Book a Week in 2013 - week eight

[Kim in Appalachia]

I finished Snow Crash, by Stephenson, this week. Good book. It was an intellectual type novel with lots of action. He is an excellent writer and I will read more of him soon.

 

Next up is After Dark, by Murakami. He is such a strange writer, but I liked 1Q84 a lot so I'm willing to give it a try.

[Paisley Hedgehog]

. 

 

[PaulainTx]

Finished Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman, (27) The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg, (28) Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, (29) The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, (30) and Below Stairs by Margaret Powell (31).

 

Paula

[TN Mama]

Just finished book #11, Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien. Yet another recommendation from these boards. Stayed up late (again) to finish. I enjoyed the story line & characters and will likely read the rest of the series.

 

I have about 6 books to choose from next, and can't decide which one I'll pick up. Never fails, all my library holds come in at once.

[luvnlattes]

Never fails, all my library holds come in at once.

 

Isn't that the truth?!!! ;)

[Angel]

 

 

I'm taking a break from Kitty Norville and before I read #10 Kitty steals the show, going to dive into The Dragon Reborn

 

Taking a break from my decluttering/organizing to pop in and see what everyone is up to. I've got 8 bags/boxes waiting to go to charity and 4 or 5 boxes of old homeschool books dd has outgrown to go to co-op Monday for mom's with younger kids. I've lost count of all the bags of garbage! I now have all my school books in the middle of the floor waiting to go on the shelves. I hope they all fit the way I envision them!!

 

I passed page 300 last night in The Dragon Reborn. I'm not sure what to rate this one because I can't tell if it is just slower or I'm just so distracted at the moment. :glare: I know that I love book 4 and/or 5 (hmm, can't remember but I know it's one of them :laugh:). I can't wait to hear your thoughts, Robin. You've never read the series before, correct?

 

Amy, have you started The Great Hunt?

 

Well, back to work for now!!

[aggieamy]

 

Taking a break from my decluttering/organizing to pop in and see what everyone is up to. I've got 8 bags/boxes waiting to go to charity and 4 or 5 boxes of old homeschool books dd has outgrown to go to co-op Monday for mom's with younger kids. I've lost count of all the bags of garbage! I now have all my school books in the middle of the floor waiting to go on the shelves. I hope they all fit the way I envision them!!

 

I passed page 300 last night in The Dragon Reborn. I'm not sure what to rate this one because I can't tell if it is just slower or I'm just so distracted at the moment. :glare: I know that I love book 4 and/or 5 (hmm, can't remember but I know it's one of them :laugh:). I can't wait to hear your thoughts, Robin. You've never read the series before, correct?

 

Amy, have you started The Great Hunt?

 

Well, back to work for now!!

 

Good work on the decluttering. I'm snowed in today so I'm doing a bit of work and a bit of decluttering. I've been giving the evil eye to my bookcases and I think they might be next on the decluttering list.

 

I haven't started Great Hunt yet. I've *ahem* gotten a bit behind on my library books and a few things for book club. I love my book clubs but it seems I've got four books to read for them by the end of the month. Eek. It sounds like a lot but one of them is actually a book club I'm in with DD so that is a children's book and shouldn't take more than an hour or two if I just get started.

 

It's funny I actually had a friend recommend this series to me the other day and I was able to tell them I was already hooked. :)

[Giraffe]

Something must be in the water because I'm decluttering too! My living room has been overhauled, bookcase and all. The book all survived, but many were relegated to the back row (yes, we stack 'em two deep here). I'm deep in the bedroom now and those books are shaking. If I can just keep the momentum going into DH's room, which we call the "depo"!

[Storm Bay]

I have about 6 books to choose from next, and can't decide which one I'll pick up. Never fails, all my library holds come in at once.

 

Our library system now has a "suspend holds" feature. This way I can stagger when I get my holds to some degree. I forgot to do that with some audio books, however, and at least 4 arrived at the same time (I still have to pick them up.)

[Robin M]

 

Taking a break from my decluttering/organizing to pop in and see what everyone is up to. I've got 8 bags/boxes waiting to go to charity and 4 or 5 boxes of old homeschool books dd has outgrown to go to co-op Monday for mom's with younger kids. I've lost count of all the bags of garbage! I now have all my school books in the middle of the floor waiting to go on the shelves. I hope they all fit the way I envision them!!

