Book a Week in 2012 - Week 42

[Robin M]

Good Morning, dear hearts! Today is the start of week 42 in our quest to read 52 books in 52 weeks. Welcome back to all our readers, welcome to all those just joining in and to all who are following our progress. Mr. Linky is all set up on the 52 books blog to link to your reviews.

 

52 Books Blog - Gulliver's Travels: Highlighting the 3rd book in SWB's Well Educated Mind.

 

The gal I mentioned last week, Cherry Adair, her self published e-book Ice Cold is available this weekend for a special price of $5.59. Have no idea what she's going to charge after this so if you are interested, get it now at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

 

 

A Chinese writer whose books were banned in China has won the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature - Mo Yan. He may be one to add to your wishlists. According to the Nobel committee:

 

"Through a mixture of fantasy and reality, historical and social perspectives, Mo Yan has created a world reminiscent in its complexity of those in the writings of William Faulkner and Gabriel García Márquez, at the same time finding a departure point in old Chinese literature and in oral tradition. In addition to his novels, Mo Yan has published many short stories and essays on various topics, and despite his social criticism is seen in his homeland as one of the foremost contemporary authors."

 

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

Link to week 41

[Robin M]

Let's see. This week I finished the ebook Red by Kait Nolan. Very, very good young adult mystery/pseudo paranormal story about a teenager whose inherited the family curse and could possibly turn into a werewolf soon.

 

Listened to Picnic at Hanging Rock as suggested by Rosie. Excellent story with lots of mystery to it and leaves you wondering. Thank you, Rosie.

 

Started Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz a couple days ago - I just love his writing style. It adds an extra dimension to his stories.

 

Still working through Writing Begins with the Breath and added Chris Baty's Writer's workbook Ready, Set, Novel!

[Paisley Hedgehog]

.

[Just Robyn]

I finished We and really enjoyed it. This was a book I read for my book group, and another member who had read a version translated by someone else was less satisfied than those of us who read the version translated by Natasha Randall. I also read Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg. I enjoy Ginsberg's poetry, but the form is similar in many of the poems (in this book at least). That made it difficult for me to appreciate each poem separately and fully.

 

Stacia is sending me her copy of Picnic at Hanging Rock, so I'll be reading that soon!

[MommaOfalotta]

Let's see. This week I finished the ebook Red by Kait Nolan. Very, very good young adult mystery/pseudo paranormal story about a teenager whose inherited the family curse and could possibly turn into a werewolf soon.

 

Listened to Picnic at Hanging Rock as suggested by Rosie. Excellent story with lots of mystery to it and leaves you wondering. Thank you, Rosie.

 

Started Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz a couple days ago - I just love his writing style. It adds an extra dimension to his stories.

 

Still working through Writing Begins with the Breath and added Chris Baty's Writer's workbook Ready, Set, Novel!

 

Dean is my favorite author and I love his Odd series. They just made a movie of Odd Thomas and it should be out very soon. Dean is very particular about movies being made from his books (which is why there havent been very many at all) so with his high standards it should be pretty good!

 

ETA: Sorry to just barge in your thread :)

[Stacia]

Here's a movie poster for the book I'm currently reading (part of my October spooky reading): John Dies at the End. (I think the movie will be released at the end of the year or maybe early next year.) This book is gruesome & hilarious -- I've been giggling & chortling out loud in various points. If you have a warped sense of humor & are looking for both a funny & scary read, I think this is it....

 

Also, I'm still working on Visit Sunny Chernobyl.

 

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

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)

42. Soulless by Gail Carriger (3 stars)

43. The Hoarder in You by Dr. Robin Zasio (3 stars)

44. What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (2 stars)

45. The Rook by Daniel O'Malley (4 stars)

46. The Nazi Séance by Arthur J. Magida (2 stars)

47. Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballentine & Tee Morris (3 stars)

48. Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi (5 stars)

49. Thud! by Terry Pratchett (3.5 stars)

50. Wide Open by Nicola Barker (3 stars)

 

51. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez (4 stars)

52. The Merciful Women by Federico Andahazi (3 stars)

53. The Vampyre by John William Polidori (3 stars)

54. Living in a Nutshell by Janet Lee (3 stars)

55. Dracula by Bram Stoker (4 stars)

56. Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay (3 stars)

[Stacia]

A Chinese writer whose books were banned in China has won the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature - Mo Yan. He may be one to add to your wishlists.

 

Oh, thanks for mentioning him, Robin. Sounds like I might enjoy his books.

 

Listened to Picnic at Hanging Rock as suggested by Rosie. Excellent story with lots of mystery to it and leaves you wondering. Thank you, Rosie.

