Book a Week in 2012 - Week 32

[Mothersweets]

This past week I read Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian. My 13yo dd and I watched the movie recently and I'd always heard good things about the series so I thought I'd give it a go.

 

Well, I'm hooked. Jack Aubrey is such a likeable character and I can't quite figure out what is up with Stephen Maturin. Does he truly like Aubrey? or is this part of his spying? is he a spy? I did have trouble with all the naval slang. There were sentences with words I understood, just not when they were put together. :) I went online to a 18th century British navy site and was able to figure out some of it, but I mostly just got by with getting the gist of things.

 

I bought the next book in the series, Post Captain, and am really looking forward to reading it.

[Kareni]

This past week I read Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian. My 13yo dd and I watched the movie recently and I'd always heard good things about the series so I thought I'd give it a go.

 

Well, I'm hooked. ...

 

As I recall, I first heard about this series in the (gone but not forgotten) catalog A Common Reader in the early nineties. I gave my husband (he who typically read only non-fiction) Master and Commander, and he too was hooked. Since then he has read the series (all twenty one books), in its entirety, two or three times. I hope you continue to enjoy the series.

 

All the obscure vocabulary can come in handy, too. My husband recently picked the correct answer in a round of Balderdash because he remembered the given word from this series.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

Barnes and Nobles Free Nook Book Friday is Glen Cook's fantasy novel in the Last Chronicle of the Dread Empire series - Reap the East Wind. Link leads to some additional freebies listed in the comments.

[Robin M]

I finished Dee Henderson's Full Disclosure last night which is coming out in October. I loved the O'Malley series and in this story, the lead Ann Silver is the author of the books, writing the stories of the lives of close friends. She's also a cop and the story revolves around her and FBI murder cop Paul Falcon and the cases they are involved in. It's one of those stories that once you finish, you really don't want to pick up anything else to read. Kind of like that awesome fine wine and filet mignon dinner. So full and satisfied, you couldn't eat one more thing.

 

 

Also working on The Hobbit for study with my 9th grader and waiting on a pile of Agatha Christie books to transfer to my local branch.Happy reading!

 

My husband keeps bringing The Hobbit up. We should probably read it as a family read aloud. Going to propose just that. Thanks for giving me the idea.

 

As always, thanks for hosting the Book a Week threads, Robin.

 

:grouphug: My pleasure.

 

I have not read any of those "most difficult of the difficult" books. The most difficult book I've read so far? Looking through what's on my goodreads list - maybe Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson. It's hard to remember back too far, so that'll have to do. I'd like to make myself read The Faerie Queene sometime.

 

This week I only finished a graphic novel, Wilson by David Clowes, and I really didn't like it. Bleh.

 

Looked up Prometheus Rising - definitely a difficult book.

 

Re: the most difficult books - I've read Swift's Tale of a Tub, Richardson's Clarissa (unabridged!), some of the Hegel (under duress), and the first 3 books of The Faerie Queene (I thought Britomart would have been an awesome girl's name, but dh kept vetoing it).

 

I thought Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom! was much more difficult than Clarissa, which really isn't difficult in the least but just endless. I'm also dubious about including the two philosophical works; philosophy is a technical subject, and any important work in a technical field is going to be extremely difficult going.

 

Wow - good for you. Share your dubious feeling - I don't see how one can even classify fiction with a non fiction philosophical. They are in a class by themselves.

 

I hope you don't mind if I jump in. I've been lurking on the threads, but I haven't posted anything yet. I'm hoping I'll get motivation to read some good books.

 

Dive right in, the waters fine. :001_smile:

 

I finished The Rook tonight. Wow. I loved this book. It was a fast-paced, complex mix of fantasy & spy thriller with a unique plot & great characters. I think it was also kind of fun that the bad guys were Belgians in this one; usually, the Belgians aren't the bad guys in books, lol. ;) A fun, engrossing read -- definitely recommended.

