Book a Week in 2013 - Week two

[PollyOR]

I hoard books with good intentions. I really do mean to read them eventually. Unfortunately my house is small and it has come down to space for books vs. living space for family members. My goal this year is to actually read the books I've bought and gathered over the years and then pass them on to other book lovers. It's time to declutter the books, but I want to read them first before I send them away.

 

2nd book - Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card. So far I've enjoyed reading Card because of his understanding of human behavior and family life. It was a relief to read fiction after Vampire Forensics.

[Kareni]

After that book I read two light books in a row. One was a reread (A Lot Like Love by Julie James) from a series I love (I buy this series) ...

 

Ah, Julie James is a favorite here, too! I also recently reread that title.

 

Do you like Shannon Stacey's romance series on the Kowalskis? Those are fun.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Mom-ninja.]

How We Decide,

 

What did you think of this book?

 

 

 

Okay, I have to ask. Do any of you turn away from books because the title just annoys you? :o I do. Forexample I cannot bring myself to read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society because I hate that title. It's the dumbest title ever! I can't read it. Hangs head in shame.

[KRG]

I just finished Marva Collins' Way and now plan to read Sundays in America: A Yearlong Road Trip is Search of Christian Faith by Suzanne Strempek Shea

[Diann]

Still reading North and South, but will finish this week.

 

Diann

[Luckymama]

 

 

Ah, Julie James is a favorite here, too! I also recently reread that title.

 

Do you like Shannon Stacey's romance series on the Kowalskis? Those are fun.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

I love her books! The next one is out soon as an ebook----I buy and read them on the release day :D

 

Do you read Jill Shalvis?

[Storm Bay]

@! (now you know I can cuss like a typist when I've a mind to!) I lost my multi-replies and while it's only Monday, this thread is already on its third page, so I won't be able to remember exactly who I war responding to.

 

Right now I'm reading the unabridged version of Les Miserables (I've read the abridged version twice in the distant past), Irregular Portuguese Verbs and a book I started last year that I'll name when I finally finish it.

 

I either hadn't realized that the Flavia de Luce novels were by a Canadian author, or had forgotten, but I'm not going to count the new one that's coming out for my Canadian book unless I make that one of my 5/5/5 (those are still to be decided.) I'm going to find some Canadian author I've never read before or someone very literary that I ought to read more of, and am going to find some Canadian theme and/or setting since I've already read many Canadian authors and for me personally am going to make it as Canadian as I can. Flavia is a lot of fun, but it's set in the UK as I recall (been a while.)

 

As for the other threads I was going to reply to, I'll have to skip it this time. Glad to see what everyone is reading, etc. I'd forgotten just how long these threads get in January, and will try not to skip any more days for now.

[Kareni]

Do you read Jill Shalvis?

 

I do indeed. Other contemporary romance authors I like include: Rachel Gibson, Lisa Kleypas, and Nora Roberts. In historical romance, I like Courtney Milan, Jo Goodman, and Joanna Bourne. (and I could go on and on ....)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Elinor Everywhere]

I have that on my Kindle but couldn't get into it. I might try again, since it fits the dusty book category. I'm not usually a fan of epistolary novels, though I did enjoy Lady Susan and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

 

 

I'm having a hard time with it, myself. I'm about halfway through, and it's just okay. I thought I would love it because I really love Jane Austen, especially P&P but I've read all (or almost all) of them. I'm having a hard time caring about the people in the book enough to just sit and read it for hours. But I'll finish it, and then move on!

[Pink and Green Mom]

I finished The Wilder Life this week. I think I might have been expecting too much from it, but I wasn't impressed with it. I wanted to hear more about Laura and less about what she thought of everything.

 

 

 

I felt the same way...

[Just Robyn]

Okay, I have to ask. Do any of you turn away from books because the title just annoys you? :o I do. Forexample I cannot bring myself to read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society because I hate that title. It's the dumbest title ever! I can't read it. Hangs head in shame.

 

Yes! And I'm with you. I can't stand the name of that book, and I will probably never read it. I don't even have a clue what it's about; it just sounds terrible to me based on the title. I suppose I miss out on some good books this way, but I'm okay with that. My to-read list is too long anyway.

[Luckymama]

Just finished Hitler Youth: Growing up in Hitler's Shadow http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/93995.Hitler_Youth

 

I have no words right now. I hope dd can get through the book.

[Elinor Everywhere]

Awesome. Look forward to hearing how it worked out for you.

