Book a Week in 2013 - week seventeen

[Robin M]

Good Morning, dolls! Today is the start of week 17 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 - Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary: Highlighting book # 10 in SWB's list of great fiction in Well Educated Mind. Madame Bovary was Gustave's first published novel which he began writing in 1851 and worked on it for 5 years before having it published in the Paris Review in serialized form. The content was considered shocking and vulgar and Gustave, the publisher and the printer were put on trial for insulting public and religious morality. He was cleared due to the support from folks in both the political and artistic arena and the book soon became a bestseller. The story about Emma Bovary, an unhappily married woman, who indulges in a number of forbidden relationships in order to escape the emptiness of provincial life. Gustave is said to have been strongly inspired and influenced by French novelist Honore De Balzac’s writings. Click over to 52 books to read an excerpt from the first chapter.

 

1Q84 Readalong - are you still plugging away? What do you think so far?

 

Judge a book by Cover - The Boy From Reactor 4 received the most votes and the other three books all tied for 2nd so... I'll probably end up reading all of them and for now they are on my wishlist. My best guess about The Boy before I go online and buy the book that it is a dystopian novel, has something to do with a nuclear power plant, and the boy is on the run from someone or something. Is that vague enough or what?

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

 

Link to week 16

[Robin M]

At a standstill at the moment with 1Q84 because my copy is messed up as previously mentioned. Perhaps I should go to B&N today or on my lunch break tomorrow and find out what I missing. I'm in part 3 and just got to a good part. In the meantime reading Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts.

[Negin]

Good Morning Robin :).

 

I just finished The Diary of Juliet Thompson and give it 4 Stars. It's a story of a famous painter and one of the early Baha'is in the U.S. I found it so interesting/coincidental that she lived in an apartment building in NYC owned by General Tom Thumb and I just read about Tom Thumb's wife a few weeks ago :cool:. Also, Kahlil Gibran was a neighbor of hers and Einsten's ex-son-in-law was a Baha'i living in the same building also.

 

 

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.

 

[Lady Florida.]

1Q84 Readalong - are you still plugging away? What do you think so far?

 

 

 

 

There are no spoilers ahead.

 

Plugging away is probably a good description. Yesterday I got the email telling me my digital loan has ended, so I can't turn wifi on until I'm done, or the book will disappear. I'm at 73%, or page 687 of 925. I'm pretty sure I can finish it today, since I have nothing pressing I need to do. While I'm enjoying it and am curious to see how it ends, I also think it could have been a shorter book. There's a lot of repetition, and a lot of unnecessary information in the story. He seems to have padded it somewhat just to make it longer. Maybe he's always verbose. Having never read his other books, I don't know.

 

I've seen a few things online about people hoping for a Book 4, which makes me afraid I might get to the end and have this happen:

 

[Lady Florida.]

I usually have several books going at once, but because I need to finish 1Q84 and get it back to the library, it's the only thing I'll be reading until I finish it.

[Paisley Hedgehog]

.

[Stacia]

52 Books Blog - Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary: Highlighting book # 10 in SWB's list of great fiction in Well Educated Mind. Madame Bovary was Gustave's first published novel which he began writing in 1851 and worked on it for 5 years before having it published in the Paris Review in serialized form. The content was considered shocking and vulgar and Gustave, the publisher and the printer were put on trial for insulting public and religious morality. He was cleared due to the support from folks in both the political and artistic arena and the book soon became a bestseller.

 

...

 

1Q84 Readalong - are you still plugging away? What do you think so far?

 

Judge a book by Cover

 

I read Madame Bovary back in high school & remember hating it. But, otoh, I guess the content was not something I could empathize with/understand at that point in my life. I sometimes wonder why high schools pick the books they do when life experiences very much shape how one views/reacts to a book. Kwim? If I were to read it now, I'm guessing I might have a totally different reaction to the story (esp. since I got a feel for Flaubert's personality earlier this year when I read The Twelve Rooms of the Nile). Not planning to pick it up anytime soon, though. I just don't feel very compelled to want to read it & my to-read list & pile are already huge.

 

Still working on 1Q84. I'm just a short ways into book 2. Enjoying it. I feel like I'm watching a basket being woven. It starts w/ all these individual pieces, which then start getting laced together. As the basket progresses, the weaving gets tighter, a shape starts to form, and so on. I do love how Murakami takes little pieces & you see them pop up again & again (as the basket goes round & round), taking more shape with each rotation.

