Book a Week in 2013 - week eight

[Robin M]

Good morning, my lovelies! Today is the start of week 8 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. The link is below in my signature.

 

52 Books Blog - Jane Eyre: Highlighting book # 6 in SWB's Well Educated Mind list of fiction to read along with an excerpt of the first chapter.

 

Publisher weekly book news: Most anticipated books for spring 2013 list includes a new crime novel by Stephen King Joyland and a new adult sci fi/fantasy novel by Neil Gaiman The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

 

For the writers and sleuths in us check out - Mastermind: How to think Like Sherlock Holmes by Maria Konnikova

 

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

 

 

Link to week 7

[Robin M]

I'm currently reading Willa Cather's Death Comes for the Archbishop. Inspiration wise, enjoying Thomas Merton's New Seeds of Contemplation.

[MomtoCandJ]

Currently reading the Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus

[PollyOR]

I don't know what happened, but I went through a dry spell this week. I could not even force myself to read. I felt great (recovering from surgery), so I had no excuse.

 

Yesterday I read Hexed by Kevin Hearne and today I'll finish Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.

[Jane in NC]

One of my 5/5/5 challenges for this year is called "Visiting Old Friends", hence the reread--decades later--of Tom Jones. I first read this work by Fielding in a History of the Novel course. We were a small group of students and I was the only non-English major. Upon completing the book yesterday, I turned to the Internet to look up my former prof. I wanted to write her a thank you note. Tom Jones was even better this second time around. Unfortunately, my former prof had passed away a year and a half ago (something I knew but was not quite accepting) so my thanks go to the ethers.

 

All of these years later, I can remember seven novels that we read in the History of the Novel course. Maybe there were more. I also remember that I was by far the most passionate and enthusiastic student when it came to Fielding and George Eliot. (We read Adam Bede.) The English majors swooned over Austen and Dickens--it took me years to connect with the former and I have never been able to enjoy the books of the latter. I love his stories as Masterpiece Theater dramas. Just don't make me read them.

 

Anyway, some of the Tom Jones discussions ended up being more like conversations between the prof and myself--with those English majors glaring. They tired of me. I was the weirdo math major who showed up in Shakespeare or Metaphysical Poetry or History of the Novel for fun. I thought about the works differently than they did. And sometimes I asked very stupid questions. In the case of Tom Jones, the prof and I laughed hysterically while discussing Tom Jones. Why didn't those English majors join in? I never figured it out.

 

Jones now declared that they must certainly have lost their way; but this the guide insisted upon was impossible,--a word which, in common conversation, is often used to signify not only improbable, but often what is really very likely, and sometimes what hath certainly happened; an hyperbolical violence like that which is so frequently offered to the words infinite and eternal; by the former of which it is usual to express a distance of half a yard, and by the latter a duration of five minutes. And thus it is as usual to assert the impossibility of losing what is already actually lost. This was, in fact, the ease at present; for, notwithstanding all the confident assertions of the lad to the contrary, it is certain they were no more in the right road to Coventry than the fraudulent, gripping, cruel, canting miser is in the right road to heaven.

 

One thing I did not remember about the book was the chapter in which Mr. Jones takes his companion (schoolmaster/barber/surgeon) Mr. Partridge to see a performance of Hamlet. Partridge then spends much of the play in commentary--much to the amusement of those sitting near him. This deserves comment given the family joke when seeing orchestral or theatrical performances. For reasons beyond me, the Fates like to place next to me at these performances hummers--yes, people who hum along with the orchestra--or members of the Luminous Crotch tribe, people who cannot go to a play or concert without checking their email on their smart but ill mannered phones. I thought I had the problem solved with our most recent outing. We went to see a production of the black comedy The Lieutenant of Inishmore at an old theater. There was a partition to my left, my husband to my right. I thought I would be protected from obnoxious fellow theater goers. But no! The young guy behind me spent the entire play asking "What did he say?"--apparently the Irish dialect was beyond him. At one point, an elderly woman across the aisle from him offered a translation, a hint perhaps that his perpetual question was annoying everyone in the vicinity.

 

But I digress...

 

What "old friends" to visit next? Enjoying Tom Jones as much as I did, I briefly entertained the notion of rereading Joseph Andrews or Jonathon Wild. But other books are calling. Should I reread Barbara Pym's Excellent Women or Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio? Will I still love the USA Trilogy (dos Passos)? So many books...

 

I have now started Man Booker prize winning novel Wolf Hall. Hmmm...I am not sure I like Hilary Mantel's writing style. Could someone who has read the book comment on this?

[Lynnae]

This week I finished Getting Things Done by David Allen and The Tempted Soul by Adina Senft. That brings my total books read this year up to 10.

 

I started keeping track of my books on a Pinterest board.

 

Now to decide what to read next.