 

I passed page 300 last night in The Dragon Reborn. I'm not sure what to rate this one because I can't tell if it is just slower or I'm just so distracted at the moment. :glare: I know that I love book 4 and/or 5 (hmm, can't remember but I know it's one of them :laugh:). I can't wait to hear your thoughts, Robin. You've never read the series before, correct?

 

Amy, have you started The Great Hunt?

 

Well, back to work for now!!

Correct - this is my first time through. Congrats on the decluttering. I've been tackling my son's room a little bit at a time since we are going to paint and change out the carpet and morph it into a teenagers room.

[-M-]

 

So. Can you guess what we just finished reading?

 

 

 

Completed:

 

â–  The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger; 1951. 288 pages. Fiction.)

â–  Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes; 1966. 324 pages. Fiction.)

â–  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (Jamie Ford; 2009. 301 pages. Fiction.)

â–  Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (Dai Sijie; 2002. 104 pages. Fiction.)

â–  Saga, Vol. 1 (Brian K. Vaughan; 2012. 160 pages. Graphic fiction.)

■ La Bohème: Black Dog Opera Library (2005. 144 pages. Libretto, history, and commentary.)

â–  The 13 Clocks (James Thurber (1950); 2008. 136 pages. Fiction.)

â–  Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness (Susannah Cahalan; 2012. 288 pages. Non-fiction.)

â–  Julius Caesar (William Shakespeare (1599); Folger ed. 2003. 288 pages. Drama.)

â–  Don't Turn Around (Michelle Gagnon; 2012. 320 pages. Fiction.)

â–  Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors (Ann Rule; 2012. 544 pages. Non-fiction.)

â–  Daddy Love (Joyce Carol Oates; 2013. 240 pages. Fiction.)

â–  Life after Death (Damien Echols; 2012. 416 pages. Non-fiction.)

 

Because these numbers are far lower than is my wont, I feel compelled to explain myself. (*wry grin*) Since posting a month ago:

 

■ We've been to La Bohème at the Lyric Opera. Reviews here and here. Of the five operas we've seen at the Lyric, this ranks third, behind Elektra and Carmen.

 

â–  We've also been to see Julius Caesar at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Reviews here and here. Excellent, excellent, excellent.

 

â–  We've been to four swim meets, including last-chance time trials and a sanctioned conference meet. And guess what? Miss M-mv(i) made a regional-qualifying time and is headed to the upcoming regional championship meets. You'd think that so many meets would have provided more not less time to read, but you'd be wrong.

 

â–  And I've been sick. It was a just a lousy, lingering head cold / virus, but still. It knocked. me. OUT. When I was younger, I had a romantic vision of illness providing the ultimate excuse for unfettered reading. I was wrong. I had enough energy to shepherd the Misses through their lessons... and that was pretty much it.

[Hoot]

Today I finished The Year of Learning Dangerously. Hilarious. Absolutely Hilarious!

 

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

10. The Year of Learning Dangerously: Adventures in Homeschooling by Quinn Cummings

[LMD]

I finished 'John Dies at the End' last night. Very interesting, horror/comedy. Very funny, quite insane!

[aggieamy]

 

So. Can you guess what we just finished reading?

 

 

 

The hats look Minnesota circa late 1900's. Am I on the right track?

 

It's a good picture too. It took me a second to realize you were in it and I only did then because I thought ... wait, she only has two daughters.

[Mom-ninja.]

I heard this book review on NPR and thought it would fit into the food theme Robin proposed. It's called The Dinner and it has an interesting review. I don't think I'll read it but maybe some of you would be interested.

[Lady Florida.]

I forced myself to finish Elsie - Adventures of an Arizona Schoolteacher 1913-1916. I kept reading it because I was hoping it would eventually all come together in an interesting way. It didn't. While it had some interesting parts it was pretty boring overall. Mostly it was a young woman's diary and was full of "I washed my hair then Mary & I sewed." I'm sure it was very interesting to her grand-daughter, the author. When dh's grandmother died in 1995 at age 97, we found her diary from when she was an older teen. While we as family found it fascinating, I think it would be boring to anyone who didn't know her.

[aggieamy]

I’m desperately trying to finish some books I have to read for my book club and a few that are coming due at the library. Whew. Rough work. J

 

Asleep by Banana Yoshimoto – Three short stories of women dealing with death in Japan. I love this author. Her writing is beautiful and sad and captivating all at once.