 

I just finished The Diary of Juliet Thompson and give it 4 Stars. It's a story of a famous painter and one of the early Baha'is in the U.S. I found it so interesting/coincidental that she lived in an apartment building in NYC owned by General Tom Thumb and I just read about Tom Thumb's wife a few weeks ago http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/cool.gif. Also, Kahlil Gibran was a neighbor of hers and Einsten's ex-son-in-law was a Baha'i living in the same building also.

 

Sounds like a neat book, Negin. Also, what a neat era -- time & place -- for her to have been living & producing art.

 

In addition to 1Q84, I'm also reading The End of Mr. Y. I'm finding it pretty interesting & curious to see where it will go.

 

From wikipedia:

The End of Mr. Y is a novel by British author Scarlett Thomas. The book tells the story of Ariel Manto, a PhD student who has been researching the 19th century writer Thomas Lumas. She finds an extremely rare copy of Lumas' novel The End of Mr. Y in a second-hand bookshop. The book is rumoured to be cursed - everyone who has read it has died not long afterwards.

 

Central to Lumas' book is the "Troposphere" – a place where all consciousness is connected and you can enter other people's minds and read their thoughts. The book contains the recipe for a homeopathic formula that Lumas' hero uses to enter the Troposphere. Manto uses the recipe to reproduce the formula and subsequently enters the Troposphere herself.

 

The book mentions that her surname is fictitious and based on an anagram; Ariel Manto is an anagram of I am not real.^[1]

As have Janette Turner Hospital and Andrew Crumey, the writer explores the relationships between quantum physics and post-modernist and deconstructionist theory. The description of the Troposphere has been compared to the novels of Neal Stephenson and William Gibson, and shares similarities to The Matrix.^[2]

 

It was long-listed for the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2008,^[3] sold 150,000 copies, and won a Nibbie award for best cover.

 

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

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.

13. The Stockholm Octavo by Karen Engelmann (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – Europe (Sweden).

14. A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – Asia (Pakistan).

15. Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley (4 stars).

16. Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell (2.5 stars). Challenge: Dewey Decimal – 900s.

17. Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – North America (USA).

18. Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar (3 stars). Challenges: Dusty & Chunky; Continental – South America (Argentina).

19. The Tenth Circle by Mempo Giardinelli (3 stars). Challenge: Continental – South America (Argentina).

20. Nick & Jake by Jonathan Richards and Tad Richards (3.5 stars). Challenge: Dusty.

 

21. A Funny Dirty Little War by Osvaldo Soriano (3 stars). Challenge: Continental – South America (Argentina).

22. Winter Quarters by Osvaldo Soriano (4 stars). Challenge: Continental – South America (Argentina).

23. The Fifty Year Sword by Mark Z. Danielewski (3.5 stars).

24. Wheat Belly by William Davis M.D. (2.5 stars). Challenge: Dewey Decimal – 600s.

25. Secret Societies by Kelly Knauer (2 stars). Challenge: Dewey Decimal – 300s.

26. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig (2.5 stars).

[Stacia]

I have had a great week rereading The Magicians by Lev Grossman.

 

...

 

I know I've seen some Laurie R King fans here. She's the author of the Mary Russell / Sherlock Holmes series that starts with The Beekeeper's Apprentice. BBC 4 has done a radio production of Beekeepers Apprentice, the first episode of which will be available for free streaming for the next 5 days. I listened this morning and thought it was pretty well done (and I don't usually like audio books / radio dramas).

 

The Magicians sounds like a book I would enjoy.

 

Congrats on reaching 26 books!

 

I will have to pass on the info about the radio program to a friend of mine....

[Lady Florida.]

This will be number 26 for me, so that is halfway to the 52-book goal! And it's only the end of April! Yea me!

 

 

:hurray:

 

I sometimes wonder why high schools pick the books they do when life experiences very much shape how one views/reacts to a book. Kwim?

 

I've often said this. There are many classics I hated in high school, but read them as an adult and appreciated them. I think if I wasn't a reader, some of the books forced on me in high school would have turned me away from reading classics forever. I've talked to people who have had that reaction.

[Mom-ninja.]