 

 

It went pretty well! For the first 20 minutes of walking/listening I found my mind wandering, which is why I'm such an awful auditory learner. I thrive as a visual learner, and I've noticed as I've gotten older (I'm almost 50) that my attention span for auditory input is getting worse. So I really want to focus on audio books and see if I can reverse that trend.

 

The last 40 minutes were much better - I even walked slower towards the end so I could hear more of the story. This is good motivation for me to get out and walk, too, so I'm only listening to it while I'm exercising. Already looking forward to tomorrow's walk, and that never happens. :tongue_smilie:

[dharmacat]

So, for week 1, I finished Three Mile Island.

 

Still in progress: The Aeneid and Physics and Engineering for Future Presidents

 

Started last week: Herzog by Saul Bellow and The Great Dali Art Fraud and Other Deceptions by Lee Catterall

 

I've never read Bellow before and I'm not sure if I like it or not, I've about 100 pages left, enough to have usually formed an opinion. I just decide I don't, and then it gets interesting. I suspect he won't become a favorite author, but I'm glad I'm at least reading the one.

 

 

I am reading Herzog too! (Have about 150 pages remaining.) It's also my first Bellow, and I too go back & forth on whether I like it. I have heard great things about The Adventures of Augie March, and will probably give that a try even if I decide I don't like Herzog. Sieze the Day, recommended earlier, sounds promising as well.

[dharmacat]

To everyone here who enjoyed The Handmaids Tale--you have many, many treats in store with Ms. Atwood. I've read all of Atwood's works, and rank The Handmaid's Tale near the bottom of the list. (And that's not saying it's bad in any way...she is just soo good) I am jealous at all of you who get to discover this amazing writer. Cat's Eye, Surfacing and The Edible Woman are incredible. So are Alias Grace & Oryx and Crake. Sometimes you need patience to get past the first 30 pages, but once you do you are hooked!

[Susan in TN]

I'm still reading The Passage by Justin Cronin. I'm hoping to finish this week because I'm getting a little tired of it.

[BugsMama]

I'm working on Beloved this week- I read it in high school and remember not "getting it". I thought it was weird. I still think it's strange- however it's interesting to compare the parts I noticed the first time around, to what is profound and memorable to me as an adult. I'm glad I picked it, even though its still not one of my favorites.

 

Finished:

1. The Absolutist, John Boyne

[MamaJeanne]

So many good books are being read! I am just going to update weekly until I get through Les Mis. Last week I was at 33%, today I am at 48%. A little more than 10% a week? This is going to take me awhile unless I pick up the pace! I am going to do a little happy dance when I see that I am past the halfway point. I am totally enjoying it though. I start laughing now every time I read something about needing to write "a short aside" regarding a topic or person. Of course you do, Hugo! :)

[Pink and Green Mom]

I am currently reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I'm almost done with Part I and am enjoying it.

 

Finished so far:

 

1. The Light Between Oceans, ML Stedman. Highly recommend.

[jenangelcat]

Here's what I came up with so far for the Dewey Decimal challenge.

 

 

000-Bossypants-Tina Fey

 

100-The Demon Haunted World-Carl Sagan

 

200- Universe From Nothing-Lawrence M. Krauss

 

300- The Roving Mind-Isaac Asimov

 

400-?

 

500-?

 

600-?

 

700-?

 

800-The Epic of Gilgamesh

 

900-?

 

Any recommendations for the unfilled categories?

[Giraffe]

Started The Handmaid's Tale. I'm hooked and horrified at the same time.

 

Poor Herodotus, he's really not getting enough attention. Maybe I need to "assign" myself 30 minutes every morning?

[Just Robyn]

Here's what I came up with so far for the Dewey Decimal challenge.

 

 

000-Bossypants-Tina Fey

 

100-The Demon Haunted World-Carl Sagan

 

200- Universe From Nothing-Lawrence M. Krauss

 

300- The Roving Mind-Isaac Asimov

 

400-?

 

500-?

 

600-?

 

700-?

 

800-The Epic of Gilgamesh

 

900-?

 

Any recommendations for the unfilled categories?

 

400 - The Language Instinct by Steven Pinker

 

500 - The Illustrated Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

 

900 - Hiroshima by John Hersey

[Storm Bay]

What did you think of this book? Okay, I have to ask. Do any of you turn away from books because the title just annoys you? :o I do. Forexample I cannot bring myself to read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society because I hate that title. It's the dumbest title ever! I can't read it. Hangs head in shame.

