, friendly in the bookstore. I had picked it up on a whim at the library and wanted to grab an actual paper book to read going to and from NC. It was good. Very light but good.

 

I'm finishing Inheritance right now. I liked the first books and this one is good so far. LOTS of fighting. LOTS of scanning the fighting pages.

 

I'm also rereading The Count of Monte Crisco. I read it so sporadically that I didn't really read it. Do you know what I mean? As soon as I finish Inheritance today or tomorrow I think I'll dive into Monte Crisco and devote myself to it. I'll give more uniformity to the characters and story this time instead of spending the first 15 minutes remembering what's going on. :)

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Read in 2012:

 

#1 The English Teacher (Lily King; fiction)

#2 Artist's Journal Workshop (Cathy Johnson; non-fiction, art)

#3 Coriolanus (William Shakespeare; play, classic)

#4 Feed (MT Anderson; fiction)

#5 The Autobiography of an Execution (David R. Dow; non-fiction)

#6 Like Shaking Hands with God (Kurt Vonnegut, Lee Stringer; non-fiction)

# 7 The Project (Brian Falkner; YA fiction)

#8 Wool (Hugh Howey; fiction)

#9 Wool 2 (Hugh Howey; fiction)

#10 Adventure Unleashed (______ __. _________; unpublished fiction)

 

 

Currently and/or still reading:

 

â–  The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains (Nicholas Carr)

â–  The Lost Art of Reading (David L. Ulin)

â–  The Social Animal (David Brooks)

 

_______________

 

Links to posts about these books:

 

On the nightstand, January 15

On the nightstand, January 9

On the nightstand, January 2

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I'm about 3/4 of the way through Let the Great World Spin. Normally, I know if I like a book by this stage. This is one of those rare times when I really can't tell if I'm going to like it or not. Endings are everything to me. Sometimes the book is dragging on for me a bit. Other times, I enjoy it more. Depends whom the chapter is about.

 

I'm looking forward to your final review on this one.

 

I tried reading it about a year ago but couldn't really get into it. That was a shame because I had so enjoyed his book Dancer (a fictionalized biography of Nureyev). I thought his writing was exquisite. Maybe I need to try a different book he has written....

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Well, I'm still working on Don Quixote. :glare: I don't dislike it, but I feel like it is just so wordy...like everything could be said in less time. I guess that's part of the whole difference in era.

I finished The Body Project this past week. I'll post a review later. It was really good - it was some heavy stuff, IMO. But overall I liked it.

So far I've done:

1. Radical Together

2. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

3. The Body Project

 

I'm going to have to find something at the library for this week, because I know I'm not going to finish Quixote this week. I don't know why, I like the story, but it is just dragging for me and I'm having a hard time willing myself to pick it up and continue. :tongue_smilie:

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Here is my updated list:

 

Completed

1.Paradise, by Toni Morrison. I really liked this one. Seemed metaphorical, but I am not sure for what. I really need to be hit over the head sometimes on things like this.

2. Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman. Didn't like this one, characters were unbelievable and the set-up for the story seemed to be straight out of Wuthering Heights.

3.Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat. Pretty good story about a young woman and her life in Haiti and New York.

4.What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Dayby Pearl Cleage. OK, Pretty Fluffy.

5. What Einstein Told His Cook(non-fiction)

6. Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts. More fluff, but joyful too. I liked it.

7.Backroads byTawni O'Dell.

8. Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax, non-fiction. Didn't agree with everything he had to say, but pretty interesting.

 

Continuing:

 

Your Money or Your Life (non-fiction)

Calico Bush (read aloud)

Struggle for a Continent (read aloud)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (read aloud)

 

Starting

Daughter of Fortune, by Isabel Allende. I really like it so far!

Then I will start Ahab's Wife

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I read 100 Cupboards and Dandelion Fire at the recommendation of my 12 yo son. I asked him to recommend one book to me, and he recommended the second book in the series, so of course I had to read the first one first. :tongue_smilie: Unlike The Hunger Games trilogy or the Harry Potter books, I am not motivated enough to finish the series, but I did find myself staying up later than I intended to see how a plot point would work out.