I finished The Chaperone

 

Lovely book. Although, I think the ending was a bit drawn out.

[Onceuponatime]

I read The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett. It is a non-fiction look at the world of rare book collectors and a certain book thief. If you think you are obsessed with books, you might change your mind after reading this book. There are levels of crazy.

[Ali in OR]

Finished Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein this week and loved it. I know someone read it here and commented on it--that's where almost all of my library holds come from! Thanks to whoever recommended it. Here's the Amazon blurb:

 

Oct. 11th, 1943-A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun.

 

When "Verity" is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she's living a spy's worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.

 

As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage, failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy?

 

A Michael L. Printz Award Honor book that was called "a fiendishly-plotted mind game of a novel" in The New York Times, Code Name Verity is a visceral read of danger, resolve, and survival that shows just how far true friends will go to save each other.

[Shawneinfl]

 

 

Also in book news, Nathaniel Philbrick (In the Heart of the Sea, The Last Stand) has a new history coming out about Boston during the American Revolution called Bunker Hill: A City, A Seige, A Revolution. The book trailer is here. I'm a big Philbrick fan and would have probably bought this book anyway, but the events this week in Boston have made me even more interested in the history of that city.

 

 

Thanks for sharing this. I loved In the Heart of the Sea which I read last year. I haven't read The Last Stand yet so I'll be checking that one out as well.

[VeganCupcake]

 

 

If you can't understand it without an explanation, you can't understand it with an explanation.

 

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[Just Robyn]

Good Morning Robin :).

 

I just finished The Diary of Juliet Thompson and give it 4 Stars. It's a story of a famous painter and one of the early Baha'is in the U.S. I found it so interesting/coincidental that she lived in an apartment building in NYC owned by General Tom Thumb and I just read about Tom Thumb's wife a few weeks ago :cool:. Also, Kahlil Gibran was a neighbor of hers and Einsten's ex-son-in-law was a Baha'i living in the same building also.

 

 

This sounds cool.

 

In addition to 1Q84, I'm also reading The End of Mr. Y. I'm finding it pretty interesting & curious to see where it will go.

 

 

I just had PopCo, by the same author, recommended to me, so I'm interested in hearing what you think of this - even though I looked at a few reviews by people who said they liked The End of Mr. Y better than PopCo.

 

 

I am about half way through 1Q84 now.

 

I read a couple graphic novels this week. I read X'ed Out by Charles Burns - a very quick read, kind of interesting, but also pretentious. I'm not sure if I'll read the next in the series. I've got it sitting here, but I'd have to be in need of a short break. I'm not gonna pick it up out of a great desire to read it.

 

I also read The Case of Madeleine Smith by Rick Geary. This is one in a series of graphic non-fiction accounts of "Victorian murder." I really enjoyed this, and I'll definitely be checking out some other books in this series. This story is mysterious, and the chick is a total bad@ss. I hope the other books are as good. This counts as a book in the 300s for the Dewey Decimal Challenge.

[Kareni]

I just finished The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After by Julia Quinn which is a collection of what the author calls 'second epilogues'. These are short stories set minutes, months or years after the happenings of her eight historical romance novels about the Bridgerton siblings. It was a nice experience to revisit characters from those books. (This is not a book I'd suggest reading though if you haven't read the original novels.)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Lady Florida.]

 

If you can't understand it without an explanation, you can't understand it with an explanation.

 

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

 

 

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Murmer]

Finished: Molly Moon, Minky Minus and the Mind Machine by Georgia Byng, The Sari Shop Widow by Shobhan Bantwal, and The Yellow Fairy Book by Andrew Lang

 

Currently Working On:

Downstairs: Marriage and Family Relations by BYU

Upstairs: Charlie Bone and the Red King by Jenny Nimmo

Kindle: Forgotten: Seventeen and Homeless by Melody Carlson

IPhone: A Flower Blooms in Charlotte by Milam McGraw Propst

Sweet Boy Read Aloud: The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh and the World of Christopher Robin by A. A. Milne

Angel Girl Read Aloud: The Wind In The Willows

WTM: Don Quixote

IPad: The Purple Land by W. H. Hudson (South America)

 

Total Finished in 2013: 39

• 
   
  

[Butter]

I've finished something like 24 books so far. I finished Lord of the Flies this week. I love that book, but it's really depressing. I forgot just how depressing. Since Ender's Game (movie) is coming out this fall, I'm having my daughter read both Lord of the Flies and Ender's Game and comparing them. Ender's Game and Lord of the Flies have so many parallels, just completely different settings.

