Book a Week in 2012 - week 18

[eaglei]

It's been so many years since I read Georgette Heyer that I no longer can speak to my own favorites. Here though are a few articles/reviews that might be of interest:

 

REVIEW: Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer -- there are 'Related posts' at the end of the review that might be of interest as well as many comments

 

Jennifer Kloester's Biography of Georgette Heyer -- many of the comments deal with favorite Heyer characters and books

 

Here's a link to the articles/reviews that have been tagged Georgette Heyer on the Heroes and Heartbreakers site.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

I just finished reading these sites, and am eager to read more of Heyers' books! After I finish a fluff novel I'm currently scurrying through, I'll begin Arabella.

 

At the library yesterday, I noted only about half-a-dozen of her books on the shelf; however, the online catalog lists fifteen. Barring the ones I've read (or signed out), which of these remaining thirteen would fans recommend?

 

Bath Tangle

Charity Girl

A Civil Contract

Devil's Cub

The Foundling

Lady of Quality

My Lord John

Penhallow

The Quiet Gentleman

The Spanish Bride

Sylvester, or, The Wicked Uncle

The Toll-Gate

The Unknown Ajax

 

I'll check back later to see what you say!

[eaglei]

I discovered Georgette Heyer's Regency work earlier this year. I had read The Conqueror last year but it was very different than her Regency work. Cotillion was also laugh out loud funny. I am looking forward to reading more of her this summer!

 

I think I am going to have to seriously look at each and every title at the local thrift stores to see if I spot any of her books - Cotillion is yet another recommended title that my local library does not have.

[scholarly]

I just finished reading these sites, and am eager to read more of Heyers' books! After I finish a fluff novel I'm currently scurrying through, I'll begin Arabella.

 

At the library yesterday, I noted only about half-a-dozen of her books on the shelf; however, the online catalog lists fifteen. Barring the ones I've read (or signed out), which of these remaining thirteen would fans recommend?

 

Bath Tangle

Charity Girl

A Civil Contract

Devil's Cub

The Foundling

Lady of Quality

My Lord John

Penhallow

The Quiet Gentleman

The Spanish Bride

Sylvester, or, The Wicked Uncle

The Toll-Gate

The Unknown Ajax

 

I'll check back later to see what you say!

 

My 2 cents: I really liked Sylvester and think The Toll-gate is okay, but not her best. I haven't read the rest of your list, although I own a dozen of her books.

[ladydusk]

I found a bunch of Heyer books in my mom's house and started reading them. I like them, a lot ... but I can read approximately 2 at a time. That third book pushes me over the edge ... the characters start to become redundant.

 

Don't get me wrong, I like it her books a lot. Too many is too many, though. YMMV.

[ladydusk]

I read a Georgette Heyer in honor of the discussions on the thread (went and got it out of the box in the basement ... and a second one, but never more than 2 at a time for me!)

 

I read The Masqueraders which is set earlier than many of her books, and it was just great. Fun, intriguing, and witty. Not doing a formal review, but I'll add it here.

 

We finished Doctor Dolittle this week as a family. We enjoyed it, but I'm not counting it because it is for 8 and up and less than 100 pages. It was fun and light, which was nice following Little Britches (which we loved, but was definitely a more difficult read)

 

2012 Books Reviews

1. Lit! by Tony Reinke

2. Loving the Little Years by Rachel Jankovic

3. Words to Eat By by Ina Lipkowitz

4. How to Tutor Your Own Child by Marina Koestler Ruben

5. Evening in the Palace of Reason by James R Gaines (spectacular)

6. The Cat of Bubastes by GA Henty (Audio from Librivox)

7. The Last Battle by C S Lewis (Audiobook)

8. A Praying Life by Paul E Miller

9. Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students by Christine Fonesca

10. Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody (fantastic read aloud)

11. The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare

12. The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis

13. How to Write a Sentence by Stanley Fish

14. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

15. The Rich Are Different by Susan Howatch

16. The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer

[Stacia]

I finished I Am Half-Sick of Shadows (Flavia de Luce #4) by Alan Bradley today.

 

Hooray for Flavia! This is another enjoyable installment in this charming, fun series w/ our spunky, erudite heroine. I rarely read 'series' books, yet this is a series I completely adore (& of which I've read all the books so far -- a high endorsement from me).

 

----------------------------

My Goodreads Page

Completed the Europa Challenge Cappuccino Level (at least 6 Europa books: #s 4, 9, 10, 11, 14, 19, & 21 on my list).