 

Five Children and It by E. Nesbit – This was for my Ladies Book Club and it was okay. It was written for children and not a novel that had much appeal to me as an adult.

 

In Progress:

 

The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren (read aloud)

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien (audiobook)

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (Ladies book club)

Down the Mysterly River by Bill Willingham (Book club)

 

2013 finished books:

 

19. Five Children and It by E. Nesbit (***)

18. Asleep by Banana Yoshimoto (****)

17. The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman (****)

16. Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern (***)

15. Getting Things Done by David Allen (****)

14. The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit (****)

13. Clouds of Witness by Dorothy Sayers (****)

12. The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (****)

11. Toliver’s Secret by Esther Wood Brady (***)

10. Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin (**)

9. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (*****)

8. Cotillion by Georgette Heyer (*****)

7. The Little Sister by Raymond Chandler (**)

6. Justin Morgan Had a Horse by Marguerite Henry (****)

5. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome (***)

4. The Unwritten by Mike Carey (****)

3. The Postmortal by Drew Magary (**)

2. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (*****)

1. 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

[Just Robyn]

I heard this book review on NPR and thought it would fit into the food theme Robin proposed. It's called The Dinner and it has an interesting review. I don't think I'll read it but maybe some of you would be interested.

 

 

Thank you for mentioning this. I love food in novels. I loved the blood sausage in The Stranger, and the food was possibly my favorite aspect of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire.

[Storm Bay]

Disclaimer--these are books are controversial and on topics I think may be banned for discussion on the forums (if not, I avoid those like the plague), so I'm keeping this short and not saying if I'm on either of these sides and it's possible that I don't agree totally with either. However, I like to read controversial books at times including on more than one side of an argument. If you'd like to discuss these with me, feel free to PM me and I will engage in any polite & respectful conversation you'd like to on this.

 

I've finished The Dawkins Delusion? Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine which I give a 2.5 star rating. While there is more empirical evidence and a somewhat more balanced presentation to support some of the McGraths' claims than there was in Dawkins' book, it's not significantly better than The God Delusion.

 

 

2013 books so far (a means audio)

 

1. Reversing Religious Repression (Inspirational & 5/5/5 ****)

2. Wishing You Were Here Catherine Chant (5/5/5 ****)

3. Wish You Were Eyre (Mother-Daughter Book Club) (5/5/5 ***)

4. Anne of Green Gables (Canada and 5/5/5 ****)

5. Irregular Portuguese Verbs (**)

6. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (Africa, Continental Challenge ***) a

7. Neddiad Daniel Pinkwater (*) a

8. Pride and Prejudice (*****)

9. At First Sight Nicholas Sparks (**)

10. The Dawkins Delusion? (Dewey Decimal challenge) a (**1/2 )

11. The Diamond of Darkhold (5/5/5) a (***)

[Stacia]

Bibliophile friends, you may want to check Google today. It is in homage to Edward Gorey's 88th birthday.

 

In honor of it, ds & I pulled out my old copy of T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, illustrated by Edward Gorey, and read it this morning.

[Trillian]

I finished the second Thursday Next book, Lost in a Good Book; I'm loving this series. I'm putting the third one on hold right away at the library. I've also gotten the audio of Lost, for my book club and put Swamplandia on hold, also for my book club. And I bought Boys Adrift on my kindle. For a while, I was feeling in a reading rut, but I'm perking up :001_smile:

[PollyOR]

I finished the second Thursday Next book, Lost in a Good Book; I'm loving this series. I'm putting the third one on hold right away at the library.

 

I'm enjoying this series too. Just started Something Rotten. :thumbup1:

[Robin M]

Which is why I can't resist buying 'that' book even though my stacks are about to topple over. Which is why when my son asked me to get him a book off amazon I had to get for me Brother Odd by Dean Koontz and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark. The buying ban is official over, busted, kaput, no more. Especially since J.D. Robb's newest in death novel Calculated in Death will be out next week and Patricia Briggs newest Mercy Thompson #7 Frost Burned will be released March 5. Hi I'm Robin and I'm an a book addict.

[melmichigan]

 

Which is why I can't resist buying 'that' book even though my stacks are about to topple over. Which is why when my son asked me to get him a book off amazon I had to get for me Brother Odd by Dean Koontz and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark. The buying ban is official over, busted, kaput, no more. Especially since J.D. Robb's newest in death novel Calculated in Death will be out next week and Patricia Briggs newest Mercy Thompson #7 Frost Burned will be released March 5. Hi I'm Robin and I'm an a book addict.