 

Now I'm reading The Secret Garden. It's been years since I read it. It's a book that always makes me feel all cozy and happy inside for some reason. I need it after Lord of the Flies!

[VeganCupcake]

I just happened to finish 1Q84 last night, so some posts in this thread have been perfectly timed. :lol:

 

I started reading Food In Jars, which is kind of a cookbook/idea book about small-batch canning. It makes me want to whip up some preserves. I also have Good Calories, Bad Calories on the go in audio form.

[eaglei]

Last week I was in the midst of three books, one of which I finished. This week I am again in the midst of three books, two carrying over from last week. The upcoming week looks rather busy so it may be another slow reading week . . .

 

Finished:

 

#23 - Cross Roads, by Wm. Paul Young

 

Currently reading:

 

New Passages, by Gail Sheehy

Walking Across Egypt, by Clyde Edgerton (Kindle library loan)

How to Interpret Dreams and Visions, by Perry Stone

[BigMamaBird]

I've been in funk lately and didn't want to attempt anything heavy or uninteresting. So I indulged in another Agatha Christie book, Miss Marple: The Complete Short Story Collection I do love Agatha Christie! I also love Willa Cather, she's one of my favorite authors. I was browsing the library and found Oh, Pioneers! I have never read that one and was just tickled to discover it for the first time! There's just something about how she writes that I really enjoy.

 

So this week was a favorite female author enjoyment-fest!

 

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

10 – The Hiding Place – Corrie Ten Boom

11 – The Square Foot Garden – Mel Bartholomew

12 - Catch-22- Joseph Heller

13 - Heart of Darkness- Joseph Conrad

14 - Partners in Crime - Agatha Christie

15 - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

16 -O, Pioneers!- Willa Cather

17 - Miss Marple - The Complete Short Story Collection - Agatha Christie

[Pawz4me]

I finished #16 The Misremembered Man. It was okay, but nothing special. I certainly wasn't as taken by it as the Amazon reviewers apparently have been. I also read Delight Directed Learning by Matt and Lee Binz, but I decided not to include it in my book count. It was such a short, quick read I'd feel like I was cheating if I counted it. Currently in progress are Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill (son of Stephen King) and The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

[Stacia]

.

[Tullia]

I've almost finished Shirley and hope to finish re-reading The Professor and Jane Eyre this week. Life continues to get in the way of reading, but I'm not giving up.

[mlbuchina]

I've often said this. There are many classics I hated in high school, but read them as an adult and appreciated them. I think if I wasn't a reader, some of the books forced on me in high school would have turned me away from reading classics forever. I've talked to people who have had that reaction.

I hated that book, too. In fact, just thinking about it makes me angry. I don't know if that is from the subject matter of the book, or that I was forced to read it. I won't be reading it again.

 

I've finished something like 24 books so far. I finished Lord of the Flies this week. I love that book, but it's really depressing. I forgot just how depressing. Since Ender's Game (movie) is coming out this fall, I'm having my daughter read both Lord of the Flies and Ender's Game and comparing them. Ender's Game and Lord of the Flies have so many parallels, just completely different settings.

 

Now I'm reading The Secret Garden. It's been years since I read it. It's a book that always makes me feel all cozy and happy inside for some reason. I need it after Lord of the Flies!

I loved Ender's Game. I have never read Lord of the Flies, so that is interesting to hear that they parallel. I think I will add these to my tbr pile. I never read the other books that came after Ender's, either, so I may as well add those, too. I knew that a movie was being talked about, but didn't know it had been made. Can't wait!

 

 

A couple more funny ones for those reading Murakami....

 

 

[edited to remove picture]

 

Now I never will be able to stop calling this book "I" Q84!

 

1Q84 Readalong - are you still plugging away? What do you think so far?

I'm still plugging away, but it is slow going. I find that I just don't care about these characters. I'm still reading for the sole purpose to see how all these little threads get woven together. I hope it is not going to require a Book 4.