Completed Robin's Read a Russian Author in April Challenge (#24 & #26 on my 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 (4.5 stars)

10. Broken Glass Park by Alina Bronsky (4 stars)

 

11. Hygiene and the Assassin by Amélie Nothomb (2 stars)

12. The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner (3 stars)

13. The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall (4 stars)

14. The Nun by Simonetta Agnello Hornby (4 stars)

15. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (5 stars)

16. The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim (3 stars)

17. The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino (3 stars)

18. The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston (3 stars)

19. Cooking with Fernet Branca by James Hamilton-Paterson (4 stars)

20. Stone Junction by Jim Dodge (3 stars)

 

21. Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio by Amara Lakhous (3 stars)

22. Colony by Hugo Wilcken (5 stars)

23. Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox (3 stars)

24. The Master & Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (4.5 stars)

25. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (3 stars)

26. The Dream Life of Sukhanov by Olga Grushin (4 stars)

27. Vanishing Point by David Markson (3 stars)

28. I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley (4 stars)

[Robin M]

One of my reading goals for this year was to read more non-fiction. I began rather loftily, asserting that I would read one non-fiction work a week. While that hasn't exactly worked out, I was reviewing my "stats" and see that I've read 15 non-fiction titles:

 

■ Retirement without Borders (Barry Golson; non-fiction)

■ The World's Top Retirement Havens (ed. Margaret J. Goldstein; non-fiction)

■ Let's Go: Peru, Ecuador & Bolivia (ed. Michelle R. Bowman; non-fiction)

■ iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession with Technology and Overcoming Its Hold on Us (Larry D. Rosen; non-fiction, psychology/technology)

■ The Difference (Jean Chatzky; non-fiction, personal finance)

■ The Pen Commandments (Steven Frank; non-fiction, writing)

■ The Memory Palace (Mira Bartók; memoir)

■ The Fiddler in the Subway (Gene Weingarten; non-fiction, journalism/essays)

■ The Power of Habit (Charles Duhigg; non-fiction)

■ Unpacking My Library: Writers and Their Books (Leah Price; non-fiction)

■ Immortal Bird (Doron Weber; memoir)

■ Stop Acting Rich... And Start Living Like a Real Millionaire (Thomas J. Stanley; non-fiction; personal finance)

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

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

■ Artist's Journal Workshop (Cathy Johnson; non-fiction, art) Happy reading, folks!

 

Excellent! I'm trying to fit in non fiction periodically. I finished one. :)

 

I will be late but still plan to finish the Russian author challenge (First Love by Ivan Turgenev). I owe that selection to either the Paris Review blog or Brain Pickings.

 

First Love sounds interesting. Enjoy!

 

I finished Life of Pi last week. I did enjoy the book. It was a huge departure for me, but it was good. I found the writing engaging. I was so carried along by the story that it took till the end that I realized what was going on (I don't want to give anything away, plus it's all debatable). I didn't really agree with the point of the book (or, I guess, what I thought the message was :001_smile: That is debatable too). But I enjoyed it so much that I bought a used paperback version of it so my dd could read it this summer (I borrowed it on my kindle).

 

 

 

Yeah! Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Quickly throws up her shield for those who deplored it. Bouncing off already. :lol:

 

Also read another 100 or so pages of Anna Karenina and I'm almost 1/3 of the way done! I will finish it eventually, but not by the end of April. Maybe it will be a 3-month challenge for me. I have the library print copy (not sure how many times they'll let me renew it) and I also have it on my kindle, which is a slightly different translation. Making progress, still enjoying it.

 

Thumbs up. Keep plugging away.

 

I forgot to post last week, so I'll list both weeks.

 

38. The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal

39. The Cat Who Moved a Mountain

 

I really like the Cat Who mysteries.

 

You sold me. Just added #1 The Cat who Could Read Backwards to my nook.

 

I haven't reported in for weeks. I've been caring for my mom.

 

Hope she's doing better. :grouphug:

 

I'm still reading Dr. Zhivago. How did the end of the month get here so quickly?!

 

I have a feeling I should have read that one instead. Will get to it eventually. Make it my Z book for A to Z challenge.

 

Hmmm. Japan's Golden Week may be the trigger I need for starting Haruki Murakami's 1Q84. Also, one of my 'choose a book by its cover' choices is by a Japanese author, so I could have some crossover there (Salmonella Men on Planet Porno by Yasutaka Tsutsui). I will see what books I get around to reading....

 

I'm getting closer to buy 1Q84 myself.

 

 

I have been considering joining this group for some time. I am afraid that by joining I will fail miserably...but I have been reading so much lately, I'm almost on track anyway!!

 

 

Welcome, welcome. So glad you decided to dive in.