 

Added to my wishlist - looks really good.

 

I have started reading The Nazi Séance: The Strange Story of the Jewish Psychic in Hitler's Circle by Arthur J. Magida.

 

 

From the inside front cover flap:

World War I left Berlin, and all of Germany, devastated. Charlatans and demagogues eagerly exploited the desperate crowds. Fascination with the occult was everywhere – in private séances, personalized psychic readings, communions with the dead – as people struggled to escape the grim reality of their lives. In the early 1930s, the most famous mentalist in the German capital was Erik Jan Hanussen, a Jewish mind reader originally from Vienna who became so popular in Berlin that he rubbed elbows with high ranking Nazis, became close with top Storm Troopers, and even advised Hitler.

 

Called “Europe’s Greatest Oracle Since Nostradamus,†Hanussen assumed he could manipulate some of the more incendiary personalities of his time just as he had manipulated his fans. He turned his occult newspaper in Berlin into a Nazi propaganda paper, personally assured Hitler that the stars were aligned in his favor, and predicted the infamous Reichstag Fire that would solidify the Nazis’ grip on Germany.

Seasoned with ruminations about wonder and m

agic (and explanations of Hanussen’s tricks),

The Nazi Séance

is a disturbing journey into a Germany as it descends into madness—aided by a “clairvoyant†Jew oblivious to the savagery of men who pursued a Reich they fantasized would last 1,000 years.

 

You find the most interesting, intriguing books. I think I'll live vicariously through you on this one.

 

 

I finished up book 12 (YES I'm way behind everyone else... :leaving: Oh, well...) The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson.

I reviewed it on my blog (link in my sig), overall I give it a 4 out of 5. It was pretty good (I was prepared not to like it and was pleasantly surprised!) and it gave me a fresh perspective on prayer. He also talks a bit about goals and stuff, and I want to get around to making a list. :)

 

Congrats!

 

I know that everyone else seems to have loved it and I hope I won't be asked to leave and never return to the Book-a-Week threads but I'm giving up on Dawn's Early Light. Elswyth Thane's writing is beautiful and I was loving the book for the first 100 pages. Then it slowly dawned on me who the love interest was going to be and I had this overwhelming feeling of icky-ness. I also didn't like that female character at all so it was a double whammy of the book just going from awesome to can't read another page.

 

Didn't you know - We have lots of free passes available. I think all of us have given up on books a few times. Definitely move on to something else that is not so icky.

[Violet Crown]

This past week I read Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian. My 13yo dd and I watched the movie recently and I'd always heard good things about the series so I thought I'd give it a go.

 

Well, I'm hooked. Jack Aubrey is such a likeable character and I can't quite figure out what is up with Stephen Maturin. Does he truly like Aubrey? or is this part of his spying? is he a spy? I did have trouble with all the naval slang. There were sentences with words I understood, just not when they were put together. :) I went online to a 18th century British navy site and was able to figure out some of it, but I mostly just got by with getting the gist of things.

 

I bought the next book in the series, Post Captain, and am really looking forward to reading it.

:party:

Another Aubrey/Maturin fan! When the movie came out, a friend at Half Price Books told me this was the time to sell my set, because the demand would never be so high again. But no, I figured I might need to read them all a third time. And the girls will surely want to read them someday....

[Mom-ninja.]

Oh my gosh. Very awesome! Although I think I might start to wonder if any of my relatives were the inspiration for a character in one of her books. :tongue_smilie:

 

It wouldn't be hard for me to imagine that my dad and his six brothers and two sisters might have influenced some of the children in the Piggle-Wiggle books. ;) And her own children of course.

 

 

My Dh went through the Aubrey series last year. He loved them.

Edited August 10, 2012 by Kleine Hexe

[eaglei]

Anne Tyler, yes! I highly recommend her. All her books have been an enjoyable read. My favorite is the Accidental Tourist. The little scenes just grabbed me. The quality ranges, but I think all her books are well done.