[mlbuchina]

I didn't read that much this week. I'm still working on 1Q84, but it is slow going. Finally made it to Book 2, but I've kinda stalled out. I decided to give myself a little break and read something I've been wanting to read for several weeks now. Hiroshima, by John Hersey, is just heart wrenching. This is the book that my 5th grade teacher was reading aloud to us (talked about this several weeks back). It is just as riveting now as it was back then.

 

On the lighter side, we finished up Farmer Boy, and are almost finished with On the Banks of Plum Creek. I just adore the Little House books.

 

 

The Round Up:

 

25. Farmer Boy

24. 1984

23. This Book is Full of Spiders

22. Little House on the Prairie

21. Evolutionism and Creationism

20. John Dies at the End

19. Much Ado About Nothing

18. Little House in the Big Woods

17. Hooked

16. Anne of the Island

15. Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen

14. Anne of Avonlea

13. Anne of Green Gables

12. The Invention of Hugo Cabret

11. The Swiss Family Robinson

10. Little Women

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

[Negin]

Sounds like a neat book, Negin. Also, what a neat era -- time & place -- for her to have been living & producing art.

This sounds cool.

The book was lovely, but it's definitely more geared for those who are interested in Baha'i history in the U.S. or Baha'i women. I can't imagine it being of much interest otherwise.

[Lizzie in Ma]

I'm reading the 11th volume of the Oxford History of the US: Restless Giant. It is very well written and I am enjoying it.

Gearing up for the Dewey read A Thon I've been getting a bunch of books from the library, some of which I know I'll get through and a couple I won't be able to as they are very long.

On the list, two new Bob Tarte books, I fell in love with him after, "Enslaved by Ducks". Justin Halper's "I Suck at Girls" because I loved his first book, and two newer Dirk Pitt novels I haven't read yet.

[Paisley Hedgehog]

. 

 

[Kim in Appalachia]

 

If you can't understand it without an explanation, you can't understand it with an explanation.

 

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

 

 

Love that quote. :)

 

That book is a bit verbose. It did feel like he didn't trust his readers to get his point. But I still loved the book.

 

I'm getting near the end of Wind-up Bird Chronicle. It's very good, much more concise than 1Q84 (and it's still big), but he, Murakami, was really fascinated with the year 1984.

[Remudamom]

I'm reading a real intelligent book..................okay, at least it's kinda fun. I, Zombie.

 

I'm getting less and less time to read now that the weather is nice, the garden and ponies are calling. This is the farthest I've ever gotten with a book a week.

[Mom-ninja.]

and two newer Dirk Pitt novels I haven't read yet.

 

I read the first Isaac Bell book a few weeks ago. Eh. Didn't enjoy it like I do the Pitt books. Which books are they?

[mumto2]

Just finished #64 The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch. It was my free Amazon prime book. Not sure if I would have persisted past the first few pages if it didn't feel like I have to read those prime books or wasting my money. That being said I really liked it. Looking forward to part 2 "The Dark Monk". I already checked it out but can't start it until I get several other books done.

 

Going to start Death Comes to Pemberley by PD James on my kindle. I need to read it before it disappears! Really looking forward to it.

 

I am also going to start part 3 of 1Q84. I do want to see how it ends but I am less then excited at the thought of a part 4.

 

Now for a serious question -- how are you going to "count" 1q84 on your reading lists? I had been planning to count it as 1 book for all three parts but I looked at goodreads and discovered all sorts of variations. The one that attracted me was using part 1 and 2 as one book because the cover is the copy I read. Nothing matches my part 3. Anyway how do you plan to list this chunky book on your 52 books list?

[Kareni]

Yesterday I read Robyn Carr's Angel's Peak which is one of her Virgin River series. I enjoyed it.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Storm Bay]

Well, I thought I'd been gone from here a week, but it's been two. April is a busy month, for sure.

 

I'm not sure which book I finished that I posted last, so here are the last 4 books I've finished. The order of the first 2 might be mixed up as I forgot about Hearts of Horses until seeing the post that caused at least one person initial confusion:

 

 

38. Hearts of Horses (Oregon hike the US) 4 stars

39. Agenda 21 Glenn Beck and Harriet Parke 5 stars

40. Beauty: a Retelling of Beauty and the Beast 4 stars

41. Big Trouble by Dave Barry 2.5 stars

 

I'm still reading:

 

The Swerve and should be finished it this week. Not something I want to rush through

 

Love Life: for Every Married Couple

 

I'm also reading Stormy Weather by Paulette Giles.