 

:iagree: Thanks, Rosie. The story was good, but having Rosie here to provide more input & 'give a face to' the location made it even better!

 

two books on Mt Everest. I also have a couple of unread Anne Perry books on my shelves. The discovery that she is a convicted murderer has piqued my interest in her writing again. I am such a ghoul ;)

 

What are the books about Mt. Everest? I love to read books about Everest, mountaineering, and that area of the world in general.

 

As far as Anne Perry -- I guess you write what you know, huh? ;):tongue_smilie: (I've never read her stuff so I don't actually know how much she delves into murder....)

[aggieamy]

Finished # 67 Relic by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child. It was a re-read thriller with a monster but not really scary by my definition.

 

Lots on the way from the library for me, including the dvd of Picnic At Hanging Rock, It (Stephen King), and two books on Mt Everest. I also have a couple of unread Anne Perry books on my shelves. The discovery that she is a convicted murderer has piqued my interest in her writing again. I am such a ghoul ;)

 

I had no idea about Anne Perry's history until the last thread but I've read a few of her books in the past and enjoyed them. After reading about the murder I took her books off my to-read list and then today I put them back on. We must be a bunch ghouls.

[prairiegirl]

I have read "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie (wonderful book, ready to read more Christie,) "Death at Pemberley" by P.D.James (loved this once I got over my confusion with other P&P knock-offs) and 'The Year of Learning Dangerously' by Quinn Cummings (disliked this book, she writes of Christian homeschoolers but only deals with uber-conservatives. I am a Christian homeschooler and I am nothing like the people she writes about. I was left wondering what the reason was for writing this book.)

 

I am now reading "The Marriage Plot' by Jeffrey Eugenides.

[Jane in NC]

 

Also, I'm still working on Visit Sunny Chernobyl.

 

 

 

Told the College Boy about this one. He buys few new books but thought this one might be worth the investment. Let me know if you think so.

 

Jane

[Jane in NC]

Well I am losing track of how many books I have read. Sigh. Further, I am not reading as much as I would like (should). Other things on my plate at the moment (and they would not be donuts).

 

I did listen to what I think was #46 for the year, an old spy thriller called The Light of Day which won an Edgar for author Eric Ambler back in '64. Not sure why I derive so much pleasure from some of the old espionage books.

 

Speaking of which...we saw Argo yesterday which was a top notch suspense thriller It is based on a true story of six Americans who managed to find shelter in the Canadian ambassador's home in Tehran at the time of the Iranian revolution (1979). The CIA and the Canadians create an amazing ruse to deliver the six to safety. Yes, there is some Hollywood stuff and nonsense in the film, but the essence of the story is true.

 

Here is the recipe for a strawberry jam crumb coffee cake that I made over the weekend, substituting homemade blueberry jam for the strawberry. Link. Now who wants coffee with that?

[Paisley Hedgehog]

. 

 

[VeganCupcake]

Thank you so much for mentioning Mo Yan. I had no idea who had won the literature prize this year and I love all things Chinese. I feel so out of it. NPR, have you failed me? :lol: I guess there were a couple of days last week that I didn't listen very much (or not as much as usual).

 

Visit Sunny Chernobyl sounds intriguing to me, too. I anxiously await an update. :)

 

As for me, I've just started listening to The Majesty of the Law by Sandra Day O'Connor. So far, very interesting. I really admire Justice O'Connor.

 

I'm also trying to clean house and finish up a few books that I've started and are worth finishing, but I just haven't gotten around to it. This includes Free Range Knitting and How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk.

[eaglei]

This week I finished two books:

 

#56 - 365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life, by John Kralik. The title says it all.

 

#57 - The Ponder Heart, by Eudora Welty. Down-home humor, mostly about the narrator's eccentric uncle, using some well-turned phrases. Some laugh out-loud moments. Not scintillating, but worth the short amount of time it takes to read this novella.

 

Am about to start:

 

#58 - In the Shadow of the Pulpit: An Anecdotal Autobiography, by Ann and Joel Klein.

[Kareni]

I'm currently reading and enjoying How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O'Neal. The book is classified as women's fiction, but I'm hoping for a happy ending.

 

Recently read Rescue Me by Rachel Gibson which is a contemporary romance. I've been on a Rachel Gibson kick lately, and I enjoyed this book.