 

 

In progress:

 

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (I know I said I was going to branch out from mysteries for awhile but I lied. :))

On Writing by Stephen King (re-read for book club)

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

Tales of Robin Hood by Tony Allan (read aloud)

Father Brown Mysteries by GK Chesterton (audiobook)

 

So many interesting books. Thoroughly enjoyed Roger Ackroyd. Moonstone and Father Brown on both on my shelves. May just move them up.

 

I don't have a blog to link to, I don't think I can commit to a book a week, and I'm not even sure why I'm posting here except I had to tell someone that I just finished Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and it's wrecked me. In that good way a book sometimes will. Book lovers of the Hive will surely understand, right?

 

So glad you decided to drop in and share. And yes, we do understand. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a good wreck me book.

 

I've been perusing this thread throughout the day, and now remember why I took a self-enforced break from the Book a Week threads for a while. I end up with too many books added to my TBR list. Seriously, quit recommending such interesting books or I shall be well and truly buried under a pile of books that all need reading right now! (just kidding, reading these threads is like being part of the biggest and bestest book club ever) I'd be embarrassed to admit how many books I've either added to Stanza, or marked as to-read on Goodreads today.

 

I usually have several books going at once, and I'm prone to dropping them all to pick up something new that catches my fancy. Right now I'm reading through Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie series and I think I'm going to start IQ 84 as part of the Japan challenge. I'm also about to take the plunge and make a go of reading through The Well-Educated Mind lists; last time I tried, I got bogged down in Don Quixote and gave up.

 

Too many books, so little time. Yes, my wishlist is overflowing and my bookshelves are beginning to creak with the weight of books.

 

I FINALLY FINISHED 11/22/63!!!!!!!! WOOT!!!

 

Now going to read The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson....

 

Yeah - That's another one of my wishlist.

 

Dare I do a 1Q84 and a 11/22/63 readalong. Hmm! Read a book with a number in the title. I'll do post that challenge in a month or so.

 

I haven't posted this year at all, though I HAVE been reading!

 

Twelfth Imam, The by Rosenberg Joel C.

Tehran Initiative, The by Rosenberg Joel C.

 

Love him. Good job with the year so far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm started my month with another new Nora The Last Boyfriend #2 in the Inn Boonsboro Trilogy. For my A to Z by author and title challenge, the books on deck right now are: Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman, Helpless by Daniel Palmer (review book), The Raphael Affair by Iain Pears, The Inquisitors Key by Jefferson Bass (review book from William Morrow) and The Cottage at Glass Beach by Heather Barbieri for TLC Book tours. I thoroughly enjoyed her first book Lacemakers of Glenmarra. And just picked up Cherry Adair's newest Afterglow which of course I'll have to read soon. It just happened to jump into my cart while I was shopping at Target a few days ago. *grin*

[Robin M]

I finished I Am Half-Sick of Shadows (Flavia de Luce #4) by Alan Bradley today.

 

Hooray for Flavia! This is another enjoyable installment in this charming, fun series w/ our spunky, erudite heroine. I rarely read 'series' books, yet this is a series I completely adore (& of which I've read all the books so far -- a high endorsement from me).

 

----------------------------

 

I am Half Sick of Shadows has been nominated for a prestigious Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel:

 

The nominees are

 

A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny, St. Martin’s Press

Before the Poison by Peter Robinson, McClelland and Stewart

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley, Doubleday Canada

I’ll See you in My Dreams by William Deverell, McClelland and Stewart

The Guilty Plea by Robert Rotenberg, Simon&Schuster

 

I'm really going to have to check out the series, plus the other nominees. All look good.

[partyof5]

I want to read the homeschooling book where if Mom has to explain what 4x5 is one more time, she will get in the car and drive off a cliff Thelma and Lousie style...or after carefully investing $347 on science experiment materials not only does the experiment not work, but it is totally uninteresting and the kids don't get the point. Or the book where after explaining what an object pronoun is for 6 hours, with a whiteboard, M&M's and a musical number, Susie still fails the test. Meanwhile, Grandma is in the kitchen asking Johnny if he is lonely not being allowed to go to school, and when is his mother going to allow him to go to real school like all the normal children who are not being ruined by their parents.

 

But, I have no experience with that life and neither do any of you ;).

 

This completely cracked me up tonight--thank you! I think I related just a little *too* much so it hit home. I'll start looking for this book...

[partyof5]

Working at catching up...I'm reading several books at once (they are all in different places for convenience!) so when I catch up I'll be close to on track. :)

 

Currently reading:

Eat, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss...FUNNY!