Yes, there are titles that turn me off, and at first I wouldn't read this novel. But since titles are usually chosen by the publishing company rather than the author (perhaps that changes if the author becomes a big enough name) if someone I know whose taste I often agree with recommends it, I'll read it. In the end someone here recommended this book a couple of years ago & I found it was much better then the title suggests.

To everyone here who enjoyed The Handmaids Tale--you have many, many treats in store with Ms. Atwood. I've read all of Atwood's works, and rank The Handmaid's Tale near the bottom of the list. (And that's not saying it's bad in any way...she is just soo good) I am jealous at all of you who get to discover this amazing writer. Cat's Eye, Surfacing and The Edible Woman are incredible. So are Alias Grace & Oryx and Crake. Sometimes you need patience to get past the first 30 pages, but once you do you are hooked!

 

If you are an Atwood fan, I can see why you'd rate this novel at the bottom of her list, but I liked it better than the others I read of hers (didn't love it, though). One of my American high school friends loves Atwood and sent me one of her novels as a gift during university, once, which was rather ironic. This was the third book of hers I read (but I'd tried a couple of others) and some of us just aren't ever going to appreciate her style the way you do :).

[LostSurprise]

They have a wiki of suggestions. The list of each of the sections is on the right side. http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/Groups:Dewey_Decimal_Challenge/suggestions

 

I don't like to pick mine out ahead of time unless I have it on a reading list. I'm reading The Great Human Diasporas for the 500s. It covers genetics, linguistics, anthropology and human population movements. I got that one off my Amazon list, but I found The Museum of Hoaxes (000s) by walking around that aisle in my library.

[Kareni]

Here's what I came up with so far for the Dewey Decimal challenge.

 

400-?

500-?

600-?

700-?

...

900-?

 

Any recommendations for the unfilled categories?

 

I've heard good things about Mary Roach's books --

 

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void at 571

 

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers at 611

 

Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex at 612.6

 

A favorite of mine is Bill Bryson's The Mother Tongue - English And How It Got That Way at 420.9

 

You'll likely find it in the children's or young adult section of your library, but this book has always seemed appealing -- Round Buildings, Square Buildings, and Buildings that Wiggle Like a Fish by Philip Isaacson at 720

 

I can't find a call number for it as my library's copy is not yet in, but I assume this is in the 900s -- Simon Garfield's On the Map: A Mind-Expanding Exploration of the Way the World Looks

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[readinmom]

What did you think of this book?

 

 

 

Okay, I have to ask. Do any of you turn away from books because the title just annoys you? :o I do. Forexample I cannot bring myself to read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society because I hate that title. It's the dumbest title ever! I can't read it. Hangs head in shame.

 

 

I liked the book but it was much more technical in some spots than I expected. I think I expected Magnificent Mind at Any Age and got something more intensive. I liked the section about the pilot of the United Airlines Sioux City disaster. He runs through all of his initial impulses, his decision to think things through, and how it did eventually save some lives.

 

If you are looking for a book to help make decisions, this isn't it. It's more why people do what they do.

[Mom-ninja.]

Just finished Hitler Youth: Growing up in Hitler's Shadow http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/93995.Hitler_Youth I have no words right now. I hope dd can get through the book.

 

I have this book. I bought it for my boys. My grandparents were in the Hitler Youth. My grandfather never forgave my mom for marrying "the enemy" and never had anything to do with her and us for the rest of his life. My grandmother still has things to say about Hitler. She has said many times to me, "It's horrible what Hitler did to the jews, but on the other hand Hitler took care of us. He made sure we had what we needed." She was a little girl during the Nazis reign, and the influence from that time still affects how she views Hitler and the Nazis. A person's childhood really does lay the foundation for a lifetime.

 

I want my boys to understand our family's past....even the bad parts.

 

 

Maybe I need to "assign" myself 30 minutes every morning?

 

Only if your disciplined enough to stop at 30 min! I'm not.

 

 

The Great Human Diasporas

 

That looks fascinating.

[Mom-ninja.]

 

 

 

If you are looking for a book to help make decisions, this isn't it. It's more why people do what they do.

 

Thanks, I am looking for a book about why people do what they do. I find it very interesting.

[VeganCupcake]

I just finished listening to Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. I got pretty mad toward the end, but I've come to terms with the author's choices.

 

I'm reading Tom Jones and that's going to take quite a while--maybe all of January. Who else was going to read it this year? I can't remember.

[Remudamom]

I'm on Perelandra. Book Two of the Space Trilogy by CS Lewis. Actually finished it and didn't like it any better than the first. I'm going to read something else completely different now before tackling the third book.

