Robin M Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Okay Chicks - This is for all you early risers. (let's just pretend it's sunday morning.) Good Morning! Today is the start of week 6 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 - D is for Dickens. February 7 is the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens birthday. So in honor of Dickens and since Oliver Twist is #5 in SWB's WEM fiction list, I'm going to read it. My challenge to you is to read something by Dickens this month - novel, short story, play or nonfiction. It is up to you. Moby Dick: Prepare yourself. We'll be starting it next Sunday. You may want to check out Nathaniel Philbrick's Why Read Moby Dick. Great little book with lots of history and information about the author and the book and wonderful introduction to reading the story. What are you reading this week? Link to week 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 I finished Alafair Burke's Close Case. It was so-so. Also read "Why Read Moby Dick" and it makes me want to start reading Moby Dick now. Lots of wonderful historical background information about the book. What's on the nightstand for this week: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, Willa Cather's Death Comes for an Archbishop (a to z by title) and review book Prime Suspect #1 by Lynda La Plante. It has the world's worst cover with her pointing an unloaded gun. Hubby noticed it right away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silliness7 Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Oh I should read Great Expectations. I haven't finished Mr. Pip yet (almost) but it does inspire me to finish GE. I read about 2/3 of it 12 years ago. I'll have to start fresh, of course. :001_smile: I did finish The Phantom of the Opera this week. Yay!! :hurray: I'm going to have a hard time convincing anyone that it's a very good book and not difficult or sloggish since it took me so long. I just kept getting distracted with my audio books. The ending is great and twists much better than the movie version I saw. I have not seen the musical. The French names gave me a rough time. I couldn't keep some of the characters straight, the managers and other opera administrators. :tongue_smilie: I also read Things I Learned from Knitting by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. I was looking for knitting patterns on the library's catalog and stumbled on it. It was a quick read, funny and inspiring. This week I hope to finish Cleary's Socks with the kids and start on The House of Sixty Fathers by DeJong. I also just picked up Home to Woefield by Susan Juby based on someone's rec. in Week 5. I'm excited to start it. I also started A Thousand Splendid Suns on PlayAway. I've not used this before. Our library has these devices with books on them and you stick in a AAA battery and your headphones and you are ready to go. Quite handy since I don't have a portable listening device. So I can listen while moving around the house. I gave up on the Internet book, The Shallows. I think it's premise might be true. I don't have the patience much for things that get tedious. But is that a bad thing? My 2012 Year in Review. 6 - Things I Learned from Knitting by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee 5 - The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux 4 - Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett 3 - Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith 2 - Little Women by Louisa May Alcott 1 - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee I want to share what my dc have read but don't want to make 5 different lists since some of the same books will keep appearing on each list so I am just going to lump them. My DC 2012 Year in Review. New this week: Twice Freed by Patricia St. John The Wright 3 by Blue Balliett Dog Days by Jeff Kinney Schoolhouse in the Woods by Rebecca Caudill Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling Little Women by Louisa May Alcott The Ides of April by Mary Ray Ben Hur by Lew Wallace Do Hard Things by Brett and Alex Harris To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger Darth Paper by Tom Angleberger Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Michael Morpurgo Mary Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer Beware Princess Elizabeth by Carolyn Meyer Happy Little Family by Rebecca Caudill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Robin, I hope your kitty is better soon. :grouphug: 52 Books blog - D is for Dickens. February 7 is the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens birthday. So in honor of Dickens and since Oliver Twist is #5 in SWB's WEM fiction list, I'm going to read it. My challenge to you is to read something by Dickens this month - novel, short story, play or nonfiction. It is up to you. I learned the strangest thing about Dickens on our NYC trip in December. The NY Public Library had a great '100 Years' exhibit & they displayed Dickens' letter opener -- made from his beloved cat Bob's paw.... :tongue_smilie: It was certainly a unique desk accessory. Just something to keep in mind next time you're reading Dickens.... ;) I'm still working on The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall and The Geography of Bliss (for my book club) by Eric Weiner. Really enjoying both books! :001_smile: My Goodreads Page Completed the Europa Challenge Espresso Level (#4, 9, 10, & 11 on my 2012 Books Read list) 2012 Books Read: 01. Mozart's Last Aria by Matt Rees (3 stars) 02. Oh No She Didn't by Clinton Kelly (2 stars, if you're in the right mood, lol) 03. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt (4 stars) 04. In a Strange Room by Damon Galgut (4 stars) 05. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (5 stars) 06. The Infernals by John Connolly (3 stars) 07. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto (2 stars) 08. The Coral Thief by Rebecca Stott (3 stars) 09. Zeroville by Steve Erickson (4 stars) 10. Broken Glass Park by Alina Bronsky (4 stars) 11. Hygiene and the Assassin by Amélie Nothomb (2 stars) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquinas Academy Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Since I missed last week's thread, I'm going to get in early on this one. :) I've finished The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (which I'm counting as a book, even though that might be breaking the rules:tongue_smilie:) and I'll Be Watching by Pamela Porter. I highly recommend them both! I loved the humour of Earnest, which was a definite contrast with the poignancy of I'll Be Watching. DD 15 recommended the latter to me, saying, "Mum, you have to read this," and she was write. The writing is beautiful and the story of WWII-era orphans in small-town Saskatchewan had me tearing up. I'm currently reading too many books to list. Okay, part of the reason I don't want to write them all down is because I'm getting tired of saying that I'm still reading Don Quixote. I'll be adding a Dicken's book, possibly Pickwick Papers, to my list to read this month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Oh, oh! I just posted on week 5. I went in through my own profile to copy my list and didn't see you'd already started week 6. Hope I didn't mess up the order. Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 11. The Cat Who Played Brahms by Lillian Jackson Braun 12. The Cat Who Played Post Office by Lillian Jackson Braun 13. Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Foreman Lewis 14. The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I'm just about finished with The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and will start Voyager by Diana Gabaldon this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Dh and I both love Dickens :). He's read pretty much all of them. I've read some. Of all the classics, Dickens is our favorite. We have many of the BBC DVDs as well and love those. This week, I got lots more reading done than usual. Much as I love it and I really enjoyed all the books I read, I joked with dh how I probably can't keep this up all year, since we have to buy all our books! :tongue_smilie: I gave up on One for the Money. It failed my 10% rule. I read more than 10%, but just couldn't get into it at all. I read and absolutely loved all of these: Bel Canto - thank you, Stacia! :D The Housekeeper and the Professor Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress - Stacia, thank you for this one also, I think it was you, anyway. :) Now, I've just begun and am also really enjoying, even though the subject matter is very sad: Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 This week I am reading The Name of the Wind: The Kingkiller Chronicle, Day One by Patrick Rothfuss. Completed so far... 7. Family Driven Faith: What it Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk with God 6. Organized Simplicity 5. Year of Wonders 4. The Holiness of God 3. The Paris Wife 2. The Peach Keeper 1. Relic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Just finished book 3 of the Connor Gray series. by Mark del Franco. Liking them more and more. A druid who has lost most of his powers who works with the Boston PD was a good enough premise to begin them for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Mama Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 This week I finished #5 A Drowned Maiden's Hair and #6 The Girl Who Chased the Moon. I wasn't sure what to make of Drowned Maiden's Hair at first, but rather quickly was sucked into Maud's life/story. I very much enjoyed the read. For me it was one that had me missing the character(s) after I finished. Girl Who Chased was my first Sarah Addison Allen read. After reading through the wrap up thread from 2011's 52 challenge, I couldn't believe how many times her books were mentioned, so I thought I'd give one a go. Very fun read. It was so easy for me to picture the characters and the scenery. I look forward to exploring this new (to me) author. Started book #7 yesterday, Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis. I asked for this book for Christmas and Santa brought it, so for the first time this year I'm reading an actual book instead of reading on the Kindle. I told dh last night, "This will hurt a lot worse when it hits me in the face tonight." Yes, I often fall asleep while reading. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 So I finished #7, Fitgerald's Cruise of the Rolling Junk, which is probably too skinny to qualify but I'll list it anyway, knowing that I plan on tackling a couple of "thick" books in the weeks ahead. The only good thing to come out of reading #8 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is the realization that I should keep my distance from best sellers and stick with time tested literature. Anyone want to join my "I Only Read Dead Authors" club? OK--maybe I do not need to go to this extreme, but I do think I'll stick to literary classics with a little non-fiction on the side for a while. In that light, I have started reading Balzac's Droll Stories on my husband's Kindle Fire, a test drive of this device. The technology goes well. The stories certainly display the foibles of humanity. Thanks Sharon for suggesting this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I think I fell off the wagon....sigh. I just can't get myself to finish a book. My mind is not focused or something...so now I fall dreadfully behind....sigh. I need inspiration, I need encouragement. I NEED a good book.....I have just made some bad choices sonfar this year......sigh.... Faithe...whose Book lies open on the nightstand while I aimlessly search the net for nothing in particular..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 (edited) nm Edited November 23, 2012 by Shari :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Mama Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 The only good thing to come out of reading #8 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is the realization that I should keep my distance from best sellers and stick with time tested literature. Glad I can learn from the mistakes of many. Several of you have posted about how disappointing this book has been. Guess I can delete that one from my TBR list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Glad I can learn from the mistakes of many. Several of you have posted about how disappointing this book has been. Guess I can delete that one from my TBR list. I'll be the dissenting voice. I liked it a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I think I fell off the wagon....sigh. I just can't get myself to finish a book. My mind is not focused or something...so now I fall dreadfully behind....sigh. I need inspiration, I need encouragement. I NEED a good book.....I have just made some bad choices sonfar this year......sigh....Faithe...whose Book lies open on the nightstand while I aimlessly search the net for nothing in particular..... Well, so far I can recommend The Peach Keeper as a big thumbs up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Faithe-- When I feel like you describe, I grab a book of short stories or essays. In fact, it's pretty much the only time I read short stories! "The Best" series is great. (Best American Travel Writing, Best Mystery Stories, the Mammoth Book of __ are some of my favorites. Look for Otto Penzler, Jason Wilson, and Mike Ashley as editors). It'll keep you reading and adding to your yearly totals, but the short format doesn't make you focus for too long. Thanks...I might like a book of essays:D. It may help me teach the darn things....:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I think I fell off the wagon....sigh. I just can't get myself to finish a book. What do you like? Which books did you love the most? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 What do you like? Which books did you love the most? I really LIKE political dystopian lit....but, it is too deep for me right now. I really like books that make me laugh...which I need right now. I really like well written historical fiction that are NOT romance novels...a love interest is fine, but the gushy stuff...blah! I really like good biographies. I love books about strong women and what they have accomplished...especially pioneer women or early American pilgrim/Puritan woman. I really love books that inspire me to be a better me....but are not judgmental. I really like young adult fiction...lol. Nice brain candy IS good for my soul since I can not eat any tummy candy due to health issues..... I love a book that carries me away to a new place....where I can get sucked down into the story and be there with the characters. I love books that have beautiful language, where it reads like music to my soul.... Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Mama Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I'll be the dissenting voice. I liked it a lot! Great! Now you've gone and done it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I really like books that make me laugh...which I need right now. Faithe, :grouphug:. Okay, to make you laugh ... these have been some of my favorites. Can't Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg and most of her books - very sweet and light - and quite funny - not "funny, funny", but just a sweet and light book overall. This is one of my all-time favorites. Funny in Farsi - if you need a nice laugh as well as her other book Laughing without an Accent Confessions of a Prairie B*tch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated – some painful stuff, very engaging, entertaining, lots of humor – loved this book - but more enjoyable if you liked the TV series Dave Barry books Erma Bombeck books - though I haven't read her books, more her articles, etc. HTH. Hope you get over your reading slump soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porque Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Not too much reading this week, and nothing particularly good. Completed 1.Paradise, by Toni Morrison. 2. Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman. 3.Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat. 4.What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Dayby Pearl Cleage. 5. What Einstein Told His Cook(non-fiction) 6. Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts. 7.Backroads byTawni O'Dell. 8. Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax, non-fiction. 9. Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende. 10. Calico Bush (read a aloud) 11. Ahab's Wife Really Enjoyed!! 12. Gap Creekby Robert Morgan, 13. A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton. 14. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone read aloud 15. Struggle for a Continent read aloud 16. Vinegar Hill by A. Manette Ansay. 17. River Cross my Heart by Breena Clarke Continuing Your Money or Your Life (non-fiction) Indian Captive (read aloud) River, Cross my Heart The Magic of Reality (read aloud) The Minds of Boys (non fiction) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (read aloud) DD9 finished Meet Molly Molly Learns a Lesson Molly's Surprise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I read Mudbound by Hillary Jordan this week and really liked it. It's copyright date is 2008, an international bestseller and winner of the Bellwether prize for fiction and I don't remember ever hearing about it. My dad's wife gave it to me for Christmas. Here's a description from Amazon: In Jordan's prize-winning debut, prejudice takes many forms, both subtle and brutal. It is 1946, and city-bred Laura McAllan is trying to raise her children on her husband's Mississippi Delta farm—a place she finds foreign and frightening. In the midst of the family's struggles, two young men return from the war to work the land. Jamie McAllan, Laura's brother-in-law, is everything her husband is not—charming, handsome, and haunted by his memories of combat. Ronsel Jackson, eldest son of the black sharecroppers who live on the McAllan farm, has come home with the shine of a war hero. But no matter his bravery in defense of his country, he is still considered less than a man in the Jim Crow South. It is the unlikely friendship of these brothers-in-arms that drives this powerful novel to its inexorable conclusion. I am also reading The Shallows-What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, but I keep wanting to put it down and go surf the net! Need to find another fiction book to read alongside it this week. Books Read in 2012 9. Mudbound-Hillary Jordan 8. The Other Wind-Ursula Le Guin 7. What the Dog Saw-Malcolm Gladwell 6. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall-Anne Bronte 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I also just picked up Home to Woefield by Susan Juby based on someone's rec. in Week 5. I'm excited to start it. That was me!!! I haven't finished it yet (lots of distractions this week) but the first 3/4s of the book was just so funny. Hope you enjoy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 This week I finished up The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement. I liked it enough to finish it, but I didn't love it. I generally enjoy reading about neuroscience, but I found Brooks's method of using a fictional narrative to illustrate his points to be a bit contrived. I have read books where authors do this successfully, but in this case it just veered too far toward feeling like a work of fiction, and I didn't care for that. I also read The End of Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck, and was really surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Written for teachers and parents, I found a lot to like, especially in light of the rigor threads on here this week. I decided that I'm going to reread all of the Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories this year, but I'm going to do just a few at a time so that they don't jumble in my head (I read through the complete stories twice as a teenager, basically inhaling them). I got started with a few of the stories this week, and I had forgotten just how fun they are! I also read The Body in the Library -- I never really got into the Miss Marple books, so I'm giving those another try. This week I'm planning to continue with the Holmes stories, read another Christie, and get started on Much Ado About Nothing. So far in 2012: 15. The Body in the Library 14. The End of Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck 13. The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement 12. Paris Portraits 11. Invisible Allies: Microbes That Shape Our Lives 10. A Midsummer Night's Dream 9. Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors 8. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother 7. The Vault 6. Tigerlily's Orchids 5. Pinched: How the Great Recession Has Narrowed Our Futures and What We Can Do About It 4. The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared 3. The Alchemyst 2. Tonight No Poetry Will Serve: Poems 2007 - 2010 1. Your Child's Writing Life: How to Inspire Confidence, Creativity, and Skill at Every Age Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Faithe, :grouphug:.Okay, to make you laugh ... these have been some of my favorites. Can't Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg and most of her books - very sweet and light - and quite funny - not "funny, funny", but just a sweet and light book overall. This is one of my all-time favorites. Funny in Farsi - if you need a nice laugh as well as her other book Laughing without an Accent Confessions of a Prairie B*tch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated – some painful stuff, very engaging, entertaining, lots of humor – loved this book - but more enjoyable if you liked the TV series Dave Barry books Erma Bombeck books - though I haven't read her books, more her articles, etc. HTH. Hope you get over your reading slump soon. Thanks Negin! Love Bombeck. Think I read them all...maybe time for a re-read:D. Going to look at the Prairie one....inam a Little House fanatic! Dave Barry......hmmmmmm.....sounds good:D Thanks for the suggestions.....off to Amazon:auto: Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Bel Canto - thank you, Stacia! :D The Housekeeper and the Professor Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress - Stacia, thank you for this one also, I think it was you, anyway. :) Oh, it looks like you had a great reading week. Yes, I am probably the one who recommended Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. It's one of my favorite books. Truly a little gem. Glad you enjoyed Bel Canto too. What did you think of The Housekeeper and the Professor? It is one I'd like to read. In that light, I have started reading Balzac's Droll Stories on my husband's Kindle Fire, a test drive of this device. The technology goes well. The stories certainly display the foibles of humanity. Thanks Sharon for suggesting this! Well, Dai Sijie is a living author (;)), but you'd probably really enjoy reading Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress after finishing a real Balzac book. (I've never read Balzac & keep meaning to....) The story is about an appreciation for great literature. I really LIKE political dystopian lit....but, it is too deep for me right now.I really like books that make me laugh...which I need right now. I really like well written historical fiction that are NOT romance novels...a love interest is fine, but the gushy stuff...blah! I really like good biographies. I love books about strong women and what they have accomplished...especially pioneer women or early American pilgrim/Puritan woman. I really love books that inspire me to be a better me....but are not judgmental. I really like young adult fiction...lol. Nice brain candy IS good for my soul since I can not eat any tummy candy due to health issues..... I love a book that carries me away to a new place....where I can get sucked down into the story and be there with the characters. I love books that have beautiful language, where it reads like music to my soul.... Faithe, I know what you mean. I've definitely been in a book slump before. Here are a few random ideas for you to check out: Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie (have I mentioned that book enough in this post? :lol:) The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro City of Thieves by David Benioff Bel Canto by Ann Patchett Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran any books by A.J. Jacobs (for funny stuff) Passionate Nomad by Jane Fletcher Geniesse (for a bio of a strong woman) The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (for a fun mystery series set in 1950s Britain w/ a spunky 11yo heroine) Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (a lovely YA -- probably upper elementary level -- book) The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (a wonderful, funny YA book) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lillysmom216 Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 A big huge thank you to the person that suggested the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks!!! Book A Week In 2012 1. Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen 2. God Grew Tired Of Us by John Bul Dau 3. Last child In The Woods 4. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children-Ransom Riggs 5. Ask me Why I Hurt-Randy Christensen M.D. 6. Why Evolution Is True- Jerry A. Coyne 7. Below Stairs-Margaret Powell 8. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks- Rebecca Skloot 9-11 Hunger games Trilogy-Suzanne Collins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 (edited) This week I am reading The Name of the Wind: The Kingkiller Chronicle, Day One by Patrick Rothfuss. I heard about this book here and I love it. I think you have to be a fantasy fan to enjoy it... Currently reading: The Sunne in Splendour, Sharon Kay Penman (I've heard such glowing reviews of her books here) Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare Beyond Opinion, Ravi Zacharias I gave up on Ahab's Wife, when I got it back from the library this last week I realized I didn't really care for it. Okay, my 2012 list thus far: 8. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare 7. A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola 6. When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro 5. Entwined by Heather Dixon 4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 3. Time Bandit by Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand, Malcolm MacPherson 2. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen 1. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Edited February 5, 2012 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Thanks Negin!Love Bombeck. Think I read them all...maybe time for a re-read:D. Going to look at the Prairie one....inam a Little House fanatic! Dave Barry......hmmmmmm.....sounds good:D Thanks for the suggestions.....off to Amazon:auto: Faithe Faithe, you're most welcome. Hope it helps. Books, like movies, are so subjective. Hard to recommend them to others. Oh, it looks like you had a great reading week. Yes, I am probably the one who recommended Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. It's one of my favorite books. Truly a little gem. Glad you enjoyed Bel Canto too. What did you think of The Housekeeper and the Professor? It is one I'd like to read. Stacia, I did, and much of it is thanks to you! :grouphug: I loved The Housekeeper & the Professor. Lately, I've been enjoying books far more when my expectations are not too high. Secret to happiness in life, I think. Keep my expectations fairly low. :lol: Or at least not too high. Loved all these books and then one I'm reading now (Nothing to Envy), I just want to read all day long. :D Very sad subject matter, but I really like her writing style. Non-fiction - North Korea - but so very interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enough Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Didn't you forget The Sisters Brothers? :001_smile: Crikey, you're right!!! Here's my [amended] list: 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 Sisters Brothers 9. The Feast Nearby 10. Parenting Beyond Belief 11. Hunger Games #2 I started reading The Shallows last night and my mind is already blown. :scared: I have a love/hate relationship with the internet, so I'm really hoping there is some sort of "this is how to use the internet without going stupid or not reading books" at the end of the book. Also on tap for this week are The Creative Habit and Hunger Games #3, Mockingjay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Alrighty. I did get Mrs. Dalloway done in time for the classics book club this week. It was a difficult, stream of consciousness reading but I made it through and it was interesting following someone else's thoughts for a day. Interesting contrast from her life in the 1920 to now. I also finished Why Read Moby Dick? and loved it. I plunged right in to the white whale and I feel like I have a good foundation. Fabulous, nicely written little book. Polished off Imperfect Birds by Ann LaMott. I think she is a much better non-fiction author than fiction. I do think some kids end up coasting and drugging like one of the main characters and I found myself reading it and thinking, "Oh please, NEVER mine!" but the ending... It felt like AM was writing in a notebook and found herself at the last two pages and then said to herself, "Hey! I don't have any more paper! Book all done!" 98% buildup and no clear conclusion. I finished another Star Trek book but nobody here wants to hear that review. :lol: And now we need to throw some Dickens into the pot. I'll try to do Oliver Twist this week too. I'll keep plugging away at Moby and get The Book Thief done for the fun book club. I'm trying to do a scene a day from Much Ado too. I keep that in my bathroom and DH thinks it's hilarious that Shakespeare is my bathroom reading. 1. House Rules by Jodi Picoult 2. A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare 3. So Much For That by Lionel Shriver 4. What Price Honor? by David Stern 5. Daedalus by David Stern 6. Daedalus's Children by David Stern 7. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (book club reading)(nonfiction) 8. Surak's Soul by David Stern 9. The Good Men Do by Andy Mangels 10. Ahab's Wife by Seta Jena Naslund 11. Imperfect Birds by Ann Lamott 12. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (classics book club) 13. Moby Dick by Herman Melville (currently reading) 14. Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare (currently reading) 15. Why Read Moby Dick? by Nathaniel Philbrick 16. Rosetta by Dave Stern 17. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (currently reading) (book club) 18. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (currently reading) (classics book club) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Thirteen Reasons Why Welcome to the Goon Squad State of Wonder by Ann Patchet Sh*t My Dad Says Living Oprah What’s So Amazing About Grace by Yancey 11/22/63 by Stephen King Love Wins by Rob Bell If Grace is True by Gully and Mulholland Blue Like Jazz Moonwalking with Einstein Done The Jesus I Never Knew by Yancey Protecting the Gift by Gavin De Becker The Liberation of Alice Love The Shallows Last week's books are in italics, the one I am currently reading is in bold. I really enjoyed Yancey's book-it's the second one I've read of his this year. Well worth a read for those of you who haven't yet discovered it. Done was not my speed; too preachy. Protecting the Gift was an informative read, and we will apply some of what I learned when we have a formal sit-down with our kids soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 (edited) I have a question for Kindle readers (and maybe it applies to Nook readers too)... There are some authors like Dickens, that I hope to read everything they ever wrote someday so I'd like to have their entire collections. There are several different versions of complete collections though. The Delphi edition is the higest rated but only has 6 ratings. The other blue edition has over 100 ratings but not all of them are flattering of the format. I have that format and I don't like it particularly. WHY ARE THE FIRST FEW PAGES OF EVERYTHING IN CAPITOL LETTERS???? That distracts me and makes me feel like Chuck is yelling at me. :lol: And does Oliver Twist start with the line, "Among other public buildings in a certain town...?" Is that the start of the book or more pages of explanations?? The idea of complete collections of great authors in eformat seems like a better idea that it actually is so far... So are there some companies (Delphi?) that make better formats than others? Do you all have a favorite? Edited February 5, 2012 by Jennifer3141 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Finished this week: 7.) Changeless and 8.) Blameless by Gail Carriger - Still enjoying these light, fun books. 9.) A Chicken in Every Yard by Robert and Hannah Litt - I originally saw this posted by VeganCupcake in the week one thread and was surprised to receive it in the mail from Jennifer3141. (Thanks again!!) It was a fun book if you have or want chickens - even if you want them in a daydreamy way (like me). It has lots of color pictures, so I'm glad I didn't get this on my Nook, and it is a great reference to own. I'll be the dissenting voice. I liked it a lot! I liked Peregrine too and so did my kids. I'm sure I'll read the sequel to them when it comes out. That said, I might not have liked it as much if I had read it to myself. I liked it as a read-aloud and now that I've formed an opinion on it, it's hard to say what I would have thought of it as a... uh... read-silently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 Popping on to make sure the thread got bumped and you guys are talking up a storm :grouphug: In light of the Rigor Thread (loving it - needed so inspiration) going to reread Thomas Jefferson Education and adding The Student Whisperer to my tbr pile and putting it at the top of the stack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeganCupcake Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I just finished reading A Heart for Freedom by Chai Ling, and I want to jump into the Dickens challenge. I've downloaded Little Dorrit and Nicholas Nickelby to my Kindle. I can't decide which one to start with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I started the Barbara Pym book Jane and Prudence this week. It seemed VERY familiar, and about 30 pages in I started predicting silly things...and I realized that I have already read this book! How is that possible? I was under the impression that I just heard about Barbara Pym a few months ago from you guys, and went on to read Excellent Women last month. I have NO IDEA how I did this! I really thought I had never heard of her or read one of her books before and I am POSITIVE I read this one! It's driving me a little crazy, but I guess I will never figure it out. So I stopped reading it...and finished a book that is due at the library tomorrow that I have had out for 9 weeks. Yep, it was so good it took me 9 weeks to read it.....:lol:;)!!!! 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 8) THE END The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler's Germany 1944-1945 Ian Kershaw 9) Revenge of the Middle Aged Woman Elizabeth Buchan 10) Following Josh Dave Norman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I started the Barbara Pym book Jane and Prudence this week. It seemed VERY familiar, and about 30 pages in I started predicting silly things...and I realized that I have already read this book! How is that possible? I was under the impression that I just heard about Barbara Pym a few months ago from you guys, and went on to read Excellent Women last month. I have NO IDEA how I did this! I really thought I had never heard of her or read one of her books before and I am POSITIVE I read this one! It's driving me a little crazy, but I guess I will never figure it out. :lol: This Barbara Pym fan is amused. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahj Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Still behind, last week I finished Thorn In My Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs. 3. Thorn In My Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs (Kindle library loan) 2. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua (Kindle library loan) 1. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (Kindle library loan) Currently reading: A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Finished this week: 9.) A Chicken in Every Yard by Robert and Hannah Litt - I originally saw this posted by VeganCupcake in the week one thread and was surprised to receive it in the mail from Jennifer3141. (Thanks again!!) It was a fun book if you have or want chickens - even if you want them in a daydreamy way (like me). It has lots of color pictures, so I'm glad I didn't get this on my Nook, and it is a great reference to own. You're very welcome and I'm so glad you liked it!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 (edited) The Hunger Games Catching Fire Mockingjay The Hunger Games Companion The Naked Lady Who Stood on Her Head Spontaneous Happiness The New Bi-Polar Disorder Survival Guide. New Hope for People with Bipolar Disorder The Giver ETA: Just finished next week's book: Unnatural Selection and will be starting 11/22/63 by SK tomorrow. Edited February 11, 2012 by KidsHappen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cani e porci Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I read The Prague Cemetery and loved it. It was beautifully written and deliciously complex, and the translation was a lot less clunky than some of Eco's other novels. It was an amazing piece of conspiracy theory fiction, with a narrator who cannot find anything good to say about anyone, resulting in rants so over-the-top offensive that they are hilarious. There are double agents, triple agents, forgeries, and delicious recipes. It really was a treat. A number of books came in from the library at the same time, so I have quite a stack at the moment: two Alan Bradley novels (I Am Half Sick of Shadows and A Red Herring Without Mustard), Why Read Moby Dick, Imaginary Jesus, and The Angel's Game. I'm starting with A Red Herring Without Mustard and will figure the rest out as I go along. Currently reading: A Red Herring Without Mustard Completed: 11. The Prague Cemetery 10. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 9. Whiskey Breakfast: My Swedish Family, My American Life 8. The Shadow of the Wind 7. 13, rue Thérèse: A Novel 6. Meditation of Marcus Aurelius 5. Ahab's Wife 4. The Autobiography of an Execution 3. A Midsummer Night's Dream 2. The Palace of Illusions 1. Daughter of Smoke and Bone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iona Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I need to get reading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Book #7 God of the Hive- Laurie King. I was glad the story actually came to an end. I have the next Mary Russell book on hold at the library. I'm currently reading Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. It's a very convoluted story, which makes sense because the convolutions are part of the theme. I've put the theology aside. I'm burnt out on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Here's what I have so far for this year: 1. The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization by Vishal Mangalwadi (very interesting and nice to have an Indian perspective on western culture) 2. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (great book, but not my favorite genre, and Spanish humor is not really my cup of tea :tongue_smilie:) 3. Crossed by Ally Condie (Sequel to Matched, disappointingly uneventful) 4. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger (Odd book, strange characters, saw the ending coming a mile away, yet somehow I still really enjoyed it) 5. Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens by Jane Dunn (a little repetitive, but otherwise solid dual-biography of the two queens and their tumultuous relationship, with a lot of focus on the different choices they made as queens and how they impacted their political careers) I am currently working on: 1. Climbing Parnassus (a great read) 2. Les Miserables (great but looooooong - I'm reading the unabridged version) 3. The Trivium by Sister Miriam Joseph (mind blowing) And I'm in the middle of six ancient history books/literature anthologies covering ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and India. I'm going through them chronologically so progress in each has been pretty slow. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.