 

I also made it almost half-way through The Thin Man before it got mixed up with library books that we returned yesterday. :glare:

 

So, rather than finishing The Thin Man, I'm reading Brunelleschi's Dome.

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This will probably be my only post on this topic. Between working full-time and everything else, I seem to only get through 26-29 books a year.

But, right now, I'm on target and wanted to post. :)

 

1. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer - excellent book. It has a different writing style but I still loved it. The movie is coming out later this month with Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock. Read the book first.

 

2. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake - I also really enjoyed this book. Even though parts were predictable, I liked it a lot.

 

3. Bossypants by Tina Fey - Did not like this one at all. I just don't think she is very funny, at least in writing. I just kept wanting it to be over.

 

I'm jealous of those of you who are reading Ahab's Wife for the first time. About 10 years ago, a friend gave me this book. I still consider it one of my favorite books and still think about it. Enjoy!

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I can't remember what I'd completed last week so here's the list to date:

 

  • The Ring by Bobbie Pyron YA recommended by dd12. Too much teen age angst for a mother of two teen girls.
  • The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel by Garth Stein Excellent story. Definitely the best narration I've ever read by a dog.
  • The Midnight Zoo by Sonya Hartnett Another recommendation by dd12. WW2 from the perspective of some Rom children and zoo animals. Deeper than I expected it to be.
  • Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson Read this one to brush up on my Revolutionary War era history. Also, my book club read biographies for January. Not the most recent Franklin biography but a complete overview of Franklin's life from a biographer who liked him.
  • The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot DĂƒÂ­az This one disappointed me. You can read my review here if you'd like.

I'm currently reading How the Irish Saved Civilization (Hinges of History) by Thomas Cahill.

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1. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer - excellent book. It has a different writing style but I still loved it. The movie is coming out later this month with Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock. Read the book first.

 

 

I've tried to read this on two separate occassions and can't get into it. I think it might be worth another try.

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1. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer - excellent book. It has a different writing style but I still loved it. The movie is coming out later this month with Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock. Read the book first.

 

The previews for this movie look great!

 

I've pondering reading the book, but I think it will probably be one that will make me cry & cry. (Crying gives me a headache, so it has to be something I really want to read, kwim?) Every time I see the preview, though, it makes me want to read the book. I may have to try it.

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I finished Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Heaney this week and thoroughly enjoyed it. The review is up on my blog. I have sitting and waiting for me Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Verne, Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Ahab's Wife. Hopefully, I'll finish at least one this week and stay on track.

 

2012 Book list

2. Beowulf by Heaney

1. Cut Your Grocery Bills in Half by Economizers

Edited by Narrow Gate Academy
forgot to proofread
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Bit of a life attack around here, so I can't remember what I posted last week, or if I posted at all. Since the first book I know I posted about, I've read:

 

Tarka the Otter, by Henry Williamson

 

and

 

The Hound of the Baskervilles & The Sign of the Four, by Arthur Conan Doyle

 

Tarka was so language rich, it took me until near the end to build the stamina to read more than one single chapter aloud! It was also full of unfamiliar language. My MIL has lent me the Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady so I might become familiar with some of the flora and fauna. (I read a lot of British stories as a child and was sooooo disappointed when I found out primroses weren't the pretty purple I imagined they were!)

 

Rosie

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Finished The Scarlet Pimpernel this week and enjoyed it, and also Tehanu, the fourth in Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea series. I started Malcolm Gladwell's What the Dog Saw yesterday. Need to find something else to read on the treadmill to take my mind off running--What the Dog Saw looks a little too thick for the stand.

 

Books Read in 2012

5. Tehanu-Ursula Le Guin

4. The Scarlet Pimpernel-Baroness Orczy

3. The Paleo Diet-Loren Cordain

2. Peter Pan-James Barrie

1. The Farthest Shore-Ursula Le Guin

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I have been reading, but realized last night I have not posted yet.

