Book a Week in 2012 - week 30

[Storm Bay]

It's this, St Augustine's magnum opus, written in 22 books between AD 413 and 427. The first ten books take some slogging through, as they're composed of Augustine's detailed refutation of various now-vanished polytheistic theologies and philosophies, including an extended refutation of a book that hasn't survived to the modern era. But the sailing is a little clearer now.

 

Thanks for all of the info :). I don't think I'm going to start a long series like that right now, but the next time I want to delve into this kind of thing I'll keep them in mind. I totally understand why you'd rather read all of the translation in English.

[Violet Crown]

Thanks for all of the info :). I don't think I'm going to start a long series like that right now, but the next time I want to delve into this kind of thing I'll keep them in mind. I totally understand why you'd rather read all of the translation in English.

 

I understand. I should clarify that it's not a series; when Augustine was writing, the ancient world was transitioning from scrolls to modern books. Scrolls were separated into pages, which were collected in 'books,' which were themselves assembled into a codex. Today we would think of these 'books' as more like very long chapters. My Penguin edition of City of God is about 1000 pages, and each of the 22 'books' (i.e. paginated scrolls) is 40-50 pages long.

[AllSmiles]

Hi, All! I have been lurking at the book a week posts for a long time, and I've finally decided to join the fun :)

 

I love reading, especially mysteries. I'm also fascinated with Ancient Egypt so if I can find books about Egyptian mysteries (Elizabeth Peters), I'm in heaven. I all do a lot of "school" reading so I can keep up with my kids.

 

I finished three books last week:

 

40. Whose Body by Dorothy Sayers (loved this one)

41. The Time Machine by H G Wells

42. Hydrogen Murder by Camille Minichino

 

 

This week I am reading:

Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank

A Mystery of Errors by Simon Hawke

 

 

Previously read books:

39. Templar Legacy by Steve Barry

38. One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

37. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

36. Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

35. The Body in the Belfry by Katherine Hall Page

34. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

33, Hippopotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters

32. Long Quiche Goodbye by Avery Aames

31. Aunt Dimity's Death by nancy Atherton

30. Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton

29. Fever by Robin Cook

28. The cold Light of Mourning by Elizabeth Duncan

27. 13 Clocks by James Thurber

26. Black Tower by P. D. James

25. Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

24. Mocking Jay by Suzanne Collins

23. Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht

22. The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien

21. A Morbid Taste for Bomes by Ells Peters

20. Speedy Death by Gladys Mitchell (very surprising ending)

19. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

18. Arson and Old Lace by Patricia Harwin

17. Blueberry Muffun Murder by Joanne Fluke

16 . Lemon Meringue Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

15. Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters

14. Last Camel Died at noon by Elizabeth Peters

13. Unbroken by Laura Hillembrand

12. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

11. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

10. Dracula by bram stoker

9. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

8. Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

7. Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith

6. M is for Malice by Sue Grafton

5. Shroud for a nightingale by P. D. James

4. Break no Bones by Kathy Reichs

3. Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs

2. The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie

1. Some Buried Caesar by Rex Stout

 

 

Three books I started this year, but couldn't finish:

1. 2666

2. Slice of Murder

3. Napoleon's Pyramids

[Violet Crown]

Fantastic to have you add your list! I'm glad you came out of lurkdom to share. :). Which books did you like best? And which would you not recommend? I'm looking at that little list of non-finished books....

[AllSmiles]

Let's see...

 

Favorite books this year:

1. Hunger Games Triology

2. Unbroken

3. Amelia Peabody Series by Elizabeth Peters

4. Pride and Prejudice

5. Whose Body?

6. Te Sweetness and the Bottom of the Pie

7. Night Circus

8. Hydrogen Murder

9. Templar Legacy

10. Handmaid's Tale

11. Kathy Reichs books

 

 

 

Least Favorite:

1. Discovery of Witches (Sometimes I felt really drawn into this book, and other times I questioned why I was still reading it)

2.slice of Murder (I felt like the writing was terrible, and the characters unbelievable)

3. 2666 (I just couldn't get into this one)

4. Napoleon's Pyramids (I really wanted to like this book, but I wasn't able to get into it. I might try it again down the road.)

[aggieamy]

I just finished #52! Whooopppeee, I don't have to read for the rest of the year :lol:!!!

 

 

Awesome! Are you going to try for 104 now and double the numbers?

 

I've ended up with a fews days of late nights reading in bed and have finished three book. I'm on a roll!

