Robin M Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Good Morning, dear hearts! Today is the start of week 4 in our quest to read 52 books in 52 weeks. Welcome back to all our readers, to all those who are 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 - Oliver Twist: Highlighting the 5th fiction book in SWB's Well Educated Mind's great reads. Originally published in serial form in Bentley's Miscellany, it ran monthly from February 1837 through April 1839. For those who aren't familiar with the story, it's about a young orphan who ends up living in London with a gang of pickpockets. Dickens used the story to call attention to the treatment of orphans, child labor, poverty and the seedier side of London's criminal element. The story may be read online here, here, or here. I failed my own challenge to read the story last year, so here's my second chance and yours as well. Since Dickens birthday is February 7th, we'll declare February Dicken's month so start thinking about which Dicken's books you'd like to read. What are you reading this week? Link to week 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 I started reading Trial of Fallen Angels by James Kimmel this morning - good so far. "Brek Cuttler has it all: a husband she loves, a daughter she adores, a successful law practice. And then one day everything she has ever known disappears. Brek finds herself standing on a deserted train platform, covered in blood. As she tries to comprehend what is happening to her, a man from her past approaches and explains that she has been chosen to join the elite team of lawyers charged with prosecuting and defending souls at the Final Judgment. As Brek struggles to find her way back to her husband and daughter, she will discover that her first client holds the shocking secret of her fate. That seemingly disparate events during her life have conspired to bring her to a single moment in time that will determine her eternity. And that every act of kindness and cruelty sets in motion things beyond our wildest imaginations." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I don't think I've posted since week 1, when I finished Moby Dick. Since then, I've finished: The Swerve (interesting historical nonfiction about the discovery in the 1400s of a manuscript copy of On the Nature of Things by Lucretius and the subsequent effect of Lucretius's ideas on modern thought0 The Handmaid's Tale (from the "I can't believe you haven't read that!" pile; also a Canadian author) Happier at Home (I always like to read a book that give me an inspirational kick in the pants in January) Currently reading Listening Below the Noise and something whose name I can't remember. (It's a Kindle book, so I don't have a cover to stare at.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zillymom Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Last week I read The Paris Wife by Paula McLain and an ARC of What My Mother Gave Me by Elizabeth Benedict. This week I'm reading Still Alice by Lisa Genova, and Il grande albero by Susanna Tamaro. I was inspired by aomom's post in the 52 in 2013 organizational thread, and thought I'd try reading some books in Italian this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I finished two books this week. 1) Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch. I loved this book! Sankovitch's sister died of cancer and Sankovitch deals with her grief by reading a book a day for one year. This book is about the lessons she learned about grieving and life through her reading. 2) The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I am currently reading Books #7 and 8--Emily and Einstein by Linda Francis Lee and My Ideal Bookshelf edited by Thessaly La Force. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Finished: 6. Soulless by Gail Carriger~steampunk, vampires, werewolves, Victoriana. I used this as a crazy relaxation novel. It was quite a bit sexier than I envisioned, but I enjoyed it. The heroine is suitably feisty and is not fashionably beautiful. There's a love interest.The plot moves quickly. The speculative world is well thought-out. There's a sly sense of humor. Fun. More fun than the Burton & Swinbourne series. Part of the Parasol Protectorate series. 5. Away by Jane Urquhart~Ireland, Canada, emigration, magical realism, family saga. (Canadian challenge) I really enjoyed this. The three sections weren't evenly written. The first was very poetic Irish magical realism. Gorgeous. You can really tell that Urquhart has released 3 books of poetry. The second section deals with emigration to Canada and Western survival there. It introduces a little bit of Native-American magical realism (but not enough). The third section brings the story closer to the modern era. While there were some aspects of magic to the romance, the closer the book gets to the modern era the more magic the story loses. Still, beautifully told. Ending a bit sudden, as if the author didn't quite know where to go. If you like something like The Secret of Roan Inish or other magical tales, you may like this book. I love the young intelligent Maggie and the obsession with a drowned sailor which takes her "away." * Top Ten * Best of the Year ** 4. Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim~autobiography, Germany pre-WWI, gardening, women's roles* 3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer~fiction, WWII, letters, humor 2. The Little Book by Seldon Edwards~fiction, Vienna, time travel 1. Mad Mary Lamb by Susan Tyler Hitchcock~biography, 19th century, women's roles, mental illness (Finally Finished challenge) Working: The Great Human Diasporas (DDC challenge, 500s) The House by the Sea (journal) The Light Between Oceans (Stedman) Breakfast with Socrates (DDC challenge, 100s) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (DDC challenge 000s) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Hello everyone! I finished book #3 and can check off the Canadian challenge: Alice Munro writes the short stories in The View from Castle Rock with continuity so that one does not feel like one is reading a disparate collection of stories. As most story collections go, some resonate more than others. I particularly liked "What do You Want to Know For?", a story that tells of the author's worry over mammogram results and her quest to learn why a crypt was built in a middle of nowhere cemetery. And glacial geography. My favorite quote starts with an observation of two women she encounters: They do not seem to find it strange that anybody should wish to know about things that are of no particular benefit or no practical importance. They do not suggest that they have better things to think about. Real things, that is. Real work. When I was growing up an appetite for impractical knowledge of any kind did not get encouragement. It was all right to know which field would suit certain crops, but not all right to know anything about the glacial geography that I have mentioned. It was necessary to learn to read but not in the least desirable to end up with your nose in a book. If you had to learn history and foreign languages to pass out of school it was only natural to forget that sort of thing as quickly as you could. Otherwise you would stand out. And that was not a good idea. And wondering about olden days--what used to be here, what happened there, why, why?--was as sure a way to make yourself stand out as any. I think I'll read more Alice Munro... By anyone's standard, Tom Jones is a chunkster. I have completed the first three "books" (there are eighteen in the novel), each book being divided into shorter chapters. Books and chapters are given headings that completely crack me up. For example, Chapter II of Book 3 opens with the heading "The hero of this great history appears with very bad omens. A little tale of SO LOW a kind that some may think it not worth their notice. A word or two concerning a squire, and more relating to a gamekeeper and a schoolmaster." Fielding is verbose--but his verbosity is delightful to my ear. As we determined, when we first sat down to write this history, to flatter no man, but to guide our pen throughout by the directions of truth, we are obliged to bring our hero on the stage in a much more disadvantageous manner than we could wish; and to declare honestly, even at his first appearance, that it was the universal opinion of all Mr. Allworthy's family that he was certainly born to be hanged. Also reading Will Allen's The Good Food Revolution--totally different than Mr. Fielding's work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 More fun than the Burton & Swinbourne series. Part of the Parasol Protectorate series. :ohmy: :toetap05: (Actually, I felt just the opposite. I enjoyed Soulless fine, but found Burton & Swinbourne to be so much better!) :D Hey, I see you're reading Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas. Looking forward to your review. I loved that book -- found it hilarious & utterly sad at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Since Dickens birthday is February 7th, we'll declare February Dicken's month so start thinking about which Dicken's books you'd like to read. Link to week 3 I like that idea, and actually have been trying to decide on a Dickens book for this year. It's between Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, and David Copperfield. On the other hand, maybe Bleak House will be one of my chunksters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyinTN Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 This week I'm going to be reading Breaking Twig by Deborah Epperson and Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas. I also put my little reviews for last weeks books on my blog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 (Actually, I felt just the opposite. I enjoyed Soulless fine, but found Burton & Swinbourne to be so much better!) :D Is the second book of the Burton & Swinbourne better? I only read the first one and I was a bit disappointed, and I'm predisposed to like the series since I find Richard Burton fascinating. It seemed a bit repetitive, a tad too obvious, not taut enough. Maybe I just responded to the dry humor in Soulless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnMama Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Previous weeks: Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey (Carnarvon) The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald) The Night Circus (Morgenstern) Finished today: A Study In Scarlet (Conan Doyle)-This is part of my quest to reread all of the Sherlock Holmes novels and stories in 2013. Hopefully this will help pass the time until I can see Season 3 of Sherlock :). Up Next: I've started A Storm of Swords (Martin). I adore these books, but I tend to get sucked in and have a little trouble reentering my normal life while I"m reading them. It's a good problem to have, I guess! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Finished: One False Move, by Harlen Coben. Myron Bolitar series. Currently reading: Paterson, William Carlos Williams. Seriously...I'm Kidding, Ellen Degeneres. I love Ellen, and don't even need the audio book to "hear" her voice. It's as though she's in my head reading it to me. I picked up the Kindle edition when it was the Kindle Daily Deal last month. The Maltese Falcon, thanks to Stacia. :) Democracy in America - still slow going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Unbroken this week. In fact I've already finished it. We're having company so I got my reading done. It was good, hard to put down and I don't even like war stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I am halfway through The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough. His writing is the only thing getting me through reading about such a sad event. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynnae Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I'm hoping to finish Trim Healthy Mama today. And I need to read Sent by the end of the month. I really need to get some fiction going. My goal was 26 books this year (I know, I aimed kind of low), but if I keep up my reading rate, I may actually hit 52! This year so far: 3. Not a Fan 2. The 5 Money Personalities 1. Etched...Upon My Heart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thessa516 Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 1. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery 2. Money Secrets of the Amish by Lorilee Craker 3. The Hot Zone by Richard Preston Currently reading Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker by Kevin Mitnick. It is FABULOUS! It's more about social engineering than actual hacking. Still kind of thumbing through Getting Things Done. It's re-read, so I may not finish it. I still have lots of books on my nightstand that I want to get to - most are recommendations from these threads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 The last book I finished was The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I'd read it before, but enjoyed it just as much the second time around! In total, I've read 9 books for the year... and still trying to decide what to start next!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in SC Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I accidentally updated in the old thread, so just a quick re-cap: Currently reading 4. We Need To Talk About Kevin Finished: 3. Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons 2. Enough 1. Kisses from Katie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I'm back to Matt Riley and The 5 Greatest Warriors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I am half way through The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough. His writing is the only thing getting me through reading about such a sad event. :iagree: I finally figured out how to import from Notability, where I am trying to keep my book list and page counts. :hurray: This week was relaxed romance reading with many free or low cost reads from Kindle. The exceptions being Lynsay Sands and Brenda Novak. They had been on my wishlist. The Lady is a Vamp is book 17 in the Argeneau series. It was satisfactory to average, not one of the best of the series. This book was dark (kidnapping and a terminally ill child) compared to the previous books. The authors wacky situations and 'laugh out loud' humor were missing. If you are new to the author I would suggest one of the earlier books. When Lightening Strikes continues characters first introduced in the novella When We Touch. Gail DeMarco had enough of Simon O'Neal, one of her PR firms most troubled clients and dumps him, only he takes all her clients with him. In order to save her business she agrees to marry him with the goal of cleaning up his image so he can get custody/visitation of his son. Of course she falls in love with him. It was a fun HEA book, the four hundred plus pages moved quickly. I will read more of this author. Week 3 14. The Lady is a Vamp: An Argeneau Novel by Lynsay Sands - Continental- Oh Canada! 