[Kareni]

I'm on Perelandra. Book Two of the Space Trilogy by CS Lewis. Actually finished it and didn't like it any better than the first. I'm going to read something else completely different now before tackling the third book.

 

I'm curious why you would continue with the series if you don't actually care for the books you've already read. So many (good) books, so little time ....

 

And just a note to say that the quotation in your signature line made me chuckle.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Negin]

I don't think I'll read The Handmaid's Tale, since I've seen the movie several times and have loved it.

 

I'm also going to try The Art of Racing in the Rain which seems like it will be a quick read.

I read this a few years ago and liked it.

 

Tuesdays with Morrie.

Pride & Prejudice.

Loved both of these.

 

I just finished Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English and give it 3 Stars.

 

 

 

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.

[Soror]

I've started reading A Wrinkle in Time for ds' read-aloud and am really enjoying it. I keep wanting to get away and read the rest by myself. I love fantasy books though.

[Lynnae]

Well, you are all putting me to shame. I finished a few and felt quite accomplished, but there are so many others who have had such great reading weeks!

 

Anyhow, here's my week:

 

A Walk Across the Sun by Corban Addison - Interesting book about two Indian girls left orphaned by a tsunami and their unfortunate kidnapping to the sex trade. I don't think I read the summary very well, because I didn't realize it was going to be an international thriller about an American lawyer's efforts to rescue the girls. Still a very interesting book. I like that it addressed the topic of the sex trade and human trafficking without any vulgarity.

 

The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright - This is everything that a great read aloud should be: engaging story, charming characters, rich vocabulary, and cultural references galore. DD loved it, as did I. She woke up every morning begging me to read it. We've ordered the next in the Melendy Quartet from the library and are eagerly awaiting its arrival.

 

Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill - Read this for the Canada challenge. It's a very sad story about the 12yo daughter of a heroin addict and her life of neglect and abuse. Depressing without being melodramatic. The story is set in Montreal, so this was a good match for the challenge because there are references to sections of the city, French-language musicians, etc.

 

Now I've started on Simplicity Parenting and Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey. Neither has fully engaged my attention so we'll see if I stick with them. Also started The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren as a read aloud with DD because she loved all of the Pippi Longstocking books. So far it's just OK.

I just picked Simplicity Parenting up from the library. I don't know when I'll have time to read it, but I have it in the house!

Just finished John Grisham's Skipping Christmas.

How was that? I love John Grisham.

 

I'm about halfway through Getting Things Done. It's hard to keep reading, because I want to put the book down and get things done!

 

I really need to get through the books I'm committed to reviewing this month, because I'd like to go on to read some fiction. I feel like I'm stuck in the black hole of non-fiction this month. Good non-fiction, but sometimes it's nice to just escape to another world.

[Runningmom80]

I'm finishing up Half the Sky, I was going to read team of rivals, but didn't have time for an 800 page book. For this week, I'll read the happiness project. :)

[Shannanlee]

I only 62% Done with Clash of Kings. I hope to finish by Sunday but I am so busy during the week that I can only get in a few chapters in a day.

[momchiroto2]

I am joining the challenge this year. Have been lurking for quite some time :)

 

Just completed the Rossetti Letter by Christi Phillips and The Great Gatsby.

[dharmacat]

Thanks, I am looking for a book about why people do what they do. I find it very interesting.

 

Have you read any books on the Myers-Brigg Theory of Typology (based on C.G. Jung's work)? If you're interested in a psychological "why people do what they do" perspective, this theory of typology is an excellent, accessible and eminently useful starting point. Here's one of the best books on it: http://www.amazon.com/Gifts-Differing-Understanding-Personality-Type/dp/089106074X

[PaulainTx]

Finished Project-Based Homeschooling. I think this would have been more helpful if I was using it with younger children. I was hoping for more practical help.

 

Read Switch How to Change Things When Change is Hard

[SilverFirefly]

I'm still on my religion kick, which I suspect may be the theme of this year.

 

I finished Bart Ehrman's Did Jesus Exist? just a day or two into the year. I'm now rotating among:

 

Reading the Bible Again for the First Time, by Marcus J. Borg;

Son of a Preacher Man, by Jay Bakker; and

In the Land of Believers, by Gina Welch (audio).

 

I have Reading the Bible Again for the First Time on my to-read list for this year. How do you like it?