[prairiegirl]

I read "Publish and Perish" by Sally Wright last week. I didn't really enjoy it as I was reading through it but when I came to the end and all of the threads tied together, I appreciated the story more. I think I will try another book by her later on. Right now I am reading Book #14--On Writing by Stephen King.

[Just Robyn]

I finished Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger. It wasn't bad, but I didn't like it as much as her adult books. A bit too innocent? It wasn't as humorous.

 

I'm creeping along with the second Charlotte Mason book, and I started three books: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin and The Gold-Bug and Other Tales by Edgar Allan Poe.

 

I also read an essay by Freud that I wanted to share because it was so interesting and enjoyable. "The Uncanny" I may never read a SF/fantasy/horror book the same way again.

[Violet Crown]

Jane in NC,

 

"Luminous Crotch tribe" destroys me. I'm stealing that one. You've just said everything I would have said about Tom Jones, so: yes, that. Adding that Great Girl's experience as a math major in her English Lit courses has been very similar to yours.

 

I think I'm probably going to take a nonfiction break and do some of my Newman reading for Lent. Loved co-reading Tom Jones, especially your ability to pick out exactly those passages I thought should be posted to this thread. (On the Hamlet chapter - reading it this time, I felt Fielding may not have been just making fun of Partridge, but also offering a comment on the David Garrick-led transition from the bombastic style of acting to a more naturalistic style, in a way that echoed some of Fielding's own commentary on novel-writing.)

[Kareni]

 

Anyway, some of the Tom Jones discussions ended up being more like conversations between the prof and myself--with those English majors glaring. They tired of me. I was the weirdo math major who showed up in Shakespeare or Metaphysical Poetry or History of the Novel for fun. I thought about the works differently than they did. And sometimes I asked very stupid questions. In the case of Tom Jones, the prof and I laughed hysterically while discussing Tom Jones. Why didn't those English majors join in? I never figured it out.

 

 

I enjoyed reading your recollections of the class, Jane. (And I doubt that those questions you asked were stupid.)

 

 

Last night I stayed up way too late reading Lisa Kleypas' Crystal Cove which I enjoyed. The author's Friday Harbor books, of which this is the most recent, all contain magical elements. This book contained even more of that device than its predecessors. While I liked the book, I favor the author's historical romances and her contemporary novels set in Texas.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

I haven't been reading much. It's not that I don't have time or am not enjoying my current books, it's just...actually I don't know what it is.

 

I did however, finish Pride and Prejudice and Midnight Cowboy. I can understand why the movie version of the latter was so controversial way back when it came out. No one would bat an eyelash at it today though.

 

Currently reading: Elsie - Adventures of an Arizona Schoolteacher 1913-1916. This is my free Kindle Lending Library book for this month. It's told through letters and diary entries, with occasional notes from the author, who is Elsie's grandaughter. Very interesting.

[Tullia]

Finished in Week 7: A Study in Scarlet and the first two sections of The Magician's Twin.

For this week: The last four essays in The Magician's Twin and more Sherlock Holmes: The Sign of the Four and The Hound of the Baskervilles.

[LostSurprise]

I bunch of books came through inter-library loan so my bed pile erupted onto the floor. I'm trying to figure out what I want to read between Concrete Island (JG Ballard), Philosophy: a Discovery in Comics (de Heer), The French Lieutenant's Woman (Fowles), and Down the Garden Path (Nichols). I need to do a better job working my list so that everything doesn't come through at the same time.

 

Finished:

14. The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis~fiction, chess. This follows a young female chess prodigy through her discovery of the game in an orphanage at age 8 through her entry into the International world of chess. Wow. There were moments when I rolled my eyes a bit (do characters have to have addiction problems so the novel stays interesting enough??) but by the end I found all of the characters extremely real and Tevis managed to keep the constant descriptions of blow by blow chess games tight and absorbing. Recommended. **

 

13. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine l'Engle~children's fiction, fantasy, coming of age. Read aloud. Last time I read this aloud I noticed all of its faults. This time I just noticed how creative it was. "Mom, that's a weird book," my 10 year old said.

 

12. Way Station by Clifford Simak~science fiction, aliens, atomic age. Someone posted a link to classic science fiction earlier last month and I found this one in a discussion of Hugo winners and I ordered it from the library. This book follows a man from the Civil War era who acts as station keeper on a galactic travel line. Aliens are still unknown to the human race but its the beginning of the space age (early '60s). The main character is very introspective and there's a lot of realistic internal drama about what he should do with the information he's gleaning, about how he sees the human race stumbling through a juvenile stage. End uses too much deux ex machina, but I enjoy the languid pace Simak keeps up. (Fiction genre challenge: Science Fiction)

 

11. Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression by Mildred Armstrong Kalish~autobiography, Great Depression, family stories. This wasn't what I imagined it to be. A lot of autobiographies are very relaxed, just a simple set of family stories that were interesting enough to find their way into print. This was more of an anthropological look into farm life in the Midwest during the '30s (Kalish and her husband are college professors). Sometimes that made the narrative a little duller, but mostly I enjoyed that focus. If you like the parts of the Little house books which talk about how they did or made this or that you will like this. DH has family who farmed northern Iowa so I'm looking forward to passing this on to his aunts or grandmother. (Dewey Decimal Challenge, 900s) *

 

Top Ten *

Best of the Year **

10. Changeless by Gail Carriger~fiction, steampunk, series, werewolves/vampire, Victoriana.

9. The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman~fiction, family drama, Australia, miscarriage. (Continental Challenge: Australia) *

8. Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card~fantasy, alternative early America, witchcraft/magic.

7. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson~satire, American dream, drug trip. (Dewey Decimal Challenge, 000s)

6. Soulless by Gail Carriger~steampunk, vampires, werewolves, Victoriana. (Fiction genre challenge: Fantasy)

5. Away by Jane Urquhart~Ireland, Canada, emigration, magical realism, family saga. (Continental Challenge: North America/Canada) *

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 (Fiction genre challenge: General Fiction)

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 (Sarton)

Concrete Island (Ballard)

[rwjx2khsmj]

This week I finished two books. The first was my Valentine's blind date from the library, The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott. This book was another telling of the Titanic that focused on the press and the congressional hearings following the sinking. The writing was fine but not inspiring.

 

The second book, was for the library book club, One Shot by Lee Child. Macho hero, action adventure is usually not my cuppa but I really liked the no nonsense style and fast paced plot. I also liked the hero. Thankfully, he did not remind me of Tom Cruise, although I've heard the movie is not awful.

• The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
  
• The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
  
• Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich
  
• Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
  
• What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
  
• Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
  
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
  
• The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson
  
• Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
  
• All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
  
• The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine
  
• Marmee & Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother by Eve LaPlante
  
• Elsewhere: A Memoir by Richard Russo
  

[Onceuponatime]

I am reading The Jewish Gospels: Story of the Jewish Christ by Daniel Boyarin. It is a good way to follow up Paul and Jesus by James Tabor. Boyarin explores christology from a historical Jewish perspective, quite fascinating.

 

 

Jane in NC, your quote did it. Now Tom Jones is on my to read list. Forgive me if I mention that it reminded me a little of Lemony Snicket. But perhaps that is not a coincidence.

[Narrow Gate Academy]

This week I finished book 8 Oliver Twist by Dickens, which I actually began enjoying about halfway through, and reviewedit. My 8yo and I also completed book 9 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Fleming as a read aloud, which is reviewed here.

 

Starting This Week

The Coral Island by Ballantyne (with DD 13)

A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens (with DD 13)

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Twain (with DD 11)

The Children of Green Knowe by Boston (with DS 8)

 

I also have much too large of a stack of to be read books, so I'm going to try really hard to not put any new books on hold that are recommended in this week's thread. I may have to start a wish to read list. We'll see.

 

Ongoing Reads

 

The One Year Bible

The Neverending Story by Ende (I'm enjoying this so far and hope to finish this week.)

Glittering Images by Howatch ( I may give up on this one, but I'm going to give it a few more chapters.)

 

Finished

 

9. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Fleming

8. Oliver Twist by Dickens

7. The Lightning Thief by Riordan

6. Children of the New Forest by Marryat

5. The Black Cauldron by Alexander

4. Anne of Avonlea by Montgomery

3. Anne of Green Gables by Montgomery

2. Talking Money by Chatzky

1. Pride and Prejudice by Austen

[Murmer]

Finished: West with the Night by Beryl Markham, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria by Beverly Daniel Tatum, and Katy's New World by Kim Vogel Sawyer

 

Currently Working On:

Downstairs: The Explosive Child by Ross W. Greene

Upstairs: MC Higgins the Great by Virginia Hamilton

Kindle: Forever More by Kathy Hake

IPhone: Lucy Doesn't Wear Pink by Nancy Rue

Sweet Boy Read Aloud: The Yellow Fairy Book

Angel Girl Read Aloud: The Wind In The Willows

WTM: Don Quixote

IPad: Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town by Stephen Leacock (for Canada)

 

Total Finished in 2013: 14

[jenangelcat]

I'm still slogging through Jane Eyre. I feel like I'd enjoy it more if I ripped out half the pages. I did take a break from it to reread Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I'll probably read the rest of them this week.

[PollyOR]

I'm still slogging through Jane Eyre. I feel like I'd enjoy it more if I ripped out half the pages.

 

 

Lol! I skim read Jane Eyre many years ago. I would read a few pages and then skip ahead through the pages I thought were boring. One night and I was done. ;)

[Stacia]

Robin, per your mission last week...

My challenge to you is to read a book about food

I am currently reading Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr. (It happened to come in at the library around the time of your reading mission.)