 

Yesterday, I finished The Last Renegade by Jo Goodman which is a western historical romance. Jo Goodman writes intriguing romances and seems deserving of a larger readership. I enjoyed this book though I've enjoyed other of her books more. My favorite is The Price of Desire.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[LostSurprise]

96. The Gypsies by Jan Yoors~'30s, Gypsy/Rom culture. I liked this. It wasn't overly dramatic (although some exciting things happened) but it covered a lot of the cultural traditions and personality of the Gypsies (Rom) before WWII. You get a sense of who they were (actually there are several "races" of Gypsy-not all travel) and how their culture works. Yoors joined the Gypsies on a whim at age 12, and his parents allowed him to continue traveling 6-9 months a year with them until he reached 17 and WWII broke out. He developed 2 families, 2 cultures (Belgian, Rom). Yoors also worked in the Resistance during WWII and he detailed his work and his time as a Resistance-Rom liaison in the book Crossing.

 

95. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute~fiction, WWII, Australia, Malaya, romance. There was a lot I liked about this novel. The sections about the Japanese in Malaya were really intriguing. I like novels about Australia. It had lots of different sections (WWII Malaya, England, the Outback) with different goals. I thought the Australian slang seemed a bit over the top, the racial stuff is straight from the '50s, and the romance was a bit awkward (although generally I favor a practical woman like the main character). I had fun comparing Shute and Heinlein (I'm reading Tunnel in the Sky right now, one of Heinlein's 'juvenile' novels from the '50s).

 

*Top 10

**Best of the Year

 

94. Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty~fiction, deep South, family. *

93. All the Presidents' Pastries: 25 years in the White House by Chef Roland Mesnier~memoir, pastry, White House.

92. Wasp Factory by Iain Banks~fiction, horror, psychopath, coming of age.

91. True Grit by Charles Portis~western, coming of age, humor/irony. **

89. Crossing by Jan Yoors~memoir, WWII, Resistance, Gypsies/Rom.

85. Doc by Mary Doria Russell~historical fiction, American plains, Doc Holliday.

82. Landscaping with Native Plants of Minnesota by Lynn Steiner~gardening, native plants. *

81. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa~mathematics, friendship, family, baseball.

79. Half Broke Horses by Jeannette ~memoir, biography, southwest

78. The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder~science fiction, alternate history, Richard Burton, steampunk.

68. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall~children's fiction, sisters, adventure. *

61. The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum~non-fiction, forensic science, chemistry, New York, Prohibition. *

59. The Green Mile by Stephen King~supernatural, prison, 1930s. *

51. North by Northanger by Carrie Bebis~Jane Austen, mystery

47. The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi~memoir, Italy, criminal case, serial killer. *

41. Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris~fiction, France, WWII, food. *

28. Divergent by Veronica Roth~youth fiction, dystopian.

23. Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood by Oliver Sacks~non-fiction, memoir, history of chemistry.

18. A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell~fiction, WWII **

11. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson~mystery

7. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman~non-fiction/medical *

2. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton~Fiction

1. The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt~Fiction

 

Working on:

Blood Meridian (McCarthy) ~I will finish this, I will.

The Zookeeper's Wife (Ackerman)

Tunnel in the Sky (Heinlein)

Baby Catcher

[Negin]

I finished The Sense of an Ending - 2 Stars. I liked it much more at first, then I thought that it got a bit too depressing. I agree with this reviewer on amazon. Not sure if the link works or not.

 

I'm now reading Pictures of You - very slow and repetitive for the most part, very simple and not that much brain power required if you KWIM. Nice story. Interested to see how it ends.

I just saw the author's picture and it made me smile that the protagonist has the same look, or at least the same hair as the author. I notice this often. Just like the Da Vinci Code guy looks like the author.

 

 

MY RATING SYSTEM

5 Stars

Fantastic, couldn't put it down

4 Stars

Really Good

3 Stars

Enjoyable

2 Stars

Just Okay – nothing to write home about

1 Star

Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad.

 

 

I am now reading "The Marriage Plot' by Jeffrey Eugenides.

Julia, interested to hear what you think of this. I know that I won't like it nearly as much as Middlesex, but I'm considering it nonetheless.

[Rosie_0801]

95. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute~fiction, WWII, Australia, Malaya, romance. There was a lot I liked about this novel. The sections about the Japanese in Malaya were really intriguing. I like novels about Australia. It had lots of different sections (WWII Malaya, England, the Outback) with different goals. I thought the Australian slang seemed a bit over the top, the racial stuff is straight from the '50s, and the romance was a bit awkward (although generally I favor a practical woman like the main character).

 

It wasn't. :D

 

 

I finished 'The Wonderland of Nature,' which I look forward to being able to use with my kiddies, along with the accompanying journal pages. :)

 

 

So is anyone else going to host a local area book challenge?