So far this year I have read Little House on the Praire, His Forever Love, a "dime-store" romance that I can not even remember the name of :glare: and Forever Love this week. I am spending time today reading Hosea from the Old Testament.

This coming week I am reading

Ahab's Bride: Book One of Ahab's Legacy by Louise M. Gouge

 

The author is the mother of one of my good friends and I bought it when it first came out.:blushing: You all have inspired me to read this trilogy and Moby Dick by Spring.

 

I am also starting Little House in the Big Woods with the kids this week.

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So far this year I have read/listened to;

1.How to be a woman by Caitlin Moran

2.UFO for her by Xiaolu Guo

3. Earthsearch 2 by James Follet audio book

4. The Aloha Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini

 

Not sure what I will read this week. I have a stack of books but nothing is clicking.

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The previews for this movie look great!

 

I've pondering reading the book, but I think it will probably be one that will make me cry & cry. (Crying gives me a headache, so it has to be something I really want to read, kwim?) Every time I see the preview, though, it makes me want to read the book. I may have to try it.

 

I'm hoping they do a great job with the movie. As much as I love Tom Hanks, he just doesn't seem to me to be the best choice for the dad.

 

It definitely is a book that is emotional. I read it as much as I could on my breaks at work. I remember one day I had to stop reading because I was in an incredibly sad part of the book and I couldn't stop crying. Not an appropriate thing to do in the break room.

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This week: I started Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother this morning and am planning to start Tigerlily's Orchids by Ruth Rendell this evening.

Week 2:The Alchemyst, The Reading Promise, and Pinched. I enjoyed all of them, but I'm not sure that I liked the Alchemyst enough to continue with the series.

Week 1:Your Child's Writing Life and Tonight No Poetry Will Serve.

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Hello Week 3! I didn't finish Pride and Prejudice yet, so I'm still going. I did start The Aeneid - which I suspect will take longer than 1 week also! Does it matter if I get to december and I have 50 books on the go?

 

So far:

Week 1: finished Anna Karenina (must change sig)

Week 2: Began Pride & Prejudice

Week 3: Began The Aeneid

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Phew, I thought Ahab's Wife for today and I'm only somewhere in the mid-100s! Glad I have another week. I'm really enjoying the story!

 

Still working my way through The Art of Family. It's full of good stuff so I'm taking my time with it.

 

I keep reading all your comments and adding more books to my goodreads list!

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I finished 3 books this week and I have linked to reviews on my blog.

 

Interpreter of Maladies (Jhumpa Lahiri)

 

The Rhythm of Family (Amanda Blake Soule and Stephen Soule)

 

The Importance of Being Earnest (Oscar Wilde)

 

This week I will be finishing up Little Heathens:Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression (Mildred Armstrong Kalish)

 

I will also try out a little of Ahab's Wife and see if it catches my interest.

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I finished The Autobiography of an Execution, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Ahab's Wife, and the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius this week.

 

After reading a few pages, I was resigned to not enjoying The Autobiography of an Execution because I didn't care for Dow's narrative style. I also thought he made it sound like anyone who doesn't think exactly like he does is an idiot, which I found off-putting even though I share his view on capital punishment. The story he told was so fascinating and horrifying that I had to keep reading, and I'm glad I did. What a powerful book!

 

Ahab's Wife is a gem. I saw that the readalong was going to be over two weeks and was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep up because of my schedule over the few weeks, so went ahead and started it. I couldn't stop reading, and finished it in three days. Wow. I'll save my discussion for the group because I don't want to spoil the experience for anyone.

 

Finished A Midsummer Night's Dream, although I don't seem to be participating in that group discussion.

 

Read Marcus Aurelius's Meditations because someone recommended it on a thread on this forum recently. I don't remember who, but thank you! I don't know why I hadn't read it before. I gulped it down and am now planning to take it in smaller chunks over a long period of time.

 

I'm currently reading 13, rue ThĂƒÂ©rĂƒÂ¨se: A Novel. I'm about a quarter of the way into it, and it's leaving me pretty much flat at this point, but I'm going to keep going to see if my opinion changes.