 

Also, I'm working on a book w/ lovely travel/exploration photos: Vanished Kingdoms: A Woman Explorer in Tibet, China & Mongolia 1921-1925 by Mabel Cabot (who is apparently the daughter of the 'woman explorer').

 

From Publishers Weekly:

Part photographic catalogue and part historical travelogue, this book presents the life of Janet Elliott Wulsin (1894-1963), who went where very few women of her society had ever gone before. In 1923, she and her husband, Frederick, set out, under the auspices of the National Geographic Society, to explore China, Mongolia and Tibet with 28 camels, six horses, four Mongolian camel drivers and 10 Chinese "specimen collectors." Together, they collected 1,400 botanical and zoological specimens and documented Buddhist rituals. Cabot, director of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology of Ethnology at Harvard, showcases 144 illustrations (34 in color) and provides a wealth of details, down to the provisions the Wulsins carried on their travel through the Chinese desert: "marmalade from Fortnum and Mason, syrup, hardtack, dehydrated vegetables, malted milk, and even canned baked beans." She uses letters from Janet and Frederick to supplement her storytelling; one from Janet to her mother-in-law notes, "I feel as if we might be going to Mars-with just as much probability of return." While the subtitle implies no men were involved, Wulsin's travels are compellingly reconstructed from her perspective.

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

My Goodreads Page

My PaperbackSwap Page

Working on Robin's Dusty &/or Chunky Book Challenge.

Working on Robin's Continental Challenge.

Working on LostSurprise's Dewey Decimal Challenge. Complete Dewey Decimal Classification List here.

 

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)...

 

2013 Books Read:

01. Women of the Klondike by Frances Backhouse (3 stars). Challenges: Dusty; Continental – North America (Canada); Dewey Decimal – 900s.

02. Equator by Miguel Sousa Tavares (3 stars). Challenges: Dusty; Continental – Europe (Portugal) & Africa (São Tomé and Príncipe).

03. UFOs, JFK, & Elvis by Richard Belzer (2 stars). Challenge: Dewey Decimal – 000s.

04. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – North America (USA).

05. The Twelve Rooms of the Nile by Enid Shomer (3.5 stars). Challenge: Continental – Africa (Egypt).

06. The Hard Way by Lee Child (2 stars).

07. The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy (3 stars).

08. Daughters of Copper Woman by Anne Cameron (3.5 stars). Challenge: Continental – North America (Canada).

09. A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes (3.5 stars).

10. The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye by A.S. Byatt (4 stars).

11. Our Lady of Alice Bhatti by Mohammed Hanif (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – Asia (Pakistan).

[eaglei]

This week I finished:

 

#9 - A Civil Contract, by Georgette Heyer. Definitely my favorite so far, of the four I've read.

 

Currently reading:

 

#10 - The Chosen, by Chaim Potok. Why-oh-why have I never read this before??? My fourth book by this author, about half-way through and thoroughly enjoying it.

[Heather in Neverland]

Started Reading:

Prodigy by Marie Lu (Chinese author, DD class 800)

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick (American author, DD class 300)

 

Still Reading:

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley (Canadian author, DD class 800)

The Conviction to Lead: 25 Principles for Leadership that Matters by Albert Mohler (American author, DD class 300)

The God Who is There: Finding Your Place in God's Story by D.A. Carson (Canadian author, DD class 200)

 

Finished:

8. Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald (American author, DD class 100)

7. The Bungalow by Sarah Jio (American author, DD class 800)

6. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (American author, DD class 800)

5. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (American author, DD class 800)

4. The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion by Tim Challies (Canadian author, DD class 600)

3. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton (Australian author, DD class 800)

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (English author, DD class 800)

1. The Dark Monk: A Hangman's Daughter Tale by Oliver Potzsch (German author, DD class 800)

 

 

So far I have hit 4 continents and 5 Dewey Decimal classes (but I seem to be stuck in the 800's... I'm on a fiction kick lately!).

[Ali in OR]

I finished Chi Running today--my effort to learn a running style that will help me avoid plantar fasciitis. I'm ready to restart C25K tomorrow, hopefully implementing this new form and a midfoot strike. I started with a library copy but found the book helpful enough to buy it from Amazon when the library book was due. Also finished Speaking from Among the Bones at the beginning of the week (Flavia de Luce) and enjoyed it very much. Not bothered at all by the slight cliff-hanger at the end!

 

Last week Vegan Cupcake mentioned Seth Mnookin's The Panic Virus about the anti-vaccine movement. I found it at the library and am finding it fascinating. He covers the history of vaccines and how some have been wary of them from the beginning--and some incidents that fed that wariness. The more recent fears of a possible MMR/autism link or mercury/thimerosal link are based on poor science and sensationalist coverage by a media that is becoming more and more science-illiterate. Dh keeps stealing the book from me too--he's interested in the perspective of how people make decisions, especially in today's world where true experts aren't recognized as such and every piece of information is assumed to have equal validity. Good stuff.