 

The Princess Bride by William Goldman - Loved it. Loved every bit of it!

 

Crocodiles on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters - This was the first of her mysteries that I read and I enjoyed it. I thought the characters were interesting and I liked the mystery. I will probably read the next in the series and see if I like it as much.

 

The Tattooed Potato and Other Clues by Ellen Raskin - This was kind of strange. I picked it up because the same author wrote The Westing Game which I thought was fantastic. The mystery in this one wasn't as good.

 

 

In progress:

Emma by Jane Austen

Katherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

The Mirror Cracked Side to Side (Miss Marple) by Agatha Christie

Calico Bush by Rachel Field (read aloud)

 

2012 finished books:

 

87. The Princess Bride by William Goldman (*****)

86. Crocodiles on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters (***)

86. The Tattooed Potato and Other Clues by Ellen Raskin (***)

84. Supermarket by Satoshi Azuchi (**)

83. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto (*****)

82. Stein on Writing by Sol Stein (****)

81. Order from Chaos by Liz Davenport (**)

 

Books 41 - 80

 

Books 1 - 40

 

Amy's Rating System:

 

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

**** - Very good

*** - Enjoyable but nothing special

** - Not recommended

* - Horrible

[NanceXToo]

COMPLETE

 

1. Envy, by J.R. Ward (Fallen Angels series)

 

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

 

3. The Ramayana, A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic, by R.K. Narayan (with my daughter for school reading)

 

4. Dark Highlander, by Karen Marie Moning (Highlander series)

 

5. The Immortal Highlander, by Karen Marie Moning (Highlander series)

 

6. Spell of the Highlander, by Karen Marie Moning (Highlander series)

 

7. 11/22/63, by Stephen King

 

8. The Traveler, by John Twelve Hawks (Fourth Realm Trilogy, Book 1)

 

9. Into the Dreaming, by Karen Marie Moning (Highlander series)

 

10. A Judgement In Stone, by Ruth Rendel

 

11. The Dark River, by John Twelve Hawks (Fourth Realm Trilogy, Book 2)

 

12. The Golden City, by John Twelve Hawks (Fourth Realm Trilogy, Book 3)

 

13. Forbidden Pleasure, by Lora Leigh

 

14. Relic, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

 

15. House Rules, by Jodi Picoult

 

16. Midwives, by Chris Bohjalian

 

17. Wind Through the Keyhole, by Stephen King

 

18. The High Flyer, by Susan Howatch.

 

19. Daughter of the Blood, by Anne Bishop (The Black Jewels Trilogy, Book 1)

 

20. Heir to the Shadows, by Anne Bishop (The Black Jewels Trilogy, Book 2)

 

21. The Host, by Stephenie Meyer

 

22. Queen of the Darkness, by Anne Bishop (The Black Jewels Trilogy, Book 3)

 

23. The Invisible Ring, by Anne Bishop (The Black Jewels series)

 

24. Fifty Shades of Grey, by E.L. James

 

25. Fifty Shades Darker, by E.L. James

 

26. Fifty Shades Freed, by E.L. James

 

27. Dreams Made Flesh, by Anne Bishop (The Black Jewels series)

 

28. Tangled Webs, by Anne Bishop (The Black Jewels series)

 

29. Goodnight Nobody, by Jennifer Weiner

 

30. Kiss the Dead, by Laurell K. Hamilton (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series)

 

CURRENT

 

31. The Shadow Queen, by Anne Bishop (The Black Jewels series)

 

32. Ahab's Wife, by Sena Jeter Naslund

[Mom-ninja.]

I just finished #52! Whooopppeee, I don't have to read for the rest of the year :lol:!!!

 

 

I bet you can't not read another book this year. :D

[AllSmiles]

 

The Princess Bride by William Goldman - Loved it. Loved every bit of it!

 

 

Have you seen the movie? I was going to read the book but I've heard a number of people say that in this case the movie was better. Thoughts?

 

 

Crocodiles on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters - This was the first of her mysteries that I read and I enjoyed it. I thought the characters were interesting and I liked the mystery. I will probably read the next in the series and see if I like it as much.

 

I have loved all of her Amela Peabody books I have read so far. Enjoy!

[ladydusk]

Amy>>The Princess Bride by William Goldman - Loved it. Loved every bit of it! <<

 

 

All Smiles>>Have you seen the movie? I was going to read the book but I've heard a number of people say that in this case the movie was better. Thoughts?<<

 

I love the movie and I adore the book. The book is funny. I love the "interruptions" of the editor and the quirkiness. I might like the book better. I laugh and laugh.