 

 

Thanks for the reminder. ;)

 

The new Midnight Breed Novel will be out too.

[Kareni]

Can anyone share my frustration at finding the last page of my library book missing? It was torn out. Drats!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[PollyOR]

Can anyone share my frustration at finding the last page of my library book missing? It was torn out. Drats!

 

Grrr.... :glare:

[mlbuchina]

Can anyone share my frustration at finding the last page of my library book missing? It was torn out. Drats!

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

 

:svengo: Shame on whoever did that! :thumbdown:

[Mom-ninja.]

I'm sure you're going to tell the library. I can't believe someone did that.

[aggieamy]

Can anyone share my frustration at finding the last page of my library book missing? It was torn out. Drats!

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

If that was done on purpose then I think Dante has a special place for them.

[Kareni]

I'm sure you're going to tell the library. I can't believe someone did that.

 

Yes, I am. I already have a post it note affixed to the book to remind me to let them know. (Post it notes are my friends as I have a memory like a sieve.)

 

Thanks all for the sympathy. Missing the last page is like someone else eating the last cookie just as you're reaching for it.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Stacia]

Thanks all for the sympathy. Missing the last page is like someone else eating the last cookie just as you're reaching for it.

 

That's definitely no fun.

 

Do they have another copy in the system so you can at least read the last page?

[Kareni]

Do they have another copy in the system so you can at least read the last page?

 

 

Sadly, no. But I'll be looking for the book the next time I go to Barnes and Noble to get the closure I'm looking for!

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

Sadly, no. But I'll be looking for the book the next time I go to Barnes and Noble to get the closure I'm looking for!

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

What book is it? One of us is sure to have it and can post the last page for you.

[Kareni]

What book is it? One of us is sure to have it and can post the last page for you.

 

 

It's Hell on Wheels: Black Knights Inc. by Julie Ann Walker, a romantic suspense novel.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

It's Hell on Wheels: Black Knights Inc. by Julie Ann Walker, a romantic suspense novel.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

ah, I have that one on ebook. Would you like me to email you what the last two pages say? If so, I can do that tomorrow.

[Guest]

I finished The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley; really enjoyed it.

 

New books that I started this week:

The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers

[Lady Florida.]

Never fails, all my library holds come in at once.

 

Yep. That happens to me often. I have to drop whatever I was reading or planned to read and move the library books to the top of my list.

[melmichigan]

 

What book is it? One of us is sure to have it and can post the last page for you.

ah, I have that one on ebook. Would you like me to email you what the last two pages say? If so, I can do that tomorrow.

 

Ok ladies, a review please. Should I add this to my kindle list?

[MtnMama]

This week I finished #8: The Serpent's Shadow and #9: D'Aulaire's Norse Myths. Couldn't wait for #8 to end. Wish #9 was twice as long.

 

So far this year:

1. Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey

2. The Great Gatsby

3. The Night Circus

4. A Study in Scarlet

5. The Red Pyramid

6. The Throne of Fire

7. The Perks of Being A Wallflower

8. The Serpent's Shadow

9. D'Aulaire's Norse Myths

 

In progress:

1. A Storm of Swords

2. History of the Ancient World

3. Sense and Sensibility

4. Outlander (audiobook)

5. Beautiful Creatures

[Storm Bay]

 

Hi I'm Robin and I'm an a book addict.

 

I can relate to this, but some people, such as dh, are happy reading certain books over & over again, so while he does like to get a few new books, he doesn't understand why, even though most of the books dc & I read are from the library, our book collection keeps growing even after selling some homeschool books.

Can anyone share my frustration at finding the last page of my library book missing? It was torn out. Drats!

 

Regards,

Kareni

Yes, I am. I already have a post it note affixed to the book to remind me to let them know. (Post it notes are my friends as I have a memory like a sieve.)

 

Thanks all for the sympathy. Missing the last page is like someone else eating the last cookie just as you're reaching for it.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

IMO, missing the last page is worse :). Hooray for Robin, there to save the day!

[Laura Corin]

Just finished Jack Maggs, by Peter Carey - wonderful re-imagining of Great Expectations from the point of view of the convict. This year so far:

 

1: Mr Briggs' Hat

2: Busman's Honeymoon (re-read) - Dorothy Sayers

3: Notwithstanding (re-read for book group) - Louis de Bernieres

4: Bad Pharma - Ben Goldacre

5: The Pages - Murray Bail

6: Great Tales From English History.