 

Rosie

[laundrycrisis]

1. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children;

2. Celestially Auspicious Occasions

3. The Mysterious Benedict Society

4. The Invention of Hugo Cabret

5. The Picture of Dorian Gray

6. Wuhu Diary

7. The Secret Life of the Dyslexic Child

8. Kingdom of Children

9. Values: Lighting the Candle of Excellence : A Practical Guide for the Family by Marva Collins

10. Natural Medicine Guide to Bipolar Disorder, The: New Revised Edition by Stephanie Marohn

11. Ordinary Children, Extraordinary Teachers by Marva Collins

12. Marva Collins' Way

13. Parenting a Child With Asperger Syndrome: 200 Tips and Strategies by Brenda Boyd

14. Tales from Shakespeare by Tina Packer

15. Parenting Your Asperger Child: Individualized Solutions for Teaching Your Child Practical Skills by Alan T. Sohn

16. Hitchhiking through Asperger Syndrome by Lise Pyles

17. Be Different: Adventures of a Free-Range Aspergian (John Elder Robison)

18. Quirky, Yes---Hopeless, No (Cynthia La Brie Norall)

19. Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting

20. The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome by Tony Attwood

21. ADD/ADHD Drug Free: Natural Alternatives and Practical Exercises to Help Your Child Focus by Frank Jacobelli

22. Create Your Own Free-Form Quilts: A Stress-Free Journey to Original Design by Rayna Gillman

23. The Shut-Down Learner Helping Your Academically Discouraged Child by Richard Selznick, PhD

24. Pretending to be Normal: Living With Asperger's Syndrome by Liane Holliday Willey

25.Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders by Kenneth Bock

26. Look me in the eye by John Elder Robison

27. Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

28. Atypical - Life with Asperger's in 20 1/3 Chapters by Jesse Saperstein

29. Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet

30. The Fire Within by Chris D'Lacey

31. Slouching Toward Adulthood ... Observations from the Not-So-Empty Nest by Sally Koslow

32. Creating Innovators by Tony Wagner

33. Outliers

34. Shadow of Night

35. The Dyslexic Advantage

36. Asperger's From the Inside Out

37. College Prep Homeschooling

 

 

I am behind and not sure I will catch up before we get to 52 weeks....anyway, I am currently reading “The Case Against Adolescence - Rediscovering the Adult in Every Teen†by Robert Epstein, Ph.D.

 

 

[Lizzie in Ma]

Re-reading through the Jane Yellowrock series because the new one just came out!

[Mom-ninja.]

“The Case Against Adolescence - Rediscovering the Adult in Every Teen†by Robert Epstein, Ph.D.

 

 

 

 

This looks interesting. I put it on my list.

[LostSurprise]

I thought the Australian slang seemed a bit over the top

 

It wasn't.

 

Really?? I had no idea you said bonza quite that often, Rosie. :lol: Do Australians have any other adjectives?

 

I figured it was because Shute wasn't a native Australian. Its kind of like watching the movie

when you live in Minnesota. There's that little groan at how exaggerated everything is, but you can't really say its totally untrue. :tongue_smilie: Yah, you betcha.

[Storm Bay]

. Not sure why I derive so much pleasure from some of the old espionage books.

 

 

Have you ever read John le Carré? eg The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. That's from 1963. I don't remember if I ever read any of them, but my dad read his books; I know because I remember them being in our house for years. Here's a link the the complete list of Smiley novels, which started coming out in 1961 http://www.johnlecarre.com/books/the-smiley-novels.

[Stacia]

I figured it was because Shute wasn't a native Australian. Its kind of like watching the movie

when you live in Minnesota. There's that little groan at how exaggerated everything is, but you can't really say its totally untrue. :tongue_smilie: Yah, you betcha.

 

So, it's not exaggerating much to say you really put people in wood chippers, eh??? ;):tongue_smilie::lol:

 

Yep, same thing w/ southerners in writing/movies... sometimes painful to watch/read....

[Jane in NC]

Have you ever read John le Carré? eg The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. That's from 1963. I don't remember if I ever read any of them, but my dad read his books; I know because I remember them being in our house for years. Here's a link the the complete list of Smiley novels, which started coming out in 1961 http://www.johnlecarre.com/books/the-smiley-novels.

 

Oh yes! I started the new year rereading the Smiley books as well as Frederick Forsyth's Day of the Jackal. Classic spy novels all from back when the world was a simpler place. ;)

[duckabell]

I just finished "The Time Traveler's Wife" which I really enjoyed.

[Rosie_0801]

Really?? I had no idea you said bonza quite that often, Rosie. :lol: Do Australians have any other adjectives?

 

Ok, so the slang is a little out of date. :tongue_smilie: But it didn't trigger my b.s detector at all, like a set of kids books I have featuring slang from my childhood *cringe*. We have other adjectives. I don't think anyone says "bonza" any more, but I remember when they did!