 

Not sure what's up next after that. I'm supposed to be picking the April book for our book club and we have a Costco trip planned for tomorrow. I've picked from their table before--we'll see if anything looks interesting.

 

 

Books Read in 2013

8. Chi Running-Danny Dreyer

7. Speaking from Among the Bones-Alan Bradley

6. The Sun Also Rises-Ernest Hemingway

5. North by Northanger-Carrie Bebris

4. Train Dreams-Denis Johnson

3. Northanger Abbey-Jane Austen

2. Sense and Sensibility-Jane Austen

1. The Great Influenza-John M. Barry

[ladydusk]

I read "Publish and Perish" by Sally Wright last week. I didn't really enjoy it as I was reading through it but when I came to the end and all of the threads tied together, I appreciated the story more. I think I will try another book by her later on. Right now I am reading Book #14--On Writing by Stephen King.

 

I'm glad it came together in the end and you could appreciate it. I hope you try another sometime. The next two are set in Scotland, which I found interesting.

[LostSurprise]

Starting This Week

The Coral Island by Ballantyne (with DD 13)

 

Yayy, The Coral Island! When I was in 5th grade I helped my aunt after she had a baby. She bought me 2 books: The Coral Island and Call of the Wild. In my mind its a more fun version of Robinson Crusoe.

 

 

Also, I'm working on a book w/ lovely travel/exploration photos: Vanished Kingdoms: A Woman Explorer in Tibet, China & Mongolia 1921-1925 by Mabel Cabot (who is apparently the daughter of the 'womaPVL.

 

 

I love books about female explorers. I have Jane Digby and Gertrude Bell waiting for me on-shelf right now.

[Mom-ninja.]

 

#10 - The Chosen, by Chaim Potok. Why-oh-why have I never read this before??? My fourth book by this author, about half-way through and thoroughly enjoying it.

 

 

 

I liked this when I read in years ago. Maybe I just reread it.

[Susan in TN]

I enjoyed The Snow Child, but was a little unsatisfied with Faina as a character. It seemed too easy to pull the reader into the constant question of her reality. There were no real boundaries - kind of like the development of the halo deck on Star Trek.

 

This week I'm reading Widow of the South - it's particularly fascinating since some of the troops from this Civil War battle went through my neighborhood.

 

1. The Passage - Justin Cronin

2. Charing Cross Road - Helene Hanff

3. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

4. Catching Fire

5. Mockingjay

6. The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul - Douglas Adams

7. Unnatural Death - Dorothy Sayers

8. The Snow Child - Eowyn Ivey

8. The Catnappers - P.G. Wodehouse

 

[Stacia]

I love books about female explorers. I have Jane Digby and Gertrude Bell waiting for me on-shelf right now.

 

Me too.

 

One you might enjoy (if you haven't already read it) is Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark.

 

I have a couple here to start about Anne Morrow Lindbergh (Charles Lindbergh's wife) -- her book about her travels w/ him (where she served as navigator & helper -- I hadn't realized this until I saw a Smithsonian exhibit a few years ago) called North to the Orient & a biography of her. Plus, I just saw a new release called The Aviator's Wife about her. It also looks good & I'll be getting it from the library in a bit. Guess I'll have an Anne Morrow Lindbergh reading marathon at some point this year....

 

Another book I really want to read at some point is Congo Solo.

 

And, I also want to read some books by/about Alexandra David-Néel....

 

I guess I need a travel/exploration reading challenge, huh?

 

Looking forward to hearing of some great titles if you have time to post them...! :)

[Trillian]

I finished #12, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes today listening to it while I was cleaning. I realized I had already read it, but I enjoyed it (again).

 

I started Lies My Teacher Told Me. I'm not sure I'll finish it. The things I've read in the book so far fall not two categories, either I already knew or I knew nothing about either way (I.e. I didn't know the lie or the truth, just a complete gap of knowledge). I'm on the fence and have already renewed it once from the library.

 

 

[Rose in BC]

Week one: The Father's Tale, Michael O'Brien

Week two: 30 Days to Social Media by Gail Z Martin (professional development)

Week three: Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese

Week four: The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

Week five: Collaboration Handbook, by Winer & Ray (reading it for professional develpment ).

Week six: Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts

Week seven: the Forgotten Garden, Kate Morton

 

Week eight: Is there Anybody out there? By Mez McConnell

 

[UrbanSue]

I read The Pope Who Quit by Jon Sweeney this week. Timely, huh? It was a Christmas gift. Definitely an interesting read--it only came out last year and I wonder if the author was hedging his bets a bit on its being timely. It's the story of the only pope in history to voluntarily step down in 1294 (the one who "resigned" 600 years ago was only conditionally elected during a period of schism so it wasn't really legit on any level, to make a long story short). We don't actually know too much about Celestine V, who only reigned 15 weeks, but Sweeney gives a lot of good background information on the middle ages.

