Book a Week in 2013 - week nine

[Robin M]

Good morning, dear hearts! Today is the start of week 9 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 - Book News: 6 of the 9 movies nominated for the Oscars best picture are based on the written word. The movie Argo is based on on a article from Wired magazine and Juicy and Delicious was inspired by a one act play by Lucy Alibar. So be sure to check out the Oscars tonight and then read the books.

 

 

In other bookish news CSPAN's The First Ladies of the United States has been published to go along with their television series: First Ladies: Influence and Image about the lives of the first ladies which will run for two seasons and begins weekly on Monday, February 25th.

 

Check out NPR's Great Reads about the Silver Screen about past books which became movies

 

Publisher Weekly's Best New Books for the Week of February 25

 

 

Last call for those who want to participate in the 52 books Amazon Wishlist. Please pm with link to your wishlist and name. Will be sharing with 52 bookers for the purposes of birthdays and just because gifts.

 

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

 

Link to week 8

[Robin M]

I dove into The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan this weekend and am currently halfway through the story. Thoroughly enjoying it.

[Susan in TN]

Two books have just come available for my Kindle library loan - Life of Pi by Yann Martel and The Known World by Edward Jones. I think I'll give The Known World a shot since I've just finished another Civil War novel and try Life of Pi after that.

 

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

9. The Catnappers - P.G. Wodehouse

10. Widow of the South – Robert Hicks - This was OK. The first book was interesting in showing the different perspectives of various people in the Battle of Franklin. The second and third books were weirdly drawn out and the characterizations of the main characters seemed a little disjointed. I skimmed through most of the last 2/3rds of the book.

[Just Robyn]

I finished reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and The Gold-Bug and Other Tales by Edgar Allan Poe. I don't think I've read Poe since middle school, and this collection of short stories didn't make me regret that. I did enjoy The Pit and the Pendulum, and I intend to read a book of his poetry soon.

 

I also read Poetics by Aristotle. Aside from a couple of statements about the inferiority of women, this was a great read. I would recommend this to writers, especially anyone wanting to write tragedy. He talks about the basic components of tragedy, drama and comedy (but there is a focus on tragedy), what works, what doesn't and why. And while he's referring to plays and epic poems, the information could be used for novels and short stories.

 

Completed so far:

 

*dusty book

 

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

16. Poetics Aristotle

15. Frankenstein Mary Shelley

14. Etiquette and Espionage Gail Carriger

13. Principia Discordia Malaclypse the Younger*

12. The Power of Half Kevin and Hannah Salwen

11. The Story of the Stone Barry Hughart*

10. The Reading Promise Alice Ozma

9. Factotum Charles Bukowski*

8. Dracula Bram Stoker*

7. Nine Princes in Amber Roger Zelazny

6. The Left Hand of Darkness Ursula K. Le Guin

5. Jennifer Government Max Barry

4. Apocrypha Catherynne M. Valente*

3. Funniest Verses of Ogden Nash*

2. The Handmaid’s Tale Margaret Atwood

1. Good Omens Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

[Jane in NC]

I finished my 8th book of the year, the 3rd chunkster: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. This Man Booker prize winner (2009) was followed by a sequel, Bring Up the Bodies, which won the 2012 Man Booker. These two volumes along with a third in the making form a trilogy focused on the rise of Thomas Cromwell.

 

Wolf Hall seems to be a book that people love or one that is discarded part way through. I had no desire to do the latter but did not initially see myself in the former group. I found Mantel's writing style to be confusing--at least until I got into the flow of the book. There is the ubiquitous "he" throughout--which usually means Thomas Cromwell. But with a cast of characters that encompasses an almost uncountable number of Thomases, Edwards, Henrys and Janes, there will be natural confusion until the reader sorts out which characters belong in which of the physical locations.