[Stacia]

Fantastic to have you add your list! I'm glad you came out of lurkdom to share. :). Which books did you like best? And which would you not recommend? I'm looking at that little list of non-finished books....

 

:iagree: (& I see you already posted answers, AllSmiles). :001_smile: 2666 has been on my want-to-read list for awhile, but I haven't picked it up yet. I think it will be one that I'll need to be in the right frame of mind to read.

 

And, Sharon, as always, I'm in awe of your reading list & your erudite postings. :001_smile: Love that you're even ahead of the count for reading a book a month considering the challenging reading you tackle! (I also had to lol at your wanting your book to be actually translated. The gall of you, woman! ;):tongue_smilie::D)

[aggieamy]

Amy>>The Princess Bride by William Goldman - Loved it. Loved every bit of it! <<

 

 

All Smiles>>Have you seen the movie? I was going to read the book but I've heard a number of people say that in this case the movie was better. Thoughts?<<

 

I love the movie and I adore the book. The book is funny. I love the "interruptions" of the editor and the quirkiness. I might like the book better. I laugh and laugh.

 

:iagree: The book and the movie are remarkably similar. If you love the movie you'll still love the book.

[Maus]

Completed:

Book #42 - "The School for the Insanely Gifted" by Dan Elish. That was a fun read! I'll probably read it aloud to the kids in a year or two.

 

Book #41 - "The Eye of the Sun - Part One of Blackwood: Legends of the Forest" by Les Moyes.

Book #40 - "The Fallacy Detective" by Nathaniel Bluedorn and Hans Bluedorn.

Book #39 - "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes. Translated by John Ormsby.

Book #38 - "Organizing Solutions for People with Attention Deficit Disorder" by Susan C. Pinsky.

Book #37 - "Growing Up: A Classic American Childhood" by Marilyn vos Savant.

Book #36 -"A Young People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn.

Book #35 - "Organizing the Disorganized Child: Simple Strategies to Succeed in School" by Martin L. Kutscher & Marcella Moran.

Book #34 - "Turn Right at Machu Picchu" by Mark Adams.

Book #33 - "The Lightening Thief" by Rick Riordan.

Book #32 - "Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, And the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero" by Michael Hingson.

Book #31 - "America's Hidden History" by Kenneth C. Davis.

Book #30 - "The Diamond of Darkhold†by Jeanne DuPrau.

Book #29 - "The People of Sparks†by Jeanne DuPrau.

Book #28 - "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins.

Book #27 - "Well-Educated Mind" by Susan Wise Bauer.

Book #26 - "The Prophet of Yonwood" by Jeanne Duprau.

Book #25 - "City of Ember" by Jeanne Duprau.

Book #24 - "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch.

Book #23 - "Who Moved My Cheese" by Spencer Johnson.

Book #22 - "Deconstructing Penguins" by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone.

Book #21 - "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli.

Book #20 - "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins.

Book #19 - "Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins.

Book #18 - "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer.

Book #17 - "Frozen Assets: Cook for a Day, Eat for a Month" by Deborah Taylor-Hough.

Book #16 - "Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy" by Jonni McCoy.

Book #15 - "The Highly Sensitive Person" by Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D.

Book #14 - "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain.

Book #13 - "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett.

Book #12 - "The Highly Sensitive Person" by Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D.

Book #11 - "Extraordinary, Ordinary People" by Condoleezza Rice.

Book #10 - "The Pig in the Pantry" by Rose Godfrey.

Book #9 - "The Virgin in the Ice" by Ellis Peters.

Book #8 - "The Leper of St. Giles" by Ellis Peters.

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

[Robin M]

I'm back and playing catch up. Thanks for all the good thoughts and prayers. Mom is doing much better now that's she's out of pain and has been moved over to rehab home for a couple weeks for physical therapy. I plan on going back in 3 weeks which was to give her incentive to work her bootie off and be able to greet me standing at the door.

 

Finished the YA fantasy Shiver by Becca Fitzpatrick which ended in yet another cliff hanger. Just finished reading 13 seconds by Andrew Gross and my review will be up tomorrow. Discovered he co-writes with James Patterson which totally explains why I didn't like his writing. Good premises for a thriller but he totally dumbed down the main character.

[Robin M]

Checking in again after being absent a couple of weeks.