 

 

Good to know! Next time I go to the library, I will check what else they have by Tyler.

 

I am LOVING Dawn's Early Light. I'm so glad y'all recommended it.

 

I know that everyone else seems to have loved it and I hope I won't be asked to leave and never return to the Book-a-Week threads but I'm giving up on Dawn's Early Light. Elswyth Thane's writing is beautiful and I was loving the book for the first 100 pages. Then it slowly dawned on me who the love interest was going to be and I had this overwhelming feeling of icky-ness. I also didn't like that female character at all so it was a double whammy of the book just going from awesome to can't read another page.

 

I'm so sorry the *love* turned to *hate* . . . This series is an all-time favorite of mine and everything is so well-handled and, as you said, the writing is beautiful. I am trying to decide which love interest you didn't like, and whether it actually turned out that way . . .

 

In any event, we've all been disappointed in books at one time or another and have left them unfinished. Hope whichever book you're reading next is more enjoyable!

 

I finished up book 12 (YES I'm way behind everyone else... :leaving: Oh, well...) The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson.

I reviewed it on my blog (link in my sig), overall I give it a 4 out of 5. It was pretty good (I was prepared not to like it and was pleasantly surprised!) and it gave me a fresh perspective on prayer. He also talks a bit about goals and stuff, and I want to get around to making a list. :)

 

I'm off to read your review now . . .

[PeacefulChaos]

I've just finished #10. You can be in the Book of the Month Club with me. :)

 

Sounds good to me! :cheers2:

[VeganCupcake]

I finished listening to Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking. I really enjoyed it. I'm kind of introverted, but my DH is even more so.

 

Gotta find a new audio book!

[ladydusk]

I picked up a collection of Wodehouse for my Kindle and read My Man, Jeeves in the evenings right before bed. I enjoyed them.

 

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

17. Sylvester by Georgette Heyer

18. Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher (great read aloud)

19. Sins of the Fathers by Susan Howatch (wow!)

20. Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls (very good)

21. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (favorite)

22. The Toll Gate by Georgette Heyer

23. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (audio book)

24. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (audio book)

25. Penmarric by Susan Howatch

26. Cashelmara by Susan Howatch

27. The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer

28. Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings

29. Queen of Sorcery by David Eddings

30. Magician's Gambit by David Eddings

31. Castle of Wizadry by David Eddings

32. Enchanter's End Game by David Eddings

33. Persuasion by Jane Austen

34. Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber (phenomenal)

35. A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L'Engle

36. My Man, Jeeves by PG Wodehouse

[ariasmommy]

#35 Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber - an enjoyable and thought-provoking memoir (thank you, Ladydusk:))

 

#36 The Winged Watchman by Hilda Van Stockum - set in Holland during WWII. Read this aloud to the kids and it generated some good discussions.

 

#37 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - believe it or not, I'd never read this before, though I had watched the movie. Loved the perspective of Scout, the insights into human nature, Atticus' quiet strength. One of the top books for me this year, I think.

Edited August 11, 2012 by ariasmommy

[ladydusk]

#35 Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber - an enjoyable and thought-provoking memoir (thank you, Ladydusk:))

 

My pleasure! So glad you enjoyed it :)

[VeganCupcake]

I am listening to Coming Out of the Ice by Victor Herman. It's an amazing story, told in a strangely poetic way. It's the true story about an American man whose family moved to the USSR in 1933 to start up a Ford factory.

 

We watched the documentary My Perestroika on Netflix last night, so I am kind of in a Russian/Soviet mode right now. :)

[Stacia]

We watched the documentary My Perestroika on Netflix last night, so I am kind of in a Russian/Soviet mode right now. :)

 

You might enjoy The Dream Life of Sukhanov by Olga Grushin (which I read earlier this year for one of Robin's challenges).

[Robin M]

Link to week 33 - please continue conversation in new thread.

[laughing lioness]

..