 

The theme of the book can be summarized in a single paragraph appearing toward the end of the novel:

The fate of peoples is made like this, two men in small rooms. Forget the coronations, the conclaves of cardinals, the pomp and processions. This is how the world changes: a counter pushed across a table, a pen stroke that alters the force of a phrase, a woman's sigh as she passes and leaves on the air a trail of orange flower or rose water; her hand pulling close the bed curtain, the discreet sigh of flesh against flesh. The king--lord of generalities--must now learn to labor over detail, led on by intelligent greed. As his prudent father's son, he knows all the families of England and what they have. He has registered their holdings in his head, down to the last watercourse and copse. Now the church's assets are to come under his control, he needs to know their worth. The law of who owns what--the law generally--has accreted a parasitic complexity: it is like a barnacled hull, a roof slimy with moss. But there are lawyers enough, and how much ability does it require, to scrape away as you are directed? Englishmen may be superstitious, they may be afraid of the future, they may not know what England is; but the skills of adding and subtraction are not scarce. Westminster has a thousand scratching pens, but Henry will need, he thinks, new men, new structures, new thinking. Meanwhile he, Cromwell, puts his commissioners on the road. Valor ecclesiasticus. I will do it in six months, he says. Such an exercise has never been attempted beforre, it is true, but he has already done much that no one else has even dreamed of.

 

So either this intrigues the reader or leaves him cold as he is lost in the cloud of clauses that is Mantel's writing style.

 

This week, I plan to start two books. On the recommendation of Violet Crown, I borrowed A High Wind in Jamaica (Richard Hughes) from the library. I also have another non-fiction book at hand, the Pulitzer prize winner The Swerve: How the World Became Modern. Fellow reader Alice wrote about this book last year--has anyone else read it? It is the tale of how the formerly lost writing of Lucretius (On the Nature of Things) influenced Renaissance thought. I'll report back later.

 

Jane

[Ali in OR]

I finished Seth Mnookin's The Panic Virus which I thought was excellent. He looks at the anti-vaccine movement, and how the media leads us to believe that there is ample evidence that vaccines can cause autism by how they cover theories supported by only a few fringe "scientists" who don't follow scientific methodology and come up with results that no one else has been able to duplicate. He points out the conflicts of interest of several of these "scientists" who profit by their work (Andrew Wakefield was paid to help bring a lawsuit against vaccine makers and filed for a patent for single measles vaccine as he recommended decoupling it from MMR). Really well-researched and well-written.

 

I'm reading The Tiger's Wife on the treadmill. I picked it up at Costco thinking I might make it my next book club pick, but then read Amazon reviews where it's either loved or hated. Some found it depressing which doesn't go over well with this book club, so I'll pre-read and keep looking to see if there is something better for our April book. The Hare with the Amber Eye was recommended here months ago I think and just came up from my hold list, so I'll be diving into that too.

 

Books Read in 2013

9. The Panic Virus-Seth Mnookin

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

[Jane in NC]

The Hare with the Amber Eye was recommended here months ago I think and just came up from my hold list, so I'll be diving into that too.

 

This was my favorite non-fictional read of 2012. I hope you enjoy it!

[Paisley Hedgehog]

.

[jenangelcat]

I finally finished reading Jane Eyre. It was not good. I made lots of weird noises when describing it to my husband. I washed my brain out with the first three Hitchhiker's books. I'm now reading Swann's Way (Proust).

 

Read

 

The Eyre Affair

Deconstructing Penguins

The Handmaid's Tale

Deathly Hallows

Howl's Moving Castle

The Friday Society

Bossypants

The Year of Learning Dangerously

Mass Effect Revelation

Jane Eyre

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

Life, The Universe and Everything

 

In Progress

 

The Epic of Gilgamesh

Swann's Way

So Long and Thanks For All the Fish

 

Ditched

 

The Demon Haunted World

Sassafrass Science Adventures (daughter wants to read it independently)

 

[Onceuponatime]

I am currently reading The Black Count by Tom Reiss. It is about Alexander Dumas's father and quite fascinating most of the time. It is non-fiction. In many parts I find myself bogged down in the history and politics, but it is pertinent, so I slog on to get to the more exciting parts. :-) Actually the history and politics is fascinating also, it just takes me more effort to digest.

 

I also started Ichabod Toward Home by Walter Brueggemann, which is not light reading either.

 

I am looking forward to some brain candy after I finish one of these.

[Giraffe]

Still plodding along with Herodotus. Some days I just want to claw my eyes out. Finished Book Three and I will push through the next few books this week. I've got to finish this and move on.