 

I finally finished Anna Karenina from the April challenge! Woohoo! I enjoyed it, even though it took me so long to get it done.

 

Woot! Woot! Don't want to give anything away but have to know. Were you surprised at all regarding her actions with the train or expected it at some point?

 

 

Is it to late to join in? I have been distracted.

I am reading the Immortal Life on Henrietta Lacks

 

Never too late. Welcome!

 

Completed:

Book #41 - "The Eye of the Sun - Part One of Blackwood: Legends of the Forest" by Les Moyes. MY BROTHER wrote this book.

 

Congratulations to your brother. That's wonderful

 

I just finished #52! Whooopppeee, I don't have to read for the rest of the year :lol:!!!

 

The Island by Elin Hilderbrand

 

Awesome! Could you go without reading? I couldn't..would get too grumpy. :lol:

 

The Booker longlist is out. More to add to my 'to-read' list!!!!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2012/jul/25/booker-prize-longlist-2012-open-thread?newsfeed=true

 

:001_smile:

 

Thanks for sharing. Haven't heard of any of the authors on the list. Will have to check them out.

 

Hi, All! I have been lurking at the book a week posts for a long time, and I've finally decided to join the fun :)

 

Welcome to you too! Glad you decided to quit lurking and join in.

[Stacia]

Robin, glad to hear about your mom's continued improvement. And, I hope she meets her 3-week challenge! :001_smile: :grouphug:

 

Woot! Woot! Don't want to give anything away but have to know. Were you surprised at all regarding her actions with the train or expected it at some point?

Did you know there's a movie of Anna Karenina coming out at the end of the year? (I may need to tackle reading Anna Karenina before then.) Looks positively sumptuous (along w/ The Great Gatsby movie that is also planned for the end of the year).

 

FYI, for Life of Pi fans, there is also a movie coming out in November. Ang Lee directs.

 

I think it's kind of fun to see all these books being turned into movies (though I'll pass on the Life of Pi movie).

 

Robin, I've heard of some of the Booker longlist authors this year & have read (& loved) a book (Darkmans by Nicola Barker) by one of them previously. Hilary Mantel is on the list & I know she's famous for Wolf Hall (the 2009 Booker Prize winner); her book on the list this year is the sequel to Wolf Hall. (I want to read both Wolf Hall & Bring Up The Bodies.)

 

ETA: Ohhh, David Mitchell's book Cloud Atlas is also being turned into a movie. Haven't read the book yet, but have heard so many glowing reviews of it that I definitely want to. (The preview looks pretty cool too.)

Edited September 12, 2014 by Stacia

[Zebra]

I bet you can't not read another book this year. :D

 

I bet you're right :lol:!!!

 

For about 10 minutes I felt like...."I am NEVER reading, ever, ever again..." and then that passed, and I started "The Hunger Games". Which, I already don't like. It's FINE, just not that great. I think it may be because I already heard all about it, how it ended, etc. and there has been far too much build-up of it in my mind. THEN, today I went to the library and got out 8 more books, mostly ones I got from this list. BUT, I am NOT going to read ANY of them :lol::lol::lol:!

 

I think we should start a "0 books a year" challenge...that one would be hard for me. I would find all these loopholes like, "Well, it's on the NOOK so it's not really a book..." or "I just skimmed it, I didn't really read it."

;)

[Mom-ninja.]

I think we should start a "0 books a year" challenge...that one would be hard for me. I would find all these loopholes like, "Well, it's on the NOOK so it's not really a book..." or "I just skimmed it, I didn't really read it."

;)

 

I've toyed with the idea of making myself do a challenge of reading only the books I own already on my bookshelf. That would be hard.

 

 

 

Wow, the movie looks good. Jude Law.....:drool:

 

I was surprised with the train. I did not see it coming.

[-M-]

#79 Get Out of My Life, But First Could You Drive Me and Cheryl to the Mall? (Anthony E. Wolf, Ph.D.; non-fiction)

Read this one as "research" for a piece I'm working on. I'm never smug about my parenting lot -- I *know* I won the lottery. This book frightened me.

 

#78 Pariah (Bob Fingerman; fiction)

Gratuitously violent and crass. Cardboard characters. A thinly explained "twist." The illustrations were the most compelling aspect of this otherwise mediocre bit of zombie fiction.

_______________________

 

How cool! This weekend I will hit two milestones: I'll have 80 books read and 500 miles pedaled. Woot!