 

So, it's not exaggerating much to say you really put people in wood chippers, eh??? ;):tongue_smilie::lol:

You've lost me here...

 

Rosie

[Violet Crown]

Oh yes! I started the new year rereading the Smiley books as well as Frederick Forsyth's Day of the Jackal. Classic spy novels all from back when the world was a simpler place. ;)

 

Earlier this year I tried oh-so-hard to read Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. I just couldn't make any progress, even though so many people whose reading habits I respect have recommended Le Carre to me. Every time I would make it through a couple of pages I'd set it down. For a few days.

 

I must have some sort of weird allergy to genre fiction. As far as I can tell, I've never in my adult life read any example of spy novel, mystery, science fiction, fantasy, or horror and enjoyed it. It's like there's something missing from my brain.

 

Now recovering from Augustine by re-reading The Turn of the Screw. Suitable for last week's scary reading challenge.

[Stacia]

You've lost me here...

 

Ah, you'd have to see the movie Fargo. It's very dark humor & the scene I mention is pretty darn gross.... :tongue_smilie: (You can always find it on YouTube if you're so inclined, but the scene makes more sense w/in the movie whole rather than by itself.) The movie did win two Oscars (best actress & best writing/screenplay); it's a must-see if you're a fan of the Coen brothers, imo.

[Stacia]

So is anyone else going to host a local area book challenge?

 

Hmmm. I hadn't really thought about it, but now that you've asked, I've been pondering a few challenge ideas (set in two different areas)....

 

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

something by Jimmy Carter

something by Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Gold Bug by Edgar Allan Poe

Raising the Hunley by Brian Hicks (or some other Hunley-related book)

 

Probably wouldn't host a local challenge until the new year, though, as my to-read list is already huge, lol.... (And, is anyone interested in an Atlanta/Charleston reading challenge?)

[VeganCupcake]

Hmmm. I hadn't really thought about it, but now that you've asked, I've been pondering a few challenge ideas (set in two different areas)....

 

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

something by Jimmy Carter

something by Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Gold Bug by Edgar Allan Poe

Raising the Hunley by Brian Hicks (or some other Hunley-related book)

 

Probably wouldn't host a local challenge until the new year, though, as my to-read list is already huge, lol.... (And, is anyone interested in an Atlanta/Charleston reading challenge?)

 

I always love a new challenge. Those look like great options.

[Negin]

Earlier this year I tried oh-so-hard to read Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. I just couldn't make any progress, even though so many people whose reading habits I respect have recommended Le Carre to me.

 

Me too. I tried and tried.

 

Ah, you'd have to see the movie Fargo. It's very dark humor & the scene I mention is pretty darn gross.... :tongue_smilie: (You can always find it on YouTube if you're so inclined, but the scene makes more sense w/in the movie whole rather than by itself.) The movie did win two Oscars (best actress & best writing/screenplay); it's a must-see if you're a fan of the Coen brothers, imo.

Loved Fargo. Loved most of the Coen brothers movies, except I really hated No Country for Old Men.

[Jane in NC]

 

I must have some sort of weird allergy to genre fiction. As far as I can tell, I've never in my adult life read any example of spy novel, mystery, science fiction, fantasy, or horror and enjoyed it. It's like there's something missing from my brain.

 

 

 

Fascinating! Personally I can live without the fantasy or horror genres--and most sci fi--but mysteries are my brain candy weakness. The puzzle aspect of the style appeals to me.

 

I stand in awe of your Augustinian accomplishment.

[Violet Crown]

I stand in awe of your Augustinian accomplishment.

 

:) My blushes, Watson. Oh hey, there's a counter-example - I quite like the Sherlock Holmes stories.

[Pink and Green Mom]

Finished two books this week:

 

# 51 - Ballad of the Whiskey Robber, by Julian Rubenstein. A true story about a Hungarian ice hockey player who robs banks on the side. It was a good read, not my usual thing. Lots of interesting history about Hungary and Romania and what it was like during the transition from communism to capitalism.

 

# 52 - Sharp Objects, by Gillian Flynn. Liked this one more than Gone Girl. Although you could see the ending a mile away - what is it about this woman and her book endings??

 

Currently reading Goldberg Variations by Susan Isaacs. I've never read anything by her, and I'm not sure if I like this one or not. I'm breezing through it but not sure I'm enjoying it.

[Violet Crown]

Finished two books this week:

 

# 51 - Ballad of the Whiskey Robber, by Julian Rubenstein. A true story about a Hungarian ice hockey player who robs banks on the side. It was a good read, not my usual thing. Lots of interesting history about Hungary and Romania and what it was like during the transition from communism to capitalism.