 

Other than that, no other reading. Too much happening. :(

[Storm Bay]

I've tried and ditched a few books lately so am looking for my next good read. I am reading the unabridged Les Miserables slowly (changed translations to a better one), but need something I find fabulous. I am going to read some 1001 Books this year, so will have to add that to my list of challenges. I just found out that one of the Jeeves books that's been mentioned here is on it, so I plan to listen to the audio recording of that one. I only hope I like the 1001 one books I try as there are some on there I've ditched because I hated them and there are about 3 Margaret Atwood books on there I'm not going to bother with because she along with a few other authors on there are authors I don't care for. I did take out that book Eliana mentioned about the Odyssey, but couldn't bring myself to start it right now as I want a break from all things mythological right now.

 

In the meantime, I'm slowly reading through Pierre Berton's Drifting Home for Canada & Dewey decimal, The Death of Truth (dusty books; I've been reading this on & off for years but am on a reading plan with it & read a bit per day and the end is in sight) and my reread of The Hour that Changes the World (Inspirational).

[Murmer]

Finished: Forevermore by Kathy Hake and MC Higgins the Great by Virginia Hamilton

 

Currently Working On:

Downstairs: The Explosive Child by Ross W. Greene

Upstairs: A Phule's Errand by Robert Aspirin

Kindle: Curious Folks Ask: 162 Real Answers on Amazing Inventions, Fascinating Products, and Medical Mysteries by Seethaler, Sherry

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: 16

[Kim in Appalachia]

Still plodding along with Herodotus. Some days I just want to claw my eyes out. Finished Book Three and I will push through the next few books this week. I've got to finish this and move on.

 

Other than that, no other reading. Too much happening. :(

 

 

 

I read that when my oldest dd had to for Veritas' Omnibus I, but honestly, it was a rough read. Good luck plodding through it.

[Kim in Appalachia]

I finished After Dark, by Haruki Murakami. Very strange and wonderful little book (very little for Murakami!) It almost felt like a Twilight Zone episode, but then pulled out. It was more like, when you feel like you're in the Twilight Zone, but really you are not. Life, especially at night, can have a surreal quality to it.

 

I think next up will be Left Hand of Darkness, by LeGuin. More strangeness. :)

[tammyw]

I just finished Night by Elie Wiesel.

 

It was really short but so powerful. No matter how many books or movies I read/see about the Holocaust, I'm always overwhelmed by how horrific it all was. I was very moved by Elie Wiesel's Nobel Peace Prize speech, printed at the end of the book. His talk about not sitting back as a neutral when others are suffering, because that only gives more power to the oppressor really hit me. I have definitely sat back without saying something when I see people post, say on facebook, something that just feels wrong. It's all giving me great pause.

[Diann]

I read Canada by Richard Ford and started Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton.

 

Diann

[prairiegirl]

I finished 2 this week: 'On Writing' by Stephen King (found his writing tips to be interesting) and 'The Light Between Oceans' by M.L.Stedman (loved this book, it is still with me.) I am now reading Book #16--Loving Anthony by Lisa Genova.

[Tullia]

I should finish the final essay in The Magician's Twin later today. I continued reading from my Sherlock Holmes collection last week and finished The Sign of the Four and The Hound of the Baskervilles.

 

For Week Nine: I've started another Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear. For a change of pace I'll look into a book mentioned in The Magician's Twin: Star Maker by William Olaf Stapledon.

[mlbuchina]

Finished The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye today. It was lovely. Hopefully we will finish Little Women this week. Still working on Dragonfly in Amber. I have quite a few books from the library to work through, but not sure which one to start on. We shall see.

 

So far:

 

11. Little Women ~ current audio book

10. Dragonfly in Amber ~ current read

9. How We Get Fat

8. The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye

7. Outlander

6. The New Atkins for a New You

5. A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows

4. Liberty and Tyranny

3. Corelli's Mandolin

2. The Neverending Story

1. The Hobbit

[Mom-ninja.]

I finished The Moral Animal. I loved it. I'm counting this as an inspirational read for me. I'm keeping this book around for my kids when they are older.

[Negin]

I just finished Night by Elie Wiesel.

Tammy, I loved this. Very difficult to read, but I'm so glad that I read this.

 

I read:

The Guide to Chinese Horoscopes - and, unfortunately, if the book is correct, 2013 will be a crappy year for moi, which, totally blows. I don't really put much weight into this sort of stuff. Interesting about personalities, however.