 

Next up, The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz ZafĂƒÂ³n. After that, I'll read Whiskey Breakfast: My Swedish Family, My American Life, by Richard C. Lindberg. I'm really looking forward to both.

 

Currently reading:

13, rue ThĂƒÂ©rĂƒÂ¨se: A Novel

 

Week 2: A Midsummer Night's Dream; The Autobiography of an Execution; Ahab's Wife; Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

Week 1: Daughter of Smoke and Bone; The Palace of Illusions

Edited by cani e porci
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Book 4: Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel

 

I read it this week because I saw it on someone's list and I absolutely loved Life of Pi. I didn't know Yann Martel had written another book. I jumped right into it without reading any reviews or summaries. I didn't even read the the inside jacket blurb.

 

It was a very clever book. This is the first time I can recall wishing I had someone to discuss the book with right after I read it. SPOILER ALERT...

 

 

 

 

 

 

This reminds me of the discussion here a few days ago about interpretations of books. If you read most of the reviews or blurbs for Beatrice and Virgil they will tell you that this is a book about the Holocaust. That is only one interpretation. This book has many layers. Each layer appears to have a purpose and is carefully crafted. There are the author's commentary and examples of the blurring of the lines between fiction and reality. There is the question about what makes something literature. There is the relationship between authors and readers.

 

There is taxidermy, there is animal endangerment, there is holocaust. It reminds me of a tri-bond question: What do these three things have in common? The answer was so horrific in my mind that I was actually surprised when I felt led to a point and it turned into nothing. The horror I had imagined didn't happen. I felt sure the author meant for me to feel that, but I could be wrong.

 

You have to read the Life of Pi first and then read some reviews to understand that Yann Martel was inundated with letters from people who thought that the story of Pi was real. It was so real to them that they got angry when they found out it wasn't. They felt decieved. Knowing all that is necessary before reading Beatrice and Virgil.

 

The story is a puzzle within a puzzle, a book about itself. In spite of the morbid subject matter, I was very impressed.

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1. Cut Your Grocery Bills in Half by Economizers

 

Was this worth it - that is - were there practical suggestions for *common folk*? I've been considering reading this but I need it to be useful. :001_smile:

 

 

Tarka the Otter, by Henry Williamson

 

Tarka was so language rich, it took me until near the end to build the stamina to read more than one single chapter aloud! It was also full of unfamiliar language. My MIL has lent me the Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady so I might become familiar with some of the flora and fauna. (I read a lot of British stories as a child and was sooooo disappointed when I found out primroses weren't the pretty purple I imagined they were!)

 

Rosie

 

Tarka the Otter has been a to-be-read book for me for a long time - you're comment about it being "so language rich" has doubly reinforced my desire to read this . . . sometime . . .

 

From years ago, I still remember the beautiful illustrations in Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady . . . :)

 

 

This week I will be finishing up Little Heathens:Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression (Mildred Armstrong Kalish)

 

I'll be interested in reading what you say about this - another book I'd like to read someday . . . :001_smile:

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I finished Dead Until Dark, but since it was pure twaddle I didn't write a review. I didn't care for it and will probably not read the rest of the series. I did learn today that there is a TV show based on the book - is it any good?

 

I'm currently reading two books that I've seen recommended here at WTM - Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen and A Chicken in Every Yard by Robert Litt. I'm enjoying them both!

 

2012 Reading List

5. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

4. Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund

3. At Home by Bill Bryson

2. Mitten Strings for God by Katrina Kenison

1. Little Sugar Addicts by Kathleen DesMaisons

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This week I finished a non-fiction book by Anne Lamott and began another of hers.

 

Finished:

 

#2 - Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith

 

Began:

 

#3 - Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith

 

Her writing style is engaging and honest - and I am SO looking forward to reading her Bird By Bird book (if my library ever gets it)! As for content, some topics fire up intense disagreement while still almost drooling over how cleverly and truthfully she writes from her own heart and/or perspective. And that's all I'm going to say . . .

