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Book a Week in 2012 - week 5


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Sharon, are you reading this on your Kindle? Is this the one you downloaded. I'm game to give it a try, but couldn't decide which one to download. I can get so hung up on these minor decisions.

 

I downloaded this one this morning, haven't done anything with it other than put it in a collection. :tongue_smilie:

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I didn't want to post until I finished Ahab's Wife, with such a thick book the final 250 pages I kept thinking "almost there, almost there!"

 

I really loved her writing, and loved the story. While parts of it seemed outrageously unimaginable, at the same time there was a realism to it and I could relate to the feelings and thoughts expressed by the main character. Thanks for the suggestion to read it, I'm glad I did!

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I liked Pillars of the Earth when I read it (when it was new), but didn't care for the sequel as I was tired of the perverted man in power using women sadistically. That doesn't happen in all of Follett's books. Does it happen in Fall of Giants?

It's been ages since I read Pillars of the Earth and World Without End. Like you. I also preferred Pillars - much more :). WWE was good, but not nearly as good, IMHO.

No, Fall of Giants doesn't have any use of sadistic woman. Obviously, there are some jerks, but not as painful as Pillars and WWE.

I love Fall of Giants, but I also happen to love Ken Follett. Mind you, Pillars is far better than Fall of Giants. Pillars is probably one of his all-time best books, IMHO.

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I quit Miss Peregrine's, too. :tongue_smilie: I have SO many books on my 'want to read' list that I just refuse to waste my time on a book that bores me silly.

 

After quitting MP I started reading The Feast Nearby and am thoroughly enjoying it. The theme is in the same vein as Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle but without being guilt-trippy/snobby. ;)

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I'm not sure why I was even attracted to this book. At this point I am more than half way through it, but I will admit that I stared at it last night and sighed. It is not that I need to be enthralled--I am just bored with it. Time shifting is a cheap trick in my book. (Having said that, I can think of another book set in Wales that uses the time travel concept--and I adore it! The book is A String in the Harp.)

 

 

 

This is the one I downloaded. Let the Kindle test begin.

 

By the way, Sharon, I also borrowed Moliere's The School for Wives from the library. In TWTM and/or TWEM, Susan recommends Richard Wilbur's translation of Tartuffe which emulates Moliere's couplets in English. I was delighted to see that Wilbur has also translated two other plays in a similar fashion. Wilbur's translation of Tartuffe is a delight so I look forward to this work.

 

I need to read some Moliere, too. Shall we have a Moliere challenge soon?

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Stacia: Thank you for "Comedy in the Minor Key" and "The Eyre Affair." I had totally forgotten about the judge a book by its cover vote from last year. My bad. Someone else recently reminded me of it as well when they added a belated vote for "Pint Man." I think it tied with "Comedy." Look forward to reading them. So sweet!!!!

 

 

Since February marks Charles Dickens 200th birthday, I have decided to dedicate this month's reading to him. I blogged about it here if anyone cares :D Going Mad For Charles Dickens :lurk5:

 

Great idea. Will highlight Dickens this coming Sunday. I read Great Expectations a couple years back and compared it to the film. Most interesting. Have several of his stories on the shelves.

 

Well, I did it! I finished Anna Karenina last night! Whooo hooo! While it wasn't my favourite book, I'd have to say, I really enjoyed it. It just took awhile to get into the characters and their extreme emotional responses. :001_huh:

 

I'm continuing with The Iliad and Cicero's Defence Speeches ....... not sure what else I'm going to add to that. When I finish such a thought-provoking book as AK, I usually need some time to sit with it and ponder before I begin anything else. I'm not sure if anyone else feels the same way .......????

 

 

Congratulations. Yes, feel the same way. When I finished War and Peace, Anna Karenina, Ahab's Wife - Just needed to sit and ponder it for a while. They fill your brain up and it's impossible to read anything else for a couple days.

 

Hi everyone!

 

I finished Mrs. Dalloway today and went to my classics book club.

The stream of consciousness writing is hard to read but that's why you read the classics - they STRETCH you. I ended up liking it and may read more Woolf at some point. It was hard to follow but there were really good nuggets in there. I loved where one of the main characters muses that the ambulance may be one of the main signs of civilization - the way eveyrone pauses and yields as they go by and the people that send a little wish out that the injured person makes it...

 

I'm going to give that club a couple more months but if it continues like this, I'll bag it.