4 Stars

 

The Lighthouse - 2 Stars

 

 

 

MY RATING SYSTEM

5 Stars

Fantastic, couldn't put it down

4 Stars

Really Good

3 Stars

Enjoyable

2 Stars

Just Okay – nothing to write home about

1 Star

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

[dangermom]

For some reason I've been lazy about posting to this thread and the 52 weeks blog, but I've been reading! All sorts of stuff.

 

The Island of Dr. Moreau (eeewwww)

The Laughter of Dead Kings (a Vicky Bliss story!)

The Return of Captain John Emmett (WWI mystery, meh)

Sex, Drugs, and Sea Slime (fascinating; do not read while eating)

You Can Understand the Bible (Peter Kreeft!)

 

I've just finished a wonderful memoir of childhood in Nigeria (WWII era) by Wole Soyinka, and The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. DuBois which was amazing, and I'm reading Huck Finn.

[JennW in SoCal]

I'm sure everyone is sick of hearing that I'm still plugging along through the Inspector Banks series, but guess what? I'm still plugging along through the Inspector Banks series. :tongue_smilie:

 

My favorite edition of Hound is the Modern Library one which includes an introduction by Laurie R King, author of the Mary Russell / Sherlock Holmes series. It's a great essay for any ACD or LRK fans.

 

You don't have to apologize to me for your continuing obsession with DCI Banks. I have one on hold at the library and practiced enormous restraint over the weekend by NOT going to pick it up!!! I'll have to look for the Modern Library edition of Hound, just to read LRK's introduction.

 

I finally finished reading Jane Eyre ..... I washed my brain out with the first three Hitchhiker's books.

 

:hurray: :hurray: to a brilliant antidote to Jane Eyre! I didn't hate the book, but it is odd, especially to our modern sensibilities. Anne is my favorite author out of the three Bronte sisters. I found I "got" Charlotte's writing much more after reading some biographies of the family, but nothing has ever gotten me to appreciate Wuthering Heights. Can. not. stand. it!!

 

 

As I wrote, I showed considerable restraint by not driving the mile down to my branch library to pick up my next DCI Banks novel. I instead made a point of finishing Jungleland, by Christopher Stewart. It is very much like Lost City of Z in that the author is tracing the footsteps of an explorer through the jungles in search of a lost city. Aside from the difference in geography (Lost City is in the Amazon and this in Honduras) this is as much about the author's own internal exploration as it is about the search for the lost city and the original explorer. I really liked it, and loved the summation by the anthropologist who was a travelling companion to the author. This is going to be an odd recommendation for a book, but one of the things I appreciated about it were the short chapters -- you could sit down for a sandwich, read a couple of chapters then be able to put it down and get back to your day! It was easy to pick back up again, too. I loved, too, the connections it made with other books I've read, such as Paul Theroux's Mosquito Coast.

 

I've been listening to The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in the car. David Timson is an excellent narrator. It is a Naxos audio book which are always so expensive on Audible, but if you have one of those subscriptions with a free book or two per month, it is very worthy of one of your credits!

[LostSurprise]

Really having trouble focusing right now, so I'm thinking of just returning everything (especially Great Human Diasporas which takes actual concentration to read) and reading some fluff for awhile. No challenges.

 

16. Philosophy: a Discovery in Comics by Margreet de Heer~non-fiction, philosophy, comics. Not a serious treatise by any means. de Heer explains philosophy until the modern era (she does not cover the modern philosophers) through comics. She and her husband are the main characters. Its a very personal presentation. Rather than cover the modern philosophers she asked people about what philosophers or statements have influenced their own personal philosophy, so you get people like George Carlin and lines from Harry Potter. A very subjective and visual approach to the early philosophers. Worth looking at, but be aware that its from a Buddhist/modern Humanist viewpoint if you want to pass it on to your kids. (Dewey Decimal challenge, 100s)

 

15. Concrete Island by J.G. Ballard~fiction, isolation, survival. I've been wanting to read something by Ballard for a long time because he sounds a little weird, like an earlier version of Chuck Palahniuk. This book tells the story of an affluent architect who finds himself marooned in a drain-off field between 3 large concrete overpasses. No one notices the accident. No one sees him. He's injured enough to keep him from climbing his way to freedom. Ah, what to do. The first section is fairly introspective and symbolic..."no man is an island," no, wait...maybe he is. ;) Alienation amidst humanity. Riffs on Lord of the Flies as well. Anyway, I enjoyed the first section and commentary on the human experience. Then part 2. Umm. Well, it gets a little strange. He gets "saved," sort of. Adding other human beings brings out a lot of other traits which aren't pleasant. I must admit I thought the female character wasn't very consistent or believable. That annoyed me. Or is that just how Maitland views women or symbolizes the dual relationships of his wife and mistress? It was interesting to watch the book move from dark realism to surrealism and back again, like a fever dream. The ending was unfulfilling, but all in all it as a short, interesting read.