 

That was actually my eighth book so I'll probably not start anything new this week and try to plow ahead a bit in Gotham. I'm also still working through David Copperfield on Audible and just passed the halfway point. The pace is picking up quite a bit so I think I'll look for ways to fit in more listening time as well.

[mlbuchina]

I didn't finish any this week, so I have a few in progress:

 

Dragonfly in Amber

Why We Get Fat

The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye

[Stacia]

I finished Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger. It wasn't bad, but I didn't like it as much as her adult books. A bit too innocent? It wasn't as humorous.

...

The Gold-Bug and Other Tales by Edgar Allan Poe.

 

I also read an essay by Freud that I wanted to share because it was so interesting and enjoyable. "The Uncanny" I may never read a SF/fantasy/horror book the same way again.

 

Good to read your review of Etiquette & Espionage. Is it a YA one, I guess?

 

Loved The Gold Bug & Other Tales when I read this a year or two ago. (It also helps that I'm familiar w/ the Charleston area & checked my version out of the Sullivan's Island Library, which is named after Poe. Sullivan's Island figures in the Gold Bug story.)

 

"Luminous Crotch tribe" destroys me. I'm stealing that one.

 

I agree totally! :smilielol5:

 

Jane, now instead of being completely irritated at inconsiderate luminous crotch #!#%#*&!s during movies, I may laugh first (then continue to be irritated at their rude behavior). :tongue_smilie:

 

Beneath Cold Seas by David Hill: An utter, unexpected delight! I wish there were more, much more, text (don't miss the notes at the end!), and I have placed holds on a slew of related books so I can explore this more.

 

...

 

Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan: I've raved here about Brennan's Onyx Court series, and mentioned how much I have been looking forward to this new release... I am very happy to say that it lived up to my hopes and expectations.... though I am not impatient for the sequels! It is, in some ways, akin to Elizabeth Peter's Peabody books - with its homage to Victorian era exploration/adventure writing... but much, much better.

 

Beneath Cold Seas looks wonderful. If I could choose to live somewhere else right now, I'd pick the Pacific NW, so this is a book that would really appeal to me, I think.

 

I just got the first of Marie Brennan's books from that series (Midnight Never Come) from the library on your recommendation. Hoping I have time to start it in the next week or two (my book pile is pretty high right now & I have more coming in every day at the library...).

 

Currently reading: Elsie - Adventures of an Arizona Schoolteacher 1913-1916. This is my free Kindle Lending Library book for this month. It's told through letters and diary entries, with occasional notes from the author, who is Elsie's grandaughter. Very interesting.

 

This description makes me think of Half Broke Horses too. Did you read that book?

 

I need to do a better job working my list so that everything doesn't come through at the same time.

 

Me too. I am constantly requesting things, then trying to manage the list by 'suspending' my holds so that I can stagger the dates when I receive books. My problem lately is that I have so many things checked out & requested that I'm getting quite a backlog going here. :tongue_smilie:

 

The second book, was for the library book club, One Shot by Lee Child. Macho hero, action adventure is usually not my cuppa but I really liked the no nonsense style and fast paced plot. I also liked the hero. Thankfully, he did not remind me of Tom Cruise, although I've heard the movie is not awful.

• The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
  

I think my dh has read every Lee Child book there is. My mom really likes them too. When she saw the movie previews, she complained that Tom Cruise looks nothing like Jack Reacher as he is described in the books. LOL.

 

What did you think of The Lace Reader? I had it, but returned it to the library unread. I may check it out again some day....

 

I also have much too large of a stack of to be read books, so I'm going to try really hard to not put any new books on hold that are recommended in this week's thread.

 

I need to do a moratorium on my list too!!!

 

I enjoyed The Snow Child, but was a little unsatisfied with Faina as a character. It seemed too easy to pull the reader into the constant question of her reality. There were no real boundaries - kind of like the development of the halo deck on Star Trek.

 

I keep wondering if this is a book I would enjoy. It remains on my 'maybe to read' list.

 

I started Lies My Teacher Told Me. I'm not sure I'll finish it. The things I've read in the book so far fall not two categories, either I already knew or I knew nothing about either way (I.e. I didn't know the lie or the truth, just a complete gap of knowledge). I'm on the fence and have already renewed it once from the library.

 

I tried reading this a year or so ago (for my book club). I had a hard time making it past the first few pages & gave up eventually....

 

I read The Pope Who Quit by Jon Sweeney this week. Timely, huh? It was a Christmas gift. Definitely an interesting read--it only came out last year and I wonder if the author was hedging his bets a bit on its being timely. It's the story of the only pope in history to voluntarily step down in 1294 (the one who "resigned" 600 years ago was only conditionally elected during a period of schism so it wasn't really legit on any level, to make a long story short). We don't actually know too much about Celestine V, who only reigned 15 weeks, but Sweeney gives a lot of good background information on the middle ages.

 

Sounds interesting & very timely.