 

Back to heavier books-----Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki, a memoir of her life in the Manzanar CA interment camp during World War II. I felt the book was more a memoir of a family falling apart than a memoir of life in the camp. Since I was looking for the latter for dd to read, I was disappointed. I have higher hopes for another book sitting in the library pile.

 

It's been about 10 years since I read Farewell to Manzanar so I don't remember the specifics very well. But the book was part of a seminar I took in college on internment and my grandparents were interned. Part of what life in the internment camp did was cause families to fall apart. So in some ways a story about life in the internment camps may be a story about family falling apart, if that makes sense. After the war people didn't have to live in a horse stall anymore, they could replace the stuff they lost, etc. but the damage to families was often permanent. Just something to think about... :) What other book on internment do you have in your pile? I obviously have an interest in the subject.

[Parrothead]

I'm reading a trash novel. One of Stephanie Lauren's Cynster series.

 

I know not great lit, but I needed the down time.

[Kareni]

Thanks, I am looking for a book about why people do what they do. I find it very interesting.

 

This was a book that my daughter (then a teen) and I both enjoyed.

 

Quirkology: How We Discover the Big Truths in Small Things by Richard Wiseman

 

Regards,

Kareni

[laughing lioness]

Am reading Switch. What did you think of it Paulaine?

[Mom-ninja.]

:) What other book on internment do you have in your pile? I obviously have an interest in the subject.

 

I have this one on my TBR list.

[Elinor Everywhere]

I finished My Dear Charlotte. It took until about 65% to start enjoying it; by then I had to know if my predictions on the ending were going to come true. Overall, I'd give it 3 stars because I wasn't tempted to stop reading completely.

 

Now I'm reading Perfect Health Diet. I'm a Paleo/Primal advocate and this is along the same lines. Mark Sisson writes the forward, if you know him from Primal Blueprint or Mark's Daily Apple website. So far so good.

 

So in summary as of week 2:

 

Perfect Health Diet (reading)

My Dear Charlotte

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey

[Luckymama]

What other book on internment do you have in your pile? I obviously have an interest in the subject.

 

Dear Miss Breed http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/267924.Dear_Miss_Breed

 

I am looking for books for dd to read, mainly. We're studying World War II right now. We actually drove pretty near Mazanar this summer going from the Tioga Pass Yosemite exit to a family cabin just west of South Lake Tahoe. I think having seen that eastern Sierra landscape will help dd understand how different life was (in one way, at least) for displaced kids.

 

Do you have any suggestions for me? Thanks for sharing your family's story :)

[lailasmum]

So far this year I have read

 

1. Red Shirts -John Scalzi -Very funny

2. The Forever War - Joe Haldeman - Absolutely loved it, read it in a day.

 

I want to finish up a Kethy Reichs book this week and then I will be reading some more sci fi.

[Robin M]

If you are in to science fiction / fantasy check out Carl's Favorite Covers of 2012. Although I may not read a book because the title is weird, I do like choosing books by their covers.

 

 

More books for your booklists - check out TLC Book tours for this week

[Jane in NC]

I'm reading Tom Jones and that's going to take quite a while--maybe all of January. Who else was going to read it this year? I can't remember.

Waving hand. I'll join you in reading Tom Jones after I finish the two that I have started--or at least one of them. Violet Crown (Not Violent Crown, Jane!) said that she was also interested in this classic picaresque novel by Henry Fielding.

[aggieamy]

I finished The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. My ladies book club is reading Happier at Home next and I wanted to read the first one well … first. I liked it. I can swee where people might actively dislike it though because the author has a pretty strong personality and if you didn’t like her personality you would really dislike the book. There were some parts that I thought dragged on and found myself skimming towards the end. Overall a worthwhile read and I copied her Rules for Adulthood into my planner because I thought they were quite worth remembering.

 

DD and I will hopefully finish our read aloud tonight. She wanted to finish last night but DH said that we couldn’t stay up until midnight reading. What a grouch! J

 

Angel – I’m still slowly chugging away at Wheel of Time. I’ve been sidetracked this week because I’ve put off reading all my book club books and now I have to make a push to finish them all by this weekend. I plan to have Wheel of Time finished by next week! How are you doing with it?

 

In Progress:

 

The Witch of Blackbird Pondby Elizabeth George Speare (read aloud)

Eye of the World (Wheel of Time 1) by Robert Jordan

Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin (for ladies book club)

The Postmortal by Drew Magary (for book club)

 

2013 finished books:

 

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (***)

 

Amy's Rating System:

 

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

**** - Very good

*** - Enjoyable but nothing special

** - Not recommended

* - Horrible