 

Top Ten *

Best of the Year *

14. The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis~fiction, coming of age, chess **

13. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine l'Engle~children's fiction, fantasy, coming of age

12. Way Station by Clifford Simak~science fiction, aliens, atomic age (Fiction genre challenge: Science Fiction)

11. Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Depression by Mildred Armstrong Kalish~autobiography, Depression, family (Dewey Decimal Challenge, 900s) *

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)

D'Aulaire's Book of Norse Myths

Down the Garden Path (Nichols)

[Jane in NC]

 

I've just finished a wonderful memoir of childhood in Nigeria (WWII era) by Wole Soyinka...

There is a name I have not seen in a while. Long ago I read one of his memoirs, Ake: The Years of Childhood. Solyinka won a Nobel prize for literature. For those "doing the continental", consider putting him on your lists!

[dangermom]

There is a name I have not seen in a while. Long ago I read one of his memoirs, Ake: The Years of Childhood. Solyinka won a Nobel prize for literature. For those "doing the continental", consider putting him on your lists!

Yep, that was the one, though hes written lots else. I think I'll have to look for more.

[Paisley Hedgehog]

. 

 

[eaglei]

Finished this week:

 

#10 - The Chosen, by Chaim Potok. Could not put this book down. Contrasting way that two Jewish fathers raised their sons, coupled with their differences on other serious surrounding issues, was skillfully handled and well-written. I need a shame-faced emoticon for not having read this highly-acclaimed book much sooner in life!

 

Currently reading:

 

#11 - Wise One, by Roger Elwood. Not sure how I feel about this one. Seemed to start off slowly, pick up some steam, then level off. Some of the ideas expressed give pause for thought. I guess it's somewhere between okay and good.

 

Up next will either be The Promise by Chaim Potok, the sequel to The Chosen; or, A Schoolteacher in Old Alaska: The Story of Hannah Breece.

 

I hope The Promise will be as absorbing as The Chosen. Has anyone else read this set? If so, what did you think of the books, and did the sequel satisfy?

[laughing lioness]

I missed a week - how did that happen?

 

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.

 

 

Love Ephron- she is everything you say. She died last year- June 26, 2012. I had recently read "I Feel Bad About My Neck." What a brilliant talent!

 

I finished After Dark, by Haruki Murakami. Very strange and wonderful little book (very little for Murakami!) It almost felt like a Twilight Zone episode, but then pulled out. It was more like, when you feel like you're in the Twilight Zone, but really you are not. Life, especially at night, can have a surreal quality to it.

 

I think next up will be Left Hand of Darkness, by LeGuin. More strangeness. :)

 

Murakami is on my list- I've been drooling over IQ 84, but it's not at our library and I don't have the funds right now to buy a book....argh! To wait is torture! I loved The Left Hand of Darkness. Brilliant!

 

I just finished Night by Elie Wiesel.

 

It was really short but so powerful. No matter how many books or movies I read/see about the Holocaust, I'm always overwhelmed by how horrific it all was. I was very moved by Elie Wiesel's Nobel Peace Prize speech, printed at the end of the book. His talk about not sitting back as a neutral when others are suffering, because that only gives more power to the oppressor really hit me. I have definitely sat back without saying something when I see people post, say on facebook, something that just feels wrong. It's all giving me great pause.

 

Just recommended this book. Dh read another of his books after this one -dh is not really a lit reader - he loves for me to tell him about what I'm reading, but he's more of a scientific/scholarly reader- kwim- but the poignancy of Wiesel really captured us both.

 

 

Eaglei- #10 - The Chosen, - One of my all time fav books. Potok is so powerful. I try to read something by him every year. Read Davita's Harp last year; rich methaphor!- every bit as good as The Chosen.