 

Not sure what I'll read next. I have a Lamott novel sitting here from the library that will soon be due, but I have other books, both fiction and nonfiction, that I'd like to delve into . . .

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Finished The Scarlet Pimpernel this week and enjoyed it....

 

 

Are you aware that there are a number of sequels to the Scarlet Pimpernel? I assigned my 9th grade daughter The Scarlet Pimpernel, and she so enjoyed it that she read all the sequels she could get her hands on. (One sequel was only available at one library in the US which would not lend it through inter-library loan. Drats.)

 

Regards,

Kareni

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"Several of us have accounts there. Do you have the same username there?"

 

From previous thread, I just found the WTM group on goodreads. My username is just my first name, but I've just joined the group and should be fairly easy to spot...I see most members just recently joined in December 2011.

 

I look forward to discussions here but I like being able to see what others are reading, read their previous reviews, and add books to my "to read" list from what I peruse there.

 

I'm not sure about Ahab's Wife...is it necessary to have read Moby Dick first to really get the most from the book? And I'm sure I couldn't keep up with a fast reading schedule ....but I'm tempted!

 

Finished so far:

1. Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone

2. The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

3. My Name is Asher Lev

 

Currently reading:

Sugar Queen

All the Pretty Horses (audio in the car)

Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets

 

Thanks for including a newbie on this journey--very fun to check in with you all each week!!

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Darn, I always meant to take that Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics class. Whoa! I'm impressed with all the reading going on.

 

A Week of Reading:

  • I read Alice Munro's title short story to her collection Too Much Happiness.
  • As I thumbed through my most recent "The New Yorker" and read the story story "A Brief Encounter with the Enemy" by Said Sayrafiezadeh backwards, starting with these last lines:

'What have you been doing Luke? What have you been

doing for the last two or three hours?'

 

Nothing. I've done nothing.

 

The next day we flew back home in style, just like

we'd been promised.

 

[After these lines I went to the first page and started at

the beginning.]

  • I've already deviated from my proposed reading list and bought A Gesture life by Chang-rae Lee at the library for $0.50. I am 150 pages in.
  • I am on chapter 17, book three of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire- an extended read aloud through all the books with DD~8.

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I finished God Grew Tired Of Us. It was a book that I did not want to end! I am now reading Last child In The Woods. I'm number 52 for Catherine the Great. I am eagerly looking forward to reading it.

Finished so far:

1. Light Horseman's Daughter

2. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

 

Currently Reading:

1. Girl who Played with Fire---just started it, seems pretty good

2. Catherine the Great by Robert Massie----excellent so far

3. Paradise Valley by Dale Cramer--really liking this so far

Edited by lillysmom216
incorrect title
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Book 4: Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel

 

You have to read the Life of Pi first and then read some reviews to understand that Yann Martel was inundated with letters from people who thought that the story of Pi was real. It was so real to them that they got angry when they found out it wasn't. They felt decieved. Knowing all that is necessary before reading Beatrice and Virgil.

 

The story is a puzzle within a puzzle, a book about itself. In spite of the morbid subject matter, I was very impressed.

 

Maybe this was my problem. I had attempted to read "Beatrice and Virgil" but had not read "Life of Pi." I did not like B & V, thought it was the silliest book I had ever read. I really wanted to enjoy it because I think Martel is a very gifted writer but B & V just didn't make sense to me. Maybe I need to read "Life of Pi" first.

 

Anyway, I finished "The 39 Steps" by John Buchan (it was so-so) and am now in the midst of Book #4 "Watership Down" by Richard Adams. So far, wonderful book.

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My goal for the week is to finish Ahab's Wife, get back to Walden and finish it, aaaaand I just received Peter Enn's newest book called The Evolution of Adam and started it. :D Adam is definitely a "read slowly, digest, cross reference, and reread" type of book so I will be repeating it soon. Right now I'm just grammar stage reading it so I should be able to finish quickly, barring any self-imposed rabbit trails. :)

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