7: Unnatural Causes - PD James (re-read)

8: Behind the Scenes at the Museum - Kate Atkinson (re-read)

9: Jack Maggs - Peter Carey

10:Why - Everyday Answers to Scientific Questions - Joel Levy

 

I'm working on Evelina by Frances Burney and re-reading Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

 

Laura

[Kareni]

ah, I have that one on ebook. Would you like me to email you what the last two pages say? If so, I can do that tomorrow.

 

I would love that, Robin. I'll send you my email address in a personal message.

 

Thanks so much!

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

 

So. Can you guess what we just finished reading?

 

 

 

Completed:

 

â–  The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger; 1951. 288 pages. Fiction.)

â–  Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes; 1966. 324 pages. Fiction.)

â–  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (Jamie Ford; 2009. 301 pages. Fiction.)

â–  Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (Dai Sijie; 2002. 104 pages. Fiction.)

â–  Saga, Vol. 1 (Brian K. Vaughan; 2012. 160 pages. Graphic fiction.)

■ La Bohème: Black Dog Opera Library (2005. 144 pages. Libretto, history, and commentary.)

â–  The 13 Clocks (James Thurber (1950); 2008. 136 pages. Fiction.)

â–  Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness (Susannah Cahalan; 2012. 288 pages. Non-fiction.)

â–  Julius Caesar (William Shakespeare (1599); Folger ed. 2003. 288 pages. Drama.)

â–  Don't Turn Around (Michelle Gagnon; 2012. 320 pages. Fiction.)

â–  Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors (Ann Rule; 2012. 544 pages. Non-fiction.)

â–  Daddy Love (Joyce Carol Oates; 2013. 240 pages. Fiction.)

â–  Life after Death (Damien Echols; 2012. 416 pages. Non-fiction.)

 

Because these numbers are far lower than is my wont, I feel compelled to explain myself. (*wry grin*) Since posting a month ago:

 

■ We've been to La Bohème at the Lyric Opera. Reviews here and here. Of the five operas we've seen at the Lyric, this ranks third, behind Elektra and Carmen.

 

â–  We've also been to see Julius Caesar at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Reviews here and here. Excellent, excellent, excellent.

 

â–  We've been to four swim meets, including last-chance time trials and a sanctioned conference meet. And guess what? Miss M-mv(i) made a regional-qualifying time and is headed to the upcoming regional championship meets. You'd think that so many meets would have provided more not less time to read, but you'd be wrong.

 

â–  And I've been sick. It was a just a lousy, lingering head cold / virus, but still. It knocked. me. OUT. When I was younger, I had a romantic vision of illness providing the ultimate excuse for unfettered reading. I was wrong. I had enough energy to shepherd the Misses through their lessons... and that was pretty much it.

 

 

Hope you are feeling a whole lot better. After reading your comments here and in the the Catcher in the Rye thread now I am intrigued. I have never read it. Will add it to the list for this year.

[Robin M]

I would love that, Robin. I'll send you my email address in a personal message.

 

Thanks so much!

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

Done. You were just missing the last two sentences. Which really sucks because the beginning sentence and the end sentence of stories are supposed to be the most important.

[Robin M]

<p>

Ok ladies, a review please. Should I add this to my kindle list?

 

 

Yes, definitely.Julie Ann Walker wrote The Black Knights series and # 4 will be coming out in April. The Black Knights are a black ops team for the U.S. Government and operate out of what looks like a motorcycle design and repair shop, but that's just their cover. %5Bu%5DHell on Wheels%5B/u%5D introduces Nate "Ghost" Morgan and Ali wheeler; In Rides Trouble # 2 covers Frank Knight and Becky "Rebel" Reichert, and Rev It Up #3 follows Jake "the snake" Sommers and Michele Carter.

 

Check out Walker's website - she has some drawings of the characters that are excellent.

[Robin M]

the edit button hates me today.

[Jane in NC]

Hope you are feeling a whole lot better. After reading your comments here and in the the Catcher in the Rye thread now I am intrigued. I have never read it. Will add it to the list for this year.

 

I avoided posting in the Catcher thread but I will note here that I loved Catcher in the Rye as a young adolescent but I liked Franny and Zooey even more.