 

I finished 2 this week: 'On Writing' by Stephen King (found his writing tips to be interesting)

 

Feel under the King's spell reading his book on writing. Have your read Green Mile? Mystical.

 

I finished So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by Cal Newport. A fantatstic apologetic for classcial ed (though that's not the point). Loved it.

[BigMamaBird]

I finished The Great Gatsby this week. I was assigned it in high school but didn't remember a single thing. The ending was just so sad to me, I can't say I liked it even though it was a very good book. I'm reading Mere Christianity this week. It's my first Non-Fiction of the year.

 

 

1 - All the King's Men – Robert Penn Warren

2 - A Stranger in a Strange Land – Robert Heinlein

3 - A Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

4 - Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger

5 - Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

6 - The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck

7 – Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha Christie

8 – The Illustrated Man – Ray Bradbury

9 – The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald

[Trillian]

I finally finished reading Jane Eyre. It was not good. I made lots of weird noises when describing it to my husband. I washed my brain out with the first three Hitchhiker's books. I'm now reading Swann's Way (Proust).

 

 

I was beginning to think I was the only person that didn't like Jane Eyre.

[Trillian]

I'm currently reading "Boys Adrift" and listening to "Wild: Lost and Found on the Pacific Trail." The author/narrator of Wild is already making me nuts, bu I'll try to stick with it since it's my book club book.

 

Recently finished:

 

10. Death Comes to Pemberely

11. Speaking from Among the Bones

12. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (audiobook)

13. Lost in a Good Book

 

 

[Shawneinfl]

I've tried and ditched a few books lately so am looking for my next good read. I am reading the unabridged Les Miserables slowly (changed translations to a better one), but need something I find fabulous.

 

I am also reading Les Mis (via audiobook) and it's slow going. I started to get bogged down so I sidetracked to some faster reads. In the middle of Argo - interesting story and I haven't seen the movie yet but the narrator is driving me crazy.

 

Audible has a BOGO sale going on through 2/28 so I've got some good books waiting in the wings.

[VeganCupcake]

I finished Unbroken this week and really enjoyed it.

 

I'm still reading Tom Jones. Still!!! I will finish it, I will finish it.

 

Now listening to An Affair with Africa by Alzada Carlise Kistner. It seems interesting so far. She recounts their experiences in Belgian Congo/Zaire/Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 1960s.

[Stacia]

Finished Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr. I liked this book because it embraces a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle (something that is not covered in so many diet/health books). Also, I think she does a great job at explaining (in layman's terms) why eating certain things are good or bad for you, how your body processes different things, etc.... A really good basic text for learning why you need to eat better.

 

A caveat -- sometimes, her conversational style (while usually a great way to convey info) veered into hip/teenager-style speak, other times into sailor-speak (aka swearing). It didn't really bother me, but I think it might turn off some. Also, her pages about the 21-day cleanse are definitely aimed specifically for females, though the nutritional background & info that are the bulk of the book are great info for anyone.

 

Still working on The Stockholm Octavo and Vanished Kingdoms.

 

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

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).

12. Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr (4 stars). Challenge: Dewey Decimal – 600s.

[Stacia]

Check out NPR's Great Reads about the Silver Screen about past books which became movies

 

 

Oh, thanks. Will have to peruse this during the week when I have some time....

 

There is the ubiquitous "he" throughout--which usually means Thomas Cromwell. But with a cast of characters that encompasses an almost uncountable number of Thomases, Edwards, Henrys and Janes, there will be natural confusion until the reader sorts out which characters belong in which of the physical locations.

 

 

YES! I was in the middle of Wolf Hall when I had to return it to the library. I do plan to finish it, yet find myself constantly extending my hold on it, lol. I have enjoyed the parts I read, but the unclear antecedents drove me nuts. Where was Mantel's editor?

 

I finally finished reading Jane Eyre. It was not good. I made lots of weird noises when describing it to my husband. I washed my brain out with the first three Hitchhiker's books. I'm now reading Swann's Way (Proust).

 

 

:smilielol5: :thumbup: (I think I read Jane Eyre eons & eons ago, but I don't really remember. I have no desire to read it now, though.)

 

I would like to read Swann's Way too. Please post your review when you're finished with it.