 

Sending you a virtual cup of tea.

 

I read The Swerve a couple of weeks ago, giving it 3.5 stars out of 5. My husband is now reading it and is quite fascinated by the premise of the book.

 

The Swerve inspired me to open Lucretius. Open. That is about all I have done, I am afraid. I'll work my way through it--eventually. :blushing:

 

I'll probably give this book a 4, but am unlikely to run and read Lucretius. It's not that I don't appreciate the enormous impact that the ideals he preserved have had on the world as we know it, but because I'll simply spend my time alternatively shaking my head at, arguing with or laughing at what Lucretius has to say. I had quite a :rofl: once already when the author of The Swerve was summing up Lucretius' main points (the part about free will. I read it to one of my daughters who also laughed.) That said, I find this book quite interesting for the most part.

 

[/size]

 

I read this as being a long title of a single book. I thought, hmmm, what an interesting title with horse hearts and a swerve -- is it a satirical look at marriage? It's close to dinner time -- misreading must be a sign of low blood sugar! :tongue_smilie:

I clearly blew it this afternoon by heading to the library before checking in with the thread today. Both of these look like the kind of reading I'm in the mood for! Adding them to my list for next time.

 

:lol: You know, I realized after posting that those might almost look like one book--note the change I made to how I listed my books this week as a result :).

A couple more funny ones for those reading Murakami....

 

 

 

:lol: Okay, I'm now taking out this book which I also always think of as IQ 84 and not 1 Q 84. If I don't like it, I can always return it to the library unfinished.

[Lizzie in Ma]

I read the first Isaac Bell book a few weeks ago. Eh. Didn't enjoy it like I do the Pitt books. Which books are they?

 

I don't like the Isaac Bell's either, though I don't mind the NUMA files.

Crescent Dawn and Poseidon's Arrow are the two I haven't read yet that are Dirk Pitts.

[Mom-ninja.]

 

I don't like the Isaac Bell's either, though I don't mind the NUMA files.

Crescent Dawn and Poseidon's Arrow are the two I haven't read yet that are Dirk Pitts.

 

I haven't read those either. Put them on my list. Looking forward to Dirk and Al after being disappointed with Isaac.

[Vida Winter]

 

52 Books Blog - Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary: Highlighting book # 10 in SWB's list of great fiction in Well Educated Mind. Madame Bovary was Gustave's first published novel which he began writing in 1851 and worked on it for 5 years before having it published in the Paris Review in serialized form. The content was considered shocking and vulgar and Gustave, the publisher and the printer were put on trial for insulting public and religious morality. He was cleared due to the support from folks in both the political and artistic arena and the book soon became a bestseller. The story about Emma Bovary, an unhappily married woman, who indulges in a number of forbidden relationships in order to escape the emptiness of provincial life. Gustave is said to have been strongly inspired and influenced by French novelist Honore De Balzac’s writings. Click over to 52 books to read an excerpt from the first chapter.

 

 

More power to you. Madame Bovary is one of those books that I can't get through despite a couple of attempts.

[PaulainTx]

I've finished:

 

Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke (55)

Tapestry of Fortunes by Elizabeth Berg (56)

The Shortest Way Home by Juliette Fay (57)

The Iliad - the Fagles translation (58)

[Vida Winter]

Current read: The audio version of "New York: The Novel" by Edward Rutherfurd - a bit slow going at first but it has captured me. Good thing, since listening is a 35-hour project.

 

I failed to mention memorable read-alouds with the kids. We recently finished "Don't Know Where, Don't Know When" by historian

Annette Laing. Book one of the Snipesville Chronicles, a time-travel romp through WW1 and WW2 Britain. The kids rate it highly and our next read aloud wil be the second in the series. [Warning - some violence and fowl language. We enjoyed it despite this.]

 

Current read aloud is "Escape from Hat" - by Adam Kline, with marvelous illustrations by Brian Taylor. A bargain on kindle for $2.99. Suitable for all ages. A pure delight - an Alice-in-Wonderland type world where each boy and girl is accompanied by a rabbit (for luck) and cat (for bad luck). Some books are just plain FUN to read aloud, and this is one of them.

 

I would post links but my cut/paste does not like the new board format. Anyone else having that problem?