 

So I knocked off Mrs. Dalloway in a week and I'm almost done with Why Read Moby Dick? And now I'm in the mood for some Dickens to celebrate his birthday.:lol: After Moby and after whatever Russian we decide to do... You all may have to be my classics bookclub from now on. Jen

 

I read In the Lighthouse a couple years back for literature class. One of several that used stream of consciousness. Not easy, but like you said, mind stretchers. Well worth it. And yes, we do need to read some dickens this month.

 

I finished Ahab's Wife on Sunday. I have to say I had a love/hate relationship with this book. I did not like the book initially but was determined to finish. Then I became invested in the characters (as I usually do!) so I couldn't put it down when I had the time to read. While reading I turned down many pages to go back to for further thought. If I ever get it down on paper I will share my musings with you and welcome your thoughts :)

 

I read the ebook version and when my buying ban is over will be buying the hard copy. There was so much and I want to go back and take my time, absorb it.

 

I need to read some Moliere, too. Shall we have a Moliere challenge soon?

 

Good idea. Probably the only way I'll ever read it is we choose to do it together. Something else to add to the list. ;)

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Robin, how are you doing on Why Read? I had to go back into Moby and read the darn 20 pages of inane quotes because of Why Read? :D

 

I have to finish that Ann Lamott book this weekend and then I'm moving onto Moby and The Book Thief for book club and the classics selection too.

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I just finished "My Antonia" by Willa Cather. I have had it forever and finally got around to reading it. It was hard for me to get in to, but I was glad I finished it. What stood out to me the most is the in depth descriptive beauty of the plains and Nebraska. A wonderful example of setting.

 

So far what I have read in 2012:

 

9. My Antonia

8. Unbroken

7. Forgotten God

6. The Giver

5. Mockingjay

4. Catching Fire

3. Hunger Games

2. The Screwtape Letters

1. The Meaning of Marriage

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#13. Twelve Drummers Drumming by C. C. Benison-- I had never read a book by this author but really liked the story. The interesting thing is that the main mystery is solved at the end of the book but at least two more mysteries remain unsolved. Set in West England in a small village with a Vicar as the main character and solver of the mystery. His name is Tom Christmas. There is also a housekeeper of his who writes very often to her deaf mother and you get that perspective too.

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I finished another one

 

11) Growing up Amish by Ira Wagler Nice story

10) The Healing by Wanda Brunstetter

9) Christmas in Sugarcreek by Shelley Shepard Gray

8) The Dark Tide

7) Little Men, Louisa May Alcott on Audio

6) Winter of the Red Snow.

 

5) The Daniel Fast by Susan Gregory.

4) A Wedding Quilt for Ella by Jerry Eicher

3) Longing by Karen Kingsbury.

2) Little Women by Alcott

1) Midummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare

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Have you read The Book Thief before? It's in my top 5 favorite books.

 

I have not! and I actually didn't want to read it because everyone else has. :lol:

However, I've had good luck with the books on this thread so there's hope. I WILL finish Imperfect Birds this weekend and move on.

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I finished Ahab's Wife on Sunday. I have to say I had a love/hate relationship with this book. I did not like the book initially but was determined to finish. Then I became invested in the characters (as I usually do!) so I couldn't put it down when I had the time to read. While reading I turned down many pages to go back to for further thought. If I ever get it down on paper I will share my musings with you and welcome your thoughts :)

 

I wish I had read Moby Dick first, why was the challenge structured the other way? I feel that in reading Ahab's Wife first I have a strong idea of Ahab, I would rather have gotten my ideas about him from Melville and not another author's interpretation.

 

SJ, I'm so glad you liked it. I felt the same way as you did my first time reading it because it seemed like such.a.long.beginning. But I think we needed that to really get a feel for who Una was.

 

We did the challenge this way because a lot of people START Moby but don't make it all the way through. We were hoping to care more about Ahab by first knowing his wife.

 

Between AW and Why Read Moby Dick?, I finally feel ready to complete Moby itself.

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Robin, how are you doing on Why Read? I had to go back into Moby and read the darn 20 pages of inane quotes because of Why Read? :D

 

I have to finish that Ann Lamott book this weekend and then I'm moving onto Moby and The Book Thief for book club and the classics selection too.

 

No I haven't read it yet. I downloaded the audio book and will listen while doing the treadmill, unless I can figure out how to listen to my iphone through car radio. Clueless when it comes to that stuff.

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This week's books were Under the Dome (Stephen King), Beauty Queens (Libba Bray), and To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee).