 

# 52 - Sharp Objects, by Gillian Flynn. Liked this one more than Gone Girl. Although you could see the ending a mile away - what is it about this woman and her book endings??

 

Currently reading Goldberg Variations by Susan Isaacs. I've never read anything by her, and I'm not sure if I like this one or not. I'm breezing through it but not sure I'm enjoying it.

 

Fifty-two! Huzzah!:hurray:

[Stacia]

Hey Rosie, apparently wallabies are a traffic danger in the UK too. :001_huh:

 

Taxi driver spots wallaby hopping across road leading experts to believe the animals have lived in British countryside for 60 years

[Lady Florida.]

Fascinating! Personally I can live without the fantasy or horror genres--and most sci fi--but mysteries are my brain candy weakness. The puzzle aspect of the style appeals to me.

 

 

:iagree: Yes. I *need* those kinds of books. I love solving puzzles. Historical mysteries are a new discovery of mine, but I've always loved mysteries (cut my teeth on Nancy Drew).

 

Sorry I never made it back last week after I posted about Juliet Hulme/Anne Perry. I didn't think her books were that good, but I enjoyed them enough to read when I didn't have anything else.

[Lady Florida.]

Finished:

 

Carrie, Stephen King - It wasn't as horrifying as when I first read it but still good. Ds complained that I was making him read it, but once he got past about 1/3, he couldn't stop reading.

 

Deal Breaker, Harlen Coben

 

Wool Omnibus Edition 1-5, Hugh Howey. This was an interesting set of dystopian short stories with each one picking up where the previous ended. I grabbed it as a Kindle Deal of the Day for $1.99.

 

I've given up on Don Quixote, but not because I don't like it. We're in "Octonovemcember" now and things are starting to get hectic. I don't feel that I can give the proper amount of consideration to a book like this. Early new year and summer are the best times for me to read classics.

 

In progress: The Glass House, Ashley Gardner - one of those historical mysteries I love.

 

I also have a bunch of how-to craft books from the library. Most are on making tote bags, aprons, and knit/crochet books. I don't count them as books read though. They're really reference books for me.

[Rosie_0801]

Hey Rosie, apparently wallabies are a traffic danger in the UK too. :001_huh:

 

Taxi driver spots wallaby hopping across road leading experts to believe the animals have lived in British countryside for 60 years

 

:rofl: I'm going to share that with my brother. He answers phones for the police here and gets people ringing up from the new suburbs to report kangaroos having been on the road. Not sure what they think the police will do about it.

 

Rosie

[Angel]

Let's see. This week I finished the ebook Red by Kait Nolan. Very, very good young adult mystery/pseudo paranormal story about a teenager whose inherited the family curse and could possibly turn into a werewolf soon.

 

 

 

This looks good! I loved the Red Riding Hood twist in the Once Upon a Time tv series. It sounds similar. I read Camille last week. A YA novel with a werewolf theme and really enjoyed it.

[LostSurprise]

So, it's not exaggerating much to say you really put people in wood chippers, eh??? ;):tongue_smilie::lol:

 

You caught us, the wood chipper would be the true part...well...we own wood chippers anyway.

 

 

Rosie, Fargo is a movie from the '90s about a small town sheriff from central Minnesota (north central US, on the Canadian border) trying to solve a triple murder that happened on the highway outside her town. Being a Coen brother's movie the character and accents of Minnesotans are a big part of the humor and pathos. The wood chipper is not used for wood.

 

 

 

I'm kind of intrigued with the idea of a regional book club. Really intrigued.

[LostSurprise]

97. Tunnel in the Sky by Robert Heinlein~science fiction, future worlds, survival. Read this with dh in the car. Its one of Heinlein's 'juvenile' novels (whether they were intended for children or teens or not, his pre-'60s work is often considered 'juvenile' because it lacked the adult themes of his later work). I enjoyed this, mostly. Heinlein lacks panache but his plots are exciting and his ideas are usually interesting. It does get laughingly patriarchal at times (this was the '50s) and there's lots of macho gung-ho survival stuff, but the core story of teenager completing the practicum for his high school outworld survival course and being accidentally dumped there to recreate society with @100 other teens is interesting. Heinlein has fun exploring his libertarian ideas of government and survival.

 

*Top 10

**Best of the Year

96. The Gypsies by Jan Yoors~'30s, Gypsy/Rom culture.

95. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute~fiction, WWII, Australia, Malaya, romance.

94. Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty~fiction, deep South, family. *

93. All the Presidents' Pastries: 25 years in the White House by Chef Roland Mesnier~memoir, pastry, White House.

92. Wasp Factory by Iain Banks~fiction, horror, psychopath, coming of age.

91. True Grit by Charles Portis~western, coming of age, humor/irony. **

89. Crossing by Jan Yoors~memoir, WWII, Resistance, Gypsies/Rom.

85. Doc by Mary Doria Russell~historical fiction, American plains, Doc Holliday.

82. Landscaping with Native Plants of Minnesota by Lynn Steiner~gardening, native plants. *

81. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa~mathematics, friendship, family, baseball.

79. Half Broke Horses by Jeannette ~memoir, biography, southwest

78. The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder~science fiction, alternate history, Richard Burton, steampunk.

68. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall~children's fiction, sisters, adventure. *

61. The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum~non-fiction, forensic science, chemistry, New York, Prohibition. *

59. The Green Mile by Stephen King~supernatural, prison, 1930s. *

51. North by Northanger by Carrie Bebis~Jane Austen, mystery

47. The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi~memoir, Italy, criminal case, serial killer. *

41. Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris~fiction, France, WWII, food. *

28. Divergent by Veronica Roth~youth fiction, dystopian.

23. Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood by Oliver Sacks~non-fiction, memoir, history of chemistry.

18. A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell~fiction, WWII **

11. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson~mystery

7. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman~non-fiction/medical *

2. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton~Fiction

1. The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt~Fiction

 

Working on:

Blood Meridian (McCarthy) ~I will finish this, I will. Sometime when I can access a Spanish translator on the computer.

The Zookeeper's Wife (Ackerman)

Drinking Coffee, Elsewhere (Packer)

The Last Hunger Season: a year in an African community on the brink of change

Baby Catcher

American Pie: my search for the perfect pizza (Reinhart)

[Storm Bay]

So, it's not exaggerating much to say you really put people in wood chippers, eh??? ;):tongue_smilie::lol:

 

Yep, same thing w/ southerners in writing/movies... sometimes painful to watch/read....

 

How about American movies about Canadians? I still remember hearing the term hosers & about beer stores from some comedy that came out in the 1980s. I thought it was totally made up and told American friends so until I moved do a different province where they actually really do have beer stores & really did say hoser.

 

Here are the two characters they made the movie about & this is the humour (if you find this stuff funny; it's rather adolescent, IMO, but people older than that seemed to like it!)

The movie was called Strange Brew http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086373/

 

I just finished "The Time Traveler's Wife" which I really enjoyed.

 

I found that book so very, very sad.

[Lady Florida.]

How about American movies about Canadians? I still remember hearing the term hosers & about beer stores from some comedy that came out in the 1980s. I thought it was totally made up and told American friends so until I moved do a different province where they actually really do have beer stores & really did say hoser.

 

Here are the two characters they made the movie about & this is the humour (if you find this stuff funny; it's rather adolescent, IMO, but people older than that seemed to like it!)

The movie was called Strange Brew http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086373/

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't remember the movie, but I do remember the skits. They were funny at the time. Hey, it was the eighties. :lol: For some reason I thought they did the skits on Saturday Night Live, but when I looked them up, I saw that it was Second City TV. SCTV was pretty popular back then.

[Rosie_0801]

Rosie, Fargo is a movie from the '90s about a small town sheriff from central Minnesota (north central US, on the Canadian border) trying to solve a triple murder that happened on the highway outside her town. Being a Coen brother's movie the character and accents of Minnesotans are a big part of the humor and pathos. The wood chipper is not used for wood.

 

:ack2:

 

(But I did have a rough idea where Minnesota was. :p)

Edited October 16, 2012 by Rosie_0801

[-M-]

Recently completed:

#112 American Born Chinese (Gene Luen Yang) Graphic novel. National Book Award Finalist in 2006. Michael L. Printz Award in 2007. Amazon.com Best Graphic Novel/Comic of the Year and the Booklist Top Ten Graphic Novel for Youth. These are just a fistful of the awards and accolades heaped on Yang's "ethnic bildungsroman." Superb in every way and highly recommended.

 

#111 Nox (Anne Carson) Poetry. From the description at Amazon:

Nox

is an epitaph in the form of a book, a facsimile of a handmade book Anne Carson wrote and created after the death of her brother. The poem describes coming to terms with his loss through the lens of her translation of Poem 101 by Catullus “for his brother who died in the Troad.â€

Nox

is a work of poetry, but arrives as a fascinating and unique physical object. Carson pasted old letters, family photos, collages and sketches on pages. The poems, typed on a computer, were added to this illustrated “book†creating a visual and reading experience so amazing as to open up our concept of poetry.

From Nox:

Prowling the meaning of a word, prowling the history of a person, no use expecting a flood of light. Human words have no main switch. But all those little kidnaps in the dark. And the luminous, big, shivering, discandied, unrepentant, barking web of them that hangs in your mind when you turn back to the page you were trying to translate.