15. The Teacher's Billionaire by Christina Tetreault 16. Exclusively Yours (The Kowalskis) by Shannon Stacey 17. In My Arms (Philadelphia Series) by Taryn Plendl 18. A Part of Me (Philadelphia Series) by Taryn Plendl 19. Worth the Drive (The Worth Series Book 2) by Mara Jacobs 20. Worth the Fall (The Worth Series Book 3) by Mara Jacobs 21. A Negotiated Marriage by Noelle Adams 22. When Lightning Strikes (Whiskey Creek Book 1) by Brenda Novak I have no idea what to read this week. Maybe I'll move to Chillin in the Antarctic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Finished: 6. Soulless by Gail Carriger~steampunk, vampires, werewolves, Victoriana. I used this as a crazy relaxation novel. It was quite a bit sexier than I envisioned, but I enjoyed it. The heroine is suitably feisty and is not fashionably beautiful. There's a love interest.The plot moves quickly. The speculative world is well thought-out. There's a sly sense of humor. Fun. More fun than the Burton & Swinbourne series. Part of the Parasol Protectorate series. :ohmy: :toetap05: (Actually, I felt just the opposite. I enjoyed Soulless fine, but found Burton & Swinbourne to be so much better!) I read all the parasol protectorate books last year and really enjoyed them - thought they were funny. DH was making fun of me for reading chick lit, but then he picked one up and started reading it, and he was laughing too. I'm all, "See!" I'm anxiously awaiting the release of Etiquette & Espionage. I plan to read The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack this year. Over the weekend I read Nine Princes in Amber - the first book in the Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. There was a lot I disliked about this book - inconsistent voice, unlikeable protagonist, too many typos, a fart joke - but I still kind of wanted to read the next one when I got to the end of book one. I haven't started it and don't know if I will. Yesterday I started reading Dracula. My first impression is that it may be kind of a slow read for me. I'll have to get some poetry or non-fiction going, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tullia Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 For week 4: I will be reading Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island to fulfill a promise to my friend's daughters. For week 3: Night and Day-Virginia Woolf. I still have a few pages to go, but should be able to finish it this afternoon. Longer project begun in week 1: Empire of the Mind-- I've reached the discussion of the differences between the Umayyd and Abassid Caliphates, and have watched the first two dvd lectures from the TC series The Persian Empire. I'll count this book in the week it's completed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 The View from Castle Rockby Alice Munro (thanks to Jane!) I thought this might be an interesting adjunct to reading Canadian history... and I'd like to see how I connect to Munro now, it was very mixed a decade or so ago. As noted previously, I did not connect with this book when I received it. After two stories, it lived in the dusty sacks. Now that I have read it, I will send it to the woman who gave it to me--namely because I'd like her to read the story I mentioned earlier in this thread. I suspect that this story may send her off on a geographic expedition. She is fond of long driving trips so I envision my friend and her husband on a journey to see the glacial moraines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I read and enjoyed Oracle's Moon (A Novel of the Elder Races) by Thea Harrison which is a paranormal romance. That has me rereading the first book in the series, Dragon Bound (A Novel of the Elder Races) which is my favorite of the three books in the series of five which I've read so far. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I finished Faintley Speaking by Gladys Mitchell and am reading Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle. Still working on Excavating Jesus a little every day. That is one I have to chew and digest slowly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I read and enjoyed Oracle's Moon (A Novel of the Elder Races) by Thea Harrison which is a paranormal romance. That has me rereading the first book in the series, Dragon Bound (A Novel of the Elder Races) which is my favorite of the three books in the series of five which I've read so far. Regards, Kareni Hmm, looks interesting. I'll add these to my wish list. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Right now I am trying to decide between finishing Moby Dick which was started last year but not completed or starting Les Miserables. Either one will likely not be finished in one week, but I am ready to tackle a larger book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 . Right now, as I try to regain health and functioning, reading is even more present in my life since there are days when I can't do much at all physically - to a lesser extent that has been true for the past decade, but I was reading like this when I was working full time and on a competitive volleyball team... when I was going to school full time, working a part time job & homeschooling.... so I can't explain it away merely by citing physical limitations because I have always done this.... I didn't realize you were dealing with health issues, Eliana. As you can see in my sig, prayer is not my thing, but I will keep you in my thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 (I'm also wondering if cutting and pasting still triggers the 'someone quoted a post you made' alert.... ) Your post triggered my alert. Jo Walton: .... Thanks for the information on Jo Walton's books and writing. I enjoyed "The Lurkers Support Me" and have bookmarked her columns to peruse later. Right now, as I try to regain health and functioning .... I hadn't realized you'd been ill. Sending positive thoughts for your recovery. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shannanlee Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 This week I complete 3 books. 1. The Centaurian's Wife by Davis Bunn 2. The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald 3. Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham So this brings my total to 7 for the year but 6 for the 52 books in a year Challenge I am currently reading: The Story of the The Trapp Family Singers by Maria Von Trapp. I hope to get a few more book started they are all 300 plus pages. They are: Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery Mansfield Park by Jane Austen The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling I am also going to read through the Wizard of Oz Series of the course of the next several months as well as the Little House Series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Yesterday I started reading Dracula. My first impression is that it may be kind of a slow read for me. I'll have to get some poetry or non-fiction going, too. Dracula was slow in the beginning for me. I was trying to follow the timeline and whose journal I was reading. I was frustrated more than anything and felt a dash of "get on with it!" Once I found my groove with the timeline and the flow of the journals, I really enjoyed it. I was surprised that I had to put it down at bedtime...I got a little scared lol. I'll be anxious to see if your first impression in correct or not! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Emily and Einstein by Linda Francis Lee. It was ok. Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl. Fun read. Pink and Blue:Telling the Boys from the Girls in America by Jo B. Paoletti. Really interesting subject; I wish I hadn't found the author's style so dry. The Secret Lives of Walter Mitty by James Thurber. This was the shortest short story I think I've ever read! I'm amazed that it was made into a movie (with Danny Kaye - anyone remember that?) and I believe it has recently been remade with the Night in a Museum guy (drawing a blank on his name) to be released later this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 double post -sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Yes, Calvino. *not* light reading! ...but *so* worth the effort. (Thinking about Calivino reminds me how much I miss Ester Maria.... *sigh*) . Calvino is another of my favorite authors. Can one have too many favorite authors? Sending you good wishes, Eliana. I am astounded by how much you read! Do you ever sleep? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose in BC Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Week one: The Father's Tale, Michael O'Brien Week two: 30 Days to Social Media by Gail Z Martin Week three: Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese Week four: The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I am halfway through The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough. His writing is the only thing getting me through reading about such a sad event. David McCullough is an amazing writer! I've read three of his books and am in the beginning pages of Brave Companions. I've thought of reading The Johnstown Flood but haven't because it is so sad. I'll be looking forward to your thoughts on it when you are done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Dracula was slow in the beginning for me. I was trying to follow the timeline and whose journal I was reading. I was frustrated more than anything and felt a dash of "get on with it!" Once I found my groove with the timeline and the flow of the journals, I really enjoyed it. I was surprised that I had to put it down at bedtime...I got a little scared lol. I'll be anxious to see if your first impression in correct or not! It was slow starting for me too. It never got scary IMO, but did get suspenseful. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. When I first started reading it, I questioned whether or not I would end up finishing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 May I bring up something frivolous? I know that there are a number of BBC Sherlock fans on this thread. Like a number of people, I wondered about Sherlock's scarf: It is tied in what I have seen called a "continental knot". Essentially a long scarf is folded in half, with the fringed ends then looped through the center. The style requires a long scarf. Mine were too short so I raided the fabric stash, found a sufficiently long piece of wool that I finished and fringed. So now I can "do the continental" in my reading and with my scarf! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Mama Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Finished #6 this morning (stayed up entirely too late) - The Bungalow by Sarah Jio. I saw this author listed in a previous thread, maybe for Blackberry Winter? When I went to the library a few days ago I looked for that one, but found only The Bungalow, so I checked it out. I really enjoyed the story, and have placed her other books on hold. I have Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick, but not sure I can make myself read it. Also have When the White House Was Ours on my bedside table. We'll see what I pick up next. On-going: The One Year Bible and Cleaning House A Mom's Twelve-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement #1 - Worth the Weight - Mara Jacobs #2 - The Peach Keeper - Sarah Addison Allen #3 - The Castaways - Elin Hilderbrand #4 - The Dressmaker - Kate Alcott #5 - Come to the Table - Neta Jackson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trillian Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Since Dickens birthday is February 7th, we'll declare February Dicken's month so start thinking about which Dicken's books you'd like to read. One of my goals this year is to read a Dickens (so far I've only read A Christmas Carol); I've gone so far as to download Great Expectations, so I guess I should get on it. Currently reading Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker by Kevin Mitnick. It is FABULOUS! It's more about social engineering than actual hacking. Ghost in the Wires is on my wish list; I'm glad to hear it's good. I finished #3 The Genius in All of Us, #4 The Aeneid, and #5 Hand Wash Cold this week. I started The Eyre Affair . I like the writing enough that I'm reading selections out loud to DS as examples of good writing - "a small puffy man who looked like a bag of flour with arms and legs." Still in progress: The Great Dali Art Fraud - went a bit on hibernation this week Physics and Engineering for Future Presidents Bomb: the Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Deadliest Weapon - RA to DS - excellent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeganCupcake Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 52 Books Blog - Oliver Twist: Highlighting the 5th fiction book in SWB's Well Educated Mind's great reads. Originally published in serial form in Bentley's Miscellany, it ran monthly from February 1837 through April 1839. For those who aren't familiar with the story, it's about a young orphan who ends up living in London with a gang of pickpockets. Dickens used the story to call attention to the treatment of orphans, child labor, poverty and the seedier side of London's criminal element. The story may be read online here, here, or here. I failed my own challenge to read the story last year, so here's my second chance and yours as well. Since Dickens birthday is February 7th, we'll declare February Dicken's month so start thinking about which Dicken's books you'd like to read. What are you reading this week? I read Little Dorrit last February for Dickens' birthday, and I think I'll try to read another this year. I haven't read Oliver Twist--maybe I'll read that one. I loved Bleak House and Our Mutual Friend--they are probably my favorite Dickens. I finished two books this week. 1) Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch. I loved this book! Sankovitch's sister died of cancer and Sankovitch deals with her grief by reading a book a day for one year. This book is about the lessons she learned about grieving and life through her reading. 2) The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I am currently reading Books #7 and 8--Emily and Einstein by Linda Francis Lee and My Ideal Bookshelf edited by Thessaly La Force. I have Tolstoy and the Purple Chair on my TBR list and I don't know how she read a book a day. Wow. I have so many books on the go right now--hopefully I will finish one this week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I have finally actually finished a book. I have all these books going on at once and they are mostly very very long, so this is my first finished book of the year! It's Five Billion Vodka Bottles to the Moon, by Iosif Shklovsky, and I thought it was great. It's a memoir sort of book, personal stories about his life as an astronomer in the USSR--from grad school in 1940 (evacuation and manual labor) through the Stalin regime up to the start of SETI. Lots of Soviet stuff, and funny stories. If you're interested in the USSR or science, it's a good read. Also, all this month I've been doing a series on lesser-known children's classics. Today was Tove Jansson but I've done a bunch of them. I'm sure that WTMers already know all the books I'm highlighting but IME most people don't! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I'm continuing by revisiting of Ancient Rome - I wonder how much longer this fascination will continue? ...I'm starting to worry about running out of things I already own to feed this exploration! Lavinia by Ursula LeGuin - I've never connected to LeGuin's books before; I have been fascinated by some of them, but never deeply engaged. This book grabbed my heart and mind and a bit of both will, I think, remain in its grasp in perpetuity. Atwood's Penelopiad fascinated me, disturbed me, moved me, and did really nifty things to my reread of the Odyssey. Lavinia...it was also fascinating and moving, and I know my reread of the Aeneid (on this week's list!) will be richer and deeper, but it was much more than that. One beautifully done piece was Lavinia's awareness of her own, as she puts it, contingency, her fictionality... it sounds gimicky, but it is beautiful... lyrical even.... and with all that, the power, the beauty, the intelligence, it dovetails so perfectly with Ancient Roman history, with its source text the Aeneid, with the weight of history and myth and legend while holding its own place and identity. I highly recommend this. This sounds wonderful! I'm putting it on my list and am going to check into Penelopiad as well. I'm not a huge Atwood fan but I just read a new version of The Odyssey to my kids and Penelope has been on my mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I started The Eyre Affair . I like the writing enough that I'm reading selections out loud to DS as examples of good writing - "a small puffy man who looked like a bag of flour with arms and legs." I love that book, and the whole series. Really ought to read Eyre Affair again... Physics and Engineering for Future Presidents I've read Physics for Future Presidents by Richard Muller--is that the same book or a different one? I thought it was excellent and plan to make my kids read it before graduating from high school. My husband took physics from Muller in college, and thought he was great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglei Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 This week I finished: #3 - Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith, by Anne Lamott. Writing that always draws you in with her down-to-earth candor. I don't agree with all her theology (and some of her *vocabulary* choices), but I love her style of writing and her willingness to be honest at her own expense. Currently reading: #4 - The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared, by Alice Ozma. Not what I expected, though I'm not really sure what I expected . . . Easy reading, though, with memoir-style vignettes. I was drawn to this book because we are a reading family and, until recently, I read orally most days (more sporadically now), and usually multiple times a day, various books for family reading - fiction, non-fiction, and often above whatever the current reading level was. We kept (and keep) written lists of books read individually and books read for family reading. Family-reading memories are some of the best, as this author highlights and underscores throughout her book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 No, I'm sorry! I was thinking of Mary Renault's The King Must Die, which is part of a retelling of the story of Theseus in Ancient Greece. ...but now I will look at the first three in your series! Right now, as I try to regain health and functioning, reading is even more present in my life since there are days when I can't do much at all physically - to a lesser extent that has been true for the past decade, but I was reading like this when I was working full time and on a competitive volleyball team... when I was going to school full time, working a part time job & homeschooling.... so I can't explain it away merely by citing physical limitations because I have always done this.... And now I have a new book on my TBR list! Thanks! I'm so sorry you have not been in good health. Having been there myself, I hope that you can recover soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I read two books this week: 1. And All The Stars by Andrea Host. I didn't really connect with this book. The story idea was fascinating, but there were parts that needed more editing: conversations were hard to follow, action sequences became confusing, etc. Also, I felt the author tried really hard to create this very diverse group of teens, but the diversity was almost distracting: there was every type of personality, ethnicity, sexual identity, etc. There were a lot of characters and some of them were hard for me to keep track of. The plot twist was interesting, but the ending felt a little too neatly wrapped up. 2. Create Your Writer Platform by Chuck Sambuchino. I enjoyed this book and found it to contain some good advice. The information on starting a blog, facebook page, etc. was pretty basic though. Next I'll be starting Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and the second Flavia de Luce mystery. Here's my list so far: 7. Create Your Writer Platform by Chuck Sambuchino 4/5 6. And All the Stars by Andrea Host 3/5 5. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo 4/5 4. Poetic Knowledge by James Taylor 5/5 (5/5/5 Challenge: books on education/homeschooling, "dusty" book) 3. Time to Write by Kelly Stone 3/5 (5/5/5 Challenge: books on writing fiction) 2. Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande 5/5 (5/5/5 Challenge: books on writing fiction) 1. How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster 3.5/5 (5/5/5 Challenge: books on education/homeschooling, "dusty" book) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 This week I'm reading Catching Fire, and will probably also finish Mockingjay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.