 

I am currently reading The Black Count by Tom Reiss. It is about Alexander Dumas's father and quite fascinating most of the time. It is non-fiction, in many parts I find myself bogged down in the history and politics. But it is pertinent, so I slog on to get to the more exciting parts. :-) Actually the history and politics is fascinating also, it just takes me more effort to digest.

 

 

I heard a review of this (on the Bob Edwards Show maybe ???) & thought it sounded fascinating. I love Dumas' writing & thought this could be a pretty neat book....

 

Still plodding along with Herodotus. Some days I just want to claw my eyes out. Finished Book Three and I will push through the next few books this week. I've got to finish this and move on.

 

Other than that, no other reading. Too much happening. :(

 

 

:grouphug:

 

 

I finished After Dark, by Haruki Murakami. Very strange and wonderful little book (very little for Murakami!) It almost felt like a Twilight Zone episode, but then pulled out. It was more like, when you feel like you're in the Twilight Zone, but really you are not. Life, especially at night, can have a surreal quality to it.

 

 

Love Murakami. Will have to try this one.

 

Finished The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye today. It was lovely.

 

 

Glad you liked it too!

 

Sex, Drugs, and Sea Slime (fascinating; do not read while eating)

You Can Understand the Bible (Peter Kreeft!)

 

I've just finished a wonderful memoir of childhood in Nigeria (WWII era) by Wole Soyinka

 

 

Thanks for the warning about Sex, Drugs, and Sea Slime. :lol: Will have to look up Wole Soyinka....

 

nothing has ever gotten me to appreciate Wuthering Heights. Can. not. stand. it!!

 

As I wrote, I showed considerable restraint by not driving the mile down to my branch library to pick up my next DCI Banks novel. I instead made a point of finishing Jungleland, by Christopher Stewart. It is very much like Lost City of Z in that the author is tracing the footsteps of an explorer through the jungles in search of a lost city. Aside from the difference in geography (Lost City is in the Amazon and this in Honduras) this is as much about the author's own internal exploration as it is about the search for the lost city and the original explorer. I really liked it, and loved the summation by the anthropologist who was a travelling companion to the author. This is going to be an odd recommendation for a book, but one of the things I appreciated about it were the short chapters -- you could sit down for a sandwich, read a couple of chapters then be able to put it down and get back to your day! It was easy to pick back up again, too. I loved, too, the connections it made with other books I've read, such as Paul Theroux's Mosquito Coast.

 

 

Yay. Another Wuthering Heights naysayer! :hurray: (It was my most hated book last year, lol.)

 

I definitely need to check out Jungleland. Thanks for the rec!

[PollyOR]

Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde - This has been my least favorite Thursday Next book. It seemed too crammed. There was too much going on in the story. I've also found that I enjoy the second half of these books more than the first half. Still a fun story/series.

[Heather in Neverland]

Started Reading:

Nothing new. :(

I was so slammed at work last week that I didn't get much chance to read. My goal is to finish at least one of the books on my still reading list.

 

 

Still Reading:

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

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!).

[Remudamom]

This week Pearl Buck's Peony, A Story of China.

[Butter]

I'm reading To Kill a Mockingbird. I stopped for a bit because my mom and daughter and I do a family book club so I had to read a few chapters of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for this week's meeting.

[tammyw]

I finished Unbroken this week and really enjoyed it.

 

I'm still reading Tom Jones. Still!!! I will finish it, I will finish it.

 

Now listening to An Affair with Africa by Alzada Carlise Kistner. It seems interesting so far. She recounts their experiences in Belgian Congo/Zaire/Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 1960s.

 

 

Unbroken was one of my all-time favorites! Glad you enjoyed it :)

[tammyw]

I'm reading To Kill a Mockingbird. I stopped for a bit because my mom and daughter and I do a family book club so I had to read a few chapters of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for this week's meeting.

 

 

I just read To Kill a Mockingbird last week for the first time. Loved it. I was really sad when it was over (as I am with most great books).

[tammyw]

 

Still Reading:

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

 

 

 

I read that this year and it was so eye opening. It's one thing to have a general idea of what's happening in North Korea, but it's another to get a clear glimpse into daily life, small details, etc. For me, it all became a lot more real.

[Heather in Neverland]

 

 

Unbroken was one of my all-time favorites! Glad you enjoyed it :)

 

 

Do you think this book is ok for an almost 15yo boy? I have not read it but everyone talks about how good it is and my ds actually asked about it (which is rare for him!).