[Violet Crown]

Puerile and off-topic literary humor:

 

One of the awesome books I salvaged from our library discard store was the chunkster novel The Eustace Diamonds, which became separated from its fellows in the van. Great Girl was looking for a book of hers this evening, and when I found it in the front seat and brought it in to her, she asked where it had been. And I managed to say offhandedly, "It was in the van, right where you left it, under a fat Trollope."

 

Ho, ho.

[Kareni]

I just finished Coveted by Shawntelle Madison. I have to say that the author is original as this is the first werewolf novel I've read in which the werewolf has OCD and hoarding tendencies and attends a support group. I enjoyed it sufficiently that I'll probably read the sequel Kept which I also have from the library.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Negin]

My reading has been terribly slow.

 

Death in Holy Orders - 2 Stars

 

Spiritual Survival - 5 Stars (a Baha'i book)

 

 

 

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.

[Mom-ninja.]

I started Lies My Teacher Told Me. I'm not sure I'll finish it. The things I've read in the book so far fall not two categories, either I already knew or I knew nothing about either way (I.e. I didn't know the lie or the truth, just a complete gap of knowledge). I'm on the fence and have already renewed it once from the library.

 

 

I read that a few months ago. I consider it a must read. If something falls into the category of "gap of knowledge" then why are you feeling it's not worth your time to read and fill in that gap? As for the lies....well, I can tell you that I was never told the whole story of Helen Keller, Wilson, and Columbus. What I was told was slanted and not true. So I appreciate the book. The part of the book that I find myself in disagreement with the author is his take on education and political leaning. It all depends on the education IMO. :)

[Paisley Hedgehog]

.

[thessa516]

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

4. Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures of the World's Most Wanted Hacker by Kevin Mitncick

5. Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson

6. The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress

 

I had to return Deconstructing Penguins to the library. I was thisclose to finishing it, too. And I'm also thisclose to finishing Keeping the Feast. Thanks for the recommendation. Heartbreaking so far. I'm just waiting for my books on hold to come in at the library. I never get a book here and there. I get a dozen all at one time. Ahhh, first world problems. :)

[trinchick]

Finished:

Heartburn by Nora Ephron - How is it that I've never read anything by her before? So funny, witty, sarcastic. Just my style. I'll be enjoying more of her books in the future for sure. Read this for the food challenge; the narrator/protagonist is a cookbook author, and there are many recipes scattered throughout the book. A really fun book.

 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - Wow! Loved it! This is a YA novel, recommended by our town librarian. It's the story of two teen-aged cancer patients on a quest to meet the author of their favorite novel to find out how the story is resolved. The book raises so many questions on mortality, leaving a mark on the world, and the nature of love. I think the author did a great job of treating childhood cancer with dignity, not pushing the obvious buttons to evoke pity or tears.

 

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Audio) - After grousing about this one on here for a couple of weeks, I have to retract all my complaints. The great, hair-raising ending made up for the very slow start.

 

In Progress:

Like a PP I have Why We Get Fat in my pile, and I'm still working on UnWholly by Neal Shusterman.

 

Finished this Year:

20. Heartburn by Nora Ephron (Food book challenge)

19. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

18. A Tale of Two Cities (Audio; Dickens challenge)

17. Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick

16. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

15. Money Secrets of the Amish by Lorilee Craker

14. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

13. Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Alison Arngrim

12. The Old Man and the Sea (Audio)

11. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Audio)

10. Forgotten Bookmarks by Michael Popek

9. An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff

8. Breaking Night by Liz Murray

7. The Four Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright (Read aloud)

6. The Autobiography of an Execution by David Dow

5. A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews (Canada)

4. The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren (Read aloud)

3. The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright (Read aloud)

2. Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill (Canada)

1. A Walk Across the Sun by Corban Addison

[mlbuchina]

Oops. I forgot to add that we are listening to Little Women in the car. I never read it as a kid, and I am so glad that I am enjoying it now. Makes me wish I had read it when I was young. What a treasure of a book.

[Trillian]

 

 

I read that a few months ago. I consider it a must read. If something falls into the category of "gap of knowledge" then why are you feeling it's not worth your time to read and fill in that gap? As for the lies....well, I can tell you that I was never told the whole story of Helen Keller, Wilson, and Columbus. What I was told was slanted and not true. So I appreciate the book. The part of the book that I find myself in disagreement with the author is his take on education and political leaning. It all depends on the education IMO. :)

 

I guess my problem is I feel it's not well written; there's too much returning to his point about the textbooks and too little focus on the history. I feel like my time would be better spent finding some modern trade books on history and reading those. Because I already knew, for example, I knew nothing about Wilson (except he's on a dime *blush*), but I could read more fully about that than a few paragraphs. I did already know about Colombus, so it felt like a waste of time to read.

 

I haven't decided, but am obviously leaning towards abandonment. Either way, I'm glad I read it (the portions I did) because it made me think about history resources.