Galloway's Book on Running by Jeff Galloway...almost done. Love his run/walk technique.

The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag (audio) by Alan Bradley...Flavia Mystery #2--cute & fun to listen to.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson...this is a nightstand read.

 

Finished in 2012:

1. Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone (audio) by J.K. Rowling

2. The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society (audio) by Annie Barrows

3. My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok

4. All the Pretty Horses (audio) by Cormack McCarthy

5. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

6. Bossypants by Tina Fey

7. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (audio) by Alan Bradley

8. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

9. Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets (audio) by J.K. Rowling

10. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

11. 1776 by David McCullough

12. The Calligrapher's Daughter (audio) by Eugenia Kim

13. Running & Fatburning for Women by Jeff Galloway (I'm back in pursuit of a 5k and several months in to a weight loss plan)

[VeganCupcake]

My Japan challenge book arrived today: The Roads to Sata by Alan Booth. I reeeaaaallllllllly want to start reading it now, but I'm only half-way through my current read, which I know I won't finish if I pick up something else.

 

I love the challenges--they get me to seek out things I wouldn't ordinarily have read, and I've found some great books this way!

[Rosie_0801]

So now I'm reading The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks. A friend gave me the book yesterday and assured me it was written on a level of understanding I can handle. Her reading choices are a lot like many of you. They are deep and more grown-up (haha) than I ever choose for myself. I promised I would try this. Here's hoping it turns out okay.

 

Even if you don't finish it, you'll find the bit you do read worthwhile, I'm sure. :)

 

Rosie

[aggieamy]

After two hiatus of reading it I finished The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. Great book, not as good The Woman in White, but still great. If you like classic mysteries you'd love his books because he seems to have invented the genre and the sleuths as we know them.

 

In progress:

 

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (I know I said I was going to branch out from mysteries for awhile but I lied. :))

Maus by Art Spiegelman

On Writing by Stephen King (re-read for book club)

Tales of Robin Hood by Tony Allan (read aloud)

Father Brown Mysteries by GK Chesterton (audiobook)

 

2012 finished books:

 

50. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (****)

49. The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffinegger (*)

48. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson (***)

47. Casino Royale - James Bond by Ian Fleming (**)

46. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson - Audiobook (***)

45. The Lucky Shopping Manual by Kim Lenitt (*****)

44. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (****)

43. Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer - Audiobook (****)

42. Half Magic by Edward Eager (***)

41. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede - Read Aloud (****)

 

Books 1 - 40

 

Amy's Rating System:

 

***** - Fantastic, couldn't put it down

**** - Very good

*** - Enjoyable but nothing special

** - Not recommended

* - Horrible

Edited May 5, 2012 by aggieamy

[Mom-ninja.]

Finished The First Year: Celiac Disease. Didn't learn anything new.

[Stacia]

I love the challenges--they get me to seek out things I wouldn't ordinarily have read, and I've found some great books this way!

:iagree:

 

I've been musing recently on some of the books I've read. I used to think magical realism (a genre I enjoy) to be the province of South American writers. Yet, w/ my recent Russian books & the various Japanese books I've enjoyed over the past couple of years, I've been delighted to find & enjoy magical realism from around the world. Does anyone have suggestions of magical realism literature from other areas (i.e., not Russia, Japan, or anywhere in Central or South America)? I'd be curious to expand more....

 

And, on that note, I tried starting Salmonella Men on Planet Porno by Yasutaka Tsutsui (which I selected both for the cover & for read a Japanese author) and The Pieces from Berlin by Michael Pye (another choose a book by its cover choice) -- neither of them appealed to me at this point. Tsutsui's book was short stories (which are not really my favorite anyway) & it definitely fell into the category of Japanese magical realism/surrealism, yet I wasn't feeling the love for his style of writing. Pye's book could be ok, but I wasn't in the mood for something that (seemingly) was going to be a depressing/sad read (too much real-life drama going on for me these days).

 

I must be in the mood for series books these days. I've started Mark Hodder's The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man (the sequel to one of my favorite books, The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack). I've barely started it, but love it already (& expect to love the whole thing). I must say I <3 Hodder's books!!!

[Robin M]

Link to week 19 - please continue conversation in new thread

[LostSurprise]

After two hiatus of reading it I finished The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. Great book, not as good The Woman in White, but still great. If you like classic mysteries you'd love his books because he seems to have invented the genre and the sleuths as we know them. [/Quote]

 

I loved those books. I thought Moonstone was more accessible and funny, but I love Marion and the Count from Woman so its my overall favorite. You have to get past the first 100 pages of Victorian romance before the plot thickens. ;)