[Kim in Appalachia]

 

Murakami is on my list- I've been drooling over IQ 84, but it's not at our library and I don't have the funds right now to buy a book....argh! To wait is torture! I loved The Left Hand of Darkness. Brilliant!

 

 

Just recommended this book. Dh read another of his books after this one -dh is not really a lit reader - he loves for me to tell him about what I'm reading, but he's more of a scientific/scholarly reader- kwim- but the poignancy of Wiesel really captured us both.

 

 

 

1Q84 was the only book our library had! I was so taken with the cover I had to read it. But his books do not show up at the used book store (I've looked for over a year!). Our library now has After Dark for the ereader, as well as several of his other books on audio, but I don't think I want to listen to those books, I want to read them. I just bought Wind up Bird Chronicle used through Amazon. It's the only way I'm going to get them.

 

And I love LeGuin. I want to read everything she has ever written.

[tammyw]

Do you think this book is ok for an almost 15yo boy? I have not read it but everyone talks about how good it is and my ds actually asked about it (which is rare for him!).

 

Good question. I would probably say yes, as they are usually ready for more mature content by then. Maybe others will be able to chime in as well. I don't recall anything that I would find bad for that age really.

[laughing lioness]

 

 

1Q84 was the only book our library had! I was so taken with the cover I had to read it. But his books do not show up at the used book store (I've looked for over a year!). Our library now has After Dark for the ereader, as well as several of his other books on audio, but I don't think I want to listen to those books, I want to read them. I just bought Wind up Bird Chronicle used through Amazon. It's the only way I'm going to get them.

 

And I love LeGuin. I want to read everything she has ever written.

 

I know the Earthsea series is Le Guin's big deal, but I found myself just getting through it. I did love Gifts and am working my way through Lavinia. She does have an amazing way with words!

O.k.-quest for the week is to get my hands on something by Murakami!

[melmichigan]

Not much new to report. Last week I was lost in the Guild Hunter series. Thanks for the recommendation, I really loved the series. I made a jaunt back to read the newest Gansett Island book, number 8, that came out. I started the Immortals After Dark series that was also recommended here, and quickly got sidetracked yesterday by the Black Knights Inc.. I am enjoying the diversion. I need to begin reading for Ancient Greeks next month, so I'm enjoying this before I have to start the serious stuff.

 

Week 8

41. Angel's Blood (Guild Hunter) by Nalini Singh.

42. Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter) by Nalini Singh.

43. Archangel's Consort (Guild Hunter) by Nalini Singh.

44. Archangel's Blade (Guild Hunter) by Nalini Singh.

45. Archangel's Storm (guild Hunter) by Nalini Singh.

46. Waiting for Love (The McCarthy's of Gansett Island Book 8) by Marie Force.

47. A Hunger Like No Other (Immortals After Dark Book 1) by Kresley Cole.

 

Week 9 -(yesterday)

48. Hell on Wheels: Black Knights Inc. by Julie Ann Walker.

49. In Rides Trouble: Black Knights Inc. by Julie Ann Walker.

[aggieamy]

I love all this discussion of Murakami. He is one of my dear friend's favorite writers and I've read some of his books. Very strange but well written. I haven't read it yet by friend says that Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World was her favorite book of last year. It's on my to-read list just behind the twelve books the library just got in for me. Eek.

 

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien – We listened to this audiobook as a family and loved it.

 

Down the Mysterly River by Bill Willingham – This book had a great premise. Imagine the average 1950’s boy sleuth, the ill-tempered barn cat that causes trouble in children’s picture books, the Ranger Smith from Yogi Bear as a bear, and a magical warrior badger are all on an adventure. They have on quest and there are bad guys and there’s a mystery and then the story gets stupid. First ¾ of the book was fantastic and the last ¼ sucked.

 

In Progress:

 

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

Mrs. McGinty’s Dead by Agatha Christie (audiobook – just me)

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (Ladies book club)

EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (book club)

 

2013 finished books:

 

21. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien (audiobook – whole family)

20. Down the Mysterly River by Bill Willingham (Book club)

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 (***)

 

 

Amy's Rating System:

 

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

**** - Very good

*** - Enjoyable but nothing special

** - Not recommended

* - Horrible