[ariasmommy]

#33 Candy Bomber: The Story of the Berlin Airlift's "Chocolate Pilot" by Michael O. Tunnell - such a wonderful, uplifting story!

 

#34 The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick - a beautiful book, but I liked the movie better.

[LostSurprise]

ETA: Ohhh, David Mitchell's book Cloud Atlas is also being turned into a movie. Haven't read the book yet, but have heard so many glowing reviews of it that I definitely want to. (The preview looks pretty cool too.)

 

 

I saw this yesterday and I freaked out! I never thought they could make that into a movie but it looks great!

 

I recommend Cloud Atlas, but its not an easy book. I just about tossed it several times. Its a bunch of semi-interwoven (in the vaguest way) short stories that end just as you start to get into them. At an exciting point (except the first story...I found that one to be my least favorite of the group). Then they start a whole new story that you have to get immersed in. About half way through I wanted to throttle Mitchell but then they started going back for the climax, one after another. Also, there's almost a reincarnation thing going. And if you're a person who needs good or bad things to happen for a reason, this will bug you.

 

But other then that its brilliant. :lol: Totally different styles from Victorian to detective to science fiction to post-apocalyptic. If you like really random stories strung together into a moving story about the human condition I would recommend it.

[Violet Crown]

:iagree: (& I see you already posted answers, AllSmiles). :001_smile: 2666 has been on my want-to-read list for awhile, but I haven't picked it up yet. I think it will be one that I'll need to be in the right frame of mind to read.

 

And, Sharon, as always, I'm in awe of your reading list & your erudite postings. :001_smile: Love that you're even ahead of the count for reading a book a month considering the challenging reading you tackle! (I also had to lol at your wanting your book to be actually translated. The gall of you, woman! ;):tongue_smilie::D)

 

You shouldn't be too impressed. I don't do much fluffy reading, but I way make up for it by my horrifically junky tv viewing habits.

[Stacia]

You shouldn't be too impressed. I don't do much fluffy reading, but I way make up for it by my horrifically junky tv viewing habits.

 

:lol: (Ok. Fess up. What tv shows do you watch? ;))

 

Today, I finished Hexed by Kevin Hearne. It's book #2 in the Iron Druid series that Lizzie in Ma first recommended. (Yep, even though I generally don't read 'series' books, I keep reading them! :thumbup1:) As with the first book in the series, I loved it. Kevin Hearn weaves in great humor amid many mythologies & creatures in these adventure-packed books. Love seeing which characters reappear & which new ones we meet. (It was fun to see the Coyote legends included in this book.) Highly recommended, especially if you want some fun, urban fantasy reading.

 

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

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).

 

My rating system: 5 = Love; 4 = Pretty awesome; 3 = Decently good; 2 = Ok; 1 = Don't bother (I shouldn't have any 1s on my list as I would ditch them before finishing)...

 

2012 Books Read:

Books I read January-June 2012

37. Clutter Busting Your Life by Brooks Palmer (3 stars)

38. The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje (5 stars)

39. The Colors of Infamy by Albert Cossery (3 stars)

40. Osa and Martin: For the Love of Adventure by Kelly Enright (3 stars)

 

41. Hexed by Kevin Hearne (4 stars)

[Mom-ninja.]

 

Today, I finished Hexed by Kevin Hearne. It's book #2 in the Iron Druid series that Lizzie in Ma first recommended. (Yep, even though I generally don't read 'series' books, I keep reading them! :thumbup1:) As with the first book in the series, I loved it. Kevin Hearn weaves in great humor amid many mythologies & creatures in these adventure-packed books. Love seeing which characters reappear & which new ones we meet. (It was fun to see the Coyote legends included in this book.) Highly recommended, especially if you want some fun, urban fantasy reading.

 

 

I have these on my to read list. I may have to bump them up in priority.

 

Right now I'm spending my reading time putting together lessons from different books. Not as much fun as losing oneself in a good book.

[Violet Crown]

:lol: (Ok. Fess up. What tv shows do you watch? ;))

 

 

 

Let's just say that tv hasn't ever been the same since the '70s. I'm so excited that Quincy, M.D. is on Netflix now. If only they would show Emergency! - Randolph Mantooth, where art thou? - and I dream of The Man From Atlantis and The Six Million Dollar Man (even if he stole my name). Meanwhile, I watch and re-watch Columbo.

[Robin M]

Link to week 31 - please continue conversation in new thread