[Stacia]

I would post links but my cut/paste does not like the new board format. Anyone else having that problem?

 

Me! The "link" button does not work for me. (But I can do picture links just fine.) And I was a link-happy person prior to this. I'm finding it soooooooooooo aggravating.

 

If you find a solution, please let me know. I had posted over on the tech questions area, but never got a response.

 

ETA: Oh, wait. I just tried it (after giving up on it for awhile) & it seems to be working.

[Hoot]

Finished 9th Judgement by James Patterson today. A bit better than some of his others that I've read lately, but still mindless fluff.

 

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

11. Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson

12. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

13. Tales of an African Vet by Dr. Roy Aronson

14. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

15. The Romanovs: The Final Chapter by Robert K. Massie

16. Kisses From Katie by Katie Katie Davis

17. Iguanas for Dummies by Melissa Kaplan

18. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

19. Zoo by James Patterson

20. St. Lucy's School for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell

21. Russian Tortoises in Captivity by Jerry D. Fife

22. Leopard Geckos for Dummies by Liz Palika

23. The 8th Confession by James Patterson

24. Leopard Geckos: Caring for Your New Pet by Casey Watkins

25. The Ultimate Guide to Leopard Geckos by Phoenix Hayes Simmons

26. 9th Judgement by James Patterson

[Robin M]

Happy Dance! Publisher is sending me a replacement copy of 1Q84.

[Just Robyn]

Happy Dance! Publisher is sending me a replacement copy of 1Q84.

 

 

Yay!

 

I looked these up and my library doesn't have any. :glare: Too bad. They look like something I would like.

 

 

Boo!

 

It's a Book-a-Week emotional roller coaster.

[Kareni]

[Warning - some violence and fowl language. We enjoyed it despite this.]

 

 

 

Cock-a-doodle-do?

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Vida Winter]

Cock-a-doodle-do?

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

blasted spell check!

[zillymom]

LOL I love all the Murakami funnies posted here! I'm finished with 1Q84. (I loved it but... I'm already a huge, huge Murakami fan so I'm used to his quirks.) Anyhow, I feel good about the ending. I don't think I'd want a Book 4.

 

I also finished reading The World's Strongest Librarian (subtitled A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family) by Josh Hanagarne. LOVED this memoir! It was so positive and honest and uplifting.

 

This week I'm reading Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and The People Who Play It by David M. Ewalt, and The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag.

[joannqn]

Sundays are so busy for us that I keep forgetting to get online and participate in this thread. That said, in the last few weeks, I've finished four books:

 

#11 Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys: My daughter read it first after it was recommended by a friend. Then I saw it mentioned here. So, I read it and made it required reading for my son. (We just finished spending 5 weeks on WWII.) I enjoyed it. I always find historical fiction helps me get a better picture for history. It also provided a good discussion on the character traits and how they affect the way people respond to us.

 

#12 Left for Dead: A Young Man's Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis by Pete Nelson: Very interesting book that tells two stories. First, various people in the Navy during World War II made some serious mistakes which contributed to the biggest Naval disaster in history, and the Navy hung the ships' captain as a scapegoat. Second, an 11 year old boy and his National History Day project (and 5 years of work) led to restoring the captain's good name and the honor of his crew.

 

#13 Reflections on the Bible by Dietrich Bonhoeffer: This was just a little book with random thoughts by the author. I was hoping for something more substantial, but there were some interesting tidbits.

 

#14 Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two by Joseph Bruchac: This historical fiction novel follows a Navajo boy through boarding school where he was strongly encouraged (through insults and punishments) to abandon his culture and language and through World War II where he was recruited into the military because the boarding school didn't succeed. In the latter half of the book, the main character describes the different island campaigns he was involved in while explaining how the Navajo were used as code talkers.

[Heather in Neverland]

Started Reading:

The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag: A Flavia de Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley (Canadian Author, DD Class 800)

 

 

Still Reading:

God's Big Picture: Tracing the Story-Line of the Bible by Vaughan Roberts (British author, DD class 200)

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:

15.The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner (American author, DD class 900)

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

13. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (American author, DD class 900)

12. The Disappearing Spoon: And Other Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean (American author, DD class 500)

11. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman (American Author, DD class 600)

10. A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller (American author, DD class 200)

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

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)