Gorgeous, original, memorable. Reviews: New Yorker, New York Magazine, NYT, the Washington Post.

 

#110 Drawn In (Julia Rothman) Non-fiction. Subtitled "A Peek into the Inspiring Sketchbooks of 44 Fine Artists, Illustrators, Graphic Designers, and Cartoonists," this selection complemented Artist's Journal Workshop (Cathy Johnson) from earlier this year.

 

#109 No Regrets: How Homeschooling Earned me a Master's Degree at age 16 (Alexandra Swann) Memoir. I share neither this family's faith nor its commitment to accelerated schooling, but I did appreciate Swann's earnest narrative.

 

#108 The Fat Flush Plan (Ann Louise Gittleman) Health. Although weight loss is certainly a wonderful benefit of this detoxifying health and nutrition plan, I reread Fat Flush this month to reacquaint myself with simple ways to use food and vitamins to feel better and maintain good health.

 

#107 Metamorphoses (Mary Zimmerman) Play. Exquisitely beautiful. Read in anticipation of seeing "this very special anniversary production, ten years after its smash hit Broadway opening."

 

#106 Shapeshifters: Tales from Ovid's Metamorphoses (Adrian Mitchell) Poetry, prose, myth. The Misses and I thoroughly appreciated this "lite" introduction to Ovid.

 

#105 Kill Shakespeare: Volume 1 (Conor McCreery) Graphic fiction. Given the subject, one would have thought this would have been a particularly delightful and fast read for me, but it languished in the partially read pile for a quite some time. The cuts from one story line to another just seemed too abrupt, and I set it aside until this month. Now Volume 2 in in the TBR queue.

 

In progress:

 

Too many to give a complete list, but I suspect January First: A Child's Descent into Madness and Her Father's Struggle to Save Her (Michael Schofield), The Zen of Steve Jobs (Caleb Melby), and Kill Shakespeare: Volume 2 (Conor McCreery) will be my next entries.

 

Complete list of books read in 2012 can be found here.

[shanvan]

Too much going on this past week (you know that pesky homeschooling stuff, plus extracurriculars, family parties, etc.) so I haven't started anything new.

 

I'm still reading Second Impressions by Ava Farmer. I'm not liking it as much as I did at first. Ds and I have been discussing Pride & Prejudice for his TOG literature assignments. This week we talked about Jane Austen's style--very little description as opposed to Dicken's paragraphs or pages, the omniscient narrator, the use of particular phrases said by the same character to establish personality, and more. After our discussion, I resumed reading Second Impressions and began noting how differently it is written---too many descriptions of landscapes, towns, etc. When we heard the author speak, she talked about researching all of the travel routes of the time so as to be accurate. I'm sure the travel descriptions are well done, but so far there are just too many and I'm getting bored. Not enough dialogue or examination of characters thoughts. That's my impression thus far, though I am only about halfway through the book.

 

Recent Reads:

A Portrait of Charles Lamb by David Cecil

The Hidden Hand by EDEN Southworth

Pride & Prejudice

The Lives of the Muses: Nine Women and the Artists They Inspired by Francine Prose

At Large and At Small: Familiar Essays by Anne Fadiman

[Maus]

Completed:

Book #56 - "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte. This is one I hadn't read. But I have seen the movie. (Not sure what version, but I think it was black and white.)

 

Book #55 - "America: The Story of Us, Book 3 - A House Divided Cannot Stand" by Kevin Baker.

Book #54 - "America: The Story of Us, Book 2 - Creating the West" by Kevin Baker.

Book #53 - "Oliver Twist" by Charles Dickens.

Book #52 - "America: The Story of Us, Book 1 - The World Comes to America" by Kevin Baker, et. al.

Book #51 - "The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains" by Nicholas Carr.

Book #50 - "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen.

Book #49 - "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift.

Book #48 - "No Regrets: How Homeschooling Earned me a Master's Degree at Age Sixteen" by Alexandra Swann.

Book #47 - "What to Read When" by Pam Allyn.

Book #46 - "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Salt Lake City" by Greg Witt.

Book #45 - "Freeing Your Child From Anxiety" by Tamar Chansky.

Book #44 - "A Nation Rising" by Kenneth C. Davis.

Book #43 - "The Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan.

Book #42 - "The School for the Insanely Gifted" by Dan Elish.

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.

[LostSurprise]

(But I did have a rough idea where Minnesota was. :p)

 

I didn't mean to be patronizing. I hate the American tendency to assume that a) everyone on the internet is American or b) everyone around the world must know where all our states and major cities are (frankly, everyone in the US doesn't).