[LostSurprise]

I still haven't read the last 4 pages of Bridge Over the River Kwai because someone tore them out of my high school's copy.

 

I just pretended that everyone died, but I was incredibly disturbed that someone could even do that. The British guy had just noticed that the bridge was rigged to blow up for goodness sake! Small cruelties.

[Maus]

Completed:

Book #31 - "The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.) The last of the Isabel Dalhousie series. I've enjoyed them.

 

Book #30 - "The Forgotten Affairs of Youth" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)

Book #29 - "The Charming Quirks of Others" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)

Book #28 - "I am Half-Sice of Shadows" by Alan Bradley. (Canadian author, English setting.)

Book #27 - ""Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs" by Ken Jennings.

Book #26 - "Because I Said So!: The Truth Behind the Myths, Tales & Warnings Every Generation Passes Down to Its Kids" by Ken Jennings.

Book #25 - "A Red Herring Without Mustard" by Alan Bradley. (Canadian author, English setting.)

Book #24 - "The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing" by Tarquin Hall. (British author, Indian setting.)

Book #23 - "The Lost Art of Gratitude" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)

Book #22 - "The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag" by Alan Bradley. (Canadian author, English setting.)

Book #21 - "Academic Homeschooling: How to Give Your Child an Amazing Education and Survive" by Tracy Chatters.

Book #20 - "The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)

Book #19 - "The Return of the Native" by Thomas Hardy. (WEM.)

Book #18 - "The Careful Use of Compliments" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)

Book #17 - "The Right Attitude to Rain" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)

Book #16 - "Inspector Singh Investigates: A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder" by Shamini Flint. (Singaporean author, Malaysian setting.)

Book #15 - "Friends, Lovers, Chocolate" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)

Book #14 - "Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" by Alan Bradley. (Canadian author, English setting.)

Book #13 - "Portuguese Irregular Verbs" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/]Scottish author, German character, German/Swiss/Italian/Ireland/Indian settings.)

Book #12 - "In Cold Pursuit" by Sarah Andrews. (Antarctica setting.)

Book #11 - "Anna Karenina" by Leo Nikoleyevich Tolstoy. (Russian; or WEM challenge.)

Book #10 - "The Sunday Philosophy Club" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, Scottish setting.)

Book #9 - "The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection" by Alexander McCall Smith. (]Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)

Book #8 - "The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)

Book #7 - "The Double Comfort Safari Club" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)

Book #6 - " Tea Time for the Traditionally Built" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)

Book #5 - "Crime and Punishment" by Fydor Dostoevsky. (Russian; or WEM challenge.)

Book #4 - "The Miracle of Speedy Motors" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)

Book #3 - "The Good Husband of Zebra Drive" by Alexander McCall Smith. (]Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)

Book #2 - "Blue Shoes and Happiness" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)

Book #1 - "In the Company of Cheerful Ladies" by Alexander McCall Smith. (Zimbabwe born/Scottish author, African setting)

[Kareni]

I still haven't read the last 4 pages of Bridge Over the River Kwai because someone tore them out of my high school's copy.

 

I just pretended that everyone died, but I was incredibly disturbed that someone could even do that. The British guy had just noticed that the bridge was rigged to blow up for goodness sake! Small cruelties.

 

 

Oh, no! There's always the movie, but I can't speak to whether its content matches that of the book.

 

Thanks to Robin, I've now read the last two sentences of Hell on Wheels.

 

And Melissa (melmichigan), the book wasn't perfect, but it was a fun read. I'd already read one other book in the series, and I'd certainly read more.

 

"Black Knights Inc.—Behind the facade of their tricked–out motorcycle shop is an elite special ops team assigned the jobs too hot for anyone else to handle.

 

Hold On Tight...

 

 

 

Ex–Marine Nate "Ghost" Weller is an expert at keeping his cool—and his distance—which makes him one hell of a sniper. It's also how he keeps his feelings for Ali Morgan in check. Sweet, sexy Ali has always revved his engine, but she's his best friend's baby sister...and totally off limits.

 

Rough Road Ahead

Ali's never seen anything sexier than Nate Weller straddling his custom Harley—or the flash of danger in his eyes when she tells him she's in trouble. First something happened to her brother, and now she's become the target of a nasty international organization. With Nate, her life is in the most capable hands possible—but her heart is another story altogether."

 

Regards,

Kareni