[Diann]

I finished John Jakes North and South trilogy and have started reading Canada by Richard Ford.

 

Diann

[Hoot]

This week I finished, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. It was an amazing story. I absolutely loved it. Next up, The Year of Learning Dangerously by Quinn Cummings.

 

Completed So Far

 

1. Best Friends by Samantha Glen

2. Wesley the Owl by Stacey O'Brien

3. The Gift of Pets: Stories Only a Vet Could Tell by Bruce Coston

4. Nim Chimpsky: The Chimp Who Would Be Human by Elizabeth Hess

5. Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams & Mark Carwardine

6. Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Alison Arngrim

7. Beowulf by Seamus Heaney

8. The Odyssey by Homer (Fagles translation)

9. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

[Stacia]

I guess my problem is I feel it's not well written; there's too much returning to his point about the textbooks and too little focus on the history.

 

This is much of the reason I didn't care for that book [Lies My Teacher Told Me] either. What could have been interesting & illuminating (the history portion) was buried because of his pedantic & repetitive style (his ongoing rants about textbooks). I would rather read a separate book for every history topic he mentioned than read his one book on the subject. I think what he was saying was good; how he was saying it was not good.

[Storm Bay]

I'm not going to add any more books to my to be read pile, I'm not. I am still fighting with myself over whether or not to add Tom Jones to my pile or not. I think I read it in high school as I seem to remember what it looks like inside as well as out (at least one copy), but I can't remember it at all. Perhaps I could put it on hold & then suspend the hold until May or something like that. I did add one other title here to my sticky list on my computer. Why didn't I ever use these before my computer had to be partitioned & Windows reloaded? It's going to help keep our computer table cleared off, although it's getting harder to see the background picture now.

 

Does anyone here read and like Michael Chabon's books?

 

Week one: The Father's Tale, Michael O'Brien

Week two: 30 Days to Social Media by Gail Z Martin (professional development)

Week three: Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese

Week four: The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

Week five: Collaboration Handbook, by Winer & Ray (reading it for professional develpment ).

Week six: Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts

Week seven: the Forgotten Garden, Kate Morton

 

Week eight: Is there Anybody out there? By Mez McConnell

 

Hi, Rose. Have you ever read The Goat Lady's Daughter by Rosella M. Leslie?

[VeganCupcake]

I finished About Alice by Calvin Trillin (only 96 pages, so it doesn't count to my total!) and thought it was lovely. I also finished Dear Life, Alice Munro's newest short story collection. It was good reading.

 

I'm listening to Unbroken on audio right now.

 

Jane in NC, I was probably one of those English majors in your novel class. :) I don't especially swoon for Austen, but I do like Dickens. And Tom Jones is kind of a slog for me. I'm back into reading it, but I keep finding other books that distract me from it! But I will finish, I will finish.

[Jane in NC]

Does anyone here read and like Michael Chabon's books?

 

 

I read and very much liked The Yiddish Policeman's Union. It is a clever book, an alternative reality that places the post-WWII Jewish diaspora in Alaska.

 

After reading this book, I turned to my husband (who has very different reading tastes than mine) and said "You will like this." Now only did he like it, he has become quite captivated by many of Chabon's books. I bought him the latest (Telegraph Avenue) for Christmas but I don't think he has read it yet.

[Jane in NC]

I finished About Alice by Calvin Trillin (only 96 pages, so it doesn't count to my total!) and thought it was lovely. I also finished Dear Life, Alice Munro's newest short story collection. It was good reading.

 

I'm listening to Unbroken on audio right now.

 

Jane in NC, I was probably one of those English majors in your novel class. :) I don't especially swoon for Austen, but I do like Dickens. And Tom Jones is kind of a slog for me. I'm back into reading it, but I keep finding other books that distract me from it! But I will finish, I will finish.

 

 

Oh I do like Calvin Trillin! And I'll keep your Munro recommendation in mind since I did like The View from Castle Rock on the second go around.

 

Despite my love of Tom Jones, it was a bit of a slog for me at times because I found myself in a rare mood for non-fiction. Usually I take my non-fiction in smaller doses, preferably as magazine articles. (There is one next to me right now: "Yes, the Chinese Army is Spying on You" in Bloomberg Businessweek.) Of the six books that I have completed thus far, only two have been novels. Three non-fiction, the aforementioned short stories. Strange times for this reader...

[Trillian]

Does anyone here read and like Michael Chabon's books?

 

 

 

I read and very much liked The Yiddish Policeman's Union. It is a clever book, an alternative reality that places the post-WWII Jewish diaspora in Alaska.

 

 

 

I've also read The Yiddish Policeman's Union and liked it. The other one I read was The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. I liked that one better, probably because it took me a while to figure out what was going on in The Yiddish Policeman's Union. I have Summerland on my to read list, which I think is a young adult/kids book?