 

In theory, I'm still plodding through Skippy Dies though I'm likely to give up on it. It just isn't holding my attention. I'm also reading Reamde by Neil Stephenson, which is much more engaging. Not as good as Snow Crash, but still good. I decided to give Goodreads a try for organizing what I read - my username there is the same as it is here. I'll try to keep Pinterest updated too.

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Well, I'm lagging behind! I just finished book #4 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I started rereading the series before our visit to WWoHP last September and am just now getting to the end (again). What a wonderful story! It is a little sad this time around. Last time I finished the series there were more movies to look forward to. Now it's all over. I will need to make time for a Harry Potter movie marathon and get dh to make me some butterbeer. ;)

 

I picked up The Night Circus at the library today. I am always nervous about picking up a new author. I will also begin Hamlet for the Shakespeare study I'm doing with dd. I wish that our plays were lining up the WTM Shakespeare group, but it's not working out that way. Boo!

 

Me:

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

3. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

2. Henry V by Shakespeare

1. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

 

My girls are still ahead of me. Dd17 is really getting into reading her "Book a Week." It's fun to share the challenge with them. :001_smile:

 

Dd17:

7. Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (audio)

6. Golden by Cameron Dokey

5. Dragon Flight by Jessica Day George

4. Entwined by Heather Dixon

3. Henry V by Shakespeare

2. Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw

1. She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell

 

Dd11:

8. Winter of the Ice Wizard by Mary Pope Osborne

7. Julie's Journey by Megan McDonald

6. Julie and the Eagles by Megan McDonald

5. Happy New Year, Julie! by Megan McDonald

4. Julie Tells Her Story by Megan McDonald

3. Meet Julie by Megan McDonald

2. The Celery Stalks at Midnight by James Howe

1. Bunnicula by Deborah Howe

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Halfway through Why Read Moby Dick and it is very interesting. Providing a lot of great background about Melville and the story itself. Highly recommend reading it before tackling Moby Dick. It's relatively short at 144 pages hardback, 100 on the nook. Wish I had books like this that explained other classics. They are probably out there, I just need to do some due diligence.

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Halfway through Why Read Moby Dick and it is very interesting. Providing a lot of great background about Melville and the story itself. Highly recommend reading it before tackling Moby Dick. It's relatively short at 144 pages hardback, 100 on the nook. Wish I had books like this that explained other classics. They are probably out there, I just need to do some due diligence.

 

I found one that does a little bit on a lot of classics called, "Dancing With Mrs. Dalloway." :001_smile:

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This week I finished The Feast Nearby, Parenting Beyond Belief, and Catching Fire (Hunger Games #2).

 

Thoroughly enjoyed The Feast Nearby, and highly recommend it for anyone who's interested in sustainability, eating locally, frugality and just plain good food. There are some lovely recipes in this book that I want to try.

 

Parenting Beyond Belief was also very good, although I think I prefer Raising Freethinkers because it is the practical/how-to guide of the two.

 

For some fun fluff :001_tt2: to cap off my week, I read Catching Fire- loved it.

 

Here's my list for the year:

 

1. Skippy Dies

2. Raising Freethinkers

3. The Collaborative Habit

4. By Heart

5. Lost Memory of Skin

6. Hunger Games #1

7. Ahab’s Wife

8. The Feast Nearby

9. Parenting Beyond Belief

10. Hunger Games #2

 

Tomorrow, I'll start The Creative Habit (hope it's better than The Collaborative Habit), The Shallows, and Mockingjay (HG #3). :D

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Here's my list for the year:

 

1. Skippy Dies

2. Raising Freethinkers

3. The Collaborative Habit

4. By Heart

5. Lost Memory of Skin

6. Hunger Games #1

7. Ahab’s Wife

8. The Feast Nearby

9. Parenting Beyond Belief

10. Hunger Games #2

 

Didn't you forget The Sisters Brothers? :001_smile:

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It isn't midnight in my time zone yet, so book #7, which I just finished can count for week 5! :001_smile:

 

Slowly working on:

"The Wives of Henry VIII" by Antonia Fraser

"Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight" by Sharon Heller

"The Life and Teachings of The New Testament Apostles" ed. by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel & Thomas A. Wayment

 

Completed:

Book #7 - "St. Peter's Fair" by Ellis Peters.

 

Book #6 - "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" by Amy Chua.

Book #5 - "Monk's Hood" by Ellis Peters.

Book #4 - "Flash and Bones" by Kathy Reichs.

Book #3 - "Spider Bones" by Kathy Reichs.

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

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

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